不同盐渍化土壤中微生物对氮肥的响应

【目的】 研究河套灌区土壤不同盐渍化程度下土壤微生物对氮肥的响应机理,为河套灌区盐渍化土壤中确立适宜的氮肥施用量提供理论依据。 【方法】 2015—2016年在内蒙古磴口县坝楞示范基地进行了两年田间试验,供试土壤为粉沙壤土,供试作物为玉米。设置轻度 (0.77～1.24 mS/cm) 和中度 (1.24～1.77 mS/cm) 盐渍化土壤为主区,副区为施氮水平,共设4个施氮水平为N 0、135、270、405 kg/hm2,研究轻、中度盐渍化土壤下不同施氮水平对土壤微生物的影响,探寻土壤盐渍化和氮肥对微生物的交互作用。 【结果】 土壤盐分随着施氮量的增加而增加;细菌、真菌、放线菌数量和微生物量碳、氮含量均随着施氮量的增加呈现出先增加后降低的趋势,在N 270 kg/hm2处理微生物数量和生物量均达到最高值。回归分析表明,土壤微生物与氮、土壤盐分之间呈现出极显著的二元二次非线性回归关系,由回归方程各系数可知,在盐渍化土壤中,单独施用氮肥均可以增加土壤微生物,而土壤盐分增加,土壤微生物减少;在轻度盐渍化土壤中,土壤盐分和施用氮肥对微生物具有正效应,即共同促进了土壤微生物的增加,而在中度盐渍化土壤中,土壤盐分和施用氮肥对微生物具有负效应,即抑制土壤微生物的增加。 【结论】 土壤盐渍化程度越高,土壤中微生物数量和生物量越少,施氮量为N 270 kg/hm2时微生物数量和生物量均达到最大值;土壤微生物与氮、土壤盐分之间呈现出极显著的二元二次非线性回归关系,在轻度盐渍化土壤中,土壤盐分和施用氮肥共同促进土壤微生物的增加,而在中度盐渍化土壤中,土壤盐分和施用氮肥抑制了土壤微生物的生长和繁殖。      

Biodegradation of pyrene and catabolic genes in contaminated soils cultivated with Lolium multiflorum L

Background, aim, and scope  

In the soil environment, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) are of great environmental and human health concerns due to their widespread occurrence, persistence, and carcinogenic properties. Bioremediation of contaminated soil is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and publicly acceptable approach to address the removal of environmental contaminants. However, bioremediation of contaminants depends on plant–microbe interactions in the rhizosphere. The microorganisms that can mineralize various PAHs have PAH dioxygenase genes like nahAc, phnAc, and pdo1. To understand the fate of pyrene in rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soils in the presence or absence of Pb, pyrene biodegradation, bacterial community structure, and dioxygenase genes were investigated in a pot experiment.     

Time-dependent sorption of imidacloprid in two different soils

Time-dependent sorption of imidacloprid [1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)-methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine] was investigated with two German soils (sandy loam and silt loam). Soil batches containing the active ingredient (0.33 mg/kg) were incubated for 100 days. After selected aging periods, imidacloprid desorbed by 0.01 M CaCl(2) (soluble phase) and by organic solvents (methanol and acetonitrile) and reflux extraction with acidified methanol (sorbed phase) was determined. Calculated sorption coefficients K(d) and K(oc) increased by a factor of 3.2-3.8 during 100 days of aging. Additionally, the time-dependent sorption was verified by a column leaching experiment with the aged soil. The amount of imidacloprid in column eluates (0.01 M CaCl(2)) decreased compared to total recovered by a factor of approximately 2. Sorption of imidacloprid thus increased with residence time in soil, making it more resistant to leaching. These results are further information to explain the low leaching potential of imidacloprid in the field, despite its high water solubility.     

不同土著菌及其复合菌对玉米秸秆降解的影响

为研究一种高效的玉米秸秆降解复合菌,选取了木质素降解优势土著菌密黏褶菌、环状芽孢杆菌、铜绿假单胞菌、栗褐链霉菌、黄孢原毛平革菌、杂色云芝、绿色木霉、黑曲霉,对各单一菌种对玉米秸秆的降解能力进行了测定,通过菌种间的拮抗试验,将单一菌种进行组合,初步构建了一组木质纤维素降解复合菌。结果表明：在整个35 d的预处理周期中,黑曲霉、绿色木霉对秸秆中纤维素、半纤维素体现了较高的降解能力,黑曲霉、绿色木霉对半纤维素的降解率分别为47.81%、37.53%,对纤维素的降解率分别为38.96%、46.32%;黄孢原毛平革菌、杂色云芝对玉米秸秆中的木质素体现了较强的降解能力,对木质素的降解率分别为43.56%、39.17%;菌种拮抗试验表明该试验所选用的真菌、放线菌及细菌之间无拮抗反应,可以进行混合培养;对复合菌预处理前后的玉米秸秆微观结构进行扫描电镜分析,发现在降解过程中复合菌对木质纤维素的结构产生了破坏作用,提高了木质纤维素的可及性;木质素、纤维素、半纤维素的含量在整个发酵过程中都在逐渐减少,发酵结束时复合菌对半纤维素的降解率最高达到48.53%,纤维素的降解率为36.38%,木质素的降解率为40.11%,在提高木质素降解率的同时减少了纤维素消耗。该研究为秸秆类生物质降解及利用提供了参考依据。     

Factors controlling the partitioning of pyrene to dissolved organic matter extracted from different soils

The mobility of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in soils can be influenced by the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). While numerous studies have determined interactions of HOCs with humic and fulvic acids, only few data exist on the partitioning of HOCs to natural, non‐fractionated DOM as it occurs in soil solutions. In this study, DOM was extracted from 17 soil samples with a broad range of chemical and physical properties, originating from different land uses. The partition coefficients of pyrene to DOM were determined in all soil extracts and for two commercial humic acids using the fluorescence quenching method. For the soil extracts, log K_DOC values ranged from 3.2 to 4.5 litres kg^?1. For the Aldrich and Fluka humic acids, log K_DOC was 4.98 and 4.96 litres kg^?1, respectively, thus indicating that they are not representative for soil DOM. After excluding these two values, the statistical analysis of the data showed a significant negative correlation between log K_DOC and pH. This was also shown for one sample where the pH was adjusted to values ranging from 3 to 9. A multiple regression analysis suggested that ultraviolet absorbance at 280 nm (an indicator for aromaticity) and the E4:E6 ratio (an indicator for molecular weight) had additional effects on log K_DOC. The results indicate that the partitioning of pyrene to DOM is reduced at alkaline pH, probably due to the increased polarity of the organic macromolecules resulting from the deprotonation of functional groups. Only within a narrow pH range was the K_DOC of pyrene mainly related to the aromaticity of DOM.     

Temporal denitrification patterns in different horizons of two riparian soils

The dynamics of biological denitrification in riparian soil is still poorly understood. We studied the spring‐time pattern of denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) and the rate of denitrification (DNT) in two hydromorphic riparian soils, one a mollic Gleysol and the other a terric Histosol. The average DEA ranged from 73 to 1232 ng N g^?1 hour^?1, and DNT ranged from 4 to 36 ng N g^?1 hour^?1. Both DEA and DNT diminished with increasing depth in both soil types. This decrease corresponded to a decrease in total and K₂SO₄‐extractable organic carbon and K₂SO₄‐extractable mineral nitrogen. The DEA and DNT differed in their dynamics. The former had no evident pattern in subsurface horizons but increased with temperature at the end of spring in surface and structural horizons. The DNT diminished as the soil dried in the mollic Gleysol when the water table fell. In the terric Histosol, the water table was still too high at the end of spring to affect the DNT. The results suggest that the vertical pattern of denitrification is related to that of organic carbon content. This organic carbon content determines biological activity and the supply of carbon and nitrous oxides. In biologically active horizons temperature drives the dynamics of DEA, whereas soil moisture drives the dynamics of DNT. Our results show the importance of the dynamic soil–water relationship in controlling denitrification within the riparian zone.     

Environmental fate of trifloxystrobin in soils of different geographical origins and photolytic degradation in water

In vitro biodegradation of trifloxystrobin (TFS) under darkness could best be explained by two-compartment first + first-order rate kinetics with half-lives ranging between 1.8 and 2.3 days. Hydrolysis was found to be the major pathway of degradation resulting in the formation of the acid metabolite, TFS-acid, with an EE conformation. The adsorption rate kinetics of both TFS and TFS-acid followed linear and Freundlich isotherms. The extent of adsorption was directly correlated with organic matter and clay contents, whereas desorption had a negative correlation. The high partition coefficients (KD) indicate strong adsorption of TFS on all of the test soils without any appreciable risk of groundwater contamination. In case of the TFS-acid, however, the adsorption was weaker; hence, if its further degradation is slow, it may contaminate lower soil horizons under worst case conditions. TFS did not cause any adverse effect on the soil microbial population. TFS was susceptible to aquatic photolysis in summer with an environmental half-life of 0.7-1.3 days irrespective of the latitudes.     

Nitrification in two coniferous forest soils after different fertilization treatments

The effects of seven different fertilization treatments on nitrification in the organic horizons of a Myrtillus-type (MT) and a Calluna-type pine forest in southern Finland were studied. No (NO^?₃ + NO^?₂)-N accumulated in unfertilized soils during 6 weeks at 14 or 20°C in the laboratory. Net nitrification was stimulated by urea in both soils (but more in the MT pine forest soil) and to a lesser degree by wood ash but not by ammonium nitrate or nitroform (ureaformaldehyde). Nitrification was not detected in nitroform fertilized soils although ammonium accumulation was high during incubation. In the MT pine forest soil, net nitrification appeared to be stimulated by apatite, biotite and micronutrients. Nitrapyrin inhibited nitrification indicating that it was carried out by autotrophic nitrifiers. In the urea-fertilized MT pine forest soil, nitrification took place at an incubation temperature of 0°C. Accumulation of (N0^?₃ + NO^?₂)-N was highest in soil sampled at < 10°C.     

Formation and degradation of soil-bound [14C] fenitrothion residues in two agricultural soils

The formation of non-extractable residues of [¹⁴C]fenitrothion and their degradation in a black earth and a red yellow podzolic soil was studied. After a 65-day incubation, non-extractable radioactivity represented 73.7 and 59.35% of the applied radioactivity in the black earth and podzolic soil respectively, while evolved ¹⁴CO₂ accounted for only 9.4 and 12.7%. The effects of various amendments and treatments on the degradation of the non-extractable residues to ¹⁴CO₂ was studied. All of the amendments produced a priming effect and significantly increased the formation of ¹⁴CO₂ in both soils. The addition of unlabelled fenitrothion and 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol to the black earth and 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol to the podzolic soil produced the greatest increases in ¹⁴CO₂ evolution. The evidence presented suggests that a part of the unextractable residue is either fenitrothion or 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol.     

Selective enrichment of a pyrene degrader population and enhanced pyrene degradation in Bermuda grass rhizosphere

Rhizosphere soil has a more diverse and active microbial community compared to nonvegetated soil. Consequently, the rhizosphere pyrene degrader population (PDP) and pyrene degradation may be enhanced compared to nonvegetated bulk soil (NVB). The objectives of this growth chamber study were to compare (1) Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon cv. Guymon) growth in pyrene-contaminated and noncontaminated soils and (2) pyrene degradation and PDP among NVB, Bermuda grass bulk (BB), and Bermuda grass rhizosphere soil (BR). Soils were amended with pyrene at 0 and 500 mg kg^–1, seeded with Bermuda grass, and thinned to two plants per pot 14 days after planting (DAP). Pyrene degradation was evaluated over 63 days. The PDP was enumerated via a most probable number (MPN) procedure at 63 DAP. Bermuda grass root growth was more sensitive to pyrene contamination than shoot growth. Pyrene degradation followed first-order kinetics. Pyrene degradation was significantly greater in BR compared to BB and NVB with rate constants of 0.082, 0.050, and 0.052 day^–1, respectively. The PDPs were 8.01, 7.30, and 6.83 log₁₀ MPN g^–1 dry soil for BR, BB, and NVB, respectively. The largest PDP was in soil with the most rapid pyrene degradation. These results indicate that Bermuda grass can grow in pyrene-contaminated soil and enhance pyrene degradation through a rhizosphere effect.     

Microbial degradation of hydrolysable and condensed tannin polyphenol-protein complexes in soils from different land-use histories

Polyphenols are capable of binding to proteins and form polyphenol-protein complexes thus reducing the release of N from decomposing plant materials. The objective of this work was to test if under polyphenol-rich vegetations adapted microbial communities had developed capable of breaking down recalcitrant polyphenol-protein complexes. Soils used for this investigation were from different 10-year-old tropical agricultural systems (maize, sugarcane plots and Gliricidia sepium or Peltophorum dasyrrachis woodlots) and natural systems (secondary forest and Imperata cylindrica grassland). TA (tannic acid, hydrolysable tannin), QUE (quebracho, condensed tannin), BSA (bovine serum albumin, protein) or TA/BSA and QUE/BSA polyphenol-protein complexes were incubated at 28 °C in these soils. CO₂-C and ¹³C evolution were periodically monitored and mineral N release, microbial biomass N and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles measured at the end.QUE was able to bind about 25% more protein than TA. In all systems the individual uncomplexed substrates were more easily degraded than the complexes. On average, net cumulative CO₂-C evolution from TA/BSA complexes was more than 5 times higher than from QUE/BSA complexes, indicating higher C availability and/or lower protection capability of TA compared to QUE. However, net N release was higher from QUE/BSA than from TA/BSA probably due to their higher protein-binding capacity and associated larger degradation of partly unprotected protein as suggested by ¹³C-CO₂ signatures. Microbial respiration patterns indicated that polyphenol complexes were initially degraded more quickly in the maize cropping system than in soils from under polyphenol-rich communities (Peltophorum and natural forest) but this pattern reversed with time. Long-term incubation of QUE/BSA complexes even caused a negative effect on microbial respiration in agricultural soils with low polyphenol contents (e.g. maize and sugarcane).Incubation of polyphenol complexes in soil depressed microbial biomass N in maize, sugarcane, Imperata and forest systems and led to reduced soil pH. However, microbial biomass was increased under the polyphenol-rich vegetation of Peltophorum. The PLFA group 18:2w6,9 was highly enhanced by condensed tannin-protein complexes additions as compared to control and hydrolysable polyphenol-protein complexes in soils with high polyphenol contents. Polyphenol complexes increased the fungi:bacteria ratio in systems with a high polyphenol content, particularly with condensed tannin complexes. The results indicated that systems with a high polyphenol content favoured development of fungal communities that are highly adaptable to phenol-rich soil conditions and high acidity, particularly with regards to the more recalcitrant condensed tannin-protein complexes.     

DEHP污染的两种土壤中接种丛枝菌根对豇豆生长和DEHP降解的影响

A 60-day pot experiment was carried out using di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as a typical organic pollutant phthalic ester and cowpea (Vigna sinensis) as the host plant to determine the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation on plant growth and degradation of DEHP in two contaminated soils, a yellow-brown soil and a red soil. The air-dried soils were uniformly sprayed with different concentrations of DEHP, inoculated or left uninoculated with an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, and planted with cowpea seeds. After 60 days the positive impact of AM inoculation on the growth of cowpea was more pronounced in the red soil than in the yellow-brown soil, with significantly higher (P < 0.01) mycorrhizal colonization rate, shoot dry weight and total P content in shoot tissues for the red soil. Both in the yellow-brown and red soils, AM inoculation significantly (P < 0.01) reduced shoot DEHP content, implying that AM inoculation could inhibit the uptake and translocation of DEHP from roots to the aboveground parts. However, with AM inoculation no positive contribution to the degradation of DEHP was found.     

Comparison of two different methods to measure nitric oxide turnover in soils

 The NO turnover in soils was measured in two different experimental set-ups, a flow-through system, which is very time-consuming and needs rather sophisticated equipment, and a closed system using serum bottles. We compared the NO turnover parameters (NO consumption rate constant, NO production rate, NO compensation concentration) that were measured with both systems in different soils, under different conditions and in the presence of 10 Pa acetylene to inhibit nitrification. The values of the NO turnover parameters that were measured with the two systems under oxic conditions were usually comparable. The addition of acetylene did not affect the NO consumption rate constants of the soils with the exception of soil G1. However, the NO production rates and the NO compensation concentrations decreased significantly in the presence of acetylene, indicating that nitrification was the main source of NO in these soils. Only one soil (Bol) showed no nitrifying activity. Increasing soil moisture content resulted in decreasing NO consumption rate constants and NO production rates. Even at a high soil moisture content of 80% water holding capacity, nitrification was the main source of NO. The values of the NO turnover parameters that were measured with the two systems were not comparable under anoxic conditions. The NO consumption rate constants and the NO production rates were much lower in the closed than in the flow-through system, indicating that the NO consumption activity became saturated by the high NO concentrations accumulating in the closed system. Under oxic conditions, however, closed serum bottles were a cheap, easy and reliable tool with which to determine NO turnover parameters and to distinguish between nitrification and denitrification as sources of NO. Received: 21 April 1998     

Community composition and activity of microbes from saline soils and non-saline soils respond similarly to changes in salinity

Saline soils are wide-spread and characterised by poor plant growth and low microbial activity but salinity fluctuates seasonally or with irrigation water quality. Therefore it is important to understand the response of soil microbial communities to changes in soil salinity. We carried out an experiment to test the hypothesis that microbial communities from soils with medium to high salinity respond differently to salinity than microbes from non-saline soils or soils with low salinity. We prepared a microbial inoculum from field soils of different salinity (EC_1:5 0.3, 1.1, 2.7, 4.6 and 6.0 dS m⁻¹). This inoculum was added to quartz sand adjusted to EC_1:5 0.3, 1.1, 2.9, 4.6, 6.0 and 8.0 dS m⁻¹ and amended with finely ground wheat straw and basal nutrients. The sand mix was incubated at 80% water holding capacity for 27 days. Soil respiration was measured continuously, microbial community composition (based on phospholipid fatty acid analysis) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were determined at the start and the end of the incubation. Irrespective of inoculum EC, cumulative respiration decreased with increasing adjusted EC with no differences among inocula. The POC concentration was always lowest at adjusted EC 0.3 and highest at EC 8.0. Up to adjusted EC 4.6, the POC concentration was lower with inoculum EC 0.3 than with the inocula of higher EC. The inocula had distinct microbial community composition at all adjusted ECs, but the changes induced by the adjusted EC were similar in all inocula. The results are contrast to our hypothesis because increasing salinity decreased soil respiration of all inocula to a similar extent. In fact, the lower POC concentration with inoculum from the non-saline soil up to an adjusted EC of 4.6 suggests that the microbial communities from the non-saline soil are able to decompose the added wheat straw under low to moderate salinity to a greater extent than those from saline soils. On the other hand, even microbes from highly saline soils can respond quickly with an increase in activity if the salinity is reduced, e.g. after heavy rainfall which leaches the salts out of the top soil.     

Nitrogen losses from two grassland soils with different fungal biomass

Nitrogen losses from agricultural grasslands cause eutrophication of ground- and surface water and contribute to global warming and atmospheric pollution. It is widely assumed that soils with a higher fungal biomass have lower N losses, but this relationship has never been experimentally confirmed. With the increased interest in soil-based ecosystem services and sustainable management of soils, such a relationship would be relevant for agricultural management. Here we present a first attempt to test this relationship experimentally. We used intact soil columns from two plots from a field experiment that had consistent differences in fungal biomass (68 ± 8 vs. 111 ± 9 μg C g⁻¹) as a result of different fertilizer history (80 vs. 40 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ as farm yard manure), while other soil properties were very similar. We performed two greenhouse experiments: in the main experiment the columns received either mineral fertilizer N or no N (control). We measured N leaching, N₂O emission and denitrification from the columns during 4 weeks, after which we analyzed fungal and bacterial biomass and soil N pools. In the additional ¹⁵N experiment we traced added N in leachates, soil, plants and microbial biomass. We found that in the main experiment, N₂O emission and denitrification were lower in the high fungal biomass soil, irrespective of the addition of fertilizer N. Higher ¹⁵N recovery in the high fungal biomass soil also indicated lower N losses through dentrification. In the main experiment, N leaching after fertilizer addition showed a 3-fold increase compared to the control in low fungal biomass soil (11.9 ± 1.0 and 3.9 ± 1.0 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively), but did not increase in high fungal biomass soil (6.4 ± 0.9 after N addition vs. 4.5 ± 0.8 kg N ha⁻¹ in the control). Thus, in the high fungal biomass soil more N was immobilized. However, the ¹⁵N experiment did not confirm these results; N leaching was higher in high fungal biomass soil, even though this soil showed higher immobilization of ¹⁵N into microbial biomass. However, only 3% of total ¹⁵N was found in the microbial biomass 2 weeks after the mineral fertilization. Most of the recovered ¹⁵N was found in plants (approximately 25%) and soil organic matter (approximately 15%), and these amounts did not differ between the high and the low fungal biomass soil. Our main experiment confirmed the assumption of lower N losses in a soil with higher fungal biomass. The additional ¹⁵N experiment showed that higher fungal biomass is probably not the direct cause of higher N retention, but rather the result of low nitrogen availability. Both experiments confirmed that higher fungal biomass can be considered as an indicator of higher nitrogen retention in soils.     

Cation transport during unsaturated flow through two intact soils

In the quest for better understanding of cation movement through undisturbed soils, leaching experiments on 300-mm long undisturbed soil columns of two contrasting soils were carried out. One soil was a weakly-structured alluvial fine sandy loam, the other a well-structured aeolian silt loam. About 2000 mm of solutions of MgCl₂ and Ca(NO₃)₂ of 0·025 M were applied at unsaturated water flow rates of between 3 and 13 mm h^?1. Solute movement was monitored over several weeks by collecting effluent under suction at the base. In the sandy loam anion transport was influenced by exclusion from the double layer, whereas in the Ramiha soil anion adsorption occurred. Cation transport was described by coupling the convection-dispersion equation with cation exchange equations. Good simulations of the Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ concentrations in the effluent and on the exchange sites were obtained if 80% of the exchangeable cations, as measured using the 1 M ammonium acetate method, were assumed to be active. Local physical or chemical disequilibrium did not need to be explicitly taken into account. About 400 kg ha^?1 of native potassium was leached from the alluvial soil, but only about 10 kg ha^?1 was leached from the aeolian soil. The convection-dispersion equation coupled with exchange theory was found to describe cation transport under unsaturated flow through undisturbed soil satisfactorily.     

Changes in molecular structure of biodegradable plastics during degradation in soils estimated by FT-IR and NMR

Among the biodegradable plastic specimens (poly-(3-hydroxy-butylate-valerate) (PHB / V), poly-(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly-(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly-(butylene succinate and adipate) (PBSA), and poly-lactide (PLA)) that were placed in soils for 1 year at nineteen sites in Japan, plastic specimens with appreciable biodegradation were studied for the transformation of the chemical structure by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR. No appreciable differences in the main absorbency-bands of the atomic groups were recognized by FT-IR for any of the plastic specimens tested. However, both ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR analyses suggested that molecular structure of the PHB / V specimens changed after 1 year placement in soils. Based on the assignment of the respective signals of chemical shifts derived from valerate, selective degradation of the valerate moiety in the PHB / V specimens was observed. In contrast, although weight loss, and/or a decrease in tensile strength and elongation were observed after the placement in soils for the PCL, PBS, PBSA, and PLA specimens, the analyses of these specimens by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR did not reveal any changes in their molecular structure.     

Factors affecting triadimefon degradation in soils

The degradation of triadimefon [1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)butan-2-one] was studied in two soils, mollisol and inseptisol, under varying conditions of moisture and temperature, and the role of cow manure amendment and soil sterilization on fungicide degradation was ascertained. The soil moisture content affected the pathway followed for triadimefon degradation. In nonflooded soils (60% water-holding capacity), triadimefon was reduced to triadimenol, and in flooded soils, it was metabolized to the diol derivative [1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-3,3-dimethylbutan-2-one-1,4-diol]. In nonflooded soils, triadimefon was more persistent in soil having more organic carbon content (mollisol), and the amendment of cow manure (5%) further enhanced its persistence. On the contrary, in flooded soil systems, the higher the soil organic carbon content was, the less persistent was the fungicide, and amendment of cow manure further enhanced its degradation. Triadimefon degradation was faster at 35 degrees C than at 27 degrees C. Triadimefon degradation in soils was mediated by the microorganisms, and no triadimefon degradation was observed in sterile soils. Triadimefon (1 mg/kg) did not affect soil phosphatase activity in either of the soils; however, soil dehydrogenase activity was significantly reduced, especially in mollisol soil.