Prevention of Iron‐Deficiency Induced Chlorosis in Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) Through Soil Application of Synthetic Vivianite in a Calcareous Soil

Abstract

In this study we have tested the hypothesis that lime‐induced Fe deficiency chlorosis of kiwifruit may be prevented by the application of a synthetic iron(II)‐phosphate analogous to the mineral vivianite [(Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O)]. Two experiments, under greenhouse and field conditions, were performed. In the greenhouse, 1‐year old micropropagated plants (Actinidia deliciosa, cv. Hayward), grown in 3‐L pots on a calcareous soil, were treated in early autumn with soil‐applied: (1) synthetic vivianite (1.35 g plant^?1) and (2) Fe‐EDDHA (24 mg Fe plant^?1). The synthetic vivianite suspension, prepared by dissolving ferrous sulfate and mono‐ammonium phosphate, was injected into the soil as a sole application whereas the Fe‐EDDHA solution was applied four times at weekly intervals. The field experiment was conducted in a mature drip‐irrigated kiwifruit orchard located on a calcareous soil in the Eastern Po Valley (Italy). Treatments were performed in early autumn by injecting synthetic vivianite (1.8 kg tree^?1) and Fe‐EDDHA (600 mg Fe tree^?1) into four holes in the soil around each tree, at a depth of 25–30 cm. The Fe‐chelate application was repeated at the same rate in the following spring. Untreated (control) plants were used in both experiments. Autumn‐applied Fe fertilisers significantly prevented development of Fe chlorosis under greenhouse conditions whereas in the field only vivianite was effective. In conclusion, these 1‐year results show that vivianite represents an effective alternative to soil‐applied Fe chelates for preventing Fe chlorosis in kiwifruit orchards.     

Soil Remediation – Mercury Speciation in Soil and Vapor Phase During Thermal Treatment

Spectroscopic (XRD, XPS, ICP-MS and AAS) and microscopic (ESEM) techniques have been used in order to study the chemical effects with emphasis on mercury speciation, during thermal treatment of a mercury contaminated soil. In the untreated soil, mercury was found concentrated in spherical particles, which were successively broken down upon thermal treatment. Hg⁰ and inorganic mercury compounds (presumably HgO(s) and HgSO₄(s)) could be detected. No (CH₃)₂Hg and only traces of CH₃Hg⁺ could be found. The dependence on temperature and heating time indicated that the evaporation of mercury from the soil was partly controlled by diffusion mechanisms. Mercury volatilized in two separate stages during heating; initial elemental vaporization, and subsequent volatilization of the oxide or sulfate phase at higher temperatures (>230°C). By thermal treatment at 470°C and 20 min, a removal of >99% of the mercury could be achieved.     

Soil Water Balance Measurement in Field Scale

A 5-year experiment on water balance has been conducted in a flat rainfed wheat field with an area of 66×100m² in Fengqiu, Henan Province in China. Based on the analysis of semi-variance functions conducted with soil moisture samples taken from 77 nodes of a 10×10m² grid, the soil moisture distribution in the field was structural with a temporal stability. According to the autocorrelation range of the semi-variance function, S sites were selected for the determination of soil water conditions. The characteristic of probability density function of the differences of water storage in two sets of measurements showed that the distribution of these variables in the field was a normal one. The error in the estimation of the average of S random samples was 14% (α=0.10), and the errors of water consumption by wheat during the experiments were estimated to be 6-13%.Since the experimental field was large enough to avoid any edge effect, the results obtained should tally with the actual situation.     

Assessment of Heavy Metals in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Grown in Sewage Sludge–Amended Soil

The assessment of heavy metals in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) grown in sewage sludge–amended soil was investigated. The results revealed that sewage sludge significantly (P < 0.01) increased the nutrients and heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in the soil. The contents of metals were found to be below the maximum levels permitted for soils in India. The most agronomic performance and biochemical components of S. oleracea were found at 50% concentrations of sewage sludge in both seasons. The contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Zn in S. oleracea were increased from 5% to 100% concentrations of sewage sludge in both seasons. The order of contamination factor (Cf) of different heavy metals was Mn > Cd > Cr > Zn > Cu for soil and Cr > Cd > Mn > Zn > Cu for S. oleracea plants after application of sewage sludge. Therefore, use of sewage sludge increased concentrations of heavy metals in soil and S. oleracea.     

Evaluation of Soil Tests for Plant‐available Mercury in a Soil–Crop Rotation System

A reliable soil test is needed for estimating mercury (Hg) availability to crop plants. In this study, four extraction procedures including 0.1 M hydrochloric acid (HCl), 1 M ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc) (pH 7.0), 0.005 M diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), and 0.1 M calcium chloride (CaCl₂) (pH5.0) were compared for their adequacy in predicting soil Hg availability to crop plants of a rice–cabbage–radish rotation system. The amounts of Hg extracted by each of the four procedures increased with increasing equilibrium time. The optimal time required for extraction of soil Hg was approximately 30 min, though it varied slightly among the four extractants. The amounts of Hg extracted decreased with increasing soil/solution ratio, and a soil/solution ratio of 1:5 appeared to be adequate for soil Hg availability tests. The amounts of Hg extracted increased in the order of NH₄OAc < CaCl₂ < DTPA < HCl in silty loam soil (SLS) soil, and the order was NH₄OAc < CaCl₂ ≈ DTPA < HCl in yellowish red soil (YRS) soil. Significant positive correlations among the four extractants were obtained in SLS soil. In contrast, the correlations were poor in YRS soil, especially for HCl. There were significant correlations between concentrations of Hg in edible tissue of three plants and the amounts of soil Hg extractable to the four extractants for soil–rice system and soil–radish system, but not for soil–Chinese cabbage system. The 0.1M HCl extraction overall provided the best estimation of soil‐available Hg and could be used to predict phytoavailability of Hg in soil–crop systems.     

Integration of Soil pH with Soil‐Test Values of Zinc for Prediction of Yield Response in Rice Grown in Mollisols

Seventeen Mollisols having pH_(1:2) in the range of 6.00 to 8.42 were analyzed with five extractants, and the extractable zinc (Zn) ranges were 0.84 to 2.75 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) (pH 7.3), 0.91 to 2.72 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for DTPA + ammonium bicarbonate (pH 7.6), 1.82 to 7.18 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for Mehlich 3, 1.22 to 3.83 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) + ammonium carbonate, and 0.88 to 1.18 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for 1 mol L^?1 magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) (pH 6.0). Zinc extracted by DTPA (pH 7.3) and Mehlich 3 showed significant positive correlation with sand content, whereas only Mehlich 3 showed negative correlation with soil pH. All extractants showed significant positive correlation with each other except for 1 mol L^?1 MgCl₂‐extractable Zn, which had significant positive correlation with only Mehlich 3– and EDTA + ammonium carbonate–extractable Zn. A greenhouse experiment showed that Bray's percentage yield of rice was poorly correlated to extractable soil Zn but had a significant and negative linear correlation with soil pH (r = ?0.662, significant at p = 0.01). Total Zn uptake by rice had a significant positive correlation with 1 mol L^?1 MgCl₂– and Mehlich 3–extractable Zn. A proposed parameter (p extractable Zn + p OH^?) involving both soil extractable Zn and pH terms together showed significant and positive correlation with Bray's percentage yield and total Zn uptake of rice. The calculated values of critical limits of soil Zn in terms of the proposed parameter were 14.1699 for DTPA (pH 7.3), 13.9587 for DTPA + ammonium bicarbonate, 13.7016 for Mehlich 3, 13.9402 for EDTA + ammonium carbonate, and 14.1810 for 1 mol L^?1 MgCl₂ (pH 6.0). The critical limits of Zn in rice grain and straw were 17.32 and 22.95 mg Zn kg^?1 plant tissue, respectively.     

Soil Conservation in Europe: Wish or Reality?

Nearly all of Europe is affected by soil erosion. A major policy response is required to reverse the impacts of erosion in degraded areas, particularly in light of the current climate change and water crisis. Soil loss occurs not because of any lack of knowledge on how to protect soils, but a lack in policy governance. The average rate of soil loss by sheet and rill erosion in Europe is 2·46 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. To mitigate the impacts of soil erosion, the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy has introduced conservation measures which reduce soil loss by water erosion by 20% in arable lands. Further economic and political action should rebrand the value of soil as part of ecosystem services, increase the income of rural land owners, involve young farmers and organize regional services for licensing land use changes. In a changing World of 9 billion people with the challenge of climate change, water scarcity and depletion of soil fertility, the agriculture economy should evolve taking into account environmental and ecological aspects. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Land Degradation & Development Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Biosolids‐Amended Soil

Abstract

A single biosolids application was made to 1.5×2.3 m confined plots of a Davidson clay loam (Rhodic Kandiudult) in 1984 at 0, 42, 84, 126, 168, and 210 Mg ha^?1. The highest biosolids application supplied 750 and 600 kg ha^?1 of Cu and Zn, respectively. Corn (Zea mays L.), from 1984 to 2000, and radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longifolia), from 2001 to 2004, were grown at the site to assess heavy‐metal bioavailability. Extractable (0.005 diethylenetriamine (DTPA) and Mehlich 1) Cu and Zn were determined on 0 to 15‐cm depth samples from each plot. Corn yield increased with biosolids rate each year until 1993 to 1997, when yield decreased with biosolids rate because of phytotoxicity induced by low (<5.0) soil pH. The corn yield reduction was reversed between 1998 and 2000 upon raising the soil pH to approximately 6.0 by limestone addition following the 1997 season. Between 2001 and 2004, radish and lettuce yields were either not affected or slightly increased with biosolids rate, even as soil pH declined to below 5.5. Plant‐tissue metal concentrations increased with biosolids rate and as pH declined but were always within the normal range of these crops. Mehlich 1 and DTPA extractable metals increased linearly with biosolids rate. Extractability of Cu and Zn decreased approximately 50% over the past 20 years despite a decrease in soil organic matter concentration and greater than 95% conservation of the metals.     

Microspectroscopy – Promising Techniques to Characterize Phosphorus in Soil

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for all forms of life and is applied as fertilizer in agriculture. The P availability for plants may be highly dependent on the chemical state of P in fertilizers and soils; however, the nature of this dependence remains obscure due to the limitations of generally applied wet chemical and instrumental analytical approaches. This paper focuses on recently developed infrared, Raman, ultraviolet and X-ray microspectroscopic techniques for the characterization of P in soil. Microspectroscopic techniques have the advantage that discrete P phases can be distinguished and characterized even if their mass fractions are very low. However, only small volumes of soil can be analyzed by microspectroscopic methods hence a combination of macro- and microspectroscopic techniques is a promising concept.     

Review of Trends in Soil Fertility Research (2007–2016) using Scopus Database

A critical analysis of publications on soil fertility was carried out using data from Scopus database for the period of 2007–2016. A total of 16,612 articles were found relating to soil fertility. An exponential increase was evident from the review of published literature and scientists involved in the soil fertility research also increased over period of time. The journals Soil Science and Plant Nutrition and Acta Ecologica Sinica were major publishers of the soil fertility research. Giller K. E. from Wageningen University, The Netherlands was a major contributor followed by Salvati L. of Centro Per Lo Studio Delle Relazioni Piñata-Suolo, Italy. China was the most productive country with 3323 articles. Cluster analysis of author-supplied keywords showed five clusters, namely, desertification, soil organic carbon, plant nutrition, nitrogen, and geostatic. This work will be useful to researchers to know the trends in soil fertility research.     

Distribution and Accumulation of Copper and Cadmium in Soil–Rice System as Affected by Soil Amendments

The effects of seven amendments on the distribution and accumulation of copper and cadmium in a soil–rice system were investigated using a pot experiment. Results showed that application of limestone, calcium magnesium phosphate (Ca–Mg–P fertilizer), calcium silicate (silicon fertilizer), Chinese milk vetch, pig manure, and peat significantly decreased the concentrations of Cu and Cd in rice roots by 24.8–75.3% and 9.7–49.9%, respectively. However, no significant difference was observed between zinc sulfate (zinc fertilizer) and the control treatment. The concentrations of Cu and Cd in different parts of rice followed the order: root > straw > grain, and all amendments restrained the transfer of Cu and Cd from rice root to stem. Copper and Cd concentrations in rice stems at the tillering stage were the highest, and then decreased from the tillering stage to the heading stage. However, they increased again at the ripening stage. The results also showed that application of amendments changed Cu and Cd solubility in soil and decreased their bioavailability, which resulted in the reduction of Cu and Cd uptake by rice. Significant correlations between the concentrations of Cu and Cd in soil solutions and in rice stems were found. The result demonstrated that limestone has the best efficiency among all the amendments used in reducing Cu and Cd contamination to rice production.     

Crop and Soil Responses to Fertilization with Distillers’ Grains–Derived Manure in a Saskatchewan Soil

A 2-year field trial was conducted to evaluate crop and soil responses to application of manure from cattle fed distillers’ grain (DGM) in comparison with manure from cattle fed regular barley grain (BGM). Manure addition in general promoted grain and straw yield and increased plant nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake in both years by approximately 30–50%. In the first year, effect of manure type on crop responses was insignificant, which is consistent with the similar chemical composition of both manures. In the second year, P recovery was greater in DGM treatments, presumably related to a relatively greater P in DGM. Manure application in general increased soil residual nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^– N) and available P contents at 0–15 cm deep. The high background fertility of studied soil together with the excess moisture during the second year may have masked the significant effects of manure type on most crop and soil responses during this study.     

How Can Organic Amendments Help to Bind Sulfadiazine in the Soil? – An Iranian Soil Study

ABSTRACT

Veterinary antibiotics can enter the environment especially agricultural soils via animal manure application in which Sulfadiazine (SDZ) is considered as one of the most used antibiotic. After soil application, it may be transported into subsurface water. The sorption behavior of SDZ is not only influenced by the soil type but also by soil organic matters as well. Hence, an experiment was executed aimed to study sorption/desorption processes of SDZ under experimental conditions in three various soils treated by different bio fertilizers including rice husk compost (RHC), rice husk biochar (RHB) and Micrococcus yunnanensis (My) bacterium. Sorption/desorption data of soils with and without bio-fertilizers were well fitted with Freundlich model (R² = 0.97). Results showed that bio-amended soils had higher values of k_d sorption ranged from 1.16 to 52.4 without and with bio-fertilizers application respectively, proposing low sorption of SDZ with substantial risk of leaching without bio-fertilizers application. Also for the desorption cycle values of K_d increased from 1.03 to 39.1 without and with bio-fertilizers application, respectively. Furthermore, there was a hysteresis effect using organic matter. As a result of bio-fertilizers application, a significant value of SDZ was strongly adsorbed on the soil particles which was not desorb through desorption process.     

Heavy‐Metal Contamination of Soil and Vegetables in Wastewater‐Irrigated Agricultural Soil in a Suburban Area of Hanoi,Vietnam

The To Lich and Kim Nguu Rivers, laden with untreated waste from industrial sources, serve as sources of water for irrigating vegetable farms. The purposes of this study were to identify the impact of wastewater irrigation on the level of heavy metals in the soils and vegetables and to predict their potential mobility and bioavailability. Soil samples were collected from different distances from the canal. The average concentrations of the heavy metals in the soil were in the order zinc (Zn; 204 mg kg^?1) > copper (Cu; 196 mg kg^?1) > chromium (Cr; 175 mg kg^?1) > lead (Pb; 131 mg kg^?1) > nickel (Ni; 60 mg kg^?1) > cadmium (Cd; 4 mg kg^?1). The concentrations of all heavy metals in the study site were much greater than the background level in that area and exceeded the permissible levels of the Vietnamese standards for Cd, Cu, and Pb. The concentrations of Zn, Ni, and Pb in the surface soil decreased with distance from the canal. The results of selective sequential extraction indicated that dominant fractions were oxide, organic, and residual for Ni, Pb, and Zn; organic and oxide for Cr; oxide for Cd; and organic for Cu. Leaching tests for water and acid indicated that the ratio of leached metal concentration to total metal concentration in the soil decreased in the order of Cd > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cu > Zn and in the order of Cd > Ni > Cr > Zn > Cu > Pb for the ethylenediaminetetraaceitc acid (EDTA) treatment. The EDTA treatment gave greater leachability than other treatments for most metal types. By leaching with water and acid, all heavy metals were fully released from the exchangeable fraction, and some heavy metals were fully released from carbonate and oxide fractions. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the vegetables exceeded the Vietnamese standards. The transfer coefficients for the metals were in the order of Zn > Ni > Cu > Cd = Cr > Pb.     

Soil Cover with Organic Mulch and Its Influences on Soil Physical Parameters (Ⅲ)——Soil Temperature Regime under Organic Mulch

以田间实验为基础，分析了在不同厚度的有机物覆盖层下土壤温度变化的机制并与未覆盖条件下的土壤温度进行了比较。实验结果表明，有机物覆盖使土壤的日最高温度和日平均温度降低，但却使土壤的日最低温度得以提高。     

Ratios of Closely Related Elements in Soil and Their Implications

This paper has investigated the ratios of closely related elements such as Mn, Cr, V, Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ba, Sr, La and Ce in the major soils of China, and the factors affecting them, and explored their use as indicators in soil formation, material transport and environmental pollution. Results show that the effect of soil-forming processes on the ratios of closely related elements varied with different elements, and became greater in the sequence of Ce/La <V/Cr=Ni/Co<Zn/Cu=Zn/Pb<Zn/Cd <Mn/Cr <Ba/Sr. The magnitude of the variation in the ratios of closely related elements depended on the chemical properties of the elements themselves, on the one hand, and the parent material and climatic conditions on the other.     

Microbial PAH-Degradation in Soil： Degradation Pathways and Contributing Factors

Adverse effects on the environment and high persistence in the microbial degradation and environmental fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） are motivating interest. Many soil microorganisms can degrade PAHs and use various metabolic pathways to do so. However, both the physio-chemical characteristics of compounds as well as the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils can drastically influence the degradation capacity of naturally occurring microorganisms for field bioremediation. Modern biological techniques have been widely used to promote the efficiency of microbial PAH-degradation and make the biodegradation metabolic pathways more clear. In this review microbial degradation of PAHs in soil is discussed, with emphasis placed on the main degradation pathways and the environmental factors affecting biodegradation.     

Soil fertility survey in Western Usambara Mountains, Northern Tanzania

Soil samples from thirty sites representing four agro-ecological zones in the Western Usambara Mountains （WUM） of the Lushoto District in northern Tanzania were collected and analyzed for different nutrients. The results suggested that the major soil fertility constraint was P deficiency. On the basis of critical levels established in other areas, 90% of the soils were ranked as P deficient. This was followed by N, which was ranked as inadequate in 73% of the sites. Magnesium, K, and Ca also appeared limiting with 67%, 53% and 50% of the soils falling below the established critical values, respectively. A few soils （10%） were also found to contain exchangeable Al. The metallic micronutrients （Cu, Fe, and Zn） were adequate in all soils. Two sites had excessive Mn that could lead to toxicity in crops, and one was Mn deficient.     

Soil degradation during the period 1967–1995 in Bangladesh

Long-term changes in carbon and nitrogen storage in the top 100 em layers of soils from different physiographic units in Bangladesh were evaluated using 460 soil samples from 43 profiles collected in 1967 and 1994/95. The study area consisted of ten physiographic units, viz.: Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain (OHP), Tista Floodplain (TF), Barind Tract (BT), Ganges Floodplain (GF), Madhupur Tract (MT), Brahmaputra Floodplain (BF), Meghna River and Estuarine Floodplain (MF), Surma-Kushiyara Floodplain (SKF), Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plain (NEP), and Chittagong Coastal Plain (CCP).

During the period 1967–1995, mean values of soil carbon and nitrogen declined by 16.2 t C ha^-1 and 1.38 t N ha^-1 in Bangladesh. The total carbon and nitrogen budgets showed a fall of 42.8 × 10⁶ t C and 3.36 × 10⁶ t N within the 27 y period in Bangladesh. All the physiographic units showed a decline in carbon and nitrogen contents except for BT which showed an increase of 3.76 t C ha^-1 and 0.77 t N ha^-1 for these elements. MT showed the highest decline in carbon (30.5 t C ha^-1) and nitrogen (3.25 t N ha^-1). The lowest decline in carbon was observed in SKF (7.18 t C ha^-1) while the same applied to nitrogen in GF (0.50 t N ha^-1). The other physiographic units showed a moderate decline in the contents of these elements.

Based on the land area occupied by the sampled soil series of each physiographic unit, GF showed the highest decline of 13.7×10⁶ t C and a moderate decline of 0.52 × 10⁶ t N. Decrease in the carbon level for BF was moderate (9.31 × 10⁶ t C) but the decline in the nitrogen level was the highest (0.95 × 10⁶ t N). Decrease in the amount of carbon and nitrogen stored for the other physiographic units was: OHP (0.67 × 10⁶ t C, 0.03 × 10⁶ t N), TF (2.54 × 10⁶ t C, 0.25 × 10⁶ t N), MT (4.28 × 10⁶ t C, 0.45 × 10⁶ t N), MF (6.06 × 10⁶ t C, 0.61 × 10⁶ t N), SKF (2.87×10⁶ t C, 0.24×10⁶ t N), NEP (2.68×10⁶ t C, 0.22×10⁶ t N), and CCP (0.81 × 10⁶ t C, 0.11 × 10⁶ t N). Increase in carbon and nitrogen contents was only observed in BT (0.08 × 10⁶ t C, 0.02 × 10⁶ t N).