Diversity and fitness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmopara viticola</Emphasis> isolates resistant to QoI fungicides

The effectiveness of Quinone outside Inhibitor (QoI) fungicides against grape downy mildew in European vineyards has significantly decreased in the last decade. One nucleotide polymorphism, G143A in the cytochrome b gene of Plasmopara viticola, is involved in resistance to QoIs. Previous genetic examination on the mitochondrial genomes showed four major haplotypes (IR, IS, IIR, IIS) coexisting in European vineyards. A resistant allele (G143A) was present in IR and IIR haplotypes. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the diversity of the different mitochondrial haplotypes and their distribution in QoI-resistant populations before evaluating the potential cost of the resistant mutation G143A in P. viticola population. From 2000 to 2004, the frequencies of resistant isolates ranged from 0% to 23.25% with an average of 4.64 % among the populations examined. To evaluate the fitness of sensitive and resistant isolates, a comparison of different biological parameters including latent period, spore production and infection frequency was performed, enabling a fitness index (F_I) to be determined. Resistant isolates exhibited greater infection frequency than sensitive isolates, whereas no significant difference was found in sporulation ability and latent period between sensitive and resistant isolates. To further investigate competitiveness among isolates, an assay including two resistant isolates in different proportion with a sensitive isolate was conducted on eight asexual growing cycles in the absence of a QoI fungicide. The competitiveness of resistant isolates varied according to their fitness parameters, suggesting that there is no noticeable cost of QoI resistance in controlled conditions in Plasmopara viticola.     

Interactions between the fungicide benomyl and soil microorganisms

Decomposition of benomyl and carbendazim was studied in field experiments following repeated applications during autumn to winter cereals. Effects of the fungicides on straw decomposition, balance of straw fungal flora and mineralization of nitrogen in the soils were investigated in field and in laboratory experiments. Persistence in the field of the fungicides at doses of 0.1–0.2 kg ha^?1 was 9–12 months in clay soils and 12 months or longer in sand soil. Decomposition of straw in the field was not affected in clay soils by doses up to 2 kg ha^?1. In sand soil, doses up to 0.5 kg ha^?1 gave no effect but in one case at 2 kg ha^?1 the initial stages of straw decomposition were slightly inhibited. All doses tested in both clay and sand soils caused changes in composition of the straw fungal flora. In a laboratory experiment with benomyl in sand soil an increase in rate of nitrate accumulation was observed at a dose corresponding to 2 kg ha^?1.     

Classification of wine and alcohol vinegar samples based on near-infrared spectroscopy. Feasibility study on the detection of adulterated vinegar samples

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used to discriminate between wine vinegar (red or white) and alcohol vinegar. One orthogonal signal correction method (OSC) was applied on a set of 73 vinegar NIR spectra from both origins and artificial blends made in the laboratory in order to remove information unrelated to a specific chemical response (tartaric acid), which was selected due to its high discriminant ability to differentiate between wine vinegar and alcohol vinegar samples. These corrected NIR spectra, as well as raw NIR spectra and 14 physicochemical variables, were used to develop separate classification models using the potential functions method as a class-modeling technique. The aforementioned models were compared to evaluate the suitability of NIR spectroscopy as a rapid method for discriminating between vinegar origins. The transformation of vinegar NIR spectra by means of an orthogonal signal correction method prompted a notable improvement in the specificity of the constructed classification models. The classification model developed was then applied to artificial vinegar blends made in the laboratory to test its capacity to recognize adulterated vinegar samples.     

Compared effects of long-term pig slurry applications and mineral fertilization on soil denitrification and its end products (N2O, N2)

The long-term (9 years) effect of pig slurry applications vs mineral fertilization on denitrifying activity, N₂O production and soil organic carbon (C) (extractable C, microbial biomass C and total organic C) was compared at three soil depths of adjacent plots. The denitrifying activities were measured on undisturbed soil cores and on sieved soil samples with acetylene method to estimate denitrification rates under field or potential conditions. Pig slurry applications had a moderate impact on the C pools. Total organic C was increased by +6.5% and microbial biomass C by ≥25%. The potential denitrifying activity on soil suspension was stimulated (×1.8, P<0.05) 12 days after the last slurry application. This stimulation was still apparent, but not significant, 10 months later and, according to both methods of denitrifying activity measurement (r ²=0.916, P<0.01 on sieved soil; r ²=0.845, P<0.001 on soil cores), was associated with an increase in microbial biomass C above a threshold of about 105 mg kg⁻¹. The effect of pig slurry on denitrification and N₂O reduction rates was detected on the surface layer (0–20 cm) only. However, no pig slurry effect could be detected on soil cores at field conditions or after NO₃ ⁻ enrichments at 20°C. Although the potential denitrifying activity in sieved soil samples was stimulated, the N₂O production was lower (P<0.03) in the plot fertilized with pig slurry, indicating a lower N₂O/(N₂O + N₂) ratio of the released gases. The pig-slurry-fertilized plot also showed a higher N₂O reduction activity, which is coherent with the lower N₂O production in anaerobiosis.     

Additions of maize root mucilage to soil changed the structure of the bacterial community

The organic compounds released from roots (rhizodeposits) stimulate the growth of the rhizosphere microbial community. They may be responsible for the differences in the structure of the microbial communities commonly observed between the rhizosphere and the bulk soil. Rhizodeposits consists of a broad range of compounds including root mucilage. The aim of this study was to investigate if additions of maize root mucilage, at a rate of 70 μg C g⁻¹ day⁻¹ for 15 days, to an agricultural soil could affect the structure of the bacterial community. Mucilage additions moderately increased microbial C (+23% increase relative to control), which suggests that the turnover rate of microorganisms consuming this substrate was high. Consistent with this, the number of cultivable bacteria was enhanced by +450%. Catabolic (Biolog^® GN2) and 16S-23S intergenic spacer fingerprints exhibited significant differences between control and mucilage treatments. These data indicate that mucilage can affect both the metabolic and genetic structure of the bacterial community as shown by a greater catabolic potential for carbohydrates. We concluded that mucilage is likely to significantly contribute to differences in the structure of the bacterial communities present in the rhizosphere compared to the bulk soil.     

Biochemical composition and kinetics of C and N mineralization of animal wastes: a typological approach

Forty-seven different animal wastes were characterized using chemical and organic matter fractionation methods (water extraction and Van Soest method) and 224-day incubation studies to assess their decomposition in soil. Simple correlation and multiple factor analysis were performed to establish relationships between the composition of these wastes and C and N mineralization. Carbon and N contents ranged from 101 to 469 mg C kg⁻¹ dry matter (d.m.) and from 4 to 39 mg N kg⁻¹ d.m. Soluble C and N represented less than 9% of organic C and 1.5% of total N at 20°C, respectively. The C fractions soluble at 100°C or in neutral detergent were larger and represented 14 and 32% of the organic C, respectively. The hemicellulose-like (HEM) and cellulose-like (CEL) fractions contained about 16.5 and 6% of the organic N, respectively. The C distribution in the lignin-like (LIG) and CEL fractions was comparable, but the former contained more N. Carbon mineralization varied from 5 to 62% of the organic C added during the 224-day incubation; 70% of the wastes induced net N mineralization at the end of incubation (from 3 to 51% of organic N). Other wastes induced net soil inorganic N immobilization, from −1 to −31% of the organic N added. Most highly significant correlations were established between the C mineralization and the C present in the water-soluble fraction at 20°C, and the HEM and LIG fractions. Relationships between N mineralization and biochemical characteristics were weak, except with the soluble Van Soest fraction, and highly significant correlations were observed between N mineralization rates calculated at 224 days of incubation and the organic N content or C/N ratio of wastes. Finally, an objective hierarchical classification based on composition criteria and C and N mineralization led to the definition of six different classes of wastes. It permitted differentiation between four composted wastes and intrinsically different wastes (i.e., cattle manures, pig manures, and poultry manures) which could not be objectively regrouped. It also placed some very different types of waste (solid phase from pig slurry separation, pig manures, and composted pig mixtures) in the same class.     

Phosphate Fertilizers for Sugarcane Used at Pre-Planting (Phosphorus Fertilizer Application)

Phosphate applications are still rare in sugarcane cultivation and can be done with phosphorus fertilizers of residual over. This study aims to evaluate the agronomic efficiency of phosphate fertilization before sugarcane planting and its effect on sugarcane yield. The study was carried out over three crop cycles at the Jalles Machado sugar-mill in Goianésia, GO, Brazil. The treatments consisted of five different phosphorus sources (soluble and insoluble) applied at a rate of 300 kg ha^?1 phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅). The phosphorus fertilizers used were: triple superphosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), Arad rock phosphate, Itafós rock phosphate, and magnesium term phosphate. The effects of these fertilizers were evaluated by plant height (ground to Top Visible Dewlap; TVD), leaf phosphorus content, agronomic efficiency, and sugarcane yield from cane-plants, first ratoon, and second ratoon. Magnesium term phosphate and triple superphosphate resulted in greater plant-cane height. Leaf phosphorus concentrations were highest with applications of MAP, magnesium term phosphate, and triple superphosphate. Phosphate applications did not affect sugarcane plant yield, but did increase ratoon yield. In general, the residual effect of insoluble phosphate increased over the years. The agronomic efficiency (AE) of phosphate was (in descending order): triple superphosphate (100%), term phosphate (89%), MAP (80%), Itafós rock phosphate (67%), and Arad rock phosphate (60%).     

Manioc peel and charcoal: a potential organic amendment for sustainable soil fertility in the tropics

In tropical areas, where crop production is limited by low soil quality, the development of techniques improving soil fertility without damage to the environment is a priority. In French Guiana, we used subsistence farmer plots on poor acidic soils to test the effect of different organic amendments, bitter manioc peel (M), sawdust (Sw) and charcoal (Ch), on soil nutrient content, earthworm abundance and yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis) production. The peregrine Pontoscolex corethrurus was the only earthworm species found. Pod production and plant growth were lowest in unamended soil. The application of a mixture of manioc peel and charcoal (M + Ch) improved legume production compared with other organic mixtures. It combined the favourable effects of manioc peel and charcoal. Manioc peel improved soil fertility through its low C:N ratio and its high P content, while charcoal decreased soil acidity and exchangeable Al and increased Ca and Mg availability, thus alleviating the possible toxic effects of Al on plant growth. The M + Ch treatment was favourable to P. corethrurus, the juvenile population of which reached a size comparable to that of the nearby uncultivated soil. The application of a mixture of manioc peel and charcoal, by improving crop production and soil fertility and enhancing earthworm activity, could be a potentially efficient organic manure for legume production in tropical areas where manioc is cultivated under slash-and-burn shifting agriculture.     

Ion Leaching Before and After Clear-Cutting in a Norway Spruce Stand - Effects of Long-Term Application of Ammonium Nitrate and Superphosphate

Soil solution chemistry was measured in a Haplic Podzol in a Norway spruce (Picea abies, L.Karst) site in central Sweden that had received frequent low-dose applications of nitrogen (N) asammonium nitrate (30-120 kg N/ha yr) and phosphorus (P) as superphosphate (20-40 kg P/haabout every third year) over a long period (22 yr). The aim was to investigate effects of added Non the ion leaching before and after clear-cutting. The N load corresponded well with actual loadsin central Europe. Prior to clear-cutting, fertilization increased concentrations of several ions inthe soil solution. Total losses of NO ₃ ^- , Al andH⁺ increased with the intensity of fertilization. However, since fertilization enhanced tree growthand nutrient uptake, differences between the total losses of several other ions tended to beequalized. After clear-cutting, the pH in the soil solution decreased, and the losses of Mn and Alincreased with fertilizer load, probably because of increased N mineralization and nitrification. Inthe N treatments the concentration of SO ₄ ^2- in the soil solution decreased, probably owing toincreased adsorption in the B horizon in response to the pH decrease. The effects ofanthropogenic N deposition are discussed in the light of our findings and possible causes oftemporal and spatial variation in soil solution chemistry and ion fluxes are suggested.     

Occurrence of PCBr in Ambient Air and Surface Soil in an Urban Site of Madrid

This article describes the temperature dependence of sixteen PCBs in ambient air from the relationship ln(C) = m + (1000/T) + b and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation from data obtained at an open urban area of Madrid. The study was applied to predice long/short range transport influence as PCB sources in a typical semi-urban ambient without the influence of industrialised or contaminated sites around. The present study also relate surface soil/ambient air data to characterise soil/air cycled seasonal behaviour in the observation site. Regarding both compartments, a comparison was done calculating fugacity quotients from one full year data.