E-, L- and A-values for estimation of plant-available soil phosphorus

Summary E-, L-values growing mungbean and A-values growing maize, mungbean, urdbean and cowpea were assessed in P and farmyard manure enriched soil of permanent manurial trial at Pantnagar, Nainital of India. E- and L-values were found to increase in farmyard manure and P enriched soil while L-values remained constant at different dates of harvesting. A-values varied with fertility status of soil and the kip of crop.Maize gave higher A-values than pulses. In all crops, higher A-values were found with enrichment of farmyard manure and phosphorus. E-, L- and A-values gave significant correlations with yield and P uptake in pot experiments. E-, L- and A-values were good in assessing the availability of soil phosphorus. However, E-value is a rapid technique as it measured in laboratory without involvement of plant.A part of Ph.D. Dissertation (Agronomy) of N. Venkat Reddy.     

Assessment of a rapid method,using soil cores,for estimating the amount and distribution of crop roots in the field

Summary A study was made of the relationship between the number of roots (N_r) observed on unit area of the freshly exposed, horizontal faces of soil cores, and the amounts of roots (per unit volume) present in the same cores. Soil cores, 7 cm diameter, were extracted to depths of 1 m from cereal crops in 1976 at three field sites located on clay soils. Sampling was either at the start of stem elongation, or at anthesis. Estimates of root length per unit soil volume (L) were derived from N_r by assuming random orientation of roots in the soil.Values of L were found to be highly correlated with the measured lengths of both the main roots (root axes) and the total roots (axes and laterals) washed from the soil at a given growth stage, for each of the soils. On average, L was 3.3 times the length of root axes washed from the soil, and was 0.42 times the length of total roots, but there was appreciable variation between different growth stages and field sites. Possible factors giving rise to differences between L and the measured lengths of roots are discussed. Estimates of root length from observation of soil cores may nonetheless provide a suitable basis for rapidly comparing therelative distribution of roots down the soil profile under field conditions.     

~(32)P研究马铃薯(合作-88)和黄豆对磷素营养的吸收及分布规律

应用3 2 　P研究“合作 88”马铃薯对磷素营养的吸收和分布规律 ,结果显示 :马铃薯对磷素营养的吸收率随植株的生长而增加。吸收率与栽培生长时间呈显著正相关。磷素主要分布为茎 >根 >叶。随生育期茎中含量相对增加 ,而叶中含量相对减少 ,根的不变。黄豆对磷素的吸收在 6d水培时间内随时间的延长而增加 ,过后则衰退。     

施氮水平对高产麦田土壤硝态氮时空变化及氨挥发的影响

研究了不同施氮水平对高产麦田土壤硝态氮时空变化和氨挥发的影响.结果表明,高产麦田土壤硝态氮在播种至冬前阶段不断向深层移动,并在140cm以下土层积累.施纯氮96～168 kg·hm^-2处理,增加了60 cm以上土层土壤硝态氮含量,降低了土壤氮素表观损失量占施氮量的比例,提高了小麦籽粒蛋白质含量和籽粒产量,且土壤氨挥发损失较低,基施氮氨挥发损失占基施氮量的4.23%～5.51%;施氮量超过240 kg N·hm^-2,促进了土壤硝态氮向深层的移动和积累,基施氮氨挥发损失、土壤氮素表观损失量及其占施氮量的比例均显著升高,对小麦籽粒蛋白质含量无显著影响,但籽粒产量降低.高产麦田适宜的氮素用量为132～204 kg N·hm^-2.     

The measurement of mean temperatures in plant and soil studies by the sucrose inversion method

Summary A polarimetric procedure is described for determining exponential mean temperatures (_e) from the rate of inversion of sucrose solutions buffered at pH values between 1 and 3. An equation is given for calculating the pH values appropriate for various temperature ranges and time scales. The procedure used for monitoring air and soil temperatures over a 5 year period at a network of sites in Aberdeenshire was to expose 5 ml volumes of sucrose solution at pH 2.06 in sealed polythene tubes. Each month the changes in optical rotation were measured with a sensitive automatic polarimeter and fresh tubes exposed. The values of _e were 2°C higher than arithmetic means obtained from standard thermometric devices. Observations at elevations between 275 and 686 m a.s.l. demonstrate the lapse of temperature with altitude and illustrate the usefulness of _e measurements.     

红壤坡地不同土地利用方式土壤侵蚀的时空分布规律研究

应用定位土芯Eu(Europium)示踪新方法 ,研究红壤坡地不同土地利用方式下土壤侵蚀的时空分布规律 .结果表明 ,新方法对以片蚀和细沟侵蚀为主的红壤坡地是适用的 ;土壤侵蚀的时间分布与降雨量的年时间分布相一致 ,过程性暴雨期表现为全年土壤侵蚀的高峰期 ;在复合坡面 ,随坡面的陡、缓、凹 ,土壤侵蚀表现强、弱、沉积 ;相同坡度和坡长条件下 ,幼龄板栗园的土壤侵蚀速率 >雷竹园 >稀疏马尾松林地 >茶园 .     

A novel method for sampling bacteria on plant root and soil surfaces at the microhabitat scale

This study reports the first method for sampling bacteria at a spatial scale approximating a microhabitat. At the core of this method is the use of tungsten rods with laser-cut tips of known surface area (0.013 mm(2)). Exposed plant root or soil surfaces were viewed with a dissecting microscope and micro-sampling rods were guided to sample sites using a micro-manipulator. Bacteria that adhered to the sampling tips were then recovered for microbiological analyses. The efficiency of this method for removing bacteria from root surfaces was similar to that with which bacteria are recovered from dissected root segments using the conventional technique of washing. However, as the surface area of the micro-sampling tips was known, the new method has the advantage of eliminating inaccuracy in estimates of bacterial densities due to inaccurate estimation of the root or soil surface sampled. When used to investigate spatial distributions of rhizoplane bacteria, the new technique revealed trends that were consistent with those reported with existing methods, while providing access to additional information about community structure at a much smaller spatial scale. The spatial scale of this new method is ca. 1000-times smaller than other sampling methods involving swabbing. This novel technique represents an important methodological step facilitating microbial ecological investigations at a microhabitat scale.     

青海湖鸟岛地区植物群落物种多样性与土壤环境因子的关系

The study on the relationship between plant species diversity and soil factors in the bird island of Qinghai Lake indicated that this island was a low diversity district, its Shannon-Wienner index and species richness decreased with the increasing soil available K, water soluble salt concentration and pH, and there were significant linear and quadratic correlations between them. Stepwise linear regressions showed that soil available K and water soluble salt were the key factors to estimate Shannon-Wienner index and species richness in this island, respectively, and no correlation was found between species evenness and soil factors.     

艾比湖湿地氨氧化细菌数量空间分布及其与土壤环境相关性分析

【目的】对新疆艾比湖湿地不同植被类型(柽柳群落、盐节木群落、芦苇群落)和土壤深度(0-5 cm、5 cm-15 cm、15 cm-25 cm、25 cm-35 cm)中氨氧化细菌数量空间分布进行研究,并对其与土壤环境因子的相互关系进行分析。【方法】采用MPN-Griess和Pearson相关分析法。【结果】艾比湖湿地不同植被类型氨氧化细菌的数量存在明显的差异,分布趋势为柽柳群落最高,盐节木群落次之,芦苇群落最低;不同土层中氨氧化细菌的数量也存在明显的差异,分布趋势为15 cm-25 cm>0-5 cm>5 cm-15 cm>25 cm-35 cm;氨氧化细菌数量分布与土壤有机质含量呈显著相关,与土壤pH、含水量、盐度以及氨氮含量等因子之间均无相关性。【结论】艾比湖湿地不同植被类型和不同土层中氨氧化细菌数量的分布均存在显著差异;氨氧化细菌数量的空间分布除与土壤有机质含量呈显著相关外,与其他土壤环境因子均无相关性。     

渝东山地黄壤肥力变化与植物群落演替的关系

从土壤的理化因子出发,利用综合评价的方法,对渝东地区城口县坪坝区大巴山南坡山地黄壤的土壤肥力变化特征与地上植被类型之间的关系进行了研究.结果表明,马尾松林、杉木林、落叶栎类林、茶树林和常绿阔叶林下土壤肥力的综合指标值分别为0.1256、0.2085、0.351、0.2479、0.9329.阔叶林(落叶栎类林、茶树林和常绿阔叶林)下山地黄壤的土壤肥力综合指标值均大于针叶林(马尾松林、杉木林)下山地黄壤的土壤肥力综合指标值.即使在同一植被类型下,由于建群种的不同,其土壤肥力综合指标值也不相同.根据植物群落演替的过程可以断定土壤的发育与植物群落演替是两个密不可分、相辅相成的过程.     

放牧对贝加尔针茅草原植被根系分布和土壤理化特征的影响

以内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原为研究对象,分析了放牧对植被根系分布特征的影响及其与土壤理化性状的相互关系。结果表明:放牧导致植被根系分布发生显著变化;0～10cm土层根系生物量占0～40cm根系总生物量的65.9%～82.6%,直径≥2mm根系和直径1mm的根系对放牧影响较为敏感;植被根系分布与土壤容重、含水量、全氮、全磷、有机碳含量以及阳离子交换量有一定程度的相关性,放牧主要通过改变土壤理化特征影响不同径级根系生物量的分布,同时各径级根系分布特征对土壤理化性状有一定的反馈作用。     

放牧作用下高寒草甸群落物种分布与土壤因子的关系

以青藏高原东北缘高寒草甸为对象,研究不同放牧强度下植物群落和土壤因子的变化,以及群落物种分布与土壤物理结构和化学养分因子的定量关系.结果表明: 放牧导致优势种为垂穗披碱草和大针茅的原植物群落发生分异,高强度放牧样地优势种变为矮生嵩草和阴山扁蓿豆,低强度放牧样地变为垂穗披碱草和冷地早熟禾.随放牧强度增加,物种丰富度、重要值和生物量均显著降低.各放牧强度样地重要值的物种序列均可用对数模型进行拟合;随放牧强度增加,植物重要值累积到占整个群落重要值50%时,需要的物种数降低.土壤速效P、速效K、紧实度、含水量、稳定入渗速率和大团聚体指标随放牧强度显著变化,但变化规律不一致.CCA排序表明,土壤紧实度是放牧作用下影响群落物种分布格局的最关键因子.方差分解表明,土壤因子共解释群落物种分布变异的30.5%,其中土壤物理性状单独解释群落物种分布的22.8%,对群落物种分布的贡献率最高,主要影响放牧干扰下高寒草甸植物群落物种的分布格局.     

Modeling impacts of human footprint and soil variability on the potential distribution of invasive plant species in different biomes

Human footprint and soil variability may be important in shaping the spread of invasive plant species (IPS). However, until now, there is little knowledge on how human footprint and soil variability affect the potential distribution of IPS in different biomes. We used Maxent modeling to project the potential distribution of 29 IPS with wide distributions and long introduction histories in China based on various combinations of climatic correlates, soil characteristics and human footprint. Then, we evaluated the relative importance of each type of environmental variables (climate, soil and human footprint) as well as the difference in range and similarity of the potential distribution of IPS between different biomes. Human footprint and soil variables contributed to the prediction of the potential distribution of IPS, and different types of biomes had varying responses and degrees of impacts from the tested variables. Human footprint and soil variability had the highest tendency to increase the potential distribution of IPS in Montane Grasslands and Shrublands. We propose to integrate the assessment in impacts of human footprint and soil variability on the potential distribution of IPS in different biomes into the prevention and control of plant invasion.     

Analysis of the occurrence and distribution of tobacco rattle virus in field soil and disease in a subsequent tulip crop

The occurrence and distribution of tobacco rattle virus (TRV) in field plots was determined by soil bait-testing and disease incidence in tulips subsequently grown on these plots was studied. The virus occurred in patches, calculated as 1.5 m × 3.6 m. The presence of virus was not correlated with numbers of potential vector trichodorid nematodes. Of three trichodorid nematode species present, only Paratrichodorus teres transmitted TRV which, as with virus isolates obtained in bait-tests and from infected tulips, reacted in serological tests with an antiserum prepared against a Dutch isolate of pea-early browning virus (PEBV). Virus prevalence in a subsequent tulip crop was 0.8% and in a sample of tulip plants, virus was recovered only from plants showing virus symptoms. Plots from which TRV was recovered in bait-tests yielded significantly more virus diseased tulips than plots which tested negative for virus. Growing bait-plants in field-plots, as compared with greenhouse tests using soil collected as a series of sub-samples, resulted in an underestimate of the occurrence of TRV.     

Species interactions at the level of fine roots in the field: influence of soil nutrient heterogeneity and plant size

Interference at the level of fine roots in the field was studied by detailed examination of fine root distribution in small soil patches. To capture roots as they occur in natural three-dimensional soil space, we used a freezing and slicing technique for microscale root mapping. The location of individual roots intersecting a sliced soil core surface was digitized and the identity of shrub and grass roots was established by a chemical technique. Soil patches were created midway between the shrub, Artemisia tridentata, and one of two tussock grasses, Pseudoroegneria spicata or Agropyron desertorum. Some soil patches were enriched with nutrients and others given only deionized water (control); in addition, patches were located between plants of different size combination (large shrubs with small tussock grasses and small shrubs with large tussock grasses). The abundance of shrub and grass roots sharing soil patches and the inter-root distances of individual fine roots were measured. Total average rooting density in patches varied among these different treatment combinations by only a factor of 2, but the proportion of shrub and grass roots in the patches varied sixfold. For the shrub, the species of grass roots sharing the patches had a pronounced influence on shrub root density; shrub roots were more abundant if the patch was shared with Pseudoroegneria roots than if shared with Agropyron roots. The relative size of plants whose roots shared the soil patches also influenced the proportion of shrub and grass roots; larger plants were able to place more roots in the patches than were the smaller plants. In the nutrient-enriched patches, these influences of grass species and size combination were amplified. At the millimeter- to centimeter-scale within patches, shrub and grass roots tended to segregate, i.e., avoid each other, based on nearest-neighbor distances. At this scale, there was no indication that the species-specific interactions were the result of resource competition, since there were no obvious patterns between the proportion of shrub and grass roots of the two species combinations with microsite nutrient concentrations. Other potential mechanisms are discussed. Interference at the fine-root level, and its species-specific character, is likely an influential component of competitive success, but one that is not easily assessed.     

Assessing the impact of agro-industrial olive wastes in soil water retention: Implications for remediation of degraded soils and water availability for plant growth

Olive solid waste (OSW) is a toxic by-product of olive oil production. Disposal of OSW is a major problem in many Mediterranean countries leading to increased interest in its potential as an organic fertiliser. Relatively little is known regarding the impact of augmentation with OSW and olive solid waste compost (OSWC) on soil hydraulic properties. The effect of OSW and OSWC on the hydraulic characteristics of common agricultural soils with high sand but very different silt and clay contents was analysed. Increased organic inputs induced reductions in soil bulk density and increases in air capacity, hydraulic conductivity and the water content available for plant growth (AWC) in the Sandy Clay Loam (SCL) soil. Similar patterns were observed in Loamy Sand (LS) soil augmented with OSW, but OSWC caused reductions in hydraulic conductivity, air capacity and AWC. Nonetheless, over longer timescales OSWC may benefit the hydraulic properties of loamy sand soils as the compost becomes fully incorporated within the soil structure. Augmentation with organic olive waste induced the hydraulic parameters of the sandy clay loam soil to become identical to those loamy sand (LS) with a higher available water capacity; suggesting that soil augmentation with OSW and OSWC may be an effective tool in remediating and improving degraded or organic poor soils. In terms of the improvement of hydraulic parameters, application rates of 6–8% OSW/OSWC were most beneficial for both soil types.     

Differences in soil characteristics between field and forest may influence the distribution of an invasive earthworm

In northern North America, invasive earthworms (including the nightcrawler Lumbricus terrestris) have been dispersing from points of introduction and dramatically affecting soil structure, soil food webs, and forest floor dynamics. However, little is known about the factors influencing the local distribution of invasive earthworms south of the Wisconsinan glaciation. Earthworms were sampled at suspected sites of introduction near Mountain Lake Biological Field Station, Virginia, USA. The density of invasive earthworms decreased as distance from suspected sites of introduction increased; native earthworms displayed the opposite relationship. However, the distance that L. terrestris was found into the forest was less than expected given dispersal rates calculated from more northern invasions. We also found correlations among population densities of L. terrestris and physical–chemical properties of the soil, and differences between field and forest soils in terms of temperature, moisture, and soil chemical properties. We conducted two experiments to analyze some factors possibly responsible for the observed distribution: (1) temperature and moisture, and (2) soil type (field vs. forest) and food resources. Our results suggest that L. terrestris may not disperse as far into forested habitats of the Southern Appalachians compared to northern forests due to local physical‐chemical soil characteristics.     

Scale-dependent relationships between the spatial distribution of a limiting resource and plant species diversity in an African grassland ecosystem

One cornerstone of ecological theory is that nutrient availability limits the number of species that can inhabit a community. However, the relationship between the spatial distribution of limiting nutrients and species diversity is not well established because there is no single scale appropriate for measuring variation in resource distribution. Instead, the correct scale for analyzing resource variation depends on the range of species sizes within the community. To quantify the relationship between nutrient distribution and plant species diversity, we measured NO₃^- distribution and plant species diversity in 16 paired, modified Whittaker grassland plots in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Semivariograms were used to quantify the spatial structure of NO₃^- from scales of 0.4–26 m. Plant species diversity (Shannon-Weiner diversity index; H ) was quantified in 1-m² plots, while plant species richness was measured at multiple spatial scales between 1 and 1,000 m². Small-scale variation in NO₃^- (<0.4 m) was positively correlated with 1-m² H , while 1,000-m² species richness was a log-normal function of average NO₃^- patch size. Nine of the 16 grassland plots had a fractal (self-similar across scales) NO₃^- spatial distribution; of the nine fractal plots, five were adjacent to plots that had a non-fractal distribution of NO₃^-. This finding offered the unique opportunity to test predictions of Ritchie and Olff (1999): when the spatial distribution of limiting resources is fractal, communities should display a left-skewed log-size distribution and a log-normal relationship between net primary production and species richness. These predictions were supported by comparisons of plant size distributions and biomass-richness relationships in paired plots, one with a fractal and one with a non-fractal distribution of NO₃^-. In addition, fractal plots had greater large-scale richness than paired non-fractal plots (1,0–1000 m²), but neither species diversity (H ) nor richness was significantly different at small scales (1 m²). This result is most likely explained by differences in the scale of resource variation among plots: fractal and non-fractal plots had equivalent NO₃^- variation at small scales but differed in NO₃^- variation at large scales (as measured by the fractal dimension). We propose that small-scale variation in NO₃^- is largely due to the direct effects of plants on soil, while patterns of species richness at large scales is controlled by the patch size and fractal dimension of NO₃^- in the landscape. This study provides an important empirical step in understanding the relationship between the spatial distribution of resources and patterns of species diversity across multiple spatial scales.     

A technique for simultaneous measurement of force and overlap between single muscle filaments of myosin and actin

In this study, we show a method for direct measurements of force and simultaneous visualization of isolated muscle filaments. Single actin filaments isolated from chicken skeletal muscle and single thick filaments isolated from Mussels were imaged using fluorescence and dark field microscopy, respectively. Force generated by the filaments was measured using micro-fabricated cantilevers. Force values were in the range observed previously with myosin filaments and molecules. The results suggest that the technique can be used to investigate many issues of interest and debate in the field of muscle biophysics.     

Development of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique to study irrigation water quality impact on nutrients and toxic elements distribution in cultivated soil

This study is focused mainly on impact of irrigation water quality in cultivated soil on distribution of essentials nutrients (Al, Mg, Ca, Fe, S, Si, Na, P, and K) and relatively toxic metals (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Ti, Sn, Mn, Ni, and Zn) using an elegant Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm in conjunction with suitable detector was applied to record soil emission spectra. The abundance of these elements were evaluated via standard calibration curve Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CC-LIBS) and calibration free Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) approaches. Quantitative analyses were accomplished under conjecture of local thermodynamic equilibrium (L.T.E) and optically thin plasma. The average electron temperatures were estimated by Boltzmann plot method for cultivated soil samples in 7800 to 9300 K range. The electron number density was ~ 1.11 × 1017 cm − 3 to 1.60 × 1017 cm − 3. Prior to application on soil samples, the experimental setup was optimized at the following parameters: pulsed energy = 60 mJpulse-1, sample to lens distance of 9.0 cm, and the gate delay of 3.5 μs. It is noteworthy that nutritional elements content of cultivated soils were found strongly dependent upon the irrigation water quality. The cultivated soil from industrial area was found rich of toxins while the cultivated land using tube well water contains toxins in least amount. Our LIBS findings were also validated by comparing its results with contents measured using a standard inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method and both were found in excellent agreement. The present study could be highly beneficial for agricultural applications and for farmers to produce safe food products and higher crops yield.