Effect of soil amendments on fractionation of Selenium‐enriched soil

Abstract

This study was to determine the effect of soil amendments on the fractionation of selenium (Se) using incubation experiments under simulated upland and flooded conditions. The treatments were as follows: 1) control [soil + sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) (1 mg Se kg^‐1)]; 2) control + calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) (5 g kg^‐1); 3) control + alfalfa (40 g kg^‐1); and 4) control + CaCO₃ (5 g kg^‐1) + alfalfa (40 g kg^‐1). After a 90‐day incubation, soil was sampled and fractionated into five fractions: 1) potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄)‐soluble fraction (available to plants); 2) potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH₂PO₄)‐exchangeable fraction (potentially available); 3) ammonium hydroxide (NH₃H₂O)‐soluble fraction (potentially available); 4) hydrochloric acid (HCl)‐extractable fraction (unavailable); and 5) residual fraction (unavailable). Compared with the control, CaCO₃ increased the K₂SO₄ fraction at the expense of the NH₃H₂O fraction. Alfalfa increased both the K₂SO₄ and residual fractions but reduced the KH₂PO₄ and NH₃H₂O fractions. The CaCO₃‐alfalfa treatment had a similar effect to the alfalfa treatment alone. The comparison between the upland and flooded conditions showed that the flooded condition generally increased the residual fraction and decreased the potentially‐available fractions. In general, CaCO₃ was a better amendment because it not only increased the available fraction but also maintained the potentially available fractions at a high level. The application of Na₂SeO₃ and use of appropriate soil amendments can improve Se availability in soil.     

The infrared identification of a humo‐polysaccharide ester in soil humic acid

Abstract

Studies involving methylation, dissolution, infrared spectroscopy and gas‐liquid chromatography were conducted with humic compounds extracted from a Greenville loam and a Cecil sandy loam.

The results indicated that methylated humic acid and non‐methylated hymatomelanic acid have similar infrared characteristics, with intense C‐H absorption at 2980 ‐ 2920 cm^‐1, and strong C=0 stretching but with very weak C00^‐ stretching at 1720 and 1650 cm^‐1 respectively. Gas‐liquid chromatography yielded chromatograms, having the same number of components, appearing at similar retention times. Dissolution separated hymatomelanic acid into fraction A, with humic acid characteristics; and fraction B, a polysaccharide. This separation released the infrared carboxyl peak at 1650 cm^‐1 in fraction A.

It was concluded that hymatomelanic acid was a naturally occurring ester compound, composed of humic material in ester linkages with polysaccharide.     

The influence of soil aeration on growth and elemental absorption of greenhouse‐grown seedling pecan trees

Abstract

‘Dodd’ pecan seedlings were exposed to 3 levels of soil aeration for 30 days; 100%, 5%, and 0% of the container surface exposed to the atmosphere. These treatments resulted in about 21%, 13.5%, and 3% soil O₂and 0.3%, 5%, and 13% soil CO₂for 100%, 5%, and 0% of the container surface exposed, respectively. Restricting soil aeration induced partial stomatal closure, and decreased leaf number, leaf area, and leaf, trunk and root dry weights. The decrease in root dry weight associated with reduced soil aeration exceeded the decrease in top dry weight by about 50%. Translocation of N and P to the leaves was reduced when soil aeration was restricted, but root N and P concentrations were increased compared to trees grown in well aerated soil. Leaf elemental concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Mn were lower when trees were exposed to reduced soil aeration. Zinc and Fe concentrations were greater in the roots of trees with low aeration, but leaf and trunk concentrations of Zn and Fe were not affected     

Impact of soil fumigation practices on soil nematodes and microbial biomass

This study was designed to understand the impact of methyl bromide (MB) (CHaBr) and its alternatives on both free-living and root-knot nematodes in the soil. A randomized complete block experiment with six treatments and 4 replicates (each replicate in a separate greenhouse) was established in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, China. In addition to MB and untreated control (CK) treatments there were four alternative soil fumigation practices including MB virtually impermeable films (VIF), metam sodium (MS), MS VIF and soil solarization combined with selected biological control agents (SS BCA). Two tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) cultivars, cv. Maofen-802 from the Xian Institute of Vegetable Science, China, and cv. AF179 Brillante from the Israeli Hazera Quality Seeds, were selected as test crops. The results indicated that Rhabditidae was the most dominant population with percentage abundance as high as 85% of the total number of identified free-living nematodes, followed by that of Cephalobidae. Methyl bromide and its alternatives except for the non-chemical SS BCA treatment controlled the target pest, root-knot nematodes. Also, the impact of the three chemical alternatives on free-living nematode number and functional group abundance was similar to the impact associated with a typical methyl bromide application. Chemical fumigation practices, especially that with MB, significantly reduced the number of nematodes in the soil and simultaneously significantly reduced the number of nematode genera thereby reducing nematode diversity. All the four soil chemical fumigation activities decreased soil microbial biomass and had an obvious initial impact on microorganism biomass. Furthermore, both plant-parasitic and fungivore nematodes were positively correlated with soil microbial biomass.     

The significance of solid‐state 13C NMR spectroscopy of whole soil in the characterization of humic matter

Abstract

Differences in characteristics of humic matter were investigated by solid‐state CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy of whole (nontreated) materials and their extracted humic fractions. Samples used in the analysis were lignite, a commercial humate AG, and the Bh horizons of a Mascotte and a Lawnwood soil. Humic fractions were extracted by the 0.1 M NaOH or Na₄P₂O₇ (pH 9.8) method. The humic (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) obtained were weighed and analysed for total acidity, carboxyl and phenolic‐OH group contents. Whole lignite, humate AG and soil samples, and the HA and FA fractions were analyzed by solid state CP MAS ¹³C NMR and infrared spectroscopy. Carbon, H, and N contents were determined by chemical analysis. NMR spectra of the combined HA+FA extracts resembled the spectra of the whole materials. No additional signals were detected, indicating that alien compounds were not produced during the extraction. The best spectra were obtained with HA samples produced by the NaOH method. These spectra closely resembled those of the untreated materials. Spectral and chemical differences noticed between the HA (or FA) fractions were attributed more to differences in origin than to the extraction procedure. Aliphatic, aromatic and carboxyl groups were the major components of HA from lignite and humate AG. In contrast, HA from the two Haplaquods were characterized by four major components: the aliphatic, polysaccharide, aromatic, and carboxyl groups. Regardless of origin, all the HA fractions contained similar functional groups, as indicated by their close similarities in infrared spectra.     

The mycological properties of medieval culture layers as a form of soil ‘biological memory’ about urbanization

Background, aim, and scope  The mycological properties of soil can offer information about ancient human–landscape interaction, including urbanization. This preposition has been confirmed in our study of the habitation deposits in the medieval Russian settlements (eighth to fourteenth centuries A.D.). Materials and methods  The mycobiota of profiles of anthropogenically transformed soil of excavated medieval settlements were examined in different climate conditions in the European part of Russia. The fungal biomass and biomass structure were evaluated using luminescent microscopy. The isolation and enumeration of microfungi were performed using the method of serial dilutions of soil samples and plating them out on the number of solid media. The isolation of keratinolytic microfungi was performed by hear-bite technique. Results  It was established that in ancient urban soils, the mycobiota may have properties different from those of zone fungal communities. The examined cultural layers of ancient settlements differ from the horizons of the surrounding natural soils because of a bigger rate of fungal spores in fungal biomass, more mosaic distribution of microfungal communities, different species composition and dominant microfungal species, increased incidence of some ecological, and trophic fungal groups (for example, keratinophilic, potentially pathogenic microfungi). Discussion  The mycological characteristics of anthropogenic deposits in the excavated medieval settlements were found to be mainly similar to mycological properties of modern urban soils. Conclusions  These properties of habitation deposits can be interpreted as a kind of “soil mycological memory” of the ancient urban impact. Recommendations and perspectives  Soil mycological characteristics could be used in paleoecological reconstructions and biomonitoring of urban impacts     

Organic acid induced release of nutrients from metal-stabilized soil organic matter – The unbutton model

Processes of soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization and the reverse, destabilization of SOM resulting in subsequent release and mobilization of nutrients from SOM, remain largely unresolved. The perception of SOM as supramolecular aggregates built of low molecular mass biomolecules is currently emerging. Polyvalent metal cations contribute to SOM tertiary structure by bridging functional groups of such molecules (Simpson et al., 2002). The strong bond to metals protects high quality organic material from being immediately accessed and decomposed. Here we propose a three-step process by which low molecular mass organic acids (LMMOAs) and hydrolytic enzymes act in series to destabilize SOM supramolecules to release organic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for local hyphal and root uptake. Complexation of the stabilizing metals by fungal-released LMMOA gives fungal-root consortia direct access to organic substrates of good quality. Because of their small sizes and carboxyl group configuration, citric and oxalic acids are the most effective LMMOAs forming stable complexes with the main SOM bridging metals Ca and Al in SOM. Citrate, forming particularly strong complexes with the trivalent cations Al and Fe, is dominant in soil solutions of low-productive highly acidic boreal forest soils where mycorrhizal associations with roots are formed predominantly by fungi with hydrophobic hyphal surfaces. In these systems mycelia participate in the formation of N-containing SOM with a significant contribution from strong Al bridges. In less acidic soils of temperate forests, including calcareous influenced soils, SOM is stabilized predominantly by Ca bridges. In such systems mycorrhizal fungi with more hydrophilic surfaces dominate, and oxalic acid, forming strong bidentate complexes with Ca, is the most common LMMOA exuded. A plant-fungus driven biotic mechanism at the supramolecular aggregate level (10³–10⁵ Da) resolves micro-spatial priming of SOM, where the destabilization step is prerequisite for subsequent release of nutrients.     

The determination of phosphate‐extractable sulphate in soil with an anion‐exchange membrane

Abstract

A method for extracting sulphate from soils using strips of a phosphated anion‐exchange membrane is described. The results obtained by this method are in good agreement with those obtained by extraction with Ca(H₂PO₄)₂solutions and the method has a number of practical advantages over the use of phosphate solutions. No charcoal treatment, centrifuging or filtering is required and the strips are reuseable. No organic interferences are encountered during the turbidimetric measurement of the extracted sulphate.     

Ecotoxicological assessment of nickel pollution of soil and water environments adjacent to soddy–podzolic soil

The indicators of functioning of soil microorganisms in soddy–podzolic soil contaminated with Ni compounds show different ranges of soil ecotoxicity. A halving of soil microorganisms' nitrogen-fixing activity has been shown in slightly acidic soddy–podzolic cultivated soil with a Ni concentration of 150 mg/kg and for noncultivated acidic soils with a Ni concentration 100 mg/kg. The reduction of denitrification activity in cultivated soil has been observed with a Ni concentration of 500 mg/kg, and in uncultivated soil it has been observed at a Ni dose of 100 mg/kg. The inhibition of soil respiration in slightly acidic soil occurred only at the highest dose of Ni, 1000 mg/kg, while in the acidic soil it took place at 300 mg/kg. Biotesting based on bacterial luminescence can be used for determination of soil pollution with heavy metals such as Ni, as well as for the assessment of the toxicity of aqueous environments in contact with contaminated soils.     

Influence of soil particle size and grinding on bray‐2 extractable phosphorus

Abstract

The influence of soil particle size and soil fine grinding on Bray‐2 extractable phosphorus (Bray‐2P) was studied. Air‐dried and 2‐mm mesh‐sieved soil was separated into six particle size classes: <0.075, 0.075–0.106, 0.106–0.25, 0.25–0.425, 0.425–0.85, and 0.85–2 mm. The lowest amounts of Bray‐2P were found in the 0.425–0.85 and 0.85–2 mm fractions and the highest in <0.075 mm fraction. When ground for 3 min, the amount of Bray‐2P increased in the fractions larger than 0.25 mm, whereas it decreased in the fractions smaller than 0.25 mm. In the large fraction (0.425–0.85 mm), grinding for 1 to 3 min led to an increase in the amount of Bray‐2P, but grinding for 9 to 18 min caused a decrease. In contrast, in the small fraction (<0.075 mm), the amount of Bray‐2P decreased by grinding for 1 min. The large and small fractions that were ground absorbed P in proportion to the grinding time during the extraction‐filtration period.     

Effects of concentrated application of soil conditioners on soil–air permeability and absorption of nitrogen by young peach trees

ABSTRACT

To study the effects of concentrated application of two soil conditioners, two-year-old peach trees (Prunus persica L.‘Chunmei’) were selected to test the soil air permeability, ¹⁵N absorption and the growth of trees. The experiment comprised three treatments involved concentrated applying either polyacrylamide (treatment I) or Agri-SC (a proprietary soil conditioner, treatment II) at the bottom of each pit or neither of the two (treatment III). And then the whole pit was back-filled with soil. Neither digging a hole nor use of soil conditioners as the control (CK). The results showed that volumetric oxygen content in gases in 5–10 cm soil layer upon concentrated application layer was significantly higher in treatments I and II than that in CK. Soil volumetric water content upon concentrated application layer was higher in treatments I and II than that in CK. Compared with CK, no matter root activity, leaf area, leaf chlorophyll content, or leaf net photosynthesis rate in treatments I and II increased in August and October, which promoted the growth of new shoots and the stem. Compared with CK, the leaf superoxide dismutase activity increased 31.24%, 22.66% and 4.74%, Guaiacol peroxidase increased 21.88%, 13.25% and 3.39%, Catalase increased 11.80%, 7.92% and 1.24% respectively in treatments I, II and III in October. As a result, values of the total roots surface area, total root volume, number of root tips, dry matter accumulation, and organ nitrogen content were markedly higher in treatments I and II than that in CK. And the ¹⁵N utilization rate significantly increased 24.22% and 10.40% respectively in treatments I and II. The result suggested that concentrated application of soil conditioners formed a rhizosphere water storage and breathable layer that not only stores moisture but is also permeable to air. That, in turn, promotes plant growth, increases the nitrogen use efficiency.     

The influence of brine contamination and phospho‐gypsum amendments on soil chemical properties and plant response

Abstract

Phosphogypsum (PG), the by‐product of wet acid production of phosphoric acid from rock phosphate, was found to be effective as a soil conditioner for sodic, solonets, and solonetzic soils. Unlike mine gypsum, PG contains impurities whose release into soil and ground water need to be monitored. PG was incorporated with soils contaminated with oilfield brine to determinate the influence of PG amendments and brine contamination on soil chemical properties and plant response in a growth chamber. Application rates of PG were 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 Mg ha^‐1 and the testing crop was Barley (Hardeum vulgare L.). Phosphogypsum provides a means of remediating brine spills and can result in benefits expressed as increased plant growth. Soil salinity of brine contaminated soils was ameliorated as evidenced by reduced the electrical conductivity, SAR and exchangeable Na levels in 0–15 cm depth of the columns. There is no evidence that application of PG increased the level of trace elements in plants. Contamination of soil with brine spill is the major factor dominating plant growth and soil‐plant element content. From plant growth point of view, two elements could be excessive, namely Boron (B), and Cadmium (Cd). The high level of B in the plant arose from brine spill and the cause for the excessive Cd level in barley grain is unknown and currently under investigation. The distribution of trace elements in soil profiles demonstrated that there was little, if any, potential for movement of trace elements into greater depths.     

Have you checked for charcoal? Assessment of soil condition using soil organic carbon

Soil condition is commonly assessed by using soil organic carbon (SOC) as an indicator; however, a large proportion of the world's soils can contain charcoal, a biologically‐inert form of organic carbon. We investigated whether the presence of charcoal in soil could lead to an inaccurate assessment of soil condition when using SOC as an indicator. We sampled topsoil in a south‐east Australian catchment affected by severe fires in 2003. Samples (n = 100) were analysed for two SOC fractions: (i) total SOC (t‐SOC, loss on ignition), which included charcoal, and (ii) biologically‐active SOC (a‐SOC, persulphate‐oxidation), which did not contain charcoal. Using novel (boosted regression trees) and traditional (linear regression) modelling methods we compared the relative importance of abiotic (slope, aspect, elevation and soil texture) and biotic (land use and vegetation structure) factors as predictors of t‐SOC and a‐SOC concentration. A major difference between the two response variables was less relative importance of land use as a predictor when using t‐SOC as a response variable. Therefore, ignoring the presence of charcoal would have led to an under‐estimation of the effect of land‐use conversion on the biologically‐available SOC fraction. The presence of charcoal has important ramifications for routine assessments of soil condition given that (i) SOC is a commonly used indicator and charcoal and biologically‐active SOC differ in their effects on soil properties, (ii) fires historically occur on a large area of land, (iii) charcoal is a long‐lasting consequence of fires and (iv) charcoal can account for a large proportion of SOC and yet be unnoticed during sample preparation.     

15N2–DNA–stable isotope probing of diazotrophic methanotrophs in soil

Nucleic acid stable isotope probing (SIP) is a powerful tool that can identify and characterize the microorganisms that mediate specific soil processes and explore the flow of C and N through functional groups in the soil food web. While ¹³C–SIP has been used successfully in a range of applications, methodological constraints have limited the applicability of ¹⁵N-labelled compounds in nucleic acid SIP. However, ¹⁵N–DNA–SIP can now be achieved and this method when used with ¹⁵N₂ provides a powerful new tool for characterizing free-living diazotrophs in natural ecosystems. A diverse array of non-cultivated diazotrophs have been observed in soil and yet the characteristics of these organisms and their environmental significance remain almost completely unknown. ¹⁵N₂–DNA–SIP can identify those diazotrophs that are active in situ while providing access to gene sequences and genome fragments that can yield insights on their evolutionary history and functional capacities. Further insights on the ecology of free-living diazotrophs in soil can be provided by performing ¹⁵N₂–DNA–SIP on microcosms in which the response of the diazotrophic community is determined in relation to experimental manipulation. We describe the use of ¹⁵N₂–DNA–SIP to explore linkages between different C sources and N-fixation by specific diazotroph populations in soil. Methane addition to soil was observed to stimulate N-fixation and the organisms that were found to be responsible for this activity were Type II methanotrophs most closely related to the genus Methylocystis. This report provides insights on the use of nucleic acid SIP to identify and characterize microorganisms that mediate specific soil processes and represents the first time that a specific group of methanotrophs has been shown to mediate N-fixation while in the soil environment.     

The properties and genesis of “Tora-Han” (tiger-like) soil on the high terrace,North of Akashi City

On the high terrace to the north of Akashi City, Sanyo District. th ere is a heavy text ured soil which is charac te rized by the presence of altern ate red and gray bands in lower hor izons (photo.) . This soil is called "Tora-han" Soil as a local name by reason of its morph ological resemblance to “tora” (tiger^*). Heavy textured soils which have tiger-like (or zebra-like) mot tlings in lower hor izons are also found in other parts of Japan alm ost excl usively on high ter races , and hav e long attracted th e attent ion of Japanese pedologists.     

Studies on microörganisms and their activities in soil Part. 2. Virgin and cultivated soil of the same origin

The nature of soil is modified differently depending upon the artificial condition such as its utilization or management. It is therefore expected that the microbiological characteristic of soil is changed also. Greaves¹⁾ and Williams²⁾ reported that the reclamation of virgin soil brought about a change of bacterial count. Suzuki et al³⁾ observed that the kind of fungi differed between a virgin and a cultivated soil and that the vegetative mycelium was numerous in the former than in the latter. On the other hand, according to W aksman and Starkey⁴⁾, the bacterial count differed depending upon the fertility of soil. Singh⁵⁾ reported also that the number of fungi and actinomycetes was higher in a fertile than in an infertile soil. Lochhead⁶⁾, and Lochhead and Chasen studied the bacterial flora of a fertile (long-continued application of manure) and an infertile (no fertilizer for many years) soil and found that a certain difference could be observed when morphological, physiological and nutritional classification are tried.     

Extraction of humic-β-glucosidase fractions from soil

Humic compounds with -glucosidase activity were extracted from soil using tetrasodium pyrophosphate as extracting solution. Mixture of soil samples with 0.01 M pyrophosphate in a ratio of 1:5 (w/v), adjustment to pH 7.0–7.3, extraction for 18 h with reciprocating agitation, and bacteriological filtration after centrifugation were the optimum conditions for extraction of the -glucosidase complexes. Otherwise, experimental conditions for extraction indicated that the concentration and pH of pyrophosphate were the factors with the most influence on enzymatic extraction yields. The results indicated that the -glucosidase was extracellular and associated with soil humates.     

Effects of multiple soil conditioners on a mine site acid sulfate soil for vetiver growth

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various soil treatments on the growth of vetiver grass ( Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash) with the objective of formulating appropriate soil media for use in sulfide-bearing mined areas. An acidic mine site acid sulfate soil (pH 2.8) was treated with different soil conditioner formula including hydrated lime, red mud (bauxite residues), zeolitic rock powder, biosolids and a compound fertilizer. Soils treated with red mud and hydrated lime corrected soil acidity and reduced or eliminated metal toxicity enabling the establishment of vetiver grass.Although over-liming affected growth, some seedlings of vetiver survived the initial strong alkaline conditions. Addition of appropriate amounts of zeolitic rock powder also enhanced growth, but over-application caused detrimental effects. In this experiment, soil medium with the best growth performance of vetiver was 50 g of red mud, 10 g of lime, 30 g of zeolitic rock powder and 30 g of biosolids with 2 000 g of mine soils (100% survival rate with the greatest biomass and number of new shoots), but adding a chemical fertilizer to this media adversely impacted plant growth. In addition, a high application rate of biosolids resulted in poorer growth of vetiver, compared to a moderate application rate.     

A critical review of microbially induced carbonate precipitation for soil stabilization: The global experiences and future prospective

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP) is a new technology having the potential to induce soil stabilization and provide a green and sustainable comprehensive solution to some geotechnical engineering problems in the environment. The present article is dedicated to present a critical review of this technology and discuss its mechanisms of action and the key factors influencing its performance. The global experiences and national participation from Egypt are demonstrated, in addition t...     

The effect of soil ph on the activity of oryzalin and metribuzin on five common weeds in no‐till crop production

Abstract

Metribuzin [4‐amino‐6‐tert‐buty1–3‐(methylthio)‐as‐triazine‐5(4H)‐one] and oryzalin (3,5‐dinitro‐N ⁴ N ⁴‐dipropylsufanilamide) at two rates each were applied to pots of Cecil sandy loam soil adjusted to pH levels of 5.8, 6.2, 6.8, and 7.2 containing five weed species. Redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.] were completely controlled by both herbicides at all rates and all pH levels. Sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia L.) was controlled by metribuzin, but not completely, by oryzalin. Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L.) and tall morningglory [Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth] were not controlled by either herbicide. Soil pH had no effect on jimsonweed control with either herbicide. Morningglory was best controlled by both herbicides at higher soil pH.