Estimation of buffering capacity of mangrove soils by using hydrophobic organic compounds,atrazine and linuron

Samples of two soils and two sediments collected at sites originating from mangrove forests in Thailand, were examined in terms of buffering capacity to organic compounds. Atrazine and linuron were used as representative hydrophobic organic compounds for estimating the buffering capacity by observing their adsorptive and desorptive behavior. The buffering capacity could be represented by the distribution of the adsorption ratio (AR) and desorption ratio (DR) as follows: AR (%) = (amount of herbicide adsorbed per unit weight of soil)/(initial amount of herbicide) x 100, and DR (%) = (amount of herbicide desorbed per unit weight of soil after herbicide desorption experiments) / (initial amount of adsorbed herbicide on soil) x 100. The soil under mangrove forests displayed a larger buffering capacity to atrazine and linuron. Compared with 42 soils from Japan, in terms of the adsorption proparty of atrazine and linuron, the mangrove soil ranked in a higher category on the classification of the Japanese soils. Thus, the importance of maintaining or recovering the mangrove forests to promote environmental conservation was emphasized.     

Quantitative relationship between soil properties and adsorption of dissolved organic matter onto volcanic ash and non-volcanic ash soils

The formation of soil organo-mineral complexes is a key reaction in the carbon cycle in soil, since organic materials acquire a resistance to decomposition due to the formation of the complexes. Adsorption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) onto soil minerals provides a model of this important process. Adsorption of DOM onto samples from Andisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols in batch experiments was compared in terms of the quantitative relationship between the soil properties and the adsorption behavior of DOM. Adsorption behavior was effectively described by a linear initial mass (IM) isotherm, indicating that the adsorption efficiency did not appreciably decline in the range studied even though a large amount of DOM was applied to the soil samples. Samples from Andisols showed a particularly high efficiency of adsorption compared with those from other soils which contained a comparable amount of organic carbon. Explanatory variables useful to predict the efficiency parameter were investigated in 2 steps: firstly the degree of carbon accumulation in the soil samples was examined, and next an index for the amount of ligand exchange sites was examined in combination with the former indices. As a result, an index comprising the total carbon/clay (or total carbon/specific surface area) ratio and the amount of hydroxy ions in the soil extracts with NaF solution was eventually detected. The former represents the degree of carbon occupation on the soil surface, and the latter the amount of ligand exchange sites on labile aluminum. Although the mechanisms involved in the adsorption varied among soils, the selected index was significantly correlated with the adsorption efficiency.     

Identification of organically bound iodine in soil humic substances by size exclusion chromatography / inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC / ICP-MS)

Abstract

Sulfur transformation in riee rhizosphere was investigated. Soil enzyme arylsulfatase in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil, whieh is responsible for mineralization of organic sulfur to sulfate sulfur, was studied. The Michaelis constants of arylsulfatase from Maahas c1ay and Pila c1ay loam were 3.04 × 10^-4 M and 3.97 × 10^-4 M, respectively. The arylsulfatase of rhizosphere soil showed higher activity than that of non-rhizosphere soil. Applieation of sulfate had no marked elTect on the enzyme aetivity either in rhizosphere or non-rhizosphere soil under the submerged condition. This indieates that arylsulfatase activity under the submerged condition is not inhibited by applieation of sulfate. The amount of HI-reducible sulfur in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soi! inereased with time. However, rhizosphere soil had a higher amount of HI-reducible sulfur than did non-rhizosphere. Thc ditl'erence in arylsulfatase activity between the rhizosphcre and non-rhizosphere soil was not directly associated with thc number of sulfur-redueing and -oxidizing bacteria.     

Isolation of extracellular protein from greenhouse soil

Although extracellular proteins may play an important role in the soil environment, these proteins are difficult to isolate because they are immediately degraded by soil microbes, or become associated with clay mineral and humic substances. We developed a method of isolating extracellular proteins from greenhouse soils. Phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) was used to extract protein from soil. A phosphate buffer with higher pH was not recommended because it extracted a large amount of non-proteinaceous organic matter as well as protein and, as a result, the extracted protein was difficult to separate by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). After removing cells by filtration, proteins dissolved in the soil extract were recovered by precipitation with 5% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and isolated by SDS-PAGE. Proteins were detected in 10 of 32 soil samples derived from different greenhouses and the protein bands ranged in apparent molecular mass from 35 to 68 kDa, suggesting that some of soils derived from greenhouse culture contained significant amounts of a specific protein soluble in 67 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0). N-terminal amino acid sequence of one of the isolated proteins was found to be a homologue of thermostable cellulase produced by the genus Humicola, a thermophilic fungus.     

Nutritional Environment of Tropical Peat Soils in Sarawak,Malaysia Based on Soil Solution Composition

It has been considered that natural peat soils and swamp forest ecosystems in the tropics are quite oligotrophic. This concept seems to be related to the low mineral contents in the soil solid phase of the peat soils. However, some nutritional elements such as K, Mg, Ca, and/or P may be abundant in the soil solution phase and could easily migrate in peat soils. In order to analyze the nutritional environment of peat soils, chemical composition of the soil solid phase and soil solution was compared.

This study was carried out in Naman Forest Reserve, Sibu and in/around Sg. Talau Peat Research Station, Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia. In both areas, each of the three study sites with a different depth of underlying mineral layer was selected for sampling of soil and soil solution. All the soils studied except for one shallow peat profile were classified into Oligotrophic peat based on Fleischer’s criteria. The soil solution collected monthly showed the following characteristics in its composition.

1. Concentrations of Al, Si, and Fe were higher in the soil solution from the shallow peat than in that from the deep peat, reflecting the effect of underlying mineral layers on the soil solution composition.

2. Concentrations of Na, Mg, and Cl in the soil solution and Na and Mg contents in the soil solid phase reflected the distance from the sea. In the Naman series, accumulation of K and Ca in the soil solution was larger in the surface layer in the deep peat than in the shallow peat, though such clear trend was not observed for the K content in the soil solid phase.

3. The concentrations of N and P were fairly high in the soil solution in all the profiles except for P in the profile near the center of the peat dome. Dissolved P consisted mostly of ortho-phosphate, whereas a larger part of N was in the organic form.

4. At the Sago plantation farm on deep peat, depletion of K and P was observed during the rainy season. Such instability in the concentrations in the soil solution was attributed to forest clear-cutting and subsequent disturbance of nutrient cycling.

In general, the concentrations of N, P, K, and Ca in the soil solution were not low even in the Oligotrophic peat. However, in taking account of the fact that the peat soils showed low mineral contents in the available forms and that the bulk density was also quite low, the potential capacity to supply K, Ca, and/ or P was not necessarily high in spite of the apparent high intensity observed for the soil solution composition. Therefore, from the viewpoint of nutrient dynamics, the potential for the use of reclaimed peat land was considered to be rather limited especially under low input management.     

Soil ecological study on dynamics of K,Mg, and Ca,and soil acidity in shifting cultivation in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Soil degradation caused by excessive land use is presently one of the major constraints on sustainable agriculture in the mountainous area of northern Thailand. In order to obtain basic information about soil fertility problems involved in the transition from traditional shifting cultivation to more intensive upland farming, the dynamics of K, Mg, and Ca, and soil acidity in the farming systems of both Karen and Hmong/Thai peoples were investigated. In the fields that lay fallow for more than 5 y, the soils were highly acidic and poor in exchangeable bases, mainly due to the fact that the fallow vegetation rapidly absorbed inorganic bases (K, Mg, and Ca) in the soils. In the fields both under fallow and cropping within 3 y after the slash and burn practice, the high acidity observed in the soils at the fallow stage seemed to be alleviated by ash input with high alkalinity. The aboveground biomass ranged from 9 to 10 t ha^?1 in the 8 y fallow field and the sum of inorganic bases and alkalinity, which were expected to be added to the soils with ash input, ranged from 3 to 4 kmol( + ) ha^?1 or kmol(-) ha^?1 , respectively. In the fields under continuous cultivation for more than 4 y after the slash and burn practice, the subsoils showed a more acidic nature than in the fields immediately after burning. Judging from the high concentrations of inorganic bases in the soil solution from the subsoils, the decrease of the content of exchangeable bases and resulting soil acidification might have proceeded through leaching loss of these bases. Among the exchangeable bases in the soils, Ca and Mg were generally predominant and K occurred as trace. Comparison of the total contents of the bases with the contents of exchangeable ones showed that most of Ca occurred in an exchangeable form while most of K and Mg occurred in the nonexchangeable forms in the soils. Therefore, Ca was likely to be readily depleted along with soil acidification in continuous cultivation.     

Effect of Oxidizing Power of Roots on Iodine Uptake by Rice Plants

Although iodine is harmful to plants, rice plants ( Oryza sativa L.) absorbed iodine more selectively than bromine. To explain this selective absorption, the authors proposed the following hypothesis based on the fact that the standard redox potential for (I₂+ 2e = 2I⁻) is lower than that for (Br₂+ 2e = 2Br⁻) and (Fe³⁺+ e = Fe²⁺), and the roots of rice plants are able to oxidize ferrous ion (Fe²⁺) into ferric ion (Fe³⁺), namely rice plants oxidize iodide ion (I⁻) to form molecular iodine (I₂) via the oxidizing power of their roots, and absorb the molecular iodine formed more selectively than iodide ion. Bromine, by contrast, is absorbed by rice plants only in the form of ion (Br⁻). According to this hypothesis, there should be a significant correlation between the oxidizing power of the rice roots and the amount of iodine absorbed. Therefore, the relationship between the oxidizing power of the roots and the concentration of iodine absorbed was studied in a water culture using 8 varieties of rice plants. Rice seedlings, 14 d after germination, were cultured in a solution containing 1 mg L⁻¹ each of iodide and bromide ions for 3 d. The oxidizing power of the rice roots was evaluated based on the amount of 1-naphthylamine oxidized by the roots. A significant correlation (0.78, n = 16, 0.1% significant level) was found between the oxidizing power and the concentration of iodine absorbed by the roots. However, no relationship was found between the oxidizing power of the roots and the amount of bromine absorbed.     

Labile pools of organic matter and microbial biomass in the surface soils under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand

In order to analyze the N mineralization process under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand, labile pools of soil organic matter were studied, which were considered to be the factors contributing to the N mineralization process. Organic C, (organic + NH₄ ⁺)-N, and hexose-C were extracted from fresh soils in the surface 0–5 cm layers with a 0.5 M K₂S₀. solution at 110°C in an autoclave (fraction A) or at room temperature with a reciprocal shaker (fraction B), and analyzed as labile pools of organic matter. In the traditional shifting cultivation system, the content of organic C in fraction A in the fallow fields for 8 to 15 y was 3,710 mg kg^-1 while that in the fallow fields for 1 y and 3 to 5 y was 2,640 and 2,600 mg kg^-1, respectively. A high correlation was observed between the contents of the labile pool in fraction A and total soil organic matter. The ratio of the pool in fraction A to total soil organic matter apparently remained constant through the input-output balance in the pool. The content of the labile pool in fraction B was the highest among the fields cultivated for 1 y after the slash and burn practice and it decreased in the course of the fallow period. The content of organic C was 548 mg kg^-1 in the fields cultivated for 1 y and 235 mg kg^-1 in the fallow fields for 8-15 y, respectively. There was a reverse relation between the contents of the pool in fraction B and microbial biomass. Therefore, the origin of the pool in fraction B was attributed to the microbial debris associated mainly with a decrease in the soil moisture content in the dry season. On the other hand, in the relatively intensive cultivation system, there was no significant difference in the contents of the labile pools both in fractions A and B among the land use stages, suggesting that the preservation mechanism of these pools, which was observed in the traditional cultivation system, did not operate well in the intensive system. In alternative farming systems in future, it will be essential to apply organic materials to soils to supply organic matter and to maintain the microbial biomass.     

N mineralization process of the surface soils under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand

N mineralization process (ammonification plus nitrification) in the surface 0-5 cm soil layers under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand was studied. Labile pool of organic matter extracted with a K₂S0₄ solution at 1l0°C in an autoclave (fraction A) or by shaking at room temperature (fraction B) was used as factor to evaluate the N mineralization process which was examined in an incubation experiment. In the soils, in which the N mineralization pattern was fitted to a first order kinetics model, the content of (organic + NH₄ ⁺)-N in fraction B determined the initial rate of N mineralization. The soils, which showed a short lag time of less than 7 d both in the N mineralization and nitrification processes, had a high ratio of organic C to (organic + NH₄ ⁺)-N in fraction B, exceeding the value of 7. The soils, which showed a long lag time of more than 7 d only in the nitrification process, had a low pH(KCI) (less than 4.2). Thus, the rate of N mineralization was affected by the labile pool in fraction B or soil pH. On the other hand, there was a correlation between the N ₀ + N _max (inorganic N at 0 d + maximum amount of mineralizable N) value and the labile pool in the fraction A, suggesting that the N ₀ + N _max value depended on the contents of the labile pool.     

Nitrogen mineralization of silk waste applied to soil under aerobic conditions

Silk waste which is a byproduct of silk reeling consists mainly of silk proteins such as sericin and fibroin. Although silk waste has a high N content (164 g kg^-1) and low CjN ratio (2.16), net N mineralization in soil at 30°C under aerobic conditions was very slow (21.4% in 184 d). The N mineralization rate of silk waste applied to soil after hydrolysis with HCI was higher than that of untreated silk waste. The effect of hydrolysis with 0.2 M HCI for 60 min at 97°C on the net N mineralization for 56 d was twice as high as that with 1 M HCI for 60 min at 97°C. Molecular mass distribution of silk proteins shifted to the lower range by hydrolysis, whose effect with 1 M HCI was more pronounced than that with 0.2 M HCI. The content of the crystal region in silk protein was estimated to be approximately 45% based on the relationship between the reaction (acid hydrolysis) time and the weight of insoluble residues. X-ray diffraction patterns of these residues showed that the crystal structure persisted until at least 180 min after hydrolysis with 1 M HCI at 97°C. These results suggest that crystal regions and the scattered distribution in silk proteins inhibit the decomposition of silk waste in soil. Silk waste could thus be utilized as slow-release fertilizer.