Transformation of organic rhizodepositions by rhizosphere bacteria and its influence on the availability of tertiary calcium phosphate

This study assesses the influence of saccharides in the rhizodeposition on the phosphate solubilizing ability of rhizosphere bacteria. Water‐soluble rhizodeposits were analyzed of ¹⁴C‐labeled pea plants (Pisum sativum, cv. ‘Grapis’) which were grown at two different levels of P‐nutrition. The sugars produced were fed in vitro either as single compounds or as synthetic mixtures to three bacterial strains and the ability of the bacteria to mobilize Ca₃(PO₄)₂ was measured. The relative glucose proportion of pea exudates decreased under P deficiency while the content of galactose, ribose, xylose and fucose increased. In vitro feeding of single sugars and sugar mixtures showed that the ability of Pseudomonas fluorescens (PsIA12) to dissolve tertiary calcium phosphate was lower with pentoses and the mixed sugars of the P‐deficient plants than with glucose. On the other hand, the shifted sugar pattern observed under P deficiency increased the phosphate mobilization ability of Pantoea agglomerans (D5/23) and Azospirillum sp. (CC 322) considerably. This observation can only partly be explained by the acidification of the nutrient medium. Bacteria also produced different carboxylic anions depending on sugar supply. In addition to low‐molecular mono‐, di‐, and tricarboxylic acids which are known as P‐solubilizing substances, sugar acids also played an important role in cultures D 5/23 and CC 322.     

Phosphorus dynamics in a long‐term P fertilization trial on Luvic Phaeozem at Halle

The soil of the long‐term experiment laid out 1949 in Halle has the potential to supply much P. The P taken up by plants where no P (P0) or 15 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (P1) was applied was much greater than the P applied as fertilizer (P1). A decrease in yield was measured only after the first 25 years on P0 soils but the P1 treatment has, so far, shown no decrease. Lactate extractions of the soil did not reflect P‐uptake suitably. The release of P from insoluble into water soluble forms was at a minimum after 30 years in P0 soils. P1 soils have now also declined to this minimum value and it remains to be seen whether yields decrease in this treatment in the future. Parallel to this trend, the P sorption increased in P0 soils. The subsoil also seems to be an important source for P supply, possibly influenced by root exudates. Further work is needed to gain a better understanding of soil P dynamics in connection with root exudates and microbes and to identify parameters which will provide more reliable means of calculating fertilizer P requirements.     

Repeated monitoring of organic carbon stocks after eight years reveals carbon losses from intensively managed agricultural soils in Western Germany

Past land‐use changes, intensive cropping with large proportions of root crops, and preferred use of mineral fertilizer have been made responsible for proceeding losses of soil organic C (SOC) in the plough layer. We hypothesized that in intensive agriculturally managed regions changes in SOC stocks would be detectable within a decade. To test this hypothesis, we tracked the temporal development of the concentrations and stocks of SOC in 268 arable sites, sampled by horizon down to 60 cm in the Cologne‐Bonn region, W Germany, in 2005 and in 2013. We then related these changes to soil management data and humus balances obtained from farmers' surveys. As we expected that changes in SOC concentrations might at least in part be minor, we fractionated soils from 38 representative sites according to particle size in order to obtain C pools of different stability. We found that SOC concentrations had increased significantly in the topsoil (from 9.4 g kg^?1 in 2005 to 9.8 g kg^?1 in 2013), but had decreased significantly in the subsoil (from 4.1 g kg^?1 in 2005 to 3.5 g kg^?­1 in 2013). Intriguingly, these changes were due to changes in mineral‐bound SOC rather than to changes in sand‐sized organic matter pools. As bulk density decreased, the overall SOC stocks in the upper 60 cm exhibited a SOC loss of nearly 0.6 t C (ha · y)^?1 after correction by the equivalent soil mass method. This loss was most pronounced for sandy soils [?0.73 t SOC (ha · y)^?1], and less pronounced for loamy soils [?0.64 t SOC (ha · y)^?1]; silty soils revealed the smallest reduction in SOC [?0.3 t SOC (ha · y)^?1]. Losses of SOC occurred even with the overall humus balances having increased positively from about 20 kg C (ha · y)^?1 (2003–2005) to about 133 kg C (ha · y)^?1 (2005–2013) due to an improved organic fertilization and intercropping. We conclude that current management may fail to raise overall SOC stocks. In our study area SOC stocks even continued to decline, despite humus conservation practice, likely because past land use conversions (before 2005) still affect SOC dynamics.     

Transformation of organoarsenical species by the microflora of freshwater crayfish

A study of the transformation of arsenic species by the microflora of the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii was carried out. The study of the degradation of AB (arsenobetaine) was performed in aerobic conditions in two culture media (tryptic soy broth and saline medium) at two temperatures (30 and 8 degrees C). The microflora transformed AB into TMAO (trimethylarsine oxide), DMA (dimethylarsinate), MA (methylarsonate), and an unidentified compound (U1). The quickest transformations were carried out by microflora from hepatopancreas incubated in saline medium at 30 degrees C. The individualized study of other arsenic species [AC (arsenocholine), TETRA (tetramethylarsonium ion), TMAO, DMA, and MA] was also performed in saline medium. The only transformation observed was of AC into AB. The bacteria possibly responsible for AB degradation were isolated, identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods, and individually assayed for AB transformation. Only isolates allocated to the species Pseudomonas putida were able to metabolize AB.     

Effects of cuvette surface material on ammonia‐, nitrous oxide‐, carbon dioxide‐, and methane‐concentration measurements

Closed‐chamber systems are commonly used to determine gaseous C and N emissions from agricultural soils. We investigated the effects of eight cuvette surfaces on two standard gas concentrations of NH₃, N₂O, CO₂, and CH₄ under laboratory conditions. Cuvette surface materials differentially affected gas adhesion or recovery as a function of the type and the concentration of the gases. Given the strong effects on results of gas measurements in closed‐chamber systems, both the type and the concentration of the measured gases need to be considered in selecting cuvette surface materials.     

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ15N

Nitrogen (N) deposition can affect grassland ecosystems by altering biomass production, plant species composition and abundance. Therefore, a better understanding of the response of dominant plant species to N input is a prerequisite for accurate prediction of future changes and interactions within plant communities. We evaluated the response of seven dominant plant species on the Tibetan Plateau to N input at two levels: individual species and plant functional group. This was achieved by assessing leaf N : P stoichiometry, leaf δ¹⁵N and biomass production for the plant functional groups. Seven dominant plant species—three legumes, two forbs, one grass, one sedge—were analyzed for N, P, and δ¹⁵N 2 years after fertilization with one of the three N forms: NO$ _3^- $ , NH$ _4^+ $ , or NH₄NO₃ at four application rates (0, 7.5, 30, and 150 kg N ha^–1 y^–1). On the basis of biomass production and leaf N : P ratios, we concluded that grasses were limited by available N or co‐limited by available P. Unlike for grasses, leaf N : P and biomass production were not suitable indicators of N limitation for legumes and forbs in alpine meadows. The poor performance of legumes under high N fertilization was mainly due to strong competition with grasses. The total above‐ground biomass was not increased by N fertilization. However, species composition shifted to more productive grasses. A significant negative correlation between leaf N : P and leaf δ¹⁵N indicated that the two forbs Gentiana straminea and Saussurea superba switched from N deficiency to P limitation (e.g., N excess) due to N fertilization. These findings imply that alpine meadows will be more dominated by grasses under increased atmospheric N deposition.     

Influence of the distillation step on the ratios of stable isotopes of ethanol in cherry brandies

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry and site-specific natural isotope fractionation-nuclear magnetic resonance were applied to determine the overall carbon isotope ratio (delta13C) and the hydrogen isotope ratios [(D/H)I and (D/H)II] of ethanol, respectively. Ethanol was obtained by distillation of fermented cherry mash from a pot still commonly used in fruit brandy production. Analyses of distillate fractions revealed that the distillation proceeds with a fractionation of ethanol isotopologues. The inverse vapor pressure isotope effect (VPIE) observed for the carbon isotopologues is in accordance with the data reported for distillation of ethanol in spinning band columns. In contrast, the inverse VPIE for hydrogen isotopologues of ethanol observed in spinning band columns could not be confirmed. To investigate whether the observed isotope fractionations might influence the applicability of stable isotope analysis for quality and authenticity assessment of fruit brandies, the collected distillate fractions were recombined to cuts, as is common practice in commercial fruit brandy production. Taking into consideration the limits of repeatability of the method, it could be demonstrated that the isotope fractionations observed do not impair the applicability of stable isotope analysis of the carbon and hydrogen isotopes of ethanol for the authenticity assessment of cherry brandies if the cuts are placed in accordance with common distillers' practice.     

Glacially abraded rock flour from Greenland: Potential for macronutrient supply to plants

Rock flour (RF) is a fine‐grained material produced naturally by glacial movement and resulting bedrock abrasion. In Greenland fluvial transported RF from the inland ice sheet sediments in riverbeds and marine outflows. This fine‐sized RF (50% < 9.8 µm) has a high reactivity and may therefore potentially be used to rejuvenate nutrient poor soils and provide nutrients to plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a RF from Greenland to supply P, K, Mg, and S to plants. A double‐pot system was used, in which ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) could take up nutrients from both a hydroponic solution and a soil‐compartment with or without RF amendment; a soil mixture or pure sand was used in the soil‐compartment to estimate RF‐soil interaction effects. Omission of single nutrients from the hydroponic solution allowed assessment of which nutrients the RF in the soil‐compartment was able to supply. Ryegrass biomass was harvested four times during 62 days. We found that RF could supply K continuously to plants grown in soil or sand, but insufficient to fully circumvent K deficiency. During 62 days 5.8% and 4.3% of the applied K from RF was accumulated in the aboveground plant tissue in soil and sand, respectively. Mg was supplied from RF to plants in sand, but no significant effects were observed in soil, possibly due to background soil Mg availability. The amounts of P and S supplied to plants were insignificant. These results indicate the potential of Greenland RF to act as a slow release K and Mg fertilizer.     

LC-MS/MS quantification of bioactive angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides in rye malt sourdoughs

This study quantified antiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides in rye malt sourdoughs supplemented with gluten proteins and fermented with six strains of Lactobacillus spp. Bioinformatic analysis of prolamins from barley, rye, and wheat demonstrated that the ACE inhibitory peptides LQP, LLP, VPP, and IPP are frequently encrypted in their primary sequence. These tripeptides were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Tripeptide levels in sourdoughs were generally higher as compared to the chemically acidified controls. Sourdoughs fermented with different strains showed different concentrations of LQP and LLP. These differences corresponded to strain-specific differences in PepO and PepN activities. The highest levels of peptides VPP, IPP, LQP, and LLP, 0.23, 0.71, 1.09, and 0.09 mmol (kg DM)(-1), respectively, were observed in rye malt: gluten sourdoughs fermented with Lactobacillus reuteri TMW 1.106 and added protease. These concentrations were 6-7 times higher as compared to sourdough without fungal protease and exceed the IC(50) by 100-1000-fold.     

Influence of acid soil on nodule numbers in relation to polyamine and tannin concentrations in roots of Phaseolus vulgaris

The relationship between soil acidity and polyamine (putrescine, spermidine, spermine) concentrations in roots was evaluated and compared to (1) nodule numbers in common beans and (2) tannin concentrations in roots. Six Phaseolus vulgaris cultivars were grown in pots in a greenhouse in soil at pH 4.5 or 5.5 and inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli strains. At pH 4.5 nodule numbers were strongly reduced but polyamine concentrations were 50% higher than at pH 5.5. At both pH levels putrescine and spermidine were the dominant polyamines, while the concentration of spermine was less than half of the other two. There was also a cultivar effect on the polyamine concentration, but this was much less pronounced than the pH effect. By 22 days after planting the uninoculated control plants had about 13% lower levels of polyamines than the inoculated plants. The concentrations of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine were negatively correlated with nodule numbers, but positively correlated with the root tannin content. There were no significant correlations with either root or plant dry weight.