Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms Under Temperatures of 25 and 5℃

The excellent bactericidal performance of silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) has led to their wide applications, resulting in increasing concerns about their potential environmental impacts. This study evaluated the influences of different concentrations of Ag NPs(0,1, 10, and 100 μg g~(-1) dry soil) on the ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in soil at cultivation temperatures of 25 and 5℃ for 37 d. The results showed that 1 μg g~(-1) dry soil of Ag NPs had no acute effects on the ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms. However,10 and 100 μg g~(-1) dry soil of Ag NPs levels were found to significantly inhibit the activities of soil nitrification, with a decrease of69.89% and 94.55%, respectively, at 25℃ and 61.65% and 83.79%, respectively, at 5℃ compared to the control(0 μg g~(-1) dry soil of Ag NPs). These levels of Ag NPs also obviously decreased soil urease activity from about 380.47 ± 0.07(at 5℃) and 529.76± 13.44(at 25℃) mg N g~(-1) dry soil d~(-1) to 61.70 ± 2.97 and 68.29 ± 8.22 mg N g~(-1) dry soil d~(-1), respectively, after 37 d of cultivation. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria. For the same exposure time, the effects of Ag NPs on the activities of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and urease decreased with decreasing temperature. The threshold concentration of Ag NPs that induced negative effects on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms was higher at 5℃ than at 25℃. Therefore, the temperature has a major impact on the toxicity of Ag NPs to ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and on the urease activity, with toxicity being reduced with decreasing temperature.     

Co-inoculation of indigenous Pseudomonas oryzihabitans and Bradyrhizobium sp. modulates the growth, symbiotic efficacy, nutrient acquisition, and grain yield of soybean

Soil microbes play a vital role in improving plant growth, crop productivity, and soil health through solubilization of essential nutrients. Present investigation was conducted to access the efficacy of Bradyrhizobium sp. LSBR-3 and the indigenous phosphate-solubilizing Pseudomonas oryzihabitans LSE-3 in improving the symbiosis, nutrient accumulation, and yield of soybean. The isolate LSE-3, selected on the basis of phosphate solubilization, was screened for beneficial traits, antagonistic activities, and pathogenicity. The levels of indole acetic acid production (50.34 ±2.35 μg mL^-1), phosphate solubilization (184.4 ±7.4 mg L^-1), biofilm formation (optical density at 560 mm, 1.389 6 ±0.04), siderophore production (121.46 ±1.61 μg mL^-1), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity (0.51 ±0.07 mmol α-ketobutyrate μg^-1 protein h^-1) were significantly higher with the dual inoculants (LSBR-3 and LSE-3) than with the single inoculant LSBR-3. The plant growth-promoting traits of single and dual inoculants were evaluated for the synergistic effects on soybean under field conditions. Soybean plots treated with LSBR-3 + LSE-3 exhibited improvement in seed germination, plant height, plant biomass, and chlorophyll content compared with the uninoculated control. Dual inoculant treatments resulted in significantly higher symbiotic efficacy evidenced by increased nodulation (40.0 ±0.75 plant^-1), nodule biomass (188.52 ±6.29 mg plant^-1), and leghemoglobin content (11.02 ±0.83 mg g^-1 fresh nodule), and significantly increased activities of phosphatase (75.16 ±3.17 and 58.77 ±6.08 μg p-nitrophenol g^-1 h^-1 for alkaline and acid phosphatase, respectively) and dehydrogenase (32.66 ±1.92 μg triphenylformazan g^-1 h^-1) compared with the control. Dual inoculation with LSBR-3 and LSE-3 enhanced the uptake of macro- and micronutrients, reduced Na content in shoots, and resulted in 10.85% higher grain yield and ca. US$96.80 ha^-1 higher profit compared with the control. This is the first report on the effectiveness of combined inoculation of LSE-3 and LSBR-3 in promoting the growth, symbiotic efficacy, and yield of soybean for sustainable agriculture.     

硫杆菌以及好养异养型硫氧化菌对元素硫的氧化

The prediction of the oxidation rate of elemental sulfur (S⁰) is a critical step in sulfur (S) fertilizer strategy to supply plant-available sulfur. An incubation experiment was conducted to determine the rate and amount of S⁰ oxidation in relation to the contribution of Thiobacillus spp. and aerobic heterotrophic S-oxidizing bacteria. After 84 days, 16.3% and 22.4% of the total S⁰ applied to the soil were oxidized at 20 and 30 ℃, respectively. The oxidation of S⁰ proved to be a two-step process with a rapid oxidation during the first 28 days and a slow oxidation from then on. The highest oxidation rate of 12.8 μg S cm^-2 d^-1 was measured during the first two weeks at 30 ℃. At 20 ℃ the highest oxidation rate of 10.2 μg S cm^-2 d^-1 was obtained from two to four weeks after start of the experiment. On an average the soil pH declined by 3.6 and 4.0 units after two weeks of experiment. At the same time the electric conductivity increased nine times. With the oxidation of S⁰ the population of Thiobacillus spp. and aerobic heterotrophic S-oxidizing bacteria increased. The corresponding values for Thiobacillus spp. and aerobic heterotrophic S-oxidizing bacteria increased from 2.9 × 10⁵ and 1.4 × 10⁵ g^-1 soil at the start of the experiment to 4 × 10⁸ and 5.6 × 10⁸ g^-1 soil 14 days after S⁰ application, respectively. No Thiobacillus spp. was present eight weeks after S⁰ application. The results suggested that oxidation of residual S⁰ completely relied on aerobic heterotrophic S-oxidizing bacteria.     

湿地土壤质量退化的模糊综合评价

Due to frequent soil Cd contamination and wide use of butachlor in China,there is a need to assess their combined toxicity to soil microorganisms.The combined effects of cadmium (Cd,10 mg kg^-1 soil) and herbicide butachlor (10,50,and 100 mg kg^-1 soil) on enzyme activities and microbial community structure in a paddy soil were assessed using the traditional enzyme assays and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis.The results showed that urease and phosphatase activities were significantly reduced by high butachlor concentration (100 mg kg^-1 soil).When the concentrations of Cd and butachlor added were at a ratio of 1:10,urease and phosphatase activities were significantly decreased whereas enzyme activities were greatly improved at the ratio of 1:5,which indicated that the combined effects of Cd and butachlor on soil urease and phosphatase activities depended largely on their addition concentration ratios.Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis showed loss of original bands and appearance of new bands when compared with the control soil.Random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprints suggested substantial differences between the control and treated soil samples,with apparent changes in the number and size of amplified DNA fragments.The addition of high concentration butachlor and the combined impacts of Cd and butachlor significantly affected the diversity of the microbial community.RAPD analysis in conjunction with other biomarkers such as soil enzyme parameters would prove a powerful ecotoxicological tool.Further investigations should be carried out to understand the clear link between RAPD patterns and enzyme activity.     

Patterns and drivers of seasonal water sources for artificial sand-fixing plants in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land, Northwest China

Understanding plant water-use patterns is important for improving water-use efficiency and for sustainable vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions. However, seasonal variations in water sources and their control by different sand-fixing plants in water-limited desert ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, stable isotopic ratios of hydrogen (δ²H) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) in precipitation, soil water, groundwater, and xylem water were determined to document seasonal changes in water uptake by three representative plant species (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv., Amygdalus pedunculata Pall., and Salix psammophila) in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land, Northwest China. Based on the depth distribution and temporal variation of measured gravimetric soil water content (SWC), the soil water profile of the three species stands was divided into active (0.01 g g^-1 < SWC < 0.08 g g^-1, 20% < coefficient of variation (CV) < 45%), stable (0.02 g g^-1 < SWC < 0.05 g g^-1, CV < 20%), and moist (0.08 g g^-1 < SWC < 0.20 g g^-1, CV > 45%) layers. Annually, P. sylvestris, A. pedunculata, and S. psammophila obtained most water from deep (59.2% ±9.7%, moist layer and groundwater), intermediate (57.4% ±9.8%, stable and moist layers), and shallow (54.4% ±10.5%, active and stable layers) sources, respectively. Seasonally, the three plant species absorbed more than 60% of their total water uptake from the moist layer and groundwater in the early (June) dry season; then, they switched to the active and stable layers in the rainy season (July–September) for water resources (50.1%–62.5%). In the late (October–November) dry season, P. sylvestris (54.5%–66.2%) and A. pedunculata (52.9%–63.6%) mainly used water from stable and moist layers, whereas S. psammophila (52.6%–70.7%) still extracted water predominantly from active and stable layers. Variations in the soil water profile induced by seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and groundwater levels and discrepancies in plant phenology, root distribution, and water demand are the main factors affecting the seasonal water-use patterns of artificial sand-fixing plants. Our study addresses the issue of plant water uptake with knowledge of proportional source-water use and reveals important implications for future vegetation restoration and water management in the Mu Us sandy land and similar desert regions around the world.     

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.     

中国乌鲁木齐土壤中有机氯的来源、组成与风险评价

Twenty-eight surface soil samples from 5 functional zones (park, traffic roadside, business/residential area, rural area, and industrial area) of Ürümqi, China were collected and analyzed for the concentrations of 14 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), such as 3 isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) (α-HCH, β-HCH, and γ-HCH), 4 dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (p, p’-DDT and its metabolites p, p’-DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) and p, p’-DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chorophenyl)ethylene), and o, p’-DDT), and methoxychlor, aiming to survey the residue levels and compositions of these 14 OCPs, to identify possible sources of the OCPs, and to assess their potential risks to human health and the environment in surface soils of Ürümqi. The concentrations ranged from non-detected to 30.86 μg kg^-1 for HCHs (sum of α-, β-, and γ-HCH), from non-detected to 40.03 μg kg^-1 for DDTs (sum of p, p’-DDT, p, p’-DDD, p, p’-DDE, and o, p’-DDT), and from non-detected to 11.95 μg kg^-1 for methoxychlor. The total concentrations of the OCPs ranged from 16.40 to 84.86 μg kg^-1, with a mean of 41.89 ± 16.25 μg kg^-1. According to the measured concentrations and occurrence rates of the 14 OCPs, DDTs, HCHs, and methoxychlor were the most dominant compounds. Among the 5 functional zones, the total concentration of OCPs was in the order of rural area > traffic roadside > park > business/residential area > industrial area. The different compositions of DDTs and HCHs indicated that the residues of these compounds in most soil samples originated from historical application, besides slight recent introduction at some sampling sites. The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that soil total organic carbon played an important role in the residue levels of HCHs, but such relationships were not found with DDTs or other OCPs. The soil quality of Ürümqi was classified as Class I based on the guidelines of the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soil (GB15618-1995), indicating that the residue levels of OCPs have little risks to the environment and human health in the study area.     

碱茅根际土壤盐分动态变化研究

A glasshouse experiment using a rhizobox technique was conducted to examine salt dynamics in the rhizosphere of a salt-tolerant grass, Puccinellia ciliata Bor. ‘Irwin Hunter', grown in a loamy soil, and to study the effect of rainfall flush on salt accumulation in the rhizosphere. The rhizobox (10 × 5.5 × 50 cm) had a nylon mesh (1 μm) positioned vertically in the middle to create two compartments filled with soil amended with 1 g NaCl kg^-1. The plants were grown in one compartment only. Flushed treatments received 275 mL of deionized water two days before harvest. In the plant-growing compartment, soils were sectioned vertically at 5 cm intervals. Significant differences in soil electrical conductivity (EC) (P < 0.05) and pH (P < 0.05) were observed for depths, but not between flushed and non-flushed treatments. In the no-plant compartment (rhizosphere), soil cores were taken horizontally at depths of 5, 20 and 40 cm and sliced at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 mm away from the roots. Soil EC and Cl^- concentration at the 5 and 20 cm depths, and Na⁺ concentration at the 5 cm depth significantly decreased (P < 0.05) with the distance away from the root, but no significant differences were observed in soil pH and concentrations of the K⁺ and Ca²⁺. The flush treatment only had significant influence on soil EC, pH, and Cl^- concentration at the 20 cm depth. Thus, salt accumulation could occur in the rhizosphere of salt-tolerant species on saline soils, and the periodic low rainfall might not have a strong influence on salt distribution in the rhizosphere and/or root zone.     

不同液土比和温度条件下塿土铵离子吸附

Effects of NH₄⁺ concentration, solution/soil ratio and temperature on NH₄⁺ adsorption were studied in a Eum-Orthic Anthrosol. The slopes of the soil NH₄⁺ adsorption isotherms and the fitted n, the coefficient for the adsorption intensity, and k, the coefficient related to adsorption capacity, of the Freundlich equation increased with increasing solution/soil ratio (SSR) and with decreasing temperature (T). For the range of experimental conditions, the value of ∂q/∂c, the rate of change of the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed in the soil solid phase (q) with respect to the equilibrium concentration of NH₄⁺ in soil solution (c), was 0.840, indicating that q increased with increasing c. From 2 to 45 ℃, ∂q/∂SSR, the rate of change of q with respect to SSR, decreased from 2.598 to 1.996, showing that q increased with increasing SSR, while its increasing rate decreased with temperature. From SSR 1:1 to 20:1, ∂q/∂T, the rate of change of q with respect to T, decreased from -0.095 to -0.361, indicating that q decreased with increasing temperature, and at the same time the negative effect of temperature became larger as SSR increased. Thus under the experimental conditions the order of importance in determining the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed in the soil solid phase was ∂q/∂SSR > ∂q/∂c > |∂q/∂T|, indicating that the greatest effect on the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed was with the solution/soil ratio; the equilibrium concentration of NH₄⁺ had a lesser effect; and temperature had the least effect.     

黄土高原某些耕作土壤中土壤微生物生物量C、N与矿化N的关系

The chloroform fumigation-incubation method was used to measure the soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) and N (SMBN) in 16 loessial soils sampled from Ansai, Yongshou and Yangling in Shaanxi Province. The SMBC contents in the soils ranged from 75.9 to 301.0 μg C g^-1 with an average of 206.1 μg C g^-1, accounting for 1.36%~6.24% of the total soil organic C with an average of 3.07%, and the SMBN contents from 0.51 to 68.40 μg N g^-1 with an average of 29.4 μg N g^-1, accounting for 0.20%~5.65% of the total N in the soils with an average of 3.36%. A close relationship was found between SMBC and SMBN, and they both were positively correlated with total organic C, total N, NaOH hydrolizable N and mineralizable N. These results confirmed that soil microbial biomass had a comparative role in nutrient cycles of soils.     

鸭跖草(Commelina communis L.): 发现于中国安徽省的铜的超积累植物

Commelina communis L. growing over some new copper mining wastelands at Bijiashan, Tongling City of Anhui Province, China, was found to be a copper hyperaccumulator. Its copper concentrations were 2707~6159 (4439±2434) mg kg^-1, 369~831 (731±142) mg kg^-1, and 429~587 (547±57) mg kg^-1, respectively, in the roots, stems, and leaves. The soils supporting the growth of the species had a copper concentration ranging from 4620 to 5020 mg kg^-1 and averaging 4835±262 mg kg^-1, suggesting that the species could not only grow on heavily copper-contaminated soils but also accumulate extraordinarily high concentration of copper. Thus, it shows great potential in the phytoremediation of copper-contaminated soils, the restoration of mined land, geochemical prospecting, and the study of environmental pollution changes.     

土壤中有效结合态氨的一种测定方法

Dynamics of fixed NH₄⁺ in NH₄⁺-treated soils incubated with glucose at 37±2 ℃ during the course of incubation and factors affecting it were studied. Results showed that content of fixed NH₄⁺ in soil reached a minimum on day 7 after incubation and then increased gradually regardless of the amount of glucose added and the kind of soil tested. However, the amount of fixed NH₄⁺ released from the soil at the given time varied with both the amount of glucose added and the kind of soil examined. In cases glucose was added at a rate of 10.0g C/kg soil, the amount of fixed NH₄⁺ retained in soil after 7 days of incubation was almost identical to that found by Neubauer test. Addition of K⁺ depressed the release of fixed NH₄⁺ significantly. Based on the results obtained a method for determining the content of available fixed NH₄⁺ in soils was proposed and the amount of N as available fixed NH₄⁺ in two soils measured by this method on an area profile-depth basis was presented.     

过去20年中国稻田土壤有机碳变化的模拟研究

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) of rice paddies in China were simulated from 1980 to 2000 by linking a coupled bio-physical model to GIS database. The coupled model consists of two sub-models including Crop-C for simulating net primary productivity and hence residue retention and Soil-C for computing the turnover rates of SOC. The GIS database included parameters of climate, soils and agricultural activities with the resolution of 10 km × 10 km. Model simulation indicated that Chinese rice paddies covering 22.6 Mha sequestrated a considerable amount of C, about 0.15 ± 0.07 Pg C from 1980 to 2000. Annual sequestration rate increased sharply from -180 ± 45 kg C ha^-1 year^-1 in 1980 to 440 ± 170 kg C ha^-1 year^-1 in 1989. Thereafter, a steady sequestration rate of 460 ± 170 kg C ha^-1 year^-1 occurred till 1994 and declined since then. Approximately 84% of the Chinese rice paddies sequestrated carbon, while 15% lost carbon and 1% kept balance over the 20 years. Great SOC sequestration occurred in eastern, southern and central China, while a slight decline of SOC existed in some regions of northeastern and southwestern China.     

Short-term biochar effect on soil physicochemical and microbiological properties of a degraded alpine grassland

Soil remediation is an important part of the restoration process of degraded terrestrial ecosystems. Due to its unique properties, biochar is being used widely as an effective soil modifier in agricultural systems, but research is still rare on biochar application in grassland ecosystems, especially in degraded alpine grasslands. In this study, we conducted a plot experiment to investigate the effect of biochar application on soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms at the 0–20 cm soil depth of a degraded alpine grassland in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. The experiment consisted of four corn straw biochar application levels (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%, with the percentage representing the ratio of biochar weight to the dry weight of soil in the surface 20 cm soil layer). When the biochar addition increased from 0% to 2%, total nitrogen, total organic carbon and available phosphorus in the 0–10 cm soil layer increased by 41%, 55% and 45%, respectively, in the second year after biochar addition. Meanwhile, soil electrical conductivity decreased, and soil water content increased. Total microbial, fungal and bacterial biomasses in the 0–10 cm soil layer increased from 9.15 to 12.68, 0.91 to 1.34, and 3.85 to 4.55 μg g^-1, respectively. The relative biomasses of saprophytic fungi and methanotrophic bacteria decreased, while the relative biomasses of ectomycorrhizal fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased. These results indicate that biochar has a great potential in improving microbial activity and soil fertility in soil remediation of the degraded alpine grassland.     

直链烷基苯磺酸盐(LAS)在土壤-植物系统中的生态学行为研究

More and more linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) has contaminated the water and soil via pollution discharge, making it important to identify the ecological behavior and toxicity of LAS so as to carry out measures that will reduce its negative effects on the ecosystem. The ecological behavior of LAS, including degradation, migration, and plant uptake, in both soil-paddy rice and soil-soybean systems was studied. Reduction of LAS in pot and field plots followed the first order reaction kinetics with degradation half-lives of 35-50 days with LAS decreasing to very low concentrations after a season of crop growth. Strong migration ability for LAS was found and the breakthrough time in a 1.5 m soil monolith was significantly shortened to 23 days by preferential flow. Leachate volumes of soil-paddy and soil-soybean systems at preferential breakthrough were much different, while the leachate volumes at equilibrium governed by soil adsorption/desorption processes were very similar. Significant uptake of LAS in both paddy rice and soybeans was observed in pot and field experiments (P < 0.05). In aquatic culture, 20 ug mL^-1 and above of LAS significantly inhibited the growth of paddy seedlings (P < 0.05). The critical concentration for LAS in soil inhibiting the growth and yield of paddy was 160 ug g^-1; when higher, there was a strong negative influence, with decreases in height, spike length, and production; when lower than 80 ug g^-1, paddy growth was stimulated. There was little effect of LAS on soybeans.     

Pb-Zn交互作用对红壤微生物生物量的影响

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of lead and zinc applied alone or in various combinations on the size of microbial biomass in a red soil. Treatments included the application of lead at six different levels i. e., 0 (background), 100, 200, 300, 450 and 600 g g^-1 soil along with each of the four levels of zinc (0, 50, 150 or 250 g g^-1 soil). Application of lead or zinc alone to soil significantly (P < 0. 001) affected the soil microbial biomass. The microbial biomass carbon (C_mic), biomass nitrogen (N_mic) and biomass phosphorus (P_mic) decreased sharply in soils contaminated with lead or zinc. Combined application of lead and zinc resulted in a greater biocidal effect on soil microbial biomass, which was significantly higher (P < 0. 001) than that when either lead or zinc was applied alone. Consistent increase in the biomass C: N and decline in the biomass C:P ratios were also observed with the increased metal (Pb and Zn) toxicity in the soil.     

校正温度和盐度对单电容传感器的影响

Several newly developed capacitance sensors have simplified real-time determination of soil water content.Previous work has shown that salinity and temperature can affect these sensors,but relatively little has been done to correct these effects.The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of media temperature and salinity on the apparent water content measured with a single capacitance sensor (SCS),and to mitigate this effect using a temperature dependent scaled voltage technique under laboratory conditions.A column study was conducted containing two media:pure deionized water and quartz sand under varying water contents (0.05 to 0.30 cm³ cm^-3) and salinity (0 to 80 mmol L^-1).Media temperature was varied between 5 and 45℃ using an incubator.The SCS probes and thermocouples were placed in the middle of the columns and were logged at an interval of 1 minute.There was strong negative correlation between sensor reading and temperature of deionized water with a rate of -0.779 mV ℃^-1.Rates of SCS apparent output were 0.454 and 0.535 mV ℃^-1 for air in heating and cooling cycles,respectively.A similar positive correlation with temperature was observed in sand at different water contents.The SCS probe was less sensitive to temperature as salinity and water content increased.Using a temperature-corrected voltage calibration model,the effect of temperature was reduced by 98%.An analytical model for salinity correction was able to minimize the error as low as ± 2% over the salinity level tested.     

Impact of drilling waste pollution on land cover in a high subarctic forest-tundra zone

Global climate changes can lead to the destruction of the permafrost zone and contribute to the active transfer of pollutants to natural waters. This can be especially pronounced in the areas of oil and gas production in the Arctic. This study aimed to define the landscape components (i.e., groundwater, soil water, soil, and indicator plant species) of chemical pollution with metals, oil hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, from the discharge of drill cuttings. Studies at two sites in the forest-tundra zone of Western Siberia (Russia) were carried out within two years of pollution. Pollutant migration was found in peaty-gley heavy loamy soils and iron-illuvial clayey podburs, but lateral migration of different pollutants did not exceed 200 m. Additionally, radial migration was practically absent owing to the high buffering capacity of the soil organic horizon and the upward flow of matter in the seasonal melt layer. The main indicators of drilling waste pollution were high concentrations of Sr, Ba, petroleum hydrocarbons, and Cl^- ions. At the waste disposal sites, the concentration of Ba and Sr in the soil water were 1 150 and 1 410 μg L^-1, respectively; in groundwater, they reached 721 and 2 360 μg L^-1, respectively. In the soil, Ba and Sr accumulated in the peaty horizon (798 and 706 mg kg^-1, respectively). The concentration of Cl^- ions in the soil water at the site of waste discharge was 1 912 mg L^-1, and at a distance of 200 m, it decreased to 77.4 mg L^-1. The Cl^- concentration in the groundwater was lower, and at a distance of 200 m, it was 38.9 mg L^-1. The highest concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the surface layer was found in the peaty-gley soils (up to 2 400 mg kg^-1). In glandular-illuvial podburs, it was 420 mg kg^-1. In horizons BH and BC, it was close to the background values (27 and 33 mg kg^-1, respectively). Alkalinization of soils and water under the influence of drill cuttings led to the death of oligotrophic and acidophilic vegetation at a distance of up to 50 m, and to the restructuring of the species and spatial structure of plant communities up to 100 m.     

Resistance and resilience of soil biological indicators: A case study with multi-walled carbon nanotube

Soil ecosystem is experiencing stresses due to climate change, and soil inhabitants try to demonstrate their inherent resistance and resilience against those stresses. Application of nanomaterials as agricultural inputs could bring shifts in resistance and resilience patterns of soil microbes and associated enzymes, especially under short-term heat stress. With this background, the impacts of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on the resistance and resilience of soil biological indicators were evaluated. An incubation experiment was conducted with varied MWCNT concentrations (0, 50, 100, 250, and 500 mg kg^-1 soil) for 90 d after 24-h heat stress at 48 ±2 ℃ to assess the impacts of MWCNT on soil enzyme activities and microbial populations vis-à-vis their resistance and resilience indices under short-term exposure to heat stress. Enzyme activities were reduced after exposure to heat stress. Resistance indices of enzyme activities were enhanced by MWCNT application on day 1 after heat stress, whereas there was no recovery of enzyme activities after 90-d incubation. Like soil enzyme activities, resistance index values of soil microbial populations followed the similar trend and were improved by MWCNT application. Multi-walled carbon nanotube has the potential to improve resistance indices of soil enzyme activities and microbial populations under heat stress, although they could not recover to their original state during periodical incubation after heat stress. This study helps to understand the relative changes of biological indicators under MWCNT and their ability to withstand heat stress.     

根区限制及氮营养对杂交小麦生长的影响

To study the physiological effects of small root zone, plants of a hybrid wheat variety (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Meiyou 4) were grown in small pots (1 litre) or large pots (8 litre) with low nitrogen (50 mg kg^-1 soil) and high nitrogen (200 mg kg^-1 soil). Restricting root zone decreased dry weight of plants at the stages of stem elongation and flowering, compared to those of control plants grown in the large pots (P<0.01). Spraying of 6-benzylaminopurine (50 μmol L^-1) increased dry weight of plants and chlorophyll concentration in leaves. Restriction of root zone decreased the concentrations of total nitrogen, chlorophyll and soluble protein in the flag leaf and accelerated senescence of the leaves. Supply of high nitrogen delayed senescence of the flag leaf. The results suggested that the shortage of nutrients, especially nitrogen deficiency, was the primary reason for the decreased growth of plant in the treatment of root zone restriction.