Long‐Term Tillage and Cropping System Effects on Chemical and Biochemical Characteristics of Soil Organic Matter in a Mediterranean Semiarid Environment

Several studies have reported how tillage and cropping systems affect quantity, quality, and distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) along the profile. However, the effect of soil management on the chemical structure of SOM and on its hydrophobic and hydrophilic components has been little investigated. In this work, the long‐term (19 years) effects of two cropping systems (wheat monoculture and wheat/faba bean rotation) and three tillage managements (conventional, reduced, and no tillage) on some chemical characteristics of SOM and their relationships with labile carbon (C) pools were evaluated. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0–15 cm) of a Chromic Haploxerert (central Sicily, Italy). After 19 years of different tillage and cropping systems management, total organic C significantly differed among treatments with the labile organic C pools showing the greater amount in no till and in wheat/faba bean plots. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic components of SOM, determined by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, were mainly affected by cropping system, whereas aromatic components of SOM by tillage. Soil organic matter components and characteristics showed significant correlations with the soil biochemical parameters, confirming the expected synergism between chemical and biochemical properties. This study demonstrated that (i) no tillage and crop rotation improve the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM of Vertisols under semiarid environment; and (ii) tillage management and cropping systems have affected, after 19 years, more the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM than its quantity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of herbicides and herbicide analogs on [14C]leucine incorporation by suspension-cultured Solanum nigrum cells

Assays of [¹⁴C]leucine incorporation were used to measure effects of herbicides on suspensioncultured heterotrophic Solanum nigrum cells. Most herbicidal vs. nonherbicidal chemicals in a set of 47 compounds could be distinguished from each other based on their extent of inhibition of leucine incorporation by S. nigrum cells. Herbicides which failed to inhibit leucine incorporation were photosynthetic inhibitors. Both phytotoxic and nonphytotoxic thiocarbamate analogs (as determined by whole-plant studies) tended to inhibit leucine incorporation. It was concluded that the leucine incorporation screen could detect a majority of compounds tested which are herbicidal, and that it may also be useful to detect compounds which have cellular toxicity which is not observed in the whole plant.     

Screening test for amygdalin in tablets, solutions, powders, and seeds.

A rapid screening test for detecting amygdalin in tablets, solutions, powders, and seeds, based on the liberation of both hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde as a result of enzymatic decomposition, is described. The procedure can be easily performed outside the laboratory with small amounts of sample; the samples require no special preparation or pretreatment. The test can be performed in less than or equal to 60 min and is sensitive to at least 0.2 mg amygdalin. Vicianin, lucumin, prunasin, and sambunigrin would also given positive tests, but instrumental analysis can be used to distinguish amygdalin from these compounds.     

The role of agroforestry in the farming systems in Rwanda with special reference to the Bugesera-Gisaka-Migongo (BGM) region

The Rwandan farmers, faced with a perpetual land shortage, have evolved certain intensive systems of organic agriculture. These systems, particularly the homestead (compound) farming, involve the combination of food, fodder and tree crops. to a certain extent these systems can satisfy the multiple needs of the subsistence farmers living under several risks and constraints. However, they cannot cope with the expanding food demand of the rapidly increasing population. Some multipurpose, low-input technologies and agroforestry approaches have been designed to improve the productivity of these traditional systems; these include inter/mixed cropping systems and rotations, alley cropping with leguminous trees and shrubs, use of planted fallow, planting tree legumes on anti-erosive lines, mixed farming,community forestry and woodlots, and tree planting on farm/field boundaries. The essential aspects of these technologies are briefly discussed.ISAR-IITA FSR PROJECT, B.P. 629, Kigali RwandaISAR-Swiss Intercooperation, c/o Forestry Department, B.P. 617, Butare, Rwanda     

Mushroom picking does not impair future harvests - results of a long-term study in Switzerland

Forest fungi not only have important functions within the forest ecosystem, but picking their fruit bodies is also a popular past time, as well as a source of income in many developing and developed countries. The expansion of commercial harvesting in many parts of the world has led to widespread concern about overharvesting and possible damage to fungal resources. In 1975, we started a field research project to investigate the effects of mushroom picking on fruit body occurrence. The three treatments applied were the harvesting techniques picking and cutting, and the concomitant trampling of the forest floor. The results reveal that, contrary to expectations, long-term and systematic harvesting reduces neither the future yields of fruit bodies nor the species richness of wild forest fungi, irrespective of whether the harvesting technique was picking or cutting. Forest floor trampling does, however, reduce fruit body numbers, but our data show no evidence that trampling damaged the soil mycelia in the studied time period.     

Carbon sequestration in forest soils: effects of soil type, atmospheric CO2 enrichment, and N deposition

Soil contains the major part of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, but the response of this carbon to enriching the atmosphere in CO₂ and to increased N deposition is not completely understood. We studied the effects of CO₂ concentrations at 370 and 570 μmol CO₂ mol^?1 air and increased N deposition (7 against 0.7 g N m^?2 year^?1) on the dynamics of soil organic C in two types of forest soil in model ecosystems with spruce and beech established in large open‐top chambers containing an acidic loam and a calcareous sand. The added CO₂ was depleted in ¹³C and thus the net input of new C into soil organic carbon and the mineralization of native C could be quantified. Soil type was the greatest determining factor in carbon dynamics. After 4 years, the net input of new C in the acidic loam (670 ± 30 g C m^?2) exceeded that in the calcareous sand (340 ± 40 g C m^?2) although the soil produced less biomass. The mineralization of native organic C accounted for 700 ± 90 g C m^?2 in the acidic loam and for 2800 ± 170 g C m^?2 in the calcareous sand. Unfavourable conditions for mineralization and a greater physico‐chemical protection of C by clay and oxides in the acidic loam are probably the main reasons for these differences. The organic C content of the acidic loam was 230 g C m^?2 more under the large than under the small N treatment. As suggested by a negligible impact of N inputs on the fraction of new C in the acidic loam, this increase resulted mainly from a suppressed mineralization of native C. In the calcareous sand, N deposition did not influence C concentrations. The impacts of CO₂ enrichment on C concentrations were small. In the uppermost 10 cm of the acidic loam, larger CO₂ concentrations increased C contents by 50–170 g C m^?2. Below 10 cm depth in the acidic loam and at all soil depths in the calcareous sand, CO₂ concentrations had no significant impact on soil C concentrations. Up to 40% of the ‘new’ carbon of the acidic loam was found in the coarse sand fraction, which accounted for only 7% of the total soil volume. This suggests that a large part of the CO₂‐derived ‘new’ C was incorporated into the labile and easily mineralizable pool in the soil.     

Germination, genetics, and growth of an ancient date seed

An ancient date seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) excavated from Masada and radiocarbon-dated to the first century Common Era was germinated. Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date seedlings propagated from modern seeds. Preliminary molecular characterization demonstrated high levels of genetic variation in comparison to modern, elite date cultivars currently growing in Israel. As a representative of an extinct date palm population, this seedling can provide insights into the historic date culture of the Dead Sea region. It also has importance for seed banking and conservation and may be of relevance to modern date palm cultivation.     

Determination of the activity of acidic phytate-degrading enzymes in cereal seeds

Five different methods were compared to elucidate the total activity of the acidic phytate-degrading enzymes present in the seeds of rye, wheat, and barley. Phytate-degrading activity was studied at pH 5.0 by quantifying the liberated phosphate. Rye showed the highest acid phytate-degrading activity among the cereals studied. Using an aqueous extract, only 30-50% of the activity was found (rye, 3443 mU g(-1) of grain; wheat, 1026 mU g(-1) of grain; barley, 1032 mU g(-1) of grain) compared to that found by the direct incubation of the dry-milled cereal grains in a buffered phytate-containing solution (rye, 6752 mU g(-1) of grain; wheat, 2931 mU g(-1) of grain; barley, 2093 mU g(-1) of grain). Extending the extraction time resulted in an increase in extractable phytate-degrading activity by, at maximum, 10-15%. Extraction of phytate-degrading activity is strongly enhanced in the presence of Triton X-100 and the protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (rye, 6536 mU g(-1) of grain; wheat, 2873 mU g(-1) of grain; barley, 2023 mU g(-1) of grain), suggesting at least a partial association with membrane structures and a degradation by proteolytic activity during extraction. In addition, it was shown that determining phytate-degrading activity by quantification of the liberated inorganic phosphate is more robust and precise than determining phytate-degrading activity by quantification of the residual phytate.     

Experimental determination of climate‐change effects on above‐ground and below‐ground organic matter in alpine grasslands by translocation of soil cores

We used the soil‐core translocation method to investigate the effect of increased temperature on above‐ and below‐ground phytomass and organic matter in cool alpine areas. The translocation of undisturbed soil cores from a high alpine site (2525 m a.s.l.) to an alpine site near the timberline (1895 m a.s.l.) achieved an effective artificial warming of 3.3 K. From a methodological point of view, the translocation of soil cores was performed successfully. Soil cores moved to a new site at the same altitude showed no change in above‐ and below‐ground vegetation, bulk density, and soil skeleton. At both sites, soils were Haplic Podzols with a similar chemistry and clay mineralogy. At the lower elevation site, however, podzolization processes seemed to be more pronounced. As a consequence, the translocation of the soil cores probably led to a disturbance of the actual steady state that had been established after about 10,000–13,000 years of soil formation. This might have affected the adaptability of the vegetation system. Therefore, it cannot be fully excluded that the experimental design influenced the results. Translocation of soil cores from a very cool to a warmer site led to a distinct decrease in above‐ground phytomass (about –45%) over the experimental period of two years. Below‐ground phytomass significantly decreased (up to –50%) in the topsoil (0–5 cm) after artificial warming. Possible mechanisms are that roots reduced photosynthesis and hence C flow below‐ground, a reduction of soil moisture that would have led to root death (not a very probable cause, however) or an abrupt change in the radiation duration and flux which affected root growth (also not very probable). Fast climate change exceeded the ability of the above‐ground and below‐ground phytomass to adapt quickly. Whether the decrease in phytomass was a short‐term or a long‐term response to climate warming remains uncertain. Based on a gradient study (climosequence at the same locality), we hypothesize that the decreased plant productivity might be a short‐term effect.     

Long‐term cropping systems and tillage management effects on soil organic carbon stock and steady state level of C sequestration rates in a semiarid environment

A calcareous and clayey xeric Chromic Haploxerept of a long‐term experimental site in Sicily (Italy) was sampled (0–15 cm depth) under different land use management and cropping systems (CSs) to study their effect on soil aggregate stability and organic carbon (SOC). The experimental site had three tillage managements (no till [NT], dual‐layer [DL] and conventional tillage [CT]) and two CSs (durum wheat monocropping [W] and durum wheat/faba bean rotation [WB]). The annually sequestered SOC with W was 2·75‐times higher than with WB. SOC concentrations were also higher. Both NT and CT management systems were the most effective in SOC sequestration whereas with DL system no C was sequestered. The differences in SOC concentrations between NT and CT were surprisingly small. Cumulative C input of all cropping and tillage systems and the annually sequestered SOC indicated that a steady state occurred at a sequestration rate of 7·4 Mg C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Independent of the CSs, most of the SOC was stored in the silt and clay fraction. This fraction had a high N content which is typical for organic matter interacting with minerals. Macroaggregates (>250 µm) and large microaggregates (75–250 µm) were influenced by the treatments whereas the finest fractions were not. DL reduced the SOC in macroaggregates while NT and CT gave rise to higher SOC contents. In Mediterranean areas with Vertisols, agricultural strategies aimed at increasing the SOC contents should probably consider enhancing the proportion of coarser soil fractions so that, in the short‐term, organic C can be accumulated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.