Is the decline of soil microbial biomass in late winter coupled to changes in the physical state of cold soils?

During winter when the active layer of Arctic and alpine soils is below 0 °C, soil microbes are alive but metabolizing slowly, presumably in contact with unfrozen water. This unfrozen water is at the same negative chemical potential as the ice. While both the hydrostatic and the osmotic components of the chemical potential will contribute to this negative value, we argue that the osmotic component (osmotic potential) is the significant contributor. Hence, the soil microorganisms need to be at least halotolerant and psychrotolerant to survive in seasonally frozen soils. The low osmotic potential of unfrozen soil water will lead to the withdrawal of cell water, unless balanced by accumulation of compatible solutes. Many microbes appear to survive this dehydration, since microbial biomass in some situations is high, and rising, in winter. In late winter however, before the soil temperature rises above zero, there can be a considerable decline in soil microbial biomass due to the loss of compatible solutes from viable cells or to cell rupture. This decline may be caused by changes in the physical state of the system, specifically by sudden fluxes of melt water down channels in frozen soil, rapidly raising the chemical potential. The dehydrated cells may be unable to accommodate a rapid rise in osmotic potential so that cell membranes rupture and cells lyse. The exhaustion of soluble substrates released from senescing plant and microbial tissues in autumn and winter may also limit microbial growth, while in addition the rising temperatures may terminate a winter bloom of psychrophiles.Climate change is predicted to cause a decline in plant production in these northern soils, due to summer drought and to an increase in freeze-thaw cycles. Both of these may be expected to reduce soil microbial biomass in late winter. After lysis of microbial cells this biomass provides nutrients for plant growth in early spring. These feedbacks, in turn, could affect herbivory and production at higher trophic levels.     

甘肃不同地域甘草有效成分含量与土壤因子关系的研究

研究甘草质量与土壤因子的相关性,筛选影响其质量的主导因子。HPLC法测定甘肃不同产地甘草6种有效成分的含量,理化分析法进行土壤因子（有机质、pH、全氮、铵态氮、硝态氮、全磷、速效磷、全钾、速效钾）的测定,应用相关分析及灰色关联度分析进行综合分析。结果表明甘草酸与速效磷的相关系数为0.519*;甘草次酸与铵态氮的相关系数为-0.411*。速效钾,铵态氮及PH对甘草黄酮类成分的合成代谢起了关键性作用。无论选择土壤,还是生产中施肥,应重视和合理使用N、K和土壤PH对甘草质量的影响。     

保水剂底施对沙子剖面水分和硝态氮运移的影响研究

【目的】解决沙土地区漏水漏肥的核心问题,建立保水防渗漏新技术体系,促进沙土地区农业可持续发展。【方法】基于保水剂的吸水保肥等物理化学特点,以保水剂和土壤混合物底施为技术方法,选用聚丙烯酸钠和壤土为材料,采用沙柱模拟试验,研究了不同施用厚度的保水剂-土壤混合物对剖面水分运移及硝态氮淋洗的影响。【结果】聚丙烯酸钠在壤土中的质量分数为1%时,可以对水分有效截流;混合物底施,以0.9～1.5 cm厚度为最佳;淋溶试验表明硝态氮主要集中在表层和保水剂层,占比为87.2%,有效防止了硝态氮的下移。【结论】保水剂壤土混合物底施,可以起到显著的水分养分截流作用,本试验中聚丙烯酸钠质量分数1%及1 cm厚度时,可获得较好效果。     

Leaf Phosphorus Diagnosis of Sugarcane on Organic Soils

ABSTRACT

Most of the sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum sp.) production in Florida is on organic soils. Supplemental phosphorus (P) fertilizer is often applied for optimum yields, but producers are required to reduce P levels in farm drainage waters. The objectives of this study were to relate optimum leaf P tissue concentration with yield in organic soil, and to determine optimum leaf sampling dates during the summer. Eight genotypes were planted at two locations, eight additional genotypes were planted at a third location, and eight more genotypes were planted at a fourth location. Crops were grown for three years. Measurements of leaf P concentration were repeated during growth seasons and over crop years for a total of six sampling dates at each location. Three fertilizer P treatments (0, 24, and 48 kg ha^?1 yr?1) were applied to all genotypes at each location. Leaf samples were partitioned into early-, mid-, and late-summer dates. Early-leaf samples had the widest range in leaf P concentrations compared with mid- and late-season leaf samples. Correlation analyses of yield vs. leaf P concentration across all treatments in early- and mid-summer were statistically significant (P < 0.05), but coefficients were low (r = 0.14 and 0.26, respectively). No consistent relationship across locations described the effect of leaf P tissue concentration on yield. Leaf P concentrations could not provide accurate P fertilization rates that will give maximum sugarcane yields and prevent over-fertilization of P. The highest potential for relating leaf P concentrations with yield appears to be from early leaf samples.