Rapid plant-cover establishment on gold mine tailings in southern New Zealand: glasshouse screening trials

The use of a short-term vegetation cover to temporarily control the negative environmental effects of inactive tailings ponds is notfrequently practiced during operational mining, but could have some merit This article reports on a glasshouse trial designed to examine some of the issues associated with short-term vegetation: fast germination of a high proportion of seed, the ability of seedlings to survive in unamended substrates, and potentially toxic substrate. Five nonindigenous plant species were tested--barley (Hordeum vulgare), rye corn (Secale cereale), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multifiorum), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and lucerne (Medicago sativa)--in five different types of substrate: unamended tailings, tailings and fertilizer, tailings and greenwaste, biosolid-blend compost, and local topsoil. The nutrient and heavy metal status (As, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb) of each substrate type was determined Plant species performance was monitored over 14 wk Substrate metal concentrations were low except for As, which was elevated in all substrate types. Plants in unamended tailings grew less vigorously than plants in tailings and compost or in topsoil. Plant performance in tailings and fertiliser was greatly suppressed following a high fertilization rate. Metal uptake in plants was highest for As (0.4-77 mg kg(-1) DW) and Cu (5.3-50.3 mg kg(-1) DW). Future field trials are necessary to authenticate findings, but barley and rye corn are promising species for a short-term tailings cover.     

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Biosolids Enhance the Growth of a Native Australian Grass on Sulphidic Gold Mine Tailings

We tested the effect of the addition of biosolids combined with a native mycorrhizal inoculum (Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi [AMF]) on growth of a native Australian grass, and on trace element stabilization of sulphidic gold mine tailings. A glasshouse trial was established on four substrates: tailings (T); tailings with a layer of 5 cm topsoil (TS); tailings amended with 100 dry t ha^?1 biosolids (LB), and tailings amended with 500 dry t ha^?1 biosolids (HB). Pots of 1.2 L of capacity were established; some were inoculated with a mixture of Glomus sp. (WUM51–9227), Scutelospora aurigloba (WUM51–53), and Acaulospora levis (WUM46) culture mix, and others were uninoculated controls. Seeds of the native Australian grass, Bothriochloa macra were sown in the pots. Root infection, plant biomass production, nutrients and trace element concentrations in shoots were investigated. Addition of biosolids significantly increased AMF infection of roots compared to unamended substrates. No clear qualitative differences in colonization were detected. Addition of biosolids and AMF together clearly improved the establishment and growth of the native grass. Similar trends in nutritional status were shown for biosolids and inoculation with AMF treatments. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased plant biomass production and the effectiveness of nutrient uptake. The combined use of biosolids and mycorrhizal inoculation could be a reliable method for phytostabilization purposes in polluted substrates.     

Lime and compost promote plant re-colonization of metal-polluted, acidic soils

The revegetation of soils affected by historic depositions of an industrial complex in Central Chile was studied. The plant re-colonization from the existing soil seed bank and changes in the physico-chemical properties of the soil were evaluated in field plots amended with lime and/or compost. We found that the application of lime and/or compost decreased the Cu2+ ion activity in the soil solution and the exchangeable Cu in the soil, showing an effective Cu immobilization in the topsoil. Whereas lime application had no effect on plant productivity in comparison with the unamended control, the application of compost and lime+compost increased the plant cover and aboveground biomass due to the higher nutrient availability and water-holding capacity of the compost-amended soils. Although the Cu2+ activity and the exchangeable Cu were markedly lower in the amended soils than in the unamended control, the shoot Cu concentrations of Lolium spp. and Eschscholzia californica did not differ between the treatments.     

Manganese Oxidation by Bacterial Isolates from the Indian Ridge System

The abundance and activity of culturable manganese-oxidizing bacteria were assessed from near-bottom water samples of the tectonically active Carlsberg Ridge. Retrievable counts as colony forming units (CFU) on dilute nutrient agar medium (dilNA = 2 gm l⁻¹ nutrient broth+2% agar) and on dilNA supplemented with 1, 2 and 3 mM MnCl₂·4H₂O were in the order of 10⁶ CFU l⁻¹. Retrievability of heterotrophs ranged from non-detectable levels (ND) to 2.82 × 10⁶ CFU l⁻¹. The retrievable counts on Mn amended dilNA ranged from ND to 3.21× 10⁶, 1.47 × 10⁶ and 1.45 × 10⁶ CFU l⁻¹ on 1, 2 and 3 mM, respectively. About 87% of the Mn tolerant isolates (n = 39) showed taxonomic affinities to Pseudomonas I and II sp. Two representative strains CR35 and CR48 (CR–Carlsberg Ridge) isolated on manganese-supplemented media were tested for their ability to tolerate a range of Mn amendments from 1 nM to 100 mM in terms of growth and respiration. CR35 represents 66% of the total CFU (3.04 × 10⁶ CFU l⁻¹), while CR48 represented only 6% of the total CFU (1.05 × 10⁶ CFU l⁻¹). The colonies of these two isolates were dark brown in color suggesting precipitation of Mn as oxide. Tests for the effect on growth and respiration were conducted in media simulating heterotrophic (amended with 0.01% glucose) and lithotrophic (unamended) conditions. Maximum stimulation in growth and respiration of CR35 occurred at 100 μM Mn both in unamended and amended media. At levels of Mn greater than 100 μM the counts decreased steadily. Total respiring cells of CR48 were stimulated to a maximum at 1 μM Mn in unamended medium and 1 nM in amended medium. Total cells counts for the same decreased beyond 100 μM Mn in unamended and 1 nM in amended medium. The isolates were tested for their ability to oxidize Mn ammendments from 1 μM to 10 mM Mn. At the end of a 76-day incubation period, there was evidence of manganese oxide precipitation at high Mn concentrations (≥1 mM) as a dark brown coloration on the sides of culture tubes. Highest Mn oxidation rates were observed at 10 mM Mn(II) concentration with CR35 oxidizing 27 and 25 μM Mn day⁻¹ in unamended and amended condition, respectively. CR48 oxidized Mn at the rate of 26 μM Mn day⁻¹ in unamended medium and 35 μM Mn day⁻¹ in amended medium. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of both isolates revealed free-living cells in clustered matrices ≈2 μm diameter. Energy dispersive spectrum of the cell matrix of CR35 cultured in 1 mM Mn detected 30% Mn, while the cell aggregates of CR48 harbored 7–10% Mn. The relatively high specific activity of these mixotrophic bacteria under relatively oligotrophic conditions suggests that they may be responsible for scavenging dissolved Mn from the Carlsberg Ridge waters and could potentially participate in oxidation.     

Short-term effects of urea amended with the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide on perennial ryegrass

The current study investigated the short-term physiological implications of plant nitrogen uptake of urea amended with the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT) under both greenhouse and field conditions. ¹⁵N labelled urea amended with 0.0, 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5% nBTPT (w/w) was surface applied at a rate equivalent to 100 kg N ha^–1 to perennial ryegrass in a greenhouse pot experiment. Root, shoot and soil fractions were destructively harvested 0.75, 1.75, 4, 7 and 10 days after fertilizer application. Urease activity was determined in each fraction together with ¹⁵N recovery and a range of chemical analyses. The effect of nBTPT amended urea on leaf tip scorch was evaluated together with the effect of the inhibitor applied on its own on plant urease activity.nBTPT-amended urea dramatically reduced shoot urease activity for the first few days after application compared to unamended urea. The higher the nBTPT concentration the longer the time required for shoot activity to return to that in the unamended treatment. At the highest inhibitor concentration of 0.5% shoot urease activity had returned to that of unamended urea by 10 days. Root urease activity was unaffected by nBTPT in the presence of urea but was affected by nBTPT in the absence of urea.Transient leaf tip scorch was observed approximately 7–15 days after nBTPT + urea application and was greatest with high concentrations of nBTPT and high urea-N application rates. New developing leaves showed no visual sign of tip necrosis.Urea hydrolysis of unamended urea was rapid with only 1.3% urea-N remaining in the soil after 1.75 days. N uptake and metabolism by ryegrass was rapid with ¹⁵N recovery from unamended urea, in the plant (shoot + root) being 33% after 1.75 days. Most of the ¹⁵N in the soil following the urea+0.5% nBTPT application was still as urea after 1.75 days, yet ¹⁵N plant recovery at this time was 25% (root+shoot). This together with other evidence, suggests that if urea hydrolysis in soil is delayed by nBTPT then urea can be taken up by ryegrass as the intact molecule, albeit at a significantly slower initial rate of uptake than NH₄ ⁺-N. Protein and water soluble carbohydrate content of the plant were not significantly affected by amending urea with nBTPT however, there was a significant effect on the composition of amino acids in the roots and shoots, suggesting a difference in metabolism.Although nBTPT-amended urea affected plant urease activity and caused some leaf-tip scorch the effects were transient and short-lived. The previously reported benefit of nBTPT in reducing NH₃ volatilization of urea would appear to far outweigh any of the observed short-term effects, as dry-matter production of ryegrass is increased.     

Phytostabilization of gold mine tailings from New Zealand. Part 2: Experimental evaluation of arsenic mobilization during revegetation

Revegetation of mine tailings usually requires amendments of phosphorus. However, phosphate addition can mobilize arsenic (As) from the tailings. A 5-mo lysimeter field trial was conducted to quantify As mobilization in gold mine tailings, in association with different P amendment products and different plant species (barley Hordeum vulgare, blue lupin Lupinus angustifolius, rye corn Secale cereale) necessary for short-term revegetation of mine tailings. A simultaneous laboratory experiment was run to examine As mobilization in 1-cm-deep tailings in relation to different P amendment rates. The experimental results showed that the amount of As leached was proportional to the amount of P added. In the larger scale lysimeters, P amendment of < 3 g m(-2) caused As leaching of 0.5 mg L(-1) from unplanted lysimeters and up to 0.9 mg L(-1) on average in planted lysimeters. Variable species-amendment combinations produced differences in the amount of As leached and uptaken. Leachates and uptakes were higher with an organic fertilizer amendment than Superphosphate, particularly in combination with barley. Arsenic accumulated in plant biomass to 126 mg kg(-1) in shoots and 469 mg kg(-1) in roots.     

Preliminary study on the correlation between the trace Mn2+ and the calcite polymorph in gallstones containing calcium carbonate from the northeast China via electron spin resonance

Gallstones containing calcium carbonate (GCCC) from the northeast China were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and electron spin resonance (ESR). The sextet signal arising from the allowed transitions of the trace Mn²⁺ ions in GCCC was found to be ESR-detectable and strong. The XRD technique revealed the crystal habit of calcite in GCCC. Of the three polymorphs of calcium carbonate, no calcite was present as a solitary crystallization form, accompanied by aragonite or vaterite or both. The sextet ESR signal and the (104) main XRD peak at 2θ = ∼29.4° were employed as two probes to explore the relationship between trace Mn²⁺ and calcite. The Mn content can be considered as an indicator of the amount of calcite in GCCC because of the existence of a correlation between Mn²⁺ and calcite. The correlation between Mn²⁺ and calcite, the relation between the levels of Mn²⁺ and the type of gallstones, the structural preference of Mn²⁺ to the calcite polymorph, and the influence of dietary habits on calcite in calcium carbonate gallstones are discussed.     

The response of seedlings of two dipterocarp species to nutrient additions and ectomycorrhizal infection

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of ectomycorrhizal infection on growth and nutrient uptake, especially of P and K of dipterocarp seedlings.Hopea helferi (Dyer) Blanco andHopea odorata Roxb. seedlings were grown in a sandy loam soil given a basal dressing. Nutrient treatments were unamended soil (NIL), amended soil with the addition of P and K (F), amended soil without P but with K (-P), amended soil without K but with P (-K), amended soil without P or K addition (-PK). Seedlings grown in the amended soil treatments showed foliar symptoms suggestive of calcium deficiency. Ectomycorrhizal infection appeared to improve shoot Ca concentration and relieved the foliar symptoms. Ectomycorrhizal infection inH. odorata plants increased shoot P concentration and increased shoot and total dry weight to the same or greater extent than those of uninfected plants growing on P amended soil.H. helferi showed a positive response to ectomycorrhizal infection in shoot, root and total dry weight in all nutrient treatments but no response to the nutrient treatments themselves.     

Iron sulfide formation on root surfaces controlled by the life cycle of wild rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zizania palustris</Emphasis>)

Iron sulfide plaques have been observed on roots of wild rice (Zizania palustris) and other wetland plants grown in sulfur-impacted freshwater ecosystems, but the mechanism of their formation and ramifications for plants have not been investigated. We exposed a model annual wetland plant, Zizania palustris, to elevated sulfate concentrations (3.1 mM) and quantified the development of iron oxide and iron sulfide precipitates on root surfaces throughout the plant life cycle. During the onset of seed production, root surfaces amended with sulfate transitioned within 1 week from iron (hydr)oxide plaques to iron sulfide plaques. During the same week, Fe(III) decreased on roots of plants not amended with sulfate but FeS did not accumulate. Prior to FeS accumulation, sulfate-amended plants had taken up the same amount of N as unamended plants. After FeS accumulation, total plant nitrogen did not increase further on sulfate-amended plants, indicating a cessation in nitrogen uptake, whereas total plant N continued to increase in unamended plants. Sulfate-amended plants produced fewer and lighter seeds with less nitrogen than unamended plants. FeS precipitation on roots may be associated with elevated sulfide and inhibited nitrogen uptake before the end of the plant’s life cycle, thus affecting the populations of this annual aquatic plant. We propose a mechanism by which a physiologically-induced decline in radial oxygen loss near the end of a plant’s life cycle initiates a precipitous decline in redox potential at the root surface and in adjacent porewater, initiating accumulation of iron sulfide plaques. These plaques could be an important locus for iron sulfide accumulation in wetland sediments.     

Effect of organic soil amendments on damping-off of lettuce caused by Corticium praticola

Ten organic amendments were added to unsterile soil which was contaminated 14 days later with Corticium praticola and sown with lettuce seeds. Substantial increases in final stands of seedlings were obtained with grass meal, bran and wood cellulose. Corn and barley meal, linseed cake and fish meal decreased final stands; molassine meal, potato starch and peptone had relatively little effect. Seedlings grown with wood cellulose were very chlorotic and stunted. Up to 30% of lettuce seeds sown in soil which, 180 days earlier, had been amended with corn meal and contaminated with C. praticola became colonized by the fungus. None was colonized in unamended soil or in soil amended with grass meal. Ninety days after amendment and contamination fewer seeds were colonized in soil amended with grass meal than in unamended soil. The amendment of soil with grass meal was as effective as thiram seed treatment in protecting lettuce seedlings against C. praticola and grass meal was particularly effective in reducing both the numbers of seedlings attacked and the survival of the fungus in the soil.     

Establishment of a Vegetation Cover on Tundra Kimberlite Mine Tailings: 2. A Field Study

High erosion potential of dewatered kimberlite mine tailings after diamond extraction has prompted research at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Canadian subarctic heath tundra ecosystem. Greenhouse and field studies aimed at establishing a permanent vegetation cover on these dewatered tailings began in spring 2000. Coarse texture, no organic component, lack of available macronutrients, and a serpentine chemistry are the principal limitations of kimberlite tailings to plant colonization. Structure‐improving (peat moss, lake sediment, and sewage sludge) and nutrient‐providing (fertilizer, rock phosphate, calcium carbonate, and gypsum) amendments were tested to ameliorate these conditions, facilitating the establishment of a permanent vegetation cover, which stabilizes surface materials and promotes natural colonization by the surrounding tundra vegetation. Seven native grass species (Arctagrostis latifolia, Calamagrostis canadensis, Poa glauca, Poa alpina, Deschampsia beringensis, Deschampsia caespitosa, and Festuca rubra) were used to measure amendment success. With the addition of structure‐improving and nutrient‐providing amendments, plant growth on these kimberlite tailings under field conditions was significantly improved over unamended tailings material. Tailings properties, including cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, and macronutrient availability, were also improved with amendment addition.     

Inorganic materials as ameliorants for soil remediation of metal toxicity to wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.)

The ameliorating effects of different inorganic materials were investigated on a soil originating from a zinc smelter dumping site contaminated by toxic metals. Wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.) was used as a test plant. The soil was amended with different doses of mining sludge, Perferric Red Latosol (LVj), steel shots, cyclonic ash, silifertil, and superphosphate. The most effective amendments improved plant growth with 45% and reduced metal uptake by over 70% in comparison to untreated soil. Reductions in availability as estimated by BaCl2-extractable metals reached up to 90% for Zn and 65% for Cd as compared to unamended soil. These reductions were associated with lower shoot and root metal contents. Shoot Zn content was reduced from 1,369 microg g(-1) in plants grown on untreated soil to 377 microg g(-1) when grown on cyclonic ash amended soil while Cd decreased from 267 to 44 microg g(-1) in steel shots amended soil. Superphosphate addition had no ameliorating effect. On the contrary, it increased BaCl2-extractable amounts of Zn. Considering all parameters we determined, steel shots, cyclonic ash and silifertil are the most promising for remediating metal contaminated soil in the tropics. Further studies evaluating impacts, cost-effectiveness and durability of effects will be conducted.     

Seed mixtures as a resistance management strategy for European corn borers (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) infesting transgenic corn expressing Cry1Ab protein

Dispersal of neonate European corn borers, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), in seed mixtures of transgenic corn expressing Cry1Ab protein (Bt+) and nontransgenic corn (Bt-) was evaluated in a 2-yr field study. The main objective was to determine if larval dispersal limits the effectiveness of seed mixtures as a resistance management strategy. Mixtures evaluated included (1) all Bt+ plants, (2) every fifth plant Bt- with remaining plants Bt+, (3) every fifth plant Bt+ with remaining plants Bt-, and (4) all Bt- plants. The transformation events MON 802 (B73 BC1F2 x Mol7) and MON 810 (B73 BC1F1 x Mo17), which express the Cry1Ab endotoxin isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, were used as the sources of Bt+ seed in 1994 and 1995, respectively (YieldGard, Monsanto, St. Louis, MO). At corn growth stage V6-V8, subplots within each mixture (15-20 plants each) were infested so that every fifth plant in mixtures 1 and 4, every Bt- plant in mixture 2, and every Bt+ plant in mixture 3 received two egg masses. Larval sampling over a 21-d period indicated increased neonate dispersal off of Bt+ plants, reduced survival of larvae that dispersed from Bt+ plants to Bt- plants, and a low incidence of late-instar movement from Bt- plants to Bt+ plants. Computer simulations based on mortality and dispersal estimates from this study indicate that seed mixtures will delay the evolution of resistant European corn borer populations compared with uniform planting of transgenic corn. However, resistant European corn borer populations likely will develop faster in seed mixes compared with separate plantings of Bt and non-Bt corn.     

Jatropha curcas and assisted phytoremediation of a mine tailing with biochar and a mycorrhizal fungus

Soil pollution is an important ecological problem worldwide. Phytoremediation is an environmental-friendly option for reducing metal pollution. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the growth and physiological response, metal uptake, and the phytostabilization potential of a nontoxic Jatropha curcas L. genotype when grown in multimetal-polluted conditions. Plants were established on a mine residue (MR) amended or not amended with corn biochar (B) and inoculated or not inoculated with the mycorrhizal fungus Acaulospora sp. (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, AMF). J. curcas was highly capable of growing in an MR and showed no phytotoxic symptoms. After J. curcas growth (105 days), B produced high desorption of Cd and Pb from the MR; however, no increases in metal shoot concentrations were observed. Therefore, Jatropha may be useful for phytostabilization of metals in mine tailings. The use of B is recommended because improved MR chemical properties conduced to plant growth (cation-exchange capacity, organic matter content, essential nutrients, electrical conductivity, water-holding capacity) and plant growth development (higher biomass, nutritional and physiological performance). Inoculation with an AMF did not improve any plant growth or physiological plant characteristic. Only higher Zn shoot concentration was observed, but it was not phytotoxic. Future studies of B use and its long-term effect on MR remediation should be conducted under field conditions.     

Microbial community assessment in oil-impacted salt marsh sediment microcosms by traditional and nucleic acid-based indices.

The effect of oil amendment in salt marsh sediment microcosms was examined by most probable number (MPN), DNA-hybridization with domain-specific oligonucleotide probes and whole community 16S rDNA-hybridizations. Gas chromatography (GC/MS) analysis of oil residues in sediments from microcosms after 3 months of operation showed that the quantity of petroleum hydrocarbons was lower in microcosms amended with oil compared to microcosms amended with oil+plant detritus. Bacterial numbers (total-MPN) increased in all experimental microcosms (amended with plant detritus, oil, and oil+plant detritus). In comparison to the intact sediment, the proportions of oil-degrading bacteria increased >100-fold in the oil amended microcosm and >10-fold in the plant detritus and the oil+plant detritus amended microcosms. DNA-hybridizations with Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya oligonucleotide probes indicated few changes in the petroleum contaminated sediment community profile. In contrast, rDNA-hybridizations indicated that the bacterial community profile of the oil-impacted sediments, after 1 month of exposure, was significantly different from the control sediment.     

Potential denitrification in submerged natural and impacted sediments of Lake Batata,an Amazonian lake

Lake Batata is one of many clear water lakes located on the floodplain of the Trombetas River in the northern Brazilian Amazon. Lake Batata is distinctly different from other lakes of this region because, for a period of 10 years, its waters received tremendous amounts of aluminum ore tailings from a bauxite mining operation. Approximately 30% of the sediments of the upper basin of the 2100 hectare lake were covered by tailings before dumping was curtailed. The goal of this research was to identify factors controlling denitrification in the natural and impacted sediments of Lake Batata. Rates of denitrification in sediments were estimated in the laboratory by the acetylene blockage method. Denitrification was measured under four conditions: without amendment; amended with glucose; amended with nitrate; and amended with glucose and nitrate. Denitrification was observed only in assays amended with nitrate suggesting that availability of nitrate is a principle factor for controlling denitrification in the sediments of Lake Batata. Effects of nitrate amendments are most pronounced when the water level is low, i.e. during the hydroperiods of draw-down and low-water.     

Benomyl Tolerance of Ten Fungi Antagonistic to Plant-parasitic Nematodes

Ten strains of fungi were tested for tolerance to the fungicide benomyl. Verticillium chlamydosporium strain 2 did not grow in the presence of benomyl; Drechraeria coniospora strains 1 and 2 and Chaetomium sp. tolerated only 0.1 μg benomyl/ml medium; Acremonium bacillisporum, an unidentified fungus, and Phoma chrysanthemicola uniformly grew at 1 μg/ml, but some hyphae grew at higher benomyl concentrations; Fusarium sp. tolerated 475 μg/ml, but some hyphae grew on medium amended with 1,000 μg/ml; Verticillium lecanii and V. chlamydosporium strain 1 routinely tolerated 1,000 μg/ml. Fungi generally grew more slowly at higher than at lower benomyl concentrations. Strains with elevated tolerance to benomyl were selected from Acremonium bacillisporum, Drechmeria coniospora, Fusarium sp., and an unidentified fungus. These strains retained the increased tolerance after repeated transfers on unamended medium.     

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) Combined with Soil Solarization as a Methyl Bromide Alternative: Vegetable Crop Performance and Soil Nutrient Dynamics

Background and Aims

Soil treatment by anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) combined with soil solarization can effectively control soilborne plant pathogens and plant-parasitic nematodes in specialty crop production systems. At the same time, research is limited on the impact of soil treatment by ASD?+?solarization on soil fertility, crop performance and plant nutrition. Our objectives were to evaluate the response of 1) soil nutrients and 2) vegetable crop performance to ASD?+?solarization with differing levels of irrigation, molasses amendment, and partially-composted poultry litter amendment (CPL) compared to an untreated control and a methyl bromide (MeBr)?+?chloropicrin-fumigated control.

Methods

A 2-year field study was established in 2008 at the USDA-ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Lab in Fort Pierce, Florida, USA to determine the effectiveness of ASD as an alternative to MeBr fumigation for a bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.)-eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) double crop system. A complete factorial combination of treatments in a split-split plot was established to evaluate three levels of initial irrigation [10, 5, or 0 cm], two levels of CPL (amended or unamended), and two levels of molasses (amended or unamended) in combination with solarization. Untreated and MeBr controls were established for comparison to ASD treatments.

Conclusions

Results suggest that ASD treatment using molasses as the carbon source paired with solarization can be an effective strategy to maintain crop yields in the absence of soil fumigants. For both bell pepper and eggplant crops, ASD treatments with molasses as the carbon source had equivalent or greater marketable yields than the MeBr control. The application of organic amendments in ASD treatment (molasses or molasses?+?CPL) caused differences in soil nutrients and plant nutrition compared to the MeBr control that must be effectively managed in order to implement ASD on a commercial scale as a MeBr replacement.     

Effect of Rice Straw Incorporation on Phytotoxicity of Isoxaflutole to an Exotic Weed Phalaris minor Retz.

Phalaris minorRetz. is a major exotic annual weed in the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop. Unharvested rice (Oryza sativa L.) straw, unburned and burned, is often incorporated in the field prior to cultivating wheat. Isoxaflutole (Balance), a pre-emergent systemic soil applied herbicide, has potential to control P. minor. Glasshouse experiments were conducted to determine the phytotoxicity of isoxaflutole defined by reductions in relation to shoot length of P. minor when grown in unamended soil or soil amended with unburned or burned rice straw. A 120 g soil was amended with 0, 1, 2 and 4 g of unburned or burned rice straw, and placed in 150 mL styrofoam pots. Appropriate amount of isoxaflutole (75% active ingredient, ai) was added to pots to get final concentration of 0, 7.5, 30, 60 and 120 μg ai/pot. Unamended soil and soil amended with unburned or burned rice straw were analyzed for pH and organic matter; two important determinants of isoxaflutole activity. Results indicate a significant reduction in shoot length of P. minor when grown in soil treated with isoxaflutole at 30, 60 or 120 μg ai/pot. Inhibition in the shoot length of P. minor was observed when soil amended with unburned straw was treated with isoxaflutole at 7.5 and 30 μg ai/pot compared with unamended soil treated with similar amounts of isoxaflutole. No significant change in isoxaflutole toxicity was observed when soil amended with unburned straw was treated with isoxaflutole at 60 and 120 lg ai/pot compared with unamended soil treated with similar amounts of isoxaflutole. Isoxaflutole phytotoxicity to P. minor shoot length was eliminated when soil amended with burned straw was treated with isoxaflutole at 7.5 and 30 μg ai/pot. P. minor shoot length was greater when soil amended with burned straw was treated with isoxaflutole at 60 and 120 μg ai/pot relative to herbicide-treated unamended soils. We conclude that incorporation of burned rice straw greatly reduces the phytotoxicity of isoxaflutole toP. minor.     

Extremely High Phosphate Sorption Capacity in Cu-Pb-Zn Mine Tailings

Elevated inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations in pore water of amended tailings under direct revegetation may cause toxicity in some native woody species but not native forbs or herb species, all of which are key constituents in target native plant communities for phytostabilizing base metal mine tailings. As a result, Pi sorption capacity has been quantified by a conventional batch procedure in three types of base metal mine tailings sampled from two copper (Cu)-lead (Pb)-zinc (Zn) mines, as the basis for Pi-fertiliser addition. It was found that the Pi-sorption capacity in the tailings and local soil was extremely high, far higher than highly weathered agricultural soils in literature, but similar to those of volcanic ash soils. The Langmuir P-sorption maximum was up to 7.72, 4.12, 4.02 and 3.62 mg P g^-1 tailings, in the fresh tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD7), the weathered tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD5), EHM-TD (fresh Cu-stream, high magnetite content) and local soil (weathered shale and schist), respectively. Physicochemical factors highly correlated with the high Pi-sorption in the tailings were fine particle distribution, oxalate and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate extractable Fe (Fe_O and Fe_d), oxalate-extractable Al and Mn, and the levels of soluble Cd and Zn, and total S and Fe. Large amounts of amorphous Fe oxides and oxyhydroxides may have been formed from the oxidation of pyritic materials and redox cycles of Fe-minerals (such as pyrite (FeS₂), ankerite (Ca(Fe Mg)(CO₃)₂ and siderite (FeCO₃), as indicated by the extractable Fe_O values. The likely formation of sparingly soluble Zn-phosphate in the Pb-Zn tailings containing high levels of Zn (from sphalerite ((Zn,Fe)S, ZnS, (Zn,Cd)S)) may substantially lower soluble Zn levels in the tailings through high rates of Pi-fertiliser addition. As a result, the possibility of P-toxicity in native plant species caused by the addition of soluble phosphate fertilizers would be minimal.