Variations of SOC and MBC observed in an incubated brown loam soil managed under different tillage systems for 12 years

To assess changes in organic carbon pools, an incubation experiment was conducted under different temperatures and field moisture capacity (FMC) on a brown loam soil from three tillage practices used for 12 years: no‐till (NT), subsoiling (ST) and conventional tillage (CT). Total microbial respiration was measured for incubated soil with and without the input of straw. Results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) under ST, NT and CT was higher in soil with straw input than that without, while the microbial quotient (MQ or MBC: SOC) and metabolic quotient (qCO₂) content under CT followed the opposite trend. Lower temperature, lower moisture and with straw input contributed to the increases in SOC concentration, especially under NT and ST systems. The SOC concentrations under ST, with temperatures of 30 and 35°C after incubation at 55% FMC, were greater than those under CT by 28.4% and 30.6%, respectively. The increase in MBC was highest at 35°C for 55%, 65% and 75% FMC; in soil under ST, MBC was greater than that under CT by 199.3%, 50.7% and 23.8%, respectively. At 30°C, the lower qCO₂ was obtained in soil incubated under NT and ST. The highest MQ among three tillage practices was measured under ST at 55% FMC, NT at 65% FMC and CT at 75% FMC with straw input. These data indicate the benefits of enhancing the MQ; the low FMC was beneficial to ST treatment. Under higher temperature and drought stress conditions, the adaptive capacity of ST and NT is better than that of CT.     

不同沟垄覆盖下土壤水热效应对旱作马铃薯生长及产量的影响

针对宁南山区春季降雨少、低温不利于马铃薯出苗,而作物生育中后期高温胁迫限制马铃薯块茎形成导致减产等问题,于2016年设置垄覆地膜沟内覆盖塑料地膜(DM)、玉米秸秆(JG)、生物降解膜(SM)、麻纤维地膜(MM)、液态地膜(YM)及沟不覆盖(BM),以传统平作为对照(CK),研究沟垄覆盖模式对土壤温度、土壤水分、旱作马铃薯生长及块茎产量的影响.结果表明:处理DM,SM,MM和YM马铃薯生育期耕层土壤温度表现出增温效应,而处理JG和BM表现为降温效应,其中处理DM增温效果和处理JG降温效果最佳.处理YM,JG对马铃薯生长前期保水效果较好,分别较CK显著提高13.3%,27.0%,而处理JG,DM对生育中后期的保墒效果较佳,分别较CK显著提高22.4%,13.2%.处理JG可显著促进马铃薯生长,其增产效果最为显著,DM次之,分别较CK增产47.8%,44.8%,其他处理较CK差异不具有统计学意义.可见,在宁南山区实施垄覆地膜沟覆秸秆模式可调控土壤水热环境,对旱作马铃薯生长及增产效果最佳.     

高效液相色谱法同时测定干菊花中五种防腐剂

建立了同时测定干菊花中5种防腐剂的高效液相色谱分析方法,优化后的色谱条件为采用Waters XTerra C18色谱柱(3.9 mm×150 mm,5μm)分离,流动相为乙酸水溶液(0.1%)/甲醇梯度洗脱,用二极管阵列检测器在波长254 nm处进行检测。结果表明,5种防腐剂在18 min内可获得较好的分离效果,在0.1~20.0 mg/L范围内线性关系良好(r≥0.999 8),检出限为0.001 5~0.059 0 mg/L,定量限为0.005 0~0.196 8 mg/L,加标回收率为85.9%~97.8%,RSD为0.5%~12.5%。该方法操作简单、灵敏度高、重复性好,可用于检测干菊花中防腐剂。     

Synergistic effects of soil microstructure and bacterial EPS on drying rate in emulated soil micromodels

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been shown to alter soil moisture retention and to improve seedling survival and plant growth at the bulk scale. The mechanisms of EPS-mediated water retention include reversible swelling of the cross-linked polymer matrix and the promotion of an aggregated soil structure. However, the effects of EPS on water retention have never been directly observed at the pore scale. Here, emulated soil micromodels were developed to directly observe the effects of physical, chemical, and biological factors on pore-scale water retention. In this demonstration, a pseudo-2D pore structure was created to represent physical features of a fine sandy loam. Replicate micromodels were initially saturated with suspensions of different soil bacteria, and pore-scale air infiltration was directly imaged over time. External evaporativity was held constant through the use of a custom constant-humidity environmental chamber. Micromodels filled with suspensions of highly mucoid Sinorhizobium meliloti retained moisture about twice as long as physically identical micromodels filled with suspensions of non-mucoid S. meliloti. Relative drying rates in six replicate experiments ranged from 1.1 to 2.5 times slower for mucoid suspensions. Patterns of air infiltration were similar but not identical across replicates. The results suggest that pore fluid EPS and micromodel geometry act together to limit evaporation at pore throats. Advantages of the micromodel approach include direct observation of pore-scale dynamic process, and the ability to systematically replicate complex physical structures. These abilities will enable users to screen benefits from different structures and from microbial compositions, and build predictive understanding of the overall function of microbe-habitat systems.     

潮州6种蔬菜汤中F~-·Cl~-·NO_2~-·NO_3~-的同时测定

[目的]同时测定潮州蔬菜汤中F-、Cl-、NO2-和NO3-的含量。[方法]利用WICⅡ-型离子色谱仪,测定潮州不同鲜度6种蔬菜汤中F-、Cl-、NO2-和NO3-的的含量。[结果]菜汤中NO3-的含量较高;菜汤中有适宜的F-、Cl-含量。[结论]保鲜处理放置的蔬菜中,NO2-、NO3-含量增加。     

Use of the nitrate‐specific ion electrode for the determination of nitrate nitrogen in surface and ground water

Abstract

The usefulness of the nitrate‐specific ion electrode (NE) for the determination of nitrate nitrogen (NO3‐N) in surface and ground water was determined. The NE method had several advantages that made it superior to the phenoldisulfonic acid (PDS) method in our environmental quality studies. Samples could be analyzed quickly and with a minimum of sample preparation. Sample coloration and soluble salts did not interfere with the performance of the electrode. Range of detection without dilution was much wider than by the PDS method. Also, the values obtained by the NE method, although slightly greater than those obtained by the PDS method, were satisfactory.     

A review of the role of excess soil moisture conditions in constraining farm practices under Atlantic conditions

The Less Favoured Area (LFA) scheme is a major element of the EU Rural Development Policy, aimed at supporting farming in areas with natural handicaps or low soil productivity. It has been in place since 1975 and accounts for 14% of total Community funding. In 2003, the European Court of Auditors recommended that the socio‐economic criteria on which the current scheme is based be replaced by biophysical criteria. Reviews of the proposals suggest that in Atlantic climates of Northwest Europe, the new criteria do not delineate adequately areas where agricultural productivity is constrained by the biophysical environment and that such areas are instead demarcated by the occurrence of excess soil moisture conditions. In this paper, we review the impact of excess soil moisture conditions on the sustainability of farming systems and their role in constraining strategic and tactical farm management practices. In particular, we review the scientific evidence on the impact of excess soil moisture conditions on herbage growth, herbage utilization, farm operations and environmental sustainability. On the basis of this, we propose an additional biophysical criterion for the new delineation of LFAs, namely the length of time that soil water is in excess of field capacity (‘field capacity days’). While there is no clear threshold for field capacity days above which agricultural sustainability is acutely constrained, the evidence reviewed in this paper suggests that the sustainability of intensive livestock farming and tillage systems is particularly challenging in scenarios where the 80 percentile of field capacity days exceeds 220–230 days.     

Comparison of nuclear and capacitance‐based soil water measuring techniques in salt‐affected soils

A field calibration experiment was carried out on salt‐affected clayey soil in Syria, to compare the sensitivity to soil electrical conductivity (ECe), and bulk density (ρ_b) of two instruments for estimating soil moisture: the neutron probe (NP) and the Diviner 2000 capacitance probe (CP). The results showed that the values of the correlation coefficient of the calibration were decreased when the ECe and ρ_b values increased; this decrease was more pronounced for the Diviner 2000, indicating that it was more sensitive to ρ_b and ECe than the NP. When only scaled frequency was used in the fitted equation, the Diviner 2000 in wet soil underestimated soil water content significantly at all depths, but especially in the top layer, by up to 0.09 cm³/cm³ compared with gravimetric determinations. However, in dry soil, the Diviner 2000 overestimated the volumetric water content by up to 0.05 cm³/cm³ in the top 15 cm, and by 0.03 cm³/cm³ at 30‐45 cm depth. The performance of the neutron probe was better overall; using a factory calibration curve no significant differences were observed between NP estimates and the gravimetric values. Including both ρ_b and ECe in the calibration equations improved the fits, although the regression coefficient (R²) for the Diviner 2000 remained low.     

Interrelationship of soil moisture and temperature to sylvatic plague cycle among prairie dogs in the Western United States

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a flea-borne disease that is endemic in areas throughout the world due to its successful maintenance in a sylvatic cycle, mainly in areas with temperate climates. Burrowing rodents are thought to play a key role in the enzootic maintenance as well as epizootic outbreaks of plague. In the United States, prairie dogs (Cynomys), rodents (Muridae), and ground squirrels (Spermophilus) are susceptible to infection and are parasitized by fleas that transmit plague. In particular, prairie dogs can experience outbreaks that rapidly spread, which can lead to extirpation of colonies. A number of ecological parameters, including climate, are associated with these epizootics. In this study, we asked whether soil parameters, primarily moisture and temperature, are associated with outbreaks of plague in black-tailed prairie dogs and Gunnison's prairie dogs in the Western United States, and at what depth these associations were apparent. We collected publicly available county-level information on the occurrence of population declines or colony extirpation, while historical soil data was collected from SCAN and USCRN stations in counties and states where prairie dogs have been located. The analysis suggests that soil moisture at lower depths correlates with colony die-offs, in addition to temperature near the surface, with key differences within the landscape ecology that impact the occurrence of plague. Overall, the model suggests that the burrow environment may play a significant role in the epizootic spread of disease amongst black-tailed and Gunnison's prairie dogs.     

稻谷籽粒的压缩特性与含水率关系的实验研究

通过Brookfield质构仪测定了不同含水率的稻谷籽粒(含水率为10.63%、12.25%、13.71%、15.18%、16.53%w.b.)在Z轴(短轴)方向上的压缩特性(破坏力、破坏能、表观接触弹性模量、最大接触应力、破坏应变),得出含水率对稻谷压缩特性的影响规律。实验结果表明:随着压缩形变的增加,稻谷籽粒受到的压力逐渐增加,当到达破裂点时达到最大值,随之急剧减小。随着含水率的增加,稻谷籽粒的压缩破坏力、破坏能、表观接触弹性模量、破坏应力逐渐减小,压缩破坏应变逐渐增加。