Nitrogenous fertilizer transformations in the sudan Gezira soil

Summary and Conclusions Direct measurements were made of losses of ammonia during the transformation of urea and ammonium sulphate, surface-applied to alkaline Gezira soil in containers incubated in the field, under different rates of nitrogen application and moisture conditions.The highest rate of ammonia loss occurred during the first week after application with both fertilizers, thereafter decreasing to lower values. The cumulative ammonia loss was higher with higher application of nitrogen. Ammonium sulphate gave consistently higher ammonia losses than urea and losses from open soil system were generally less than from soil in polythene bags.With lowest irrigation level used, ammonia loss attained a sizeable value throughout the incubation period with both fertilizers. With the higher moisture levels, the magnitude of ammonia loss decreased appreciably, much more so with urea than with ammonium sulphate. Induced drying and rewetting prolonged the duration of loss and increased the magnitude of cumulative loss. An appreciable loss of ammonia may take place from fertillzed Gezira Soil under warm conditions, low moisture levels and high fertilizer concentration; this may be the case with patchy fertilizer distribution and frequent light showers during early summer. It is advisable to apply the urea or ammonium sulphate when conditions are most favourable for nitrification.     

Survey of soil fungi from the Sudan Gezira

One hundred and twenty sites, from six localities from the Sudan Gezira were examined for soil mycoflora. The lower fungi were mostly represented by mucoraceous genera, such as Rhizopus, Mucor and Cunninghamella. Oomycetes were rare. Ascomycetes, other than the perfect states of Aspergillus, were not common. Only Chaetomium globosum was isolated from the six localities. Monascus, Thermoascus, Neocosmospora and Pyronema were recorded for the first time from Sudanese soils. The majority of the isolates were Hyphomycetes. The bulk of the fungal population were species of Aspergillus, of which A. niger was the most common, followed by A. terreus, A. flavus, A. nidulans and A. fumigatus. Other Aspergilli were sporadic. A. niveus and A. sejunctus were not previously reported from Sudanese soil.     

Enzymatic activity of a soil profile in the Sudan Gezira

Summary In preliminary work in the enzymatic activity of a semi-arid Gezira soil microbes were counted and urease, dehydrogenase, and Catelase activities were measured in five soil horizons from 0 to 72 inches depth. Urease and dehydrogenase activities of unamended soil from all horizons appeared to be better indicators of biological status than catalase activity. Biological activity was marked in the top soil (0–2 inches) — the zone of grass root activity — but decreased gradually to reach a low level in deeper horizons.     

Physiological cotton wilt in the Sudan Gezira

Cotton wilt of physiological origin appears to have been present in the Gezira area of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan since 1924 if not previously. The present investigations showed that between mid-October and mid-December three factors occur which cause water stress in the crop. At some time during this period there is marked reduction in the size of the absorbing system of the plant, correlated with maximum boll development. Greatly increased day temperatures and higher evaporation prevail, while during the whole period available water in the soil declines. The hypothesis is put forward that when all three factors occur at the same time at their maximum intensity, permanent wilting and death of the plants result; at lesser intensities, wilting is followed by recovery, but with reduction of yield. Experiments are described, the results of which appear to confirm this view. In the author's opinion a return to the earlier sowing date formerly favoured locally would lead to considerably increased losses.     

Ammonium fixation in the Sudan Gezira soils

Summary Laboratory studies showed that the Gezira soils contain appreciable amounts of fixed ammonium. Values for the surface soils varied from 0.25–0.30 me/100g. The soils have the capacity to fix a large quantity of applied ammonium.In the two soil profiles studied the amounts of fixed ammonium and the ammonium-fixing capacity increased with depth reaching a maximum in the grey layer at a depth of about 70 to 140 cm below which it decreased again. The fixed ammonium values varied from 0.28 to 0.40 me/100g and comprised from 5.0 to 5.9 per cent of the total ammonium-fixing capacity (oven-dry condition). When expressed as percentage of Kjeldahl nitrogen the fixed ammonium increased with depth, varying from 12.5 to 20.2 per cent. As expected the amount of fixed ammonium was found to depend on the type and amount of the clay minerals present.The current cropping and fertilization practices were found to have very little effect on the fixed ammonium content of the soil, but it is expected from the high-fixing capacity of these soils that the amount of fixed ammonium will increase with the increase in frequency and dose of NH₄-N fertilizers application     

Spoilage of stored cotton fibre from Sudan Gezira

Washings from long staple cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) new variety Barakat, yielded Aspergillus flavus, A. nidulans, A niger. A. terreus, A. versicolor and Cladosporium herbarum. The number of propagules increased with R. H. following 6 month-storage. A. terreus was less favoured.Higher R. H. impaired fibre length and strength of both raw non-sterilized and inoculated sterile lint whilst the sterilized non-inoculated control was insignificantly affected, even at 100% R.H. Artificial inoculation of lint with Chaetomium globosum and A. nidulans significantly affected the efficiency of yarn spinnability at 80, 90 and 100% R.H. (P=0.05).Hyphae, which wound in a helical pattern around the fibre, intermittently dissolved fibre wall causing fibre fragility.     

Food selection by freshwater snails in the Gezira irrigation canals,Sudan

Stomach content analysis was carried out on samples of the freshwater snail species Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus truncatus, Bulinus forskalii (Pulmonata, Planorbidae), Lymnaea natalensis (Pulmonata, Lymnaeidae), Melanoides tuberculata, Cleopatra bulimoides (Prosobranchia, Thiaridae) and Lanistes carinatus (Prosobranchia, Ampullariidae) from different irrigation canals in Sudan. In order to evaluate overlap in diet selection among these species, sites with two or more of the above-mentioned species present were selected. For some species food choice was examined in relation to size groupings. In addition, samples of Marisa cornuarietis (Prosobranchia, Ampullariidae) from small ponds in Sudan, samples of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Helisoma duryi (Pulmonata, Planorbidae) from drainage canals in an irrigation scheme in northern Tanzania, and samples of H. duryi from fish ponds in the coastal area of Kenya were also analysed. The results indicate a great similarity in the food choice of these species, especially among the pulmonate species. All species feed on fine detritus, epiphytic algae and decaying macrophytes. No fresh fragments of aquatic macrophytes were found and animal remains were found only on a few occasions. However, the stomach contents of the ampullarid species were characterized by large fragments of dead macrophyte tissue, while the composition of the finer particles showed a great resemblance to that of the pulmonate species. The diet of the thiarid species is essentially the same as that of the pulmonate species, although in one site Cleopatra bulimoides showed a greater preference for green algae. Apart from the avoidance of blue-green algae, there was little evidence of selection of certain algal components of the Aufwuchs for the pulmonate species. Detritus constitutes the major component of the stomach content of all these snail species.     

Isotopic fractionation accompanying fertilizer nitrogen transformations in soil and trees of a Scots spine ecosystem

Foliage from a mature stand of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) receiving increasing doses of ammonium nitrate and urea nitrogen was assayed during the five subsequent growing seasons for total N concentration and ¹⁵N abundance. The aim of the study was to examine the potential of the ¹⁵N technique to provide estimates on fertilizer N recovery and its fate in the ecosystem. The ¹⁵N abundance in the foliage increased in proportion to the dose of fertilizer application. This was generally owing to the fact that the ¹⁵N of the fertilizer N was significantly higher than that in the soil inorganic-N pool, as well as in the needle biomass of the Scots pine trees on the nonfertilized plots. Due to ¹⁵N isotope discrimination occurring during N transformations in soil the relationship was however not very close. Calculations based on the principle of isotope dilution yielded only rough and, in some cases, even misleading estimates of the fraction of the fertilizer-derived nitrogen (N_dff) in the needles. This was especially the case for the urea-N, which undergoes significant isotopic fractionation during the process of ammonia volatilization and possibly microbial NH₄ ⁺ assimilation in soil. Over five growing seasons, foliar total N concentration peaked at the end of the second season while the ¹⁵N abundance continued to increase. Although large methodological errors may be involved when interpreting natural ¹⁵N abundance, the measurement of ¹⁵N seems to provide semi-quantitative information about fertilizer N accumulation and transformation processes in coniferous ecosystems. A better understanding of the tree and soil processes causing isotopic fractionation is a prerequisite for correct interpretation of ¹⁵N data.     

Organic matter transformations in soil

Summary In an investigation on the biochemical changes of added C¹⁴-tagged oat roots incubated with soils under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, biosynthesis of polysaccharides of varying composition was noted during the humification process. Possible causes of persistence of carbohydrates in soils are indicated.     

Stimulating effect of DDT treatment of cotton on white flies (Bemisia tabaci Genn.; Aleurodidae) in the Sudan Gezira

Treatments of cotton with DDT, Toxaphene, Delnav and Endrin gave a reduction of the number of adults and larvae of Bemisia tabaci during 2–3 weeks after treatment. Compared to untreated, Toxaphene, Delnav and Endrin gave a further reduction of larvae during the following weeks, whereas DDT caused resurgence of larvae at 14 days after treatment and of adults at 20 days after treatment.Several possible explanations for this phenomenon are considered. During the time of spraying, the generation which caused the resurgence was in the egg stage. The eggs of Aleurodidae are in physiological contact with the plant on which they occur.Physiological changes in the plant, favourable to the insects, causing a decreasing natural mortality of the insect population during the egg stage, may account for this stimulative effect which is exclusive for DDT or its formulation. The other possible explanations are considered to be much less probable.

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Zusammenfassung Der Erfolg einer Prüfung von Insektiziden gegen die Aleurodide Bemisia tabaci auf Baumwolle im Sudan Gezira wird mitgeteilt. Die Mittel DDT, Toxaphen, Delnav und Endrin ergaben anfangs eine Abnahme der Larval-und Imaginalpopulationen während zwei bis drei Wochen nach der Behandlung. In den nachfolgenden Wochen setzte sich diese Abnahme auf den mit Toxaphen, Delnav und Endrin behandelten Flächen fort. In den mit DDT gespritzten Beständen nahm die Population der Larven jedoch schon zwei Wochen nach der Behandlung schnell zu und eine Woche später hatten sich auf diesen Flächen auch die Imagines zahlenmäßig stark vermehrt.Nach einer Erklärung dieser Stimulation durch DDT wird gesucht. Es ist nicht anzunehmen, daß die Ursache in der Abtötung von Parasiten oder konkurrierenden Insekten zu suchen ist, da die anderen Insektizide diese Wirkung ebenso gut wie DDT entfalten, aber keine Stimulation verursachen.Frühere Untersuchungen haben Beweise dafür erbracht, daß geringe Konzentrationen von DDT den Wuchs der Baumwollpflanzen fördern, ohne daß Insekten im Spiele sind. Weiter hat seinerzeit Weber (1931) gefunden, daß die Eier der Aleurodiden etwas Flüssigkeit aus den Blättern aufnehmen können. Da sich die Generation, welche die Stimulation erfuhr, während der Spritzungen gerade im Eistadium befand, wird die Hypothese aufgestellt, daß eine physiologische Einwirkung des DDT auf die Pflanzen die-normalerweise-hohe Mortalität der Aleurodiden-Eier so sehr vermindert, daß eine Zunahme der Bemisia-Population erfolgt.

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Biological transformations of phosphorus in soil

Summary Mathematical expressions were developed for calculating (1) the availability of soil phosphorus and nonradioactive inorganic fertilizer phosphorus to soil organisms, the measurements being expressed in terms of a standard source of inorganic phosphorus containing P³² added to the soil prior to incubation, and (2) the amounts of synthesized and mineralized organic phosphorus present in soils after incubation. Analytical procedures for obtaining the necessary data were described.Soil Phosphorus Research Project of the North Central Region. Contribution from the B.P.I.S.A.E., U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station. Journal Paper No. J-2302 of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 1183.Formerly Soil Scientist, U.S.D.A., and Collaborator, Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station; now Soil Scientist, Dow Chemical Co., Seal Beach, California. The author is indebted to Dr. L. A. Dean and Dr. C. A. Black for their many helpful suggestions in planning these investigations and preparing the data for publication.     

Transformations of fertilizer nitrogen in soil

Summary Five crops of oats were grown over a 14-month period on a Chester silt loam soil fertilized with N¹⁵-labelled (NH₄)₂SO₄. All plant material from the first four crops was returned to the soil. Following a fifth crop, oat tops and roots were harvested, and the soil was subjected to repeated extractions by autoclaving in 0.01M CaCl₂. The distribution of N¹⁵ and of indigenous soil N among chemical fractions of the extracts, and in the acid-soluble and acid-soluble and acid-insoluble portions of the soil residues following 0.01M CaCl₂ extraction, was remarkably similar. Since appreciable equilibrations between added N¹⁵ and the more resistant forms of soil organic N is unlikely, it is postulated that fertilizer N became incorporated in newly-formed complexes, similar to those already present in the soil. This view is in harmony with the finding that percentage removals of total and N¹⁵-labelled N remained almost the same, even with recovery of approximately 55 per cent of the amounts originally present. N mineralization capacity of the soil was reduced appreciably as a result of extraction.     

微生物肥料在盐碱土壤中的应用展望

随着土地资源日益短缺及人们对生态环境的关注,以天然土壤微生物为主要成分的微生物肥料应用在盐碱农业中越来越受到重视。本文综述了国内外微生物肥料的发展历史和现状,微生物肥料对盐碱土壤产生的影响,帮助植物抵抗盐胁迫的机制,以及对盐碱土壤中微生物群落产生的影响;本文也提出了两种能够有效保藏菌种的固定化方法,这两类方法能有效地解决菌种易失活问题且延长其在土壤中的作用时间;最后提出了目前微生物肥料作用于盐碱地存在的问题与展望,旨在为缓解土地资源、提高农业安全生产做出贡献。     

稳定性铵态氮肥在黑土和褐土中的氮素转化特征

以稳定性氯化铵为氮源,采用室内培养的方法,研究0.20、0.50、1.00 g N·kg^-1干土3种浓度的稳定性铵态氮肥在黑土、褐土中的氮素转化特征.结果表明: 在褐土中,随着氯化铵添加量的增加,土壤中发生硝化作用的时间逐渐推迟,添加0.20、0.50 g N·kg^-1干土处理开始发生明显硝化反应的时间分别为第3、7天,在高浓度氮量(1.00 g N·kg^-1干土)添加下硝化作用受到明显抑制;在黑土中,各浓度氮量添加处理开始发生硝化反应的时间相同,均为第3天,且随着添加量的增加,硝化作用潜势逐渐减弱.只加铵态氮肥的处理中,添加0.20 g N·kg^-1干土的氯化铵氮肥在褐土和黑土中的硝化反应时间分别可维持3周和2周左右;添加0.50 g N·kg^-1干土的氯化铵氮肥在褐土和黑土中的硝化反应时间分别可维持4周和3周左右.与单施氯化铵相比,黑土和褐土在0.20、0.50 g N·kg^-1干土添加浓度下,按纯氮量的1.0%添加3,4-二甲基吡唑磷酸盐(DMPP)、4.0%添加二氰二胺(DCD)均能显著抑制硝化作用,降低硝态氮的含量,抑制硝化作用潜势.综上,在褐土中,随着氯化铵添加浓度增加,土壤硝化作用受到抑制效果大于黑土.在0.20、0.50 g N·kg^-1干土外源铵态氮时,添加抑制剂可以显著抑制铵态氮的硝化作用.因此室内硝化抑制剂培养试验时,建议铵态氮添加量不超过1.00 g N·kg^-1干土,以0.50 g N·kg^-1干土效果最好.     

Photochemical transformations of nucleic acid components in the presence of lunar soil

It has been demonstrated that lunar soil is an effective catalyzer of photolysis of thin-solid films of uracil and uridine. Uracil photolysis proceeds more intensively both in the presence of the lunar soil and in absence of the latter as compared to the photolysis of uridine. Together with photodestruction of uracil, the extension in the initial molecular structure takes place.     

Soil and fertilizer nitrogen transformations under alternate flooding and drying moisture regimes

Summary A study of changes in NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^––N in Maahas clay amended with (NH₄)₂SO₄ and subjected to 4 water regimes in the presence and absence of the nitrification inhibitor N-Serve (Nitrapyrin) showed that the mineral N was well conserved in the continoous regimes of 50% and 200% (soil weight basis) but suffered heavy losses due to nitrification-denitrification under alternate drying and flooding. N-Serve was effective in minimizing these losses.Another incubation study with 3 soils showed that after 10 cycles of flooding and drying (either at 60°C or 25°C), the ammonification of soil N was enhanced. Nitrification of soil as well as fertilizer NH₄ ⁺ was completely inhibited upto 4 weeks by the treatments involving drying at high temperature. Flooding and air drying at 25°C, on the other hand, enhanced ammonification of soil N but retarded nitrification. These treatments, however, enhanced both ammonification and nitrification of the applied NH₄ ⁺ fertilizer N. Under flooded conditions rate of NH₄ ⁺ production was faster in soils that were dried at 60°C or 25°C and then flooded as compared to air dried soils.It is concluded that N losses by nitrification-denitrification and related N transformations may be considerably altered by alternating moisture regimes. Flooding and drying treatments seem to retard nitrification of soil N but conserve that of fertilizer NH₄ ⁺ applied after these treatments.     

Nitrogenous excretion in the Antarctic plunderfish

The nitrogenous excretion rates (total ammonia nitrogen, urea, and primary amines) of plunderfish Harpagifer antarcticus were related significantly to length and to wet mass (mass exponents of 0·94, 1·01, 1·07 and 0·93 for total ammonia nitrogen, urea, primary amines, and total nitrogen, respectively). The routine total ammonia excretion rates [22·23 & 2·0 mg N kg⁻¹ day⁻¹ (mean±S.E.)] of plunderfish measured in Antarctica are 10–69% lower than those of comparable non-polar species. Plunderfish are ammonotelic, but the proportion of the total nitrogenous waste attributable to each category was variable between individuals. On average (ranges in parentheses), total ammonia nitrogen, urea, and primary amines accounted for c .82 (57–97), 13 (2–28), and 5 (0·6–22)%, respectively, of the total nitrogen excreted. Polar fish differ from their non-polar relatives only in the rate, and not the nature, of their nitrogenous waste excretion processes.