Fungal biomass in pastures increases with age and reduced N input

Previous studies have shown that soil fungal biomass increases towards more natural, mature systems. Shifts to a fungal-based soil food web have previously been observed with abandonment of agricultural fields and extensification of agriculture. In a previous field experiment we found increased fungal biomass with reduced N fertilisation. Here, we explore relationships between fungi, bacteria, N input and grassland age on real dairy farms in the Netherlands. We hypothesised that also in pastures that are still in production there is a negative relationship between fungal biomass and fertilisation, and that fungal biomass increases with grassland age in pastures that are still in production. We expected the fungal/bacterial biomass ratio to show the same responses, as this ratio has often been used as an indicator for management changes. We sampled 48 pastures from eight organic dairy farms. Sites differed in age and fertilisation rate. We determined fungal and bacterial biomass, as well as ergosterol (a fungal biomarker). Fungal and bacterial biomass and ergosterol, showed a negative relationship with N application rate, and correlated positively with organic matter percentage. In old pastures, fungal biomass and ergosterol were higher than in younger pastures. Because bacterial biomass responded in the same way as fungal biomass, the F/B ratio remained constant, and can therefore—in our data set—not be used as an indicator for changing management. We conclude that the changes in fungal and bacterial biomass were driven by changes in organic matter quality and quantity. The negative relationship we found between N application rate and fungal biomass adds to earlier work and confirms the presence of this relationship in pastures with relatively small differences in management intensities. Earlier studies on shifts in fungal biomass focused on ex-agricultural fields or restoration projects. Here we show that fungal biomass is also higher in older agricultural pastures.     

生物质热解柔性输送装置性能研究

为了解决生物质连续热解装置的螺旋绞龙与热解管因热变形而发生的机械干涉现象,研究了一种用于生物质热解的无轴柔性连续输送装置,设计了该无轴柔性螺旋叶片参数。以稻壳、木屑和黄豆为输送物料,探究了螺距、转速和有轴、无轴等因素对输送性能的影响。结果表明:柔性输送装置的输送能力随着螺距的增加而增强,在中低转速下,物料的处理量随着转速的增加呈线性增加,表明物料的输送量和通过时间可通过调节电机转速实现精准控制;无轴螺旋输送能力比有轴螺旋增加15%~30%,且输送过程平稳,避免了物料在输送装置与输送管之间发生挤压、进而出现死机的现象。     

Fatty acid patterns of phospholipids and lipopolysaccharides in the characterisation of microbial communities in soil: a review

 This review discusses the analysis of whole-community phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and the composition of lipopolysaccharides in order to assess the microbial biomass and the community structure in soils. For the determination of soil microbial biomass a good correlation was obtained between the total amount of PLFAs and the microbial biomass measured with methods commonly used for determinations such as total adenylate content and substrate-induced respiration. Generally, after the application of multivariate statistical analyses, whole-community fatty acid profiles indicate which communities are similar or different. However, in most cases, the organisms accounting for similarity or difference cannot be determined, and therefore artefacts could not be excluded. The fatty acids used to determine the biomass vary from those which determine the community structure. Specific attention has to be paid when choosing extraction methods in order to avoid the liberation of fatty acids from non-living organic material and deposits, and to exclude the non-target selection of lipids from living organisms, as well. By excluding the fatty acids which were presumed to be common and widespread prior to multivariate statistical analysis, estimates were improved considerably. Results from principal component analysis showed that determining the levels of fatty acids present in both low and high concentrations is essential in order to correctly identify microorganisms and accurately classify them into taxonomically defined groups. The PLFA technique has been used to elucidate different strategies employed by microorganisms to adapt to changed environmental conditions under wide ranges of soil types, management practices, climatic origins and different perturbations. It has been proposed that the classification of PLFAs into a number of chemically different subgroups should simplify the evaluating procedure and improve the assessment of soil microbial communities, since then only the subgroups assumed to be involved in key processes would be investigated. Received: 24 August 1998     

Phytoextraction of Cd and Zn with Salix viminalis in field trials

Abstract. Use of high biomass crops such as the willow Salix viminalis to extract metals for soil remediation has been proposed as an alternative to the low biomass-producing hyperaccumulating plants. High yields compensate for the moderate heavy-metal concentrations in the shoots of such species. We report the first long-term trials using Salix viminalis to extract heavy metals from two contaminated soils, one calcareous (5 years) and one acidic (2 years). Total metals extracted by the plants were 170 g Cd ha⁻¹ and 13.4 kg Zn ha⁻¹ from the calcareous soil after 5 years, and 47 g Cd ha⁻¹ and 14.5 kg Zn ha⁻¹ from the acidic soil after 2 years; in the first year outputs were negligible. After 2 years, Salix had performed better on the acidic soil because of larger biomass production and higher metal concentrations in shoots. Addition of elemental sulphur to the soil did not yield any additional benefit in the long term, but application of an Fe chelate improved the biomass production. Cd and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in leaves than stems, highlighting the necessity to collect leaves as well as shoots. On both soils, concentration in shoots decreased with time, indicating a decrease in extraction efficiency.     

Dynamics of soil microbial biomass C and soil fertility in cropland mulched with plastic film in a semiarid agro-ecosystem

Microbial biomass C (MBC) is one of the soil properties used as an indicator for the fertility status of a soil. A study was conducted on a semi-arid Loess Plateau in China. The field was planted with spring wheat and mulched with plastic film for various lengths of time. Our primary objectives were to (i) explore the influence of film mulching on soil MBC and soil fertility, and (ii) seek an effective approach of maintaining and improving sustainability of cropland mulched with plastic film in two growing seasons. Four treatments were tested, non-mulching (M0), mulching for 30 days after sowing (M30), mulching for 60 DAS (M60) and mulching for the whole growing period (Mw). An increasing air temperature with time within the growing season promoted soil MBC in the two growing seasons, but a severe drought led to a lower MBC in 2000 compared with the wet year of 1999. Film mulching promoted MBC significantly in the 2 years, but decreased soil organic carbon (SOC). SOC is very low in the experimental soil, accounting for the higher MBC/SOC ratio compared with ratios reported by others. The SOC is greatly reduced in the non-mulched and the Mw treatments compared to the M30 and M60 treatments. In conclusion, the benefits of film mulching in semi-arid agricultural systems are enormous but realizing their full potential depends on how long the mulching material is maintained during the growing season. In the system tested, it is desirable to mulch the plots for 30-60 DAS in order to enhance microbial biomass and cycling of nutrients and also to provide a more stable soil micro-environment that generates more residues in the rhizosphere.     

长期免耕水稻田土壤的生物特征研究

对经过 10年半旱式免耕定位试验的水稻土主要微生物类群数量和微生物生物量的变化进行对比研究 ,结果表明 :实行半旱式厢作及垄作免耕法能够迅速地提高土壤有机质、全氮、全磷和速效氮、磷的水平 ;微生物数量和微生物生物量变化一般存在季节性规律 :春季高 ,夏季至夏末降低 ;各处理土体上层和下层 (0～ 7.5 cm,7.5～15 cm)的基本肥力特征及微生物特征无明显区别 ;免耕处理土壤 ,其微生物的季节性变幅较小 ,垄上或厢上土壤微生物生物量甚至表现反季节性 ,整个生长季节内稳中有升 ,有利于土壤有机物质的转化和土壤肥力的发挥     

Estimation of genetic variance components and heritabilities for cut-flower yield in gerbera using least squares and maximum likelihood methods

Summary Genetic variance components and heritability were estimated for cut-flower yield of gerbera in the Davis population using ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood methods. The overall estimate of narrow-sense heritability is 0.33 based on least squares (LS) and 0.31 based on maximum likelihood (ML). The results of the study indicate that (1) ML and LS provide very similar results if sample size is large enough, suggesting both are useful for plant breeding programs; (2) about one third of the variation in gerbera cut-flower yield is additive, implying selection in cut-flower will be successful; and (3) although additive variation gradually decreased, heritability remained near 0.27 suggesting there is still potential variation in the population for further selection.     

Crop rotation and nitrogen fertilization effect on soil CO2 emissions in central Iowa

Depending upon how soil is managed, it can serve as a source or sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). As the atmospheric CO₂ concentration continues to increase, more attention is being focused on the soil as a possible sink for atmospheric CO₂. This study was conducted to examine the short-term effects of crop rotation and N fertilization on soil CO₂ emissions in Central Iowa. Soil CO₂ emissions were measured during the growing seasons of 2003 and 2004 from plots fertilized with three N rates (0, 135, and 270 kg N ha⁻¹) in continuous corn and a corn–soybean rotation in a split-plot design. Soil samples were collected in the spring of 2004 from the 0–15 cm soil depth to determine soil organic C content. Crop residue input was estimated using a harvest index based on the measured crop yield. The results show that increasing N fertilization generally decreased soil CO₂ emissions and the continuous corn cropping system had higher soil CO₂ emissions than the corn–soybean rotation. Soil CO₂ emission rate at the peak time during the growing season and cumulative CO₂ under continuous corn increased by 24 and 18%, respectively compared to that from corn–soybean rotation. During this period, the soil fertilized with 270 kg N ha⁻¹ emitted, on average, 23% less CO₂ than the soil fertilized with the other two N rates. The greatest difference in CO₂ emission rate was observed in 2004; where plots that received 0 N rate had 31% greater CO₂ emission rate than plots fertilized with 270 kg N ha⁻¹. The findings of this research indicate that changes in cropping systems can have immediate impact on both rate and cumulative soil CO₂ emissions, where continuous corn caused greater soil CO₂ emissions than corn soybean rotation.     

Soil compaction and forest floor removal reduced microbial biomass and enzyme activities in a boreal aspen forest soil

Soil enzymes are linked to microbial functions and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems and are considered sensitive to soil disturbances. We investigated the effects of severe soil compaction and whole-tree harvesting plus forest floor removal (referred to as FFR below, compared with stem-only harvesting) on available N, microbial biomass C (MBC), microbial biomass N (MBN), and microbial biomass P (MBP), and dehydrogenase, protease, and phosphatase activities in the forest floor and 0–10 cm mineral soil in a boreal aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forest soil near Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. In the forest floor, no soil compaction effects were observed for any of the soil microbial or enzyme activity parameters measured. In the mineral soil, compaction reduced available N, MBP, and acid phosphatase by 53, 47, and 48%, respectively, when forest floor was intact, and protease and alkaline phosphatase activities by 28 and 27%, respectively, regardless of FFR. Forest floor removal reduced available P, MBC, MBN, and protease and alkaline phosphatase activities by 38, 46, 49, 25, and 45%, respectively, regardless of soil compaction, and available N, MBP, and acid phosphatase activity by 52, 50, and 39%, respectively, in the noncompacted soil. Neither soil compaction nor FFR affected dehydrogenase activities. Reductions in microbial biomass and protease and phosphatase activities after compaction and FFR likely led to the reduced N and P availabilities in the soil. Our results indicate that microbial biomass and enzyme activities were sensitive to soil compaction and FFR and that such disturbances had negative consequences for forest soil N and P cycling and fertility.     

长期石油污水灌溉对东北旱田土壤微生物生物量及土壤酶活性的影响

以土壤微生物生物量和土壤酶活性等为土壤微生物变化指标,研究了含油污水长期灌溉对东北沈抚灌区农田土壤微生物的影响.结果表明:土壤微生物生物量碳和生物量氮随着污灌有机物污染程度的增加而增加,与土壤石油烃(TPH)含量极显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.955和0.962(P<0.01);与土壤多环芳烃(PAHs)含量也极显著正相关,相关系数为0.941和0.946(P<0.01).土壤酶活性分析表明,土壤脱氢酶和多酚氧化酶与土壤TPH含量极显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.977和0.958(P<0.01);与PAHs含量也极显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.997和0.977(P<0.01).土壤中的脲酶受污水灌溉中含N物质的影响与TPH含量显著相关,相关系数为0.713(P<0.05),与PAHs污染无明显相关性.而纤维素酶与土壤有机物污染无明显相关关系.土壤微生物生物量和土壤脱氢酶、多酚氧化酶可以作为污灌土壤TPH和PAHs污染敏感的生物学和生物化学指标.