The Static Fertilization Experiment at the Start and the End of the 20th Century

Changes of yields, nitrogen uptake on the zero plots and nitrogen balances are discussed in the course of the decades at the Static Fertilization Experiment exemplary. 1991-2000 yields of cereals on the fertilized plots were nearly 200% in comparison to 1906-1915. At potatoes and sugar beets increase of yields was smaller. In the middle of all crops 52kg/ha nitrogen were taken up on the unfertilized plots in the years 1959-2000. Since there is a balance in the soil this nitrogen can only derived from the air. On the PK plots the atmogenic nitrogen input is 6kg/ha still higher. Crops with a long vegetation period like winter wheat and sugar beets take up more atmogenic nitrogen than such with a shorter vegetation period like summer barley and potatoes. The atmogenic nitrogen input per day of vegetation period is between 0,24 (winter wheat) and 0,38 (sugar beet)kg/ha and day. Nitrogen balances of the more important variants show that nitrogen uptake is higher than nitrogen input for a long time. In comparison of the decades 1961-1970 and 1991-2000 the best effect is in the case of mineral fertilization alone, also at increasing nitrogen input at the end of the century. The reason is the optimal control of nitrogen amount and time of application. In contrast organic fertilization and nitrogen release from the organic matter you can't control with the result of more unfavourable balances.     

Compost Recycling of Wood Fiber Waste Produced by Paper Manufacture

The composting of wood fiber waste from the manufacture of newsprint is described, with a mixture of wood fiber waste:sewage sludge at a ratio of 1:1 giving best results in a trial of shoot growth of Pinus radiata. An alternative chemical nutrient amendment (initial C:N ratio of 60:1) gave a plant response which was not significantly different to that of sewage sludge. Over a five month period volume reductions of up to 39 percent were observed in the composts, providing potential savings in subsequent transport operations. Use of uncomposted materials or addition of fly- or screen-ash compost amendment (12.5 percent or 25 percent v /v) was inhibitory to plant growth. Concentrations of some heavy metals in Hobart city sewage (particularly of chromium) were high, precluding its long-term use as a soil nutrient supplement. In view of the high heavy metal content of sewage sludge and its high volume to nutrient ratio, it was concluded that composting with chemical amendment was the preferred option for future investigation. Such composts would require ash amendment (or lime equivalent) at concentrations lower than those used in this study to counter acidity produced during composting.     

Urban Land Use Influences on Heavy Metal Fluxes and Surface Sediment Concentrations of Small Lakes

To study urban land use influences on heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) lake fluxes and sediment concentrations,ten headwater lakes and catchment areas in Stockholm, Sweden,were investigated. The catchment land use consisted of a gradient of urbanisation and was described on a detailed level,including all parts of the catchments, natural and urban. Covariation between catchment variables made interpretations difficult, however, and no detailed conclusions regarding metal sources could be drawn. Regression models for lake metalfluxes were calibrated using an urban status variable and a lake size variable (representing regional background sources).Hg showed no significant correlation with urban status, indicating a distribution pattern unaffected by local sources,mainly controlled by regional background sources. Cd showed aweak influence from urban land use. For Cu (and to some extent Cr) the urban status influences dominated. Pb, Ni andZn were in between these two groups and showed relations toboth urban land use and regional background.     

Sulfur metabolism in Allium cepa is hardly affected by chloride and sulfate salinity

Salinity as a major agricultural problem can affect crop growth and quality. Onion (Allium cepa L.) plant contains a wide variety of sulfur-containing compounds which may be involved in plant protection against salt stress. In the current study, a similar reduction in growth caused by chloride and sulfate salts was observed when onion was exposed to equimolar concentrations of Na⁺. Also, no difference was observed for shoot/root ratio and dry matter content of roots and shoots. Plants accumulated Na⁺ and the respective anions (chloride and sulfate) which in turn caused changes in the content of other nutrients. The content of potassium and calcium was decreased more than the other elements by both sodium salts. Sulfate salinity resulted in substantial increase in total sulfur and sulfate content but chloride salinity affected neither the total sulfur nor sulfate content of the roots and shoots, only in onion exposed to 200 mM chloride salt, those of roots and shoots were reduced. Furthermore, the water-soluble non-protein thiol content as well as the content of alliin remained rather unaffected. In conclusion, either salts affected the uptake and distribution of sulfate in onion, but had no or only a minor effect on the plant sulfur metabolism.     

Pyrolysis of a soil humic acid and of their hydrolyzed and methylated products

Pyrolysis of soil humic acid yields a variety of products arising from heterogeneous materials associated to the humic structure and from this self. After acid hydrolysis most of the compounds related to proteins, polysaccharides and lignin dissappear. Adsorbed compounds such as fatty and dicarboxylic acids are released after methylation and subsequent pyrolysis. In addition pyrolysis produces aromatic and substituted aromatic hydrocarbons. All the identified pyrolysis products have also been isolated by different complex and time-consuming chemical degradations and solvent extraction procedures. Pyrolysis provide some evidence of the humic acid structure.     

Erträge,n‐entzüge und humusdynamik im statischen düngungsversuch bad lauchstädt, 18 jahre nach erweiterung der versuchsfrage∗

Im Statischen Düngungsversuch Bad Lauchstädt werden nach Erweiterung der Versuchsfrage seit 1978 die Prüffaktoren: Stalldung (2 Stufen), C_org‐Gehalt im Boden (6 Stufen) und Mineral‐N‐Mengen (5 Stufen) in der Fruchtfolge Kartoffeln, Winterweizen, Zuckerrüben, Sommergerste geprüft. Nur bei Sommergerste konnte eine Ertragswirkung des Stalldungs im Vergleich zu ausschließlicher Mineraldüngung nachgewiesen werden. Die jährlichen Veränderungen der C_org‐ und N_t‐Gehalte im Boden betrugen bei jeweils extremen Änderungen des Düngungsregimes bis zu 0, 012% C_org bzw. 0,0013% N_t.     

Limited genotype- and ploidy-related variation in the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

Abstract

Water-soluble carbohydrates and fibre fractions are important traits that influence forage utilization by the ruminant. Little is known about the quality variation among perennial ryegrass genotypes within the same maturity group or between near-isogenic diploids and tetraploids. The current study was carried out in the form of two experiments on two successive years (2006–2007) in three sites in Northern Germany. The main aim was to investigate the variation in nutritive value that could be attributed to differences in maturity among 20 intermediate heading perennial ryegrass genotypes or to differences in ploidy between near-isogenic diploids and tetraploids. Results of the first experiment revealed significant variation among the 20 tested genotypes in the investigated quality parameters that were consistent with the discovered variation in the maturity of the genotypes determined in terms of their Mean Stage by Count (MSC). In the second experiment, few but consistent significant differences were detected between near-isogenic diploids and tetraploids. The tetraploid derivatives had always significantly higher water-soluble carbohydrate content and lower neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) than their near-isogenic diploid parents.