Microbial and Enzyme Activities of Saline and Sodic Soils

Salinization and sodication are abiotic soil factors, important hazards to soil fertility and consequently affect the crop production. Soil salinization is of great concern for irrigated agriculture in arid and semi‐arid regions of the world; sodicity is characterized by an excessively high concentration of sodium (Na) in their cation exchange system. In recent times, attention has been turned to study the impacts of these factors (salinity and sodicity) on soil microbial activities. Microbial activities play central role in degradation and decomposition of soil organic matter, mineralization of nutrients and stabilization of soil aggregates. To understand the ecology of soil system, therefore, it is important to be conversant with the soil microbial activities, which show quick response to little change in the soil environment. Microbial activities (generally measured as C–N dynamics, soil respiration–basal respiration, or CO₂ emission), microbial abundance, microbial biomass, quotients (microbial and metabolic) and microbial community structure, and soil enzymes have been considered as potential indicators to assess the severity of the land degradation and the effectiveness of land use management. Therefore, it is important to synthesize the available information regarding microbial activities in use and management of salt‐affected soils. The reclamation and management of such soils and their physico‐chemical properties have been reviewed well in the literature. In this review, an attempt has been made to compile the current knowledge about the effects of soil salinization and sodication on microbial and enzyme activities and identify research gaps for future research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Research on Main Microorganism Groups and Their Ecological Law im Aeration Sludge Composting Process

This paper emphatically probes into main microorganism groups and their characteristics in sewage sludge aeration composition system,and relationships between these groups and the environmental factors.Researches show that there exist interactions between microorganism groups and the environmental factors,such as organic matters,temperature and pH.Organic matters and temperature are two primary factors that effect on variations of microorganism groups. pH is a non-primary environmental factor.It is also found that microbial quantity variation curve in sludge composting process is different from that of in wastewater treatment process.     

木霉菌和番茄叶面主要微生物间的关系

对番茄叶表分离到的几种真菌和木霉菌BTW41(T.atroviride)之间相互关系作了初步研究,研究发现木霉菌具有较强的营养竞争能力,几种叶面真菌和木霉菌混合处理叶片试验中,黑曲霉菌混合木霉菌的处理会影响木霉菌在番茄叶表的定殖,使木霉菌在番茄叶表的定殖量减少,而其它几种真菌未使木霉菌定殖量减少。     

Influence of soil properties on the vertical movement of genetically-marked Pseudomonas fluorescens through large soil microcosms

Summary Vertical translocation of the introduced transposon Tn5-tagged Pseudomonas fluorescens cells was studies after irrigation of 50-cm long soil columns of loamy sand. The soil in the columns was slowly brought to saturation using groundwater, and enough water was then slowly added to permit collection of the percolated water. Introduced bacteria were transported to lower soil layers to a significantly higher degree in undisturbed soil cores than in repacked cores; water transport was hampered in both core types due to high soil bulk densities. Soil bulk density affected the degree of transport of the introduced cells; progressively more cells were translocated to deeper soil layers and into the percolation water at decreasing soil bulk densities. Repeated percolation of soil at a bulk density of 1.25 caused an increase in Tn5-tagged cell numbers in the lower soil layers and in the percolated water. Further, cells initially introduced into a dry (5.3% moisture) soil were translocated to a lesser extent than cells introduced into a wetter (13% moisture) soil. Finally, wheat roots enhanced the water-induced transport of introduced cells to the 40- and 50-cm deep soil layers and into the effluent, but not to the remaining soil layers. Large soil columns such as those used in the present study are useful in assessing the transport and survival of introduced bacterial cells in soils under a variety of simulated environmental conditions.     

Characterization of brushite as a re-crystallization product formed during bacterial solubilization of hydroxyapatite in batch cultures

Two strains of bacteria (Burkholderia sp., strain FeGL01, and Burkholderia caribiensis, strain FeGL03) were isolated from a Brazilian high phosphorus iron ore. The capacity of both strains to solubilize hydroxyapatite, Ca₅(PO₄)₃(OH), was assessed in plate and batch cultures. In batch cultures, the concentration of solution-P showed two kinetics: an initial one, characterized by a continuously increasing kinetics and a second one, characterized by oscillatory kinetics. To understand the nature of these oscillations, phosphatic residues in the spent broth were collected before, during and after the oscillations, and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray chemical microanalyses (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). From these studies, it was found that drops in P concentration were related to the formation of an intermediate phosphate in the residues, identified as brushite, CaHPO₄·2H₂O. Later increase of available P in the solution was found to be a consequence of re-dissolution of brushite crystals previously formed. Re-crystallization of brushite was also detected in plate cultures after 12-14 days of incubation     

Evolution of humic substances from unripe compost during incubation with lignolytic or cellulolytic microorganisms and effects on the lettuce growth promotion mediated byAzotobacter chroococcum

Some recalcitrant organic wastes, which contain a large proportion of lignin or cellulose, are not changed much by composting, and thus the effectiveness of the compost as fertilizer is usua.lly low. In this study, incubation of unripe compost with ligno-cellulolytic microorganisms —Trichoderma viride orBacillus spp. — was investigated to increase the degree of humification of the organic matter present, and improve ils quality as a soil amendment. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses together with humification indices and electrofocusing patterns were used to monitor the evolution of the humic substances during the incubation process. Plant growth effects exerted by Azotobacter chroococcum on lettuce plants growing on the previously incubated compost were affected by the length of incubation and by changes in the composition of humic substances. Higher organic matter content and better humification seem to be important factors for predictingA. chroococcum hebaviour in the rhizosphere.     

Methods for the investigation of metabolic activities and shifts in the microbial community in a soil treated with a fungicide

Samples from a sandy agricultural soil were treated with increasing amounts of a fungicide (Sportak). The effects on the soil microflora were investigated over several weeks by monitoring basal and substrate-induced respiration and basal and substrate-induced heat output. The microbial biomass, metabolic quotient (qCO₂), relative heat output (rqheat), lag phase of substrate use, and calorimetric: respirometric ratio were used as ecophysiological parametèrs. As structural and community-specific parameters, we recorded tryptophan contents and auxin metabolism, and calculated the ratios of fungal to bacterial respiration by antibiotic inhibition of substrate-induced respiration. Sportak either inhibited or stimulated the microbiota, depending on the length of exposure to the fungicide and the amount applied. Mineralization of dead biomass was reflected in increased soil tryptophan contents after the Sportak application. A shortened lag phase demonstrated inhibition and a prolonged lag phase stimulation of substrate use. This changed with the experimental phase. The rqheat and the calorimetric: respirometric ratio proved to be suitable parameters for the detection of stress metabolism (repair processes) in soil microbiota, because thermodynamic processes and catabolic and anabolic metabolism are taken into account at the same time. Following the application of Sportak, indole 3-acetic acid biosynthesis decreased while indole-3-ethanol biosynthesis increased, probably as a result of a transitional community shift from K-strategists towards r-strategists. It was not the fungicide but the formulation (mainly xylol) that damaged the organisms. A shift in the ratio of fungi to bacteria was also observed, suggesting that the bacteria were probably more sensitive to xylol than the fungi.     

Microbial and enzyme activity in soils amended with a natural source of easily available carbon

The addition of sugar beet to soils as a source of C led to an increase in the availability of easily utilizable C (glucose), which in turn markedly increased numbers of soil bacteria and of the yeast Williopsis californica. Nitrification, P solubilization, urea hydrolysis (and the subsequent nitrification of liberated NH _inf4 ^sup+ ) were stimulated by this amendment. The stimulation of nitrification may have been a result of increased heterotrophic nitrification. In contrast, the concentration of sulphate in S^o-amended soils declined following amendment, presumably as the result of enhanced S immobilization. Activity of the enzymes amylase, aryl sulphatase, invertase, phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and urease were all stimulated by the sugar beet amendment. These results suggest that sugar beet amendment could be used to increase the rate of release of plant-available ions from fertilizers such as insoluble phosphates. Problems may arise, however, from a subsequent increase in nitrification and reduced sulphate availability.     

新型生物制剂“易丰收”对大豆产量促生效应及根际微生物影响研究

通过大豆‘辽豆20’盆栽试验,研究新型生物制剂“易丰收”对大豆的促生效应以及对根际微生物的影响,并结合芸薹素内酯、复合肥料与其进行对比。此文调查了大豆株高、茎粗、根瘤数等生长指标以及产量构成因素,另外还有根际细菌、放线菌和真菌数量。通过SPSS 13.0统计软件分析数据,可以得出结论。“易丰收”较之芸薹素内酯,更能明显促进大豆的生长发育和产量,显著提高大豆根瘤数量,增加根际细菌数量,尤其配合肥料效果更好。