Long-term gravel–sand mulch affects soil physicochemical properties,microbial biomass and enzyme activities in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of North-western China

The use of gravel–sand mulch is a traditional water-conservation technique in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of North-western China. In this study, we investigated the 16-year effects of this mulch on soil physicochemical properties (total organic C, N and P; bulk density; Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn; soil texture; pH), microbial biomass C, N and P and enzymatic activities (peroxidase, dehydrogenase, invertase, β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase and urease) in a field trial in China's Gaolan County. We examined how these parameters changed after 7, 11 and 16 years of mulching. After 16 years, soil bulk density and sand content increased significantly. Soil Ca and Cu contents did not change significantly during the study period, but Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn contents all decreased significantly after 16 years. The total N increased significantly after 11 years, but total C and N both decreased dramatically and significantly after 16 years (by 22% and 13%, respectively, compared to the control). The mulch significantly increased microbial biomass C (by 29% after 11 years), with similar results for N and P, but these positive effects were lost after 16 years. Enzyme activities revealed changes in the soil microbial community over time; the mulch increased enzyme activities until 11 years, followed by a significant decrease that suggested degradation of soil quality after long-term mulching. The positive effects of the mulch (increasing soil temperature) could explain the high microbial biomass and enzyme activities after 11 years. However, long-term increases in soil bulk density and sand content (caused by mixing of the mulch layer with the surface soil) and a lack of inputs of organic matter (caused by the barrier created by the mulch layer) led to degradation of the soil after 16 years.     

Succinic acid inhibited growth and pathogenicity of in vitro soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum

Abstract

To clarify possible mechanisms of interaction of soil–plant–microbe for fusarium wilt of watermelon, succinic acid was added into the media to test its effect on in vitro Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum in the ecological and biogeochemical cycling of soil–plant–microbe. Results showed that succinic acid decreased the growth and conidia germination of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum. The biomass and the conidia germinating rate were reduced by 10.1–59.8% and 14.4–21.4% respectively. Mycotoxin production and pathogenic enzyme activity by the fungus were suppressed at higher concentrations of succinic acid. Results suggested that succinic acid would not increase the risk of Fusarium oxysporum attacking plants, animals and humans due to its inhibition of fungus in the ecological and biogeochemical cycling of succinic acid in the interaction of soil–plant–microbe.     

地膜覆盖滴灌棉田土壤上水分动态的数值模拟

Drip irrigation under plastic mulch has been widely applied in arid Northwest China as a water-saving irrigation technology.A comprehensive knowledge of the distribution and movement of soil water in root zone is essential for the design and management of irrigation regimes.Simulation models have been proved to be efcient methods for this purpose.In this study,the numerical model Hydrus -2D was used to simulate the temporal variations of soil water content in a drip irrigated cotton field under mulching.A concept of partitioning coefcient,calibrated to be 0.07,was introduced to describe the efect of plastic mulch on prevention of evaporation.The soil hydraulic parameters were optimized by inverse solution using the field data.At the optimized conditions,the model was used to predict soil water content for four field treatments.The agreements between the predictions and observations were evaluated using coefcient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE).The results suggested that the model fairly reproduced the variations in soil water content at all locations in four treatments,with R2 ranging from 0.582 to 0.826 and RMSE from 0.029 to 0.050 cm3 cm-3,indicating that the simulations agreed well with the observations.     

Comparison of statistical models for predicting cost effective nitrogen rate at rice–wheat cropping systems

Due to increased economic and environmental concerns, developing statistical models of crop yield has become one of the most important steps in determination of the cost effective rates (CERs) of nitrogen (N) fertilization. Although quadratic models are commonly used to describe wheat and paddy rice yield response to fertilizer rates in the Taihu Lake region of China, few studies have investigated why this model is selected over others. This study evaluated quadratic, exponential and square root models describing the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield response to N fertilizer when determining the CERs, while also considering the environmental costs of N losses. All models fit the data almost equally well when evaluated using the variability and standard error statistics. However, there were marked discrepancies among models when calculating the CER of fertilization and the economic returns form Z-test. The quadratic model had a greater CER value (194?kg N ha^–1 for rice and 185?kg N ha^–1 for wheat) averaged over all sites than the exponential and square root models. The residuals obtained from the quadratic models were closer to a normal distribution than those of the other two models, indicating a less systematic bias. The mean economic uncertainties resulting from the quadratic model were more dependable than the other two models evaluated. These results show that the quadratic model best describes the rice and wheat yield responses and tends to indicate the optimal rates of fertilization while considering the environmental and economic effects of over fertilization for rice and wheat in the Taihu Lake region.     

汶川震区滑坡堆积体体积三维激光扫描仪测量与计算方法

2008年5.12汶川8级地震形成的大量松散滑坡堆积体,破坏农用地,损毁农田基础设施,对震区农业经济造成重大损失,严重威胁震区农业生产安全。本研究所选震区典型滑坡堆积体位于汶川县草坡乡,采用三维激光扫描仪实地测量滑坡堆积体,构建滑坡堆积体几何模型,计算滑坡堆积体体积。扫描仪到滑坡堆积体前、后缘的距离分别为25.74和79.00 m,距离扫描仪200 m处的扫描精度为20.0 cm×20.0 cm。根据扫描得到的滑坡堆积体点云数据,采用特征值法拟合近似滑坡堆积体的坡面、滑动面,构建滑坡堆积体几何模型。计算得到该滑坡堆积体体积为19 018 m3。建立了使用三维激光扫描仪测量和计算滑坡堆积体体积的方法。这种测量与计算方法可为地震受损农用地灾后的土地整理提供重要依据。     

Aluminum status of synthetic Al–humic substance complexes and their influence on plant root growth

Abstract

Aluminum (Al)–humus complexes are abundant in the A horizons of non-allophanic Andosols and contribute to the unique properties of volcanic ash soils, such as high reactivity with phosphate ions and a low bulk density. Natural non-allophanic Andosols commonly show Al toxicity to plant roots. There have been very few studies examining the contribution of Al–humus complexes to the Al toxicity of plant roots, although the complexes are the probable source of the toxic Al. We extracted humic substances from the A horizon of a non-allophanic Andosol using NaOH solution and reacted the humic substances and partially neutralized the AlCl₃ solution at three pH conditions (pH 4.0, 4.5 and 5.5) to prepare pure Al–humic substance complexes. The Al solubility study (equilibrium study in 10^?2 mol L^?1 CaCl₂) and the Al release study (a stirred-flow method using 10^?3 mol L^?1 acetate buffer solution adjusted to pH 3.5) indicated that all the synthetic complexes easily and rapidly release monomeric Al into the liquid phase with slight changes in pH and ion strength, although the Al contents and their extent of polymerization are considerably different among the complexes. A plant growth test was conducted using a medium containing the Al–humic substance complexes and perlite mixture. Root growth in burdock (Arctium lappa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was reduced equally by all three complex media, and the roots showed the typical injury symptoms of Al toxicity. These results indicate that in soils dominated by Al–humus complexes the Al released from the Al–humus complexes, as well as the exchangeable Al adsorbed by soil minerals, is definitely toxic to plant roots.     

Short-term effect of urea on CH4 flux under the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) on tropical peatland in Sarawak,Malaysia

Abstract

Methane flux was measured monthly from August 2002 to July 2003 at an oil palm plantation on tropical peatland in Sarawak, Malaysia, using a closed chamber technique. Urea was applied twice, once in November 2002 and once in May 2003. The monthly CH₄ flux ranged from ?32.78 to 4.17 µg C m^?2 h^?1. Urea applications increased CH₄ emissions in the month of application and emissions remained slightly higher a month later before the effect disappeared in the third month after application (i.e. back to CH₄ uptake). This effect was the result of increased soil NH⁺ ₄ content that was not immediately absorbed by the oil palm following urea application, which reduced the oxidation of CH₄, resulting in its enhanced emission. By using the Cate–Nelson linear-plateau model, the critical soil NH⁺ ₄ content causing CH₄ emissions in the oil palm ecosystem was 42.75 mg kg^?1 soil. However, the inhibitory effect of NH⁺ ₄ on the oxidation of CH₄ was mitigated by low rainfall and the pyrophosphate solubility index (PSI), where the former might increase oxidation of CH₄ and the latter was a reflection of the low soluble substrate for methane production. Thus, the splitting and timing of urea applications are important not only to optimize oil palm yield, but also to reduce soil NH⁺ ₄ content to minimize CH₄ emissions and, therefore, its potential negative impact on the environment.     

Pathogenicity and toxicity of Fusarium tucumaniae and Fusarium crassistipitatum to soybean and Arabidopsis thaliana

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean is a fungal disease caused by at least four distinct Fusarium species: F. tucumaniae, F. virguliforme, F. brasiliense, and F. crassistipitatum. All four species are present in Argentina. These fungi are soilborne pathogens that only colonize roots and cause root necrosis. However, damage also reaches the aboveground part of the plant, and foliar chlorosis and necrosis, followed by premature defoliation, can be observed. Although the pathogenicity and phytotoxicity of F. virguliforme has been well characterized, knowledge regarding disease development by other fungal species is scarce. In this study, two plant species, soybean (Glycine max) and Arabidopsis thaliana, and isolates from two fungal species, F. tucumaniae and F. crassistipitatum, were used to comparatively analyse the fungal pathogenicity and the phytotoxicity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and cell-free culture filtrates. Fungal inoculation had a significant effect on plant growth, regardless of the plant species. In addition, infected soybean plants showed disease incidence and foliar and root symptoms. Inhibition of A. thaliana growth was not due to VOCs emitted by fungi. Instead, both pathogens were shown to produce toxins that caused typical SDS foliar symptoms in soybean and root length reduction in A. thaliana. As far as we know, this is the first report that demonstrates that F. tucumaniae and F. crassistipitatum affect A. thaliana growth and emit VOCs, and that F. crassistipitatum produces toxins.     

Effect of dietary nonphytate phosphorus on laying performance and small intestinal epithelial phosphate transporter expression in Dwarf pink-shell laying hens

This study examined the effects of various levels of dietary nonphytate phosphorus on laying performance and the expression patterns of phosphorus metabolism related genes in Dwarf pink-shell Jaying hens. A total of 405 28-week-old Dwarf pink-shell laying hens were fed the same corn-soybean basal meals but containing 0.20%, 0.25%, 0.30%, 0.35% or 0.40% nonphytate phosphorus. The results showed that feed intake, egg production, and average egg weights were quadratically correlated with dietary nonphytate phosphorus content （P 〈 0.05）, and the highest egg production, feed intake and average egg weights were achieved when dietary nonphytate phosphorus was at 0.3% （P 〈 0.05）. mRNA expression of intestinal sodium phosphorus co-transporter linearly decreased when dietary nonphytate phosphorus increased, mRNA and protein expression of intestinal calbindin and vitamin D receptor correlated quadratically with dietary nonphytate phosphorus, and the highest expression was found when dietary available phosphorus was at 0.2,5% to 0.3%. In conclusion, the ideal phosphorus requirement for Dwarf pink-shell layer hens is estimated to be 0.3% in a corn-soybean diet. With this level of phosphorus supplementation, calbindin and vitamin D receptor reached their highest expression.     

Central role of GRP78 in growth of gastric carcinoma cells

AIM: To explore the effect of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) on the gastric carcinogenesis. METHODS: GPR78 expression patterns were examined in 34 specimens from gastric carcinoma patients using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay, and in 10 specimens using Western blotting analysis. In addition, the expression of GPR78 and cyclin D1 was detected in human gastric cancer cell lines SGC7901 and SGC7901-H78 (overexpressing GRP78) by Western blotting. RESULTS: By IHC assay, GRP78 was found to be highly expressed in the cytoplasm of gastric carcinomas as compared with the adjacent non-malignant tissues and corresponding normal tissues. GRP78 expression was positively correlated with gender and histological differentiation (P<0.05), but not with age, tumor stage and lymph node metastasis (P>0.05). Furthermore, we found that with the increased expression of GRP78 in SGC7901-H78 cells, the expression of cyclin D1 was also elevated. CONCLUSION: GRP78 might be a key player to be involved in the growth of gastric cancer.