Mineralization of “non‐metabolizable” glucose analogues in soil: potential chemosensory mimics of glucose

Glucose is widely used to study the dynamics of easily available organics in soil. Pure culture studies have revealed that many microorganisms can sense and respond to glucose through chemosensory mechanisms that are not directly reliant on energy catabolism. However, the rapid mineralization of glucose by microorganisms makes it difficult to disentangle its energy effects from such non‐catabolic interactions. “Non‐metabolizable” glucose analogues have proven useful in mechanistic studies of glucose in pure culture, but have never been applied to complex microbial communities in soil. We sought to determine how their mineralization in soil differs from that of glucose, and whether they have potential as a new approach for investigating chemosensory mechanisms in soil microbiology. We incubated soil from an agricultural Haplic Luvisol under controlled conditions for 24 d and monitored CO₂ efflux after addition of (1) glucose, and three “non‐metabolizable” glucose analogues: (2) 2‐deoxyglucose (DG), (3) α‐methylglucoside (αMG), and (4) 3‐O‐methyl‐glucose (OMG), at three concentration levels, along with a control. All three analogues did in fact produce a large increase in soil CO₂ efflux, but the dynamics of their mineralization differed from the rapid degradation seen for glucose. At medium and high concentrations, CO₂ efflux peaked between 2.5 and 4 d after amendment with DG and αMG, and was delayed by about one week for OMG. The markedly different patterns of mineralization between glucose and OMG offer a new tool for investigating the behavior of glucose in soil. By using OMG as a glucose model, chemosensory mechanisms could be studied with limited interference from energy catabolism.     

Laboratory vs. in situ resin‐core methods to estimate net nitrogen mineralization for comparison of rotation and tillage practices

Properly estimating soil nitrogen (N) mineralization as a consequence of different agronomic practices would result in better soil N fertility management. In this study, we tested the differences between laboratory and in situ resin‐core incubation methods for estimating soil net N mineralization for long‐term burley tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum L .) tillage and rotation systems. The laboratory incubation method used crushed, homogenized, litter‐free soil samples, and the in situ resin‐core incubation method used an intact soil core with the inclusion of any plant residue below or above ground. Comparisons showed that no‐tillage had significantly increased soil net N mineralization compared to conventional tillage with the laboratory incubation method, while there was no significant difference between tillage methods with the in situ resin‐core method. This indicates that soil pretreatment in the laboratory incubation method can create an “artificial tillage effect” for soil previously managed with no‐tillage, resulting in overestimated soil net N mineralization. The rotation comparison showed that different crop sequences had no impact on measured net N mineralization with the laboratory incubation method. However, a preceding soybean crop did significantly increase net soil N mineralization compared to preceding corn when measured with the in situ resin‐core method. This suggests that discarding plant residue in the laboratory incubation method can neglect the potential effect of plant residue on soil N mineralization. Therefore, it is important to be aware that soil pretreatment may influence soil N mineralization estimates, potentially resulting in flawed decisions for soil N fertility management.     

Assessment of the effect of silver nanoparticles on the relevant soil protozoan genus Acanthamoeba

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are used in a broad range of consumer products and industrial applications. During the regular product life cycle and disposal, AgNP are continuously released into the environment. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential ecotoxicological effects of AgNP exposure on amoebae. The Acanthamoeba castellanii ATCC 30234 strain and environmental isolate Acanthamoeba strain C5/2, which are both affiliated with genotype T4, were chosen as representatives of ecologically important soil protozoan organisms. The amoebae were exposed to citrate‐stabilized AgNP (30 and 70 nm in size) for 24 h and 96 h at concentrations ranging from 600 µg L⁻¹ to 20 mg L⁻¹. A newly adopted cell culture based microscopic assay was applied to assess the adherence ability of the amoeba trophozoites. The general metabolic activity of Acanthamoeba was determined to be a second independent endpoint by means of intracellular reduction of the redox dye AlamarBlue®. The fate of AgNP within the amoebae and test solutions was visualized by light‐ and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both Acanthamoeba strains showed a significant dose‐dependent decrease of adherence ability (p  < 0.04) and metabolic activity (p < 0.01) after 96 h of AgNP exposure. The environmental Acanthamoeba strain C5/2 lost both its adherence ability and metabolic activity at lower AgNP concentrations than the type strain, indicating a higher sensitivity to ionic silver. This was confirmed by the application of AgNO₃, provoking a higher effect level in strain C5/2. AgNP was visualized intracellularly by transmission electron microscopy within the cytoplasm of Acanthamoeba . This is the first report to show the ecotoxicological effects of short‐term AgNP exposure on the soil protist Acanthamoeba , causing both changes in the adherence ability and metabolic activity of this amoeba. This combined approach may be a powerful tool in the future for predicting potential harmful ecotoxicological effects of AgNP exposure using soil protozoans.     

Impact of newly introduced perennial bioenergy crops on soil quality parameters at three different locations in W‐Germany

The land areas used for bioenergy crop cultivation are increasing across Europe. For several years now, various perennial crops have been cultivated, including Miscanthus , switchgrass and reed canary grass, and the newly introduced cup plant, giant knotweed, tall wheatgrass, virginia mallow, and wild plant mixtures. We investigated the impact that many of these perennial bioenergy crops (PECs) have on the soil organic C and N pools, microbial properties, and earthworm activity at three different study sites in W‐Germany with varying soil conditions after an experimental period of five years. Silage maize (Zea maize ) in rotation with green rye (Cecale cereale ) or Triticale was used for comparison (= annual energy crops; AEC). The overall intention of this study was to gain insights into the future trends of soil quality with changes in land‐use towards bioenergy production. Our results emphasized that in general, soil quality was improved through the cultivation of perennials. For example, after five years of investigation, the mean soil organic carbon contents increased, on average, by 1–2% at two of the three study sites, the soil microbial biomass increased from 13% (virginia mallow) to 27% (tall wheatgrass) (p < 0.05) compared to AEC treatment and the mean earthworm activity (cast production) was significantly improved in PECs compared to AEC. These trends were mainly found in silty to loamy soils, but the results were slightly different in sandy soils and dry climate conditions. We suggest that this might be traced back to unfavourable growing conditions for perennial crops during the first years of establishment. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive field investigation of the impact of these newly introduced perennial crops on soil quality indicators that considers various site‐ and soil‐specific growth conditions.     

Straw preservation reduced total N2O emissions from a sugarcane field

Post‐harvest biomass can be used as feedstock for energy production and alter N₂O emissions from the soil, which is among the main issues determining bioethanol sustainability. To assess the effects of sugarcane straw return on gas emissions, we established a field experiment in which 0, 50, 75 or 100% (0, 5.65, 8.47 and 11.30 Mg/ha dry biomass, respectively) of the crop residues (straw) was left in the field during the first two ratoon crops. As fertilizer is applied in bands to sugarcane, we also investigated the contribution of different positions to the N₂O emissions within the field. There was an interactive effect between straw and inorganic fertilizer, leading to a nonlinear effect of crop residues on the fertilizer emission factor (EF). However, straw consistently reduced N₂O emissions from the field, acting mainly in the unfertilized areas in the field (P < 0.05). We observed that considering the typical EF used in the literature, the N₂O‐N emissions attributed to fertilizer ranged from 0.19 to 0.79 kg/ha, while the total emissions ranged from 3.3 to 5.2 kg/ha, from the highest amount of straw to the lowest. We conclude that overall, the fertilizer EF is not as relevant as the total emissions, based on this and other studies. Consequently, management practices might be more effective in improving the GHG balance than changing inorganic fertilizer use. We conclude that keeping up to 11 Mg/ha of straw with a large C:N ratio (>100:1) on site might increase sugarcane production sustainability by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from the field.     

土壤有机碳对沼渣或牛粪施用后温室气体排放潜力的影响—盆栽试验结果

A change in the European Union energy policy has markedly promoted the expansion of biogas production.Consequently,large amounts of nutrient-rich residues are being used as organic fertilizers.In this study,a pot experiment was conducted to simulate the high-risk situation of enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions following organic fertilizer application in energy maize cultivation.We hypothesized that cattle slurry application enhanced CO2 and N2O fluxes compared to biogas digestate because of the overall higher carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) input,and that higher levels of CO2 and N2O emissions could be expected by increasing soil organic C (SOC) and N contents.Biogas digestate and cattle slurry,at a rate of 150 kg NH4+-N ha-1,were incorporated into 3 soil types with low,medium,and high SOC contents (Cambisol,Mollic Gleysol,and Sapric Histosol,termed Clow,Cmedium,and Chigh,respectively).The GHG exchange (CO2,CH4,and N2O) was measured on 5 replicates over a period of 22 d using the closed chamber technique.The application of cattle slurry resulted in significantly higher CO2 and N2O fluxes compared to the application of biogas digestate.No differences were observed in CH4 exchange,which was close to zero for all treatments.Significantly higher CO2 emissions were observed in Chigh compared to the other two soil types,whereas the highest N2O emissions were observed in Cmedium.Thus,the results demonstrate the importance of soil type-adapted fertilization with respect to changing soil physical and environmental conditions.     

缙云山针阔混交林土壤呼吸速率对降水输入量变化的响应

为探讨亚热带季风性湿润气候地区降水对土壤呼吸的影响,于2014年选取重庆市缙云山自然保护区内针阔混交林为研究对象,通过人为拦挡和增水方式模拟不同降水输入量对土壤呼吸速率的影响,包括达到土壤含水量的70%(增水70%,70%A),100%(增水100%,100%A),130%(增水130%,130%A)及对照(CK)和零降水(Z)5种情况。结果表明:(1)不同降水处理下土壤呼吸速率日变化均呈单峰变化曲线,并在12:00—14:00之间达到最大值;其年内月变化也为单峰曲线,于8月份达到最大值,12月份达到最小值。(2)适当增水可以提高土壤呼吸速率与10cm深度土壤温度的Pearson相关性,但指数模型的拟合度以对照组最好,减水和过度增水都会减少其相关性;温度敏感性Q10值的变化情况与其相同。(3)土壤呼吸速率与10cm深度的土壤含水量的相关性总体很低,但明显受到土壤水分条件影响,除零降水处理表现为极显著正相关外,对照组几乎不相关,增水处理转为明显的负相关,尤其增水130%后呈显著负相关。(4)在研究地区的自然环境条件下,增水100%时提高了土壤呼吸速率,也扩大了其变化范围,减水明显降低了土壤呼吸速率。     

东北雨养区覆膜和种植密度对玉米田间土壤水分和根系生长的影响

为探讨东北雨养区玉米生长状况和田间水分对种植密度和地膜覆盖的响应,2015年在沈阳农业大学水利学院试验场设置了低(67 500株/hm~2)、中(82 500株/hm~2)、高(97 500株/hm~2)3个种植密度水平和覆膜、裸地2种方式的玉米田间试验,根据试验结果分析了土壤水分、玉米根系及其产量变化。结果表明:(1)在0—20cm土层中,整个生育期内,覆膜对于低密度处理的土壤田间含水率影响显著(p0.05),生育前期、中期和末期覆膜比裸地田间含水率分别提高了9.80%,15.93%,12.77%;在20—40cm土层中,生育前期,中密度覆膜种植的玉米田间含水率比裸地高13.83%(p0.05);在40—60cm土层中,覆膜对中密度玉米土壤含水率影响显著(p0.05),生育前期、中期、后期覆膜比裸地处理的土壤含水率分别提高了15.47%,4.11%,8.96%。(2)种植密度对玉米根系的根长、总投影面积、总根体积和根系表面积均有显著影响,随着种植密度的增加,四者均呈减小趋势;在种植密度相同时,覆膜相比裸地提高了玉米根系的根长、总投影面积、根系总体积和根系表面积;中密度时,覆膜对玉米根系的4项指标提高最为显著(p0.05),分别比裸地提高了44%,38%,38%,33%。(3)玉米产量随着种植密度的增加而减小,当密度为67 500株/hm~2时,玉米产量和百粒重均最大,百粒重为36.83g,产量为12 573.69kg/hm~2。结果说明:在水肥条件相同情况下,玉米种植存在一个最优密度,在最优密度内,玉米产量随着密度的增加而增加,超过了最优密度产量呈现减少趋势。研究结果对东北雨养区种植密度和覆盖方式的优化组合提供了理论依据,对提高雨水利用效率和玉米产量也具有参考意义。     

砒砂岩区主要造林树种枯落物及林下土壤持水特性

为了探究砒砂岩区不同造林树种水文特征,以该地区油松、侧柏、青杨、山杏、沙棘、柠条为研究对象,通过浸泡法和环刀法,对比分析了不同树种枯落物层和土壤层的持水特性。结果表明:砒砂岩区主要造林树种枯落物蓄积量变动范围为1.55~7.89t/hm~2,青杨林下枯落物最大持水率最高为281.26%,其他树种枯落物最大持水率依次为油松(217.14%)、侧柏(201.05%)、山杏(202.79%)、沙棘(170.96%)、柠条(158.08%)撂荒地(143.88%)。油松林下土壤层容重最小为1.46g/cm3,总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度最大分别为43.55%和36.99%,毛管持水量最大为14.50mm;山杏林下土壤非毛管孔隙度最大为13.12%,非毛管持水量最大为6.86mm。油松枯落物及其林下土壤层持水能力良好,更适宜作为砒砂岩地区植被建设树种。     

水钾耦合对褐土养分及花生养分累积的影响

为明确水钾耦合对土壤养分含量及花生养分吸收累积量的影响,以花育25为试验材料,采用水分(35%,50%,65%,80%的田间持水量)和钾肥(0,0.15,0.30,0.45g K_2O/kg)2因素4水平随机区组设计,通过遮雨棚盆栽试验探讨水钾耦合下褐土有机质、全量(全氮、全磷和全钾)和速效养分(碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾)含量的变化,以及花生植株养分累积量的差异。结果表明:钾肥用量增加会促进有效氮的吸收;在土壤水分缺乏时,水分胁迫低钾(W_1K_1)和轻度胁迫低钾(W_2K_1)两个处理在土壤全磷含量下降时有效磷含量不降反增,这表明施入少量钾肥有助于旱地磷的释放。施低钾K_1(135kg/hm~2)促进土壤速效钾的增加及土壤养分的平衡,较初始土壤提高0.43~0.59倍,且随钾肥用量的增加而不断升高。相同钾肥用量下,花生植株氮、磷和钾累积量随灌水量的增加均呈上升趋势;氮吸收量仅在水分胁迫时随着钾肥用量的增多而先增后减;除水分充足(W_4)外,在其他灌水处理下植株磷累积量随钾肥用量的增加均表现为先增后降;而钾累积量在各土壤水分下均随钾肥用量的增加呈现低-高-低的变化趋势,最高值均在中钾K_2(270kg/hm~2)处理。花生植株对营养元素的吸收累积与总生物产量和荚果产量相关性均达显著(p0.05)或极显著(p0.01)水平,总生物量与荚果产量呈极显著(p0.01)相关。综合考虑土壤养分的可持续供应、花生养分的累积和产量形成,建议土壤水分保持在65%FC,钾肥(K_2O)用量控制在135~270kg/hm~2为宜。