Removal of benzo (a) pyrene from soil using an endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus ()

The endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) was the most abundant species (75%) in soil contaminated with hydrocarbons, mostly benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), in the state of Tabasco (Mexico). The earthworm P. corethrurus was tested for its capacity to remove 100 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from an Anthrosol soil (sterilized or not) and amended with legume Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (3%) or the grass Brachiaria humidicola (L.) DC (3%) (recently renamed as Urochloa humidicola (Rendle) Morrone & Zuloaga) in an aerobic incubation experiment. P. corethrurus removed 26.6 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from the sterilized soil and application of B. humidicola as feed increased this to 35.7 mg BaP kg⁻¹ and M. pruriens to 34.2 mg BaP kg⁻¹ after 112 days. The autochthonous microorganisms removed 9.1 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from the unsterilized soil and application of B. humidicola increased this to 18.0 mg BaP kg⁻¹ and M. pruriens to 11.2 mg BaP kg⁻¹. Adding P. corethrurus to the unsterilized soil accelerated the removal of BaP and 36.1 mg kg⁻¹ was dissipated from soil. It was found that the autochthonous microorganisms removed BaP from soil, but addition of P. corethrurus increased the dissipation 4-fold. The endogeic earthworm P. corethrurus can thus be used to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in tropical regions.     

Effect of organic manure and the endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Oligochaeta: Glossoscolecidae) on soil fertility and bean production

A biofertilisation assay was conducted in Maripasoula (French Guiana), testing the effects of three different organic amendments (manioc peels, sawdust and wood charcoal) and the inoculation of the endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus on pod production of Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis and on soil chemical properties (pH, C, N, total and exchangeable P and K). Pod production was highest with manioc peels as available P increased in the soil. Wood charcoal also had a beneficial effect on pod production as it decreased acidity and increased the C:N ratio in the soil. In sawdust-amended soil, pod production did not differ from that in unamended soil. Inoculation of earthworms at a density of 80 sub-adults m^-2 did not significantly affect either pod production or soil nutrient content directly, although it increased the positive effect of manioc peels on pod production. Soil nutrient content, pod production and earthworm density at the end of the experiment were negatively correlated with soil moisture and positively with each other. Despite the strong effect of moisture, this assay demonstrated an interaction between the earthworm P. corethrurus and the legume V. unguiculata sesquipedalis mediated by soil nutrient content and organic matter inputs. We conclude that manioc peels improved soil P availability and were an interesting amendment for legume crops. We discuss also the effect of earthworm inoculation.     

Soil structure changes induced by the tropical earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus and organic inputs in a Peruvian ultisol

Inoculation of Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae, Oligochaeta) in a Peruvian ultisol under several treatments (without or with organic input) has been previously shown to increase macroaggregation and bulk density and to decrease water infiltration and soil moisture. In the present study, we used image analysis of thin sections of soil to understand the impact of earthworm on the structure of the upper layer of the soil. Morphological analysis allowed to quantify the abundance of casts, soil compactness, pore morphology and connections between different pore classes. This approach was applied to experiments carried out at Yurimaguas (Peru), in four plots. Two of them had been inoculated with Pontoscolex corethrurus. In each case, one control plot was conducted without organic input, the other with crop residues and legume green manure. Morphological parameters were measured in fourteen horizontal sections within the first 3 cm. They showed compaction of soil surface due to cast coalescence in plots with earthworms but without organic input and illustrated the typical crumb structure induced by earthworms in plots with organic input.     

Nitrogen mineralization and reorganization in casts of the geophagous tropical earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae)

Summary Mineral N concentrations ranged from 133.1 to 167.8 g g^-1 dry soil in fresh casts of the endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus fed on an Amazonian Ultisol; this was approximately five times the concentration in non-ingested soil. Most of this N was in the form of NH _inf4 ^sup+ . N also accumulated in microbial biomass, which increased from a control value of 10.5–11.3 to 67.5–74.1 g g^-1 in fresh casts. During a 16-day incubation, part of the NH _inf4 ^sup+ -N was nitrified and/or transferred to the microbial biomass. Total labile N (i.e., mineral+biomas N) decreased sharply at first (ca. 50% in the first 12 h), and then more slowly. The exact fate of this N (microbial metabolites, denitrification, or volatilization) is not known. After 16 days, the overall N content of the casts was still 28% higher than that of the control soil. Incubation of the soil before ingestion by the earthworms significantly increased the production of NH _inf4 ^sup+ in casts. We calculate that in a humid tropical pasture, 50–100 kg mineral N may be produced annually in earthworm casts. Part of this N may be conserved in the compact structure of the cast where the cast is not in close contact with plant roots.     

Repair of a compacted Oxisol by the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae, Oligochaeta)

The potential of Pontoscolex corethrurus to repair the physical degradation of a compacted Oxisol was studied. The Oxisol from Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia was uniformly packed to four treatments of different bulk densities (0.95, 1.15, 1.25, 1.35 Mg m^–3) in pots of 0.24 m diameter and 0.22 m deep. Each pot was inoculated with 12 earthworms (equivalent to 300 m^–2) and maintained close to field capacity water content for 3 months, after which selected soil physical (dry bulk density, penetration resistance, water infiltration), worm activity (cast production, worm weight) measurements and image analysis were carried out. Results showed that worm numbers were maintained at the initial levels in all the treatments except in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment, where there was a 33% decrease. The weight of surface casts per surviving worm was the greatest in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment compared to the lower density treatments. Final soil density was lessened in all treatments to a depth of 0.2 m. Surface cast production was positively correlated with the percentage reduction in bulk density. The greatest percentage reduction in bulk density was in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment and was equivalent to a doubling of soil aeration (to 18.4%). Penetration resistance to the 0.2-m layer was also reduced and values were less than 2 MPa. Slumping of the surface soil was evident in both the lowest and the highest bulk densities resulting in low rates of water infiltration. Image analysis supported the soil physical properties showing an abundance of both fine pores and worm channels in the three lowest bulk densities, and lesser activity (concentrated in the immediate soil surface) in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment. Received: 6 November 1996     

Interactive effects of biochar and the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus on plant productivity and soil enzyme activities

Purpose

There is a growing interest in the use of soil enzymes as early indicators of soil quality change under contrasting agricultural management practices. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the use of biochar to improve soil properties and thus soil quality. In addition, earthworms can also be used to ameliorate soil properties. However, there is no literature available on how biochar and earthworms interact and affect soil enzymes. The general objective of the present study was to test the suitability of adding biochar and earthworms in two tropical soils with low fertility status in order to improve their characteristics and productivity.

Materials and methods

Biochars were prepared from four different materials [sewage sludge (B1), deinking sewage sludge (B2), Miscanthus (B3) and pine wood (B4)] on two tropical soils (an Acrisol and a Ferralsol) planted with proso millet (Panicum milliaceum L.). In addition, in order to investigate the interaction between earthworms and biochar, earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus was added to half of the mesocosms, while excluded in the remaining half. The activities of invertase, β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, urease, phosphomonoesterase and arylsulphatase were determined. The geometric mean of the assayed enzymes (GMea) was used as an integrative soil quality index.

Results and discussion

Overall, earthworms and especially biochar had a positive effect on soil quality. GMea showed B1, B2 and B3 performing better than B4; however, results were soil specific. Plant productivity increased under both biochar and earthworm addition. Fruit productivity and plant growth was enhanced by B1 and B2 but not by B3 or B4.

Conclusions

Enhancements of productivity and soil enzymatic activities are possible in the presence of earthworms and the combination of the practices earthworm and biochar addition can be suggested in low fertility tropical soils. However, scientists should proceed carefully in the selection of biochars as the results of this study show a high specificity in the biochar–soil interaction.     

不同施肥方式对农田土壤CO2和N2O排放的影响

采用静态箱/气相色谱法研究不同施肥方式以及环境因子对农田土壤CO2和N2O排放通量的影响,结果表明,不同施肥方式对农田土壤CO2排放的季节模式无明显影响,但是影响了N2O排放的季节模式。不同施肥方式对土壤CO2排放通量影响不明显,主要影响土壤N2O排放,整个小麦、玉米生长季,分两次施肥的F2与分四次施肥的F1相比,土壤N2O排放量增加,化肥配合有机肥施用(MF)的土壤N2O通量大于单纯的化肥处理,秸秆还田降低了土壤N2O的排放。相关分析结果表明,土壤CO2排放与大气温度、地表温度、土壤温度和土壤水分均呈显著正相关关系(P<0.01)。由于肥料施用的影响,土壤N2O排放和土壤温度、水分的相关分析并不显著。土壤N2O排放受土壤硝态氮和铵态氮变化的影响。     

Earthworm (Pontoscolex corethrurus) survival and impacts on properties of soils from a lead mining site in Southern Brazil

Biology and Fertility of Soils - The survival and cast production of the tropical endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus and the changes in chemical and physical characteristics induced by gut...     

Comparison of N2O and CO2 concentrations and fluxes in the soil profile between a Gray Lowland soil and an Andosol

Abstract

We measured nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes from the soil surface and in the soil through to a depth of 0.3?m, and their concentration profiles through to a depth of 0.6?m in both a Gray Lowland soil with macropores and cracks and an Andosol with undeveloped soil structure in central Hokkaido, Japan. The objective of the present study was to elucidate any differences in N₂O production and flux in the soil profile between these two soil types. In the Gray Lowland soil, the N₂O concentration above 0.4?m increased with an increase in soil depth. In the Andosol, there were no distinctive N₂O concentration gradients in the topsoil when the N₂O flux did not increase. However, the N₂O concentration at a depth of 0.1?m significantly increased and this concentration was higher than the concentration below 0.2?m when the N₂O flux greatly increased. Thus, the N₂O concentration profiles were different between these two soils. The contribution ratios of the N₂O produced in the top soil (0–0.3?m depth) to the total N₂O emitted from the soil to the atmosphere in the Gray Lowland soil and the Andosol were 0.86 and 1.00, respectively, indicating that the N₂O emitted from the soil to the atmosphere was mainly produced in the top soil. However, the contribution ratio of the subsoil to the N₂O emitted from the Gray Lowland soil was higher than that of the Andosol. There was a significant positive correlation between the N₂O flux through to a 0.3?m depth and the flux from the soil to the atmosphere in the Gray Lowland soil only. These results suggest that N₂O production in the subsoil of the Gray Lowland soil could have been activated by NO₃ ^? leaching through macropores and cracks, and subsequently the N₂O produced in the subsoil could have been rapidly emitted to the atmosphere through the macropores and cracks.     

Diurnal and seasonal variations on soil CO2 fluxes in tropical silvopastoral systems

This study aimed to quantify the dynamics of soil CO₂ fluxes in two silvopastoral systems based on Leucaena leucocephala, one associated with Panicum maximum (L + P) and another with Cynodon plectostachyus (L + C). We measured CO₂ fluxes fortnightly during the dry and rainy seasons in the morning and the afternoon, with an infrared gas analyzer. Simultaneously, we measured soil temperature, soil moisture, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. Soil CO₂ fluxes ranged from 6.0 ± 0.14 to 6.1 ± 0.12 µmol CO₂/m²/s but no statistical differences were observed between systems. Soil CO₂ flux in the L + P was 12.5% higher in the rainy season compared with the dry season but the season did not affect the fluxes in L + C. Regarding the diurnal variation, CO₂ fluxes were 17.6%–34.8% higher in the morning compared with afternoon measurements. Soil moisture and temperature were higher in L + C, but the ambient temperature and relative humidity showed no statistical differences between systems. In both systems, soil temperature was greater in the afternoon, while the soil moisture and relative humidity were greater in the morning. The diurnal variation of soil CO₂ fluxes in silvopastoral systems correlated positively with soil temperature and ambient temperature, but negatively with relative humidity. We concluded that soil CO₂ fluxes did not vary between silvopastoral systems but respond differently to the seasons. The results have important implications on the establishment and management of Leucaena-based silvopastoral systems for the mitigation of soil CO₂ fluxes from extensive livestock production lands.     

Spatial and seasonal variations of atmospheric N2O and CO2 fluxes from a subtropical mangrove swamp and their relationships with soil characteristics

Marine ecosystems are a known net source of greenhouse gases emissions but the atmospheric gas fluxes, particularly from the mangrove swamps occupying inter-tidal zones, are characterized poorly. Spatial and seasonal fluxes of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from soil in Mai Po mangrove swamp in Hong Kong, South China and their relationships with soil characteristics were investigated. The N₂O fluxes averaged from 32.1 to 533.7 μg m⁻² h⁻¹ and the CO₂ fluxes were between 10.6 and 1374.1 mg m⁻² h⁻¹. Both N₂O and CO₂ fluxes in this swamp showed large spatial and seasonal variations. The fluxes were higher at the landward site than the foreshore bare mudflat, and higher fluxes were recorded in warm, rather than cold, seasons. The landward site had the highest content of soil organic carbon (OC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate (NO₃⁻–N) and total phosphorus (TP), while the bare mudflat had the highest ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺–N) concentration and soil denitrification potential activity. The N₂O flux was related, positively, to CO₂ flux. Soil NO₃⁻–N and TP increased N₂O flux, while soil OC and TP concentrations contributed to the CO₂ flux. The results indicated that the Mai Po mangrove swamp emitted significant amounts of greenhouse gases, and the N₂O emission was probably due to soil denitrifcation.     

Effect of long-term fertilizers and manure application on microbial biomass and microbial activity of a tropical agricultural soil

We investigated some aspects of soil quality and community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) of bacteria in soil under a long-term (37 years) trial with either exclusive inorganic fertilizers or fertilizers combined with farmyard manure cultivated with jute–rice–wheat system. The treatments consisted of 100% recommended dose (RD) of NPK, 150% RD of NPK, 100% RD of N, 100% RD of NPK + FYM (10 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), and untreated control. Long-term application of 150% RD of NPK lowered the soil pH considerably while the soils in the other treatments remained near neutral. The 100% RD of NPK + FYM treated plot showed significantly highest accumulation of organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activity among the treatments. CLPP analysis in Biolog Ecoplates revealed that utilization of carbohydrates was enhanced in all input treated regimes, while the same for polymers, carboxylic acids, amino acids, and amines/amides were similar or less than the untreated control. However, within these groups of carbon sources, heterogeneity of individual substrate utilization between treatments was also noted. Taken together, addition of organic supplements showed significantly increased microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity, but input of nutrient supplements, both inorganic and organic, only marginally affected the overall substrate utilization pattern of soil microorganisms.     

Contributions from different microbial processes to N2O emission from soil under different moisture regimes

Nitrous oxide emissions from a sandy-loam textured soil wetted to matric potentials of either-1.0 or-0.1 kPa were determined in laboratory experiments in which the soil was incubated in air (control), air plus 10 Pa C₂H₂ (to inhibit nitrification), 100 kPa O₂ (to suppress denitrification), 10 kPa C₂H₂ (to inhibit N₂O reduction to N₂ in denitrification) or following autoclaving. The total N₂O production, consumption and net N₂O emission from the soils together with the contributions to N₂O emission from different processes of N₂O production were estimated. The rate of N₂O production was significantly greater in the wetter soil (282 pmol N₂O g^-1 soil h^-1) than in the drier soil (192 pmol N₂O g^-1 soil h^-1), but because N₂O consumption by denitrifiers was also greater in the wetter soil, the net N₂O emissions from the wetter and the drier soils did not differ significantly. Non-biological sources made no significant contribution to N₂O emission under either moisture regime and biological processes other than denitrification and nitrification made only a small contribution (1% of the total N₂O production) in the wetter soil. Denitrifying nitrifiers were the predominant source of N₂O emitted from the drier soil and other (non-nitrifying) denitrifiers were the predominant source of N₂O emitted from the wetter soil.     

Predicting soil micro-variables and the distribution of an endogeic earthworm species through a model based on large-scale variables

Studies on spatial patterns of distributions of soil dwelling animals have usually relied on soil micro-variables or statistical analyses based on presence/absence data. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow easy access to large-scale variables to build species distribution models. In this study, we used MaxEnt to model the distribution of the endogeic earthworm Hormogaster elisae. Significant differences were found between the predicted suitability values of localities where the species was present and those where it was absent, validating the predictive model. Most of the large-scale training variables showed significant correlation with soil micro-variables known to influence the biology of the species, proving the ability of the model to predict (to an extent) soil variables from environmental ones. The methodology could be extended to other soil fauna.     

Influence of earthworm activity and rice straw application on the soil microbial community structure analyzed by PLFA pattern

The earthworm Pheretima hilgendorfi, one of the most common anecic species in Japan, abounds in soils with applied rice-straw residues. The influences of the worm’s activity and/or those of rice-straw application on the soil microbial community structure were studied using a microcosm approach. Low Humic Andosol was incubated with or without earthworms in a jar for a month after the following treatments: 1) no treatment, 2) chopped rice straw top-dressed on the soil and 3) rice straw incorporated into the soil. The soil NO₃^–-N level increased with the earthworms’ presence even in the soil without rice straw. The soil NH₄⁺-N level was by far the highest in the soil treated with worms and no rice straw. Amounts of total and bacterial PLFAs increased due to the earthworms’ presence when rice straw was incorporated. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids increased in the earthworm treatment while the saturated fatty acids decreased, suggesting an increase in the Gram-negative bacterial proportion. The results of principal component analysis indicated that the rice straw and the earthworms affected the soil microbial community structure independently. Any direct influence of the PLFAs contained in the worms’ bodies and in the rice straw on the soil’s PLFA profile was thought to be small.     

Effects of digestate from anaerobically digested cattle slurry and plant materials on soil microbial community and emission of CO2 and N2O

Anaerobic digestion of animal manure and crop residues may be employed to produce biogas as a climate-neutral source of energy and to recycle plant nutrients as fertilizers. However, especially organic farmers are concerned that fertilizing with the digestates may impact the soil microbiota and fertility because they contain more mineral nitrogen (N) and less organic carbon (C) than the non-digested input materials (e.g. raw animal slurry or fresh plant residues). Hence, an incubation study was performed where (1) water, (2) raw cattle slurry, (3) anaerobically digested cattle slurry/maize, (4) anaerobically digested cattle slurry/grass-clover, or (5) fresh grass-clover was applied to soil at arable realistic rates. Experimental unites were sequentially sampled destructively after 1, 3 and 9 days of incubation and the soil assayed for content of mineral N, available organic C, emission of CO₂ and N₂O, microbial phospholipid fatty acids (biomass and community composition) and catabolic response profiling (functional diversity). Fertilizing with the anaerobically digested materials increased the soil concentration of NO₃⁻ ca. 30–40% compared to when raw cattle slurry was applied. Grass-clover contributed with four times more readily degradable organic C than the other materials, causing an increased microbial biomass which depleted the soil for mineral N and probably also O₂. Consequently, grass-clover also caused a ∼10 times increase in emissions of CO₂ and N₂O greenhouse gasses compared to any of the other treatments during the 9 days. Regarding microbial community composition, grass-clover induced the largest changes in microbial diversity measures compared to the controls, where raw cattle slurry and the two anaerobically digested materials (cattle slurry/maize, cattle slurry/grass-clover) only induced minor and transient changes.     

Nitrogen fertilization and liming increased CO2 and N2O emissions from tropical ferralsols,but not from a vertisol

The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers and liming (CaCO₃) to improve soil quality and crop productivity are regarded as effective and important agricultural practices. However, they may increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is limited information on the GHG emissions of tropical soils, specifically when liming is combined with N fertilization. We therefore conducted a full factorial laboratory incubation experiment to investigate how N fertilizer (0 kg N ha⁻¹, 12.5 kg N ha⁻¹ and 50 kg N ha⁻¹) and liming (target pH = 6.5) affect GHG emissions and soil N availability. We focussed on three common acidic soils (two ferralsols and one vertisol) from Lake Victoria (Kenya). After 8 weeks, the most significant increase in cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes compared with the unfertilized control was found for the two ferralsols in the N + lime treatment, with five to six times higher CO₂ fluxes than the control. The δ¹³C signature of soil-emitted CO₂ revealed that for the ferralsols, liming (i.e. the addition of CaCO₃) was the dominant source of CO₂, followed by urea (N fertilization), whereas no significant effect of liming or of N fertilization on CO₂ flux was found for the vertisol. In addition, the N₂O fluxes were most significantly increased by the high N + lime treatment in the two ferralsols, with four times and 13 times greater N₂O flux than that of the control. No treatment effects on N₂O fluxes were observed for the vertisol. Liming in combination with N fertilization significantly increased the final nitrate content by 14.5%–39% compared with N fertilization alone in all treatment combinations and soils. We conclude that consideration should be given to the GHG budgets of agricultural ferralsols since liming is associated with high liming-induced CO₂ and N₂O emissions. Therefore, nature-based and sustainable sources should be explored as an alternative to liming in order to manage the pH and the associated fertility of acidic tropical soils.     

Influence of forest disturbance on CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes from larch forest soil in the permafrost taiga region of eastern Siberia

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of increasing forest disturbances on greenhouse gas budgets in a taiga forest in eastern Siberia, CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from the soils were measured during the growing season in intact, burnt and clear-felled larch forests (4–5 years after the disturbance). Soil temperature and moisture were higher at the two disturbed sites than at the forest site. A 64–72% decrease in the Q ₁₀ value of soil CO₂ flux from the disturbed sites compared with the forest site (5.92) suggested a reduction in root respiration and a dominance of organic matter decomposition at the disturbed sites. However, the cumulative CO₂ emissions (May–August) were not significantly different among the sites (2.81–2.90 Mg C ha^?1 per 3 months). This might be because decreased larch root respiration was compensated for by increased organic matter decomposition resulting from an increase in the temperature and root respiration of invading vegetation at the disturbed sites. The CH₄ uptake (kg C ha^?1 per 4 months [May–September]) at the burnt site was significantly higher (–0.15) than the uptake at the forest (–0.045) and clear-felled sites (0.0027). Although there were no significant differences among the sites, N₂O emission (kg N ha^?1 per 4 months) was slightly lower at the burnt site (0.013) and higher at the clear-felled site (0.068) than at the forest site (0.038). This different influence of burning and tree felling on CH₄ and N₂O fluxes might result from changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil with respect to forest fire.     

N2O emission mitigation and microbial activity after Biochar and Cao application in a flooded nitrate-rich vegetable soil

Adding easily decomposable organic materials into flooded nitrate-rich soils can effectively decrease the soil nitrate concentration and repair nitrate-rich soil. However, nitrate reduction is usually accompanied with an increase in N₂O emission. This study was conducted to reduce N₂O emission in a nitrate-rich vegetable soil flooded for remediation and amended with biochar. Nitrate-rich vegetable soil was placed in five treatment groups: flooding (F); flooding with rice straw (F?+?RS); flooding with rice straw and 1% biochar (F?+?RS?+?1% biochar); flooding with rice straw and 3% biochar (F?+?RS?+?3% biochar); flooding with rice straw and CaO (F?+?RS?+?CaO). Biochar and CaO reduced the N₂O emission levels relative to the F?+?RS group, with the former being more effective than the latter, achieving reduction of 40.70% (3% biochar) and 17.35% (CaO) of cumulative N₂O emission. The 3% biochar was more effective than the 1% biochar. Regression analysis showed a positive correlation between the abundance of NO reductase gene (norB) and soil N₂O emission flux. In general, biochar and CaO could effectively reduce N₂O emissions from a nitrate-rich vegetable soil during flooding remediation, duo to elevating soil pH and altering denitrifying activity. The norB gene was the most important denitrifying gene driving soil N₂O emission in the remediation.     

Short-term effects of earthworm activity and straw amendment on the microbial C and N turnover in a remoistened arable soil after summer drought

Short-term effects of actively burrowing Octolasion lacteum (Örl.) (Lumbricidae) on the microbial C and N turnover in an arable soil with a high clay content were studied in a microcosm experiment throughout a 16 day incubation. Treatments with or without amendment of winter wheat straw were compared under conditions of a moistening period after summer drought. The use of ¹⁴C labeled straw allowed for analyzing the microbial use of different C components. Microbial biomass C, biomass N and ergosterol were only slightly affected by rewetting and not by O. lacteum in both cases. Increased values of soil microbial biomass were determined in the straw treatments even after 24 h of incubation. This extra biomass corresponded to the initial microbial colonization of the added straw. O. lacteum significantly increased CO₂ production from soil organic matter and from the ¹⁴C-labeled straw. Higher release rates of ¹⁴C-CO₂ were recorded shortly after insertion of earthworms. This effect remained until the end of the experiment. O. lacteum enhanced N mineralization. Earthworms significantly increased both mineral N content of soil and N leaching in the treatments without straw addition. Moreover, earthworms slightly reduced N immobilization in the treatments with straw addition. The immediate increase in microbial activity suggests that perturbation of soil is more important than substrate consumption for the effect of earthworms on C and N turnover in moistening periods after drought.