Environmental and spatial characterisation of bacterial community composition in soil to inform sampling strategies

Soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities are highly heterogeneous and vary widely over spatial scales, necessitating careful consideration of sampling strategies to provide representative and reproducible soil samples across field sites. To achieve this, the study aimed to establish appropriate sampling methodology and to determine links between the variability of parameters, utilising two sampling strategies. The first (design 1) involved extracting 25 cores from random locations throughout the field and pooling them into five sets of five cores. The second (design 2) involved a further 25 cores within five 1 m² sub-plots. Sub-samples from each sub-plot were pooled in order to determine between and within sub-plot variability. All samples were analysed independently and as pooled sub-samples. Results indicate that pooling spatially separated samples significantly reduced the variability in pH, compared to individual samples. Pooling samples from a small area resulted in lower within sub-plot variability than between sub-plots for pH and bacterial community composition assessed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Following multivariate statistical analysis, a large amount of variation in community composition was explained by soil pH, which is remarkable given the relatively small size of the sampling area and minor differences in pH. Moisture content was also important in determining bacterial communities in the random design (design 1). In the 1 m² sub-plot design (design 2), the spatial location of the plots explained a large degree of the variation in bacterial community composition between plots, which was due to spatial autocorrelation of pH and possible additional environmental parameters. This study emphasises the importance of sampling design for obtaining representative samples from soil.     

Midsummer copper sprays have no effect on ‘delicious’ apple fruit color grade or typiness

Recent reports suggested that multiple midsummer copper (Cu) sprays could improve the proportion of apple fruit (Malus × domestica Borkh.) being packed in the reddest market color grades. We conducted a three‐year field experiment in a low‐Cu orchard with a history of poor fruit coloring. We applied multiple mid‐summer sprays of Cu sulfate and basic Cu sulfate in 1994 and 1995 to ‘Bisbee Delicious’ and ‘Oregon Spur II Delicious’ apple trees. Plant tissue nutrient levels, fruit color grade, and fruit typiness were evaluated in the years of application and the following year. The Cu sprays increased leaf Cu in the years of application; however, leaf Cu in the Cu‐sprayed plots returned to or very near to background concentrations in the year after sprays were terminated. The Cu treatments did not increase the proportion of fruit in the reddest market color grades or influence five fruit typiness indices of either apple cultivar. Although midsummer Cu sprays may not enhance apple fruit red color or typiness, they may be useful for increasing overall tree Cu status, particularly for long‐season cultivars which are harvested too late for postharvest sprays to be effective.     

Phosphorus Requirements of Rice Grown in Soils With Different Sodicity

ABSTRACT

Phosphorus (P) fertilization is reported to alleviate the adverse effects of sodicity on survival of the seedlings, growth, and yield of rice. However, it is not known if required levels of Olsen's P to alleviate the adverse sodicity effects varies with increased sodicity stress. The present study, conducted at various pH values (8.0, 9.3, 9.7, and 9.9) with varying levels of P fertilization (P0.0, P0.2, P0.4, P0.6, and P0.8 kg hm^{? 2}), showed that P requirements of rice increased with increases in sodicity stress. At a pH of 8.0, 4.3 mg kg^{? 1} Olsen's P was sufficient for survival of the seedlings, but not for grain weight (6.3 mg kg^{? 1}). Seedlings required 7.0 and 9.5 mg kg^{? 1}Olsen's P to survive at pH 9.7 and 9.9, respectively. Similarly, high P levels were needed for more total and fertile tillers and spikelets numbers. One thousand (1000) grain weight and grain yield responded to 6.3, 7.7, 8.8, and 10.4 mg kg^{? 1} Olsen's P at pH values of 8.0, 9.3, 9.7, and 9.9, respectively. Total chlorophyll in the leaves was significant in P fertilized plants. At a pH of 9.7, plants with 7.9 mg kg^{? 1} Olsen's P had 52% more chlorophyll per 100 ppm sodium (Na) in the leaves compared to those at 6.3 mg kg^{? 1} Olsen's P. This could possibly be due to improved tissue tolerance to Na in P-fertilized plants. Plants fertilized with P had higher P and potassium (K) concentrations in their shoots. Olsen's P levels of 7.7 mg kg^{? 1}, 7.9 mg kg^{? 1}, and 9.5 mg kg^{? 1} were effective in restricting increases of Na (a potentially toxic ion) in shoots at pH 9.3, 9.8, and 9.9, respectively, thus helping plants have better yields.     

高耐铝红酵母RS1耐铝特性初步研究

红酵母RS1是从酸性土壤中筛选出的一株高耐铝微生物,本文对其耐铝特性进行了初步研究.结果发现,RS1可以在pH 2.5的培养基中生长,50 ～ 200 mmol/L A13+处理对RS1产生了毒害作用,其毒害并未对细胞表面形态产生影响.RS1对Al2(SO4)3的忍耐能力高于AlCl3,这种高的忍耐能力是遗传固有的,并不被诱导产生.此外,RS1可以增加体内蛋白含量来适应高的铝毒,其中蛋白型巯基可能在耐铝中表现重要作用.     

Re‐visiting potassium‐ and phosphate‐fertilizer responses in field experiments and soil‐test interpretations by means of data mining

Currently, potassium (K)‐ and phosphate (P)‐fertilizer recommendation in Germany is based on standardized soil‐testing procedures, the results of which are interpreted in terms of nutrient availability. Although site‐specific soil and plant properties (e.g., clay and carbon content, pH, crop species) influence the relation between soil nutrient content and fertilizer effectiveness, most of these factors are not accounted for quantitatively when assessing fertilizer demand. Recent re‐evaluations of field observations suggest that even for soil nutrient contents well within the range considered to indicate P or K deficiency, fertilizer applications often resulted in no yield increase. In this study, results from P‐ and K‐fertilization trials (in total about 9000 experimental harvests) conducted during the past decades in Germany and Austria were re‐analyzed using a nonparametric data‐mining procedure which consists of a successive segmentation of the data pool in order to elaborate a modified recommendation scheme. In addition to soil nutrient content, fertilizer‐application rates, nutrient‐use efficiency, and site properties such as pH, clay content, and soil organic matter, have a distinct influence on yield increase compared to an unfertilized control. For K, nutrient‐use efficiency had the largest influence, followed by soil‐test K content, whereas for P, the influence of soil‐test P content was largest, followed by pH and clay content. The results may be used in a novel approach to predict the probability of yield increase for a specified combination of crop species, fertilizer‐application rate, and site‐specific data.     

Soybean response to iron‐deficiency stress as related to iron supply in the growth medium

The Fe‐inefficient T203 and the Fe‐efficient A7 and Pioneer 1082 (P1082) soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) were grown hydroponically with no (0 mg Fe L^‐1 ; ‐Fe) and a minute level (0.025 mg Fe L^‐1 ; +Fe) of Fe to (a) compare their responses to Fe‐deficiency stress and (b) relate Fe‐efficiency in soybeans to their ability to initiate the Fe‐stress‐response mechanism at low levels of Fe. With no Fe in solution, P1082 released similar levels of H⁺ ions, but released less reductant from their roots and there was less reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by their roots than by A7 roots. These responses were also one day later and occurred after a more severe chlorosis and a lower leaf Fe had developed in P1082 than in A7. With 0.025 mg L^‐1 of solution Fe, it was not necessary for the Fe‐stress response mechanism to be fully activated to make Fe available in A7 soybean, whereas a strongly enhanced Fe stress response was observed in P1082. Increased Fe uptake and regreening of leaves immediately succeeded initiation of the Fe stress response in both cultivars and at both levels of Fe. Thus, P1082 was slightly less efficient than A7 soybean, but would be classed more efficient than the previously studied soybean cultivars A2, Hawkeye, Bragg, Pride, Anoka, and T203. These results support the hypothesis that the most efficient soybeans are those which can initiate the Fe‐stress response mechanism with little or no Fe in the growth medium. The near simultaneous occurrence of the factors in the Fe‐stress response mechanism (H ion and reductant release, reduction of Fe to Fe by roots), and the immediate increase in leaf Fe and chorophyll contents following that response suggest that all these factors act in concert, not independently, to aid in the absorption and transport of Fe to plant tops.     

折流式水解反应器处理印染前道废水进水pH的影响

印染前处理阶段的前道水在印染废水中占有相当的比重,且难降解.运用折流式反应器(HRT=12 h)对其进行了水解预处理研究,考察了在不同的进水pH时,反应器内各格室的COD值及其去除率随进水pH值的变化规律以及反应器出水BODs/CODcr的变化.试验结果表明,进水pH值适宜范围为7.6～8.8,COD去除率在29%～40%之间,出水BODs/CODcr由进水的0.35左右提高到0.45左右,为印染废水的达标排放处理的水解pH条件提供参考.     

基于云模型推理的施肥机营养液pH值调节过程控制

针对精准施肥机营养液的pH值调节过程控制本质非线性、时滞性、时变性、不确定性等特点,建立了描述该过程的数学模型。利用云模型能够处理定性概念和定量描述之间不确定转换的特点,提出了一种基于云模型推理的变论域模糊PI控制(CVFPI)算法。该算法采用正态云模型描述系统误差和误差变化率的语言值,通过X条件隶属云和Y条件隶属云分别实现规则前件和规则后件的推理,利用伸缩因子实时调整输入输出变量论域,由二维云推理机实现控制参数的在线修正。为验证该算法的有效性和优越性,分别对CVFPI、VFPI、PI等3种控制算法进行了仿真测试和田间试验。试验结果表明,提出的CVFPI控制算法能够适应精准施肥pH值调节过程的控制要求,相比于常规PI控制算法和VFPI控制算法,在不同工作点条件下超调量分别减小45.3%、21.2%,均方根误差分别减小54.9%、52.9%,在不同流量条件下超调量分别减小59.0%、48.4%,均方根误差分别减小54.1%、37.9%,具有较好的动态特性和稳态特性。     

水稻土施用钢渣硅钙肥对土壤硅素形态和水稻生长的影响

钢渣是钢铁厂的副产品,富含硅、钙等养分,是优良的硅钙肥原料。但钢渣为强碱性物质,在稻田施用后对土壤p H值及硅素形态的影响需要阐明。2013年3―12月,通过早稻~晚稻连续2季钢渣硅钙肥温室盆栽试验,研究了钢渣施用对土壤p H值、土壤硅素形态以及水稻生长和植物硅素吸收的影响。结果表明,随着钢渣硅钙肥施用量的增加土壤p H值、土壤水溶性硅量、土壤有效硅量以及植株秸秆硅量均呈增加趋势,当土中施用钢渣有效Si O2用量高于1 600 mg/kg时(Si4和Si5处理),上述指标均显著高于CK。土壤无定形硅量随钢渣施用量的增加则表现出降低趋势,无定形硅量与有效硅量呈显著负相关关系。施入钢渣硅钙肥促进了水稻的生长发育,在2季水稻中,Si4和Si5处理秸秆+叶片干物质量较CK提高了11.9%~17.0%,籽粒干物质量较CK提高了9.52%~20.6%。     

Correlation of stylar ribonuclease isoenzymes with incompatibility alleles in apple

Fifty-six cultivars of apple were analysed for stylar ribonucleases; proteins were extracted from styles, separated by non-equilibrium pH gel electrofocusing and stained for activity. Excellent correlation was found between the ribonuclease bands revealed and the 11 known incompatibility, S, alleles, in 14 diploid cultivars genotyped in the classic work of Kobel by monitoring pollen tube growth after test crossing, and in 20 cultivars genotyped, at least partially, by more recent DNA methods. For 12 triploid cultivars studied by Kobel, the correlation was good but not perfect. Two apparent minor electrophoretic variants for S10 were noted and, to distinguish them from each other and also from the electrophoretically similar S3, isoelectric focusing was used. Ten cultivars were genotyped for the first time. In all, 14 ribonuclease bands that may correspond to the ‘new’ S alleles, S12 to S 25, were detected but these alleles should be regarded as provisional until confirmed by pollination tests, especially when the electrophoretic differences were only slight. Analysis of stylar ribonucleases is a convenient method of predicting S alleles in flowering material and thereby investigating incompatibility relationships. The polymorphism of the S locus makes it useful for checking the identity and parentage of cultivars. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.