Incorporation of 15N into various nitrogenous compounds in intact soybean nodules after exposure to 15N2 gas

The intact nodules attached to the upper part of soybean roots were exposed to ¹⁵N₂ and the incorporation of ¹⁵N into various soluble nitrogen constituents was investigated. Results indicated that ammonia, a primary product of N₂ fixation, was located in more than two compartments. Ammonia reduced from N₂ gas seemed to be incorporated firstly into glutamine especially amido-group nitrogen. Newly fixed nitrogen was secondly incorporated into glutamic acid and alanine in this sequence. These results suggested that fixed ammonia was assimilated by glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway. Turn-over rate of allantoin plus allantoic acid and serine was relatively high, although apparently these compounds were not primary products of newly fixed ammonia. ¹⁵N content of allantoin was always higher than that of allantoic acid. ¹⁵N incorporation to aspartic acid and asparagine was relatively slow, especially in early period. In bacteroid fraction there is much amount of ammonia comparing with other compounds, while allantoin and asparagine were presented exclusively in cytosol. ¹⁵N was incorporated into nitrate within a few minutes especially in bacteroids.     

Effect of growth and parturition on hair cortisol in Holstein cattle

The effect of growth and parturition on hair cortisol concentrations of cattle was investigated. Plasma, saliva, and hair (black and white from the shoulders and hip) samples were collected from calves at 6 and 24 weeks old and from dairy cattle at the dry (1 and 2 months prepartum) and lactation (10, 50, 150, and 250 days postpartum) periods. Plasma and saliva cortisol concentrations were lower in 24-week-old calves than those of 6-week-old calves, and hair cortisol concentrations decreased regardless of color and position. In 6-week-old calves, hair cortisol concentrations differed between sampling positions, but this difference was not observed in 24-week-old calves. Plasma and saliva cortisol concentrations increased before parturition until 10 days postpartum then decreased until 50 days postpartum. The same trend was observed in the cortisol concentrations of white hair. Contrarily, cortisol concentrations in black hair remained unchanged and was lower than that in white hair. Hair cortisol concentration can vary greatly depending on the location on the body, hair color, cattle age, or parturition. When this method is used, all of the above factors must be considered.     

Properties of Microbial Biomass in Acid Soils and Their Turnover

The soil microbial biomass is important such as pool of plant nutrients and is also driving force of the cycling of C, N, P and S in soil. However, the microbial biomass in acid soil has not been fully investigated due to the limitation of methods, i.e. chloroform-fumigation incubation or substrate-induced respiration because of decreased basal mineralization in chloroform-fumigated soil under acid conditions. This paper reviews improvement and application of these methods and vertical distribution of microbial biomass in two kinds of acid soils; namely, Andisols as dominant upland soils in Japan and tropical peat soils as potentially important lowland soils for agriculture, and also discuss on C and N turnover of microbial biomass in Andisols. Microbial succession in acid soil has also not been investigated so much, but, some studies in another important acid soil, i.e. acid sulfate soil, were also reviewed briefly.     

Deficiency of N,P, K,Ca, Mg,or Fe Mineral Nutrients in Narcissus cv. “Garden Giant”

Narcissus cv. “Garden Giant” bulbs were grown in N, P, K, Ca, Mg, or Fe-deficient solutions and compared with bulbs grown in the control solution containing all these nutrients. Plants were sampled at 4 stages: (I) at planting, (II) at sprouting, (III) after flower senescence and/or after visible deficiency symptoms developed, and (IV) at lifting. Observation of visible deficiency symptoms showed that leaves of narcissus displayed chlorosis in the —N, —Mg, and —Fe treatments, while roots were most susceptible to Ca-deficient conditions. Root tips in the —Ca treatment showed brown in followed by root rot. In the —N treatment, shoot growth was markedly retarded and leaves were small and yellow. On the other hand, visible deficiency symptoms were not evident in the —P treatment except for early senescence. K deficiency symptoms were also not evident. Narcissus flowers were not affected by the mineral deficiencies and mineral contents in full-bloom flowers were not different between samples.

In the control plants, there was a large accumulation of N in the roots at sprouting and the content decreased thereafter. Large amounts of K accumulated in roots more than in any other organs. On the other hand the Ca content was high in the tunic and Ca in the scales was hardly mobilized thoughout the growth period. A large proportion of each element eventually accumulated in new inner scales whereas only a small fraction in the old outer scales. The -N, -Ca, and -Mg treatments severely depressed dry matter accumulation, unlike the -P, -K, and -Fe treatments. The -N treatment did not affect the concentration of other minerals, but the -P treatment tended to decrease N, K, Ca, and Mg concentrations. On the other hand, the -K treatment increased Ca and Mg concentrations. -Ca caused an increase in Mg concentration and -Mg raised Ca concentration. These results may be due to compensation effects of cation absorption for the maintenance of the cation/anion balance.     

Occurrence of 4-methyleneglutamine and 2-oxo-4-methyl-3-pentene-1,5-dioic acid in leaves and stem of tulip plants

Abstract

The presence of 4-MeGln in the tulip plant was discovered by ZACHARIUS et al. (1954), and it was found that this amide generally occurred in the leaves of almost all the species of genus Tulipa (FOWDEN and STEWARD 1957a). The 4-MeGln compound has been detected in every part of the tulip plant, i.e., bulb scales, roots, basal plate, young shoots, leaves, stern, and flower (FOWDEN and STEWARD 1957a, b; OHYAMA 1986; OHYAMA et al. 1985, 1988a, b; ZACHARIUS et al. 1954, 1957). Especially 4-MeGln was found to be a major soluble N constituent in the leaves and stem of tulip of the flowering stage (OHYAMA et al. 1985; OHYAMA 1986).     

Effect of nitrogen fertilization on methane flux in a structured clay soil cultivated with onion in Central Hokkaido,Japan

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of N fertilization on the soil CH₄ flux during the growing season of onion in a structured clay soil with stagnant water at depths of 70–80 cm and with a peat-mixed subsoil. The following 4 treatments were analyzed over a period of two years: T1) fertilized, onion growing, T2) fertilized, bare field, T3) unfertilized, onion growing, and T4) unfertilized, bare field. In the fertilized T1 and T2 treatments, fertilizers (mixture of 3 : 1 NH₄NO₃ : (NH₄)₂SO₄) at rates of 322 kg N ha^?1 in 1999 and 242 kg N ha^?1 in 2000 were applied as basal fertilizers before onion was transplanted. CH₄ fluxes among the treatments ranged from ?0.06 to 0.12 mg CH₄-C m^?2 h^?1 in 1999, and from ?0.03 to 0.01 mg CH₄-C m^?2 h^?1 in 2000, which were high after heavy rain in summer. Cumulative CH₄ flux from May to November in the fertilized T1 and T2 treatments was 59 mg CH₄-C m^?2 for both treatments in 1999, and 3.2 and ?0.9 mg CH₄-C m^?2 in 2000, respectively. On the other hand, in the unfertilized T3 and T4 treatments, the cumulative CH₄ flux was 0.2 and ?9.2 mg CH₄-C m^?2 in 1999, and ?26 and ?20 mg CH₄-C m^?2 in 2000, respectively. Although the cumulative CH₄ flux in each treatment was higher in 1999 than in 2000, the fertilized treatments in both years showed a significantly higher cumulative CH₄ flux than the unfertilized treatments. This might be ascribed to the higher level of nitrification in the fertilized treatments, because a high nitrate concentration was observed in the fertilized treatments in the onion growing season. The results also revealed that onion growing did not exert a significant influence on the CH₄ flux. The precipitation from May to November was 642 mm in 1999 and 1,008 mm in 2000, and the CH₄ emission increased when the precipitation was low. In addition, the CH₄ concentration in the soil profile increased with the increase of the depth in summer as the soil was dry. These findings indicated that CH₄ diffusion from the soil to the atmosphere was inhibited by rainwater.