Occurrence of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge and their Behaviour in Soils and Plants. Part 1: Behaviour of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge of Different Treatment Plants in Summer and Winter (5 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope   Part 1: Behaviour of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge of Different Treatment Plants in Summer and Winter Part 2: Investigation of Polycyclic Musks in Soils and Plants -  Preamble. In Part 1 of the study, screening tests were performed to investigate the occurrence of PCMs in sewage sludges. For a preliminary risk assessment, further information is needed about their behaviour in the terrestrial environment. Hence, Part 2 examined the adsorption of PCMs to soil, their dissipation and leaching in soil and their uptake by plants. Background, Aim and Scope   Polycyclic Musks (PCMs) enter the environment via the waste water system. Because of their persistence, they can accumulate in different matrices like sewage sludge or biota. By the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer, PCMs are transferred to agricultural soils. Therefore, in Part 1 of the study, screening tests were performed to investigate the occurrence of PCMs in sewage sludge. For a preliminary risk assessment, further information is needed about their behaviour in the terrestrial environment. Hence, Part 2 of the study examined the adsorption of PCMs to soil, their dissipation and leaching in soil, and their uptake by plants. Materials and Methods: In the screening study, samples of activated sewage sludge were taken both in summer and in winter at 21 treatment plants. In order to get an overview of the contamination situation, sampling covered different types of treatment plants (in rural, urban, industrial areas). Analytical methods for the determination of HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, ATTN, AHDI and ATII in the sludge samples were developed and applied. Results: The analytical screening of PCMs showed their presence in activated and dried sewage sludge samples. HHCB and AHTN represented about 95% of the PCMs investigated. Their concentrations in the activated sludge samples varied between 2.9 and 10.4 mg/kg dry mass (dm) and 1.1 to 4.2 mg/kg dm, respectively. Although different types of sewage treatment plants were investigated, similar PCM levels were found, showing the widespread input of these compounds into domestic waste water. Discussion: PCM concentrations in activated sludge varied widely. The variation drops substantially when concentrations are related to the varying dry mass. In dehydrated sludge, PCM concentrations were up to 24 mg/kg dm for HHCB and up to 6.9 mg/kg dm for AHTN. These high values are comparable to those obtained in other investigations analysing PCMs. If the degradation of organic mass during anaerobic decomposition is included in the evaluation, the figures obtained are comparable to those for activated sludge. Elimination in sewage sludge was higher in summer than in winter. Therefore, the contamination of the sludges in winter reached higher levels compared to the summer. Conclusions: The results show that PCMs are widespread contaminants in sewage sludge. Recommendations and Perspectives: PCM should be considered in a risk assessment as potential contaminants of sewage sludge destined for agricultural use. Due to the high PCM levels in sewage sludge, further investigations into the degradation and elimination behaviour in sewage sludge have to be carried out, including that involving PCM metabolites such as lactone derivatives.     

Soil steaming to reduce intrarow weed seedling emergence

Steaming the soil prior to crop establishment can be a very effective method of preventing weed seedling emergence on raised beds of vegetable crops. However, current mobile steaming technology for outdoor vegetables is characterized by an extremely high energy consumption and a low work rate. This has led to the concept of band-steaming, where only a limited soil volume is steamed corresponding to the intrarow area of a row-grown vegetable crop. Weeds growing in the intrarow area are difficult to remove by traditional non-chemical means, usually involving substantial input of manual labour in organic cropping. This paper presents the initial results from laboratory studies with steaming a limited soil volume simulating a band. The investigations describe the relationship between maximum soil temperature achieved from soil steaming for different periods and effects seen on subsequent weed seedling emergence. The relationships obtained were generally sigmoid and could appropriately be described by a common dose–response function. Seedling emergence from natural weed species was reduced by 90% when the maximum soil temperature reached 61°C, and a further 10°C rise in temperature gave 99% reduction. Added and non-imbibed seeds of Lolium perenne and Brassica napus generally required higher temperatures to achieve the same control level as the natural weeds in the soil samples.     

胡萝卜渗透脱水传质试验研究

通过研究胡萝卜在不同浓度、温度的蔗糖溶液中的传质现象，探讨了渗透溶液浓度和温度对胡萝卜传质的影响显著性及规律。蔗糖溶液浓度和温度的取值分别为40%、50%、60%和30℃、40℃、57℃；渗透时间为0～240 min。结果表明：蔗糖溶液温度比浓度对胡萝卜传质影响更显著；随着渗透溶液温度或浓度的增加，胡萝卜在渗透脱水时传质越明显。在渗透前30 min传质速率最快。对传质指标运用多指标综合评分法，得出了胡萝卜渗透脱水的最佳方案为渗透时间240 min，渗透溶液温度57℃，浓度60%。     

Accumulation of Lead and Arsenic by Carrots Grown on Lead-Arsenate Contaminated Orchard Soils

Concerns have been raised of possible human food chain transfer of lead and arsenic from crops grown on orchard soils with histories of lead arsenate use. The objective of this study was to determine arsenic and lead uptake by three cultivars of carrots grown on four orchard soils with histories of lead arsenate use. Total concentrations of arsenic and lead in these soils ranged from 93 to 291 and from 350 to 961 mg kg^?1 for arsenic and lead, respectively. Arsenic in peeled carrot ranged from 0.38 to 1.64 mg kg^?1, while lead ranged from 2.67 to 7.3 mg kg^?1 dry weight. This study demonstrated that carrots will accumulate arsenic and lead in the root, which may become a human health risk when consumed. However, further studies are needed to determine what fraction of arsenic and lead in these carrots are bioavailable to humans when consumed.     

Steam treatment to prevent carrot decay during storage

Organically grown carrots (Daucus carota L.) have a relatively short storage and shelf life, mainly because chemical measures cannot be implemented to control plant pathogens. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that steam treatments substantially reduced decay of stored organically grown carrots. Prior to being packaged, winter carrots were exposed to 3 s of steam. After 60 days of storage at 0.5°C plus an additional week at shelf conditions (20°C), 2% of the carrots were decayed, as opposed to 23% in the nontreated control. When carrot was inoculated with the fungi Alternaria alternata, [(Fr. : Fr.) Keissler] A. radicina (Meier) and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum [(Lib.) De Bary], percentages of decay, after similar periods of storage and shelf life, were 5% for steam-treated carrot and 65% for the nontreated control. In semi-commercial experiments carrots were treated with steam during the sorting process, and similar results were obtained. Higher decay was found in spring-grown carrots because of the presence of the bacterium Erwinia carotovora.sub. sp. carotovora     

柴达木地区胡萝卜配方施肥试验

以胡萝卜肉质直根产量为主要指标,采用3414配方施肥设计进行试验,确定柴达木地区胡萝卜高产的最佳施肥措施。结果表明:在柴达木地区随着氮肥施肥量的增加,胡萝卜的产量逐渐增加,但当施肥量增加到一定程度时,胡萝卜的产量达到最大,之后随着氮肥的增加开始降低;磷、钾肥也表现出此规律,对胡萝卜产量影响依次为氮磷钾;磷钾配合对胡萝卜产量的作用最大。最佳经济效益时667m2的胡萝卜产量达到5 125.2kg,此时的氮肥、磷肥和钾肥最优组合为尿素55.2kg,过磷酸钙171.7kg,氯化钾16.1kg。     

Identification of cold-tolerant Pseudomonas viridiflava and P. marginalis causing severe carrot postharvest bacterial soft rot during refrigerated export from New Zealand

In 1999, New Zealand carrots ( Daucus carota ) exported to the Middle East incurred substantial damage due to bacterial soft rot that resulted in major financial loss to farmers. A modified carrot tissue bioassay was developed under standard conditions to provide an economical and rapid means of monitoring export carrots for bacteria able to cause severe bacterial soft rot. Using this bioassay, two bacterial isolates causing severe degradation were detected and subsequently identified as Pseudomonas viridiflava (designated NZCX09) and P. marginalis (NZCX27), using the Biolog system and 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis. Investigation of disease epidemiology of NZCX09 and NZCX27 at low temperatures showed that tissue degradation occurred at temperatures approaching 0°C. These findings emphasize the importance of postharvest sanitization, and the efficacy of refrigeration methods used in controlling soft rots in carrots stored over time.     

The Identification and Exploitation of Resistance in Carrots and Wild Umbelliferae to the Carrot Fly, Psila rosae (F.)

Partial plant resistance to the carrot fly, Psila rosae, has been identified in several Nantes varieties of carrot, Daucus carota, which reduces larval damage to the roots and the number of pupae remaining in the soil after cropping by 50%. The resistance of the Nantes variety 'Sytan' was found to be consistent at 12 sites in 5 European countries over two seasons. The resistance has been shown to be based on antibiosis and correlated with concentrations of chlorogenic acid in the roots. The resistance complements cultural and chemical methods for controlling P. rosae. Thus, in field experiments over two seasons it was shown that carrots could be left in the ground for a longer period providing a greater sowing/harvesting interval with a resistant variety than a susceptible one because of the reduction in damage and the delayed development of insects on the resistant variety. In two seasons at two sites a partially-resistant variety required only one-third of the dose of insecticide to provide a marketable crop compared with a susceptible carrot variety. In a breeding programme involving the variety 'Sytan', male sterile lines, inbreds and selections with improved levels of resistance were developed. Much higher levels of resistance were identified in certain wild Daucus species and 15 years of crossing and selection produced lines with significantly higher levels of resistance than exists in the variety 'Sytan'. A range of resistant carrot material bred at Horticulture Research International has been released to seed companies for use in the production of improved carrot varieties. The partially-resistant variety 'Flyaway' was made available to amateur gardeners in 1993 and to commercial growers in 1995 as a result of this research.     

Effects of nitrogen fertilizer and weed control on nutritive quality of carrots (Daucus carota L.)

The nutritive quality of carrots, obtained from different herbicide-treated plots and under different levels of nitrogen application ranging from zero to 80kg nitrogen/ha, was compared. There were significant differences in carotene content, T.S.S. (total soluble solids) and organolptic characteristics under the influence of different treatments. The maximum carotene content, T.S.S. and organoleptic characteristics were observed with the application of 80 kg. nitrogen/ha and fluchloralin herbicide at 0.90 and 1.20 kg/ha.     

The Effect of Nitrogen Catch Crops on the Nitrogen Nutrition of a Succeeding Crop: I. Effects through Mineralization and Pre-emptive Competition

Abstract

The effects of catch crops on the nitrogen nutrition of a succeeding carrot crop were investigated. An attempt was made to distinguish the effects of growth and nitrogen uptake by the catch crop from the effect of mineralization of its residues. It was found that growth and nitrogen uptake by catch crops could reduce the nitrogen supply to the succeeding carrot crop through pre-emptive competition, whereas mineralization of nitrogen from the catch crop residues increased the nitrogen supply to the carrot crop. Nitrogen uptake by the carrots was thus highest where catch crop residues were incorporated on plots where no catch crop had been grown. The effect of the mineralization was found mainly to influence topsoil mineral nitrogen contents and the early nitrogen uptake by carrots, whereas the effect of pre-emptive competition was to reduce subsoil mineral nitrogen content and the nitrogen uptake by carrots late in the growing season. The apparent recovery of catch crop nitrogen by carrots was between 8 and 33%.