Isoelectric focusing of humic substances on ultrathin polyacrylamide gels: evidence of fingerprint performance

Differentiated interactions between humic substances and isoelectric focusing-carrier ampholytes were demonstrated by comparing specific absorption ratios from the supernatant after precipitation with 2 M HCl and with acid ampholytes (pH 2–4) containing both carboxylic and sulphate groups. An increasingly stronger interaction was observed when comparing soil humic substances to those of synthetic origin or those extracted from young reclaimed soil material. Electrofocusing of the humic substances under study revealed a fingerprint-like quality; the band patterns observed were consistent with the concept of three main fractions.     

黄淮海地区农田土壤有机质平衡的研究

研究得出,本地区农田土壤有机质年矿化率多在2-5%,各种还田有机物的腐殖化系数约为0.2-0.4。连续4年测定,玉米秸还田形成的新腐殖质的分解速率（r）为0.2458,减半期为2.8年。采用腐殖化系数0.3及新形成腐殖质的分解速率0.2458作为代表值,计算了每年定量加入超过维持原有土壤有机质含量水平所需要的有机质情况下的腐殖质积累速度。据此估测出,本地区土壤有机质含量0.7-0.9%左右的低产田,适当增施化肥使粮食年亩产达到500公斤以上,每年以其秸秆产量的一半（约350公斤）以上还田,5-6年后土壤有机质含量便可增长到1%以上,从而可以基本满足作物稳产高产对土壤有机质状况的要求。     

Selective digestion of the proteinaceous component of humic substances by the geophagous earthworms Metaphire guillelmi and Amynthas corrugatus

Humic substances play a key role in the global carbon cycling and the sequestration of micropollutants in soil. The transformation of these substances by earthworms, the dominant soil macroinvertebrates of many terrestrial ecosystems, and the mechanisms involved are still obscure. We prepared two chemically identical humic model compounds that were specifically ¹⁴C-labeled either in the aromatic or the proteinaceous component, and added them to soil incubated with the geophagous earthworm species Metaphire guillelmi (anecic) and Amynthas corrugatus (endogeic). In the absence of the earthworms, both the aromatic and the proteinaceous components were mineralized at similarly low rates (5−8% after 9 days of incubation). In the presence of the earthworms, mineralization rate of the proteinaceous component was strongly stimulated (2-fold by M. guillelmi and 1.4-fold by A. corrugatus). The mineralization rate of the aromatic component was (slightly) stimulated (1.2-fold; P < 0.05) only by A. corrugatus. In all cases, the stimulated mineralization was accompanied by a transformation of radiolabeled humic acids to fulvic acids within the earthworm guts and by an incorporation of radiolabel into the earthworm tissues. Digestion of the proteinaceous component of humic acids by the earthworms was corroborated also by a decrease of extractable humic acids in fresh cast and a stimulated mineralization of soil nitrogen; in the case of M. guillelmi, the fresh cast contained sixfold more NH₄⁺ than the non-ingested soil. Our study provides direct evidence for the selective digestion of humic components by earthworms. Considering the ubiquity of geophagous earthworms and their large biomass, the alteration of the chemical structure of humic substances by the earthworms through their selective digestion of peptidic components may have significant impacts on the stability of humic substances and the bioavailability of micropollutants in soil.     

Humification-mineralization pyrolytic indices and carbon fractions of soil under organic and conventional management in central Italy

The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical changes in soil organic matter (SOM) in organically and conventionally managed fields, using pyrolytic indices and the extraction of different carbon fractions. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) was used to study structural changes in SOM, whereas the different soil extractions gave a fractionation of C forms. Organic management increased both humic and labile C forms (microbial biomass C and water soluble organic C). A significant positive relationship was found between the living SOM fraction, expressed as microbial biomass/total organic C ratio (MBC/TOC) and humification rate. A negative relationship was found between the pyrrole to phenol ratio (O/Y) and total extractable C (TEC).An opposite trend has been observed for the second pyrolytic index (N/O), which represents the mineralization of fresh organic matter. Mineralization was higher in organically managed soil, probably because of consistent input of fresh material to the organic field. Carbon fraction pools and pyrolytic indices provided complementary indications of SOM quality under organic and conventional management.     

Temporal changes in distribution and composition of N from labeled fertilizer in soil organic matter fractions

Variations in the amount and composition of immobilized nitrogen (N) in major soil organic matter fractions were investigated in a 730-day soil incubation experiment using ¹⁵N-labeled urea and ¹⁵N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with the cross polarization/magic angle spinning (¹⁵N CPMAS NMR) method. After 730 days, 24.7% of the applied N was recovered from the soil as organic N. The urea-derived N recovered from humic acids and humin decreased from 11.2 and 33.8% of the applied amount after 14 days to 1.6 and 20.4% after 730 days, respectively. When these values were corrected for the microbial biomass (MB) N, they ranged from 9.0 to 1.2% and 28 to 18%, respectively. The proportion of urea-derived N recovered from fulvic acids was low, ranging between 0.4 and 5.8% (with MB N) or 5.6% (without MB N) of the applied amount, whereas that from water-soluble nonhumic substances (WS-NHS; NHS in the fulvic acid fraction) remained high, 28–33% of the applied amount after correction for the contribution of MB N up to day 365, and decreased to 0.9% thereafter. The ¹⁵N CPMAS NMR spectra of humic acids, fulvic acids, and humin showed the largest signal at −254 to −264 ppm, corresponding to peptide/amide N. The proportions of heterocyclic, peptide/amide, guanidine/aniline, and free amino N in the urea-derived humic acid N were 3–7, 83–90, 5–7, and 2–4%, respectively. More than 80% loss of the urea-derived humic acid N did not markedly alter their composition. No time-dependent variations were also observed for the proportions of respective N functional groups in humin N, which were 3–5, 71–78, 12–17, and 6–10% in the same order as above. These results suggest the greater importance of physical stability than structural variation for the initial accumulation of organic N in soil.     

有机物料及其配施在潮土中的残留特点

试验采用尼龙布袋埋袋法研究了5种单一物料(玉米秸、稻秸、苜蓿、鸡粪、猪粪)和2种混合物料(玉米秸-猪粪-鸡粪、苜蓿-猪粪-鸡粪)在潮土中的腐解状况,以了解土壤中有机质的积累规律,探讨有机肥料对土壤的培肥效果。研究结果表明,玉米秸、稻秸、苜蓿、鸡粪、猪粪等是增加土壤有机质的较好物料;对C/N比较高的物料,当增加N素(添加猪粪、鸡粪这些氮含量较高的物料)、调节C/N比值时,可以促进混合物料有机碳的分解和向腐殖质的转化。     

作物残体应用性及稳定性的研究进展

农业生产会产生大量的作物残体。对作物残体的安全利用与处理已经成为全社会十分关注的重要问题。作物残体作为土壤养分的重要来源,其在土壤中的稳定与转化对于增加其养分持续时间、提高土壤肥力具有非常重要的意义。论文介绍了作物残体均匀深还及堆肥等提高作物残体稳定性的技术,简述了促进有机物质稳定与转化的新方法,总结了不同作物残体处理方式对土壤性质的影响。以期为作物残体的高效合理利用提供参考依据。     

Evolution of organic matter and nitrogen during co-composting of olive mill wastewater with solid organic wastes

 Four olive mill wastewater (OMW) composts, prepared with three N-rich organic wastes and two different bulking agents, were studied in a pilot plant using the Rutgers system. Organic matter (OM) losses during composting followed a first-order kinetic equation in all the piles, the slowest being the OM mineralisation rate in the pile using maize straw (MS). The highest N losses through NH₃ volatilisation occurred in the mixtures which had a low initial C/N ratio and high pH values during the process. Such losses were reduced considerably when MS was used as the bulking agent instead of cotton waste (CW). N fixation activity increased during the bio-oxidative phase before falling during maturation. This N fixation capacity was higher in piles with a lower NH₄ ⁺-N concentration. Only the composts prepared with OMW, CW and poultry manure or sewage sludge reached water-soluble organic C (C_W) and NH₄ ⁺-N concentrations and C_W/N_org and NH₄ ⁺/NO₃ ^– ratios within the established limits which indicate a good degree of compost maturity. Increases in the cation-exchange capacity, the percentage of humic acid-like C and the polymerisation ratio revealed that the OM had been humified during composting. The germination index indicated the reduction of phytotoxicity during composting. Received: 14 June 1999     

The dynamics of water extractable organic matter (WEOM) in common arable topsoils: II. Influence of mineral and combined mineral and manure fertilization in a Haplic Chernozem

Data on the dynamics of dissolved or water extractable organic matter (DOM, WEOM) in soils are often contradicting, which is especially true for arable soils. Since a complex set of soil inherent and environmental factors affects these dynamics, there is still a great need for additional data. Especially DOM results from (arable) field studies and long-term trials are scarce. We sampled the WEOM of the soils under three fertilization treatments in a Haplic Chernozem differing in fertilization intensity for over 90 years: (i) no fertilization (Control), (ii) mineral fertilization (NPK), and (iii) mineral plus additional farmyard manure fertilization (NPK + FYM). We sampled the WEOM from 0-40 cm at 10 cm intervals over a three year period during three seasons (spring, summer, and fall). We measured WEOM quantity (WEOC and WEON concentrations) and investigated the quality of WEOM with UV (absorptivity) and fluorescence (humification index, HIX) as well as biodegradability (BWEOC). The total soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (TN) were also quantified. The overall results indicated that NPK did not affect SOC and TN but did increase WEOC and WEON even though NPK does not contain organic matter, implying that fertilization affected WEOM via the biomass. The more aromatic and condensed compound of WEOM were especially increased. The NPK + FYM treatment also increased SOC and TN and had a stronger effect on WEOM than NPK alone. However, BWEOC was not significantly affected by fertilization practices. The three sampled years varied strongly in total precipitation and in crop type. Nevertheless, with the exception of WEON and HIX, no significant overall annual fluctuations could be detected. A seasonal pattern was found in WEOM concentration and quality but, except for WEON and HIX, fertilization treatments did not influence this seasonal pattern. The effects of fertilization did not vary as a function of depth for the parameters WEOC, WEON, and BWEOC, presumably because of their mobile nature. For the immobile SOC and TN depth had an effect. The values in the plough layer (0-30 cm) were significantly higher than in the region below it (30-40 cm). Absorptivity and HIX also showed such a pattern, indicating that more aromatic and condensed compounds are either preferentially retained or not as well metabolized in the plough layer.