Soil‐ and plant‐based nitrogen‐fertilizer recommendations in arable farming

Under‐ as well as overfertilization with nitrogen (N) will result in economic loss for the farmer due to reduced yields and quality of the products. Also from an ecological perspective, it is important that the grower makes the correct decision on how much and when to apply N for a certain crop to minimize impacts on the environment. To aggravate the situation, N is a substance that is present in many compartments in different forms (nitrate, ammonium, organic N, etc.) in the soil‐plant environment and takes part in various processes (e.g., mineralization, immobilization, leaching, denitrification, etc.). Today, many N‐recommendation systems are mainly based on yield expectation. However, yields are not stable from year to year for a given field. Also the processes that determine the N supply from other sources than fertilizer are not predictable at the start of the growing season. Different methodological approaches are reviewed that have been introduced to improve N‐fertilizer recommendations for arable crops. Many soil‐based methods have been developed to measure soil mineral N (SMN) that is available for plants at a given sampling date. Soil sampling at the start of the growing period and analyzing for the amount of NO ‐N (and NH ‐N) is a widespread approach in Europe and North America. Based on data from field calibrations, the SMN pool is filled up with fertilizer N to a recommended amount. Depending on pre‐crop, use of organic manure, or soil characteristics, the recommendation might be modified (±10–50 kg N ha^–1). Another set of soil methods has been established to estimate the amount of N that is mineralized from soil organic matter, plant residues, and/or organic manure. From the huge range of methods proposed so far, simple mild extraction procedures have gained most interest, but introduction into practical recommendation schemes has been rather limited. Plant‐analytical procedures cover the whole range from quantitative laboratory analysis to semiquantitative “quick” tests carried out in the field. The main idea is that the plant itself is the best indicator for the N supply from any source within the growth period. In‐field methods like the nitrate plant sap/petiole test and chlorophyll measurements with hand‐held devices or via remote sensing are regarded as most promising, because with these methods an adequate adjustment of the N‐fertilizer application strategy within the season is feasible. Prerequisite is a fertilization strategy that is based on several N applications and not on a one‐go approach.     

Antioxidant properties of a radical-scavenging peptide purified from enzymatically prepared fish skin gelatin hydrolysate

Hoki (Johnius belengerii) skin gelatin was hydrolyzed with three commercial enzymes to identify radical-scavenging potencies of derived peptides. Peptides derived from tryptic hydrolysate exhibited the highest scavenging activities on superoxide, carbon-centered 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals assessed by ESR spectroscopy. Following consecutive chromatographic separations of tryptic hydroolysate, the peptide sequence His-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Leu (797 Da) acted as a strong radical scavenger under studied conditions. Further, this peptide could act as an antioxidant against linoleic acid peroxidation and the activity was closer to the highly active synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In addition, antioxidative enzyme levels in cultured human hepatoma cells were increased in the presence of this peptide and it was presumed to be the peptide involved in maintaining the redox balance in the cell environment. Present data indicate that free-radical-scavenging activities of hoki skin gelatin peptides substantially contribute to their antioxidant properties measured in different oxidative systems.     

Aerobic soil metabolism of a new herbicide,LGC-42153

To elucidate the fate of a new sulfonylurea herbicide, LGC-42153 [N-((4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)aminocarbonyl)-2-(1-methoxyacetoxy-2-fluoropropyl)-3-pyridinesulfonamide], in soil, an aerobic soil metabolism study was carried out for 120 days with [(14)C]LGC-42153 applied to a loamy soil. The material balance ranged from 90.7 to 101.5% of applied herbicide. The half-life of [(14)C]LGC-42153 was calculated to be approximately 9.0 days. The degradation products resulted from the cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge. The metabolites identified during the study were N-((4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)aminocarbonyl)-2-(1-hydroxy-2-fluoropropyl)-3-pyridinesulfonamide, 2-(1-hydroxy-2-fluoropropyl)-3-pyridinesulfonamide, and 4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine. No significant volatile products or [(14)C]carbon dioxide was observed during the study. Nonextractable (14)C-residue reached 14.4-30.5% of applied material at 120 days after treatment, and radioactivity was distributed mostly in the humin and fulvic acid fractions.     

Design and initial tests of a dynamic enclosure chamber for measurements of vapor-phase mercury fluxes over soils

In an effort to establish reliable methodologies for measuring fluxes of mercury (Hg) across the soil-air interface, we have developed a field flux chamber built with FEP Teflon. To evaluate our field flux chamber system, a series of laboratory and field tests were performed. The observations of relatively low chamber blanks and low blank-to-sample ratios for the FEP Teflon chamber suggest its potential in Hg flux investigations. Despite its potential, Hg exchange rate measurements using the field flux chamber method must be made with great caution since it can be subject to contamination problems associated with the selection of chamber materials.     

Estimation of Dry Deposition by Using a Filter Pack Method at Chunchon, Korea

Atmospheric gases and particulates were collected using four-stage filter-pack in Chunchon from January through December in 1999. Particulate SO₄ ^2? and NO₃ ^?, and gaseous HNO₃, SO₂ and NH₃ were analyzed. Annual average concentration of SO₄ ^2?(S), NO₃ ^?(S), HNO₃ (g), SO₂(g) and NH₃(g) were 5.75µg/m³, 4.98µg/m³, 0.33ppb, 1.52ppb and 7.25ppb, respectively. Annual dry deposition fluxes were estimated using the measured concentration and dry deposition velocity published by other research group. Annual dry deposition of S was 287kg · (km)^?2·y^?1, which accounted for about 30% of total S deposition. For N deposition, dry deposition is predominant; about 70% of total N deposition was through dry process mostly as forms of NH₃ and HNO₃.     

Characterization of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor from Pueraria thunbergiana

This study describes the extraction and characterization of an inhibitor for beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl (HMG) coenzyme A (CoA) reductase from Pueraria thunbergiana. The maximum HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory activity (IC(50) = 79 microg) was obtained when P. thunbergiana was extracted with 70% ethanol at 30 degrees C for 12 h. After purification of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor by means of systematic solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and HPLC, an active fraction with an IC(50) of 0.9 microg (4.25 microM) and a yield of 1.3% was obtained. The purified HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor was identified as daidzein (C(15)H(10)O(4); molecular mass, 254 Da).     

Sweet and sour cherry phenolics and their protective effects on neuronal cells

The identification of phenolics from various cultivars of fresh sweet and sour cherries and their protective effects on neuronal cells were comparatively evaluated in this study. Phenolics in cherries of four sweet and four sour cultivars were extracted and analyzed for total phenolics, total anthocyanins, and their antineurodegenerative activities. Total phenolics in sweet and sour cherries per 100 g ranged from 92.1 to 146.8 and from 146.1 to 312.4 mg gallic acid equivalents, respectively. Total anthocyanins of sweet and sour cherries ranged from 30.2 to 76.6 and from 49.1 to 109.2 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalents, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that anthocyanins such as cyanidin and peonidin derivatives were prevalent phenolics. Hydroxycinnamic acids consisted of neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and p-coumaric acid derivatives. Glycosides of quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin were also found. Generally, sour cherries had higher concentrations of total phenolics than sweet cherries, due to a higher concentration of anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic acids. A positive linear correlation (r2 = 0.985) was revealed between the total anthocyanins measured by summation of individual peaks from HPLC analysis and the total anthocyanins measured by the pH differential method, indicating that there was in a close agreement with two quantifying methods for measuring anthocyanin contents. Cherry phenolics protected neuronal cells (PC 12) from cell-damaging oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner mainly due to anthocyanins. Overall results showed that cherries are rich in phenolics, especially in anthocyanins, with a strong antineurodegenerative activity and that they can serve as a good source of biofunctional phytochemicals in our diet.     

Development of an analytical scheme for simazine and 2,4-D in soil and water runoff from ornamental plant nursery plots

The transport and fate of pesticides applied to ornamental plant nursery crops are not well documented. Methodology for analysis of soil and water runoff samples concomitantly containing the herbicides simazine (1-chloro-4,6-bis(ethylamino)-s-triazine) and 2,4-D ((2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid) was developed in this research to investigate the potential for runoff and leaching from ornamental nursery plots. Solid-phase extraction was used prior to analysis by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography. Chromatographic results were compared with determination by enzyme-linked immunoassay analysis. The significant analytical contributions of this research include (1) the development of a scheme using chromatographic mode sequencing for the fractionation of simazine and 2,4-D, (2) optimization of the homogeneous derivatization of 2,4-D using the methylating agent boron trifluoride in methanol as an alternative to in situ generation of diazomethane, and (3) the practical application of these techniques to field samples.