Pathways and dynamics of NO3 and NH4 applied in a mountain Picea abies forest and in a nearby meadow in central Switzerland

To evaluate the pathways and dynamics of inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition in previously N-limited ecosystems, field additions of ¹⁵N tracers were conducted in two mountain ecosystems, a forest dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies) and a nearby meadow, at the Alptal research site in central Switzerland. This site is moderately impacted by N from agricultural and combustion sources, with a bulk atmospheric deposition of 12 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ equally divided between NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻. Pulses of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and ¹⁵NO₃⁻ were applied separately as tracers on plots of 2.25 m². Several ecosystem pools were sampled at short to longer-term intervals (from a few hours to 1 year), above and belowground biomass (excluding trees), litter layer, soil LF horizon (approx. 5-0 cm), A horizon (approx. 0-5 cm) and gleyic B horizon (5-20 cm). Furthermore, extractable inorganic N, and microbial N pools were analysed in the LF and A horizons. Tracer recovery patterns were quite similar in both ecosystems, with most of the tracer retained in the soil pool. At the short-term (up to 1 week), up to 16% of both tracers remained extractable or entered the microbial biomass. However, up to 30% of the added ¹⁵NO₃⁻ was immobilised just after 1 h, and probably chemically bound to soil organic matter. 16% of the NH₄⁺ tracer was also immobilised within hours, but it is not clear how much was bound to soil organic matter or fixed between layers of illite-type clay. While the extractable and microbial pools lost ¹⁵N over time, a long-term increase in ¹⁵N was measured in the roots. Otherwise, differences in recovery a few hours after labelling and 1 year later were surprisingly small. Overall, more NO₃⁻ tracer than NH₄⁺ tracer was recovered in the soil. This was due to a strong aboveground uptake of the deposited NH₄⁺ by the ground vegetation, especially by mosses.     

作物主动汲水技术内涵与研究进展

持续创新农田灌溉技术，有利于应对农业水资源短缺、耕地资源不足，也是确保中国粮食安全的重要技术基础。该研究提出了"作物主动汲水"（Crop Initiative Draw Water，CIDW）概念，并分析其得以实现的基本条件是：土壤水非饱和性、外界水水势始终小于大气压、外界水和作物根系的距离有效性、高效的水势能差转化界面。综合文献划分出了压力势差（Pressure Potential Difference, P-CIDW)、渗透势差 (Osmotic Potential Difference, O-CIDW)和重力势差作物主动汲水（Gravitational Potential Difference，G-CIDW）等3种形式的CIDW，并分析了它们的势能特征和基本实现途径。进一步，从硬件设备技术、作物表现、水盐运移与分布、土壤生境等几个方面，重点综述了P-CIDW的研究进展。近十多年来的研究表明，相比漫灌、沟灌、滴灌等传统灌溉技术，适宜参数的P-CIDW能够显著地提高作物产量与水分利用效率、养分吸收和肥料利用率、根际土壤酶活性和微生物多样性、水肥耦合效应，明显地影响了作物生理生化指标、土壤养分有效性和养分空间分布；土壤质地及其剖面构型显著地影响了P-CIDW下的水盐运移与分布；利用初始土壤含水率和基质势、渗水器导水率、供水压力以及时间等参数，可以半机理半经验地估测P-CIDW的累积入渗量。最后展望了CIDW研究的未来，认为，土壤水分-作物关系的基础理论急需要突破、研发高效的势能转化界面材料仍然是发展CIDW技术的关键任务、尽快制定P-CIDW技术标准、P-CIDW控压方法还需要革命性的创新。     

Evaluation of the nutritional characteristics of a finger millet based complementary food

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana), kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), peanuts (Arachis hypogoea), and mango (Mangifera indica) were processed separately and then combined, on the basis of their amino acid scores and energy content, into a complementary food for children of weaning age. The finger millet and kidney beans were processed by germination, autoclaving, and lactic acid fermentation. A mixture containing, on a dry matter basis, 65.2, 19.1, 8.0, and 7.7% of the processed finger millet, kidney beans, peanuts, and mango, respectively, gave a composite protein with an in vitro protein digestibility of 90.2% and an amino acid chemical score of 0.84. This mixture had an energy density of 16.3 kJ.g(-1) of dry matter and a decreased antinutrient content and showed a measurable improvement in the in vitro extractability for calcium, iron, and zinc. A 33% (w/v) pap made from a mix of the processed ingredients had an energy density of 5.4 kJ.g(-1) of pap, which is sufficient to meet the energy requirements of well-nourished children of 6-24 months of age at three servings a day and at the FAO average breast-feeding frequency.     

GISQ, a multifunctional indicator of soil quality

We present here an indicator of soil quality that evaluates soil ecosystem services through a set of 5 subindicators, and further combines them into a single general Indicator of Soil Quality (GISQ). We used information derived from 54 properties commonly used to describe the multifaceted aspects of soil quality. The design and calculation of the indicators were based on sequences of multivariate analyses. Subindicators evaluated the physical quality, chemical fertility, organic matter stocks, aggregation and morphology of the upper 5 cm of soil and the biodiversity of soil macrofauna. A GISQ combined the different subindicators providing a global assessment of soil quality.Research was conducted in two hillside regions of Colombia and Nicaragua, with similar types of land use and socio-economic context. However, soil and climatic conditions differed significantly. In Nicaragua, soil quality was assessed at 61 points regularly distributed 200 m apart on a regular grid across the landscape. In Colombia, 8 plots representing different types of land use were arbitrarily chosen in the landscape and intensively sampled. Indicators that were designed in the Nicaragua site were further applied to the Colombian site to test for their applicability.In Nicaragua, coffee plantations, fallows, pastures and forest had the highest values of GISQ (1.00; 0.80; 0.78 and 0.77, respectively) while maize crops and eroded soils (0.19 and 0.10) had the lowest values. Examination of subindicator values allowed the separate evaluation of different aspects of soil quality: subindicators of organic matter, aggregation and morphology and biodiversity of macrofauna had the maximum values in coffee plantations (0.89; 0.72 and 0.56, respectively on average) while eroded soils had the lowest values for these indicators (0.10; 0.31 and 0.33, respectively).Indicator formulae derived from information gained at the Nicaraguan sites were not applicable to the Colombian situation and site-specific constants were calculated.This indicator allows the evaluation of soil quality and facilitates the identification of problem areas through the individual values of each subindicator. It allows monitoring of change through time and can guide the implementation of soil restoration technologies. Although GISQ formulae computed on a set of data were only valid at a regional scale, the methodology used to create these indices can be applied everywhere.     

A multi-scale study of soil macrofauna biodiversity in Amazonian pastures

The influence of three spatially hierarchical factors upon soil macrofauna biodiversity was studied in four pasture plots in eastern Amazonia. The first factor was the local depth of the soil. The second factor was the ground cover type on the soil samples (bare ground, grass tufts, dead trees lying on the ground). The third factor was the dimensions of the grass tufts sampled (size and shape). The effect of each factor upon the morphospecies richness and density of total soil macrofauna was analysed. Detailed results are given for earthworms, termites, ants, beetles and spiders. All factors significantly affected the morphospecies richness and/or density of the soil macrofauna. The type of ground cover had the strongest influence, affecting the total richness and density of the soil macrofauna and of almost all the groups represented. The soil depth affected only the density of the termites and the global morphospecies richness. Interactions between soil depth and ground cover type affected the total macrofauna morphospecies richness and the density of the earthworms. The dimensions of the grass tuft influenced the global morphospecies richness, the morphospecies richness of the ants and the density of the spiders.     

Radiolysis of kaempferol in water/methanol mixtures. Evaluation of antioxidant activity of kaempferol and products formed

Oxidative reaction between hydroxymethyl radical ((*)CH(2)OH) and kaempferol, in methanol and methanol/water mixtures, was studied by gamma-radiolysis using a (60)Co source. Radiolysis was performed with concentrations and doses ranging from 5 x 10(-)(5) M to 5 x 10(-)(3) M and from 0.5 kGy to 14 kGy, respectively. Kaempferol degradation was followed by HPLC. Results showed that (*)CH(2)OH reacts with kaempferol at the 3-OH group and produces two depsides (K1 and K2) and other products including K3. K1, K2, and K3 were identified by NMR, LC-MS, and HRMS. The kaempferol degradation pathway leading to the K1, K2, and K3 formation is proposed. It was observed that the more water concentration in the irradiation medium increases, the more K2 concentration increases. Comprehension of food preservation is not clear because many phenomena occurring during irradiation are not established. Radiolysis of kaempferol in water/methanol mixtures helps to elucidate the phenomenon and it is possible that during the treatment of nutriments by gamma-irradiation, a series of products such as depside K2 could be formed. Antioxidant properties of kaempferol radiolysis products were evaluated according to their capacity to decrease the EPR DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil) signal and to inhibit superoxide radicals formed by the enzyme reaction "xanthine + xanthine oxidase".     

Liquid chromatographic determination and identification of morantel-related residues as precursors of 3-(3-methyl-2-thienyl) acrylic acid (CP-20,107) in bovine milk

A simple liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to determine and identify incurred morantel-related residues in bovine milk by converting them to 3-(3-methyl-2-thienyl) acrylic acid (CP-20, 107). Key techniques in this method involve short-term digestion of milk in HCl to release residues convertible to CP-20, 107, isolation and alkaline hydrolysis of these precursors to CP-20, 107, and recovery of the product for LC analysis. Photochemical conversion of CP-20, 107 to its cis-isomer and separation by LC identifies the residue. A homolog (pyrantel), which is used as an internal standard, is hydrolyzed to 3-(2-thienyl) acrylic acid. These acrylic acid isomers are readily resolved by LC. The method was evaluated over the 1-4 ppb (ng/mL) range for accuracy and precision to assess its utility for withdrawal studies. Bovine milk supplemented with morantel at 1, 2, and 4 ppb and assayed in replicate (n = 7-8) over 4 trials gave mean values and standard deviations of 1.0 +/- 0.11, 2.0 +/- 0.24, and 4.0 +/- 0.44 ppb, respectively. A milk specimen containing physiologically incurred residues of morantel assayed 2.1 +/- 0.19 ppb in replicate (n = 5).     

Fluorescence microscopy to study colonization of conidia and hyphae of Cochliobolus Sativus by soil microorganisms

Epi-fluorescence microscopy facilitated observations of the colonization of hyphae and conidia of C. sativus and other plant pathogenic fungi in soil. Of six fluorochromes examined, acridine orange and europium chelate effectively differentiated cells of bacteria and actinomycetes from the melanized fungal structures. Under u.v. radiation, the colonizing organisms fluoresced intensively while the pigmented conidia appeared dark. Periodic observations of hyphal fragments and conidia of C. sativus incubated in nonsterile soil revealed rapid colonization of their surface primarily by bacteria. Whereas up to 80% of the hyphal fragments of C. sativus were lysed after 32 days' incubation in soil, the conidia remained intact. However, disorganization of protoplasts and disappearance of conidial septa were evident after the fourth week. After 2, 3 and 5 weeks incubation of the plant pathogens in soil, no significant difference was noticed between microbial colonization of conidia on 8.0 μm pore size “Nucle-pore” membranes and those placed directly on the soil surface.     

Drosophila CENH3 is sufficient for centromere formation

CENH3 is a centromere-specific histone H3 variant essential for kinetochore assembly. Despite its central role in centromere function, there has been no conclusive evidence supporting CENH3 as sufficient to determine centromere identity. To address this question, we artificially targeted Drosophila CENH3 (CENP-A/CID) as a CID-GFP-LacI fusion protein to stably integrated lac operator (lacO) arrays. This ectopic CID focus assembles a functional kinetochore and directs incorporation of CID molecules without the LacI-anchor, providing evidence for the self-propagation of the epigenetic mark. CID-GFP-LacI-bound extrachromosomal lacO plasmids can assemble kinetochore proteins and bind microtubules, resulting in their stable transmission for several cell generations even after eliminating CID-GFP-LacI. We conclude that CID is both necessary and sufficient to serve as an epigenetic centromere mark and nucleate heritable centromere function.