Do cover crops change the lability of phosphorus in a clayey subtropical soil under different phosphate fertilizers?

Plants have developed different mechanisms to absorb and solubilize phosphorus (P) in the soil, especially in environments with low P availability. This study evaluated the effects of different winter cover crops on soil P availability in a clayey subtropical (Hapludox) soil receiving soluble P fertilizer and a rock phosphate applied to the summer crop, under no‐tillage. The experiment was carried out over 3 yrs (2009–2011) with five different cover crop species: common vetch, fodder radish, ryegrass, black oat, white clover and fallow as control. The soil was sampled after the third year of cover crop cultivation and analysed for inorganic and organic P forms according to the well‐established Hedley fractionation procedure. Phosphate fertilizers promoted accumulation of both labile and nonlabile P pools in soil in the near surface layer, especially under rock phosphate. Fertilizer applications were not able to change P fractions in deeper layers, emphasizing that the Brazilian clayey soils are a sink of P from fertilizer and its mobility is almost nil. Although the cover crops recycled a great amount of P in tissue, in a short‐term evaluation (3 yrs) they only changed the content of moderately labile P in soil, indicating that long‐term studies are needed for more conclusive results.     

用外翻肠囊法研究高钙条件下有机锰在肉仔鸡小肠中的吸收特点

本试验用外翻肠囊法研究高钙对肉仔鸡不同肠段(十二指肠、空肠和回肠)吸收不同形态锰的影响,以比较有机锰和无机锰在高钙条件下吸收特点的差异。采用单因子完全随机设计,培养液中添加的4种锰源分别为:硫酸锰、弱络合强度的蛋氨酸锰(Mn-MetE)、中等络合强度的氨基酸锰(Mn-AAA)和强络合强度的氨基酸锰(Mn-AAB)。为了扣除内源的影响,设置1个零添加锰水平处理。将40只31日龄AA肉公鸡随机分到以上5个组,每组8个重复,每个重复1只鸡,每只鸡的十二指肠、空肠和回肠分别作为相应肠段外翻肠囊的一个重复。结果表明:1)体外培养回肠肠囊对锰的吸收率显著高于十二指肠(P<0.01);2)回肠肠囊对强络合强度的Mn-AAB中锰的吸收率显著高于硫酸锰或中等络合强度的Mn-AAA(P<0.05)。本试验结果表明:在高钙条件下,络合形态的有机锰在体外培养的肉仔鸡肠囊中的吸收率显著高于无机形态的锰;强络合强度有机锰源中的锰能更强地抵抗小肠内的解离,比弱或中等络合强度的有机锰源更有利于锰的吸收。     

Limited effects of land use on soil dissolved organic matter chemistry as assessed by excitation–emission fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular weight fractionation

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil solution represents a complex mixture of organic molecules and plays a central role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in plant–microbial–soil systems. We tested whether excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to characterize DOM and support previous findings that the majority of DOM is of high molecular weight (MW). EEM fluorescence spectroscopy was used in conjunction with MW fractionation to characterize DOM in soil solution from a grassland soil land management gradient in North Wales, UK. Data analysis suggested that three distinct fluorescence components could be separated and identified from the EEM data. These components were identified as being of humic‐like or fulvic‐like origin. Contrary to expectations, the majority of the fluorescence signal occurred in the small MW (<1 kDa) fraction, although differences between soils from the differently managed grasslands were more apparent in larger MW fractions. We conclude that following further characterization of the chemical composition of the fluorophores, EEM has potential as a sensitive technique for characterizing the small MW phenolic fraction of DOM in soils.     

The combined effects of cover crops and symbiotic microbes on phosphatase gene and organic phosphorus hydrolysis in subtropical orchard soils

P deficiency is a major obstacle for crop production in subtropical red soils in South China, and the hydrolysis of organic P (Po) is of great significance in these soils due to the immobilization of P by Fe and Al. Cover cropping in orchards and symbiotic microbial inoculation are considered to improve soil quality, including P status, however, their effects on the hydrolysis of Po is little known. In this study, five soil managements were established in a guava orchard in South China for two and a half years, including clean culture (CC), cover cropping with Paspalum natatu (PN), PN with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation (PNA), cover cropping with Stylosanthes guianensis (SG), SG with rhizobial inoculation (SGR). Soil chemical, biochemical and microbial properties were analyzed. Results indicate that soil pH and SOM content tended to increase following cover cropping alone or with microbial inoculation. Po content was significantly elevated in PNA. Po fractionation revealed that cover cropping alone or with microbial inoculation significantly affected the contents of moderately labile Po (MLPo) and moderately resistant Po (FAPo). Enzyme assay indicated that cover cropping with microbial inoculation increased the activities of acidic phosphomonoesterase (ACP), neutral phosphomonoesterase (NP) and alkaline phosphomonoesterase (ALP), with ALP the most sensitive, although ACP activity dominated in red soils. Correlation analysis suggested a significantly positive relationship between ALP activity and MLPo or FAPo. PCR-DGGE profile of the alp-harboring bacterial community showed that cover cropping with S. guianensis and mycorrhizal inoculation to P. natatu promoted the bacterial diversity and/or species richness. For almost all the measured parameters, PN and SG were comparable, however, PNA was superior to SGR, indicating the stronger additive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus than that of rhizobia. Cat-PCA indicated that MLPo was the most influential factor on phosphomonoesterase. In general, this study suggests that, in subtropical orchards with red soil, cover cropping with microbial inoculation can improve the Po hydrolysis via the promoted alp-harboring bacterial community and then ALP activity. Our results also suggest that the combination of P. natatu and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus is better than S. guianensis and rhizobia, which possesses practical significance for sustainable production in these orchards.     

硫酸锰溶液处理对玉米种子抗氧化酶活性的影响

Two kinds of corn were used as materials,changes of SOD,CAT,POD and MDA Contents after Germination of maize seeds in five different concentrations of manganese sulphate were studied.The results show that the content of MDA was significantly different among different varieties,difference was very significant compared with control.The activities of antioxidant enzymes of HuangJinNuo 1 first increased then decreased after treated with manganese sulfate,while that of YinLong BaiYuNou continuous elevation,the resistance of Maize after manganese sulphate increased during germination.     

Can differences in 15N natural abundance be used to quantify the transfer of nitrogen from legumes to neighbouring non-legume plant species?

Natural variations in the stable isotope ¹⁵N are often exploited in studies of N cycling in ecosystems. Lower ¹⁵N natural abundance in non-legume plants growing in association with legumes, compared with the non-legume grown alone in pure stands have been observed in cropping, forage, and agroforestry systems. Such observations have frequently been attributed to the transfer of biologically-fixed nitrogen (N) from the legume to the companion non-legume, and various methodologies have been employed to calculate the extent of the N transfer. While some of these ¹⁵N natural abundance-based estimates of N transfer were within the range previously reported using equivalent ¹⁵N-enriched techniques (<20% of non-legume plant N and <10 kg N ha⁻¹ derived from fixed N contributed by neighbouring legumes), many of the values obtained using natural abundance were much higher (30%–83% of the non-legume N derived from fixed N representing up to 30–40 kg N ha⁻¹) than generally measured by ¹⁵N-enriched methods; with even greater estimates being determined where data were available to allow N transfer to be re-calculated on the basis of total legume N rather than fixed N (42% to >100%, and up to 110 kg N ha⁻¹ per year). This review raises concerns about the assumptions behind the natural abundance approach, and provides some alternative interpretations for the observed differences in natural ¹⁵N abundance between plants grown in the presence and absence of legumes. It was concluded that simple comparative measures of non-legume δ¹⁵N alone cannot provide a quantitative estimate of N transfer between plant species if the dominant source and the isotopic identity of the transferred N cannot be validated, and if the extent of any isotopic fractionation associated with relevant N transformations occurring during transfer cannot be defined. To date this information is not forthcoming. There is a need to greatly improve our understanding of the transfer processes before the real value of the δ¹⁵N technology can be realized. In the first instance this will primarily be achieved by carefully executed experiments under controlled conditions, and in the field, employing both ¹⁵N natural abundance and enrichment approaches so estimates of transfer can be compared, and the data interrogated using modelling approaches to explore isotopic fractionation.     

Importance of Noncrystalline Hydroxide Phases in Sequential Extractions to Fractionate Antimony in Acid Soils

Abstract

Sequential extraction techniques have been used to make inferences about speciation of phosphorus (P) and to a lesser extent arsenic (As) in soils. However, sequential extraction studies on the less‐abundant group V element, antimony (Sb), are limited. In this work, a widely used P sequential extraction scheme was modified and used to extract P, As, and Sb from two acidic soils from the Macleay River floodplain, NSW, that were enriched with Sb (26.9 and 23.0 mg kg^?1). An ammonium oxalate–oxalic acid step was included in the extraction sequence to dissolve the noncrystalline iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) hydroxide phase. It extracted 30 to 47% of Sb, indicating the importance of this fraction, which may be mobilized in the floodplain by acid sulfate soil processes and periodic waterlogging. The original method overestimated P, As, and Sb in the residual fraction (30–71%). Relative efficiency values of extracts for P, As, and Sb were compared, and inferences about phase distributions were made. The results suggest some potential in using extractions to assess bioavailability of Sb in soil.     

Changes in peroxidase activity and lignin content of cultured tea cells in response to excess manganese

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to identify the effects of manganese (Mn) on the activity of peroxidase (PO) and the amount of ascorbic acid (AsA) and lignin, as well as the cell viability of suspension-cultured tea cells (Camellia sinensis L. cv. Yabukita). Cells were grown in B5 medium (containing 0.06 mmol L^?1 Mn) and cultured for 24 h in medium with a Mn concentration of 0.9 mmol L^?1 as an excess treatment. No significant difference was observed between cellular growth and the viability of the cultured tea cells after treatment with excess Mn compared with cells grown under control conditions, although the content of Mn in cells in the excess Mn treatment was 12-fold higher than that of the control cells. The amount of total AsA was also not affected by the Mn treatment. The activity of ionically wall-bound peroxidase (IPO) increased in the presence of excess Mn, unlike the content of lignin. Conversely, the activities of soluble PO and covalently wall-bound PO decreased with excess Mn. These findings suggested that IPO might contribute to Mn tolerance in tea cells. However, its role in the mechanism(s) of Mn tolerance has not been elucidated.     

贵州锰矿废渣堆场重金属污染风险评价及草本植物重金属吸收特征

为明确锰矿废渣堆场重金属污染及优势草本植物重金属吸收特征,对贵州省典型锰矿废渣堆场的重金属污染风险进行了评价,并调查研究了锰矿废渣堆场草本植物的类群及重金属吸收特征。共采集优势草本植物18种,隶属11科18属,菊科和禾本科为优势科。对18种草本植物体地上部、地下部及其生长基质中Cr、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd、Pb和Mn 7种重金属元素进行了测定,结果显示,锰矿废渣堆场重金属污染空间变异较大,Mn污染最严重,其次是Cd,属于Mn、Cd复合型污染。计算了草本植物对7种重金属元素的富集系数、转运系数,并对18种草本植物进行了聚类分析,综合分析了草本植物重金属吸收特征,结果显示,看麦娘对Cd富集系数达22.49,对Cd有较强的富集能力;五节芒、商陆对Cr、Ni具有较强的富集能力和转运能力;风毛菊和夏枯草对锰矿废渣区多种重金属均表现出较强的富集能力和转运能力。研究结果表明,锰矿废渣堆场主要为Mn和Cd污染,矿区本土自然生长的优势草本植物可作为生态修复的首选植物。