Extraction of humic-β-glucosidase fractions from soil

Humic compounds with -glucosidase activity were extracted from soil using tetrasodium pyrophosphate as extracting solution. Mixture of soil samples with 0.01 M pyrophosphate in a ratio of 1:5 (w/v), adjustment to pH 7.0–7.3, extraction for 18 h with reciprocating agitation, and bacteriological filtration after centrifugation were the optimum conditions for extraction of the -glucosidase complexes. Otherwise, experimental conditions for extraction indicated that the concentration and pH of pyrophosphate were the factors with the most influence on enzymatic extraction yields. The results indicated that the -glucosidase was extracellular and associated with soil humates.     

棉花早衰的分子机理研究进展

早衰是棉花生长发育的一种异常现象,是大量衰老相关基因差异表达的结果。早衰棉花光合作用、碳水化合物和其他生物大分子合成相关基因大多下调表达,而蛋白、核苷酸、脂类降解和氨基酸、糖类、嘌呤、嘧啶和离子转运体等养分循环利用相关基因大多上调表达;脱落酸(ABA)、乙烯、生长素、茉莉酸(JA)和赤霉素(GA)相关基因大多上调表达,而细胞分裂素合成基因IPT下调表达;NAC和WRKY等转录因子基因也大多上调表达。结合作者在该领域的研究,总结评述了光合作用及大分子降解、养分循环利用、激素和转录因子相关基因在早衰棉花中的表达模式及作用机理。     

玉米(Zea mays L.)中单14号及亲本叶绿体的组分和功能比较

玉米中单１４号的叶绿体在叶绿素含量、光能吸收、电子传递速率、激发能分配和色素蛋白复合体组成等方面均优于两亲本。其叶绿素ａ、ｂ和总含量提高了３１％￣３６％；对光能吸收强度较大；光还原活力超过双亲２５．５％；分配到ＰＳＩ的激发能比亲本多１４７．１％；叶绿素蛋白复合体分析结果说明，其捕光色素蛋白复合体含量高于亲本。因而中单１４号比亲本在叶绿体的光合功能上显示优势。     

α-环糊精戊酸包合物的制备及释放动力学研究

采用改进的共沉淀法制备α-环糊精戊酸包合物。正交试验表明,制备α-环糊精戊酸包合物的最佳参数为:戊酸与α-环糊精的摩尔比为3:1,超声45 min,超声温度50℃,可获最大包合率为52.79%;通过扫描电镜、红外、XRD和CP-MAS 13C NMR对包合物结构进行表征,环糊精表观形态改变,C=O双键吸收峰出现,XRD衍射峰迁移和核磁碳谱戊酸化学位移出现,表明戊酸与α-环糊精包合物的形成;利用Avrami方程对α-环糊精戊酸包合物在不同条件下的释放情况进行分析,结果表明湿度越大,温度越高释放速度越快。     

The acquisition of phosphate by higher plants: Effect of carboxylate release by the roots. A critical review.

Phosphorus is one of the most limiting macronutrients for plant productivity in agriculture worldwide. The main reasons are the limited rock phosphate reserves and the high affinity of phosphate (P) to the soil solid phase, restricting the P availability to the plant roots. Plants can adapt to soils low in available P by changing morphological or/and physiological root features. Morphological changes include the formation of longer root hairs and a higher root : shoot ratio both parameters increasing the root surface which provides the shoot with P. This may be successful if the P availability in soil, i.e., the P concentration of the soil solution is not extremely low (> 1–2 µM P). If the P concentration of the soil solution is lower, the diffusive flux to the root surface will be very low and may not satisfy the P demand of the shoots. Under these conditions plants have developed strategies to increase the rhizosphere soil solution concentration by secreting mobilizing agents. The most effective way of P mobilization is the release of di‐ and tricarboxylic acid anions, especially oxalate and citrate. Citrate can accumulate in the rhizosphere up to concentrations up to 80 µmol g^?1 soil. Cluster root formation is an efficient way of carboxylate accumulation in the cluster root rhizosphere improving P mobilization. Cluster roots strongly improve the acquisition of the mobilized P. Considering a single root, around 80–90% of the mobilized P diffuses away from the root. From the rhizosphere of cluster roots, most of the mobilized P is taken up by the cluster roots. Both, the strong accumulation of carboxylates in and the effective P uptake from the cluster‐root rhizosphere are the basis of the unique ability of P acquisition by cluster root‐forming plants. Plants that do not form cluster roots, e.g., red clover, can also accumulate carboxylates in the rhizosphere. Red clover accumulates high quantities of citrate in the rhizosphere soil. Model calculations show that the release of citrate by red clover roots and its accumulation in the rhizosphere strongly improve P acquisition by this plant species in various soils. Similar results are obtained with alfalfa. In sugar beet, oxalate release can strongly contribute to P acquisition. In summary, P acquisition can be strongly improved by the release of carboxylates and should be taken as a challenge for basic and applied research.     

Sorption of iron‐cyanide complexes on goethite investigated in long‐term experiments

The iron‐cyanide complexes ferrocyanide, [Fe^II(CN)₆]^4–, and ferricyanide, [Fe^III(CN)₆]^3–, are anthropogenic contaminants in soil. We investigated their sorption on goethite, α‐FeOOH, in batch experiments in a time range from 1 d to 1 yr, their desorption by phosphate and chloride as well as their surface complexes on goethite by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The sorption of both complexes continued over the whole time range. Percent desorption of ferricyanide by phosphate decreased, whereas that of ferrocyanide increased until it amounted to approximately 87% for both complexes. By FTIR spectroscopy inner‐sphere complexation of both complexes on the goethite surface was indicated. With both complexes, a Berlin‐Blue‐like layer (Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃) was formed initially on the goethite surface which disappeared with increasing reaction time. After at least 30 d reaction time, ferricyanide was the only sorbed iron‐cyanide complex detected even when ferrocyanide was initially added. This resulted from slow oxidation of ferrocyanide, most probably by dissolved oxygen. Based on all results, we propose that ferricyanide forms monodentate inner‐sphere complexes on the goethite surface.     

荆州市郊红皮洋葱异常生长的原因调查与分析

对荆州市郊2009年秋播的洋葱发生的未熟抽薹、分蘖等情况进行了实地访问与调查,并结合荆州市的气象资料对洋葱异常生长的原因进行了综合分析。结果表明:洋葱生长期间的异常天气是导致2010年荆州市洋葱发生未熟抽薹、分蘖、鳞茎大小不一、鳞茎形成与成熟期偏迟等异常生长的主要原因。     

Release and mobility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and iron‐cyanide complexes in contaminated soil

Export of organic and inorganic pollutants from the unsaturated zone of manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites may endanger groundwater quality. The release and mobility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and iron‐cyanide complexes (FeCN) in soils from a former MGP site were studied in column and batch experiments. The unsaturated column experiment involved two parts. (1) The development of steady‐state effluent concentrations was studied under constant irrigation. (2) Rate‐limited contaminant release was studied by the system's response to flow interruption. Transport data were supplemented by a sequential batch‐desorption experiment. During constant irrigation the initial concentrations of total PAH and FeCN, but also the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were higher than the steady state level, indicating that a specific fraction of the DOC and the contaminants was readily mobilized. Cyanide reached a constant effluent concentration after seven pore volumes (pvs), whereas equilibration of effluent PAH took 20 pvs. After flow interruption, rate‐limited release of DOC, PAH, and FeCN was observed by increased effluent concentrations. Comparison of FeCN levels with theoretical equilibrium concentrations indicated that in addition to the dissolution of iron(II)ferrocyanide (Berlin Blue), Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃, other cyanide‐species may control the release and such the mobility of FeCN. This was confirmed by decreasing FeCN concentrations during sequential batch extractions. Due to rate‐limited release, seepage water concentrations of DOC, PAH, and FeCN in alkaline MGP soils are influenced by the flow regime. Experiments performed at continuous irrigation may therefore severely underestimate the release of PAH and FeCN under field conditions. The effect of DOC on the release and mobility of PAH and FeCN under transient conditions has to be further investigated.     

Response of Rice Varieties Grown in Semi-deepwater Ecosystem to Foliage Pruning and Nitrogen Fertilization

Field experiments were conducted at Cuttack, India, in 1992 and 1993 using two semi-tall (Panidhan and CR 580-5 of 180 days duration) and two tall (Amulya and CR 626-26-2-3 of 170 days duration), elongating and photosensitive rice varieties to study their response to foliage pruning at varying levels of nasally applied N fertilizer (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg N ha^?1). Pruning at the collar level of the topmost leaf was done either once at 90 or 120 days of growth, or twice at both the stages. The crop was sown during the end of May in dry soil and subsequently grown under a semi-deepwater regime (0–80 cm water depth). The dry weight of pruned foliage was more in the tall than in the semi-tall varieties and it increased with an increase in the level of N fertilization and delay in pruning. Two prunings produced greater foliage yield than one pruning. Foliage pruning once at 90 days of growth had no effect on the grain yield of all varieties. However, pruning at 120 days of growth decreased the yield of Amulya and CR 626-26-2-3, particularly in 1992, possibly because of less time (25–30 days) available for the crop recovery before flowering. Further, pruning twice at 90 and 120 days of growth reduced the grain yield of all the varieties significantly due to a reduction in their panicle weight. Application of N fertilizer beyond 30 kg N ha^?1 did not increase the grain yield under no pruning treatment, but the crop responded significantly up to 60 kg N ha^?1 under one pruning and up to 90 kg N ha^?1 under two prunings, despite its adverse effect on crop performance. The crop lodging in response to increased N application was delayed by about a fortnight due to foliage pruning but its beneficial effect was not reflected in the grain yield. The results indicated that the green leafy foliage of the tall elongating rice varieties could be harvested 40–50 days before flowering for feeding the cattle without impairing their productivity under semi-deepwater ecosystem.