Showing papers in "Biology and Fertility of Soils in 1988"

Short-term assay of soil urease activity using colorimetric determination of ammonium

Abstract: A rapid assay for soil urease in the absence of bacteriostatic agents has been developed. The method comprises incubation of soil with an aqueous or buffered urea solution, extraction of ammonium with 1 N KCl and 0.01 NHCl and colorimetric NH4 + determination by a modified indophenol reaction. The method is characterized by high sensitivity and stability of the coloured complex formed. Measurements obtained by this method showed that no change in urease activity occurred when field-moist samples of soils were stored at −20°C for as long as 5 months. Air-drying of field-moist soil samples may lead to an increase in urease activity.

Earthworm activities and the soil system.

Abstract: Earthworms find in soil the energy, nutrient resources, water and buffered climatic conditions that they need. According to the food resource they exploit and the general environmental conditions, earthworms can be grouped into different functional categories which differ essentially in morphology, size, pigmentation, distribution in the soil profile, ability to dig galleries and produce surface casts, demographic profiles and relationships with the soil microflora. Soil characteristics are both the determinant and the consequence of earthworm activities, since these animals greatly influence the functioning of the soil system. When present, they build and maintain the soil structure and take an active part in energy and nutrient cycling through the selective activation of both mineralization and humification processes. By their physical activities and resultant chemical effects, earthworms promote short and rapid cycles of nutrients and assimilable carbohydrates. Thus earthworms represent a key component in the biological strategies of nutrient cycling in soils and the structure of their communities gives a clear indication of the type of soil system that they inhabit.

Organic phosphorus compounds as a phosphorus source for higher plants through the activity of phosphatases produced by plant roots and microorganisms

Abstract: The efficiency of phosphatases produced by clover, barley, oats and wheat was investigated in soils treated with sodium glycerophosphate, lecithin and phytin. Root exudates of aseptically grown clover were also examined for the breakdown of different organic P compounds in order to test the efficiency of plant-produced phosphatases. In general, the plants were able to use P from all the organic sources used in the study almost as efficiently as inorganic sources. Dry-matter yield, P uptake, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity and microbial population were increased in all the P treatments. Organic P enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity. Lecithin increased fungal, and phytin bacterial growth. There was no alkaline phosphatase activity in the asepticallly grown clover root exudates. Phosphatase released in aseptic culture after 4 weeks of clover growth was able to efficiently hydrolyse sodium glycerophosphate, lecithin and phytin. The amount of organic P hydrolysed in this and in the soil experiment surpassed plant uptake by a factor of 20. This suggests that the limiting factor on plant utilization of organic P is the availability of hydrolysable organic P sources.

Microenvironments of soil microorganisms

Abstract: Ultrastructural studies of soil micro-organisms and the microenvironments surrounding them are reviewed. Soil microfauna, and bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi, fixed and embedded in situ, were examined by electron microscopy (both transmission and scanning). In some cases ultrastructural histochemistry was used to detect and identify the organic matter with which microorganisms were associated and to examine the polymeric microbial materials (enzymes, extracellular polysaccharides) they produced. Although some small organisms (0.3 μm diameter) occurred singly in dense fabrics of clay or humified organic matter, larger bacteria occurred in rhizospheres, in small colonies in the larger micropores or associated with substantial deposits of organic matter (faecal pellets, carbohydrate-rich plant cell-wall debris). Whereas rhizospheres had mixed microbial populations, individual microvoids in the bulk soil usually contained only one type of micro-organism. Following chloroform treatment, microorganisms were found only in mucigel deposits or deep in the interiors of micropores, suggesting that these constitute protected sites where microorganisms survive temporarily adverse conditions. Soil microfauna and fungi were mainly confined to the larger voids. Although some live hyphae occurred in the outer regions of aggregates, hyphae deep within soil fabrics were usually devoid of cytoplasmic organelles. Faecal pellets, plant tissues and cell-wall remnants comprised the most frequent, larger organic masses, while the most common micron- and submicron-sized organic matter consisted of fibrous or amorphous humified matter. Unequivocal detection of enzymes was limited to the surface of microorganisms.

Influence of long-term residue management on soil enzyme activities in relation to soil chemical properties of a wheat-fallow system

Abstract: Soil enzyme activities (acid and alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase, urease and amidase) were determined (0- to 20-cm depth) after 55 years of crop-residue and N-fertilization treatment in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow system on semiarid soils of the Pacific Northwest. All residues were incorporated and the treatments were: straw (N0), straw with fall burn (N0FB), straw with spring burn (N0SB), straw plus 45 kg N ha−1 (N45), straw plus 90 kg N ha−1 (N90), straw burned in spring plus 45 kg N ha−1 (N45SB), straw burned in spring plus 90 kg N ha−1 (N90SB), straw plus 2.24 T ha−1 pea-vine residue and straw plus 22.4 T ha−1 of straw-manure. Enzyme activities were significantly (P<0.001) affected by residue management. The highest activities were observed in the manure treated soil, ranging from 36% (acid phosphatase) to 190% increase in activity over the control (N0). The lowest activities occurred in the N0FB (acid phosphatase, arylsulfatase and β-glucosidase) and N90 treated soils (alkaline phosphatase, amidase and urease). Straw-burning had a significant effect only on acid phosphatase activity, which decreased in spring burn treated soil when inorganic N was applied. Urease and amidase activity decreased with long-term addition of inorganic N whereas the pea vine and the manure additions increased urease and amidase activity. There was a highly significant effect from the residue treatments on soil pH. Arylsulfatase, urease, amidase and alkaline phosphatase activities were positively correlated and acid phosphatase activity was negatively correlated with soil pH. Enzyme activities were strongly correlated with soil organic C and total N content. Except for acid phosphatase, there was no significant relationship between enzyme activity and grain yield.

The hormone-like effect of earthworm casts on plant growth

Abstract: The fertilizing effect of earthworm casts depends on microbial metabolites, mainly growth regulators. The hormone-like effect of earthworm casts is discussed with reference to the literature and ad hoc experiments. When used in plant propagation, earthworm casts promote root initiation and root biomass and increase root percentage. When applied as a casing layer, earthworm casts stimulate carpophore formation in Agaricus bisporus, and N assimilation. When used in horticulture, earthworm casts have a hormone-like effect, influencing the development and precociousness of plants or inhibiting them. These effects are dependent on dose, application time and plant species. In addition, results recorded on dwarfing, stem elongation and precociousness of flowering suggest that the biological effect of earthworm casts is linked to microbial metabolites that influence plant metabolism, growth and development.

Chemical changes during vermicomposting (Eisenia fetida) of sheep manure mixed with cotton industrial wastes

Abstract: Castings of Eisenia fetida from sheep manure alone and mixed with cotton wastes analysed for their properties and chemical composition every 2 weeks for 3 months and compared with the same manures in the absence of earthworms. The results showed that earthworms accelerated the mineralization rate and converted the manures into castings with a higher nutritional value and degrees of humification. The castings obtained from manure mixed with cotton wastes exhibited good agronomic quality, suggesting that this kind of industrial residue may be used in vermicomposting.

Spatiotemporal effects of invertebrates on soil processes

Abstract: The processes of C and N mineralization carried out by microorganisms are affected directly and indirectly by invertebrates over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Microfauna track temporal changes in bacterial and fungal populations in soil microsites, particularly in the rhizosphere, which alters the dynamic balance between N mobilization and immobilization. The feeding activities of mesofauna can determined the distribution, activities and composition of fungal communities. Macrofauna have major effects on fungal and bacterial activities, both directly, through feeding and gut passage, and indirectly, by affecting the microbial environment in litter and soil. Soil biological processes can therefore be considered a hierarchy of successive levels of organization where the macro-, meso- and microfauna influence microbial activities at different scales in the habitat mosaic. The spatial components of this hierarchy are integrated by plant roots; root morphology must therefore define the scales at which the system operates under different plant nutrient regimes.

A method of selective inhibition to distinguish between nitrification and denitrification as sources of nitrous oxide in soil

Abstract: Nitrapyrin and C2H2 were evaluated as nitrification inhibitors in soil to determine the relative contributions of denitrification and nitrification to total N2O production. In laboratory experiments nitrapyrin, or its solvent xylene, stimulated denitrification directly or indirectly and was therefore considered unsuitable. Low partial pressures of C2H2 (2.5–5.0 Pa) inhibited nitrification and had only a small effect on denitrification, which made it possible to estimate the contribution of denitrification. The contribution of nitrification was estimated by subtracting the denitrification value from total N2O production (samples without C2H2). The critical C2H2 concentrations needed to achieve inhibition of nitrification, without affecting the N2O reductase in denitrifiers, must be individually determined for each set of experimental conditions.

Termites and the soil environment

Abstract: Most termites use soil, together with saliva and faeces, to construct their nests. Nests may be subterranean, epigeal (mounds) or within or attached to the outside of shrubs and trees. Some termite nests are simple constructions and their internal microclimate is not much different from that in the soil. Other nests are often complex structures where temperature and humidity are closely regulated to produce a favourable environment. Above-ground nests are continually being eroded and reconstructed, which redistributes soil over the surface. The resultant disturbance of soil profiles, changes in soil texture and changes in the nature and distribution of organic matter appear to be more significant than changes in chemical properties.

Relationships between soil moisture content and nitrous oxide production during nitrification and denitrification

Abstract: The effect of soil water content [60%–100% water-holding capacity (WHC)] on N2O production during autotrophic nitrification and denitrification in a loam soil was studied in a laboratory experiment by selectively inhibiting nitrification with a low C2H2 concentration (2.1 Pa). Nitrifiers usually produced more N2O than denitrifiers. During an initial experimental period of 0–6 days the nitrifiers produced more N2O than the denitrifiers by a factor ranging from 1.4 to 16.5, depending on the water content and length of incubation. The highest N2O production rate by nitrifiers was observed at 90% WHC, when the soil had become partly anaerobic, as indicated by the high denitrification rate. At 100% WHC there were large gaseous losses from denitrification, while nitrification losses were smaller except for the first period of measurement, when there was still some O2 remaining in the soil. The use of 10 kPa C2H2 to inhibit reduction of N2O to N2 stimulated the denitrification process during prolonged incubation over several days; thus the method is unsuitable for long-term studies.

Effects of lime and phosphate additions on changes in enzyme activities, microbial biomass and levels of extractable nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus in an acid soil

Abstract: The effects of adding lime and/or phosphate to an acid, phosphate-deficient soil on microbial activity, enzyme activities and levels of biomass and extractable N, S and P were studied under laboratory conditions. Following rewetting there was, as expected, an initial flush in microbial growth and activity, as shown by large increases in CO2 evolution, in levels of biomass N, S and P and by accumulation of extractable mineral N and sulphate in the soil. Following rewetting, additions of lime and phosphate further stimulated mineralization of C, N and S. In the first 4 weeks of incubation, the mineralized N accumulated in the soil as ammonium N and there was a concomitant rise in soil pH. After this initial period, nitrification increased substantially and soil pH decreased again. Additions of lime generally increased protease and sulphatase activities but decreased phosphatase activity. Additions of phosphate decreased the activities of all three enzymes. The positive effect of liming on protease and sulphatase activities persisted for the duration of the experiment while accumulation of mineral N and sulphate effectively ceased after about 4 weeks. Furthermore, although phosphate additions decreased the activities of protease and sulphatase they increased the accumulation of mineral N and sulphate. Thus, protease and sulphatase activities were not reliable indicators of the relative amounts of mineral N and sulphate accumulated in the soil during incubation. Some uncertainty surrounded the validity of biomass S and P values estimated by the chloroform fumigation technique because differing proportions of the sulphate and phosphate released from the lysed cells may have been extracted from the different treatments.

Effect of chemical composition on the release of nitrogen from agricultural plant materials decomposing in soil under field conditions

Abstract: In two field experiments, plant materials labelled with 15N were buried separately within mesh bags in soil, which was subsequently sown with barley. In the first experiment, different parts of white clover (Trifolium repens), red clover (T. pratense), subterranean clover (T. subterraneum), field bean (Vicia faba), and timothy (Phleum pratense) were used, and in the second, parts of subterranean clover of different maturity. The plant materials were analysed for their initial concentrations of total N, 15N, C, ethanol-soluble compounds, starch, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, and ash. After the barley had been harvested, the bags were collected and analysed for their total N and 15N. In the first experiment the release of N was highest from white clover stems + petioles (86%) and lowest from field bean roots (20%). In stepwise regression analysis, the release of N was explained best by the initial concentrations of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and N (listed according to decreasing partial correlations). Although the C/N ratio of the plant materials varied widely (11–46), statistically the release of N was not significantly correlated with this variable. The results of the second experiment using subterranean clover of different maturity confirmed those of the first experiment.

The influence of soil characteristics on the toxicity of four chemicals to the earthworm Eisenia fetida andrei (Oligochaeta)

Abstract: The acute toxicity of Cd (chloride), chloroacetamide, 3,4-dichloroaniline and pentachlorophenol to the earthworm Eisenia fetida andrei was determined using the OECD (1984) artificial soil and contact testing procedures. To investigate the influence of two soil characteristics (pH and organic-matter content), the toxicity of the chemicals was also determined in two natural sandy soils. It is concluded that the filter-paper contact test cannot be recommended to predict earthworm toxicity of these chemicals in soil. Toxicity in soil was influenced by both pH and organic-matter content. Differences between LC50 values in the high-organic-matter artificial soil and in an acid, low-organic-matter sandy soil were, however, not greater than a factor of 3–4. The results of this study therefore support the use of a well-defined artificial soil substrate for standardized earthworm toxicity tests.

Seasonal changes and the effects of fertiliser on some chemical, biochemical and microbiological characteristics of high-producing pastoral soil

Abstract: A 2-year study (1983–1984 to 1984–1985) was conducted to estimate temporal and seasonal changes and the effects of fertiliser on some soil chemical, biochemical and microbiological characteristics. The soil used was a Typic Vitrandept under grazed pasture. Soil samples were taken regularly to a depth of 75 mm from paired unfertilised and fertilised (500 kg ha− 30% potassic superphosphate) plots. Except for organic C, fertiliser had little or no effect on the characteristics measured. Organic C averaged about 9.2% in unfertilised soil and was about 0.3% higher in the fertilised soil. The size of the microbial biomass fluctuated widely in the 1st year (3000 μg C g−1 in February to 1300 μg C g−1 in September) but there was less variation in the 2nd year (range 1900 μg C g−1 to 2500 μg C g−1 soil). CO2 production values (10- to 20-day estimates averaged 600 μg of CO2-C g−1 soil) were generally higher in spring compared to the rest of the year. Water extractable C increased over winter and declined through spring in both years (range 50 μg C g−1 soil to 150 μg C g−1 soil). Mineral-N flush values were higher in summer (300 μg N g−1 soil) and lower in winter months (200 μg N g−1 soil). The pattern of variation of microbial N values was one of gradual accumulation followed by rapid decline. This rapid decline in values occurred in spring and autumn (range 130–220 μg N g−1 soil). N mineralisation and bicarbonate-extractable N showed no clear trend; these values ranged from 100–200 and 122–190 μg N g−1 soil, respectively. There was a significant correlation (0.1%) between N mineralisation and bicarbonate-extractable N in the late summer-autumn-early winter period (February–August) in both years but not in spring. These results and their relationships to climatic factors and rates of pasture production are discussed.

Effects of animal manure and mineral fertilizer on the total carbon and nitrogen contents of soil size fractions

Abstract: Soil was sampled in autumn 1984 in the 132 field (sandy loam soil) of the Askov long-term experiments (started in 1894) and fractionated according to particle size using ultrasonic dispersion and sedimentation in water. The unmanured plot and plots given equivalent amounts of N (1923–1984 annual average, 121 kg N/ha) in either animal manure or mineral fertilizer were sampled to a depth of 15 cm, fractionated and analysed for C and N. Mineral fertilizer and animal manure increased the C and N content of whole soil, clay (<2 μm) and silt (2–20 μm) size fractions relative to unmanured samples, while the C content of the sand size fractions (fine sand 1, 20–63 μm; fine sand 2, 63–200 μm; coarse sand, 200–2000 μm) was less affected. Clay contained 58% and 65°70 of the soil C and N, respectively. Corresponding values for silt were 30% and 26%, while sand accounted for 10% of the soil C. Fertilization did not influence this distribution pattern. The C : N ratio of the silt organic matter (14.3) was higher and that of clay (10.6) lower than whole-soil C:N ratios (12.0). Fertilization did not influence clay and silt C : N ratios. Animal manure caused similar relative increases in the organic matter content of clay and silt size fractions (36%). In contrast, mineral fertilizer only increased the organic matter content of silt by 21% and that of clay by 14%.

Organic nitrogen compounds extracted from arable and forest soils by electro-ultrafiltration and recovery rates of amino acids

Abstract: Extraction of synthetic amino acids dissolved in water by means of electro-ultrafiltration (EUF) showed average recovery rates of about 75%. Higher losses were obtained, particularly with cysteine, methionine and NH44; the latter, probably being deprotonated at the cathode, may be lost in form of NH3. The EUF extracts of three arable and two forest soils were investigated for their N compounds. In the arable soils only about 3% of the total organic N extracted by EUF was free amino acids; about 23%–55% consisted of amino N (hydrolysable N) and the rest was non-hydrolysable N. The two forest soils contained higher amounts of EUF-extractable organic N compared with the arable soils. In the two forest soils the content of free amino-acid N amounted to 8% and 11% of the EUF organic N, and the proportion of hydrolysable N from total EUF-organic N was 41% and 46%. It is suggested that the amino-acid N and the hydrolysable N can be easily mineralized.

Effect of organic manures, crop residues and green manure (Sesbania aculeata) on nitrogen and phosphorus transformations in a sandy loam at field capacity and under waterlogged conditions.

Abstract: The influence of the water regime on mineralization and immobilization of N and P was investigated in a calcareous sandy loam incubated with cattle, poultry and green manure (Sesbania aculeata), and wheat and rice straw in a pot experiment. At field capacity, N released from poultry and green manure during the first 4 weeks of incubation was 45% and 59%, respectively. During the next 12 weeks, only around 40% more organic N was mineralized from both sources. In contrast, addition of cattle manure resulted in a period of net N immobilization lasting up to 4 weeks. By the end of 16 weeks of incubation only about 19010 of the added N was mineralized. High rates of N immobilization were observed during the first 4 weeks of incubation of rice or wheat straw with C/N ratios of 78 and 85, respectively. The N mineralization kinetics of poultry and green manure and of untreated soil showed an initial fast reaction followed by a slow release of inorganic N and could be described by two simultaneous first-order reactions. Under waterlogged conditions mineralized N was lost simultaneously in significant amounts possibly through nitrification — denitrification reactions. At field capacity, the largest amount of Olsen P was accumulated in the soil amended with poultry manure, followed by cattle manure. Results from other treatments did not differ much from those of the untreated soil. About 15% of P from poultry manure was mineralized during the 1st week of incubation. In contrast to the field-capacity moisture regime, marked increases in Olsen P in the soils amended with green manure and crop residues were observed under water-logged conditions.

Nitrogen contribution by leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) prunings to maize in an alley cropping system

Abstract: The N uptake of maize was assessed on an Alfisol in a sole crop and in an alley cropping system in southwestern Nigeria. Although the application of prunings increased the maize N content in both sole and alley-cropped maize, the N contributed to the maize by the prunings was low, ranging between 4.4 and 23.8 kg ha−1. This was equivalent to 3.2% and 9.407% of the N released during decomposition of the prunings. Application of the prunings increased the grain yields of the sole maize by 38% and the maize yield in the alley-cropped plots by 104%, compared with yields in the corresponding plots where prunings were not applied. The results indicate that part of the N from the prunings was retained in the soil organic-N pool. Maize N, dry weights and grain yields were lowest in the alley-cropped plots where prunings were removed, probably because of competition between the maize and the hedgerow trees.

Aspects of the physical environment of soil organisms

Abstract: The physical properties of soil depend upon soil structure which is defined by the size, shape and arrangement of ultimate particles, aggregates of particles, and voids. Properties of the soil change as the amount of water occupying the voids varies, and also because of structural change associated with management and with biological activity. Traditionally, the physical behaviour of this system has been intensively studied in terms of macroscopically measurable properties considered to be “characteristic” of substantial volumes of soil, with the principal aim being the description, prediction, and management at the field scale. In comparison with this effort, study at the scale of the soil pore, or sequence of pores, has been modest. Yet this is the appropriate scale to use when describing the environment of many soil organisms. This paper re-examines basic issues relating to the physical environment affecting soil-borne organisms. It reappraises the relevance of “macroscopic” variables, in relation to experience and behaviour of organisms, comments on methods used to define them, and suggests that important physical variables must be defined at the scale of the particular organism. Within this framework, it is suggested that local “thermodynamic equilibrium” is generally the rule, so that the thermodynamic potential of an entity (such as water), and its measurement, may transcend scale. The distribution of water in soil at a defined water potential is, however, scale-dependent, and at the level of the pore can only be inferred from simple physical models applied to the local geometry of the soil surfaces. This issue is examined in some detail, because the amount and distribution of soil water is important not only in relation to water availability, but also because of the profound effect soil water content has on organism movement, soil strength, thermal properties of soil, and gas transfer.

Nitrogen mineralization and water-table height in oligotrophic deep peat

Abstract: Peat cores, 0–60 cm depth, were taken on 14 occasions from three experimental plots where the water levels in the surrounding ditches had been artificially controlled for 14 years at 0, 20 and 50 cm below the surface. Numbers of aerobic and anaerobic ammonifying bacteria in the profile were significantly increased (P< 0.05) by lowering the water level from 0 to 50 cm. These increases occurred mainly in the surface 20 cm horizon, where 80%–90% of the ammonifying bacteria in the profile occurred. Mineral N in fresh samples, which was present almost entirely as ammonium, decreased sharply with depth below 20 cm, and on two occasions concentrations were significantly greater (P<0.05) in plots with water levels at 20 and 50 cm than in the flooded peat. Readily mineralized N, produced during waterlogged incubation at 30°C for 9 weeks, was significantly greater (P<0.05) on eight occasions in samples from plots with water levels at 20 or 50 cm than in those where the water level was at the surface. Calculations showed that the increases in N availability as a result of lowering the water-table could be attributed mainly to deeper rooting.

Root activity and carbon metabolism in soils

Abstract: Two different soils were amended with 14C-labelled plant material and incubated under controlled laboratory conditions for 2 years. Half the samples were cropped with wheat (Triticum aestivum) 10 times in succession. At flowering, the wheat was harvested and the old roots removed from the soil, so that the soil was continuously occupied by predominantly active root systems. The remaining samples were maintained without plants under the same conditions. During the initial stages of high microbial activity, due to decomposition of the labile compounds, the size of the total microbial biomass was comparable for both treatments, and the metabolic quotient (qCO2-C = mg CO2-C·mg−1 Biomass C·h−1) was increased by the plants. During the subsequent low-activity decomposition stages, after the labile compounds had been progressively mineralized, the biomass was multiplied by a factor of 2–4 in the presence of plants compared to the bare soils. Nevertheless, qCO2-C tended to reach similar low values with both treatments. The 14C-labelled biomass was reduced by the presence of roots and qCO2-14C was increased. The significance of these results obtained from a model experiment is discussed in terms of (1) the variation in the substrate originating from the roots and controlled by the plant physiology, (2) nutrient availability for plants and microorganisms, (3) soil biotic capacities and (4) increased microbial turnover rates induced by the roots.

Effect of wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) roots on mineralization rates of soil organic matter

Abstract: Two different soils were amended with 14C-labelled plant material and incubated under controlled laboratory conditions for 2 years. Half the samples were cropped with wheat (Triticum aestivum) 10 times in succession. At flowering, the wheat was harvested and the roots removed from the soil, and a new crop was started. Thus, the soil was continuously occupied by predominantly active root systems. The remaining samples were maintained without plants under the same conditions. The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of active roots on C-mineralization rates during different stages of decomposition and during long-term incubation. During the first 200 days, corresponding to the active decomposition stages, the roots weakly reduced 14C mineralization. With a lower level of decomposition, when more than 60% of the initial 14C was mineralized and when the available nutrients were markedly exhausted by plant uptake, the roots stimulated 14C mineralization.[/ p]

Carbon and nitrogen budgets of nematodes in arable soil

Abstract: The amounts of C and N that pass through the nematode biomass in four cropping systems, barley without and with N fertilization, grass ley and lucerne, has been estimated. The nematodes were sampled at the field site of a Swedish integrated research project “Ecology of Arable Land: The Role of Organisms in Nitrogen Cycling”. The nematode biomass was lower (200 mg dry weight m−2) in the annual (barley) than in the perennial (grass and lucerne, 350 mg dry weight m−2) crops. For respiration, the nematodes used 4–71 O2m−2 year−1 corresponding to C liberation of 1.3%–2.0% of the carbon input to the soil. A higher relative contribution by bacterial-feeding nematodes to the C and N fluxes and a higher turnover rate of the nematode biomass is an indication of more rapid nutrient circulation in the annual than in the perennial cropping systems.

Presence and dispersal of infective Frankia in peat and meadow soils in Sweden

Abstract: Use of the N2-fixing grey alder, Alnus incana (L.) Moench, as a short-rotation crop for energy production is currently being explored. To evaluate the need for inoculation of alders, the distribution of infective propagules of Frankia in the soil at potential sites for alder plantations was examined. Uninoculated grey alder seedlings were grown in three types of soil. Frequent nodulation was found in a meadow soil which had been free from actinorhizal plants for nearly 60 years, but the alder seedlings failed to nodulate in peat soil from two different bog sites. One of these bogs had been exploited for peat and the surface layer of the peat had been removed, so that the soil samples were taken from deep layers of the peat. At the other site, an area of cultivated peat, there were no infective propagules of Frankia in plots without alders; the infective Frankia was present in plots only where it had been introduced by inoculated alders. There was no detectable air-borne dispersal of Frankia. Instead, water movement might account for the dispersal of Frankia in peat. Although the apparent absence of Frankia in these peat soils necessitates inoculation of alder seedlings before planting out, this makes it possible to introduce and maintain Frankia strains with selected beneficial characteristics, since there is no competition from an indigenous Frankia flora.

Radial pressures generated by the earthworm Aporrectodea rosea.

Abstract: The radial pressures generated by the earthworm Aporrectodea rosea were measured in a study of the conditions under which the worms were able to crack soil discs into which they were encouraged to tunnel. The tensile strength of replicate discs was determined by indirect tension tests and by expansion of rubber membranes in soil discs. Simple engineering theory was used to relate the stress required to fracture a disc with the applied internal stress. Mean values for the radial stress applied by the earthworms in tunnelling through the discs was 230 kPa. With some assumptions about the distribution of muscles across the worm diameter, it was estimated that the mean maximum force generated by all the longitudinal muscles in any segment was 3.2 N.

Effect of inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum on nitrogenase activity of Zea mays roots grown in agricultural soils under aseptic and non-sterile conditions

Abstract: Inoculated and non-inoculated seedlings of Zea mays were grown in agricultural soils under aseptic and non-sterile conditions Acetylene reduction activity and microbial counts were determined after 7 and 30 days of growth Irrespective of the soil type Azotobacter spp were commonly isolated under maize cultivation Inoculation of agricultural soils with a suspension of A chroococcum led to an increase in Azotobacter numbers, although this effect diminished with time Nitrogenase activity was detected on maize roots and increased in response to the inoculation with A chroococcum, showing that this associative growth could be of primary importance for the plant The results of assays for acetylene reduction activity indicated that the nitrogenase activity was associated only with the root systems

Effect of cellulose and straw incorporation in soil on total denitrification and nitrogen immobilization at initially aerobic and permanent anaerobic conditions

Abstract: Laboratory experiments were used to examine the influence of cellulose and straw on denitrification and N immobilization in a sandy loam soil. The soil was mixed with 300 μg nitrate-N/g and incubated in a special vessel under conditions that changed from aerobic to anaerobic or in the permanent absence of O2. Gases (O2, CO2, N2, N2O, NO and CH4) were analysed by gas chromatography at regular intervals and the soil was examined for nitrate, nitrite, ammonium and cellulose. Compared with controls, the application of straw and cellulose (0.5% and 1.0%, respectively) enhanced nitrate immobilization and decreased denitrification, under both anaerobic and originally aerobic (PO2 = 20 vol%) conditions. However, a comparison of results from the aerobic and the anaerobic incubations shows that an increase in denitrification and N immobilization was apparent at an original O2 concentration of 20 vol%. N2 was the major product of denitrification in all experiments. Free methane was apparent as soon as nitrate was respired. The stimulating effect of O2 on total denitrification in the presence of relatively high amounts of easily decomposable cellulose is ascribed to a higher turnover and an intensified mineralization rate (CO2 production), which increased the total demand for electron acceptors.

Influence of biopores on root growth, water uptake and grain yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) based on predictions from a computer model

Abstract: The use of vertical biopores by wheat (Triticum aestivum) seminal roots for easy access to the subsoil and the consequences for plant water supply and yield has been investigated by computer simulation. Parameters included were: biopore density and diameter, depth of cultivation and strength of the subsoil — all under a wide range of seasonal weather conditions. The model predicts that biopores add significantly to root penetration at depth, even at a density of 0.1% v/v of small, vertical pores, while 1.5% to 2.0% v/v can ensure maximum root penetration. When the growing season is shorter a larger number of biopores is needed to ensure timely root penetration to depth. With shallow tillage, biopores occur closer to the soil surface, and their importance is increased. Deeper root penetration invariably gives greater water uptake and transpiration, but may have a negative effect on grain yield, especially under the driest climatic conditions. An increase in early water use may result in less soil water being available during the grain-filling period. The effect of biopores on plant transpiration varies from year to year, depending on the amount of rain and its distribution in time, and on the amount of soil water stored at time of sowing.

Denitrification under different cultivated plants: effects of soil moisture tension, nitrate concentration, and photosynthetic activity

Abstract: Plant effects on the denitrification rate were investigated in pot experiments at different soil moisture tensions and nitrate concentrations. Nitrate concentrations and the soil moisture tension were regulated immediately before each measurement. The effects of the plants on denitrification rates were dependent on the soil moisture tension. At a low soil moisture tension (−7 cm H2O), there was a 10-fold increase in the denitrification rate (planted versus unplanted soil). At a medium moisture tension (−30 cm H2O) the plants had practically no effect, and at the highest tension (−60 cm H2O) the effect was slightly negative. Large differences in denitrification rates under different plant species were observed. At a low soil moisture tension, the average denitrification rate (μg N kg−1 soil h−1) was 39–42 under small grains (barley, wheat, and oats), 47–82 under the grasses (cocksfoot, meadow grass, meadow fescue, and timothy) and 18 under red clover. The differences between the monocots were attributable to differences in plant growth rates, rather than to any specific difference in stimulation or inhibition of denitrification, since the variations in photosynthetic activity fairly well predicted the differences in denitrification rates under different monocots. Clover, however, gave much lower denitrification rates than those predicted by the photosynthetic activity.