Source identification and apportionment of soil cadmium in cropland of Eastern China: a combined approach of models and geographic information system

Purpose

Cadmium (Cd) is regarded as one of the most toxic heavy metals in the environment and can undermine the ecosystem function and human health at trace level due to its high toxicity. In order to reduce the anthropogenic Cd input into agricultural soil, it is of utmost importance to pinpoint the sources of Cd in soils and apportion their respective contributions.

Materials and methods

One hundred twenty-seven topsoil samples and 21 subsoil samples were collected from croplands of Meishan Basin, Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, Eastern China, and analyzed for concentrations of Cd and other heavy metals. Finite mixture distribution model (FMDM) was employed to fit the data to obtain the local soil Cd threshold value, a critical indicator to assess soil heavy metal contamination. Then, principal component analysis (PCA) and geographic information system (GIS) were used to identify the potential sources of Cd. Finally, positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to apportion the source contributions.

Results and discussion

Among the 127 topsoil samples, 71 were subject to Cd contamination with a mean concentration of 0.66 mg kg^?1 while the others were considered as background with a lower mean concentration of 0.145 mg kg^?1, close to the local background concentration of 0.142 mg kg^?1. Further, three components were extracted by PCA and interpreted as natural background, lead-acid battery manufacturing plants, and construction material associated activities, respectively. Additionally, most of the topsoil samples around the lead-acid battery manufacturing plants, construction material plants, and limestone/marble quarries were classified as Cd contaminated. However, PMF failed to get a successful portioning.

Conclusions

Lead-acid battery manufacturing plants and construction material associated activities were the main anthropogenic sources of soil Cd contamination. With the help of FMDM, it is possible to distinguish the contaminated soil and estimate the contribution of anthropogenic sources to soil Cd. The apportionment by PMF was not successful in this paper due to the high skewness or outliers of Cd concentration in sampling sites and violation of the assumption that all samples have the same sources.

     

Functional and structural responses of bacterial and fungal communities from paddy fields following long-term rice cultivation

Purpose

Rice paddy soils undergo pedogenesis driven by periodic flooding and drainage cycles that lead to accumulation of organic matter and the stratification of nutrients and oxygen in the soil profile. Here, we examined the effects of continuous rice cultivation on microbial community structures, enzyme activities, and chemical properties for paddy soils along a chronosequence representing 0–700 years of rice cropping in China.

Materials and methods

Changes in the abundance and composition of bacterial and fungal communities were characterized at three depths (0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm) in relation to organic carbon, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon/nitrogen, and activities of acid phosphatase, invertase, and urease.

Results and discussion

Both soil organic carbon and total nitrogen increased over time at all three depths, while pH generally decreased. Microbial abundance (bacteria and fungi) and invertase and urease activity significantly increased with the duration of rice cultivation, especially in the surface layer. Fungal abundance and acid phosphatase activity declined with depth, whereas bacterial abundance was highest at the 5–10-cm soil depth. Profiles of the microbial community based on PCR-DGGE of 16S rRNA indicated that the composition of fungal communities was strongly influenced by soil depth, whereas soil bacterial community structures were similar throughout the profile.

Conclusions

Soil bioactivity (microbial abundance and soil enzymes) gradually increased with organic carbon and total nitrogen accumulation under prolonged rice cultivation. Microbial activity decreased with depth, and soil microbial communities were stratified with soil depth. The fungal community was more sensitive than the bacterial community to cultivation age and soil depth. However, the mechanism of fungal community succession with rice cultivation needs further research.

     

Assessment of changes in soil organic matter after invasion by exotic plant species

Invasive exotic plants can modify soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and other soil properties. We evaluated changes in particulate organic matter (POM) and carbon (C) mineralisation in adjacent plots invaded by Solidago gigantea, Prunus serotina, Heracleum mantegazzianum and Fallopia japonica, and non-invaded control plots on different soils in Belgium. Litter decomposition of S. gigantea and P. serotina was compared to that of the native species Epilobium hirsutum, Betula pendula and Fagus sylvatica. Disregarding the differences in site characteristics (soil texture, parental material and plant species), we argued that the invasion by S. gigantea and P. serotina enhance SOM dynamics by increasing C mineralisation in 2 out of 3 sites invaded by S. gigantea and in 1 out of 3 sites invaded by P. serotina; C in coarse POM (cPOM, 4,000–250 μm) and fine POM (fPOM, 250–50 μm) in 1 site invaded by S. gigantea and C content in total POM (tPOM, 4,000–50 μm) and the organo-mineral fraction (OMF, 0–50 μm) in 1 site invaded by P. serotina. H. mantegazzianum and F. japonica slowed down SOM dynamics by reducing C mineralisation in three out of four sites; C and nitrogen (N) of fPOM in the invaded compared with the non-invaded plots at one site invaded by H. mantegazzianum. However, N content of cPOM (4,000–250 μm) was higher in the invaded sites by F. japonica compared with the non-invaded plots. Our results indicated that the effects of invasion by exotic plant species were not species-specific but site-specific.     

Using perlite as a substrate carrier for measuring microbial available phosphorus by respiration kinetics in soils

The release of CO₂ by soil microorganisms after the addition of nitrogen and glucose in excess and calibration additions of phosphorus has successfully been used to assess microbial available P, assuming the native soil P pool is then limiting respiration. However, in P-fixing soils and soils with high P content, carbon can be exhausted before the available soil P pool. It is not possible to simply increase the amount of glucose as then the glucose concentration would be lethal for microorganisms. A modified method was tested where soil is mixed with perlite. It was hypothesised that perlite, having a high water holding capacity, would dilute the concentration of glucose, while maintaining the bioavailability of added nutrients, thus avoiding carbon limitation. Factorial combinations of amount of soil and perlite (both adjusted to −25 kPa water potential) were tested to examine if perlite as such had any effect on the respiration. Five tropical soil samples with a sharp gradient in P availability and one N-limited compost material were used. The method successfully reduced the risk of carbon limitation. Microbial indices, such as basal respiration, substrate-induced respiration and maximum P-limited respiration, were directly proportional to the amount of soil in the experiments but unrelated to the amount of perlite, showing that perlite did not affect microbial measurements.     

Analysis of indigenous production methods and farm-based biodiversity of amochi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arisaema schimperianum</Emphasis> Schott) in two sub-zones of Southern Ethiopia

For the first time we report that diverse types of Arisaema schimperianum Schott locally called amochi, are grown and managed as an off-season food crop in Southern Ethiopia. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and formal survey studies on 204 households were conducted over two consecutive years (2003–2004) in Chencha and Dita sub zones of Southern Ethiopia, to identify indigenous production methods and farm based biodiversity of amochi. Amochi is propagated from seed tubers and tuber parts left in the soil from the preceding harvest and grow during the dry season, February to June. Average share of proportion in the annual household consumption from amochi tubers was 9% and 4% for Chencha and Dita respectively. Uncooked amochi is irritating in contact to skin and mouth. Fifteen amochi types were identified in Dita and 12 in Chencha. They differ in the level of irritation, maturity and yield. Rich farmers with large family size as a working force, large farm size to support larger number of livestock that is source of farmyard manure, have farms with larger diversity of amochi than their poor counterparts, suggesting that its diversity is influenced by house hold characteristics and favoured under relatively fertile soil conditions. In both sub zones women had better experience in identifying amochi types than men. Further study is needed to identify chemical contents; and genetic variation using morphologic and molecular traits, in order to develop a strategy to assess and utilise the existing genetic diversity.     

Powdery Mildew Resistance in a Collection of Chinese Barley Varieties

One hundred and forty-seven Chinese barley varieties maintained at the Gene Bank of the National Barley Improvement Centre, Zhejiang, and 84 progenies from these varieties were tested at the seedling stage for their reaction to 32 selected pathotypes of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. Eighteen resistance spectra were identified comprising single or combined resistances from eight known (Ml(Bw), Ml(Ch), Mla7, Mla8, Mla9, Mla13, MlaRu4 and Mlg) and six unknown resistance genes. The most frequent gene was Ml(Bw), which was found in 69 varieties and previously detected in only a few European winter barley varieties. The genes Mla8 and Ml(Ch) were also often present, but other resistance genes were rare. After inoculation, considerably fewer pathogen colonies were observed in ‘Aiganqi’ and one line of ‘Tong5’. Twenty varieties were composed of lines with different resistance genes. China is likely to be a region of origin of the genes Ml(Bw), Mla7, as well as three unknown genes found in original landraces and perhaps another three unknown genes detected in cultivars bred in China. The resistances of varieties from the Zhejiang province and those originating from 11 other Chinese provinces were quite different. Unfortunately, none of the varieties are promising sources of resistance to powdery mildew and China does not seem to be a region suitable for identifying such sources.     

Comparison of genetic variation among accessions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops tauschii</Emphasis> using AFLP and SSR markers

Genetic diversity of 54 accessions of Aegilops tauschii from five countries was assessed using sequence-tagged microsatellites (or simple sequence repeats, SSRs) and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). In the case of AFLP analysis, a total of 256 amplification products obtained, 234 of them were polymorphic across all the 54 accessions. A total of 224 fragments were obtained from the 24 SSR primers and 219 of fragments were polymorphic across all the genotypes screened. Based on both AFLP and SSR markers, the highest percentage of polymorphisms were obtained in Iranian and accessions of unknown origin. The highest polymorphic information content (PIC) value was observed for SSRs (0.82) while the highest marker index (MI) value was for AFLPs (8.5) reflecting the hyper-variability of the first and the distinctive nature of the second system. Principal co-ordinate analysis (PCO) revealed congruent patterns of genetic relationships for both data sets, but did not group accessions strictly according to their geographical origins. Poor correlation was found between AFLP and SSR marker loci. This low association may be due to low number of AFLP and SSR markers. These results show that molecular markers can help to organize the genetic variability and expose useful diversity for breeding purposes.     

Cation exchange capacity of density fractions from paired conifer/grassland soils

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a soil depends on the type and amount of both mineral and organic surfaces. Previous studies that have sought to determine the relative contribution of organic matter to total soil CEC have not addressed differences in soil organic matter (SOM) composition that could lead to differences in CEC. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the CEC of two distinct SOM pools, the “light fraction (LF)” composed of particulate plant, animal, and microbial debris, and the “heavy fraction (HF)” composed of mineral-bound organic matter; and (2) to examine the effects of differences in aboveground vegetation on CEC. Soil samples were collected from four paired grassland/conifer sites within a single forested area and density fractionated. LF CEC was higher in conifer soils than in grassland soils, but there was no evidence of an effect of vegetation on CEC for the HF or bulk soil. LF CEC (but not HF CEC) correlated well with the C concentration in the fraction. The mean CEC of both fractions (per kg fraction) exceeded that of the bulk soil; thus, when the LF and HF CEC were combined mathematically by weighting values for each fraction in proportion to dry mass, the resulting value was nearly twice the measured CEC of bulk soil. On a whole soil basis, the HF contributed on average 97% of the CEC of the whole soil, although this conclusion must be tempered given the inflation of CEC values by the density fractionation procedure.     

Long-term effect of chemical fertilizer,straw, and manure on labile organic matter fractions in a paddy soil

To assess the effect of long-term fertilization on labile organic matter fractions, we analyzed the C and N mineralization and C and N content in soil, particulate organic matter (POM), light fraction organic matter (LFOM), and microbial biomass. Results showed that fertilizer N decreased or did not affect the C and N amounts in soil fractions, except N mineralization and soil total N. The C and N amounts in soil and its fractions increased with the application of fertilizer PK and rice straw. Generally, there was no significant difference between fertilizer PK and rice straw. Furthermore, application of manure was most effective in maintaining soil organic matter and labile organic matter fractions. Soils treated with manure alone had the highest microbial biomass C and C and N mineralization. A significant correlation was observed between the C content and N content in soil, POM, LFOM, microbial biomass, or the readily mineralized organic matter. The amounts of POM–N, LFOM–N, POM–C, and LFOM–C closely correlated with soil organic C or total N content. Microbial biomass N was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, LFOM–N, POM–C, and LFOM–C, while microbial biomass C was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, POM–C, and soil total N. These results suggested that microbial biomass C and N closely correlated with POM rather than SOM. Carbon mineralization was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, POM–C, microbial biomass C, and soil organic C, but no significant correlation was detected between N mineralization with C or N amounts in soil and its fractions.     

First record of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grewia tenax</Emphasis> (Forssk.) Fiori in northern Oman,a valuable fruit producing shrub

Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori is a wild fruit species with multiple uses in different parts of the Tropics and Subtropics. It is common on the Arabian Peninsula and has also been recorded in southern Oman. To date, no record of the species exists for the northern part of this country. To close this distributional gap, three sites in the al-Hajar mountains of northern Oman were surveyed in summer 2005 and spring 2006. During the botanical fieldwork, several flowering and fruiting plants were found in Wadi Bani Awf and Wadi Muaydin. In the latter area G. tenax fruits are eaten by local people. In addition to G. tenax, nine woody perennials with edible fruit were recorded. In northern Oman, fruits of Sideroxylon mascatense (A. DC.) Penn. and Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. are widely collected and sold on local markets. G. tenax shrubs were found to be heavily grazed indicating its high palatability to goats and sheep. The occurrence of G. tenax in the al-Hajar mountains is a new record to the flora of northern Oman and calls for further investigation of botanists and germplasm collectors.