Degradation of 14C-Zinc Ammonium Acetate in Soils as Influenced by Soil Types,Soil Sterilization,and Carriers

Zinc ammonium acetate (ZAA), typically applied to soils in anhydrous ammonia as a carrier, has been used to improve corn (Zea maysL.) productivity. This study aimed to determine the fate of ZAA in soils as influenced by soil type (sandy, silt, and clay loam), sterilization (sterile and non-sterile), and two carriers (H₂O and NH₄OH). A 16 d laboratory incubation experiment with ¹⁴C-ZAA showed that total recovery of carbon-14 (¹⁴C) from ¹⁴CO₂ trap and soil extraction by CaCl₂ ranged from 72% to 94% in the first 8 d for sterilized soils. However, < 17% ¹⁴C was found in non-sterilized soils. Most ¹⁴C recovered in sterilized soil was associated with soil extraction, and relatively little was found in the CO₂ traps. All sterilized soils provided similar ¹⁴C recoveries except the sandy loam. Slightly more ¹⁴C was extracted from the soil when NH₄OH was the ZAA carrier rather than water. Conversely, recovery of ¹⁴CO₂ continued to increase during the 16 d incubation, but started faster when water was the ZAA carrier. Microbial activity appeared to be instrumental in the assimilation and disappearance of ZAA.     

Relative saprophytic competence of Rhizobium japonicum strains in soils as determined by the quantitative fluorescent antibody technique (FA)

Experiments were conducted to estimate the saprophytic competence of four Rhizobium japonicum strains (110, 123, 532c, and 586) in a Rossmoyne silt loam (almost free of R. japonicum) and a Miamian silt loam (containing indigenous R. japonicum strains).All strains increased about 100-fold in sterilized Rossmoyne or Miamian soil during the first 2 weeks, and the population remained constant for 26 and 6 weeks respectively. Such results indicated that abiotic factors were not limiting Rhizobium populations in these soils under laboratory conditions. There was no inter-strain competition when strains were mixed and applied to either sterilized soil.All R. japonicum strains decreased about ten-fold but survived well in non-sterile Rossmoyne soil during 26 weeks incubation. But, all strains died at varying rates in non-sterile Miamian soil during a 6 week incubation. The most rapid decline occurred with strain 123, which decreased about 1000-fold during the first 5 days, while strain 586, decreased about 1000-fold during the first 10 days. The die-back of strain 123 was found to coincide with an increase in numbers of a parasitic microorganism which passed through a 0.45 μm pore-sized filter. A bacteriophage has been implicated, although Bdellovibrio cannot be ruled out completely. This parasitic microorganism is strain specific but does not lyse a field isolate of serogroup 123.     

Sequential extraction of low concentrations of pyrene and formation of non-extractable residues in sterile and non-sterile soils

In this study, temporal changes in the extractability of ¹⁴C-pyrene, at native concentrations, were followed in two soils with differing organic matter contents, under sterile and non-sterile conditions over 24 weeks by a sequential solvent extraction scheme. No significant loss of the added ¹⁴C-pyrene was observed during the incubation. Significant decreases in methanol:water and n-butanol extractability were observed with increasing soil-pyrene contact time. Significant non-extractable residues were formed in all soils, with the largest increases found in the non-sterile soils. After 8 weeks soil-pyrene contact time, there was a significant increase in the rate and extent of sequestration of pyrene in the biologically active soils. This indicated that the aging of pyrene was initially a physical process, with active microbial communities increasing the rate and extent of residue formation after 8 weeks soil-pyrene contact time. These findings suggest that there is a need for longer term ageing experiments following the role of microbial communities on the formation of solvent non-extractable residues. The humin fraction of the soil organic matter contained the majority of the ¹⁴C-pyrene associated activity which was not extractable using the scheme of sequential solvents. Saponification of the soil humin resulted in the release of similar amounts of ¹⁴C-pyrene associated activity from sterile and non-sterile soils. Solvent extraction with methanol:water was found to significantly underestimate the bioavailable fraction, whereas n-butanol overestimated the bioavailability of the ¹⁴C-pyrene-associated activity when assessed by bacterial mineralization after 24 weeks soil-pyrene contact time.     

Biological decay of 18O-labeled phosphate in soils

There is an increasing demand to develop a means to trace phosphorus (P) movement through the environment as excessive inputs of P have led to the eutrophication of many fresh water bodies. ¹⁸O labeled phosphate has been suggested as a potential tool for tracing P, and other researchers are using information from natural abundance ¹⁸O levels of phosphate to study phosphorus cycling. The objective of this research was to determine the rate of biological de-labeling of ¹⁸O in soils. This objective was achieved using a laboratory incubation study in which three silt-loam textured soils were incubated with 250 mg kg⁻¹ P¹⁸O₄-P for a period of 3, 10, 30, or 50 d. The incubations were conducted on both sterilized and unsterilized soils. Following incubation, phosphate from soils was extracted with a modified Bray extractant and analyzed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to determine the distribution of labeled phosphate species. The half-life of P¹⁸O₄ in the non-sterile soils ranged from 15 to 22 d, while there was no observed P¹⁸O₄ de-labeling in sterile soils after 50 d. A parameterized numerical model was developed which provided insight into the dynamics of the individual labeled phosphate species, including their half-lives and relative concentrations across the incubation period. The use of P¹⁸O₄ may be useful in areas where use of radioisotopes of P is restricted, and P¹⁸O₄ has potential to be useful to elucidate the dynamics of the P cycle in soils.     

Organic nitrogen mineralization in temperate humid-zone soils after two and six weeks of aerobic incubation

The N mineralization rate in 11 soils was studied by aerobic incubation at 28°C and at a moisture content of 75% of field capacity for 2 weeks (short term) and 6 weeks (medium term). Relationships between the N mineralization indices for each period were evaluated. Ammonification largely predominated during the first 2 weeks of incubation, whereas nitrification was the predominant process between weeks 2 and 6. The net N mineralized in the different soils varied from 0 to 2.85% of the organic N after 2 weeks of incubation and from 0.32 to 3.36% of the organic N after 6 weeks of incubation, the mean values for each period being 0.82 and 1.51% of the organic N, respectively. The quantities of NH _inf4 ^sup+ -N, NO _inf3 ^sup- -N, and total inorganic N produced and the percentage of organic N mineralized after 2 weeks of incubation were highly and positively correlated with the coresponding values after 6 weeks of incubation. These results showed that either length of incubation could be used to determine the potential N mineralization capacity of the soils. Information obtained from two incubation periods was largely supplementary for the kinetic study of N mineralization, ammonification, and nitrification; therefore a medium-term incubation with intermediate measurements of N mineralization over a short term may be more useful than a single measurement using either of the two incubation periods.     

Amitrole degradation in vineyard soils in relation to pedo-climatic conditions

The fate of [¹⁴C]-amitrole herbicide was studied in eight soils having different capacities for amitrole mineralisation. Laboratory incubations were run combining different experimental conditions: temperature (4, 28 and 50°C), soil moisture (50, 100 and 150% of soil water holding capacity) and microbial activity (sterile and non-sterile conditions). During incubation, samples of the soils were periodically extracted with 0.5 M NH₄OH and extracts were analysed by HPLC. The lengths of time needed for 50% dissipation of amitrole (DT50) in soils ranged from less than 1 day to more than 70 days. Amitrole mineralisation occurred only in non-sterile soils, showing that it is a biological process. Mineralisation was lower in soils with a coarse texture than in soils with a fine texture. Soil water content had little influence on the total amount of amitrole mineralised at the end of incubation. Temperature had a greater influence on mineralisation, although rates were still high at low and high temperatures. In non-sterile as in sterile soils, the major product detected in the extracts was amitrole. Additional non-identified radioactivity was occasionally extracted. However, it never represented more than 10% of initially applied amitrole. Non-extractable residues represented less than 15% of applied radioactivity in acidic soils and about 30% of applied radioactivity in alkaline and neutral soils. The amount of non-extractable radioactivity formed was enhanced in sterile as compared to non-sterile soils. Furthermore, in sterile soils, high temperature induced an increase of non-extractable residues, showing that amitrole is chemically quite reactive.     

The response of cylindrocladium conidia to soil fungistasis

Direct observation of washed conidia of Cylindrocladium scoparium on non-sterile soils, air dried and rewetted immediately before deposition of conidia, indicated that peak germination (33–58%) occurred after 24 h incubation at 26°C. Peak germination on continually moist soils was lower (18–26%) than on rewetted soils. Lysis of germ tubes and germinating conidia on continually moist soils at 26°C was evident with 48 h. Conidia did not germinate on continually moist soils at 6°C and lysis did not become apparent until 168 h. Conidia germinated at a high level (93–99%) in axenic culture in the absence of exogenous C and N sources. The inhibition of conidial germination on soils may be attributed, in part, to the presence of soil volatiles. Germination of conidia placed on washed agar disks and exposed to volatiles from four soils ranged from 51 to 86% of the no-soil controls. Addition of carbon (13 ng C per conidium as glucose) and nitrogen (65 pg N ng^?1 C as NH₄C1) nullified the inhibitory effect of the soil volatiles. Germinability assayed on a selective medium at 26°C of conidia in artificially infested soils (approximately 10⁴ conidia g^?1 soil) decreased progressively during incubation at 26°C from 1 week to 4 months. No germinable conidia were recovered from artificially infested soils after 2 months incubation at 6°C. Conidia of C. floridanum and C. crotalariae responded similarly to C. scoparium in many assays.     

Early-stage bacterial colonization between a sterilized remoulded soil clod and natural soil aggregates of the same soil

The early stages of bacterial colonization of a sterilized soil put in contact with the same non-sterile soil were investigated. Soil mesocosms of 269 cm³ composed of sterilized spherical remoulded soil clods of 27 mm diameter surrounded by non-sterilized 2-4 mm soil aggregates of the same soil (considered as a source of bacterial colonizers) were designed. Bacterial colonization was monitored from 0 to 14 days in three concentric portions of the sterilized clods (outer, intermediate and inner) and in the surrounding non-sterile soil, by measuring cell numbers and substrate-induced respiration (SIR). In addition, modifications of genetic diversity of the soil bacterial community associated to colonization were monitored with the ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) technique in the intermediate portion of the sterilized soil clod and in the surrounding non-sterile soil aggregates. Assessments of bacterial cell numbers and SIR rates showed that the sterilized soil clod was colonized rapidly during incubation time from its outer to its inner portion. In addition, the bacterial genetic structure of the clod varied during incubation time, suggesting succession of bacteria during recolonization. Comparison of cell numbers, SIR rates and bacterial genetic structure between the soil clod and the surrounding soil aggregates showed that the colonization process in the clod led to the establishment of a bacterial community different from the surrounding soil aggregates.     

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.     

Lachgas(N2O)-Freisetzung durch Streptomyces nitrosporeus in einem sandigen Lehmboden in Abhängigkeit von pO2, pH und Angebot an leicht mineralisierbarem Kohlenstoff

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) release by Streptomyces nitrosporeus in a sandy loam soil as affected by pO₂, pH and amount of easily decomposable organic carbon In model experiments under defined conditions (80%WHC, 300 μg nitrate-N g^?1 dry soil, 30°C) the effect of pO₂, pH and addition of easily decomposable organic matter on nitrous oxide production by Streptomyces nitrosporeus DSM 40023 from a sterilized sandy loam soil was studied. This streptomycete reduces nitrate to N₂O but not to N₂. The strain was inoculated into a sterilized sandy loam soil (pH 6), enriched with nitrate and incubated at approximately 20 and 10% (v/v) O₂ for 26 days. In another series of experiments the pH was increased with NaOH-solution up to pH 7 or the soil was enriched with pulverized leaves (1%) to increase mineralization activity and the demand for electron acceptors. In the headspace the concentration of O₂, CO₂ and N₂O was analysed by GC. The soil concentration of NO₃^?, NO₂^? and NH₄⁺ was measured as well as the pH value. The population density was determined by the plate count method. At a decreased oxygen concentration of about 2.5% (v/v) in the headspace, S. nitrosporeus increased the release of N₂O. In the experiments with an initial oxygen concentration of approximately 20% (v/v) this threshold of about 2.5% /(v/v) O₂ was hardly reached and consequently only little N₂O was produced. Apparently, S. nitrosporeus uses O₂ in preference to nitrate, which is characteristical of nitrate respiration. A pH increase from pH 6 to 7 reduced the lag phase significantly and increased the rate of oxygen consumption, CO₂ release and N₂O production. Maximum nitrous oxide production was reached after 13 days. The result indicated that streptomycetes like S. nitrosporeus may use nitrate alternativly to O₂ to maintain energy conservation (ATP synthesis) with the release of N₂O. So far, nothing is known about the role of streptomycetes in contributing to N₂O production in natural soils.     

Mutual relationships of biochar and soil pH,CEC, and exchangeable base cations in a model laboratory experiment

Purpose

The majority of biochar studies use soils with only a narrow range of properties making generalizations about the effects of biochar on soils difficult. In this study, we aimed to identify soil properties that determine the performance of biochar produced at high temperature (700 °C) on soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable base cation (Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺) content across a wide range of soil physicochemical properties.

Materials and methods

Ten distinct soils with varying physicochemical properties were incubated for 12 weeks with four rates of biochar application (0.5, 2, 4, and 8% w/w). Soil pH, CEC, and exchangeable base cations (Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺) were determined on the 7th and 84th day of incubation.

Results and discussion

Our results indicate that the highest biochar application rate (8%) was more effective at altering soil properties than lower biochar rates. Application of 8% biochar increased pH significantly in all incubated soils, with the increment ranging up to 1.17 pH unit. Biochar induced both an increment and a decline in soil CEC ranging up to 35.4 and 7.9%, respectively, at a biochar application rate of 8%. Similarly, biochar induced increments in exchangeable Ca²⁺ up to 38.6% and declines up to 11.4%, at an 8% biochar application rate. The increment in CEC and exchangeable Ca²⁺ content was found in soils with lower starting exchangeable Ca²⁺ contents than the biochar added, while decreases were observed in soils with higher exchangeable Ca²⁺ contents than the biochar. The original pH, CEC, exchangeable Ca²⁺, and texture of the soils represented the most crucial factors for determining the amount of change in soil pH, CEC, and exchangeable Ca²⁺ content.

Conclusions

Our findings clearly demonstrate that application of a uniform biochar to a range of soils under equivalent environmental conditions induced two contradicting effects on soil properties including soil CEC and exchangeable Ca²⁺ content. Therefore, knowledge of both biochar and soil properties will substantially improve prediction of biochar application efficiency to improve soil properties. Among important soil properties, soil exchangeable Ca²⁺ content is the primary factor controlling the direction of biochar-induced change in soil CEC and exchangeable Ca²⁺ content. Generally, biochar can induce changes in soil pH, CEC, and exchangeable Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺ with the effectiveness and magnitude of change closely related to the soil’s original properties.

     

Estimation of the total gaseous nitrogen losses from clay soils under laboratory and field conditions

Acetylene blockage was evaluated as a method for measuring losses of N₂O + N₂ from two Denchworth series clay soils. The denitrification potential in anaerobic, dark incubations at 20°C with nitrate (equivalent to 100 kg N ha^?1 0–20 cm depth), maximum water holding capacity, and acetylene (1%), was equivalent to 32 ± 11 and 39 ± 6 kg N ha^?1 per day for the two 0–20 cm soils and was positively correlated with carbon content (r= 0.98). After 4 days N₂O was reduced to N₂ in the presence of C₂H₂. In April 1980 following irrigation (24 mm) and applications of ammonium nitrate (70 kg N ha^?1) and acetylene, the mean nitrous oxide flux from soil under permanent grass was 0.05 ± 0.01 kg N₂O-N ha^?1 per day for 8 days. In June 1980, the losses of nitrogen from cultivated soils under winter wheat after irrigation (36 mm) and acetylene treatment were 0.006 ± 0.002 and 0.04–0.07 ± 0.01 kg N ha^?1 per day respectively before and after fertilizer application (70 kg N ha^?1). The nitrous oxide flux in the presence of acetylene decreased briefly, indicating that nitrification was rate determining in drying soil.     

Prediction of long‐term sustainability of constructed urban soil: impact of high amounts of organic matter on soil physical properties and water transfer

Sustainability of urban soils lies in their ability to facilitate water and air permeabilities. Exogenous organic matter has been shown to have a positive impact on these properties. Under urban conditions, a large one‐time input of an organic amendment was made to the reconstituted soil. Two organic materials, green‐waste compost (gw) or cocompost from sewage sludge and wood chips (sw), were mixed with sandy loam soil (40% v/v) and placed in 600‐L containers. Containers received a 29‐cm thick layer of sandy loam soil–organic matter mix over a 28‐cm thick layer without organic amendment. Volumetric water content, dry bulk density, hydraulic conductivity at saturation and water retention were measured over 5 yrs in the soils and values for the mixes and a control compared. After this time, dry bulk density was greater (1.54 g/cm³) in control than in gw or sw soils (1.31 and 1.11 g/cm³, respectively), whereas hydraulic conductivity at saturation was smaller (4 × 10^?7 m/s) than in gw (3.4 × 10^?6) or sw (3.7 × 10^?6 m/s). HYDRUS 1D water balance model indicated that below 27 cm depth in the control after 5 yrs, there was a high degree of anoxia, lasting >200 days per year, compared with <40 days in gw and sw. Amplification of the risk of anoxia below 27 cm depth after 10 yrs was 323, 151 and 100 days in the control, gw and sw, respectively. Organic matter amendment could support sustainable urban soils for ten years after soil reconstitution.     

Sulfur oxidation and respiration in 54-year-old soil samples

Soil samples in dry storage for 54 yr were shown to retain their ability to respire and to oxidize S. Three of the soils had lower S-oxidizing capacity and three oxidized more S at 1 g kg^?1 than did the samples when originally collected. When the experiment was repeated with all apparatus sterilized by autoclaving and S sterilized in flowing steam, a greater proportion of the S was oxidized. This was not due to heat treatment of the S. In all cases, S additions and incubation resulted in a lowering of the soil pH, suggesting that Thiobacillus thiooxidans was responsible and had survived the prolonged storage. When the soils, before and after incubation, were added to Thiobacillus media, only Gram-positive bacteria, mostly Bacillus spp., were found.     

Soil core incubation system for the field measurement of denitrification using acetylene-inhibition

Two systems for determining rates of denitrification, both based on the acetylene-inhibition technique, have been compared. One system involved in situ treatment of soil with C₂H₂ using an enclosure (500 × 150mm) placed over the soil surface followed by measurement of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission. The other involved incubation, in the field, of soil cores with 5% (v/v) C₂H₂ in modified fruit preserving jars. Agreement between the two systems of measurement was close for well-drained soils over a wide range of rates of denitrification (0.005–1.27 kg N ha⁻¹ day⁻¹). Results obtained with poorly-drained soils having low air-filled porosities indicated that the incubation system with soil cores overcame the problems associated with applying the enclosure technique to soils of this type. Denitrification in the incubation system could be terminated by the addition of chloroform after an appropriate period (usually 24 h). The N₂O concentration in the air space of the jars then remained essentially constant for 14 days. This provided a second advantage in allowing the system to be used at sites remote from analytical facilities.     

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.     

Changes in Soluble Manganese and Iron Concentrations of Tropical Wetland Soils as Influenced by Glyphosate Dosage

Glyphosate is largely used to control weeds in wetland soils of Brazil. We investigated changes in the chemistry of soluble manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) in these soils as affected by glyphosate dosage. Triplicate samples of the A horizon of wetland soils with different organic-matter contents were incubated with deionized water (1:2) for 1, 3, and 30 days under flooding. Three different glyphosate doses (0, 0.048, and 0.096 g L^?1 m^?2) were spiked on the flooded water at the beginning of the incubation periods. After incubation, pH was measured and samples of the supernatant were collected for determination of Mn/Fe concentrations by atomic absorption. Glyphosate application impacted Mn but had no effect on pH and Fe. Soluble Mn concentrations decreased as glyphosate dosage increased for the high organic-matter soil after 3 days of incubation. It indicated that glyphosate application can change the chemistry of soil metals. The intensity of these changes depends on the glyphosate dosage, evolved metal, incubation time, and soil properties.     

Use of sawdust for soil ph amendments

Abstract

Changes in pH values during 12 weeks incubation in soils treated with acidified sawdust (ACD‐SD)‐treated soils ranged from 5.03 to 5.89, from 9.88 to 10.35 in soil treated with alkalized sawdust (ALK‐SD), and ranged from pH 6.88 to 7.35 in untreated sawdust‐amended soil. In unamended soil, pH values were 6.80 to 7.35. Bacterial populations over the 12 weeks in ACD‐SD‐treated soils increased from 5×10⁶ to 167×10⁶ colonies while bacterial populations in ALK‐SD‐treated soils increased from 2×10⁶ to 54×10⁶. Fungal populations increased from 6×10⁴ to 11,333×10⁴ colonies per gram soil in ACD‐SD treated soils over the 12 week incubation. Untreated sawdust and control soil did not result in any significant changes in the fungal populations.     

Sour Orange (Citrus Aurantium L.) Growth is Strongly Mycorrhizal Dependent in Terms of Phosphorus (P) Nutrition Rather than Zinc (Zn)

The partial sterilization of soil eliminates useful microorganisms, resulting in the reduced growth of mycorrhizae-dependent citrus plants, which are often unresponsive to the application of fertilizer. Research was conducted to test the hypothesis that indigenous mycorrhizae (IM) inoculation is as efficient as selected mycorrhizal inoculation under sterile and non-sterile soil conditions. Rhizophagus clarus and indigenous mycorrhiza spores, isolated from citrus orchards, were used as arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi under greenhouse conditions with sterile and non-sterile Çanakçi series (Typic xerofluvent) soils with low phosphorus (P) fertility. Different P (0 and 100 mg kg^?1) and zinc (Zn) (0, 5 and 10 mg kg^?1) concentrations were used at the start of the experiments. The shoot, root dry weight (RDW), root colonization, and P, Zn, iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) concentrations of the shoot were determined; mycorrhizae dependency (MD) was also calculated.

The results indicate that R. clarus and indigenous mycorrhiza in sterile and non-sterile soil conditions considerably increased the growth of citrus plants. Owing to existing beneficial indigenous rhizosphere microorganisms, citrus plant growth without inoculation was better in non-sterile soils than in the sterile soils. In non-sterilized soil, the plant growth parameters of R. clarus-inoculated soils were higher than those of indigenous mycorrhiza-inoculated soils. Mycorrhizae infection increased certain citrus plant growth parameters, such as root infection, biomass and nutrient uptake (P, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu). In sterile soil, the addition of up to 5 mg kg^?1 soil Zn and the inoculation of R. clarus significantly increased plant growth; inoculation with indigenous mycorrhiza produced more dry weight upon the addition of up to 100 mg kg^?1 phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅). Under sterile soil conditions, without considering fertilizer addition, MD was found to be higher than that of non-sterile soils. In general, the contribution of the indigenous soil spores is significant. However, indigenous soil mycorrhizae may need to be managed for better efficiency in increasing plant growth and nutrient uptake. The major finding was that the inoculation of citrus seedlings with mycorrhiza is necessary under both sterilized and non-sterilized soil conditions.