生物硝化抑制剂(BNI)在提高农业生产系统中氮利用率方面的研究进展

施肥是提高农业生产率的主要手段之一,提高氮肥利用率是化肥施用的核心问题之一。硝化和反硝化作用引起的硝态氮淋失和一氧化二氮(N2O)排放是氮肥利用率低的主要原因,N2O是一种导致全球气温急剧升高的温室气体。生物硝化抑制是指从植物根部释放具有抑制硝化作用的天然化合物的能力,释放的天然化合物称为生物硝化抑制剂(biological nitrification inhibitor,BNI),其特异性抑制土壤硝化中微生物的活性。生物硝化抑制剂可显著提高水稻(Oryza sativa)、玉米(Zea mays)等作物产量5%~10%,可使玉米对氮素的利用率提高3.1%,还能减少温室气体N2O的排放;与不产生BNI的植物相比,其释放的N2O降低量可达90%。臂形草(Brachiaria humidicola)释放的名为“brachialactone”的BNI在其抑制硝化过程中抑制效果占总抑制作用的60%~90%。综上可知,生物硝化抑制剂在抑制硝化作用、提高氮素利用率及作物产量、减少温室气体排放等方面起着重要的作用。本文综述了已知释放生物硝化抑制的植物和能够抑制土壤硝化作用的植物,并进一步讨论了生物硝化抑制在农业系统中的重要作用。     

Effect of temperature and salinity on sex inversion in Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer): relationship with plasma sex steroids concentration and aromatase activity of gonad and brain

Asian Seabass which shows precocious sex inversion in cultured environment is a major impediment to maintain a proper broodstocks. Seabass grown commercially in freshwater were transported to the research facility and held in freshwater at 29°C for 4 weeks and acclimatized to the experimental conditions. Fish were daily fed with a commercial pellet (50% protein, 18 MJ kg^?1) to satiety. Blood, brain and gonad collected before and at the end of the experiment were analysed for sex steroids level and aromatase activity. There was an increase in Plasma E₂ levels with temperature in fish at 34°C whereas no significant difference was observed at 24 and 29°C although the highest plasma T level was detected in fish at 34°C which had significantly lower level than at the beginning, except those held at 24°C in freshwater. Plasma 11‐KT was significantly greater in fish at 24°C compared with 29 or 34°C which had clear opposite to the E₂. Aromatase activity in brain was higher at 29°C than at either 24 or 34°C, whereas gonadal aromatase recorded highest at 34°C. These findings concluded that high temperature in culture facility induces sex inversion of Asian Seabass.     

Leaf photosynthesis and yield components of mung bean under fully open-air elevated[CO_2]

Mung bean(Vigna radiata L.) has the potential to establish symbiosis with rhizobia,and symbiotic association of soil micro flora may facilitate the photosynthesis and plant growth response to elevated[CO_2].Mung bean was grown at either ambient CO_2 400 μmol mol~(-1) or[CO_2]((550+17) μmol mol~(-1)) under free air carbon dioxide enrichment(FACE) experimental facility in North China.Elevated[CO_2]increased net photosynthetic rate(P_n),water use efficiency(WUE) and the non-photochemical quenching(NPQ) of upper most fully-expanded leaves,but decreased stomatal conductance(G_s),intrinsic efficiency of PSII(F_v '/F_m'),quantum yield of PSII(φ_(PSll)) and proportion of open PSII reaction centers(q_p).At elevated[CO_2],the decrease of F_v'/F_m',φ_(PSII),q_p at the bloom stage were smaller than that at the pod stage.On the other hand,P_n was increased at elevated[CO_2]by 18.7 and 7.4%at full bloom(R2) and pod maturity stages(R4),respectively.From these findings,we concluded that as a legume despite greater nutrient supply to the carbon assimilation at elevated[CO_2],photosynthetic capacity of mung bean was still suppressed under elevated[CO_2]particularly at pod maturity stage but plant biomass and yield was increased by 11.6 and 14.2%,respectively.Further,these findings suggest that even under higher nutrient acquisition systems such as legumes,nutrient assimilation does not match carbon assimilation under elevated[CO_2]and leads photosynthesis down-regulation to elevated[CO_2].     

Effect of 7-year application of a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), on soil microbial biomass, protease and deaminase activities, and the abundance of bacteria and archaea in pasture soils

Purpose

The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) has been shown to be highly effective in reducing nitrate (NO₃ ^?) leaching and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions when used to treat grazed pasture soils. However, there have been few studies on the possible effects of long-term DCD use on other soil enzyme activities or the abundance of the general soil microbial communities. The objective of this study was to determine possible effects of long-term DCD use on key soil enzyme activities involved in the nitrogen (N) cycle and the abundance of bacteria and archaea in grazed pasture soils.

Materials and methods

Three field sites used for this study had been treated with DCD for 7 years in field plot experiments. The three pasture soils from three different regions across New Zealand were Pukemutu silt loam in Southland in the southern South Island, Horotiu silt loam in the Waikato in the central North Island and Templeton silt loam in Canterbury in the central South Island. Control and DCD-treated plots were sampled to analyse soil pH, microbial biomass C and N, protease and deaminase activity, and the abundance of bacteria and archaea.

Results and discussion

The three soils varied significantly in the microbial biomass C (858 to 542 μg C g^?1 soil) and biomass N (63 to 28 μg N g^?1), protease (361 to 694 μg tyrosine g^?1 soil h^?1) and deaminase (4.3 to 5.6 μg NH₄ ⁺ g^?1 soil h^?1) activity, and bacteria (bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy number: 1.64?×?10⁹ to 2.77?×?10⁹ g^?1 soil) and archaea (archaeal 16S rRNA gene copy number: 2.67?×?10⁷ to 3.01?×?10⁸ g^?1 soil) abundance. However, 7 years of DCD use did not significantly affect these microbial population abundance and enzymatic activities. Soil pH values were also not significantly affected by the long-term DCD use.

Conclusions

These results support the hypothesis that DCD is a specific enzyme inhibitor for ammonia oxidation and does not affect other non-target microbial and enzyme activities. The DCD nitrification inhibitor technology, therefore, appears to be an effective mitigation technology for nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions in grazed pasture soils with no adverse impacts on the abundance of bacteria and archaea and key enzyme activities.     

Occurrence of Unilateral Posterior Polyneuritis in an 8-year-old Crossbred Mare

An 8-year-old Thoroughbred Turkoman crossbred mare was examined for right pelvic limb paresis and ataxia. The signs had been progressing through time. Neurological examinations revealed a gait deficit, right pelvic limb gluteal muscles atrophy, skin hypalgesia around the tail, perineum, and right pelvis. Hyperesthesia was found in the margins of anesthetic areas. Hypotonic anal sphincter and flaccid tail were also evident. Fecal and urinary retention were revealed by rectal palpation. At necropsy, the affected nerve roots in right lumbar, sacral vertebrae, as well as cauda equina were found to be significantly thickened and fibrotic with adhesions to the related vertebral bodies. Histopathological examinations confirmed the diagnosis of polyneuritis in this mare.     

Effect of elevated carbon dioxide on growth and nitrogen fixation of two soybean cultivars in northern China

The effect of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration on symbiotic nitrogen fixation in soybean under open-air conditions has not been reported. Two soybean cultivars (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Zhonghuang 13 and cv. Zhonghuang 35) were grown to maturity under ambient (415?±?16?μmol?mol^?1) and elevated (550?±?17?μmol?mol^?1) [CO₂] at the free-air carbon dioxide enrichment experimental facility in northern China. Elevated [CO₂] increased above- and below-ground biomass by 16–18% and 11–20%, respectively, but had no significant effect on the tissue C/N ratio at maturity. Elevated [CO₂] increased the percentage of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa, estimated by natural abundance) from 59% to 79% for Zhonghuang 13, and the amount of N fixed from 166 to 275?kg N ha^?1, but had no significant effect on either parameter for Zhonghuang 35. These results suggest that variation in N₂ fixation ability in response to elevated [CO₂] should be used as key trait for selecting cultivars for future climate with respect to meeting the higher N demand driven by a carbon-rich atmosphere.