Nitrogen and phosphorus nutritional interactions in a CO2 enriched environment

Nonnodulated soybean plants (Glycine max. [L.] Merr. ‘Lee') were supplied with nutrient solutions containing growth limiting concentrations of N or P to examine effects on N‐ and P‐uptake efficiencies (mg nutrient accumulated/gdw root) and utilization efficiencies in dry matter production (gdw²/mg nutrient). Nutritional treatments were imposed in aerial environments containing either 350 or 700 μL/L atmospheric CO₂ to determine whether the nutrient interactions were modified when growth rates were altered.

Nutrient‐stress treatments decreased growth and N‐ and P‐uptake and utilization efficiencies at 27 days after transplanting (DAT) and seed yield at maturity (98 DAT). Atmospheric CO₂ enrichment increased growth and N‐ and P‐utilization efficiencies at 27 DAT and seed yield in all nutritional treatments and did not affect N‐ and P‐uptake efficiencies at 27 DAT. Parameter responses to nutrient stress at 27 DAT were not altered by atmospheric CO₂ enrichment and vice versa. Nutrient‐stress treatments lowered the relative seed yield response to atmospheric CO₂ enrichment.

Decreased total‐N uptake by P‐stressed plants was associated with both decreased root growth and N‐uptake efficiency of the roots. Nitrogen‐utilization efficiency was also decreased by P‐stress. This response was associated with decreased plant growth as total‐N uptake and plant growth were decreased to the same extent by P stress resulting in unaltered tissue N concentrations. In contrast, decreased total P‐uptake by N‐stressed plants was associated with a restriction in root growth as P‐uptake efficiency of the roots was unaltered. This response was coupled with an increased root‐to‐shoot dry weight ratio; thus shoot and whole‐plant growth were decreased to a much greater extent than total‐P uptake which resulted in elevated P concentrations in the tissue. Therefore, P‐utilization efficiency was markedly reduced by N stress.     

Nitrate assimilation in pea leaves in the presence of cadmium

Supply of 0.01 to 1.0 mM Cd acetates either to the intact seedlings or to the excised leaves of 15 dPisum sativum L. Cv. Bonvilla seedlings inhibitedin vivo nitrate reductase activity (NRA), total soluble protein, chlorophyll, and carotenoids. The inhibition was independent of metal concentrations. In excised leaf tissues, higher concentrations (0.5 to 1.0 mM) of Cd had no conspicuous effect on nitrate assimilation. When NRA was assayed byin vitro method, an increase of 12 to 45% was obtained with Cd in intact and excised leaves. It appears that NRA is more sensitive to Cd concentration than any other parameter examined.     

Effects of Zn enriched sewage sludge on microbial activities and biomass in soil

An incubation study in closed static microcosms was performed to elucidate Zn effects on N mineralisation in relation to other microbial activities and biomass in a sandy soil. Sewage sludge equivalent to 25 t ha⁻¹ was enriched with five different rates of Zn to add concentrations between 50 and 800 μg Zn g⁻¹ soil. All microbial indices were increasingly depressed with increasing Zn concentration of the sewage sludge, but they were affected with different intensity: Zn had especially large effects on CO₂ production and qCO₂, moderate effects on N mineralisation and relatively small effects on protease activity, biomass C and arginine ammonification.     

Nitrate leaching and intensive outdoor pig production

Abstract. The production of pigs in outdoor units is gaining in popularity in the United Kingdom and is often concentrated on free-draining soils over important aquifers. Originally, stocking rates were sufficiently low to ensure the maintenance of a grass crop, but recently they have increased. Pigs are natural 'rooters' and wallowers and so cause damage to vegetation and soil structure. With overstocking these natural activities lead to considerable areas of bare, uncropped ground for much of the year. This paper assesses the potential for leaching of nitrate from such land, and makes recommendations for decreasing it.     

增硝营养对水稻不同生育时期生长及氮素吸收同化的影响

The effect of nitrate （NO3^-） on rice （Oryza sativa L.） growth as well as N absorption and assimilation during different growth stages was examined using three typical rice cultivars. Dry weight, yield, N uptake, nitrate reductase activity （NRA） in leaves, and glutamine synthetase activity （GSA） in roots and leaves during their entire growth periods, as well as the kinetic parameters of ammonium （NH4^＋） uptake at the seedling stage, were measured with solution culture experiments. Results indicated that addition of NH4^＋-N and NO3^-N at a ratio of 75：25 （NH4^＋＋NO3^- treatment） when compared with that of NH4^＋-N alone （NH4^＋ treatment） increased the dry weight of ‘Nanguang＇ cultivar by 30% and ‘Yunjing 38＇ cultivar by 31%, and also increased their grain yield by 21% and 17%, respectively. For the four growth stages, the total N accumulation in plants increased by an average of 36% for ‘Nanguang＇ and 31% for ‘Yunjing 38＇, whereas the increasing effect of NO3^- in the ‘4007＇ cultivar was only found at the seedling stage, in the NH4^＋＋NO3^- treatment compared to the NH4^＋ treatment, NRA in the leaves increased by 2.09 folds, and GSA increased by 92% in the roots and 52% in the leaves of the three cultivars. NO3^- supply increased the maximum uptake rate （Vmax） in the ‘Nanguang＇ and ‘Yunjing 38＇ cultivars, reflecting that the NO3^- itself, not the increasing N concentration, increased the uptake rate of NH4^＋ by rice. There was no effect on the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant （Kin） of the three cultivars. Thus, some replacement of NH4^＋ with NO3^-could greatly improve the growth of rice plants, mainly on account of the increased uptake of NH4^＋ promoted by NO3^-, and future studies should focus on the molecular mechanism of the increased uptake of NH4^＋ by NO3^-.     

Plant colonization and biomass production in a xeric torriorthent amended with urban solid refuse

A long-term field experiment was conducted in a semiarid Mediterranean site to determine the effect of the application of several doses (6·5, 13, 19·5 and 26 kg m⁻²) of urban solid refuse (USR) on the plant colonization, plant cover and biomass production. The plant species richness did not increase in all the treated plots with respect to the control except immediately after the treatment was applied. This increase was only maintained after three years in the lowest dose of USR and the control. The addition of USR slowed floristic change and the lowest percentages of change corresponded to those plots receiving the highest doses. The plot receiving the lowest doses behaved in a similar way to the control plot. Plant cover increased substantially in the plots treated with USR compared with the control plot, even the lowest doses increasing the cover by 500 per cent. Plant biomass also significantly increased in all the amended plots compared with the control, although such increases were not directly proportional to the doses of USR added. USR can be considered an effective organic amendment to regenerate the plant cover of degraded soils. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regulation of urease production in soil by microbial assimilation of nitrogen

Summary Studies of the effects of different forms of N on urease production in soils amended with organic C showed that although microbial activity, as measured by CO₂ production, was stimulated by the addition of NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^- to C-amended soils (200 mol glucose-C g^–1 soil), urease production was repressed by these forms of N. The addition of L-methionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of inorganic N assimilation by microorganisms, relieved the NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^- repression of urease production in C-amended soil. The addition of sodium chlorate, an inhibitor of NO₃ ^- reduction to NH₄ ⁺ by microorganisms, relieved the NO₃ ^- repression of urease production, but did not eliminate the repression associated with NH₄ ⁺. These observations indicate that microbial production of urease in C-amended soils is not directly repressed by NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^-, but by products formed by microbial assimilation of these forms of N. This conclusion is supported by our finding that the biologically active L-isomers of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartate, and glutamine, repressed urease production in C-amended soil, whereas the D-isomers of these amino acids had little or no influence on urease production. This work suggests that urease synthesis by soil microorganisms is controlled by the global N regulon.     

Salt-tolerant forage cultivation on a saline-sodic field for biomass production and soil reclamation

Chemical reclamation of sodic and saline-sodic soils has become cost-intensive. Cultivation of plants tolerant of salinity and sodicity may mobilize the CaCO₃ present in saline-sodic soils instead of using a chemical approach. Four forage plant species, sesbania (Sesbania aculeata), kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca), millet rice (Echinochloa colona) and finger millet (Eleusine coracana), were planted in a calcareous saline-sodic field (EC_e = 9·6–11·0 dS m⁻¹, SAR = 59·4–72·4). Other treatments included gypsum (equivalent to 100 per cent of the gypsum requirement of the 15 cm soil layer) and a control (no gypsum or crop). The crops were grown for 5 months. The performance of the treatments in terms of soil amelioration was in the order: Sesbania aculeata ≅ gypsum > Leptochloa fusca > Echinochloa colona > Elusine coracana > control. Biomass production by the plant species was found to be directly proportional to their reclamation efficiency. Sesbania aculeata produced 32·3 Mg forage ha⁻¹, followed by Leptochloa fusca (24·6 Mg ha⁻¹), Echinochloa colona (22·6 Mg ha⁻¹) and Eleusine coracana (5·4 Mg ha⁻¹). Sesbania aculeata emerged as the most suitable biotic material for cultivation on salt-affected soils to produce good-quality forage, and to reduce soil salination and sodication processes.     

Cadmium and lead residue control in a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) environment

In 2003-2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducted an exploratory assessment to determine the occurrence and levels of cadmium and lead in randomly collected samples of kidney, liver, and muscle tissues of mature chickens, boars/stags, dairy cows, and heifers. The data generated in the study were qualitatively compared to data that FSIS gathered in a 1985-1986 study in order to identify trends in the levels of cadmium and lead in meat and poultry products. The exploratory assessment was necessary to verify that Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans and efforts to control exposure to these heavy metals are effective and result in products that meet U.S. export requirements. A comparison of data from the two FSIS studies suggests that the incidence and levels of cadmium and lead in different slaughter classes have remained stable since the first study was conducted in 1985-1986. This study was conducted to fulfill FSIS mandate to ensure that meat, poultry, and egg products entering commerce in the United States are free of adulterants, including elevated levels of environmental contaminants such as cadmium and lead.     

毛白杨对15N-硝态氮和铵态氮的吸收、利用及分配

以毛白杨新无性系50号插条苗为试材,应用15N示踪技术研究在相同施氮量下毛白杨(Populus tomentosa)苗木对不同形态氮素的吸收、分配及利用特性。结果表明：不同处理下毛白杨苗木在施肥1周后对肥料氮的吸收呈逐渐上升趋势,并在施肥后28d达到最大值,NO3-15N处理苗木全氮量为0.67g/株, NH4-15N处理苗木全氮量为0.60g/株;吸收NO3-15N为0.26g/株,吸收NH4-15N为0.12g/株,分别占苗木全氮的比例39.15%和19.95%。毛白杨苗木对两种氮素的利用程度差异显著,在利用率最高时期,NO3-15N利用率可达25.83%,约为NH4-15N（12.03%）的2倍。氮素在各器官中分配差异显著,总体趋势为叶﹥根﹥茎。叶中NO3-15N的分配率显著高于NH4-15N     

The influence of lead on the respiration and biomass of microorganisms in gray forest soil in a long-term field experiment

The effects of lead oxide and lead nitrate on soil microorganisms were studied in a field experiment. As soon as the soil was treated with lead, a response of the microbial community was expressed in the higher rate of the basal respiration irrespectively of the dose and form of the lead compounds applied. At the same time, the microbial biomass decreased in the variants contaminated with 100–1000 mg Pb/kg. The long-lasting influence of lead lowered the basal respiration and the microbial biomass in the variant with the application of 400–1000 mg Pb/kg in the form of nitrate and 1000 mg Pb/kg as oxide. The experiments proved that the content of mobile lead in the soil, irrespectively of the form and solubility of the lead compounds, controls the functional relationship between the effect of the lead and the microbiological indices of the soil. The suppression of the soil microbial activity by more than 25% took place when the mobile lead content exceeded 170 mg Pb/kg.     

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Ammonium: Nitrate Ratios on Growth and Pungency of Onion Seedlings

ABSTRACT

A pot experiment was conducted to study the growth and pungency of Allium cepa L. grown in Perlite as affected by colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus versiforme and Glomus intraradices BEG141 and by ammonium:nitrate (NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ^?) ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3 in 4 mM solutions. Plants were harvested when bulb formation commenced. In general, mycorrhizal colonization resulted in increased shoot dry weight, shoot length, sheath diameter, root nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content (except with G. intraradices and a NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ^? ratio of 1:3), shoot N and P concentrations (except with G. versiforme and a NH₄ ⁺:NO₃= ratio of 3:1) and content. Plants inoculated with G. versiforme had higher growth parameters and N and P content than those with G. intraradices, whereas N and P concentrations showed the opposite trends. Growth parameters and N and P content of non-mycorrhizal plants were highest at a NH₄ ⁺:NO₃= ratio of 1:3, while those of plants inoculated with G. versiforme or G. intraradices were highest at a ratio of NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ^? 3:1 or 1:1. Neither mycorrhizal colonization nor proportion of inorganic N species significantly affected bulb enzyme-produced pyruvate or total or organic sulfur (S) concentrations in plant shoots. Colonization by AM fungi made a substantial contribution to onion growth and may not have been directly related to bulb pungency at early stages of plant growth. However, the influence of AM fungi on plant N and P metabolism may have implications for onion flavor at later stages of plant growth.     

Fungal biomass production and turnover in soil estimated using the acetate-in-ergosterol technique

We report the first attempt to estimate fungal biomass production in soil by correlating relative fungal growth rates (i.e., acetate incorporation into ergosterol) with fungal biomass increase (i.e., ergosterol) following amendments with dried alfalfa or barley straw in soil. The conversion factor obtained was then used in unamended soil, resulting in fungal biomass productions of 10-12 μg C g⁻¹ soil, yielding fungal turnover times between 130 and 150 days. Using a conversion factor from alfalfa-treated soil only resulted in two times higher estimates for biomass production and consequently lower turnover times. Comparing fungal biomass production with basal respiration indicated that these calculations overestimated the former. Still, the turnover times of fungal biomass in soil were in the same range as turnover times estimated in aquatic systems. The slow turnover of fungal biomass contrasts with the short turnover times found for bacteria. The study thus presents empirical data substantiating the theoretical division of bacteria and fungi into a fast and a slow energy channel, respectively, in the soil food web.     

Nitrate leaching and adsorption in a Kenyan Nitisol

Abstract. ¹⁵N labelled NH₄NO₃ (fertilizer N) was applied at a rate of 50 kg N ha^–1 to an Ando-Humic Nitisol and two maize crops grown on it. About 20 months later, soil cores were taken to a depth of 2.5 m. Leached fertilizer N was found between 1.4 m and 1.8 m deep and was delayed relative to net drainage by between 4.2 and 4.9 pore volumes. Anion exchange capacity (AEC) increased ten-fold down the profile, up to 2.9 cmol_ckg^–1. The delay to fertilizer N leaching was predicted to be between 4.1 and 5.3 pore volumes when calculated from the AEC and from an equation relating delay due to AEC in laboratory columns of repacked soil obtained by Wong et al. (1990b). It was concluded that the nitrate leaching delay equation was also valid in undisturbed field profiles. Two concentration maxima for mineral N were found, which did not usually coincide with the fertilizer N and were thought to result from mineralization of soil organic matter and plant residues at the end of each season. The delay equation overestimated their leaching delay but the results were considered close enough to support the hypothesis for their formation.     

镉、铅、锌对红壤微生物生物量的影响

Nitrogen(N)losses from ammonium bicarbonate or urea applied to wheat and then followed immediately by irrigation were investigated.Ammonia volatilization was determined by a micrometeorological method (ammonia sampler),total N loss was estimated by the ^15N mass balance method ,and denitrification loss was measured by the diference method(calculated from the difference between the total N loss and ammonia loss) and a direct method (measuring the emission of (N2 N2O)-^15N).Total ammonia losses from ammonium bicarbonate and urea in 33 days were 8.7% and 0.9% of the applied nitrogen ,respectively.The corresponding total N losses were 21.6% and 29.5%,Apparent denitrification losses(by the difference method) were rather high,being 12.9% from ammonium bicarbonate and 28.6% from urea .However,no emission of (N2 N2O)-^15N was detected using the direct method.     

垃圾堆肥在农业生产和环境保护中的作用

本文综述了垃圾堆肥及其产品在农业生产和环境保护中的作用。主要论述了以下三个方面的问题 :1)垃圾堆肥化对有机污染物的降解作用 ;2 )垃圾堆肥对重金属污染的治理 ;3)垃圾堆肥产品对土壤的改良作用。     

Urease activity and its relation to soil organic matter, microbial biomass nitrogen and urea-nitrogen assimilation by maize in a Brazilian Oxisol under no-tillage and tillage systems

 We studied the relationship between urease activity (UA) and soil organic matter (SOM), microbial biomass N (N_biom) content, and urea-N fertilizer assimilation by maize in a Dark Red Latosol (Typic Haplustox) cultivated for 9 years under no-tillage (NT), tillage with a disc plough (DP), and tillage with a moldboard plough (MP). Two soil depths were sampled (0–7.5 cm and 7.5–15 cm) at 4 different times during the crop cycle. Urea was applied at four different rates, ranging from 0 to 240 kg N ha^–1. The levels of fertilizer N did not affect the UA, SOM content, and N_biom content. No significant difference between the treatments (NT, DP, and MP) was observed for SOM during the experiment, probably because the major part of the SOM was in recalcitrant pools, since the area was previously cultivated (conventional tillage) for 20 years. The N_biom content explained 97% and 69% of the variation in UA in the upper and deeper soil layer, respectively. UA and biomass N were significantly higher in the NT system compared to the DP and MP systems. The highest maize productivity and urea-N recovery was also observed for the NT system. We observed that the increase in urea-N losses under NT, possibly as a consequence of a higher UA, was compensated for by the increase in N immobilized in the biomass. Received: 2 July 1999     

Rate of production and loss of earthworm biomass in relation to species and size

The rate of loss in weight during 4 weeks for 9 earthworm species was linear with time. Milligrams live wt lost mg^?1 initial wt day^?1 (Q_WL) for single species did not conform to the surface principle of metabolism for most species examined, but conformed for the species collectively in a plot of × Q_WL for species vs × initial wt of species. The points for Lumbricus rubellus and Allolobophora longa at both 15° and 25°C departed significantly from the regression lines, suggesting that these species are less and more capable of retaining weight, respectively, than the other species tested. q_wl for Eisenia foetida was significantly different at temperatures of 15, 18, 20, 25 and 30°C, but a significantly reduced slope between 20 and 25°C in a plot of Q_WL vs temperature corroborated previous workers' findings of a metabolic zone of thermal compensation in this interval. Milligrams live wt gained mg^?1 initial wt day^?1 (Q_WG) for single species, in contrast to Q_WL, conformed to the surface principle for all species. A plot of × Q_WG vs × initial wt for 7 species showed that Amynthas spp gained significantly more slowly and L. terrestris significantly more rapidly than predicted by the regression equation. A comparison of rates of WL to WG showed that small species generally recover weight more efficiently than large ones. A study of rate of WL on cellulose vs ashed loam showed that earthworms derive a nutritional benefit from cellulose.     

Soil photolysis in a moisture- and temperature-controlled environment. 2. Insecticides

The photolytic degradations of imidacloprid, carbofuran, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, pyridaben, propoxur, and esfenvalerate were independently compared in both moist (75% field moisture capacity at 0.33 bar) and air-dry microbially viable soils at 5 microg/g. All compounds were applied to sandy soil except for propoxur, which was applied to sandy loam soil. Diazinon was applied to both sandy soil and sandy loam soil. The samples were exposed for up to 360 h, depending on the half-life of the compound. Moisture and temperature were maintained through the use of a specially designed soil photolysis apparatus. Corresponding dark control studies were performed concurrently. With the exception of esfenvalerate, the other compounds exhibited significantly shorter half-lives in moist soils, attributed to the increased hydrolysis and microbial activity of the moist soil. The esfenvalerate metabolism was not first order due to limited mobility in the soil because of its very low water solubility. The overall half-life for esfenvalerate was 740 h, as the percent remaining did not drop below 60%. The imidacloprid half-life in irradiated moist soil was 1.8 times shorter than in air-dry soils. However, on dry soil the photodegradation showed poor first-order kinetics after 24 h of exposure. The metabolism of carbofuran and diazinon was highly dependent on soil moisture. Carbofuran exhibited 2.2 times longer half-lives when less moisture was available in the soil. Diazinon in moist sandy soil degraded rapidly, but slowed significantly in irradiated and dark control air-dry sandy soil. Diazinon photolysis on sandy loam soil was not first order, as it attained a constant concentration of 54.9%, attributed to decreased mobility in this soil. Chlorpyrifos photolysis was 30% shorter on moist sand than on air-dry sand. Pyridaben photolyzed rapidly throughout the first 72 h of irradiation but maintained 48% through 168 h. Propoxur metabolism in moist sandy loam soil was not first order and did not degrade below 50% after 360 h of exposure, but the overall half-life was still nearly half of that on irradiated air-dry soil. Three of the compounds showed differences in metabolism patterns during exposure on moist or air-dry soil. Typically, the moist soils produced a more linear decline than that seen in the dry soils, corresponding to the susceptibility of the particular chemical to hydrolysis and/or biodegradation. Four of the eight experiments had shorter half-lives in dark control moist soils than in irradiated dry soils.