Effect of Incorporation of Wheat Straw and Urea into Soil on Biomass Nitrogen and Nitrogen-Supplying Characteristics of Paddy Soil

Pot experiments were carried out to study the effect of incorporation of wheat straw and/ or urea into soil on biomass nitrogen and mineral nitrogen and its relation to the growth and yield of rice.The combined appliation of wheat straw and urea increased much more biomass nitrogen in soil than the application of wheat straw or urea alone and consequently increased the immobilization of urea nitrogen added and reduced the loss of urea nitrogen.An adequate nitrogen-supplying process to rice plant could be obtained if C/ N ratio of the material added was about 20.The three yield components of rice were affected significantly by the status of nitrogen supplying.More than 30mg N/ kg soil of mineral nitrogen at effective tillering stage,panicle initiation stage and filling stage should be maintained in order to get high rice yield,though the criteria varied with the different experimental conditions.     

The Relationship Between pH Value and Magnetic Susceptibility of Soil——A Case Study of Mountain Red Soil and Red Limestone Soil

通过对昆明西山山原红壤和红色石灰土的pH值和磁化率测试研究发现,山原红壤的pH值在4.0～5.8之间,呈酸性,质量磁化率在56 × 10-8～ 174× 10-8 m3/kg之间,pH值与磁化率呈明显的正相关关系;而红色石灰土pH值在6.0～8.4之间,磁化率为752× 10-8 ～5056×10-8m3/kg,pH值和磁化率呈负相关关系.该研究表明,在我国西南地区,土壤pH值和磁化率既存在明显的负相关关系也存在正相关关系.结合前人在其他地区的研究资料,进一步发现,土壤的酸碱环境可能是决定这些关系的重要因素.     

Titratable Acidity and Alkalinity of Red Soil Surfaces

The surfaces of red soils have an apparent amphotenc character, carrying titratable acidity and titratable alkalinity simultaneously. The titratable acidity arises from deprotonation of hydroxyl groups of hydrous oxide-type surfaces and dissociation of weak-acid functional groups of soil organic matter, while the titratable alkalinity is derived from release of hydroxyl groups of hydrous oxide-type surfaces. The titratable acidity and titratable alkalinity mainly depended on the composition and content of iron and aluminum oxides in the soils. The results showed that the titratable acidity and titratable alkalinity were in significantly positive correlation not only with the content of amorphous aluminum oxide(Alo) and iron oxide(Feo) extracted with acid ammonium oxalate solution, free iron ox-ide(Fed) extracted with sodium dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) and clays, but also with the zero point of charge (ZPC) of the samples. Organic matter made an important contribution to the titratable acidity.     

Distribution and Accumulation of Copper and Cadmium in Soil–Rice System as Affected by Soil Amendments

The effects of seven amendments on the distribution and accumulation of copper and cadmium in a soil–rice system were investigated using a pot experiment. Results showed that application of limestone, calcium magnesium phosphate (Ca–Mg–P fertilizer), calcium silicate (silicon fertilizer), Chinese milk vetch, pig manure, and peat significantly decreased the concentrations of Cu and Cd in rice roots by 24.8–75.3% and 9.7–49.9%, respectively. However, no significant difference was observed between zinc sulfate (zinc fertilizer) and the control treatment. The concentrations of Cu and Cd in different parts of rice followed the order: root > straw > grain, and all amendments restrained the transfer of Cu and Cd from rice root to stem. Copper and Cd concentrations in rice stems at the tillering stage were the highest, and then decreased from the tillering stage to the heading stage. However, they increased again at the ripening stage. The results also showed that application of amendments changed Cu and Cd solubility in soil and decreased their bioavailability, which resulted in the reduction of Cu and Cd uptake by rice. Significant correlations between the concentrations of Cu and Cd in soil solutions and in rice stems were found. The result demonstrated that limestone has the best efficiency among all the amendments used in reducing Cu and Cd contamination to rice production.     

Streamflow and Soil Moisture of Agroforestry and GrassWatersheds in Hilly Area

A study was conducted in a hilly area of Sichuan Province, Southwestern China, to compare the streamflow and soilmoisture in two upland watersheds with different land use patterns. One was an agroforestry watershed, which consistedmainly of trees with alder (Alnus cremastogyne Burkill) and cypress (Cupressus funebris Endl.) planted in belts or stripswith a coverage of about 46%, and the other was a grassland primarily composed of lalang grass (Imperata cylindricavar. major (Nees) C.E.Hubb.), filamentary clematis (Clematis filamentosa Dunn) and common eulaliopsis (Eulaliopsisbinata (Retz.) C. E. Hubb) with a coverage of about 440/o. Streamflow measurement with a hydrograph established atthe watershed outlet showed that the average annual streamflow per 100 mm rainfall from 1983 to 1992 was 0.36 and1.08 L s^-1 km^-2 for the agroforestry watershed and the grass watershed, respectively. This showed that the streamflowof the agroforestry watershed was reduced by 67% when compared to that of the grass watershed. The peak averagemonthly streamflow in the agroforestry watershed was over 5 times lower than that of the grass watershed and lagged byone month. In addition, the peak streamfiow during a typical rainfall event of 38.3 mm in August 1986 was 37% lowerin the agroforestry watershed than in the grass watershed. Results of the moisture contents of the soil samples from 3slope locations (upper, middle and lower slopes) indicated that the agroforestry watershed maintained generally highersoil moisture contents than the grass watershed within 0-20 and 20-80 cm soil depths for the upper slope, especially forthe period from May through July. For the other (middle and lower) slopes, soil moisture contents within 20-80 cm depthin the agroforestry watershed was generally lower than those in the grass watershed, particularly in September, revealingthat water consumption by trees took place mainly below the plow layer. Therefore, agroforestry land use types mightoffer a complimentary model for tree-annual crop water utilization.     

Location of Bare Soil Surface and Soil Line on the RED–NIR Spectral Plane

Soil as a separate natural body occupies certain area with its own set of spectral characteristics within the RED–NIR spectral space. This is an ellipse-shaped area, and its semi-major axis is the soil line for a satellite image. The spectral area for a bare soil surface is neighboring to the areas of black carbon, straw, vegetating plants, and missing RED–NIR values. A reliable separation of the bare soil surface within the spectral space is possible with the technology of spectral neighborhood of soil line. The accuracy of this method is 90%. The determination of the bare soil surface using vegetation indices, both relative (NDVI), and perpendicular (PVI), is incorrect; the accuracy of these methods does not exceed 65%, and for most of the survey seasons it may be lower than 50%. The flat part of the “tasseled cap” described as the soil line, is not a synonym for the area of the bare soil surface. The bare soil surface on the RED–NIR plots occupies significantly smaller areas than the area of soil line according to Kauth and Thomas.     

SW—Soil and Water: Construction of an Artificial Perched Watertable,Part 1: Air Permeability of Soils and Aspects of Soil Failure

The annual precipitation in the Three-river Plain of the People's Republic of China is only 500–600 mm and, besides, the rainfall is uneven; 60–70% of the annual precipitation occurs in July and August and there is almost no rainfall in the winter and spring seasons. Experiments were conducted to form the artificial perched watertable where the runoff caused in summer could preferably be held, by injecting high-pressure air into the soil. A horizontal soil cavity is required, so this paper deals with the determination of the air permeability of soils and the difference in the soil failure mechanisms due to the different air permeabilities.The results show that the air permeability k of 10 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ defined the situation between the fluidization and the V-shaped soil failure. When the value of k was from 10 to 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹, the V-shaped soil failure took place and when it was less than 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹, the soil cavity production took place. In order to produce the soil cavity in the B horizon of the planosol or Cg1 horizon of the meadow soil by air injection, the value of k for these soils should be less than 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ and the soil water content of these soils should be more than 30% d.b.     

The frontier of microplastics and nanoplastics: Soil health and carbon neutrality

<正>Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in soil have drawn increasing concerns about their potential threats to soil ecosystems due to their ubiquitous occurrence and persistence. The interactions of MNPs with soil components, microbial community, plants, and fauna determine their impacts on soil biogeochemical processes and food security. However, they are not largely explored. Further research is also needed to develop reliable and standardized techniques and methods to characterize the...     

Ratios of Closely Related Elements in Soil and Their Implications

This paper has investigated the ratios of closely related elements such as Mn, Cr, V, Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ba, Sr, La and Ce in the major soils of China, and the factors affecting them, and explored their use as indicators in soil formation, material transport and environmental pollution. Results show that the effect of soil-forming processes on the ratios of closely related elements varied with different elements, and became greater in the sequence of Ce/La <V/Cr=Ni/Co<Zn/Cu=Zn/Pb<Zn/Cd <Mn/Cr <Ba/Sr. The magnitude of the variation in the ratios of closely related elements depended on the chemical properties of the elements themselves, on the one hand, and the parent material and climatic conditions on the other.     

Leaching and Transformation of Nitrogen Fertilizers in Soil After Application of N with Irrigation： A Soil Column Method

A soil column method was used to compare the effect of drip fertigation （the application of fertilizer through drip irrigation systems, DFI） on the leaching loss and transformation of urea-N in soil with that of surface fertilization combined with flood irrigation （SFI）, and to study the leaching loss and transformation of three kinds of nitrogen fertilizers （nitrate fertilizer, ammonium fertilizer, and urea fertilizer） in two contrasting soils after the fertigation. In comparison to SFI, DFI decreased leaching loss of urea-N from the soil and increased the mineral N （NH4^＋-N ＋ NO3^--N） in the soil. The N leached from a clay loam soil ranged from 5.7% to 9.6% of the total N added as fertilizer, whereas for a sandy loam soil they ranged between 16.2% and 30.4%. Leaching losses of mineral N were higher when nitrate fertilizer was used compared to urea or ammonium fertilizer. Compared to the control （without urea addition）, on the first day when soils were fertigated with urea, there were increases in NH4^＋-N in the soils. This confirmed the rapid hydrolysis of urea in soil during fertigation. NH4^＋-N in soils reached a peak about 5 days after fertigation, and due to nitrification it began to decrease at day 10. After applying NH4^＋-N fertilizer and urea and during the incubation period, the mineral nitrogen in the soil decreased. This may be related to the occurrence of NH4^＋-N fixation or volatilization in the soil during the fertigation process.     

Forms of Iron and Their Association with Soil Properties in Four Soil Taxonomic Orders of Arid and Semi‐arid Soils of Punjab,India

Profiles of arid and semi‐arid zones soils of Punjab, northwestern India, were investigated for different forms of iron (Fe): total Fe, diethylenetriamine penta‐acetic acid (DTPA)–extractable Fe, soil solution plus exchangeable Fe, Fe adsorbed onto inorganic sites and oxide surfaces, and Fe bound by organic sites. Irrespective of the different fractions of Fe present, its content was higher in the fine‐textured Alfisols and Inceptisols than in the coarse‐textured Entisols and Aridisols. Lower content of total Fe was observed in the surface horizon and then increased in the subsurface horizons, whereas no set pattern was observed in Entisols. Also, irrespective of the soil orders, the contents of different forms of Fe were higher in the surface horizon and then decreased by depth. None of the forms of Fe exhibited any consistent pattern of distribution.

Organic matter and the content of clay and silt fractions had a strong bearing on the distribution of forms of Fe. Based on a linear coefficient of correlation, the soil solution plus exchangeable Fe adsorbed onto inorganic sites and DTPA‐extractable Fe increased with increase in soil organic carbon but decreased with increase in soil pH and calcium carbonate content. Total Fe increased with increase in cation exchange capacity (CEC) and clay and silt content. The results also revealed that there was equilibrium in different fractions of this element. Among the different Fe forms, Fe bound by organic sites, water‐soluble plus exchangeable Fe, and Fe adsorbed onto oxides (amorphous surfaces) were positively correlated with the DTPA‐extractable Fe. Though some forms are interrelated, none of the forms had any relationship with the total Fe.     

Distribution of Forms of Zinc and Their Association with Soil Properties and Uptake in Different Soil Orders in Semi‐arid Soils of Punjab,India

Abstract

Profiles of semi‐arid–zone soils in Punjab, northwest India, were investigated for different forms of zinc (Zn), including total, diethylenetriamine penta‐acetic acid (DTPA)-extractable, soil solution plus exchangeable (Zn), Zn adsorbed onto inorganic sites, Zn bound by organic sites, and Zn adsorbed onto oxide surfaces. Irrespective of the different fractions of Zn present, its content was higher in fine‐textured Alfisols and Inceptisols than in coarse‐textured Entisols. In general, the higher content of Zn was observed in the surface horizon and then decreased in the subsurface horizons. However, none of the forms of Zn exhibited any consistent pattern of distribution. Organic matter and size fractions (clay and silt) had a strong influence on the distribution of different forms of Zn. Based upon the linear coefficient of correlation, the soil solution plus exchangeable Zn, adsorbed onto inorganic sites, and DTPA‐Zn increased with increase in organic carbon but decreased with increase in pH and calcium carbonate content. Total Zn increased with increase in clay and silt content. Among the different forms, Zn bound by organic sites, water soluble plus exchangeable Zn and Zn adsorb onto oxide (amorphous surfaces) were all correlated with DTPA extractable Zn. The uptake of Zn was more in recent floodplain Entisols than very fine textured Alfisols and Inceptisols. Among the different forms soil solution +exchangeable and DTPA‐extractable Zn was positively correlated with total uptake of Zn.     

Kinetic Modelling of Pesticidal Degradation and Microbial Growth in Soil

This paper discusses such models for the degradation kinetics of pesticides in soil as the model expressing the degradation rate as a function of two varables:the pesticide concentration and the number of pesticide degrading microorganisms,the model expressing the pesticide concentration as explicit or implicit function of time ,and the model exprssing the pesticide loss rate constants as functions of temperature,These models may interpret the degradation curves with an inflection point.A Kinetic model describing the growth processes of microbial populations in a closed system is reported as well.     

Soil Micronutrients and Citrus Growth

By using nutritional diagnosis of citrus leaves and determining soil micronutrients,the relationship between soil micronutrients and citrus growth in southern China has been studied.Studies showed that there was a significant positive correlation between available micronutrients (such as Zn,Mo,Cu)in the soil and the corresponding nutrients in citrus leaves.Thus,one can roughly learn of the sufficiency or deficiency of certain nutrients in soils by analyzing citrus leaves.Rational spray of Zn B or Mo fertilizer not only improved citrus yields but also increased the total sugar of Satsuma mandarin and of Xinhui orange by 2.9 and 17.2% respectively compared with the control.Spraying Mo fertilizer increased the vitamin C content of Satsuma mandarin juice by 4.7%-8.4%,maturated fruits 7-10 days earlier and gave the peel a brighter color.The ultramicroscopic characteristics of Zn-deficient citrus leaves were investigated under an electron microscope.Results showed that the Zn-deficient leaf cell was characterized mainly by poor cytoplasm,endoplasmic reticula and ribosomes and by big starch grains in the chloroplast.As a result of spraying Zn fertilizer the structure of the cell returned to normal,the cytoplasm became rich and the amount of chloroplast increased.There also appeared a great deal of multiform endoplasmic reticula,thus promoting the photosynthesis of Zn-deficient plants.This provides a cytologico-theoretical basis for fertilization of high-yielding citrus trees.     

Fixation and Recovery of Added Phosphorus and Potassium in Different Soil Types of Pulse‐Growing Regions of India

Abstract

Fixation and recovery of added phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were studied in different soil types of pulse‐growing regions. Amounts of P and K fixed increased in all the soils irrespective of type and texture. With the increase in levels of added P and K, maximum P fixation was observed at lower levels of added P (50 mg kg^?1). Alfisols showed maximum P‐fixation capacity (92.7%), followed by Vertisols (86.5%) and Inceptisols (76.6%) at 50 mg kg^?1 added P. However, K fixation increased with increasing levels of added K up to 200 mg kg^?1, and thereafter fixation either decreased or was maintained at similar levels. Vertisols showed higher K fixation than Inceptisols and Alfisols. Fertilizer P requirement per unit increase in available P in soil was highest in Bangalore (3.23) and lowest in Delhi (2.38). Fertilizer K requirement per unit increase in available K in soil was highest in Raipur and Gulbarga (1.75) and lowest in Ranchi (1.28).     

Influence of Soil Type and Physical–Chemical Properties on Uranium Sorption and Bioavailability

This work was undertaken to study the influence of soil type and its physical and chemical properties on uranium sorption and bioavailability, in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with this parameter in risk assessment models and safe food production. The tests were conducted on three types of Serbian soils: alluvium, chernozem, and gajnjaca, from which 67 samples were taken. Dominant factors of uranium mobilisation: the specific content of total/available form of uranium and phosphorus, the degree of acidity (pH_KCl), and humus content and their correlation, were analysed. Content of available uranium form, according to the type of soil decreases in the following order: gajnjaca > alluvium > chernozem. It was found the medium correlation between pH values and available content of uranium in chernozem and gajnjaca, statistically significant at the level of significance of 99% and the alluvium at the level of significance of 95%. Correlation coefficients in all cases were negative, indicating that the reduction in pH increases the mobility of uranium and thus its availability for the adoption of the plants. Soil pH was the only dominant factor that significantly controlled the uranium value with no further significant contribution of other soil parameters.     

Mechanisms for the Movement of Fe,Mn,Cu and Zn to Plant Roots in Loessal Soil and Lou Soil

The pot experiments were conducted in the artificial climate laboratories to determine the relative importance of mass flow and diffusion in supplying ,Fe,Mn,Cu,and Zn to wheat,soybean and maize plants growing in loessal soil and lou soil.It was found that the calculated relative contribution of mass flow of iron,manganese,copper and zinc to plant uptake varied from 5% to more than 100%,depending on the crop species and soil types as well as plant growth stage,soil moisture,atmosphere humidity,etc.The results also showed that the major transportation mechanisms of these micronutrients in soil-root system varied with the crop and its growth,climate and soil,singnificantly,In general,mass flow was more important for Cu and Zn and diffusion was more significant for Fe and Mn at the seedling stage.     

Human Activity and Soil Fertility-Nutrients Depletion of Arable Soils in China

The reserve of soil nutrients is limited.In case of irrational use of land,nutrients would be depleted sooner.Before the 1950s the low grain production in China was maintained only by expanding the cultivated area and by recycling of nutrients in agriculture.Calculation of nutrients balance showed that in the year of 1949 there were great deficits of N,P and K elements in agriculture of China.It revealed that there would have really been danger of soil nutrients exhaustion if such a situation had continued.Things have changed since the beginning of 1950s.The nutrients balance in agriculture has been getting better and better.In the year 1987 N and P balance got rid of their great deficits.But for K and deficit grew even larger.This resulted in a rapid expansion of soil area deficient in K in China since the mid 1970s.In spite of the fact that the P balance in the arable land of the whole country was positive,the field which did not receive P fertilizer had become deficient in P.So the area deficient in P also increased.It is stressed that great attention should be paid to the depletion of soil nutrients,especially K in the northern part of China where the soil is relatively rich in K.Of course,soil sulfur and microelements should be considered next.     

Nature of Soil Acidity in Relation to Properties and Lime Requirement of Some Inceptisols

Some Inceptisols representing the Singla catchment area in Karimgaunge district of Assam, India, were studied for lime requirement as influenced by the nature of soil acidity. The electrostatically bonded (EB)-H+ and EB-Al3+ acidities constituted 33 and 67 percent of exchangeable acidity while EB-H+, EB-Al3+,exchangeable and pH-dependent acidities comprised 6, 14, 20 and 80 percent of total potential acidity. The pH-dependent acidity made a major contribution towards the total potential acidity (67%～84%). Grand mean of lime requirement determined by the laboratory incubation method and estimated by the methods of New Woodruff, Woodruff and Peech as expressed in MgCaCO3 ha-1 was in the order: Woodruff (15.6) ＞ New Woodruff (14.9) ＞ Peech (5.1) ＞ incubation (5.0). Correlations analysis among different forms of acidity and lime requirement methods with selected soil properties showed that pH in three media, namely water, 1 mol L-1 KCl and 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2, had a significant negative correlation with different forms of acidity and lime requirement methods. Exchangeable Fe and Al showed significant positive correlations with EB-Al3+ acidity, exchangeable acidity, pH-dependent acidity and total potential acidity, and also lime requirement methods. Extractable Al showed positive correlations with different forms of acidity except EB-H+ and EB-Al3+ acidities. The lime requirement by different methods depended upon the extractable aluminium.Significant positive correlations existed between lime requirements and different forms of acidity of the soils except EB-H+ acidity and incubation method. The nature of soil acidity was mostly pH-dependent. Statistically, the Woodruff method did slightly better than the New Woodruff, incubation and Peech methods at estimating lime requirement and hence the Woodruff procedure may be recommended for routine soil testing because of its speed and simplicity.     

Species of Inorganic Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria in Red Soil and the Mechanism of Solubilization

INTRODUCTION The insoluble phosphates which can not be directly absorbed by plants are the mai forms of inorganic phosphate in soil. These kinds of phosphates can be solubilized by several species of bacteria which are widely spread in soil especially in rhizosphere where70% of the bacteria are capable of solubilizing inorganic phosphate.