灌溉施用氮肥后氮素在土壤中的转化及淋失状况: 土柱模拟研究

A soil column method was used to compare the effect of drip fertigation (the application of fertilizer through drip irrigation systems, DFI) on the leaching loss and transformation of urea-N in soil with that of surface fertilization combined with flood irrigation (SFI), and to study the leaching loss and transformation of three kinds of nitrogen fertilizers (nitrate fertilizer, ammonium fertilizer, and urea fertilizer) in two contrasting soils after the fertigation. In comparison to SFI, DFI decreased leaching loss of urea-N from the soil and increased the mineral N (NH₄⁺-N + NO₃^--N) in the soil. The N leached from a clay loam soil ranged from 5.7% to 9.6% of the total N added as fertilizer, whereas for a sandy loam soil they ranged between 16.2% and 30.4%. Leaching losses of mineral N were higher when nitrate fertilizer was used compared to urea or ammonium fertilizer. Compared to the control (without urea addition), on the first day when soils were fertigated with urea, there were increases in NH₄⁺-N in the soils. This confirmed the rapid hydrolysis of urea in soil during fertigation. NH₄⁺-N in soils reached a peak about 5 days after fertigation, and due to nitrification it began to decrease at day 10. After applying NH₄⁺-N fertilizer and urea and during the incubation period, the mineral nitrogen in the soil decreased. This may be related to the occurrence of NH₄⁺-N fixation or volatilization in the soil during the fertigation process.     

淹水稻田氮的损失

A field microplot experiment was conducted during the tillering stage of paddy rice to investigate nitrogen(N) Iosses from flooded rice fields following fertilizer application. After application of ammonium bicarbonate, most of nitrogen in the flood water was present as NH₄-N and its concentration varied widely with time. Concentrations of both NO₃-N and NO₂-N in the floodwater were low due to the weakened nitrification. Under flooded anaerobic reducing conditions, soil solution concentrations of NO₃-N and NH₄-N were nothigh, ranging from 0.6 mg L^-1 to 4.8 mg L^-1, and decreased with soil depth. However, the ground water wasstill contaminated with NO₃-N and NH₄-N. Rainfall simulation tests showed that the N losses via runoff inrice fields were closely related to the time intervals between fertilizer applications and rainfall events. Whena large rain fell for a short period after fertilizer application, the N losses via runoff could be large, which could have a considerable effect on surface water quality. Both irrigation and N fertilizer application must be controlled and managed with great care to minimize N losses via runoff from agricultural land.     

Soil Erosion as A ffected by Polyacrylamide Application Under Simulated Furrow Irrigation with Saline Water

The reduction of soil and water losses under furrow irrigation with saline water is important to environmental protection and agricultural production.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of polyacrylamide(PAM)application on soil infiltration and erosion under simulated furrow irrigation with saline water.Polyacrylamide was applied by dissolving it in irrigation water at the rates of 1.5,7.5,and 15.0 mg L^-1 or spreading it as a powder on soil surface at the rates of 0.3,1.5,3.0,and 6.0 g m^-2,respectively.The effectrolyte concentration of tested irrigation water was 10 and 30 mmolc L^-1 and its sodium adsorption ratio(SAR)was 0.5,10.0,and 20.0(mmol_c L^-1)_0.5.Distilled water was used as a control for irrigation water quality.Results indicated that the effectrolyte concentration and SAR generally did not significantly affect soil and water losses after PAM application.Infiltration rate and total infiltration volume decreased with the increase of PAM application rate.Polyacrylamide application in both methods significantly reduced soil erosion,but PAM application rate did not significantly affect it.The solution PAM application was more effective in controlling soil erosion than the powdered PAM application,but the former exerted a greater adverse influence on soil infiltration than the latter.Under the same total amounts,the powdered PAM application resulted in a 38.2%-139.6% greater infiltration volume but a soil mass loss of 1.3-3.4 times greater than the solution PAM application.     

灌溉对哈萨克斯坦南部农业富镁土壤的影响

Irrational irrigation practices in the Arys Turkestan Canal command area in the southern part of Kazakhstan have led to the formation of soils with poor physical and chemical properties. To study whether irrigation and leaching practices and/or groundwater rise have contributed to the accumulation of Mg²⁺ on the cation exchange complex of these soils, historical changes in soil and groundwater quality were used as source data and the Visual MINTEQ model was applied to analyze the chemical composition of water and soils in the study area. The imposed irrigation regime and the leaching of light sierosem soils led to the dissolution and subsequent leaching of inherent gypsum and organic matter from the soil profile. Further, the domination of bicarbonate in the irrigation water promoted weathering of the carbonate minerals present as calcite. The higher concentrations of Mg²⁺ in comparison to Ca²⁺ in the irrigation water resulted in the replacement of Na⁺ by Mg²⁺ on the cation exchange complex. In the lower part of the command area, shallow groundwater has contributed to the accumulation of Na⁺ and to a large extent of Mg²⁺ on the cation exchange sites.     

不同氮源对中国稻田作物氮素营养的贡献

N availability is one of the most important factors limiting crop yield enhancement. The recovery of applications of ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer and crop residues in a rice-wheat cropping system was determined for up to 6 consecutive growing seasons. The crop residues from the previous season were either incorporated or removed as two different treatments. Our results showed that 16. 55%-17.79% (17.17% on average) of the fertilizer N was recovered in the crop during the first growing season, suggesting that more than 80% of crop N was not directly from the N fertilizer. When ¹⁵N-labeled residues were applied, 12.01% was recovered in the crop in the first growing season. The average recoveries of fertilizer N and crop residue N in the soil after the first growing season were 33. 46% and 85. 64%, respectively. N from soil organic matter contributed approximately 83% of the N in the crop when ¹⁵N fertilizer was applied or 88% when crop residues were applied. There was a larger difference in the total ¹⁵N recovery in plant and soil between N applications in the forms of fertilizer and crop residues. Incorporation of crop residues following the ¹⁵N fertilizer application did not significantly promote ¹⁵N recovery in the crop or soil. On average, only additional 1.94% of N for the fertilizer-applied field or 5.97% of N for the crop residue-applied field was recovered by the crops during the 2nd and 3rd growing seasons. The total recoveries of ¹⁵N in crop and soil were approximately 64.38% for the fertilizer-applied field after 6 growing seasons and 79.11% for the crop residue-applied field after 5 growing seasons. Although fertilizer N appeared to be more readily available to crops than crop residue N, crop residue N replenished soil N pool, especially N from soil organic matter, much more than fertilizer N. Therefore, crop residue N was a better source for sustaining soil organic matter. Our results suggested that the long-term effect of fertilizer or crop residues on N recovery were different in the crop and soil. However, there was little difference between the practices of crop residue incorporation and residue removal following the N fertilizer application.     

玉米秸秆应用和腐化对钙质苏打土改良的影响: 实验室试验研究

A laboratory lysimeter experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of forage corn (Zea mays L.) stalk application on the CO₂ concentration in soil air and calcareous sodic soil reclamation. The experimental treatments tested were soil exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) levels of 1, 11, and 19, added corn stalk contents of 0 to 36 g kg^-1, and incubation durations of 30 and 60 days. The experimental results indicated that corn stalk application and incubation significantly increased CO₂ partial pressure in soil profile and lowered pH value in soil solution, subsequently increased native CaCO₃ mineral dissolution and electrolyte concentration of soil solution, and finally significantly contributed to reduction on soil sodicity level. The reclamation effciency of calcareous sodic soils increased with the added corn stalk. When corn stalks were added at the rates of 22 and 34 g kg^-1 into the soil with initial ESP of 19, its ESP value was decreased by 56% and 78%, respectively, after incubation of 60 days and the leaching of 6.5 pore volumes (about 48 L of percolation water) with distilled water. Therefore, crop stalk application and incubation could be used as a choice to reclaim moderate calcareous sodic soils or as a supplement of phytoremediation to improve reclamation effciency.     

我国东南部地区红壤表土养分的淋溶及再分布

The leaching and redistribution of nutrients in the surface layer of 4 types of red soils in Southeast China were studied with a lysimeter experiment under field conditions. Results showed that the leaching concentrated in the rainy season (from April to June). Generally, the leaching of soil nutrients from the surface layer of red soils was in the order of Ca > Mg > K > NO₃-N. In fertilization treatment, the total amount of soil nutrients leached out of the surface layer in a red soil derived from granite was the highest in all soils. The uptake by grass decreased the leaching of fertilizer ions in surface layer, particularly for NO₃-N. Soil total N and exchangeable K, Ca and Mg in the surface layer decreased with leaching and grass uptake during the 2 years without new fertilization of urea, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂, KCl, CaCO₃ and MgCO₃. Ca moved from the application layer (0~5 cm) of fertilizer and accumulated in the 10~30 cm depth in the soils studied except that derived from Quaternary red clay. The deficiency of soil exchangeable K will become a serious degradation process facing the Southeast China.     

长江三角洲地区城市污泥中苯并[a]芘和菲的初步研究

To evaluate the contaminated conditions of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and phenanthrene (PA) in sludge and to ascertain whether B[a]P limit for land application of sludge exists, the contents of B[a]P and PA in 46 sludge samples from 15 cities in the Yangtze River Delta area of China were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector after ultrasonic extraction and silica gel cleanup. B[a]P contents ranged from non-detectable to 1.693 mg kg^-1 dry weight (DW), averaged 0.402 mg kg^-1 DW, and were < 1.0 mg kg^-1 DW in most of the sludge samples. PA was found in all the sludge samples analyzed; its contents ranged between 0.028 and 1.355 mg kg^-1 DW, with an average value of 0.298 mg kg^-1 DW. Most of the sludge samples contained < 0.5 mg kg^-1 DW PA. All 46 municipal sludge samples analyzed in this study showed B[a]P contents < 3.0 mg kg^-1 DW, which is the limit value for sludge applied to agricultural lands in China. The contents and distributions of B[a]P and PA in municipal sludge were related to sludge types, sources and treatment technologies, along with the physical and chemical properties of these pollutants.     

Leaching and Transformation of Nitrogen Fertilizers in Soil After Application of N with Irrigation： A Soil Column Method

A soil column method was used to compare the effect of drip fertigation （the application of fertilizer through drip irrigation systems, DFI） on the leaching loss and transformation of urea-N in soil with that of surface fertilization combined with flood irrigation （SFI）, and to study the leaching loss and transformation of three kinds of nitrogen fertilizers （nitrate fertilizer, ammonium fertilizer, and urea fertilizer） in two contrasting soils after the fertigation. In comparison to SFI, DFI decreased leaching loss of urea-N from the soil and increased the mineral N （NH4^＋-N ＋ NO3^--N） in the soil. The N leached from a clay loam soil ranged from 5.7% to 9.6% of the total N added as fertilizer, whereas for a sandy loam soil they ranged between 16.2% and 30.4%. Leaching losses of mineral N were higher when nitrate fertilizer was used compared to urea or ammonium fertilizer. Compared to the control （without urea addition）, on the first day when soils were fertigated with urea, there were increases in NH4^＋-N in the soils. This confirmed the rapid hydrolysis of urea in soil during fertigation. NH4^＋-N in soils reached a peak about 5 days after fertigation, and due to nitrification it began to decrease at day 10. After applying NH4^＋-N fertilizer and urea and during the incubation period, the mineral nitrogen in the soil decreased. This may be related to the occurrence of NH4^＋-N fixation or volatilization in the soil during the fertigation process.     

中国某些土壤中的水溶性稀土元素

Water-soluble rare earth elements (WSREEs) of four typical soil profiles in China were determined by using a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Results showed that the contents of WSREEs decreased from upper layer to lower layer of soils in the southern part of China with a high rainfall and low pH but increased for soils in the northern part of China with a low rainfall and relatively higher pH. Contents of WSREEs in soils were lower than 100 μg kg^-1 in most cases, and varied greatly with both different soils and different layers of the same profile. The highest content was 2816.3 μg kg^-1 but the lowest was 17.6 μg kg^-1 only. The content of individual rare earth lement (REE) in the soil solution also varied greatly with the highest one ranging from 8.4 to 1373 μg kg^-1 for Ce and the lowest one from 0.05 to 4.48 μg kg^-1 for Lu. The sum of WSREEs in the first soil layers ranged from 121.5 to 345.6 μg kg^-1. Great variations existed among ratios of REEs extracted with water to the total REEs of soils, ranging from 0.02×10^-3 to 13.2×10^-3. But as the upper layer was considered, the ratio showed only a small difference, ranging from 0.79×10^-3 to 1.69×10^-3.     

Effects of rainfall and manure application on phosphorus leaching in field lysimeters during fallow season

Purpose

Transformation and transport of soil phosphorus (P) from chemical fertilizer or manure are affected by agronomic practices (i.e., fertilization, irrigation, and tillage) and numerous abiotic factors (i.e., temperature, drought, and rainfall). Previous studies on the effects of manure application on P loss were mostly conducted during cultivation and often using the laboratory column approach. Validated field observations by integrating P availability with the risk of P loss are few. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rainfall and manure application on P leaching during fallow season.

Materials and methods

An in situ field lysimeter experiment was performed. Leachate was collected and analyzed for total P (TP) and dissolved reactive P (DRP). At the end of the lysimeter trial, soils were sampled incrementally to a depth of 40 cm with the following depth intervals: 0–4, 4–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm. Soil water extractable P (P_w) was analyzed and degree of P saturation (DPS) was calculated after oxalate and Mehlich-3 (M3) extractions.

Results and discussion

Phosphorus loading was found below 40 cm in all treatments and P was most concentrated in the 4–10 cm soil layer. High rainfall enhanced P leaching and consequently led to lower P_w and higher leachate DRP and TP than low rainfall. Furthermore, P leaching was observed regardless of manure application, with the highest leachate DRP (1.83 mg L^?1) and TP (7.46 mg L^?1) concentrations found at the end of experiment (day 53). Observed P leaching loads during fallow season (53 days) varied between 0.08 and 1.21 kg ha^?1. The thresholds of DPS indicating P leaching were identified at 18.9% DPS_M3(Ca) and 12.9% DPS_M3(Ca+Mg), respectively. In this study, the DPS_M3(Ca) and DPS_M3(Ca+Mg) values exceeded the corresponding thresholds in the upper 30-cm soil layer but did not reach the thresholds at 30–40 cm. Nevertheless, the leachate DRP and TP indicated soil P leaching.

Conclusions

The results showed that intensive rainfall could significantly increase P leaching from manure application. Moreover, P leaching could occur in fallow season even in the absence of manure input, which should be assessed by not only soil P sorption capacities, but also soil fertilization history and hydrologic conditions. Implementation of soil P level evaluation is critical before spreading manure on land to avoid P pollution. Cost-effective and applicable soil test methods are required to generate environmental indicators to classify agricultural lands for risk of P loss, providing basis to safe manure disposal.     

露地栽培条件下大白菜氮肥利用率与硝态氮淋溶损失研究

以我国北方主要蔬菜作物———大白菜(Brassica.penkinensis)为研究对象,利用渗滤池研究了露地栽培条件下不同供氮水平对氮肥利用率和硝酸盐淋失的影响。结果表明,施有机肥(折N120kg/hm2)的增产效果显著,不会造成硝态氮向下层土壤剖面淋溶和增加硝态氮的淋洗损失,有机肥N的利用率达25%。在有机肥的基础上施用化学氮肥的增产效果不明显,3个化学氮肥用量(375、750和1125kg/hm2)处理下VCR(产投比)值均低于2.0,而且随氮肥用量增加土壤剖面硝态氮残留量呈线性递增;渗滤池1.3m处的硝态氮淋失量分别为16.6、21.0和37.6kg/hm2,呈指数增加;氮肥表观淋失率为2.3%、1.8%和2.6%,氮肥利用率分别为7%、2.9%和2.6%,氮肥表观气态损失率分别为25.4%、37.5%和40.5%。总的来看,露地大白菜施肥水平偏高,氮肥利用率偏低,环境风险较大。     

Environmentally friendly formulations of alachlor and atrazine: preparation, characterization, and reduced leaching

Atrazine and alachlor formulations were designed by encapsulating the herbicide molecules into phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, which subsequently were adsorbed on montmorillonite. PC and montmorillonite are classified as substances of minimal toxicological risk by the U.S. EPA. PC enhanced alachlor and atrazine solubilities by 15- and 18-fold, respectively. A 6 mM PC:5 g/L clay ratio was found as optimal for PC adsorption on the clay. Active ingredient contents of the PC-clay formulations ranged up to 8.6% for atrazine and 39.5% for alachlor. Infrared spectroscopy showed hydrophobic interactions of herbicide molecules with the alkyl chains of PC, in addition to hydrophilic interactions with the PC headgroup. Release experiments in a sandy soil showed a slower rate from the PC-clay formulations than the commercial ones. Soil column experiments under moderate irrigation and bioactivity experiments indicate that a reduction in the recommended dose of alachlor and atrazine can be accomplished by using PC-clay formulations.     

灌溉水平对■土磷素淋失的影响

利用渗漏池设施,研究了3个灌溉水平（600、900和1200 m3/hm2）对土磷素淋失的影响。结果表明, 淋溶到120 cm土体的磷量随灌溉量而增加,尤其是在耕层土壤Olsen-P含量达到约70 mg/kg 时有明显增加,但渗滤液中磷浓度在高灌溉时较低。在施化肥和有机肥条件下,各灌溉水平磷淋失的形态均以可溶性磷为主,3个灌溉水平可溶性全磷分别占总淋失磷量的66%、72%和75%; 颗粒磷约为总磷的30%。可溶性磷中可溶性有机磷和钼酸盐反应磷贡献各占约50%。适量施肥,控制灌溉量是防止磷素淋失的有效手段。     

Nitrate Leaching in Pepper Cultivation with Organic Manure and Supplementary Additions of Mineral Fertilizer

Abstract

Nitrate leaching frequently is attributed to the excessive application of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and also to the organic matter incorporated in the soil. A lysimeter experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate nitrate leaching and pepper productivity in an organically fertilized substrate (prepared by application of 4 kg · m^?2 horse manure and subsequent solarization) to which three different doses of mineral fertilizers were added at 0 (T1), 157 (T2), and 313 (T3) kg N · ha^?1. The results confirmed the high contribution of organic matter to nitrate leaching, although nitrate losses in T2 and T3 were around 33% and 100% greater than in T1. Furthermore the application of mineral fertilizers (T2 and T3) combined with organic manure led to a decrease in pepper fruit productivity. The use of porous ceramic water samplers for measuring fertilizer leaching is questioned. The results also point to the need for a revaluation of irrigation and N fertilization procedures when organic manure is used in order to improve pepper yield and reduce the contamination of ground water by nitrates.     

Sorption and leaching of atrazine and MCPA in natural and peat-amended calcareous soils from Spain.

The sorption and leaching of atrazine and MCPA (0.02 M CaCl(2) aqueous solution at 25 degrees C) by a calcareous soil from Southeastern Spain, after organic carbon (OC) amendment with a commercial peat (from 0.18% to 4.61% OC), were studied in batch and soil column experiments. Adsorption capacity (K(f)) values, obtained by fitting the experimental data to the Freundlich equation, ranged from 0.24 mg kg(-)(1) for MCPA sorption on the original soil to 5.47 mg kg(-)(1) for atrazine sorption on the peat-amended soil containing 4.61% OC. The breakthrough curves obtained from the step-function soil column experiments indicated that the amount of herbicide adsorbed ranged from 17.5 mg kg(-)(1) for MCPA in the original soil to 331 mg kg(-)(1) for atrazine in the peat-amended soil containing 1.67% OC. The results obtained from the pulse experiments indicate that the mobility of MCPA is much greater than that corresponding to atrazine.     

Harsh summer conditions caused structural and specific functional changes of microbial communities in an arable soil

The mineralization of the herbicide 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (isoproturon) was reduced after the dry and hot summer 2003 in a soil profile placed in a field lysimeter. A different isoproturon mineralization pattern remained in soil material taken at two different soil depths (0–5 cm and 15–20 cm), although soil material was re-equilibrated at adequate climatic conditions. Special soil microcosms were designed to determine if the changes in this special soil function 'isoproturon mineralization' were related to the climatic scenario of summer 2003. These microcosms were filled with lysimeter soil from the 15–20 cm depth and the temperature and dryness of summer 2003 were simulated. Afterwards, soil samples were taken from the microcosms and re-equilibrated under controlled conditions for 4 weeks. Subsequently, isoproturon mineralization was investigated. The soil microbial community reduced drastically its original capability of isoproturon mineralization in the course of the model experiments.
Analysis of 16S-rRNA by denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed substantial differences in the band patterns of the bacterial communities from both depths of the field lysimeter soil and from the soil incubated in microcosms. The different soil microbial biomass determined by microcalorimetry reinforced these results. In conclusion, the factors higher temperature and smaller soil moisture content generated important and enduring changes in the microbial community structure and therefore in specific soil functions of the community, as shown here by the function of isoproturon degradation. Results are discussed in connection with environmental conditions and conservation tillage.     

Effect of long-term liquid pig manure application on atrazine mineralization in a soil cultivated with maize

Soil samples were collected in plots from a field experiment in maize monoculture receiving 0, 60 and 120 m³ ha^-1 liquid pig manure (LPM) for 19 years. Soils were sampled from the 0- to 20-cm layer in August and October 1997 and in June, July and September 1998. Subsurface samples were also evaluated in September 1998. Laboratory soil radiorespirometry was used to evaluate atrazine mineralization using [U-ring-¹⁴C]-atrazine mixed with commercially available product. The effect of atrazine dose (50, 100 and 500 mg atrazine kg^-1 soil) was evaluated on soils sampled in August 1997. For the other sampling dates, the soils were spiked with 50 mg atrazine kg^-1 soil. No LPM dose effect on atrazine mineralization was obtained in the different experiments. Increasing atrazine dose to 500 mg kg^-1 decreased significantly the mineralization rate (R_i) and the maximum of atrazine mineralized (MAX), while the time needed to mineralize 50% of MAX (DT-50%) was not significantly affected. Sampling time had a significant effect on atrazine mineralization. Atrazine mineralization in the soils sampled in June 1998 showed lower R_i and MAX than in the soils sampled at the other dates. Atrazine mineralization in subsurface soils (20–60 cm) was very variable and quite high in some samples. This may be due to atrazine pre-exposure in subsoils resulting from atrazine deep movement by preferential flow.     

Lumbricid macrofauna alter atrazine mineralization and sorption in a silt loam soil

Atrazine is a widely used herbicide and is often a contaminant in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. It is uncertain, however, how the activity of soil macrofauna affects atrazine fate and transport. Therefore, we investigated whether earthworms enhance atrazine biodegradation by stimulating herbicide degrading soil microflora, or if they increase atrazine persistence by facilitating herbicide sorption. Short (43 d) and medium term (86 d) effects of the earthworms Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea caliginosa on mineralization, distribution, and sorption of U-ring-¹⁴C atrazine and on soil C mineralization was quantified in packed-soil microcosms using silt loam soil. A priming effect (stimulation of soil C mineralization) caused by atrazine supply was shown that likely lowered the earthworm net effect on soil C mineralization in atrazine-treated soil microcosms. Although earthworms significantly increased soil microbial activity, they reduced atrazine mineralization to ¹⁴CO₂-C from15.2 to 11.7% at 86 d. Earthworms facilitated formation of non-extractable atrazine residues within C-rich soil microsites that they created by burrowing and ingesting soil and organic matter. Atrazine sorption was highest in their gut contents and higher in casts than in burrow linings. Also, gut contents exhibited the highest formation of bound atrazine residues (non-extractable atrazine). Earthworms also promoted a deeper and patchier distribution of atrazine in the soil. This contributed to greater leaching losses of atrazine in microcosms amended with earthworms (3%) than in earthworm-free microcosms (0.003%), although these differences were not significant due to high variability in transport from earthworm-amended microcosms. Our results indicated that earthworms, mainly by casting activity, facilitated atrazine sorption, which increased atrazine persistence. As a consequence, this effect overrode any increase in atrazine biodegradation due to stimulation of microbial activity by earthworms. It is concluded that the affect of earthworms of atrazine mineralization is time-dependent, mineralization being slightly enhanced in the short term and subsequently reduced in the medium term.     

Spatial heterogeneity in the metabolism and dynamics of isoproturon degrading microbial communities in soil

The characteristics of isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] metabolism were investigated in soil taken from two transects within a single field. Along transect 1, complete degradation of the parent compound occurred within 18 days, and over 40% of ring C had been metabolised after 65 days. In these soils, both side chain and ring metabolism had a short lag phase, followed by a period of rapid degradation. Along transect 2, the rate of side chain metabolism was highly variable, and 20% of ring C had been metabolised after 65 days. The dynamics of isoproturon ring C metabolism were typical of cometabolic degradation, even at sites in which enhanced side chain metabolism occurred. Isoproturon degrading organisms were found in similar numbers in soil from the two transects prior to isoproturon application. In soils from transect 1, there was considerable proliferation of degrader organisms during the lag phase, in which 40% of the isoproturon was degraded. In most soils from transect 2, there had been no proliferation of isoproturon metabolising organisms at the point of 40% metabolism. Before enhanced degradation could develop, there was clearly a requirement for the isoproturon metabolising community to reach a threshold size. Immobilisation of isoproturon ring C into the microbial biomass and formation of bound residues was lower in soil from transect 2 relative to soil from transect 1. We conclude that the in-field spatial heterogeneity of isoproturon side chain and ring metabolism, the formation of bound residues and the immobilisation of pesticide residues in the biomass, results from variation in the development and significance of growth linked and cometabolic degradation.