EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND SOIL DRYING ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF (14C) GLUCOSE IN SOIL

Two different soils, either fresh, or dried and remoistened, were incubated with 1% labelled glucose for 28 days at about 20° or 5 °C and the transformation of the glucose to other sugars measured. Xylose formed a much greater proportion of the sugars synthesized at low temperature in pre-dried soil than in fresh soil, or at 20 °C in pre-dried or fresh soil. Numbers of bacteria, fungi (including actinomycetes) and yeasts were determined for each type of incubation. Because the combination of conditions leading to xylose synthesis by yeasts in predried soil are unlikely in the natural state it is concluded that most soil xylose originates in the residues of plants.     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF LABELLED SUGARS IN SOIL PARTICLE SIZE FRACTIONS AS A MEANS OF DISTINGUISHING PLANT AND MICROBIAL CARBOHYDRATE RESIDUES

Soils of the Countesswells and Insch series incubated with ¹⁴C labelled glucose or plant materials have been separated into clay (< 2 μm), silt, (2–20 μm), fine sand (20–250 μm) and coarse sand (>250μm) fractions and the distribution of individual labelled and unlabelled sugars was determined in each fraction. Both soils contained about 10–15 per cent clay, 18–23 per cent silt and about 60 per cent fine and coarse sand. For all soil samples the concentrations of sugars were usually greatest in the clay, slightly less in the silt, with values in the sand fractions being five or ten times lower, except when fresh plant material was present. In ¹⁴C glucose amended Insch soil, 55 per cent of the radioactivity in sugars (predominantly hexoses) occurred in the clay, 36 per cent in the silt, 3 per cent in the fine sand and 6 per cent in the coarse sand after 28 days incubation. For the Countesswells soil the values were 55, 42, 2 and 1 per cent respectively. In ¹⁴C ryegrass amended soil before incubation. 77 per cent of the radioactivity in sugars (predominantly glucose, arabinose and xylose) was in the coarse sand. After one year's incubation this had fallen to 59 per cent. In soil amended with ¹⁴C cereal rye straw the distribution of radioactivity in sugars after four years incubation was: clay, 21 per cent; silt, 43 per cent; fine sand, 21 per cent; coarse sand, 4 per cent. These distributions were compared with that of the naturally occurring sugars: clay, 31–42 per cent; silt, 40–43 per cent; fine sand, 3–11 per cent; coarse sand, 12–20 per cent.     

Resistance of microbial populations in DDT-contaminated and uncontaminated soils

One DDT-contaminated soil and two uncontaminated soils were used to enumerate DDT-resistant microbes (bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) by using soil dilution agar plates in media either with 150 μg DDT ml⁻¹ or without DDT at different temperatures (25, 37 and 55°C). Microbial populations in this study were significantly (p<0.001) affected by DDT in the growth medium. However, the numbers of microbes in long-term contaminated and uncontaminated soils were similar, presumably indicating that DDT-resistant microbes had developed over a long time exposure. The tolerance of isolated soil microbes to DDT varied in the order fungi>actinomycetes>bacteria. Bacteria from contaminated soil were more resistant to DDT than bacteria from uncontaminated soils. Microbes isolated at different temperatures also demonstrated varying degrees of DDT resistance. For example, bacteria and actinomycetes isolated at all incubation temperatures were sensitive to DDT. Conversely fungi isolated at all temperatures were unaffected by DDT.     

THE ORIGIN OF THE PENTOSE FRACTION OF SOIL POLYSACCHARIDE

Incubation of soil with monosaccharide for 224 days resulted in the evolution of about 80 per cent of the substrate carbon as CO₂ and the transformation of 3 per cent to soil sugars whether the substrate was ¹⁴C-glucose or xylose and whether the soil was pH 7.4 or pH 5.0. There was no detectable change in the total amounts of individual sugars in the soil during incubation. ¹⁴C-glucose and xylose gave the same distribution of radioactivity among the soil sugars : hexoses and 6-deoxy-hexoses were initially well labelled, with glucose having twice the specific activity of the other sugars. As the incubation progressed some activity appeared in the pentoses (the activity in xylose became very low within the first 14 days of the ¹⁴C-xylose incubation) and that in the hexoses slowly declined, with glucose no longer predominant. Nevertheless after 448 days the hexoses were still 3–4 times more radioactive than the pentoses. The activity in rhamnose did not decline with time so that eventually it became the most strongly labelled sugar. Incubation of soil with glucose and ¹⁴C-acetate showed very little transformation of the acetate to sugars indicating that glucose is not metabolized to C₂ compounds before it is transformed to other sugars. Ammo-acids in soil incubated for 7 days with ¹⁴C-glucose had much lower levels of radioactivity than hexoses or 6-deoxy-hexoses. It is concluded that if soil pentose originates by microbial synthesis it must accumulate slowly by a long process of selective decomposition of a mixture of polysaccharides.     

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NITRIFICATION IN SOILS FROM ARID AND SEMI-ARID AREAS OF ISRAEL

The influence of different factors on the nitrification of an added ammonium salt and inherent soil-N in soils from arid and semi-arid areas of Israel was investigated. Nitrification of ammonium-N proceeded rapidly at 28°C but was inhibited partially or completely in soils incubated at 37·40°C. In contrast, nitrate formation from inherent soil-N proceeded better at 37·40 °C than at 28 °C. Bacteriological examination showed that a temperature of 37·40 °C had an injurious effect on the population of nitrifiers, especially the nitrate-forming bacteria. Nitrification by the Nitrosomonas-Nitrobacter group in culture media was also markedly inhibited at 37 °C as compared with that at 28 °C. Chloromycetin at a concentration of 25 mg per 100 g soil, and potassium chlorate at a concentration of 10^-3m suppressed the formation of nitrate from ammonium, but did not exert any appreciable effect upon nitrate formation from inherent soil nitrogen. Sodium sulphacetamide inhibited the production of nitrate from ammonium-N more strongly than that from inherent soil-N. Marked differences in the two nitrification processes in the soils investigated provided good evidence that the greater part of nitrate originating from soil-N is produced by some process other than that which is responsible for nitrification of ammonium-N.     

MEASUREMENT OF LOSSES FROM FERTILIZER NITROGEN DURING INCUBATION IN ACID SANDY SOILS AND DURING SUBSEQUENT GROWTH OF RYEGRASS, USING 15N-LABELLED FERTILIZERS

Ammonium sulphate and calcium nitrate both containing excess ¹⁵N were applied to four acid sandy soils; two were from old arable fields and two from grassland, selected so that one of each pair was about pH 5 and the other about pH 6 (in water). The soils were incubated for 6 weeks at 21°C in large glazed earthenware pots, one set with the nitrification inhibitor 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine added and another without inhibitor. Ammonium and nitrate N were determined at intervals, and the total-N at the start and after 6 weeks. The atom per cent ¹⁵N in the mineral-N extracted from soils treated with ammonium sulphate was determined after 0, 3, and 6 weeks, and in the total-N of all the soils given N-fertilizer at 0 and 6 weeks. Much added N was immobilized at first, but some was re-mineralized during the second half of the incubation. Mineral-N extracted from soils treated with ammonium sulphate contained less ¹⁵N than the fertilizer added, showing that part of the apparent re-mineralization during the second half was from unlabelled soil organic matter. After incubating for 6 weeks less than 5 per cent of the N added as nitrate was lost but about 5 per cent of the labelled-N added as ammonium sulphate was lost from the two grassland soils. Adding the inhibitor prevented this loss. After incubating, the soil remaining in each jar was halved to provide duplicate pots and sown with ryegrass. A similar series of pots with the same treatments (but with unlabelled fertilizer) was also prepared from the soils that had been stored slightly moist and at 21°C; these were sown with ryegrass. All pots were harvested after 42 days and again after 70 days. More than 93 per cent of the labelled-N was recovered in plants and soil, except from the two grassland soils to which calcium nitrate was added. It is concluded that while a little nitrogen may be lost during nitrification in some of these soils, more nitrogen may be lost during the growth of grass, when nitrate is present in relatively large amounts. The nitrification inhibitor decreased yields of grass at the first cutting on grassland soils treated with ammonium, but increased them on soil treated with nitrate, suggesting that changing the proportions of nitrate to ammonium by adding the inhibitor alters the growth rate and yield of grass.     

THE REACTION OF FLUORIDE WITH SOILS AND SOIL MINERALS

The reaction of sodium fluoride solution with soils and soil minerals at constant pH has been assessed as a possible single-value characteristic in the classification of soils, particularly those containing significant amounts of poorly ordered inorganic material. A suitable method involves reaction of the soil or clay at 25°C with 0·85 M sodium fluoride at pH 6·8, the amount of OH^? released after 25 min being taken as the single-value characteristic. There was a statistically significant correlation between the amount of OH^? released and the amount of alumina extracted with cold 5 per cent sodium carbonate solution from both freely drained and poorly drained Scottish soils. The multiple correlation coefficients were improved for freely drained soils by including the dithionite-extracted ferric oxide and the silica soluble in 5 per cent sodium carbonate solution. The procedure is not suitable for surface soils, because of interference by organic matter, or for carbonate-containing soils unless carbonate is removed.     

Effect of heptachlor on numbers of bacteria,actinomycetes and fungi in soil

Growth of many soil microorganisms was inhibited on culture media containing heptachlor. At a concentration of 25 mg/l., heptachlor killed 63 per cent of the bacteria transferred from soil dilution plates. Heptachlor, at 100 mg/1. in agar media used for isolating microorganisms from soil, prevented the development of 89 per cent of the bacteria, 81 per cent of the actinomycetes, and 50 per cent of the fungi that appeared on isolation plates without heptachlor. After heptachlor was added to soil, fungal populations declined and bacterial populations increased. Numbers of bacteria were related to amount of heptachlor added; higher concentrations of heptachlor in soil resulted in larger populations. A selective increase in numbers of fungi which would grow on media containing heptachlor at 100 mg/l. occurred in soils amended with heptachlor in amounts ordinarily used in field practices, but a similar increase of heptachlor-resistant bacteria occurred only in soils amended with higher amounts of heptachlor.     

THE ORIGIN OF SOIL POLYSACCHARIDE: TRANSFORMATION OF SUGARS DURING THE DECOMPOSITION IN SOIL OF PLANT MATERIAL LABELLED WITH 14C

Incubation of soil with ¹⁴C-rye straw for 448 days resulted in the evolution of about 50 per cent of the carbon of the substrate as CO₂ The two main sugars of the straw, glucose and xylose, were degraded to approximately the same extent (70 per cent). The same results were obtained whether the soil was derived from granitic or basic igneous parent material. There was very little transformation of the substrate to galactose, mannose, arabinose, rhamnose, or fucose, and a much slower rate of degradation than with soil incubated with ¹⁴C-glucose over a similar period. Hydrolysis of the soil samples by a preliminary treatment with 5 N H₂SO₄, before treatment with 24 N H₂SO₄, followed by heating with N H₂SO₄ did not release significantly greater amounts of sugar than treatment with 24 N H₂SO₄ and N H₂SO₄ alone. Separate analysis of the hydrolysates showed that 90 per cent of each of galactose, mannose, arabinose, xylose, rhamnose, or fucose had been extracted by 5 N H₂SO₄, but only 50 per cent of the glucose. Fractionation of the straw-soil mixture after 224 days incubation showed that the specific activity of the glucose was higher in the humin fraction than in the fulvic acid, as would be expected if the remaining ¹⁴C were still in the form of unchanged plant material. This evidence that plant polysaccharide persists in soil could explain the presence of much of the xylose in the soil organic matter.     

DDT Resistance and Transformation by Different Microbial Strains Isolated from DDT-Contaminated Soils and Compost Materials

Bioremediation is a potential option to treat 1, 1, 1-trichloro-2, 2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) contaminated sites. In areas where suitable microbes are not present, the use of DDT resistant microbial inoculants may be necessary. It is vital that such inoculants do not produce recalcitrant breakdown products e.g. 1, 1-dichloro-2, 2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE). Therefore, this work aimed to screen DDT-contaminated soil and compost materials for the presence of DDT-resistant microbes for use as potential inoculants. Four compost amended soils, contaminated with different concentrations of DDT, were used to isolate DDT-resistant microbes in media containing 150 mg l^?1 DDT at three temperatures (25, 37 and 55°C). In all soils, bacteria were more sensitive to DDT than actinomycetes and fungi. Bacteria isolated at 55°C from any source were the most DDT sensitive. However DDT-resistant bacterial strains showed more promise in degrading DDT than isolated fungal strains, as 1, 1-dichloro 2, 2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDD) was a major bacterial transformation product, while fungi tended to produce more DDE. Further studies on selected bacterial isolates found that the most promising bacterial strain (Bacillus sp. BHD-4) could remove 51% of DDT from liquid culture after 7 days growth. Of the amount transformed, 6% was found as DDD and 3% as DDE suggesting that further transformation of DDT and its metabolites occurred.     

Influence of irrigation with pulp and paper mill effluent on soil chemical and microbiological properties

Summary Irrigation of sugarcane crops with combined pulp and paper mill effluent increased soil pH, organic C, N, P, and K. Over a period of 15 years effluent application increased exchangeable Na by 4.5-fold compared with control soil (well-water irrigated), which ultimately elevated the Na adsorption ratio of the soils. The combined effluent irrigation increased the soil populations of bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, rhizobia, and yeasts. The populations of soil microorganisms were higher after 15 years of effluent treatment, followed by 3, 2, and 1 year of effluent treatment; these populations were directly proportional to soil organic C and to the available nutrient status of the soils. Regular monitoring of microflora showed a considerable change in the populations from one sampling month to another. Soil samples, including the control, collected in May (summer) showed maximum counts of bacteria, fungi, rhizobia, and yeasts.     

Long-term effects of temperature on carbon mineralisation processes

The long-term effects of temperature on soil C mineralisation were investigated in two experiments using ¹⁴C labelled wheat straw incubated in organic soils from five coniferous forests located in different climate zones of Western Europe. In the first experiment, samples were incubated in the laboratory at 4, 10, 16, 23 or 30°C, with constant moisture, and the loss of ¹⁴C was monitored for 550 days. Double negative exponential functions fitted to the ¹⁴C loss data at different temperatures were used to define the relative proportions of labile and recalcitrant components in the original straw. The estimated proportions of these constituents were related to incubation temperatures with the amount of C reflecting the labile fraction increasing with increasing temperature. In the second experiment samples mixed with the labelled straw were incubated at 4, 16 or 30°C until the same percentage of ¹⁴C loss was reached. The samples were then incubated again at a common temperature for 30 days and CO₂ production was measured to assess the lability of the remaining material. For all the soils, the amount of readily decomposed material was higher in samples conditioned at 4° than at 30°C. It was concluded that in addition to temperature controlling rates of C mineralisation in soil it also affects the processes of decomposition so that material produced at higher temperatures was more recalcitrant than at lower temperatures.     

Degradation of benzoic acid in the terrestrial crustacean, Oniscus asellus

The rate of respiration of radioactive CO₂ from fasting Oniscus asellus L. during 7.5 days was qualitatively similar for ring-labeled and carboxyl-labeled benzoic acid. The rate of respiration of ring-labeled benzoic acid during 7 days was quantitatively similar for isopods that were fed throughout, and had received 0.09 μg benzoic 1-¹⁴C acid with or without a “load” of 30 μg of unlabeled benzoic acid. The “loaded” animals displayed a qualitative difference in respiring greater quantities of CO₂ at night vs day.At 15°C in July, 24.4 per cent of the radioactivity from an injected dose of benzoic l-¹⁴C acid was respired over a 7 day period; 1.3 per cent was excreted; 1.9 per cent was present as carbonates; 5.4 per cent was ether-extractable, of which 48 per cent was chromatographically accountable as benzoic acid; and 56.7 per cent of the label was retained in the body.Ring-labeled carbon from benzoic acid was incorporated into the tissues of the isopod. An analysis of a hydrolyzate from the soluble cellular fraction showed at least six identifiable amino acids and four unidentifiable components.     

TRANSFORMATION OF SUGARS WHEN RYE HEMICELLULOSE LABELLED WITH 14C DECOMPOSES IN SOIL

Incubation of soil with ¹⁴C hemicellulose from rye straw for 448 days resulted in the evolution of about 70 per cent of the substrate as CO₂. The two major sugar components of the hemicellulose, xylose (50 per cent) and arabinose (5 per cent), were almost completely decomposed. After 56 days only 5 per cent of the xylose remained and after 448 days only 1-2 per cent. Similar results were obtained for soil derived from either granitic or basic igneous parent material. Almost 4 per cent of the hemicellulose was transformed to glucose and I per cent to mannose during the first 14 days of incubation. Fine grinding of 14C rye straw increased the extent of its decomposition on incubation but after 448 days 20 per cent of both its xylose and arabinose remained. It is suggested that the isolated hemicellulose is decomposed faster because it has been made water soluble.     

Grazing intensity in subarctic tundra affects the temperature adaptation of soil microbial communities

Grazing by large ungulates, such as reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.), in subarctic tundra exerts a considerable effect on the soil microclimate. Because of higher insulation by the aboveground vegetation in light versus heavily grazed areas, soil temperatures during the growing season are considerably higher under heavy grazing. Here, we hypothesized that these grazer-induced changes in soil microclimate affect the temperature sensitivity of soil microbial activity. To test this hypothesis, we conducted soil incubations at different temperatures (4 °C, 9 °C and 14 °C) for six weeks using soils from sites with contrasting long-term grazing intensities. Microbial respiration at low temperature (4 °C) was significantly higher in soils under light grazing than in soils under heavy grazing; however, grazing intensity did not affect respiration rates at 9 °C and 14 °C. In soils under light grazing, post-incubation β-glucosidase (BG) activity at 4 °C was higher in soils that had been incubated at 4 °C than in soils incubated at 14 °C, suggesting functional adaptation of the soil microbial community to low temperature. Similar adaptation was not detected in soils under heavy grazing. Ion Torrent sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes showed major differences in the bacterial community composition in soils incubated at different temperatures. Overall, our results indicate that tundra soil microorganisms may be more cold-adapted under low than high grazing intensity. Due to this difference in temperature adaptation, the consequences of climate warming on soil microbial processes may be dependent on the grazing intensity.     

Microbial ecology in tea soils

The soil chemical properties and microbial numbers in three volcanic ash soils and two non-volcanic ash soils, which had been continuously subjected to the same tea cultivation practices (21 y), were investigated. The results obtained were as follows. 1) pH values of all the soils gradually decreased from the original pH value (near neutral or mildly acid pH) to strongly acid values of about 4 or lower. In contrast, long-term tea cultivation practices resulted in the increase of the total C and N contents in the surface layers (0–20 cm) while the contents remained stable in the subsurface layers (20–40 cm). The increase in the organic matter content in non-volcanic ash soils was presumably due to the accumulation of microbial residues. The availability of P increased markedly. 2) Numbers of bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and denitrifiers were higher in volcanic ash soils than in non-volcanic ash soils, and also higher in surface layers than in subsurface layers. The results suggest that in spite of the same cultivation practices, the soil depth and soil type affected the microbial numbers in the tea soils. Numbers of autotrophic NH₄ ⁺ oxidizers were low in comparison with the numbers of autotrophic NO₂ ^- oxidizers. Influence of soil type and soil depth on autotrophic nitrifiers was not clear. 3) Total C and N contents in the tea soils were parameters closely related to the numbers of bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi. For actinomycetes and fungi, the prediction could be more accurate, especially for total N content, if the estimations could be made within the same soil layers. The numbers per unit of C or N were higher in the surface layers than in the subsurface layers. 4) High concentration of NO₃ ^--N in the tea soils used suggests that nitrification could occur despite the low pH value (3.2-3.8). The negative relationship between the number of total bacteria or actinomycetes and soil NH⁴ ₊-N concentration suggests that some NH₄ ⁺-N was converted to organic microbial biomass-No.     

Structural-functional specificity of the complexes of psychrotolerant soil actinomycetes

The active growth and development of psychrotolerant actinomycetes take place in peat and podzolic soils of the tundra and taiga at temperatures below 10°C. The population density of psychrotolerant mycelial prokaryotes in these soils reaches thousands and tens of thousands of CFU/g of soil, and the length of their mycelium is up to 380 m/g of soil. The application of fluorescent in situ hybridization (the FISH method) demonstrated that the metabolically active psychrotolerant representatives of the phylogenetic group of Actinobacteria comprise up to 30% of the total number of bacteria in prokaryotic microbial communities of oligotrophic peat bog and podzolic soils. The portion of metabolically active mycelial actinobacteria exceeds the portion of unicellular actinobacteria. Psychrotolerant streptomycetes isolated from peat bog soils possess pectinolytic, amylolytic, and antagonistic activities at low temperatures (5°C).     

Soil microorganisms antagonistic towards Rhizobium japonicum

Success in introducing Rhizobium japonicum strains into soil is related to their interaction with native microorganisms including some that are antagonistic. Actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi and rhizobiophages antagonistic towards strains of R. japonicum were counted directly using soil samples from field plots under different crop and soil management systems. The antagonistic actinomycete population varied from 1.3 × 10³ to 4.5 × 10⁵ g^?1 dry soil and ranged up to 90% of total actinomycetes. Soybean rhizosphere soil samples included antagonistic actinomycetes ranging up to 70% of total actinomycetes. The antagonistic bacterial population was less than 10% of total bacteria and the proportion did not vary significantly with crop or soil management practices. Antagonistic fungi were observed for many of the soils examined but they could not be counted. There were few rhizobiophages and they were found most frequently in soybean rhizospheres. Occasional bacterial and actinomycete colonies that stimulated growth of R. japonicum were randomly observed among the soil samples tested.     

烤烟根际微生物群落结构及其动态变化的研究

选择贵州省三种典型的植烟土壤———中性紫色土、黄壤和黄色石灰土为对象,研究了烤烟根际微生物群落结构及其动态变化。结果表明,在烤烟生长过程中,根际细菌的数量在团棵期最低,然后逐渐增加,现蕾期达到峰值,进而又逐渐减少;放线菌和真菌数量从团棵期到成熟期呈增长趋势。土壤类型不同,根际细菌和放线菌的数量不一样,黄壤>黄色石灰土>中性紫色土;真菌数量,中性紫色土>黄壤>黄色石灰土。烤烟根际微生物的种群多样性及其变化在不同土壤中表现也不一样,相对于黄壤和黄色石灰土,在中性紫色土中,根际微生物的优势种群数目较多,根际细菌和放线菌种群更具多样性,而且较稳定,表明其群落结构更为合理,这可能与中性紫色土上的烟草青枯病发生率较低有一定关系。     

THERMODYNAMICS OF K–Ca ION EXCHANGE IN SOILS1

Cation exchange characteristics of the K:Ca saturated forms of five soils were measured at 25°C and 50°C. The rates of isotopic exchange of ⁴²K and ⁴⁵Ca were too fast to be measured except that of ⁴²K in the K:Ca Harwell soil at 25°C. The slower isotopic exchange of K in this soil was attributed to the presence of a zeolite, clinoptilolite. The intra-particle diffusion coefficient, D_i, of K in this soil increased with K-saturation to a maximum at about 40 per cent K, probably because of the ‘blocking’ action of the larger hydrated Ca ions at small K-saturations in clinoptilolite. The CEC, measured by isotopic exchange along the K:Ca adsorption isotherm, decreased with increasing temperature probably because some interlayer spaces collapsed. The standard free energy, enthalpy, and entropy changes were negative for the reaction Ca-soil+2K⁺? 2K-soil+Ca⁺⁺. These results seem to show that K is more strongly bound than Ca by the soil and that the Ca-preference shown by the isotherm at small external electrolyte concentration is caused by entropy changes in solution. Calculated activity coefficients of the exchangeable ions changed with K-saturation similarly at both temperatures but values at 50°C were smaller than at 25°C.