Effect of atmospheric precipitation on microelement composition of soils in model ecosystems of soil lysimeters

Variations in the microelement composition of soils of lysimeters under the effect of atmospheric precipitation and model phytocenoses over the 49-year-long period were studied. A drop in acidity and a rise in the content of organic matter, microelements, and heavy metals in the surface soil layer were revealed. The greatest accumulation of heavy metals was seen in the forest litter and at a depth of 2–15 cm. In comparison with the original loam, zinc content is higher 18–20 times under tree vegetation, 14–16 times under grass communities, and five times in bare soils. The difference in the content of heavy metals between the soils under model phytocenoses and soils without plant cover is explained by their biogenic accumulation and input with dust precipitated on leaves. Dust amount and composition determine the regularities of the accumulation of the elements in soils.     

Ammonia emissions from soddy-podzolic soils under different phytocenoses

The mean seasonal rates of the ammonia nitrogen emission from a soddy-podzolic soil under an oxalis-bilberry birch forest in Yaroslavl oblast were measured from May to October in 2005 and 2006 and comprised 27 ± 14 and 25 ± 11 μg N/m² per day, which corresponded to 44 ± 23 and 32 ± 15 g N/ha, respectively. The maximum rates of the emission had a positive correlation with the soil temperature (r = 0.77 and 0.82, respectively) and a negative correlation with the soil water content (r = 0.3 and 0.54). The coefficients of the multiple correlation between these parameters were 0.82 and 0.84, respectively (at p = 0.16). The mean seasonal rate of the ammonia nitrogen emission from a soddy-podzolic soil under an herbaceous meadow in 2006 reached 155 ± 80 μg N/m² per day, or 160 ± 80 g N/ha. The rates of the ammonia emission during the growing season correlated with the soil temperature (r = 0.81 at p = 0.03). A method for measuring the ammonia emission from soils was proposed.     

Mineralogical composition of silt fractions and its transformation under the impact of different cenoses in model lysimeters

A lysimetric experiment has made it possible to trace changes in the fine and medium silt fractions of soils developing from the noncalcareous mantle loam under typical phytocenoses of the southern taiga zone during a 33-year-long period. The silt fractions were separated by the Gorbunov method, and their mineralogical composition was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry. The fine silt fraction consists of quartz, kaolinite, chlorite, hydromica, smectite, and feldspars. The medium silt fraction consists of quartz, kaolinite, mica, and feldspars. In both fractions, the content of feldspars in the upper horizons has increased in comparison with the initial parent material due to the physical disintegration of coarser fractions. The chemical decomposition of mica has been registered in the layer of 10–30 cm. In lysimeters under artificially planted mixed forest cenoses, acidic hydrolysis may take place at this depth. Cryogenic processes play an important role in the soil formation at the early stages.     

Comparison of chemical composition of soil solutions collected by zero-tension plate lysimeters with those from ceramic-cup lysimeters in a forest soil

We analysed the chemistry of solutions collected from soil by zero-tension plate lysimeters and cup lysimeters connected to a constant suction (600 hPa) under Douglas fir in the Beaujolais mountains (France). The chemistry of zero-tension lysimeters' (ZTL) and tension lysimeters' (TL) solutions differed enormously: TL solutions were most concentrated in Si, NH₄-N, NO_3--N, Cl^?, Mg²⁺ and A1³⁺ and TOC, whereas Ca²⁺ and K⁺ concentrations were greater in ZTL solutions. Organic matter (OM) greatly influenced the solution chemistry in both ZTL and TL. The chemistry of ZTL solutions was affected mainly by OM mineralization in the forest floor and upper soil horizon, and that of TL solution seemed to be related to destabilization of humified compounds under the new vegetation. Nitrification was important: residual nitrification led to excess protons neutralized in weathering or ion exchange reactions, mobilized cations, mainly A1³⁺. Selectivity coefficients calculated both for ZTL and TL solutions formalized the differences between the two types of solutions. Nevertheless, these coefficients remained most often within the same order of magnitude indicating relations between them. Solutions from the two devices provided different information and should not be used for the same objectives. Solutions from ZTL are suited for ecosystem input-output budgets, whereas TL solutions are more useful when equilibrium between the solution and solid phase or when plant nutrition are considered.     

Changes in soil algal communities in spruce phytocenoses under the influence of aerotechnogenic pollution

The regularities of the development of algal communities in podzolic soils under coniferous forests were studied in areas differing in their technogenic pollution intensity. In the unpolluted soils under spruce forests, 80 alga species of 6 divisions were found; in the soils under the coniferous forests located in the zone exposed to the technogenic pollution, 59 alga species of 5 divisions were found. The algal groups in the soils of the spruce forests included 14–48 taxa. Chlamydomonas gloeogama, C. reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, Klebsormidium nitens, and Stichococcus bacillaris were resistant to different anthropogenic impacts. The results obtained may be used for monitoring of the state of the soil biota in the soils under the boreal forests of protected areas and also in spruce forests exposed to intense aerial technogenic pollution.     

The behavior of the clay fraction in model ecosystems of soil lysimeters

Changes in the mineralogical composition of the clay fraction (<0.001 mm) sampled from soils of the model lysimetric experiment of Moscow State University have been studied. The mineralogical composition of clay is represented by the paragenetic association of minerals typical of noncalcareous mantle loams in the center of the Russian Plain. The predominant smectitic phase consists of complex mixed-layered minerals (mica-smectite with high and low contents of the smectitic layers, chlorite-smectite with different ratios between the chloritic and smectitic layers) and individual smectites. Tri-and dioctahedral hydromica, kaolinite, chlorite, and clay-sized quartz are present in lower amounts. At the early stages of the experiment, the distribution of the smectitic phase in the soil profile is more contrasting than the distribution of the clay fraction. Under the impact of artificially planted meadows, forests, and agrocenoses, soil profiles with different distribution patterns of the clay fraction are formed. The weakly pronounced eluvial distribution pattern of the clay fraction has been registered. Under spruce and mixed stands, the loss of the clay fraction from the upper horizons is due to the hydrolysis of smectitic minerals in the acidified medium. Under broad-leaved stands, perennial herbs, agroecenoses, and fallow, the depletion of smectites from the upper horizons is due to lessivage. The relative accumulation of hydromica and kaolinite is observed in the uppermost soil layer.     

Stabilization of organic matter in soil lysimeters

Using stationary soil lysimeters it was demonstrated that the type of phytocenose determines the processes of stabilization of organic matter and the type of litter reflects the transformation of organic matter. The maximum quantity of large aggregates at the lowest concentrations of carbon is detected in the upper horizons of soils under fallow conditions as compared to those under other communities. The maximum possible loss of carbon, as estimated by the intensity of respiration, is observed in the soils under mixed plantings, while the least was observed for agricultural lands.     

A soil core sampler for paddy soils and some physical properties of the soils under waterlogged condition

Introduction

Recent investigations in soil science have shown that physical properties of paddy soils are of great importance to rice-production. There is extensive literature on the chemical property of paddy soils, but little information on the physical property of paddy soils, especially under waterlogged condition. For studying the physical property of flooded paddy soils, it is necessary to collect the soil cores under an undisturbed condition.     

Thermal diffusivity and temperature regime of soils in large lysimeters of the experimental soil station of Moscow State University

The thermal diffusivity of the upper horizons of model soddy-podzolic soils in the lysimeters depends on their water contents and varies within 2.1?4.32 × 10^?7 m²/s in the Ap horizon, 1.59?3.99 × 10^?7 m²/s in the B1 horizon, 1.28?3.74 × 10^?7 m²/s in the plowed B2 horizon, and 1.12?4.10 × 10^?7 m²/s in the B2 horizon. The dependence of the thermal diffusivity on the soil water content is described by an inverted parabolic curve for the Ap horizon, an S-shaped curve for the B1 and B2 horizons, and by a curve of transitional type for the plowed B2 horizon. The temperature regimes of model soils with different morphologies of the profile do not differ much and are close to the soil temperature regime under natural conditions on the plots of the weather station of Moscow State University.     

Loss of soil organic matter and related soil properties under long-term sugarcane production on two contrasting soils

The effects of increasing periods under sugarcane monoculture (managed with preharvest burning) on soil organic matter content and related soil properties were investigated in the 0- to 10-cm layer of a sandy coastal Ochric Cambisol (Glenrosa soil) and a red Rhodic Ferralsol (Hutton soil) from the sugar belt of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. The organic C content at both sites under undisturbed vegetation was between 40 and 50 g C kg^-1. This declined exponentially with increasing years under sugarcane. For the Glenrosa site it reached a new equilibrium level after about 30-40 years. After 20-30 years of sugarcane, organic C content had declined to about 33 g kg^-1 for the Hutton soil and 17 g kg^-1 for the Glenrosa soil. The higher organic matter content maintained at the Hutton site was attributed mainly to clay protection of organic matter since the clay content of the Hutton soil was 62% compared to 18% for the Glenrosa soil. For the same reason, aggregate stability was also generally higher in the Hutton than Glenrosa soil. The loss of soil organic matter under sugarcane resulted in a concomitant decline in soil microbial biomass C, percentage of organic C present as microbial biomass, basal respiration, fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity and aggregate stability. At the Glenrosa site, the natural '¹³C abundance in soils was used to calculate the loss of forest-derived, native soil C and the concomitant input of sugarcane-derived C. Sugarcane-derived organic C increased over time until it accounted for about 61% of organic C in the surface 10 cm in soils that had been under sugarcane for greater than 50 years. It was concluded that sugarcane production can cause a large decline in soil organic matter content and that practices such as green cane harvesting, zero tillage and use of green crops should be promoted to help ameliorate the problem.     

红壤丘陵区不同植被恢复模式土壤理化性质相关分析

南方红壤丘陵区土壤侵蚀严重,成为我国生态系统退化地带之一,为了探讨植被恢复模式与土壤理化性质改良关系,合理利用丘陵区土地,本文研究了草本、果树、果树+草、果树+草+农作物和果树+农作物等不同植被恢复模式对土壤物理及化学性质的影响,并运用灰色关联分析方法对不同恢复模式的土壤理化性质进行相关分析。研究结果表明:不同植被恢复模式土壤理化性质影响差异显著,百喜草全园覆盖的草本模式改良土壤理化性质的综合效应最佳,然后依次是果树+农作物、果树+草+农作物、果树+草。横坡套种土壤改良效应明显优于纵坡套种,全区覆盖处理优于带状覆盖处理。南方丘陵区侵蚀劣地植被恢复,可以优先考虑恢复百喜草的草本模式和果树+农作物模式,尤其是,果树+横坡套种农作物模式适宜在南方丘陵区大力推广。     

Equilibrium composition and properties of soil solutions

The high dynamics of their composition are a characteristic feature of soil solutions, which hampers the use of data on the concentrations and activities of elements in the physicochemical studies of soils. The chemical potentials of independent components, whose values depend of the dynamics of the solution composition only slightly, are more stable and efficient parameters. The calculation of the equilibriums by physicochemical simulation and the data on the composition of the water extracts and soil solutions indicated that, in the A1 horizon of a leached chernozem, the chemical potential of the calcium varied from −173.8 to −174.3 kcal/mol and that of magnesium varied from −150.9 to −151.5 kcal/mol when the calcium and magnesium concentrations changed by more than 20 times. In the B1 horizon of the crusted solonetz, the chemical potential of the sodium varied from −81.3 to −82.0 kcal/mol when its concentration changed by 2–3 times. The determination of the chemical potentials of the independent components (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Al, and Si) in the relatively simple basis subsystem of the solution and single-component mineral phases with known solubilities allows calculating the standard Gibbs energies of the other soil phases equilibrated with the solution.     

The composition of mobile matter in a floodplain topsoil: A comparative study with soil columns and field lysimeters

Floodplain soils are characterized by frequent and extreme redox changes caused by inundation with river water or imbibition of groundwater. Depending on the duration and extent of inundation, biogeochemical processes run at sub‐/anoxic conditions, which may result in the mobilization and relocation of dissolved and particulate matter within the soil. In this study, we investigated the effect of inundation events on the composition of mobilized matter in the topsoil horizon of a floodplain soil. We conducted experiments with soil columns in the laboratory and gravitational lysimeters in the field to identify redox‐mediated (im)mobilization processes and to estimate their relevance under field conditions. The lysimeters were filled with topsoil monoliths and run under in situ conditions during a ≈ 2.5‐y period. The soil columns were run with the same soil material either under strictly anoxic or mixed oxic–anoxic conditions. Effluents from mixed oxic–anoxic soil were composed fundamentally different [comparably high: Mn, Al, nitrate, sulfate; comparably low: pH, organic C (OC); not detected: Fe, As] compared to effluents from strictly anoxic soil (comparably high: pH, Fe, Mn, OC, As; comparably low: Al; not detected: nitrate, sulfate). Matter, which was mobile under anoxic conditions (e.g., Fe, As, OC), was effectively immobilized as soon as the mobile phase passed anoxic–oxic boundaries within soil (exception: Mn). We assume that the solution in the soil monoliths always passed such anoxic–oxic boundaries during downwards migration independent of lysimeter flooding with river water. This is indicated by the similar composition of the lysimeter seepage water and the effluents from mixed oxic–anoxic soil columns. Both solutions contained “fingerprints” from anoxic (Mn) and oxic conditions (nitrate). Inundations with river water and the duration of these floods (1–22 d) did not affect the composition of the lysimeter seepage water. In conclusion, immediate changes in the composition of the solution, which enters either the subsoil or nearby receiving waters, cannot be expected from regular topsoil flooding.     

不同氧化还原条件下土壤性质对非石灰性土壤中锌溶解动力学的影响

Zinc(Zn) deficiency in paddy soils is often a problem for rice production.Flooding can decrease metal availability in some noncalcareous soils through different mechanisms associated with soil redox status.Laboratory experiments were performed in order to better understand the processes that governed the dynamics of Zn in non-calcareous paddy soils at varying redox potentials(Eh).Airdried non-calcareous soil samples collected from four different paddy field sites in the Philippines were submerged and incubated in a reaction cell with continuous stirring and nitrogen purging for 4 weeks,and then purged with compressed air for another week to reoxidize the system.The Eh of the four soils started at 120 to 300 mV,decreased to —220 to —300 mV after 100 to 250 h of reduction,and was maintained at this low plateau for about 2 weeks before increasing again upon reoxidation.Zinc solubility showed contrasting patterns in the four soils,with two of the soils showing a decrease in soluble Zn as the Eh became low,probably due to zinc sulfide(ZnS) precipitation.In contrast,the other two soils showed that Zn solubility was maintained during the reduced phase which could be due to the competition with iron(Fe) for precipitation with sulfide.Differences in the relative amounts of S,Fe,and manganese(Mn) oxides in the four soils apparently influenced the pattern of Zn solubility after flooding.     

大型蒸渗仪的设计、建造与安装（英）

蒸渗仪是用来研究营养元素在农田中的运移的系统,本文系统描述了一种大型蒸渗仪的设计,建造与安装。试验采用湖北地区典型土壤类型黄棕壤与潮土,在华中农业大学校园内每种土壤安装16个大型蒸渗仪。蒸渗仪采用减少土柱的扰动的方法建造,并填充凡士林减少土壤水分的边缘流动。蒸渗仪采用外径630 mm高700 mm厚10 mm的PVC管作材料。土柱建成后安装在预制PVC底座上,底座中间有一圆孔外接淋失液收集装置。淋失液收集后用来测定淋失液离子含量。试验结果表明,相同土壤土柱之间淋失量差异不显著,没有检测到水分的边缘流动;同时建设效率高,费用低。     

Nutrient leaching losses from a sandy soil in lysimeters

Abstract

Two lysimeter experiments were conducted on annual leaching losses of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), sulphate‐sulphur (SO₄‐S), and magnesium (Mg) (one experiment only) from a sandy soil in central England during 1988–1995 to provide information on typical nutrient losses under arable agriculture below 1.2 m (Experiment 1) or 1.5 m (Experiment 2). Total annual losses, in the absence of manure additions, were highly dependent on the amount of drainage; flow‐weighted average concentrations were similar between years within experiments. Concentrations, averaged over the duration of the experiments were 74 and 78 mg L^‐1 Ca, 17 and 27 mg L^‐1 Na, 11 and 8 mg L^‐1 K, 74 and 77 mg L^‐1 Cl, and 57 and 38 mg L^‐1 SO₄‐S for the two experiments respectively; Mg concentration was 17 mg L^‐1. Applications of chicken litter were made to some of the lysimeters in the last three years, and all nutrients showed increased leaching as a result. Application rates akin to disposal (rather than for crop fertilization) produced the largest losses. Following a total application of 125 t ha^‐1 over three years, average concentrations in water draining below 1.5 m in the final year were 57 and 277 mg L^‐1 Ca, 22 and 75 mg L^‐1 Cl, 7 and 14 mg L^‐1 K, 22 and 57 mg L^‐1 Na, 27, and 125 mg L^‐1 SO₄‐S for the untreated and manured soils, respectively.     

Morphology and composition of some soils under cultivation in Saudi Arabia

Twelve profiles representing the principal soils of five major agricultural areas (Al-Kharj, Gassim, Hofuf, Taif and Wadi Dawasir) in Saudi Arabia were described and sampled by horizons. Laboratory analyses were then made of the samples to characterize the profiles more completely. Analyses were also made for certain nutrient elements to get some measure of their levels in the soils.The profiles are tentatively classified in the Entisol and Aridisol orders of the American taxonomy. Five Entisol profiles were considered to be Fluvents and two Psamments. Four Aridisol profiles were considered to be Argids and one an Orthid.All of the profiles are saline and calcareous and most are also sandy. Furthermore, amounts of nutrient elements such as phosphorus, iron and zinc in surface layers are below minimum levels established for similar soils in earlier investigations in other countries. Consequently, the soils are believed to lack sufficient quantities of several elements for optimum plant growth. Successful use of the soils will thus require reductions in salinity, increased levels of nutrient elements, and skillful irrigation to provide adequate moisture.     

Relationships between soil properties and feeding activity of soil fauna in acid forest soils

We investigated the relationships between soil chemical properties, humus form, and feeding activity in eight forest sites in Northrhine‐Westphalia, Germany. The study sites varied in forest type (oak, oak‐hornbeam, spruce, and pine). Three study sites were located under the same climatic conditions, and five study sites were distributed all over Northrhine‐Westphalia. We determined humus form, soil chemical properties, and feeding activity in three replication plots per site. We used the bait‐lamina test to determine feeding activity of soil fauna. Independent of forest type, all study sites were very acid with pH(CaCl₂) values in the Ah horizon between 2.8 and 4.0. The three study sites located under the same climatic conditions showed very homogenous soil chemical properties (pH in Ah: 2.9–3.0), whereas the five other sites varied significantly due to their soil chemical parameters (pH in Ah: 2.8–4.0). All single sites presented feeding activities with a very low spatial heterogeneity. Forest types and climatic conditions were not related to activity of soil fauna. Feeding activity and thickness of the O layer were strongly negatively correlated, whereas the activity was strongly positively correlated to soil pH in the five study sites with a wide range of soil chemical parameters. The three extremely acid forest sites presented significant differences in feeding activities that were not related to soil chemical properties.