Denitrification potential of intermittently saturated floodplain soils from a subtropical perennial stream and an ephemeral tributary

Denitrification has the potential to remove excess nitrogen from groundwater passing through riparian buffers, thus improving water quality downstream. In regions with markedly seasonal precipitation, transient stream flow events may be important in saturating adjacent floodplain soils and intermittently providing the anaerobic conditions necessary for denitrification to occur. In two experiments we characterised the denitrification potential of soils from two contrasting floodplains that experience intermittent saturation. We quantified under controlled laboratory conditions: 1) potential rates of denitrification in these soils with depth and over time, for a typical period of saturation; and 2) the influences on rates of nitrate and organic carbon. Treatments differed between experiments, but in each case soil-water slurries were incubated anaerobically with differing amendments of organic carbon and nitrate; denitrification rates were measured at selected time intervals by the acetylene-block technique; and slurry filtrates were analysed for various chemical constituents. In the first experiment (ephemeral tributary), denitrification was evident in soils from both depths (0-0.3 m; 0.3-1.1 m) within hours of saturation. Before Day 2, mean denitrification rates at each depth were generally comparable, irrespective of added substrates; mean rates (Days 0 and 1) were 5.2 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0-0.3 m) and 1.6 ± 0.2 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0.3-1.1 m). Rates generally peaked on Days 2 or 3. The availability of labile organic carbon was a major constraint on denitrification in these soils. Acetate addition greatly increased rates, reaching a maximum in ephemeral floodplain soils of 17.4 ± 1.8 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ on Day 2: in one deep-soil treatment (low nitrate) this overcame differences in rates observed with depth when acetate was not added, although the rate increase in the other deep-soil treatment (high nitrate) was significantly less (P ≤ 0.01). Without acetate, peak denitrification rates in this experiment were 6.9 ± 0.4 and 2.8 ± 0.2 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in surface and deep soils, respectively. Differences in rates were observed with depth on all occasions, despite similar initial concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at both depths. Levels of substrate addition in the second experiment (perennial stream) more closely reflected natural conditions at the site. Mean denitrification rates were consistently much higher in surface soil (P ≤ 0.001), while the source of water used in the slurries (surface water or groundwater from the site) had little effect on rates at any depth. Mean rates when all treatments retained nitrate were: 4.5 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0-0.3 m depth); 0.8 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0.3-1.0 m); and 0.6 ± 0.1 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (1.8-3.5 m). For comparable treatments and soil depths, denitrification potentials at both sites were similar, apart from higher initial rates in the ephemeral floodplain soils, probably associated with their higher DOC content and possibly also their history of more frequent saturation. The rapid onset of denitrification and the rates measured in these soils suggest there may be considerable potential for nitrate removal from groundwater in these floodplain environments during relatively short periods of saturation.     

黄瓜根部施用化学物质对其霜霉病诱导抗性的研究

分别用几种化学物质从黄瓜幼苗子叶期开始进行根部诱导，结果表明，在自然病原激发病害试验和在人工接种病原激发病害试验中，经苯酚、脲素、无水对氨基苯磺酸和氯化钾诱导的黄瓜植株病株率和病叶率下降显著。对可产生诱导免疫效果的化学物质分析发现，氨类和苯类物质及钾的氯化物与黄瓜叶片对霜霉病的抗性有极为密切的关系。     

基于混合高斯模型渗灌复合材料导水特性分析

为了定量研究由蒙脱土和聚丙烯酰胺制备而成的渗灌复合材料导水特性与其组分之间及土壤湿度的关系,该文利用混合高斯模型模拟求解渗灌复合材料的平衡导水率、材料组分比例及土壤湿度之间的关系。设置9组组分比例不同(蒙脱土与聚丙烯酰胺质量比5~25)的渗灌复合材料在8个土壤湿度(土壤质量含水率3%~17%)下进行建模,另外2组((蒙脱土与聚丙烯酰胺质量比8和18)不同的组分制备而成复合材料在2组不同土壤湿度(土壤质量含水率4%和14%)下进行验证。结果表明:建立的渗灌复合材料平衡导水率与材料组分的关系函数,相应模拟值与实测值之间的均方根误差(root mean squared error,RMSE)≤25.87 g/h,误差平方和(sum of squares of error,SSE)≤160,决定系数(coefficient of multiple determination,R2)≥0.8933,利用混合高斯模型模拟平衡导水率、材料组分关系函数的相关参数与土壤湿度之间的关系,相应模拟值与实测值之间的RMSE≤195 g/h,SSE≤98350,决定系数R2≥0.6868,说明利用混合高斯模型拟合渗灌复合材料的平衡导水率、材料组分比例及土壤湿度之间的关系函数具有很好的稳定性、可行性及精确性;经验证,平衡导水率、材料组分比例及土壤湿度关系函数的模拟值与实测值之间的最大相对误差为14.14%,表明用该函数模拟渗灌复合材料H-C-M之间关系的可靠性。该研究对于后续的渗灌材料的研制及应用具有指导意义。     

川中丘陵区城墙岩群和蓬莱镇组紫色岩上土壤性质研究

采用野外调查、取样和室内实验分析相结合的方法,研究了川中丘陵区白垩系城墙岩群(K1cg)和侏罗系蓬莱镇组(J3p)两种紫色母岩上土壤理化性质特征和差异,结果表明:两种紫色岩母质发育的土壤粘粒含量低,而砂粒含量高;土壤有机质和氮素含量低,而矿质养分含量丰富;在相同的地形部位上,J3p发育的土壤粘粒、全钾、速效钾和速效磷含量高于K1cg发育的土壤,而K1cg发育的土壤pH和土壤全磷均高于J3p发育的土壤,两种紫色岩母质形成的土壤有机质和氮素差异不明显。从丘顶到丘脚,土层逐渐增厚,土壤粘粒含量逐渐递增,砂粒含量逐渐递减;土壤有机质及各种矿质养分含量均呈递增趋势。     

Use of poultry manure and plant cultivation for the reclamation of burnt soils

Annual (Pisum sativum L. and Vicia sativa L.) and perennial (Trifolium repens L. and Lotus corniculatus L.) leguminous species were grown in pots containing samples from the ash layers of two Cambisols under Pinus sylvestris L., which has been affected by high-intensity wildfires 3 and 15 days before the sampling. The gramineous Lolium perenne L. was cultivated as a second plant after Trifolium and Lotus harvesting. Three treatments were compared: soils without fertilization and soils fertilized with two doses of poultry manure (1 and 2 g total N kg^-1 dry soil). The aim of the work was to study the capacity of the ash layer to sustain vegetation and the influence of plants and organic manure on the recovery of vegetation cover, ash layer fixation and soil structure formation to avoid erosion. The ash samples were able to sustain vegetation without fertilization. The organic manure increased the yields of all the plants tested, the lower dose being the optimal for the first crop whereas the higher dose was beneficial for the second crop. The annual legumes grew very quickly. The mixture of Trifolium and Lotus seemed very suitable for reclamation of soil degraded by wildfires because Trifolium produced more phytomass than Lotus in the first growing stages whereas the development of Lotus was higher in the later growing stages. Ash layer conditions did not inhibit nodulation, which was, however, stimulated by the organic manure, particularly in the case of Lotus. Lolium after perennial legumes was the best plant combination because it produced the highest phytomass, particularly root phytomass, and thus improved vegetation cover and ash layer fixation. All the plants tested improved the formation of soil aggregates, particularly the combination of perennial legumes and Lolium. However, wet aggregate stability was higher when plants were grown on soils fertilized with poultry manure than when plants were cropped on unmanured soils, which points to the favourable influence of the organic manure on soil aggregation.     

Saprotrophic fungi transform organic phosphorus from spruce needle litter

Fungal decomposition of and phosphorus transformation from spruce litter needles (Picea abies) were simulated in systems containing litter needles inoculated with individual saprotrophic fungal strains and their mixtures. Fungal strains of Setulipes androsaceus (L.) Antonín, Chalara longipes (Preus) Cooke, Ceuthospora pinastri (Fr.) Höhn., Mollisia minutella (Sacc.) Rehm, Scleroconidioma sphagnicola Tsuneda, Currah & Thormann and an unknown strain NK11 were used as representatives of autochthonous mycoflora. Systems were incubated for 5.5 months in laboratory conditions. Fungal colonization in systems and competition among strains were assessed using the reisolation of fungi from individual needles. After incubation, needles were extracted with NaOH and extracts were analysed using ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Needle decomposition was determined based on the decrease in C:N ratio. Systems inoculated with the basidiomycete S. androsaceus revealed substantial decrease in C:N ratio (from 25.8 to 11.3) while the effect of ascomycetes on the C:N ratio was negligible. We suppose that tested strains of saprotrophic ascomycetes did not participate substantially in litter decomposition, but were directly involved in phosphorus transformation and together with S. androsaceus could transform orthophosphate monoesters and diesters from spruce litter needles into diphosphates, polyphosphates and phosphonates. These transformations seem to be typical for saprotrophic fungi involved in litter needle decomposition, although the proportion of individual phosphorus forms differed among studied fungal strains. Phosphonate presence in needles after fungal inoculation is of special interest because no previous investigation recorded phosphonate synthesis and accumulation by fungi. Our results confirmed that the ³¹P NMR spectroscopy is an excellent instrumental method for studying transformations of soil organic phosphorus during plant litter decomposition. We suggest that polyphosphate production by S. androsaceus may contribute to the phosphorus cycle in forest ecosystems because this fungus is a frequent litter colonizer that substantially participates in decomposition.     

Influence of management practices on soil organic matter changes in the Northern China plain and Northeastern China

Soil organic matter (SOM) is strongly related to soil type and management practices. Changes in government policy have brought drastic changes in farm management practices in the last two decades in rural China. This study investigates changes in SOM in two different soils: Ustepts and Udolls. Ustepts, in the North China Plain where the climate is warm and sub-humid, developed from an alluvial flood plain with organic matter <10 g kg⁻¹. Udolls, in Northeastern China where the climate is cool and sub-humid, developed from loess-like materials with organic matter >20 g kg⁻¹. Two locations for Ustepts and three locations for Udolls were used to collect 567 soil samples in 1980–1982 and again in 2000 for SOM analysis. Soil organic matter increased for Ustepts and decreased for Udolls soils over the sampling period, resulting from differences in fertilizer rates and crop residue input to soil. Higher fertilizer input and crop intensity and initially very low SOM content in Ustepts all contributed to greater OM input than oxidation release. In contrast, lower fertilizer input and crop intensity, and initially high SOM content in the Udolls, led to lower OM input than oxidation release. Increasing SOM content through higher mineral fertilizer input is a valuable option for sustainable agriculture production in areas where SOM is low and there is a shortage or potential shortage of food supply.     

Effect of organic mulches on soil bacterial communities one year after application

The application of organic mulches as a soil cover is effective in improving the quality of soil. However, very little information is available on the effect of mulches on the soil microbial community. In this study, we investigated the effect of various organic mulches on soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and microbial community structures in the top 1 cm and 5 cm below the soil surface 1 year after application of the mulches. DHA was stimulated at both depths in plots mulched with grass clippings (GC), but was not significantly different from the control for the other mulch treatments. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rDNA fragments were used to assess changes in the soil microbial community structure. Cluster analysis and principle component analysis of FAME profiles showed that only soil mulched with pine chips distinctively clustered from the other treatments. At the soil surface, bacterial DGGE profiles revealed that distinct shifts in several bacterial populations occurred in soils mulched with GC and eucalyptus yardwaste (EY), while DGGE profiles from soil at the 5 cm depth revealed no distinct changes. Changes in bacterial diversity at the soil surface under different mulches were calculated based on the number of bands in the DGGE profile using the Shannon-Weaver index of diversity ( H). Compared to the control ( H =0.9), the GC- and EY-treated soils showed slightly increased bacterial diversity, with an H of 1.1 and 1.0, respectively. These results indicate that the long-term effect of organic mulches on the soil microbial activity and community structure is highly dependent upon the type of mulch and is mostly exerted in the top few centimeters of the soil profile.     

畜禽粪肥对土壤有效铜锌铁锰含量的影响

采用室内培养和DTPA浸提法研究了鸡粪、牛粪和猪粪等有机肥料对土壤有效Cu、Zn、Fe、Mn含量的影响。结果表明,在供试条件下施用鸡粪、牛粪和猪粪均可使土壤中有效Cu、Mn含量增加,但有效Zn含量降低;施用鸡粪可使土壤有效Fe含量增加,而施用牛粪和猪粪使土壤有效Fe含量降低。增加鸡粪施用量,可使土壤中有效Cu、Zn、Fe、Mn含量增加;培养期间有效Cu、Zn含量变化幅度较小,有效Fe、Mn含量变化较大。     

Glomalin in aggregate size classes from three different farming systems

Glomalin was measured in soil from farming systems managed for 8 years by chisel tillage (CT), more intensive tillage for organic (ORG) production, and no tillage (NT) on Acrisols (FAO Soil Units) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Whole soil and aggregate size classes of >2.00, 0.50–2.00 and 0.21–0.50 mm (macroaggregates), 0.05–0.21 mm (microaggregates), and <0.05 mm (fine material) were examined. Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) was extracted from 1-g samples (four plots per treatment) with 100 mM sodium pyrophosphate, pH 9.0, at 121 °C in three extraction cycles. Extracts were pooled and quantified by using the Bradford protein assay. Concentrations of GRSP and total carbon (C) in aggregates were linearly related across aggregate size classes for all treatments (GRSP = 0.101C + 0.56, r² = 0.95). No tillage had significantly greater whole soil GRSP than did CT or ORG (P = 0.01). Mean values for GRSP in aggregates of NT were higher than for CT or ORG aggregates by 0.53 and 0.66 mg g⁻¹ aggregates, respectively. There were no differences among treatments in GRSP concentrations in fine material. In NT the concentration of GRSP increased as aggregate size increased in contrast to the disturbed treatments, CT or ORG, where there were no differences in GRSP concentration across aggregate size fractions. Larger proportions of GRSP were distributed in macroaggregates of NT compared to CT and ORG in contrast to larger proportions in microaggregates of CT and ORG than in NT. Although soil disturbance in ORG farming is greater than for CT farming, both treatments had similar GRSP concentrations and distributions.