The effect of residual copper levels on the nutrition and yield of oats grown in microplots on three organic soils

Abstract

Oats (Avena sativa L. cv. Garry) were grown in microplots of three organic soils at site A (peat), site B (muck) and site C (mucky peat) in the summer of 1983. The soil surface (0 to 20 cm) varied in total Cu from 13 to 1659, 135 to 1745, and 81 to 1063 μg/g at sites A, B and C, respectively, due to applications of CuSO₄.5H₂O made at three rates in 1978, at sites A and B, and in 1979 at site C. Neither the rates of Cu application nor total soil Cu influenced yields. High levels of residual Cu increased the levels of Cu in straw at sites A and B, and in grain at site C. However, even the highest levels of Cu in straw and grains, were below the 20 μg/g which is often considered to be the threshold of Cu phytotoxicity. Data on the levels of other nutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, B, Mo and S) in the tops and roots of oats generally revealed no significantly adverse effects of the Cu applications or total accumulated Cu in the three soils.     

碱稳定污泥污水对土壤可提取有机碳和铜的影响

An incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential for water contamination with sludge-derived organic substances and copper following land application of alkaline-stabilised sewage sludge. Two contrasting sludge-amended soils were studied. Both soils were previously treated with urban and ruralalkaline biosolids separately at sludge application rates of 0, 30 and 120 t ha^-1 fresh product. The air-driedsoil/sludge mixtures were wetted with distilled water, maintained at 40 % of water-holding capacity and equilibrated for three weeks at 4 ℃ before extraction. Subsamples were extracted with either distilled wateror 0.5 mol L^-1 K₂SO₄ solution. The concentrations of organic C in the aqueous and chemical extracts were determined directly with a total organic carbon (TOC) analyser. The concentrations of Cu in the twoextracts were also determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry The relationship between the two extractable organic C fractions was examined, together with that between extractable organic C concentration and extractable Cu concentration. Application of alkaline biosolids increased the concentrations of soil mobile organic substances and Cu. The results are discussed in terms of a possible increase in the potential for leaching of sludge-derived organics and Cu in the sludge-amended soils.     

The effect of organic amendments on mineral phosphate fractions in calcareous soils

Organic amendments considerably affect nutrient balance and interfraction mobility of nutrients by influencing the chemical, physical, and biological environment in soils. In this study, the effects of five amendments including: two composts, farmyard manure, packaging‐industry by‐product, and olive‐mill waste on time‐dependent interfraction mobility of P among mineral P fractions in two semiarid‐region soils differing in carbonate content and texture were investigated. Organic materials were applied at the rate of 0, 25, 50, and 100 g (kg soil)^–1 soil thoroughly mixed and incubated at 27°C ± 2°C for 110 d. Phosphorus fractions were sequentially extracted by 0.1 M NaOH + 1 M NaCl (NaOH‐P), citrate‐bicarbonate‐dithionite (CBD‐P), and 0.5 M HCl (Ca‐P). Results showed that organic amendments especially farmyard manure significantly influenced NaOH‐P, CBD‐P, and Ca‐P. In addition, higher application rates of organic residues increased NaOH‐P fraction. NaOH‐P and CBD‐P fractions were increased after addition of organic residues and then converted to Ca‐P fraction within the end of incubation period. Increasing application rate of organic residues allowed P to be retained in more labile fractions for a longer period. The amount of Ca‐P was found to be related with carbonate content of soils. It can be concluded that organic residues applied to calcareous soils may enhance P nutrition of agricultural plants.     

The effect of warming on the vulnerability of subducted organic carbon in arctic soils

Arctic permafrost soils contain large stocks of organic carbon (OC). Extensive cryogenic processes in these soils cause subduction of a significant part of OC-rich topsoil down into mineral soil through the process of cryoturbation. Currently, one-fourth of total permafrost OC is stored in subducted organic horizons. Predicted climate change is believed to reduce the amount of OC in permafrost soils as rising temperatures will increase decomposition of OC by soil microorganisms. To estimate the sensitivity of OC decomposition to soil temperature and oxygen levels we performed a 4-month incubation experiment in which we manipulated temperature (4–20 °C) and oxygen level of topsoil organic, subducted organic and mineral soil horizons. Carbon loss (C_LOSS) was monitored and its potential biotic and abiotic drivers, including concentrations of available nutrients, microbial activity, biomass and stoichiometry, and extracellular oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme pools, were measured. We found that independently of the incubation temperature, C_LOSS from subducted organic and mineral soil horizons was one to two orders of magnitude lower than in the organic topsoil horizon, both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This corresponds to the microbial biomass being lower by one to two orders of magnitude. We argue that enzymatic degradation of autochthonous subducted OC does not provide sufficient amounts of carbon and nutrients to sustain greater microbial biomass. The resident microbial biomass relies on allochthonous fluxes of nutrients, enzymes and carbon from the OC-rich topsoil. This results in a “negative priming effect”, which protects autochthonous subducted OC from decomposition at present. The vulnerability of subducted organic carbon in cryoturbated arctic soils under future climate conditions will largely depend on the amount of allochthonous carbon and nutrient fluxes from the topsoil.     

The effect of water movement on the transport of dicyandiamide,ammonium and urea in unsaturated soils

A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the relative mobility of dicyandiamide (DCD) and jointly applied ammoniacal salts or urea in three different soils of lower Egypt, and to determine the extent to which DCD separates from N-fertilizer in unsaturated soil undergoing leaching. The experimental results suggest that, under conditions of water flow, DCD is readily separated from NH₄⁺ but parts from urea to a far lesser extent. The large difference in mobility between DCD and NH₄⁺ should severely limit the effectiveness of DCD as a nitrification inhibitor in the three soils considered when applied in conjunction with ammoniacal salts. In two out of three cases, the situation is similarly unfavorable in the case of joint DCD and urea application. However, the observation that DCD, in a low CEC sandy loam, moves within the soil solution at a slightly lower rate than urea suggests that joint application with urea would keep at least part of the DCD in contact with the NH₄⁺ ions and, therefore, would preserve some of the effectiveness of DCD under leaching conditions in this soil.     

The relationship between copper accumulated in vineyard calcareous soils and soil organic matter and iron

The intensive use for over 100 years of copper sulphate (Bordeaux mixture) to fight mildew in vineyards has led to a substantial accumulation of copper (Cu) in surface soils. To assess the effects of such large concentrations, the surface soils of 10 Burgundy vineyards were sampled and analysed for total organic matter (carbon and nitrogen) and metal (copper and iron) contents. Physical (i.e. size fractionation) and chemical (sequential extraction) methods were used to determine the distribution of these elements. The most Cu‐contaminated plots showed the largest accumulation of organic carbon and Cu in the coarse sand and fine sand fractions. Copper was strongly correlated with organic carbon and organic nitrogen in the coarse sand fraction and with organic nitrogen in the fine sand fraction. Copper was also highly correlated with both Fe and organic nitrogen in the clay fraction but not significantly with organic carbon. The sequential extraction showed that Cu was bound mainly to the Fe oxides. However, in the most Cu‐contaminated plots, a part of added Cu was bound to organic matter. This study suggests that Cu protected indirectly the organic matter present in the coarse fractions against biodegradation, and therefore modified the distribution of organic carbon among the particle‐size fractions. Iron appeared as the main factor responsible for Cu accumulation in the clay fraction, mainly through inclusion of Cu in Fe oxyhydroxides and possibly in clay–humus complexes.     

The influence of variations in soil copper on the yield and nutrition of spinach grown in microplots on two organic soils

Abstract

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Symphony) was grown in spring 1982 in field microplots of an organic soil (site I a mucky peat) containing 81 to 1063 μg Cu.g^‐1 soil, and cv. America of the same crop taken in summer 1982 on a peaty organic soil (site II) varying in Cu content from 13 to 1659 μg.g^‐1. The variations in soil Cu were mainly due to three rates of Cu applications in 1978 at site II and in 1979 at site I. At site I, the diversity in soil‐Cu had no effect on yield or foliar‐Cu levels in the crop. At site II soil‐Cu was positively correlated with yield and foliar Cu; and negatively with leaf Fe due to a dilution effect. Neither soil Cu nor foliar Cu had any significant effect on Mo in leaves at both sites, except that the increase in yield due to the highest level of Cu at site II was accompanied by an increased plant uptake of Mo. Also, foliar Cu was positively correlated with P, Mg and Mn levels in leaves at site I; and foliar Ca, Mg and Mn at site II.

Residual soil Cu up to 1063 μg.g^‐1 in a mucky peat and 16 59 μg.g^‐1 in a peat showed no signs of causing phytotoxocity or significant nutritional imbalance.     

The effect of soil texture and organic amendment on the hydrological behaviour of coarse-textured soils

To gain more insight into the hydrological behaviour of coarse-textured soils, the physical properties of artificially created soil mixtures with different texture were determined. The mixtures were prepared according to the specifications of the United States Golf Association (USGA) for constructing putting greens. In addition, the effect of 10 vol.% organic matter addition was studied. The soil moisture retention and hydraulic conductivity relationships of the different mixtures were determined and their hydrological behaviour was studied using the numerical model SoWaM. Both texture and organic matter addition substantially affected the hydraulic properties. Hydraulic conductivity significantly increased with increasing coarseness while moisture retention decreased. On the other hand, organic matter addition reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity by a factor of 10 to 100 and distinctly increased moisture retention capacity. The amounts of total available water were increased by the addition of organic matter between 144% (slightly coarse texture) and 434% (very coarse texture). Results indicate that the mixtures can contain only 2–16% plant available water and therefore need frequent irrigation to maintain plant growth. Addition of organic matter seems a good solution to reduce the irrigation water requirements but it increases the risk of ponding or runoff because of large reductions in the saturated hydraulic conductivity sometimes to below the rate of 3.6 m/day recommended by the USGA.     

The effect of organic matter on the structure of soils of different land uses

In this study, the soil structure of two soils (Haplic Chernozem and Eutric Fluvisol) of different land uses (forest, meadow, urban and agro-ecosystem – consisted of four crop rotations) in Slovakia was compared. The soil aggregate stability was determined with a dependence on the chemical composition of plant residues. The quantity and quality of the organic matter was assessed through the parameters of the C and N in size fractions of dry-sieved and water-resistant aggregates. The soil structure of the forest ecosystem was evaluated as the best of all of forms of land use. Differences in the soil structure under the grass vegetation of a meadow (natural conditions) and urban ecosystem were also recorded. The agro-ecosystem was characterised by a higher portion (55.95%) of the most valuable (agronomically) water-resistant aggregate size fraction of 0.5–3 mm. Values of the carbon management index showed that the larger water-resistant aggregates were, the greater were the changes in the organic matter (r = ?0.680, P < 0.05). In addition, a smaller content of dry-sieved aggregates of the 3–5 mm size fraction was observed with higher contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) (r = ?0.728, P < 0.05) and labile carbon (C_L) (r = ?0.760, P < 0.05); there were also greater changes in the soil organic matter and vice versa, higher contents of SOC (r = 0.744, P < 0.05) and C_L (r = 0.806, P < 0.05) greater contents of dry-sieved aggregates of size fraction 0.5–1 mm. The soil structure of agro-ecosystem was superior at a higher content of cellulose (r = ?0.712, P < 0.05) in the plant residues. The higher content of cellulose and hemicellulose in the plant residue of a previous crop was reflected in a smaller C_L content in the water-resistant aggregates (r = ?0.984, P < 0.05). A correlation was observed between a high content of lignin in the plant residue and a smaller SOC content in the water-resistant aggregates (r = ?0.967, P < 0.05). Lastly, a higher content of proteins in the plant residues (r = 0.744, P < 0.05) supported a greater content of dry-sieved aggregates of the 0.5–1 mm size fraction.     

The effect of exogenous organic matter on the thermal properties of tilled soils in Poland and the Czech Republic

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Organic matter improves soil fertility and water and thermal properties, but its content often decreases. This decrease may be mitigated by the addition of...     

The effect of rice straw on the priming of soil organic matter and methane production in peat soils

Rice residue management often leads to increased methane (CH₄) emissions but the outcomes of edaphic and management factors are not always predictable. Rice residue can act as a substrate for CH₄ production; however the role it plays in priming (mineralization) of soil organic matter (SOM) to release additional substrates for CH₄ production are not well established. We anaerobically incubated a highly organic soil with ¹³C-enriched rice straw for 3 months to investigate its priming effect (PE) on SOM and source of C for CH₄ production. Anaerobic decomposition of SOM was accompanied by iron (Fe) reduction with minimal CH₄ production when straw was absent. Straw addition enhanced Fe reduction and increased CH₄ production concurrently with a clear succession of microbial community structure and function assessed with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. The PE on CH₄ production from SOM was strong and positive during the entire experiment. Overall, PE on SOM (CO₂ plus CH₄ production) was slightly positive at the end of the experiment, associated with only a 32% mineralization of the added straw-C (as CO₂ plus CH₄). Straw addition also released large amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from SOM. Our results suggest that straw addition effects on PE of SOM and CH₄ production can last for a long period of time showing that straw will cause non-linear response in CH₄ production and potentially result in significant losses of soil C as DOC by leaching or direct exports in histosols.     

Zinc and copper in some soils of Egypt as related to other soil properties

Total Zn in alluvial and calcareous soils (average 138 and 70 ppm respectively) was significantly related to their contents of CaCO₃ (negatively), O.M. and clay (positively). Extracting Zn by Na₂EDTA gave the highest values for both soil types. Total Cu contents varied widely from 26 to 111 ppm in alluvial and from 15 to 30 ppm in calcareous soils. They were negatively correlated with the CaCO₃ contents. The pot experiments showed that EDTA(NH₄)₂CO₃, Na₂EDTA and DTPA are reasonable extractants for available Zn from both soil types. DTPA was efficient for all soils investigated, while Na₂ EDTA and EDTA-citrate were specific for extracting Cu from calcareous soils.     

外源铜和镍在土壤中的化学形态及其老化研究

采用连续提取法测定了外源铜和镍进入田间土壤后的化学形态分布,比较研究了这2种重金属在3种不同类型土壤(红壤,水稻土和潮土)中随老化时间的形态转化和分布.结果表明,外源铜以残留态(40%～60%)和EDTA可提取态(40%)为主;随老化时间,EDTA可提取态、易还原锰结合态及铁铝氧化态向残留态转化;外源镍在酸性红壤中以可交换态(40%)和残留态(30%～50%)为主,在中性水稻土中以EDTA可提取态(30%)和残留态(30%～50%)为主,在碱性潮土中以铁铝氧化态(20%)和残留态(40%)为主.随老化时间,水溶态、可交换态、EDTA可提取态等向残留态转化.土壤pH较低时水溶态和可交换态含量较高,但是同时随老化时间的降低量也明显;pH较高时有利于易还原锰结合态和有机质结合态的转化.     

蔬菜连作对铜尾矿土壤中有机碳、腐殖质碳以及可溶性有机碳的影响

Carbon of humus acids （HSAC） and dissolved organic carbon （DOC） are the most active forms of soil organic carbon （SOC） and play an important role in global carbon recycling. We investigated the concentrations of HSAC, water-soluble organic carbon （WSOC）, hot water-extractable organic carbon （HWOC） and SOC in soils under different vegetation types of four copper mine tailings sites with differing vegetation succession time periods in Tongling, China. The concentrations of HSAC, WSOC, HWOC and SOC increased with vegetation succession. WSOC concentration increased with the accumulation of SOC in the tailings, and a linearly positive correlation existed between the concentrations of HSAC and SOC in the tailings. However, the percentages of HSAC and DOC in the SOC decreased during vegetation succession. The rate of SOC accumulation was higher when the succession time was longer than 20 years, whereas the speeds of soil organic matter （SOM） decomposition and humification were slow, and the concentrations of HSAC and DOC increased slowly in the tailings. The percentage of carbon of humic acid （HAC） in HSAC increased with vegetation succession, and the values of humification index （HI）, HAC/carbon of fulvic acid, also increased with the accumulation of HSAC and SOC in soils of the tailings sites. However, the HI value in the each of the tailings was less than 0.50. The humification rate of SOM was lower than the accumulation rate of SOM, and the level of soil fertility was still very low in the tailings even after 40 years of natural restoration.     

Soluble organic acids and their chelating influence on Al and other metal dissolution from forest soils

The effects of mineral acid deposition on chemical properties of leachates of three granitic forest soils and pine O₁-litter were investigated under controlled laboratory conditions. Of the array of organic acids released from litter and SOM as detected by HPLC analysis, nine compounds were identified and six compounds have been quantified. Organic acids possessing certain functional group arrangements, such as di- and tri-carboxylic acids containing β-hydroxyl groups, and phenolic acids with ortho-hydroxyls were about three to ten times faster in dissolving Al than similar organics with other functional group combinations or mineral acids at comparable pH and concentration levels. There was little correlation between the initial pH of chelating organic acid input solution and rate of metal dissolution. On a mole metal-leached per gram basis, dissolution of metals from Shaver soil followed the order Al>Mn>Fe in both organic and mineral acids.     

The pool of organic carbon in the soils of Russia

An automated information system making it possible to estimate spatial distribution of soil organic carbon pool with a high spatial resolution (1 km²) has been developed. According to the obtained estimates, the total pool of organic carbon in the 1-m-deep soil layer on the territory of Russia reaches 317.1 Pg; the average organic carbon density in this layer for the entire Russia constitutes 19.2 kg C/m². Of this amount, 14.4 Pg (or 0.90 kg C/m²) is stored in the litter horizon. The developed algorithm allows us to refine the results with the acquisition of new data on soils, vegetation, and the degree of their disturbance, which is particularly important in the changing world.     

杭州市城市土壤中重金属、磷和其它元素的特征

Health implications of inhaling and/or ingesting dust particles with high concentrations of heavy metals from urban soils are a subject of intense concern. Understanding the geochemistry of these metals is key to their effective management. Total concentrations of heavy metals, phosphorus (P) and 8 other elements from topsoil samples collected at 82 locations in Hangzhou City were measured to: a) assess their distribution in urban environments; and b) understand their differentiation as related to land use. Metal mobility was also studied using a three-step sequential chemical fractionation procedure. About 8.5%, 1.2%, 3.6%, 11.0% and 30.3% of the soil samples had Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations, respectively, above their allowable limits for public and private green areas and residential use. However, in commercial and industrial areas, most samples had metal concentrations below their allowable limits. Statistical analyses revealed that the 16 measured elements in urban soils could be divided into four groups based on natural or anthropic sources using a hierarchical cluster analysis. Additionally, Cu, Pb, and P showed similar spatial distributions with significant pollution in commercial zones, suggesting vehicle traffic or commercial activities as dominant pollutant sources. Also, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn and Fe had the highest concentrations in industrial locations, signifying that industrial activities were the main sources of these seven metals. Moreover, the data highlighted land-use as a major influence on heavy metal concentrations and forms found in topsoils with large proportions of soil Cd, Co, Cr, and Ni found in residual fractions and soil Cu, Pb and Zn mainly as extractable fractions.     

The effect of dissolved organic substances on the genesis of gley-podzolic soils in the northern taiga zone,Arkhangelsk oblast

The effect of dissolved organic substances on the genesis and functioning of gley-podzolic soils in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina River (Arkhangelsk oblast) has been studied. It is shown that polyphenols and low-molecular (<1000 a.u.) fractions of fulvic acids bound with Fe (II, III) and Mn (II) ions are present in the EL_g and B_fg horizons of these soils and participate in alternating downward and upward migration processes. The presence of these compounds colors the soil mass into the dark gray color resembling the color of the proper humus horizon.     

The dynamics of dissolved organic N in the fumigated soils

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamics of dissolved organic N in soils fumigated separately with chloropicrin (CP), 1,3-dichloropropene, and metam sodium (MS) for 7 days and then incubated at 25°C for 84 days. The dissolved organic N (DON) at 14 days after fumigation was mainly dissolved amino acids (DAA) which were then rapidly mineralized to ammonium. However, the DON pool at later incubation times was mainly high molecular weight organic N which was resistant to microbial decomposition. Three soil fumigants all increased the proportions of DON in total dissolved N and DAA in DON. Dissolved organic N became much more important mobile N source in CP- and MS-fumigated soils, and this may increase the risks of DON leaching in agricultural ecosystems.     

Fluorine and copper accumulation in lettuce grown on fluoride and copper contaminated soils

ABSTRACT

Presence of copper (Cu) and fluorine (F) in soils pose a risk of food web contamination when crops are grown on such soils. Greenhouse experiments involving 34 soil samples were carried out to explore the uptake of F and Cu by lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Each soil sample was divided into two parts. One set was irrigated with tap-water and another set was irrigated with F-contaminated water. Lettuce plants were grown for 60 days then harvested. Data were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis, t- or F-tests. Soils contained elevated concentrations of F and low to high concentrations of Cu. Soluble fractions of F were higher than reported values from other studies. It was observed that the soluble F or Cu contents in F-contaminated irrigated soils were significantly higher than the F or Cu contents in tap-water irrigated soils. Concentrations of F in lettuce were higher than normal F concentrations in plants. Soil EC was negatively related with the concentration of Cu in lettuce. A negative relationship occurred between the concentrations of F and Cu in the lettuce plants, signifying that the two pollutants have antagonistic relationships. The lettuce irrigated with F^? contaminated water, accumulated higher concentrations of F than the lettuce irrigated with tap water, indicating that the F-contaminated water irrigated lettuce was more contaminated than the tap-water irrigated lettuce.