Tillage-induced environmental conditions in soil and substrate limitation determine biogenic gas production

Tillage changes soil environmental conditions and controls the distribution of residues in the soil, both actions that affect the production and emission of soil biogenic gases (CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄). The objective of this study was to determine how tillage-induced environmental conditions and substrate quality affect the mineralization rate of easily metabolizable compounds and the subsequent production of these gases. Carbon compounds, with and without nitrogen, were applied to soil cropped to maize under tilled and no-till systems. Following substrate application in the spring and summer, biogenic gases were measured periodically at the soil surface (flux) and within the profile (concentration) at 10-, 20-, and 30-cm depths (i.e., within, at the bottom of, and below the plough layer). Strong CO₂ and N₂O responses to sucrose and glycine in both the field and the laboratory indicate that the soil was C- and N-limited. Surface fluxes of CO₂ and N₂O were greater in soils amended with glycine than with sucrose and were greater in tilled than no-till soils. Transient emission of CH₄ following the addition of glycine was observed and could be attributed to inhibition of N mineralization and nitrification processes on CH₄ oxidation. Laboratory and field measurements indicated that the larger substrate-induced CO₂ emission from the tilled soils could not be attributed to differences in the total biomass or the basal respiratory activity of the soils. Thus, there appears to be no underlying difference in the functional capacity of the microbial communities under different tillage regimes. Comparison of gas profiles indicates relative accumulation of CO₂ at depth in soils under no-till, as well as greater decline in profile CO₂ content with time in the tilled compared to the no-till soil. These results support the conclusion that greater CO₂ efflux from the tilled soils resulted from more rapid gas diffusion through the profile. Hence, the observed differences in gas fluxes between tilled and no-till soils can be attributed to differences in physical environment.     

土壤脲酶抑制剂正丁基硫代磷酰三胺的作用基团研究

土壤脲酶抑制剂正丁基硫代磷酰三胺(nBPT)是抑制土壤中尿素水解的最有效的化合物之一。分析大连工业大学合成的土壤脲酶抑制剂nBPT抑制脲酶活性的影响因素及作用机理,结果表明:在50°C,pH=5.91时,nBPT的抑制活性达到最大值;在nBPT各结构基团中,正丁基(-NH(CH2)3CH3)、硫基(-S)对nBPT与脲酶的结合起辅助作用,胺基(-NH2)是nBPT与脲酶结合的关键基团,与脲酶活性部位巯基(-SH)结合。土壤脲酶抑制剂nBPT与脲酶的具体结合机理还有待继续研究。     

脲酶/硝化抑制剂在土壤N转化过程中的作用

综述了脲酶抑制剂/硝化抑制剂对土壤氮的转化过程:尿素水解过程、硝化过程、硝酸盐淋溶过程、反硝化过程、微生物固持过程、N矿化过程及气体挥发过程的影响和抑制剂的作用机理,并提出今后研究的发展方向,为今后如何施用抑制剂来提高土壤中氮素利用率和减少环境污染提供一定的参考价值。     

木质纤维素乙醇发酵研究中的关键点及解决方案

该文综述了近年来木质纤维素材料发酵生产乙醇的研究进展，提出了在木质纤维素原料发酵生产乙醇过程中的两大关键点，一是减少和消除原料预处理过程中抑制物及其有害影响；二是含木糖、葡萄糖、甘露糖、半乳糖等多种物质的混合物同时作为底物的乙醇发酵。在对已有研究结果比较和分析基础上，提出相应的解决方案。首先要采取综合的预处理过程，达到提高木质纤维素水解率的同时减少发酵抑制物；然后是提高发酵菌种对混合糖底物的利用能力和发酵生成乙醇的能力以及对抑制物的耐受性，以提高木质纤维素发酵生产乙醇的转化率。     

Effect of bensulfuron-methyl (a sulfonylurea herbicide) on the soil bacterial community of a paddy soil microcosm

The effect of bensulfuron-methyl (BSM) on a soil microbial community in a model paddy microcosm was studied. Total bacterial numbers in the overlying water and surface soil were monitored for 2 months after the application of BSM at the field rate and a ten-fold field rate. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was used for comparison. Neither chemical affected the total bacterial numbers remarkably, either in the overlying water or in the surface soil. In contrast, the nitrification potential was significantly suppressed by the BSM application. The bacterial community structure, as evaluated by the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR amplification products from bacterial 16S rDNA, was unaffected by the BSM treatments over 8 weeks in the surface soil, compared with the control (no pesticide). In contrast, the surface soil exposed to PCP at a ten-fold field rate showed different patterns from the controls at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after application. The DGGE patterns of the overlying water were much more variable than those of the surface soil in any treatments. Cluster analysis showed that the BSM plots were classified within the same group as the control at 1 week after application and that the BSM and PCP plots from 2 weeks onward after application were grouped differently from the control. Of 22 clones excised from the DGGE gels, 20 clones belonged to the Proteobacteria and two belonged to the Verrucomicrobia. It was considered that the impact of BSM on the overall microbial community (total numbers, community structure of soil) was negligible, although BSM had an impact on some specific functions of the soil microbial community (nitrification) and a part of the community (overlying water).     

Impact of atmospheric CO2 and plant life forms on soil microbial activities

From the global change perspective, increase of atmospheric CO₂ and land cover transformation are among the major impacts caused by human activities. In this study, we are addressing the combined issues of the effect of CO₂ concentration increase and plant type on soil microbial activities by asking how annual and perennial plant groups affect soil microbial processes under elevated CO₂. The experimental design used a mix of species of different growth forms for both annuals and perennials. Our objective was: (1) to determine how two years of annual or perennial plant cover and CO₂ enrichment could affect Mediterranean soil microbial processes; (2) to test the resistance and the resilience of these soil functional processes after a natural perturbation. We determined the effects of 2 years atmospheric CO₂ enrichment on soil potential respiration (SIR), denitrification (DEA) and nitrification (NEA) activities. We could not find any significant effect of CO₂ increase on SIR, DEA and NEA. However, we found a strong effect of the plant cover type, i.e. annuals versus perennials, on the potential microbial activity related to N cycling. DEA and NEA were significantly higher in soil under annual plants while SIR was not significantly different. To determine whether these changes would survive a natural perturbation, we carried out a rain event experiment once the experimental treatments (i.e. different plant cover and atmospheric CO₂ concentration) were stopped. The soil potential respiration, as expressed by the SIR, was not affected and remained stable. DEA rates converged rapidly under annuals and perennials after the rain event. Under both annuals and perennials NEA increased significantly after the rain event but remained significantly higher in the soil with annual plants. The relative change of the soil microbial processes induced by annual and perennial plants was inversely related to the density and the diversity of the corresponding microbial functional groups.     

Nitrification controls N2O production rates in a frozen boreal forest soil

The winter season has been identified as a significant contributor to N₂O emissions from boreal soils, but our understanding of the processes regulating these emissions is fragmentary. We investigated potential N-sources and pathways involved in N₂O formation in a frozen boreal forest soil by labeling soil samples with ¹⁵N-containing substrates, and measured rates of ¹⁵N₂O/¹⁵N₂ formation under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Our results showed that all N₂O produced in the frozen samples originate from denitrification, but the rate-limiting factor is NO₃⁻ availability, which is largely governed by nitrification. This suggests that N₂O formation in frozen boreal soils may be sustained for a prolonged period of time, but is governed by a delicate balance of the O₂ regime.     

Dinitrogen and N2O emissions in arable soils: Effect of tillage, N source and soil moisture

A laboratory investigation was performed to compare the fluxes of dinitrogen (N₂), N₂O and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) soils under the same water, mineral nitrogen and temperature status. Intact soil cores (0-10 cm) were incubated for 2 weeks at 25 °C at either 75% or 60% water-filled pore space (WFPS) with ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizers (100 mg N kg⁻¹ soil). Gas and soil samples were collected at 1-4 day intervals during the incubation period. The N₂O and CO₂ fluxes were measured by a gas chromatography (GC) system while total N₂ and N₂O losses and their ¹⁵N mole fractions in the soil mineral N pool were determined by a mass spectrometer. The daily accumulative fluxes of N₂ and N₂O were significantly affected by tillage, N source and soil moisture. We observed higher (P<0.05) fluxes of N₂+N₂O, N₂O and CO₂ from the NT soils than from the CT soils. Compared with the addition of nitrate (NO₃⁻), the addition of ammonium (NH₄⁺) enhanced the emissions of these N and C gases in the CT and NT soils, but the effect of NH₄⁺ on the N₂ and/or N₂O fluxes was evident only at 60% WFPS, indicating that nitrification and subsequent denitrification contributed largely to the gaseous N losses and N₂O emission under the lower moisture condition. Total and fertilizer-induced emissions of N₂ and/or N₂O were higher (P<0.05) at 75% WFPS than with 60% WFPS, while CO₂ fluxes were not influenced by the two moisture levels. These laboratory results indicate that there is greater potential for N₂O loss from NT soils than CT soils. Avoiding wet soil conditions (>60% WFPS) and applying a NO₃⁻ form of N fertilizer would reduce potential N₂O emissions from arable soils.     

脲酶/硝化抑制剂对土壤脲酶活性、有效态氮及春小麦产量的影响

通过田间随机区组试验,就缓释尿素对土壤脲酶活性,土壤有效态氮及小麦产量的影响进行了研究。本试验设置4个处理,1)普通尿素(U);2)U+脲酶抑制剂LNS(SRU1);3)SRU1+硝化抑制剂双氰胺(DCD)(SRU2);4)SRU1+硝化抑制剂3,5-二甲基吡唑(DMP)(SRU3)。结果表明,在整个春小麦(TriticumaestivumL.)生育期内,SRU1、SRU2和SRU3处理的土壤脲酶活性低于U处理,且SRU2、SRU3处理的土壤NH4+-N含量在较长时间内维持在较高水平;小麦成熟期,SRU1、SUR2和SRU3处理土壤有效态N含量显著高于U处理(p<0.05);SRU1、SRU2、SRU3处理小麦的生物学性状和产量略高于U处理,但是处理间没有显著差异。     

种植水稻和长期施用无机肥对红壤氨氧化细菌多样性和硝化作用的影响

以中国科学院红壤生态试验站发育于第四纪红黏土的植稻红壤为研究对象,研究了长期种植水稻和施用无机肥对土壤β-变形杆菌纲中氨氧化细菌多样性和硝化作用的影响。原始红壤改种水稻13年后,氨氧化细菌16SrDNA的DGGE条带数量增加,条带谱与原始红壤的差异较大,相似性为61%,说明种植水稻后土壤氨氧化细菌群落结构发生了变化。PCR-DGGE方法研究结果也显示,长期施用无机氮肥的处理(NP、NPK和NK),DGGE带谱相似性较高,达到73%,硝化率和硝化势均高于未施用氮肥的处理。逐步回归分析显示硝化率和硝化势均随着土壤脲酶活性的提高而显著增加。推测尿素可提高土壤水解氮含量,使土壤脲酶活性提高,促进硝化细菌的生长,进而提高硝化率和硝化势。