Effect of granulation of soil samples and minerals on measurements of specific surface by nitrogen adsorption

Measurements were made of nitrogen adsorption by a few soil samples and minerals to compare the effects of having specimens in loose or in granular form. Specific surface remains the same whether samples were loose or had been compacted at pressures up to 1 ton cm^?2 and then broken into small lumps or granules. The compacted specimens were found to be less subject to disturbance by outward spurts of materials as gases were being removed (outgassing) prior to nitrogen adsorption. Moreover, the standard deviation for measurements on the compacted specimens was smaller than that on loose specimens.     

Microbial populations and phenolic acids in soil

Populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in Portsmouth A₁- and B,-soil material were affected in different ways by repeated enrichment with ferulic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic or vanillic acids. Responses varied with type of soil material and phenolic acid, phenolic acid concentration, and inorganic nutrient status of the soil. Populations changed more frequently in B₁- than in A₁-soil material. Phenolic acids were readily metabolized by microorganisms, sometimes without detectable population changes, when adequate mineral nutrients were present. Induction of enzymes or selection of organisms capable of degrading individual phenolic acids were clearly evident. Results imply that microbial activity in bioassay systems should be defined for allelopathic studies, particularly when results from various bioassay systems are to be compared     

Effect of phenolic acids on the formation and stabilization of soil aggregates

ABSTRACT

To examine the effects of phenolic acids, which are generated by the decomposition of cell walls in plant residues, and other constituents on the stability of soil aggregates, phenolic acids and carbohydrates were mixed into three different types of soil. After a 1-month incubation, the plot containing soil mixed with phenolic acids showed the greatest mean weight diameter of all the soils. In the treated soils, before incubation, the decline of saturated water permeability during continuous water percolation was mitigated in the plot containing soil mixed with phenolic acids compared with that in the other plots. Soil aggregates were synthesized with the addition of phenolic acids and carbohydrates using two methods (mixing and surface brushing) and were incubated for 153 days. The aggregate stability was greatest in the plots surface-brushed with phenolic acids for Andosol and gray lowland soil, whereas the aggregate stability was most stable in the plots mixed with phenolic acids for yellow soil. This difference in the effectiveness of application methods is rationalized by the densities of the active Al and Fe contents, the carbon content, and the specific surface area of the soils. The phenolic acids also affected sandy soil. In a similar experiment using a gray lowland soil, mixing a portion of p-coumaric acid into synthetic aggregates was found to shift the molecular weight distribution of substances to larger molecular weights, as determined by size exclusion chromatography of the liquid extracted from the aggregates, which was likely accompanied by an increase in aggregate stability. The effects of fungi and bacteria on soil long-term stability were not greater than those of phenolic acids. Our findings and previous results show that microorganisms aid in soil-aggregate formation during the early stages, and phenolic acids not only aid in the formation of aggregates but also strongly stabilize them.     

Modelling competitive anion adsorption on oxide minerals and an allophane-containing soil

Can surface complexation constants for anions, drawn from the literature for reference oxides, be combined to describe competitive adsorption in a spodic B horizon sample containing the important adsorbent minerals proto‐imogolite allophane and ferrihydrite? To answer this and to derive complexation constants for the corresponding reference oxides, a CD‐MUSIC model was used, with arsenate as the sorbing ion. To minimize the interference from competing organic substances, a sample containing little organic matter was used. To describe the adsorption of added arsenate correctly, it was found that competitive interactions from sulphate, silicic acid and phosphate had to be considered. In the model, the specific surface area of singly coordinated AlOH groups of allophane, the sulphate surface complexation constant on allophane, and the total concentration of reactive silicic acid were fitted. All other parameters were fixed using reference oxide values. The results indicated that arsenate, phosphate and silicic acid formed stronger surface complexes on ferrihydrite than on gibbsite or allophane, whereas the reverse was true for sulphate. I conclude that the approach used should provide significant qualitative information on the competitive adsorptive interactions in soils. However, the approach may be impractical for routine simulations and predictions. This is partly due to the uncertainty of the assumption that the properties of allophane and ferrihydrite in real soils can be approximated by those of gibbsite and ferrihydrite synthesized in the laboratory. Another difficulty is that the adsorption of arsenate and phosphate might not reach equilibrium within the limited time of most experiments.     

细菌在两种土壤矿物表面吸附的热力学分析

运用表面热力学方法和扩展的DLVO理论,对两种典型土壤细菌恶臭假单胞菌(Pseudom onasputida)和枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)在代表性土壤黏粒矿物高岭石和蒙脱石表面的吸附进行了分析,获得了黏粒矿物与细菌作用的疏水自由能变(ΔGH)和静电力自由能变(ΔGEL)及总自由能变(ΔG)。发现疏水自由能为负,显示疏水作用为引力,有利于细菌在黏粒矿物表面的吸附;而静电力自由能为正,表明细菌-矿物间存在静电斥力。疏水自由能显著大于静电力自由能,表明疏水作用在黏粒矿物对细菌吸附时的贡献大于静电力。两种细菌与两种矿物间的总吸附自由能为负值,意味着细菌在矿物表面的吸附是热力学自发过程。高岭石对细菌的吸附自由能大于蒙脱石对细菌的吸附自由能,表明细菌与高岭石间的亲和力较高,吸附更容易发生,这与化学吸附及滴定量热结果一致。表面热力学方法和XDLVO理论在预测细菌-矿物相互作用中有重要意义,但该方法未考虑多种非DLVO效应,如细胞表面多聚物、细菌鞭毛等在吸附反应中的作用,因此还存在一定的局限性,在揭示细菌-矿物相互作用的热力学机理方面还需与其他研究技术结合。     

Development of a mineralogical matrix at the adsorption of polyelectrolytes on soil minerals and soils

The formation of the adsorption layers of polyelectrolytes (PEs) with the development of a mineralogical matrix on the surface of soil minerals and soils (kaolinite, montmorillonite, quartz sand, gray forest soil, and a chernozem) were established on the basis of direct measurements and IR spectroscopy. The differences in the adsorption kinetics of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) were revealed depending on the mineral nature, which were confirmed by the calculated values of the effective adsorption constants. It was found that the limit values of the PAM and PAA adsorption derived from experimental measurements for all the minerals were significantly higher than the values calculated for the formation of a monomolecular layer, which indicated adsorption on the surface of not only separate macromolecules but also secondary PE structures such as packets or fibrils. The IR spectroscopy studies confirmed the differences in the adsorption mechanism of PEs on soil minerals (from physical adsorption to chemisorption with the formation of surface compounds due to polar groups of PEs and surface groups of mineral particles). As a result, a cluster-matrix structure controlling the physicochemical properties of the modified surface was developed on the surface of natural aluminosilicates and soils.     

Competition for amino acids between wheat roots and rhizosphere microorganisms and the role of amino acids in plant N acquisition

The direct uptake of organic nitrogen compounds from the soil solution by plant roots has been hypothesised to constitute a significant source of N to the plant particularly in N limiting ecosystems. The experiments undertaken here were designed to test whether wheat roots could out-compete the rhizosphere microflora for a pulse addition of organic N in the form of three contrasting amino acids, namely lysine, glycine and glutamate. Amino acids were added at a concentration reflecting reported soil solution concentrations (100 μM) and the uptake into either plant biomass or respiration or microbial biomass and respiration determined over a 24 h chase period. The results showed that the plant roots could only capture on average 6% of the added amino acid with the remainder captured by the microbial biomass. We therefore present direct in vivo evidence to support earlier work which has hypothesised that organic N may be of only limited consequence in high input agricultural systems. We suggest that this is a result of the higher concentrations of NO₃⁻ in agricultural soil solutions, the slow movement of amino acids in soil relative to NO₃⁻, the rapid turnover of amino acids by soil microorganisms, and the poor competitive ability of plant roots to capture amino acids from the soil solution.     

酚酸化合物对土壤酶活性和土壤养分的影响

研究了酚酸化合物对连作西瓜土壤酶活性和土壤养分的影响。结果表明,添加外源酚酸入土刺激了土壤酶活性,土壤过氧化氢酶活性、脲酶活性均比对照提高,土壤呼吸强度增加,施入酚酸化合物2周时,500.mg/kg浓度的苯丙烯酸和对羟基苯甲酸土壤呼吸强度分别比同期对照增加了22.5%和20.0%;处理4周时,750.mg/kg浓度的苯丙烯酸和对羟基苯甲酸脲酶活性分别比对照提高了34.4%和29.0%。苯丙烯酸和对羟基苯甲酸类酚酸化合物降低了土壤碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾含量,有机质含量也降低,250.mg/kg苯丙烯酸处理2周时,碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷和有机质含量分别比对照降低了9.6%,18.4%,20.7%和11.0%。     

Effects of phenolic acids on seed germination and seedling growth in soil

Summary It is commonly assumed that the adverse effect of plant residues on crop yields is largely or partly due to phytotoxic compounds leached from these residues or produced by their decomposition. There has been substantial support for the hypothesis that the phytotoxic compounds responsible for reduced crop yields are phenolic acids such as p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and ferulic acid. To test the validity of this hypothesis, we studied the effects of nine phenolic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, and vanillic acid) on (1) seed germination of corn (Zea mays L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oats (Avena sativa L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on germination paper and soil, (2) seedling growth of alfalfa, oats, sorghum, and wheat on germination paper and soil, and (3) early plant growth of corn, barley, oats, rye, sorghum, and wheat in soil. The results showed that although the phenolic acids tested affected germination and seedling growth on germination paper, they had no effect on seed germination, seedling growth, or early plant growth in soil even when the amounts applied were much greater than the amounts detected in soil. We conclude that the adverse effect of plant residues on crop yields is not due to phenolic acids derived from these residues.     

Competitive sorption between imidacloprid and imidacloprid-urea on soil clay minerals and humic acids

Soil organic matter and clay minerals are responsible for the adsorption of many pesticides. Adsorption and competitive sorption of imidacloprid on clay minerals and humic acids (HA) were determined using the batch equilibration method. The sorption coefficient of imidacloprid on humic acids was significantly higher than that on Ca-clay minerals, indicating that soil organic matter content was a more important property in influencing the adsorption of imidacloprid. Competitive sorption was investigated between imidacloprid and its main metabolite imidacloprid-urea on HA and Ca-clay minerals. The results showed that the sorption capacity of imidacloprid on clay minerals and HA was reduced in the presence of the metabolite, implying that imidacloprid-urea could occupy or block adsorption sites of imidacloprid on soil, potentially affecting the fate, transport, and bioavailability of imidacloprid in the environment. The interactions between a Ca-clay or HA-clay mixture and adsorption of imidacloprid and imidacloprid-urea were studied using IR differential spectra on thin films made of the adsorbent. The possible mechanisms were discussed from the shift of characteristic IR absorption bands of imidacloprid and imidacloprid-urea after sorption.     

Gas chromatographic analysis of amino acids from the action of proteolytic enzymes on soil humic acids

Six proteases released more amino compounds from albumin than from a humic acid. Pronase and thermolysin released about one-sixth of the acid-hydrolysable amino acids from a humic acid, papain had slight activity while chymotrypsin, trypsin and subtilopeptidase did not attack humic acid. Thermolysin hydrolysates of four humic acids contained peptides which on acid hydrolysis broke down to increase three fold the yield of α-amino N. Net amounts of amino compounds released on incubation of thermolysin and humic acids were directly related to incubation time, substrate concentration and enzyme concentration.     

Studies on amino acids generated from rape seed cake in the soil

Among the several kinds of seed cakes, the cake made from rape seeds has been most widely employed for tobacco cultivation. Numerous investigations have been conducted by many workers, on the mineralization of organic nitrogen in rape seed cake applied to the soil and on the absorption of inorganic nitrogen degraded from the seed cake in soil by tobacco plants (8,9). However, little has been known about the organic nitrogen compounds which are generated through the process of decomposition of the seed cake. Recently, it has been believed that the plant roots are able to absorb the organic nitrogen compounds such as amino acids (10,11, 12). Therefore, it is considered that these organic nitrogen compounds produced by mineralization of the seed cake applied to the soil would have some effects upon the yield and quality of some crops such as tobacco plant with their physiological effects on plants. This paper deals with the changes in amino acids produced by the mineralization of rape seed cake in the soil.     

Kinetics of soil microbial uptake of free amino acids

 Amino acids and proteins typically form the biggest input of organic-N into most soils and provide a readily available source of C and N for soil microorganisms. Amino acids can also be taken up directly by plant roots, providing an alternative source of available soil N. However, the degree to which plants can compete against the soil microbial population for amino acids in soil solution remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to measure the rate of microbial uptake of three contrastingly charged ¹⁴C-labelled amino acids (glutamate^1–, glycine⁰, lysine^0.9+) over a wide concentration range (0.1–5 mM) and in two contrastingly managed soils varying in their degree of erosion, organic-C content and microbial biomass. Amino acid uptake was concentration dependent and conformed to a single Michaelis-Menten equation. The mean maximum amino acid uptake rate (V _max) for the non-eroded (control) soil (high organic-C, high biomass) was 0.13±0.02 mmol kg^–1 h^–1, while half maximal uptake occurred at a concentration (K _m) of 2.63±0.07 mM. Typically, V _max was fourfold lower and K _m twofold lower in the eroded soil (low available organic-C, low biomass) compared to the non-eroded (control) soil. Amino acid substrate concentration had little effect on the proportion of amino acid utilized in catabolic versus anabolic metabolism and was similar for both. While the results obtained here represent the summation of kinetics for a mixed soil population, they indicate that amino acid uptake is saturated at concentrations within the millimolar range. Because the affinity constants also were similar to those described for plant roots, we hypothesized that competition for amino acids between plants and microbes will be strong in soil but highly dependent upon the spatial distribution of roots and microbes in soil. Received: 2 March 2000     

Determination of surface area of soil by adsorption methods

How significant are estimates of surface areas of soils obtained by adsorption methods? To answer this we tested the applicability of an equation that relates monolayer coverage (N) of an adsorbent with the area (A) of adsorbate, NA^z = k, for six soil samples using six adsorbates of different sizes. The data obtained confirm the validity of the equation with the z parameter ranging between 1.25 and 1.41. Hence each soil sample showed preferences towards small‐sized adsorbates for which the product NA (calculated surface area) is inversely related to the size of adsorbate. We also demonstrated that the equation has roots in the Langmuir adsorption equation.     

Initial adhesion of Bacillus subtilis on soil minerals as related to their surface properties

The initial adhesion of micro‐organisms on solid surfaces strongly affects their transport and fate in soil and aquatic environments. Experiments on Bacillus subtilis with various soil minerals (including kaolinite, montmorillonite, goethite, birnessite, quartz and mica) were conducted to determine the role of surface properties in adhesion and to test the validity of the extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) theory for bacterial adhesion. Adhesion of B. subtilis on all six minerals conformed to the Langmuir equation. Adhesion capacity and affinity showed a significant correlation with the specific external surface area (SESA) of the minerals and the calculated electrostatic energy barrier, respectively, but no significant correlation was observed between hydrophobicity and the adhesion parameters. These results demonstrate that adhesion capacity and affinity are primarily controlled by the SESA of the minerals and the surface electrical properties, respectively. The dependence of the adhesion capacity on SESA may be explained by the cell–mineral interaction model. Adhesion could be well predicted by the extended DLVO theory. The initial adhesion of bacteria with soil minerals can be evaluated by using independently measured surface properties of these components based on the extended DLVO theory combined with the Langmuir equation.     

Plant capture of free amino acids is maximized under high soil amino acid concentrations

Free amino acids (AA's) represent a significant source of available N for some plants and soil microorganisms. It can be expected, however, that significant competition will exist between plants and microorganisms for this organic N resource. Our study indicated that microbial capture and utilization of glycine was very rapid at a range of soil solution concentrations (0.1 μM to 10 mM) indicating that significant competition will exist between roots and soil microorganisms. Plant capture of free AA's was maximal at high soil solution concentrations where microbial utilization was slowest. Our results suggest that plant capture of soil dissolved organic N may primarily occur in organic rich patches in soil where concentrations of free AA's are high.