On the extent to which root properties and transport through the soil limit nitrogen uptake by lowland rice

Measurements of N uptake by rice plants growing in a puddled flooded soil and the corresponding changes in soil solution NH: concentrations and the soil NH: diffusion coefficient are used to calculate how far root uptake properties and transport to the roots limit acquisition of N by rice. With root uptake parameters assigned values such that influx was maximal within realistic ranges, the minimum root length densities required to explain uptake were similar to measured root length densities in both N-fertilized and unfertilized soil. This suggests that most if not all of the root length was active in uptake and that uptake per unit root length was near maximal. A sensitivity analysis showed that the necessary minimum root length is very sensitive to root uptake properties within appropriate ranges. Transport to the roots was mainly by diffusion. Rates of diffusion will generally not limit uptake in well-puddled soils, but they may greatly limit uptake in puddled soils that have been drained and re-flooded and in unpuddled flooded soils. Uptake of fertilizer N broadcast into rice field floodwater and absorbed by roots in the floodwater or soil near the floodwater is not likely to be limited by root uptake properties or transport.     

An approach to soil testing with special reference to the zinc requirement of rice paddy soils

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to seek a better basis for soil testing of rice paddy soils. Soils were incubated under variable conditions of simulated flooding, and then extracted with DTPA⁵ . The amounts of Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe extracted were sensitive to the imposed soil conditions. Good correlations between Zn extracted from simulated flooded soils and Zn uptakes by rice from flooded soils in pots, suggest that this approach to soil testing may be more useful for paddy soils than existing tests on air dried soils.     

Distribution of radioactive cesium in soil and its uptake by herbaceous plants in temperate pastures with different management after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station accident

Abstract

The accident at Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) extensively contaminated the agricultural land in the Tohoku region of Japan with radioactive cesium [sum of cesium-134 (¹³⁴Cs) and cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs)]. We evaluated the status of radioactive cesium (Cs) contamination in soil and plants at the Field Science Center of Tohoku University, northern Miyagi prefecture, 150 km north of the NPS. In seven pastures with different management, we examined: (1) the distribution of radioactive Cs in soil, (2) the concentration of radioactive Cs in various herbaceous plant species and (3) the change in radioactive Cs content of plants as they matured. We collected samples of litter, root mat layer (root mat soil and plant roots), and subsurface soil (0–5 cm beneath the root mat) at two to three locations in each pasture in December 2011 and May 2012. The aboveground parts of herbaceous plants (four grasses, two legumes, and one forb species) were collected from May 9 to June 20, 2012, at 14-d intervals, from one to five fixed sampling locations in each pasture. The distribution of radioactive Cs in soil differed among pastures to some degree: a large proportion of radioactive Cs was distributed in the root mat layer. Pasture management greatly influenced the radioactive Cs content of herbaceous plants (p < 0.001); plant species had less influence. Radioactive Cs content was highest (> 3 kBq kg^?1 dry weight) on May 9 and significantly decreased with maturity (p < 0.001) for most of the pastures, whereas it remained low (0.04–0.18 kBq kg^?1 dry weight) throughout the measurement period in the pasture where composted cattle manure was applied. The soil-to-plant transfer factor was negatively correlated to pH(H₂O) (R² = 0.783, p < 0.001) and exchangeable K content (R² = 0.971, p < 0.001) of root mat soils, which suggests that surface application of composted cattle manure reduces plant uptake of radioactive Cs by increasing the exchangeable K content of the soil. The radioactive Cs content of plants decreased with plant maturity; its degree of decrease (May 9 to June 6) was smaller in legumes (80.6%) than grasses (55.5%) and the forb (58.6%). Radioactive Cs content decreased with plant maturity; also, the proportion remaining in the aboveground plant was higher in legumes (80.6%) than grasses (55.5%) and the forb (58.6%).     

水稻专用配方肥增效剂的应用及其作用机理研究

以中稻培两优 93为材料 ,对配方肥增效剂的增产机理进行了研究。盆栽试验结果表明 ,配方肥增效剂能显著促进根系的生长 ,极显著提高根系体积、总吸收面积和活跃吸收面积 ,但对根系活力影响不大。增效剂对水稻植株下部叶片光合性能有一定影响 ,促进叶绿素含量增加、光合速率增大 ;还可提高处理水稻植株的气孔导度和蒸腾速率 ,改善养分在植物体内的运输条件 ,增加根系吸收养分的动力。配方肥增效剂能提高水稻植株的分蘖能力 ,增加干物质积累量。配方肥增效剂处理比配方肥处理增产约 8.6% ,减少化肥用量 10%和 20%。     

Mild drying of sandy soil can physically limit the uptake of phosphorus by rainfed lowland rice in northeast Thailand

ABSTRACT

Poor response of rice to phosphorus (P) fertilization and low phytoavailability of soil P have been reported in sandy rainfed fields in northeast Thailand. In order to evaluate the effects of mild soil drying on the uptake of P by rainfed lowland rice, we carried out nutrient omission trials for nitrogen (N) and P at Ubon Ratchathani Rice Research Center under rainfed and flooded conditions. The surface soil was classified as sandy loam. To avoid severe soil drying and drought stress in the rainfed field, soil water potential at a depth of 20 cm was maintained at the field capacity (> ?20 kPa) by flush irrigation. The effects of flooding and drying on the soil properties were also evaluated in the laboratory using soils with diverse textures in and around the center. In the field experiments, the above-ground biomass of rice plants (RD6) did not respond significantly to P fertilization in the rainfed field, although it responded positively to N fertilization. Root length in the surface 10 cm under the rainfed condition was significantly smaller than that under the flooded condition due partly to the increased soil hardness upon drying, but this could not quantitatively explain the large discrepancy of P uptake observed between the rainfed and flooded conditions. Under the rainfed condition, the P uptake did not increase significantly, even when the concentration of soil Bray P was tripled by transferring the surface soil from the flooded to the rainfed field. From the laboratory experiments, it was further suggested that soil P was supplied mainly by diffusion and that the effective diffusion coefficient for P can become less than one-tenth of the value in the flooded field when the sandy soil with clay at around 10% dried to ?100 kPa. Our results suggest that the uptake of P by the rainfed lowland rice grown in sandy soil can be limited physically by mild soil drying that reduces the supply of P to roots by diffusion rather than the chemical extractability of soil P.     

The uptake of phosphate by barley plants from soil under aseptic and non-sterile conditions

The uptake of phosphorus by barley plants growing in soil has been compared in the presence and absence of microorganisms. The soil chosen for study was basaltic loam which earlier investigations had shown required the addition of supplementary phosphate to obtain successful growth of plants.Despite a rapid turnover of the phosphorus in microorganisms as a result of death and lysis, less was absorbed by plants grown under non-sterile conditions causing a considerable reduction in the yield of dry matter. These microbial effects were obviated by the addition of a small quantity of KH₂PO₄ (0.15 m-equiv/500 g soil). In this soil therefore, competition appears to exist between microorganisms and plants similar to that demonstrated previously in water culture.     

Tubificid role in soil mineralization and recovery of algal nitrogen by lowland rice

Uptake of blue-green algal nitrogen (N) and total N uptake by lowland rice (Oryza sativa) was affected by tubificid (Oligochaeta) presence in submerged soils. Recovery of algal ¹⁵N by the first crop was 24–43% but only 4–7% for the second, and recovery was determined by both the method of algal application (surface vs buried) and the presence of tubificids. Tubificid activities reduced recovery of algal N by rice, increased its total N content and doubled losses of ¹⁵N to the atmosphere. Soil N uptake by rice was increased by tubificid presence. Soil N mineralization, measured as NH₄⁺ production, was doubled over 7 days by their activities and algal mineralization was also apparently enhanced. The NH₄⁺ release rate of Limnodrilus sp. was 4.11 ± 0.06 ng NH₄⁺-N mg ash free dry wt^?1 h^?1. Effects of tubificids on rice nutrition are discussed.     

The influence of pH,soil type and time on adsorbtion and uptake by plants of Cd added to the soil

Adsorption of Cd by two soils and its uptake by perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and winter rape (Brassica napus) as a function of pH (pH 4 to 7) and the amount of Cd added to the soil (0 to 5 mg kg^?1 soil) were studied in a 2-yr pot experiment. In the soils, the more soluble fractions of Cd increased as the pH was lowered. Increasing the pH from 5 to 7 by adding CaO invariably reduced the Cd-content of ryegrass plants, but this decrease was less consistent where the pH had only been increased to 6. In some cases, acidifying the soil with S to reach a pH of 4 also led to a decrease in plant Cd-content. The Cd-content of rapeseed plants was markedly higher at pH 4 than at pH 5. Plant damage at low pH was observed in this crop. Water-leachable and CaCl₂-extractable soil Cd levels as well as plant uptake were higher in the sand soil than in the clay soil, whereas 1M NH₄AcO (buffered at pH 4.8 and 7) extracted roughly equal amounts from both soils. Adding more Cd to the soil did not change the relation between Cd levels in soil and those in plants; instead the amounts of Cd in both increased in direct proportion to the amounts added. Fixation of added Cd apparently did not occur continuously at any pH or Cd-level during the 2-yr period, but seasonal variations in solubility and uptake were observed.     

Evolution of dinitrogen and nitrous oxide from the soil to the atmosphere through rice plants

Summary It is commonly assumed that a large fraction of fertilizer N applied to a rice (Oryza sativa L.) field is lost from the soil-water-plant system as a result of denitrification. Direct evidence to support this view, however, is limited. The few direct field, denitrification gas measurements that have been made indicate less N loss than that determined by ¹⁵N balance after the growing season. One explanation for this discrepancy is that the N₂ produced during denitrification in a flooded soil remains trapped in the soil system and does not evolve to the atmosphere until the soil dries or is otherwise disturbed. It seems likely, however, that N₂ produced in the soil uses the rice plants as a conduit to the atmosphere, as does methane. Methane evolution from a rice field has been demonstrated to occur almost exclusively through the rice plants themselves. A field study in Cuttack, India, and a greenhouse study in Fort Collins, Colorado, were conducted to determine the influence of rice plants on the transport of N₂ and N₂O from the soil to the atmosphere. In these studies, plots were fertilized with 75 or 99 atom % ¹⁵N-urea and ¹⁵N techniques were used to monitor the daily evolution of N₂ and N₂O. At weekly intervals the amount of N₂+N₂O trapped in the flooded soil and the total-N and fertilized-N content of the soil and plants were measured in the greenhouse plots. Direct measurement of N₂+N₂O emission from field and greenhouse plots indicated that the young rice plant facilitates the efflux of N₂ and N₂O from the soil to the atmosphere. Little N gas was trapped in the rice-planted soils while large quantities were trapped in the unplanted soils. N losses due to denitrification accounted for only up to 10% of the loss of added N in planted soils in the field or greenhouse. The major losses of fertilizer N from both the field and greenhouse soils appear to have been the result of NH₃ volatilization.     

Cadmium contamination of soils and rice plants caused by zinc mining IV. Use of soil amendment materials for the control of Cd uptake by plants

In view of the difficulty in practicing water management as a measure to prevent the production of high Cd rice, alkaline or calcareous soil amendment materials were examined, concerning their pH effect on the availability of soil heavy metals.

1. In the experiment conducted on the contaminated paddy field, the essential Cd uptake by the plant occurred after the ear-forming stage and was reduced remarkably by a basal application of the amendment materials followed by top application, depending on the activity of raising the soil pH. Combined use of calcium silicate and fused magnesium phosphate for a basal dressing was most effective on Cd uptake, producing rice of the lowest Cd content, one fifth of the control.

2. The content of Cu in rice also decreased with the treatment to an extent second to Cd, while that of Zn and Pb decreased in straw but hardly changed in rice. Cu seemed fastest in the straw-to-grain movement which was also promoted by the treatments.

3. Soil Cd and Cu were less soluble in 0.1 N HCl solutions than were Zn and Pb, with the application of fused phosphate. Soil Cd became more insoluble in the incubated soil in a submerged condition and its solubility appeared to be depressed by the addition of ammonium sulfate.

4. Based on the good results for the control of high Cd rice obtained through three years' survey in the problem area, it was recommended that these materials be used in sufficient quantity to raise soil pH, taking care not to cause delay in the first growth.     

Commonness and rarity in plants with special reference to the Sheffield flora part IV: A European context with particular reference to endemism

With respect to reasons for commonness and rarity, an attempt is made to compare the flora of the Sheffield region with that of Europe as a whole. Land use appears to exert a critical effect on species abundance in both floras. However, European endemics, a grouping poorly represented in the Sheffield region and indeed in N Europe, form a very different class of rare species. Unlike the rare species of the Sheffield region, which are particularly associated with primitive families (sensu Sporne, 1980), European endemics tend to be found in advanced families, the very families with the greatest proportion of common species. Thus, while the main factors controlling abundance in N Europe appear to be essentially similar to those operating in the Sheffield region, additional processes related to endemism must be taken into account in S Europe. Implications of these results for conservation policy are reviewed.     

The relationship between boron soil test results and boron uptake by bean plants

Abstract

Boron sensitive crops, kidney beans and soybeans, were grown in pots containing soil collected from a beet field and a nearby pasture. Two soil extraction procedures were used to measure boron concentrations in the soils. Dilute acid was used to extract what is believed to be readily available boron. A modified‐Soxhlet apparatus, which employed continuous leaching with hot water, measured what is believed to be slowly available boron. Plant boron status was determined by analyzing the above ground portion of the plants grown in two soils. The amount of boron in the plant tops provides an indication of biologically available boron or that boron actually available to plants. Although kidney beans and soybeans extracted more boron from the beet soil, both soil extraction procedures indicated that the concentration of boron was higher in the pasture soil. Neither extraction procedure proved reliable in predicting plant response.     

Studies on the nitrification in soil,with special reference to the population of nitrifier

A number of papers have been published on nitrification in soil. The problem of the nitrification has become increasingly important because of the appearance of new forms of nitrogenous fertilizers such as ammonium chloride or urea, etc.     

Solubilization of phosphate by rice plants growing in reduced soil: prediction of the amount solubilized and the resultant increase in uptake

Previous work has shown that rice plants growing in reduced soil are able to solubilize P by inducing an acidification in the rhizosphere through H⁺ produced in Fe²⁺ oxidation by root–released O₂, and by the direct release of H⁺ from the roots to balance excess intake of cations over anions. In this paper, equations for the diffusion and interaction of P and acid in soil are developed to predict the resultant increase in P uptake by the roots. Good agreement was obtained between the profiles of P and pH in the rhizosphere measured in the previous experiments, and those predicted using the equations with independently measured parameter values. The equations showed that solubilization accounted for over 80% of the P taken up. Measurements of the solubilization parameters in a range of reduced rice soils showed that H⁺ addition increased the quantity of P that could be desorbed per unit weight of soil and the concentration of P in solution, in all the soils tested. The quantity of P solubilized per unit H⁺ added at a given solution P concentration varied about 50–fold between soils, with a median of 11.9 mmol P per mol H⁺. The native soil solution P concentration varied 50–fold (median = 0.91 UM) and the soil pP buffer power (the quantity of P desorbed per unit decrease in –log of the P concentration in solution) varied 100–fold (median = 0.36 mmol kg^?1 pP^?1); the soil pH buffer power varied 7–fold (median = 0.075 mmol kg^?1 pH^?1). Calculations indicated that, in most of the soils tested, rice plants would depend upon solubilization for the bulk of their P.     

水稻对氮素的吸收、分配及其在组织中的挥发损失

应用¹⁵N示踪技术研究了水稻不同生育期吸收的¹⁵N在各器官中的分配,以及后期植物组织中的挥发损失。结果发现,水稻在分蘖期吸收的氮量少于在幼穗分化期吸收的氮量;在分蘖期吸收的¹⁵N,标记结束时氮素主要分配于水稻的叶片中,至成熟期¹⁵N有39%转运至水稻子粒中;水稻在幼穗分化期吸收的¹⁵N,标记结束时氮素主要分配在水稻茎和叶鞘中,至成熟期¹⁵N有46%转运至水稻的子粒中;水稻在分蘖期和幼穗分化期吸收的氮素在后期可以通过植株组织挥发损失,至成熟期损失的比例分别达16.7%和13.4%。     

Background level of indium and gallium in soil with special reference to the pollution of the soils from zinc and lead smelters

The mean and range of indium content in unpolluted soils (Humic Andosols, Eutric Fluvisols, and Mollic Gleysols) was found to be 0.037 (0.016–0.078) μg/g dry wt. In soils polluted by common heavy metals, elevated values of indium up to 1.92 μg/g dry wt were observed together with an increase of cadmium, zinc, and lead. In contrast to indium, gallium content in polluted soils was nearly the same as that in unpolluted soils throughout the profiles. The mean and range of gallium content in all unpolluted and polluted samples was 14.2 (12.8–16.3) μg/g dry wt. The indium and gallium contents in 4 Canadian reference soils were also analyzed.     

土壤微生物生物氮与植物氮吸收的关系

The contents of the soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) in the soils sampled from the Loess Plateau of China were determined using chloroform fumigation aerobic incubation method (CFAIM),chloroform fumigation anaerobic incubation method (CFANIM) and chloroform fumigation-extraction method (CFEM). The N taken up by ryegrass on the soils was determined after a galsshouse pot experiment. The flushes of nitrogen (FN) of the soils obtained by the CFAIM and CFANIM were higher than that by the CFEM, and there were significantly positive correlations between the FN obtained by the 3 methods. The N extracted from the fumigated soils by the CFAIM,CFANIM and CFEM were significantly positively correlated with the N uptake by ryegrass. The FN obtained by the 3 methods was also closely positively correlated with the N uptake by ryegrass. The FN obtained by the 3 methods was also closely positively correlated with the plant N uptake. The contributions of the SMBN and mineral N and mineralized N during the incubation period to plant N uptake were evaluated with the multiple regression method. The results showed that the N contained in the soil microbial biomass might play a noticeable role in the N supply of the soils to the plant.     

Copper and zinc uptake by celery plants grown on acidic soil amended with biosolids

For trace elements, such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), the bioavailability of these elements, Cu and Zn, in biosolids is important because both are essential elements and both are potential contaminants when biosolids are land applied. A greenhouse study was conducted in factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications on a soil treated with four rates of Cu (0, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) and four rates of Zn (0, 150, 300, and 450 mg/kg) on celery plants to investigate the distribution and mobility of these elements as well as growth and antioxidant changes of celery. The results of antioxidant changes were inconclusive due to irregular changes with Zn and Cu applications. However, generally the results show that Cu did not affect superoxide dismutase (SOD) or peroxidase (POD) activities in most of the treatments. On the other hand, Zn stimulated SOD and POD activities in most of the treatments. The photosynthesis rate decreased with the applications of Cu and Zn at the rates above 100 and 300 mg/kg and increased in low Cu concentration (50 mg/kg) compared to S (soil without biosolid).