The role of the exopolysaccharides in enhancing hydraulic conductivity of biological soil crusts

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are highly specialized topsoil microbial communities commonly found in arid and semiarid environments, permeated by a polymeric matrix of polysaccharides. BSCs can in principle influence edaphic properties such as texture, pore formation and water retention, which in turn determine water distribution and biological activity in dry lands. This paper investigates the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on BSC hydraulic conductivity, a parameter gauging the ease with which water can move through the pore spaces. Texture, phototroph abundance, microbial composition, and extracellular carbohydrate content were considered as potentially relevant parameters in a correlational study of BSC samples that spanned 1.5 orders of magnitude in hydraulic conductivity. A newly developed, non-destructive extraction method enabled us to directly quantify the specific role of extracellular polysaccharides on soil permeability on a variety of samples. Hydraulic conductivity showed a strongest correlation with texture (positive with sand content, negative with silt and clay). A weaker negative correlation with carbohydrate content, especially with polysaccharides having a molecular weight < 100 kDa, was also detected. In multiple regression analyses texture (silt content) was sufficient to explain most of the variation in hydraulic conductivity However, experimental removal of polymeric carbohydrates, resulted invariably in a substantial decrease in hydraulic conductivity for any given sample (between 1.7 and 3.3 fold). Our results suggest that while soil texture determines overall hydraulic conductivity in BSCs, the presence of exopolysaccharides can significantly enhance it, likely by conferring a spongy structure to a BSC thus increasing the number of waterways within it.     

Biological nitrogen fixation in Azospirillum strain-maize genotype associations as evaluated by the 15N isotope dilution technique

Few studies of the inoculation of cereal crops with N₂-fixing bacteria have included more than one or two plant genotypes. In a recent study performed in Argentina using 12 different maize genotypes, it was found in 2 consecutive field experiments that several of them responded consistently, either negatively or positively, to inoculation with a mixture of strains of Azospirillum spp. The present study in post was performed to investigate the effect of inoculation of individual strains (and a mixture) of Azospirillum spp., and their nitrate reductase negative (NR-) mutants, on the growth of four of these maize genotypes. Two of these genotypes were grown in ¹⁵N-labelled soil with the aim of quantifying any contributions of biological N₂ fixation. Two genotypes (Morgan 318 and Dekalb 4D-70) produced similar increases in grain yield when they were inoculated with a mixture of Azospirillum spp. strains or fertilized with the equivalent of 100 kg N ha^-1. The other genotypes (Dekalb 2F-11 and CMS 22) showed little response to inoculation or N fertilization. The Morgan 318 and Dekalb 4D-70 genotypes showed a large increase in total N accumulation, suggesting that the response was due to increased N acquisition, but not due to bacterial nitrate reductase as the NR- mutants generally caused plant responses similar to those of the parent strains. Despite problems with the stabilization of the ¹⁵N enrichment in the soil, the ¹⁵N isotope dilution results indicated that there were very significant biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) contributions to the Dekalb 4D-70 and CMS 22 maize genotypes.Dedicated to Professor J.C.G. Ottow on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Soil Bioremediation: Combination of Earthworms and Compost for the Ecological Remediation of a Hydrocarbon Polluted Soil

A three-dimensional (3D) off-line chemical transport model (CTM) has been used to study an Arctic ozone minihole event in early December 2002, when the meteorological conditon were severely colder than in recent years. The minimum temperatures were below 188 K on 6 December 2002 and remained below 195 K for the entire month. Such temperatures are low enough for the formation of PSCs (polar stratospheric clouds) which were observed by a visible/near infrared solar occultation instrument by the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) III experiment. The SLIMCAT model compares well with the depth and evolution of the ozone distribution as observed by the second European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-2) Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME). The combined effect of a very strong and large intrusion of sub-tropical air, and uplifting of air masses of low ozone concentrations from the troposphere plays important role in the fomation of the ozone minihole. The modelled chemical ozone loss rate was relatively fast in the lower stratosphere in the region of frequent PSCs and higher levels of ClO and BrO. The observed PSCs in the vicinity of the minihole supports the model-predicted location of PSCs and chlorine activation. However, ozone miniholes have been attributed almost entirely to dynamical effects due to its short duration.     

Early-successional vegetation changes after roadside prairie restoration modify processes related with soil functioning by changing microbial functional diversity

Because of their rapidly changing vegetation dynamics and harsh environmental conditions, roadside prairies in semi-arid regions represent an exceptional study system in which to investigate the effects of plant-soil interactions on ecosystem functioning. We conducted a two-year field experiment on two roadside embankments in semi-arid central Spain differing in construction age to answer the following questions: (i) do commonly used restoration treatments (hydroseeding, fertilization and irrigation) affect soil microbial functional diversity and processes related to soil functioning (basal respiration, total N and P and in situ N availability rate)? (ii) what portion of plant effects on processes related to soil functioning is mediated indirectly by microbial functional diversity? Except for a small and negative irrigation effect on the microbial functional diversity in the three-year old site, the restoration treatments employed did not affect this variable. Fertilization increased plant diversity, an effect likely mediated by the enhanced soil nutrient availability with this treatment at early stages of secondary succession. In contrast, hydroseeding did not affect processes related to soil functioning. The total effect of the plant community on these processes was higher than that of the microbial functional diversity alone, suggesting that the studied slopes are to the greater extent regulated by plants. However, soil microbes are a key proximate influence in the system, as the indirect effects of plant community on soil functioning processes mediated by soil microbes represented 37-41% of the total plant effects observed. Our results indicate that the restoration of recently built slopes can potentially be improved with treatments that promote plant compositional shifts, such as fertilization, or alter soil function, such as the enhancement of soil microbial functional diversity. They also highlight that plant-soil interactions are an important process that can be manipulated for restoration purposes in early-successional stages, especially in nutrient-poor semi-arid ecosystems.     

Charcoal and smoke extract stimulate the soil microbial community in a highly weathered xanthic Ferralsol

The influence of charcoal and smoke condensates (pyroligneous acid, PA) on microbial activity in a highly weathered Amazonian upland soil was assessed via measurements of basal respiration (BR), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), and exponential population increase after substrate addition. PA extracts are commonly used for fertilizer or as pest control in Brazil, where phosphorus (P) availability and nitrogen (N) leaching are among the most severe limitations for agriculture. Microbes play an important role in nutrient cycling and solubilizing of phosphate. BR, microbial biomass, population growth and the microbe's efficiency (expressed by the metabolic quotient) increased linearly and significantly with increasing charcoal concentrations (50, 100 and 150 g kg⁻¹ soil). Application of PA caused a sharp increase in all parameters. We suppose that the condensates from smoke contain easily degradable substances and only small amounts of inhibitory agents, which could be utilized by the microbes for their metabolism.     

15N-Urea Efficiency in Maize as Influenced by Humic Substances and Urease Inhibitors Treatments

Urea treated with urease inhibitors (UI) in association with humic substances (HS) is expected to improve urea efficiency by reducing ammonia losses and also provide the benefits of HS such as improve nitrogen (N) recovery by plants. Ammonia volatilization (AV), ¹⁵N recovery efficiency in the soil (NRE) and ¹⁵N use efficiency (NUE) were evaluated in maize (Zea mays L.) in a greenhouse pot trial. Treatments consisted of ¹⁵N-urea treated with UI (0, 0.4% boron (B) +0.15% copper (Cu), 0.64% B, and NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide)) and three levels of HS (0%, 0.6%, and 1.2%). A control treatment (without N) was also included. N treatments were applied at V4 (vegetative leaf stage 4) on soil surface. HS was not efficient on AV reduction, NBPT had the greatest reduction in AV, and B had higher efficiency on AV reduction than Cu. At V8 (vegetative leaf stage 8), NBPT had the greatest NUE followed by B. At VT (tassel fully emerged), NUE from urea treated with NBPT reduced when increased levels of HS, and NBPT had the greatest NRE. UI in association with HS treated-urea does not reduce AV and it does not improve NUE by maize in vegetative stages.     

Evolution of chlorpyrifos, fenarimol, metalaxyl, penconazole, and vinclozolin in red wines elaborated by carbonic maceration of Monastrell grapes

The influence of the different steps involved in the wine-making process on the disappearance of chlorpyrifos, fenarimol, metalaxyl, penconazole, and vinclozolin in red wines elaborated by carbonic maceration of Monastrell grapes was studied. The initial levels of the residues in grapes ranged from 0.28 mg/kg (penconazole) to 1 mg/kg (chlorpyrifos). Ten days after the beginning of maceration, the compound that had decreased least was chlorpyrifos (83% of initial value remaining), whereas metalaxyl, the least persistent of the residues, had decreased to 49% of its initial value. In the free-run juice, on the other hand, the highest percentage remaining corresponded to metalaxyl (10%) and the lowest to chlorpyrifos (0. 1%). After pressing, the percentages of initial values eliminated in pomace varied from 82.7% for chlorpyrifos to 17.7% for metalaxyl, whereas in the press juice the opposite was the case (37% metalaxyl and 2% chlorpyrifos remaining). In finished wine, there were residues of all the pesticides, with the exception of chlorpyrifos, metalaxyl (21%) being the most persistent. The percentages eliminated in the lees varied from 1.5 to 2.5% of the initial value.     

Grape Seed-Derived Procyanidins Decrease Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 Activity and Expression

Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors are among the newest treatments against type 2 diabetes. Since some flavonoids modulate DPP4 activity, we evaluated whether grape seed-derived procyanidins (GSPEs), which are antihyperglycemic, modulate DPP4 activity and/or expression. In vitro inhibition assays showed that GSPEs inhibit pure DPP4. Chronic GSPE treatments in intestinal human cells (Caco-2) showed a decrease of DPP4 activity and gene expression. GSPE was also assayed in vivo. Intestinal but not plasmatic DPP4 activity and gene expression were decreased by GSPE in healthy and diet-induced obese animals. Healthy rats also showed glycemia improvement after oral glucose consumption but not after an intraperitoneal glucose challenge. In genetically obese rats, only DPP4 gene expression was down-regulated. Thus, procyanidin inhibition of intestinal DPP4 activity, either directly and/or via gene expression down-regulation, could be responsible for some of their effects in glucose homeostasis.     

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES FROM DIFFERENT ORIGIN ON LUPIN AS RELATED TO IRON SOURCES

Humic substances improve the efficiency of different iron (Fe) sources overcoming Fe deficiency chlorosis of plants. However, applied at high rates, they can promote negative effects on plants. The main objective of this work was to study the potential adverse effect of three humic acids from different origin when they were applied with two effective Fe sources for plants: Fe- ethylenediaminedihydroxyphenylacetic acid (EDDHA) and Vivianite. To this end, an experiment with lupin (Lupinus albus L.) was performed involving two factors: (i) Fe source, and (ii) humic substances from three different origin (composted cork, leonardite, and compost obtained from a mixture of olive husk with cotton gin trash) applied at 0, 0.1, and 0.5 g organic carbon (C) kg^?1 of growing media. At the rates used, humic substances promoted adverse effects on plant development, chlorophyll meter readings, and Fe content in lupin grown in calcareous media. Overall, the effect on dry matter and Fe content in plants was more relevant when Fe was supplied with Vivianite, the effect on chlorophyll meter readings being more significant when Fe was applied as Fe-EDDHA. Differences were also observed depending on the source of humic substances, those from leonardite promoting the greatest decrease in dry matter in roots and shoots. These humic substances possessed the highest values of spectroscopy index for aromaticity (A₂₅₄ ). On the other hand, the application of humic substances from olive husk compost, which exhibited the lower aromaticity index, resulted in the smallest decrease in dry matter production and chlorophyll meter readings. Dry matter in roots decreased logarithmically with increased values of the estimates of the amounts of aromatic compounds accumulated in the growing media (R² = 0.92; P < 0.01) with Vivianite as Fe source. Thus, the effects decreasing dry matter production, particularly in roots, and chlorophyll meter readings can be ascribed at least partially to the presence of phytotoxic aromatic compounds in humic substances.     

Effects of Annealing and Concentration of Calcium Salts on Thermal and Rheological Properties of Maize Starch During an Ecological Nixtamalization Process

The objective of the present work was to study the effect of annealing and concentration of Ca(OH)₂ (lime) and calcium salts on the thermal and rheological properties of maize starch during an ecological nixtamalization process. Thermal and rheological properties of maize starch changed during the ecological nixtamalization process because of three main causes: the annealing phenomenon, type of calcium salt, and calcium salt concentration. In all treatments thermal properties (T_o, T_p, and T_f) of nixtamal starch increased owing to the annealing process, whereas the type of salt or lime increased thermal properties and decreased pasting properties in this order: CaCl₂ > CaSO₄ > Ca(OH)₂ ≈ CaCO₃. This behavior was because of the dissociation of each salt or lime in water. Anions (OH⁻) can penetrate much more easily into the starch granule and start the gelatinization process by rupturing hydrogen bonds. Additionally, amylose‐lipid complexes were formed during the nixtamalization processes, as indicated by an increasing peak at 4.5 Å in X‐ray diffraction patterns.