bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proton release by N2‐fixing plant roots: A possible contribution to phytoremediation of calcareous sodic soils
Authors: Qadir Manzoor , Steffens Diedrich , Yan Feng , Schubert Sven 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWith a world‐wide occurrence on about 560 million hectares, sodic soils are characterized by the occurrence of excess sodium (Na+) to levels that can adversely affect crop growth and yield. Amelioration of such soils needs a source of calcium (Ca2+) to replace excess Na+ from the cation exchange sites. In addition, adequate levels of Ca2+ in ameliorated soils play a vital role in improving the structural and functional integrity of plant cell walls and membranes. As a low‐cost and environmentally feasible strategy, phytoremediation of sodic soils — a plant‐based amelioration — has gained increasing interest among scientists and farmers in recent years. Enhanced CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) in the root zone is considered as the principal mechanism contributing to phytoremediation of sodic soils. Aqueous CO2 produces protons (H+) and bicarbonate (HCO3‐). In a subsequent reaction, H+ reacts with native soil calcite (CaCO3) to provide Ca2+ for Na+ Ca2+ exchange at the cation exchange sites. Another source of H+ may occur in such soils if cropped with N2‐fixing plant species because plants capable of fixing N2 release H+ in the root zone. In a lysimeter experiment on a calcareous sodic soil (pHs = 7.4, electrical conductivity of soil saturated paste extract (ECe) = 3.1 dS m‐1, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) = 28.4, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) = 27.6, CaCO3 = 50 g kg‐1), we investigated the phytoremediation ability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). There were two cropped treatments: Alfalfa relying on N2 fixation and alfalfa receiving NH4NO3 as mineral N source, respectively. Other treatments were non‐cropped, including a control (without an amendment or crop), and soil application of gypsum or sulfuric acid. After two months of cropping, all lysimeters were leached by maintaining a water content at 130% waterholding capacity of the soil after every 24±1 h. The treatment efficiency for Na+ removal in drainage water was in the order: sulfuric acid > gypsum = N2‐fixing alfalfa > NH4NO3‐fed alfalfa > control. Both the alfalfa treatments produced statistically similar root and shoot biomass. We attribute better Na+ removal by the N2‐fixing alfalfa treatment to an additional source of H+ in the rhizosphere, which helped to dissolve additional CaCO3 and soil sodicity amelioration.
Carbon allocation in a sweet sorghum‐soil system using 14C as a tracer
Authors: Fernández Jesús , Curt M. Dolores , Aguado Pedro , Magro Enrique 
Published: March 2003

AbstractCarbon (C) distribution in a sweet sorghum‐soil system was studied by 14CO2 pulse‐labeling of shoots at three dates during the growth cycle in order to assess the contribution of the crop to carbon storage in the soil. Soil and plant samplings were performed 24 h after the 14C‐labeling and at final harvest (October) to determine the assimilate allocation and estimate the amount of plant‐derived soil carbon. Approximately 4‐16% of the 14C present in the sorghum‐soil system was located in the soil fine fraction (< 2 mm) over a 24 h period. At final harvest, the proportion of 14C in the soil accounted for 7‐9% of the 14C present in the sorghum‐soil system. The plant‐derived soil carbon was estimated at 0.10‐0.12 g C plant‐1 day‐1. The total amount of carbon captured by sweet sorghum was estimated at 1.44 kg C m‐2 over the whole growth cycle: 0.82 kg C m‐2 in the above‐ground biomass, 0.52 kg C m‐2 in the below‐ground biomass and 0.10 kg C m‐2 in the soil carbon pool. No significant increase in soil 14C was detected over the next 14 months.
Changes in soil properties and humic substances after long‐term amendments with manure and crop residues in dryland farming systems
Authors: Dorado José , Zancada María‐Cristina , Almendros Gonzalo , López‐Fando Cristina 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAfter 16 years of periodical applications of either farmyard manure or crop wastes at two levels of mineral N fertilization to a Calcic Haploxeralf in the semiarid central Spain, we found significant changes in chemical fertility levels and in the concentration, chemical composition, and carbon mineralization rates of soil organic matter (SOM). The changes in SOM quality were related to significant improvements of soil physical properties, mainly aggregate stability and water retention. Such changes were related to the increased concentration of humic colloids in soil, the mineral N dose, and the type of organic matter applied. When compared with the control plots, the organic matter accumulated in the amended plots tended to be less transformed, and its total concentration and humification degree decreased with increasing external N‐inputs. Humic acids from the amended plots showed a more marked aliphatic character (mainly after N addition) than those from control plots. Farmyard manure led to a significant improvement of soil physical properties, but had a comparatively small effect in promoting biodegradation and humification of crop wastes. This could be due to the high biological stability of the manure used which, in semiarid Mediterranean fields, usually leads to an accumulation of little transformed SOM.
Aeration effects on CO2, N2O, and CH4 emission and leachate composition of a forest soil
Authors: Vor Torsten , Dyckmans Jens , Loftfield Norman , Beese Friedrich , Flessa Heiner 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe availability of O2 is one of the most important factors controlling the chemical and biological reactions in soils. In this study, the effects of different aeration conditions on the dynamics of the emission of trace gases (CO2, N2O, CH4) and the leachate composition (NO3‐, DOC, Mn, Fe) were determined. The experiment was conducted with naturally structured soil columns (silty clay, Vertisol) from a well aerated forest site. The soil monoliths were incubated in a microcosm system at different O2 concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.205 m3 m‐3 in the air flow through the headspace of the microcosms) for 85 days. Reduced O2 availability resulted in a decreased CO2 release but in increased N2O emission rates. The greatest cumulative N2O emissions (= 1.6 g N2O‐N m‐2) were observed at intermediate O2 concentrations (0.005 and 0.01 m3 m‐3) when both nitrification and denitrification occurred simultaneously in the soil. Cumulative N2O emissions were smallest (= 0.05 g N2O‐N m‐2) for the aeration with ambient air (O2 concentration: 0.205 m3 m‐3), although nitrate availability was greatest in this treatment. The emission of CH4 and leaching of Mn and Fe were restricted to the soil columns incubated under completely anoxic conditions. The sequence of the reduction processes under completely anoxic conditions complied with the thermodynamic theory: soil nitrate was reduced first, followed by the reduction of Mn(IV) and Fe(III) and finally CO2 was reduced to CH4. The re‐aeration of the soil columns after 85 days of anoxic incubation terminated the production of CH4 and dissolved Fe and Mn in the soil but strongly increased the emission rates of CO2 and N2O and the leaching of NO3‐ probably because of the accumulation of DOC and NH4+ during the previous anoxic period.
Nitrous oxide emission from frozen grassland soil and during thawing periods
Authors: Müller C. , Kammann C. , Ottow J. C. G. , Jäger H.‐J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNitrous oxide (N2O) was emitted during a frost period from an old grassland as well as during thawing. Soil incubations at various times throughout the freezing period showed that highest emission rates were emitted around 0 °C, and the magnitude of the emission peak increased with the length of the freezing period. Highest N2O emissions during freezing and thawing were measured from soil previously treated with nitrate (NO3‐). The emitted N2O was produced via reduction of NO3‐. The steady drop in N2O emission at soil temperatures higher than 2 °C coincided with large dinitrogen (N2) emissions which most likely reflected the increasing enzymatic activity of N2O reductase with increasing temperatures. Measurements of mineral N concentrations showed that NO3‐ and NH4+, which were shortly after fertilizer application immobilized into the microbial biomass, became partly available again through the freezing effect and caused large N2O emissions in winter. This study provided evidence that N2O emissions during freezing and thawing in the winter are due to biological rather than chemical activity in soil.
Effectiveness of an elemental sulfur fertilizer in an oilseed‐cereal‐legume rotation on the Canadian prairies
Authors: Wen Guang , Schoenau Jeff J. , Mooleki S. Patrick , Inanaga Shinobu , Yamamoto Tahei , Hamamura Kunio , Inoue Mitsuhiro , An Ping 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAdequate sulfur (S) nutrition is critical for sustaining yields in crop rotation systems. Because of slow oxidation of elemental S (S°), research on S° fertilizers has emphasized improving the short‐term availability, while the long‐term effects of S° have been overlooked. The effectiveness of a dispersible granule S° fertilizer (SF: Sulfer95), consisting of S° particles smaller than any S° fertilizer reported in literature (< 44 μm in diameter), was compared to gypsum (CS: CaSO4) and ammonium sulfate [AS: (NH4)2SO4] in a three‐year experiment (1997—1999) on a moderately S deficient Black Chernozem soil (Typic Cryoboroll). The three S fertilizers were applied to canola (Brassica rapaL.) at 20, 40, and 80 kg S ha‐1, supplemented with corresponding rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in the first year. The control treatment (CT) received N only. Barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) and peas (Pisum sativumL.) were grown in the second and third years to test the availability of residual S. Although the yield of canola in SF fertilized treatments was only slightly higher than in CT, available S provided by SF produced a higher physiological S efficiency (PSE). Superior yields with residual SF were obtained in the second and third years by barley and peas at the rate of 80 kg S ha‐1applied in the first year, indicating that slow oxidation of SF was beneficial to the crops subsequently grown. Over three years, the total crop S uptake was 21, 4.0, and 15% higher with SF than with CT, CS, and AS, respectively.
Rice yield gaps in irrigated systems along an agro‐ecological gradient in West Africa
Authors: Becker Mathias , Johnson David E. , Wopereis Marco C. S. , Sow Abdoulaye 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIrrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) in West Africa covers about 12 % of the regional rice‐growing area, and is produced all along the agro‐ecological gradient from the forest zone to the Sahara desert margins. Spatial and temporal variability of yield gaps (i.e., difference between actual and potential yield) were determined to set priorities for research and target technologies. On‐farm trials were conducted on 191 irrigated lowland fields in the humid forest, the savanna and the Sahel. Farmers' yields were compared with those of super‐imposed treatments of improved fertilization and weed management. Farmers' yields varied between 0.2 and 8.7 Mg ha‐1, with average yields of 3.4 Mg ha‐1 (Guinea savanna), 3.6 Mg ha‐1 (humid forest), 3.9 Mg ha‐1 (Sahel), and 5.1 Mg ha‐1 (Sudan savanna). Simulated potential yields increased from 7 Mg ha‐1 in the forest to about 10 Mg ha‐1 in the Sahel. Accordingly, yield gaps were large, ranging from 3.2 to 5.9 Mg ha‐1. Researcher weed control in the Sahel gave grain yield increases of about 1.0 Mg ha‐1. Improved weed and N fertilization management increased yields by 1 to 2 Mg ha‐1 in the forest and Guinea savanna sites. A share of 57‐80 % of the yield gap could not be accounted for. Improving weed control is likely to have the highest pay‐off in the Sahel while improved management of fertilizer N will be most beneficial in the forest and savanna environments.
The effect of soil flooding on the transformation of Fe oxides and the adsorption/desorption behavior of phosphate
Authors: Zhang Yongsong , Lin Xianyong , Werner Wilfried 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAs repeatedly reported, soil flooding improves the availability of P to rice. This is in contrast with an increased P sorption in paddy soils. The effects of soil flooding on the transformation of Fe oxides and the adsorption/desorption of P of two paddy soils of Zhejiang Province in Southeast‐China were studied in anaerobic incubation experiments (submerging with water in N2 atmosphere). Soil flooding significantly increased oxalate‐extractable Fe (Feox), mainly at the expense of dithionite‐soluble Fe (FeDCB), as well as oxalate‐extractable P (Pox), but decreased the ratio of Pox/Feox. Flooding largely increased both, P adsorption and the maximum P adsorption capacity. The majority of newly sorbed P in the soils was Pox, but also more newly retained P was found to be not extractable by oxalate. Flooding also changed the characteristics of P desorption in the soils. Due to a decrease of the saturation index of the P sorption capacity, P adsorbed by flooded soils was much less desorbable than that from non‐flooded soils. There are obviously significant differences in the nature of both, the Feox and Pox fractions under non‐flooded and flooded conditions. The degree of the changes in Feox, Pox, P adsorption and P desorption by flooding depended on the contents of amorphous and total Fe oxides in non‐flooded soils. Our results confirm that the adsorption and desorption behavior of P in paddy soils is largely controlled by the transformation of the Fe oxides. The reasons of the often‐reported improved P availability to rice induced by flooding, in spite of the unfavorable effect on P desorbability, are discussed.
Varietal tolerance to Zinc deficiency in wheat and barley grown in chelatorbuffered nutrient solution and its effect on uptake of Cu, Fe, and Mn
Authors: Lombn�s Peder , Singh Bal Ram 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTolerance to zinc (Zn) deficiency was examined for three wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and three barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties grown in chelator‐buffered nutrient solution. Four indices were chosen to characterize tolerance to Zn deficiency: (1) relative shoot weight at low compared to high Zn supply (“Zn efficiency index”), (2) relative shoot to root ratio at low compared to high Zn supply, (3) total shoot uptake of Zn under deficient conditions, and (4) shoot dry weight under deficient conditions. Barley and wheat exhibited different tolerance to Zn deficiency, with barley being consistently more tolerant than wheat as assessed by all four indices. The tolerance to Zn deficiency in the barley varieties was in the order Thule=Tyra>Kinnan, and that of wheat in the order Bastian=Avle>Vinjett. The less tolerant varieties of both species accumulated more P in the shoots than the more tolerant varieties. For all varieties, the concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, and P in shoot tissue were negatively correlated with Zn supply. This antagonism was more pronounced for Mn and P than for Cu and Fe. Accumulation of Cu in barley roots was extremely high under Zn‐deficient conditions, an effect not so clearly indicated in wheat.
Effect of cropping systems on phosphatases in soils
Authors: Dodor Daniel E. , Tabatabai M. Ali 
Published: March 2003

AbstractPhosphatases are widely distributed in nature and play a major role in phosphorus nutrition of plants. The effects of crop rotations and nitrogen fertilization on the activities of phosphatases (acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and phosphodiesterase) were studied in soils from two long‐term cropping systems at the Northeast Research Center (NERC) in Nashua and the Clarion Webster Research Center (CWRC) in Kanawha, Iowa, USA. Surface soils (0—15 cm) were taken in 1996 and 1997 from replicated field plots in corn, soybeans, oats, or meadow (alfalfa) that received 0 or 180 kg N ha—1 before corn. Because of differences in organic C contents among soils of the two sites, the soils from the CWRC sites contained greater enzyme activity values than those from the NERC site. Plots under oats or meadow showed the greatest activity values, whereas those under continuous corn at the CWRC site and soybean at the NERC site showed the least activities. Analysis of variance indicated that the activities of the phosphatases were significantly affected by crop rotation (P < 0.001) in both years at the NERC site but not at the CWRC site. Nitrogen fertilization affected the activity of acid phosphatase in soils from the CWRC site in both years and alkaline phosphatase only in 1997; but it did not affect the activities of the phosphatases in the soils from the NERC site. With the exception of alkaline phosphatase (CWRC) and phosphodiesterase (NERC) in soils sampled in 1997, activities of alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase were significantly correlated with microbial biomass C (C mic) in soils from both sites and years, with r values ranging from 0.366* to 0.599***. Cropping systems and N fertilization affected the specific activities of phosphomonoesterases, especially acid phosphatase, but not of phosphodiesterase. Regression analysis showed that activities of phosphatases were significantly correlated with organic C contents of soils from the NERC site but not from the CWRC site.
Fate of heavy metals in a strongly acidic shooting‐range soil: small‐scale metal distribution and its relation to preferential water flow
Authors: Knechtenhofer Lars A. , Xifra Irene O. , Scheinost Andreas C. , Flühler Hannes , Kretzschmar Ruben 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTo assess the mobility of Pb and associated metals in a highly contaminated shooting range soil (Losone, Ticino, Switzerland), we investigated the spatial distribution of the metals and their relation to preferential water flow paths. A 2.2 m2 plot located 40 m behind the stop butt was irrigated with a solution containing bromide and Brilliant Blue, a slightly sorbing dye. A soil profile 50 cm in width was sampled down to 80 cm with a spatial resolution of 2.5 cm, resulting in 626 samples. Concentrations of elements (12 ≤ Z ≤ 92) were determined by energy‐dispersive Xray fluorescence spectrometry, and Brilliant Blue concentrations were determined with a chromameter. In the acidic (pH 3), organic matter‐rich, well drained Dystric Cambisol, maximum concentrations of 80.9 g kg‐1 Pb, 4.0 g kg‐1 Sb, and 0.55 g kg‐1 Cu were measured in the topsoil. Within 40 cm soil depth, however, Pb, Sb, and Cu approached background concentrations of 23 mg kg‐1, 0.4 mg kg‐1, and 9.4 mg kg‐1, respectively. The even horizontal distribution and the steep gradient along soil depth indicate tight metal binding in the topsoil, and a fairly homogeneous transport front. In contrast, water flow through the profile was highly heterogeneous. In the uppermost 20 cm, preferential flow was initiated by heterogeneous infiltration at the soil surface, but had no influence on metal distribution. Below 20 cm, however, preferential flow originated from larger tree roots, and metal concentrations were significantly elevated along these macropores. Spatial distributions of Pb, Sb, and Cu were similar, suggesting that all three metals are strongly retained in the topsoil and transported along preferential water flow paths in the subsoil.
Persistent organic pollutant concentrations in air‐ and freeze‐dried compared to field‐fresh extracted soil samples of an eastern Slovak deposition gradient
Authors: Wilcke Wolfgang , Krauss Martin , Barančíková Gabriela 
Published: March 2003

AbstractSample preparation affects the results of the determination of persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations in soils. We compared the extraction results of POPs from air‐ and freeze‐dried with field‐fresh samples. We determined the concentrations of 21 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 35 horizons of forest soils (Lithosols and Cambisols) along a deposition gradient caused by a chemical factory in Strážske (eastern Slovakia). The organic C (Corg) concentrations of the studied samples ranged 14‐477 g kg‐1, the sum of 21 PAH (Σ 21PAHs) concentrations 53‐6870 μg kg‐1, and that of 14 PCBs (Σ 14PCBs) 0.12 96 μg kg‐1. The benzofluoranthenes were the most abundant PAHs, and the hexa‐chlorinated PCBs 138 and 153 were the most abundant PCBs. The deposition gradient was reflected by decreasing PAH and PCB storages in the organic layer with increasing distance from the chemical factory (Σ 21PAHs: 82‐238, Σ 14PCBs: 0.34‐2.3 g ha‐1). The PAH concentrations in air‐ and freeze‐dried samples were consistently lower than those in field‐fresh extracted samples. For naphthalene, this was mainly attributable to volatilization losses during drying. Naphthalene losses decreased with increasing Corg concentrations. For all other PAHs, drying reduced the extractability; the latter was correlated with the water content of the samples. The differences in most PCB concentrations among the sample preparation methods were small (within the determination error of ±15 %) and inconsistent. However, PCBs 8, 28, 52, and 209 had markedly higher concentrations in dried than in fieldfresh extracted samples. The increased recovery of low‐chlorinated PCBs in dried samples may be explained by redistribution of PCBs from higher to lower contaminated samples via the drying room atmosphere because there were no PCBs in analytical blanks. This assumption is supported by a close correlation between the octanol‐air distribution coefficient and the up to hexa‐chlorinated PCB concentrations (normalized to those in field‐fresh extracted samples) in air‐ (r = ‐0.90) and freeze‐dried (r = ‐0.86) samples. Our study shows that each sample preparation method has its specific advantages and disadvantages. Sample drying results in a standardization to a well‐defined water content and facilitates homogenization; therefore it increases the reproducibility of POP determinations. Extraction of field‐fresh samples reduces volatilization losses and contamination risks.
Quantitative bioactive compounds assessment and their relative contribution to the antioxidant capacity of commercial orange juices
Authors: Sánchez‐Moreno Concepción , Plaza Lucía , de Ancos Begoña , Cano M Pilar 
Published: March 2003

AbstractDietary recommendations for healthy eating include the consumption of fruit juices whose health effects are ascribed, in part, to carotenoids, phenolic compounds and vitamin C. These bioactive compounds have been implicated in the reduction of degenerative human diseases, mainly due to their antioxidant potential. Orange juice is characterized by substantial accumulation (apart from ascorbic acid) of flavonoids and carotenoids. Commercial orange juice is the main human dietary source of antioxidant compounds in developed countries. The qualitative and quantitative determination of carotenoid, flavonoid and vitamin C content of Spanish commercial orange juices was achieved by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The health‐related properties of bioactive compounds contained in orange juice are based on their antioxidant activity. The antioxidant capacity of these juices was assessed by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl stable radical scavenging and was compared with a freshly squeezed orange juice. In addition, the relative contribution of the different bioactive compounds to the antioxidant activity of orange juices was calculated. Total vitamin C was found to be the major contributor to the antioxidant potential of the orange juices studied, followed by flavonoid and carotenoid compounds. Ascorbic acid, total vitamin C and β‐cryptoxanthin content correlated positively with the free‐radical scavenging parameters. No significant differences, in terms of antioxidant capacity, were found between commercial traditional pasteurized orange juices and freshly squeezed orange juice. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry