Veterinary antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations inhibit soil iron reduction and nitrification

Veterinary antibiotics used in food animal production, subsequently entering the agroecosystem through land application of animal manure, constitute a growing concern. Previous studies have reported inhibitory effects of antibiotics on soil microbial activities, however, treatment concentrations in these studies were often many times greater than the ranges typically found in the environment. When spiked into manure and mixed with soil at environmentally relevant concentrations in a laboratory study, sulfadimethoxine and monensin blocked soil iron reduction over periods extending from a few days to the entire 50-Day experiment. Sulfadimethoxine also had an inhibitory effect on soil nitrification periodically over the course of the study. Respiration and community-level physiological profile parameters were not inhibited by sulfadimethoxine, monensin, or chlortetracycline. We conclude that antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations can disrupt soil microbial processes, although the detection of such impact may be antibiotic and/or process specific.     

Simultaneous nitrification and diffusion in soil. II. The effects at levels of ammonium chloride which inhibit nitrification

The physicochemical and microbiological changes occurring in a fine sandy loam soil following the application of ammonium chloride were followed experimentally and with a simulation model. Two levels of ammonium addition were used corresponding to application rates of 37 and 143 kg ha^?1. The measured concentration profiles of ammonium nitrate and pH, which developed in soil columns as a result of the diffusion and simultaneous nitrification of the added NH₄⁺, were measured at different incubation times. The measured profiles suggested that nitrification was inhibited at the site of application of the ammonium salt. This inhibition was attributed to an effect of increased osmotic pressure or chloride ion in the soil. A simulation model was developed to account for the inhibition by examining and testing two hypotheses about the response of nitrifiers to a fluctuating osmotic pressure. These were the irreversible inhibition model, which assumed that exposure to high osmotic pressures irreversibly inactivated a portion of the nitrifier population, and the reversible inhibition model, which assumed that the nitrifiers would recover after exposure to high osmotic pressures. The model included terms for the adsorption equilibria of NH⁴⁺ and soil acidity with the soil solid phase, and the influence of other ions on the rate of diffusion of each diffusing ion. The inputs to the model were based on parameters obtained independently of the diffusion experiments. Good agreement was found between experimental and predicted concentration profiles for both models although the reversible inhibition model gave the better simulation of the data.     

氮素浓度和水分对水稻土硝化作用和微生物特性的影响

为了明确不同氮素浓度和水分对土壤硝化作用和微生物特性的影响,特别是高氮素浓度下的响应特异性,以红壤水稻土为供试土壤,设置4个硫铵用量水平[0(CK)、120 mg(N).kg-1(A1)、600 mg(N).kg-1(A2)、1 200 mg(N).kg-1(A3)],调节土壤水分为饱和持水量(WHC)的40%、60%和80%,研究了短期内不同氮素浓度和不同水分条件下土壤硝化作用、微生物生物量碳和微生物功能多样性的变化。结果表明:在40%、60%和80%WHC水分条件时,硫铵A2、A3浓度处理土壤硝化率和硝化速率普遍较低,硫铵A1浓度处理硝化率和硝化速率随土壤含水量的升高而升高;同含水量时随硫铵用量的升高而显著降低。在40%、60%和80%WHC水分条件时,微生物生物量碳随硫铵浓度的升高而降低;同浓度硫铵用量水平时,微生物生物量碳的变化基本表现为:60%WHC80%WHC40%WHC。分析发现不同水分和硫铵处理之间存在交互作用。BIOLOG分析显示:不同氮素浓度和不同水分处理,60%WHC下A1处理的平均吸光值(AWCD)和Shannon、Simpson、McIntosh指数最大,其次为60%WHC的硫铵CK处理,而不同水分下硫铵A2、A3处理,其AWCD值和Shannon、Simpson、McIntosh多样性指数都较低,进一步说明过量施肥导致微生物活性降低。不同氮素浓度和水分条件下土壤微生物和生化性状不同,过量施用化肥后将有可能造成土壤微生物性状和生化功能衰减。     

Use of urea coated with natural products to inhibit urea hydrolysis and nitrification in soil

Laboratory incubation experiments were conducted with uncoated urea or urea coated with dementholized oil (DMO), pitch (the mint oil discard), terpenes (the products of menthol mint oil), or dicyandiamide (DCD) to study the retardation of urea hydrolysis and nitrification in soil. Two levels (0.5 and 1 %) of coating were tested. Urea was applied at a rate of 200 mg kg⁻¹ of dry weight of soil. The urea hydrolysis and nitrification processes were inhibited by all three natural products. All the three natural products viz., DMO, terpenes, and pitch significantly retarded urease activity of soil.     

Sugar beet herbicides and soil nitrification

The effects of phenmedipham, propham, carbetamide, lenacil and benzthiazuron on soil nitrification was studied in the laboratory using a perfusion technique. The nitrification process was markedly retarded at a phenmedipham concentration of 50–500μg g^?1 soil, so that 55–150 days were required for complete oxidation of supplied NH⁺₄-N as compared with 33 days for the untreated control. Phenmedipham caused a reduction in both the maximum population and the proliferation rate of nitrifying organisms, as evaluated from kinetic parameters. These inhibitory effects showed a low persistance probably due to herbicide breakdown. The effects of 100 μg g^?1 soil of propham, carbetamide, lenacil or benzthiazuron on the nitrification process was very weak, although the kinetics of the nitrification process was affected by all these herbicides.     

Effect of the herbicide glyphosate on nitrification,denitrification, and acetylene reduction in soil

The effect of glyphosate on N₂ fixation, denitrification, and nitrification in an agricultural soil was investigated. Effects of the pure herbicide and commercial formulation, Roundup+ (Monsanto Company), were compared in soil under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic C₂H₂ reduction was inhibited by high herbicide levels. Denitrification in non-amended soil was either unaffected (N₂O reduction) or stimulated (NO _inf3 ^sup? reduction); in glucose-amended soil, N₂O reduction was inhibited and NO₃-reduction unaffected by both glyphosate and Roundup. Roundup caused greater stimulation of N₂O reduction than pure glyphosate; no other significant formulation effects were observed. Nitrification was inhibited by the two formulations. Ammonium oxidation were both influenced. Pure glyphosate was more inhibitory than Roundup. No toxicity to any of these activities should be seen at recommended field application rates of the herbicide.     

Simultaneous nitrification and diffusion in soil

Darrah et al. (1985b, 1986) presented a model that predicted the distribution of ammonium and nitrate in a column of soil, following the addition of ammonium chloride as a band of fertilizer to one end of the column. Ammonification and nitrification, the inhibition of nitrification by high levels of fertilizer addition and the simultaneous diffusion of ammonium and nitrate were modelled. By simplifying algorithms concerned with the calculation of the concentration of ammonium in solution and the diffusion of solutes in the column, up to eight-fold savings in the time required to run the model could be made without significantly affecting the accuracy of the predictions. This simplified version was used to test the effect of a ±25% change in the values of the main input parameters. The distribution of ammonium was mainly influenced by parameters affecting the diffusive flux of solutes and the concentration of ammonium in the soil solution; that of nitrate was influenced by parameters affecting the growth, activity and inhibition of the nitrifiers. In general, the model was most sensitive to changes in the maximum specific growth rate of the nitrifiers, while almost no effect was observed when the affinity constant for ammonium oxidation was varied. Given the present state of knowledge of the range of parameter values in different soils, it is necessary to measure all the input parameters tested, with the possible exception of the diffusional impedance factor, in order to obtain accurate predictions from the model.     

Effect of soil solarization on subsequent nitrification activity at elevated temperatures

Soil solarization is a nonchemical method of soil disinfection achieved by covering the soil surface with sheets of vinyl plastic to generate elevated soil temperature, generally over 45°C. Such elevated temperatures may be detrimental to some nitrifying microorganisms and favorable to others. However, little information exists to indicate how nitrification activity in soil is affected after solarization. We performed several experiments to investigate the effects of soil solarization on nitrification activity. We found that: (1) if a soil was subjected to pretreatment of 45 or 50°C for as little as 1 d, nitrification activity in a subsequent incubation at 30°C was less than that of a soil that did not receive any high-temperature pretreatment. However, if a soil received pretreatments of 45 or 50°C for more than 7 d, nitrification activity in a subsequent incubation at 45 or 50°C was greater than that of soil that did not receive high temperature pretreatment. (2) Nitrification activity in three kinds of soil taken from 0–5 cm depth after solarization treatment was greater at 45°C than 30°C. (3) Nitrification activity at 45°C in soil that had received solarization in the preceding year was greater than that in soil that had not been subjected to solarization. This was consistent with the fact that the population densities of ammonia oxidizers were greater in soils that had been subjected to solarization. These results suggest that soil solarization induces nitrifying microorganisms that are more active at 45–50°C than they are at 30°C, and that the effect of solarization on nitrification persists until the next crop season.     

土壤熏蒸剂对土壤硝化、反硝化作用的影响

采用化学分析和变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)技术,以大田威百亩、棉隆、溴甲烷、硫酰氟熏蒸100 d土壤为研究对象,探究土壤熏蒸对土壤硝化活性、反硝化活性及amoA基因型硝化型细菌、nirS基因型反硝化细菌群落结构影响。研究表明,威百亩、棉隆、硫酰氟熏蒸剂处理下,土壤硝化活性与对照无显著差异;而溴甲烷处理的硝化活性比对照降低13.19%,差异显著(P0.05);熏蒸剂之间土壤硝化活性无显著差异。4种熏蒸剂之间以及与对照之间土壤反硝化活性无显著差异。4种熏蒸剂中溴甲烷处理土样amoA型硝化细菌多样性指数、均匀度显著低于对照土样和其他3种熏蒸剂处理土样;而丰富度指数无显著差异。威百亩、棉隆和硫酰氟熏蒸土样之间及与对照之间amoA型硝化细菌3种生态指数无明显差异。4种熏蒸剂处理土壤nirS型反硝化细菌多样性指数、均匀度与对照无显著差异(P0.05);熏蒸剂之间存在显著差异(P0.05)。研究表明,溴甲烷对土壤硝化活性的抑制是通过抑制amoA型硝化细菌的多样性而实现,其他3种熏蒸剂对土壤硝化活性无显著影响。4种熏蒸剂对土壤反硝化活性无显著影响。     

熏蒸处理对土壤微生物及硝化作用的影响

在田间条件下用溴甲烷(68.1g/m2)、威百亩(7.5mL/m2)进行土壤熏蒸,调查两种药剂对土壤微生物及硝化作用的影响。结果表明:两种熏蒸剂对土壤放线菌无抑制作用,对细菌总量影响较小,但亚硝酸细菌受到强烈抑制,土壤的硝化作用受到明显影响;同时,土壤中真菌的数量及种类变化显著。熏蒸后9周,处理区土壤中的微生物基本恢复正常。     

培养温度和土壤类型对土壤硝化特性的影响

采用室内恒温好气培养方法,研究了温度(15℃、20℃、25℃和30℃)和土壤类型(黑土、潮土和红壤)对土壤硝化率的影响。氮素加入比率为N 200 mg kg-1土壤。结果表明:在15～30℃培养范围内,随着培养温度的升高,硝化率呈升高趋势;硝态氮累积量和培养积温(培养温度×培养天数,温度以0℃为基准)之间的关系可用单参数指数模型表示。在相同培养温度条件下,供试土壤硝化率从大到小的顺序为:高有机质含量潮土>低有机质含量潮土>高有机质含量黑土>低有机质含量黑土>低有机质含量红壤>高有机质含量红壤。硝化率(25℃恒温培养)与土壤全磷含量、全钾含量、黏粒含量及pH呈极显著相关;土壤pH和全磷含量解释了硝化率差异的98.1%。土壤pH是影响其硝化率的主要因素,并抑制土壤有机质含量及温度对硝化率的影响。     

Nanoclay polymer composites loaded with urea and nitrification inhibitors for controlling nitrification in soil

Nanoclay polymer composites (NCPCs) were synthesized with partially neutralized acrylic acid and bentonites and loaded with urea and nitrification inhibitors (NIs) to act as a slow release carrier of nitrogen (N). The resulting product was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD of NCPCs revealed that the bentonite layers were completely exfoliated and dispersed in the composite after the polymerization. The water absorbency of pure polymer (Acrylic acid + Acrylamide) was 197.53 g g^?1 and 137.75 g g^?1 by nanocomposite (8% nanobentonite) in distilled water. The nitrification inhibition ability of these NCPCs was evaluated by incubation study for 60 days in laboratory at 28°C and 50% water-holding capacity. The Schiff base -NCPCs were most effective at inhibiting nitrification (30–87%) compared to dicyandiamide and Neem oil. A column study was performed to know the movement of NH₄-N and NO₃-N at three different depths. Result showed that the Schiff base -NCPC decreased nitrate movement by 78.5% at the depth of 5 cm in soil column. The slow release of nitrogen and good water retention capacity confirmed that these NCPCs can be viably exploited for application in agriculture.     

Effect of different clarification procedures on sodium pyrophosphate extractable soil aluminium and iron concentrations

Abstract

The effects of centrifugation at 3,400 g in the presence of a flocculating agent, and this procedure followed by filtration through a 0.2 p.m membrane filter to clarify sodium pyrophosphate soil extracts were examined. Extractable aluminium and iron values obtained by these procedures were compared with results obtained using centrifugation at 46,000 g in the presence of the same flocculant. Both of the low speed centrifugation procedures tested gave erroneously high and variable results for some soils, due to very fine particles remaining in solution.     

Effect of tebuthiuron on soil N mineralization and nitrification

Abstract

Herbicides have potential for economical and efficient site preparation following timber harvest. The effects of tebuthiu‐ron, one of the herbicides approved for this use, on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification were determined in laboratory incubations. Tebuthiuron was added at rates from 0 to 1000 μg g^‐1 to three soils. There was no effect of tebuthiuron additions of less than 1 μg g^‐1 on soil N mineralization and nitrification. Tebuthiuron reduced nitrification in all soils at 1000 μg g^‐1 and in two of the soils at 100 μg g^‐1 . All soils had increased net mineralization with tebuthiuron added at 100 and 1000 μg g^‐1. The addition of 50 μg NH⁺ ₄‐N and 1000 μg tebuthiuron g^‐1 resulted in increased net mineralization in the three soils. Nitrification was affected differently in each of the three soils by the addition of both NH⁺ ₄‐N and tebuthiuron. The added NH⁺ ₄‐N either removed the inhibition of nitrification by the herbicide or had no effect on the inhibition in two of the soils. In the third soil, nitrification was reduced by the addition of NH⁺ ₄‐N.

The presence of NO^‐ ₃‐N in these acid soils and the effects of added NH⁺ ₄‐N on NO^‐ ₃‐N production suggest that heterotrophic nitrification occurs in at least two of the soils. The findings of this study indicate that any effects of tebuthiuron on N mineralization and nitrification at the currently recommended application rates are likely to be transient and localized.     

Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations: VIII. correlation with soil parameters

Cadmium distribution coefficients, K _d were determined at low Cd concentrations (solute: 0.2 to 3.0 μg Cd dm^?3, soil: 0.044 to 1.1 mg Cd kg^?1) for 63 Danish agricultural soils. The K _d values ranged from 15 to 2450 L kg^?1. About 40% of the soils had K _d values below 200 L kg^?1. The observed K _d values correlated very well with soil pH (r ² = 0.72). Introducing soil organic matter content as a second parameter improved the correlation some (r ² = 0.79). No further improvements were obtained by introducing traditional soil parameters as clay, silt, fine sand, coarse sand and CEC or ‘reactive’ parameters as oxyhydroxides of Mn, Fe and Al. The identified regression equation for predicting K _d values indicates that K _d approximately doubles for each 0.5 unit increase in pH or 2% increase (weight basis) in organic matter content.     

Nitrapyrin decreased nitrification of nitrogen released from soil organic matter but not amoA gene abundance at high soil temperature

Water pulses have a significant impact on nitrogen (N) cycling, making management of N challenging in agricultural soils that are exposed to episodic rainfall. In hot, dry environments, wetting of dry soil during summer fallow causes a rapid flush of organic matter mineralisation and subsequent nitrification, which may lead to N loss via nitrous oxide emission and nitrate leaching. Here we examined the potential for the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin to decrease gross nitrification at elevated temperature in soils with contrasting soil organic matter contents, and the consequent effects on ammonia oxidiser populations. Soil was collected during summer fallow while dry (water content 0.01 g g⁻¹ soil) from a research site with two management treatments (tilled soil and tilled soil with long-term additional crop residues) by three field replicates. The field dry soil (0–10 cm) was wet with or without nitrapyrin, and incubated (20 or 40 °C) at either constant soil water content or allowed to dry (to simulate summer drying after a rainfall event). Gross N transformation rates and inorganic N pools sizes were determined on six occasions during the 14 day incubation. Bacterial and archaeal amoA gene abundance was determined on days 0, 1, 7 and 14. Nitrapyrin increased ammonium retention and decreased gross nitrification rates even with soil drying at 40 °C. Nitrification was likely driven by bacterial ammonia oxidisers, as the archaeal amoA gene was below detection in the surface soil layer. Bacterial ammonia oxidiser gene abundances were not affected by nitrapyrin, despite the decrease in nitrifier activity. Increased soil organic matter from long-term additional crop residues diminished the effectiveness of nitrapyrin. The present study highlights the potential for nitrapyrin to decrease nitrification and the risk of N loss due to mineralisation of soil organic matter under summer fallow conditions.     

Temperature effects on ammonification and nitrification in a tropical soil

Ammonification of soil organic N and nitrification of ammonium-N was studied in Tindall clay loam over a range of temperatures from 20–60 C. Nitrification rates at each temperature were constant throughout the 28 day incubation, whereas most of the ammonification occurred in the first 7 days. The optimum for nitrification was close to 35 C. exhibiting a sharp peak at this temperature at which the potential rate was 4.8 μg N/g day^?1, compared with 0.5 μg N/g day^?1 at 20°C and 0.25 μg N/g day^?1 at 60°C. The optimum temperature for ammonification was approximately 50°C at which the rate was 2.8 μg N/g day^?1 in the first 7 days but only 0.5 μg N/g day^?1 between 14 and 28 days.The temperature responses could be described mathematically with functions of the type log_oN = k × 1/T.The results are discussed in relation to daily patterns of N mineralization in the field where temperatures show diurnal fluctuation.     

Influence of smoke exposure on soil enzyme activities and nitrification

Summary Soil was exposed to red phosphorous/butyl rubber (RP/BR) aerosols at various relative humidities in a recirculating environmental wind tunnel. Soil microbial and enzymatic activities were measured immediately after exposure and periodically thereafter for 56 days. The nitrification potential was significantly reduced in soil amended with ammonium sulfate and exposed to RP/BR smoke, and could be related to a decline in soil pH. The rate of nitrate formation in unamended soil with time was also reduced, but by 57 days postexposure, concentrations were similat to those of unexposed controls in all but the thinnest soil lense. Soil dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzyme activities were sensitive to RP/BR smoke and in some treatments no activity was detected. The measured activities did not recover within the 56-day postexposure period and in some cases declined. Soil lense thickness was the greatest factor controlling the degree of RP/BR effects, indicating that injury to soil microbial and enzymatic activities may be surficial. Deposition of smoke particles increased with increasing relative humidity, which had a significant impact on the activities measured.     

Estimation of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in grassland soil associated with urea-N using 15N and nitrification inhibitor

 A low efficiency of use of N fertilisers has been observed in mid-Wales on permanent pasture grazed intensively by cattle. Earlier laboratories studies have suggested that heterogeneity in redox conditions at shallow soil depths may allow nitrification and denitrification to occur concurrently resulting in gaseous losses of N from both NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^–. The objective of the investigation was to test the hypothesis that both nitrification and denitrification can occur simultaneously under simulated field capacity conditions (∼5 kPa matric potential). Intact soil cores were taken from grassland subjected to both grazing and amenity use. The fate of applied NH₄ ⁺ was examined during incubation. ¹⁵N was used as a tracer. Nitrapyrin was used as a nitrification inhibitor and acetylene was used to block N₂O reductase. More than 50% of N applied as NH₄ ⁺ disappeared over a period of 42 days from the soil mineral-N pool. Some of this N was evolved as N₂O. Accumulation of NO₃ ^––N in the surface 0–2.5 cm indicated active nitrification. Addition of nitrapyrin increased N recovery by 26% and inhibited both the accumulation of NO₃–N and emission of N₂O. When intact field cores were incubated after addition of ¹⁵N-urea, all of the N₂O evolved was derived from added urea-N. It was concluded that nitrification and denitrification do occur simultaneously in the top 7.5 cm or so, of the silty clay loam grassland topsoils of mid-Wales at moisture contents typical of field capacity. The quantitative importance of these concurrent processes to N loss from grassland systems has not yet been assessed. Received: 15 December 1998