Abstract The objectives of this study were to assess (a) the efficiency of lemon and pineapple juices and the concentration and time needed to release more than 50% of available phosphorus from phosphate rock (PR), and (b) the effect of different types of PR management on carrot yields, nutrient uptake, and phosphorus use efficiency. Field trials were set up at two sites with humic andosols and orthic

Abstract Purpose This long-term study used a lysimeter platform to monitor the changes of organic matter and total nitrogen content in deep soils of various fertilization treatments of wheat-maize in the Huanghuaihai area, with the goal to improve the soil environment and increase the quantity and diversity of soil microbes, and then provide a theoretical basis for synergetic improvement of production

Abstract Purpose To study the effects of snail (Bellamya aeruginosa) bioturbation on phosphorus (P) mobility in sediment and the relevant mechanisms behind them. Materials and method A microcosm simulation experiment was carried out at millimeter resolution with an 89 days culture of homogeneous sediments. High-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) techniques were

Abstract Purpose Cyanobacterial blooms pose a serious threat to aquatic environmental health and have emerged as a primary issue in the recovery of eutrophic lakes. In order to comprehensively establish the effects of cyanobacterial blooms on nutrients in the aquatic environment, nutrient migration and transformation were studied in freshwater and sediments during cyanobacterial bloom decomposition

Abstract Purpose Soil bulk density and hydraulic conductivity are two of many key factors for vegetation establishment and the other way around. Variations in them may cause patchy vegetation distribution in arid and semiarid areas. Characterizing their spatial variations in relation to quasi-circular vegetation patches (QVPs) is important for the effective revegetation of wetlands in the Yellow River

Abstract Purpose Despite its wide application in determining litter decomposition rates, the litterbag method has not well been examined involving some criteria, especially the sample weight and placement of litterbags. Materials and methods A comprehensive database of leaf litter decomposition in China was established, including 877 datasets, to examine the controlling factors of litterbag method

Abstract Purpose The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is one of the main native soil faunas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and plays a key role in the terrestrial ecosystem there. However, few studies have analysed the macroporosity of soils disturbed by plateau pikas in alpine meadows. The objective of this study was to examine the soil macropores in different parts of an alpine meadow in the Qinghai

Abstract Purpose Oil hydrocarbons are widespread pollutants in soil which pose serious threats to ecological environment. Thus, this study carried out the bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil by using the efficient petroleum-degrading bacteria and soil conditioner, to investigate the changes of physicochemical properties of contaminated soil during bioremediation, reveal the relationship among the

Abstract Purpose The aims of this study were to investigate how short-term agricultural practices varying in vegetation cover, tillage, and organic amendments affected the chemistry of aggregate-associated C and particulate organic matter (POM) after 8-year soil restoration from parent material (PM) of a Mollisol. The research allowed indicating the effects of perennialization and organic amendments

Abstract Purpose Sediment transport plays a vital role in the development of soil erosion process models. The primary purpose of this study is to establish new sediment transport capacity formulas and evaluate their applicability to sediment. Materials and methods In this study, we collected three different soil types from Loess Plateau. Simulated sediment transport experiments were carried out in

Abstract Purpose The influence of iron and aluminium (hydr)oxide on soil aggregation is still not sufficiently understood. Therefore, we undertook a study on the effects of Al and Fe forms on soil structure and their mutual relationships in sandy soil under long-term fertilisation experiments near Skierniewice (Poland). Materials and methods In this study, we examined three treatments of soil under

Abstract Purpose In the rice-wheat rotation area, Cd contamination affects food safety of rice and wheat. However, there have been conflicting results and different conclusions on the difference in Cd accumulation capacity of rice and wheat, and the factors that led to the difference were not clear. Materials and methods A field survey study was conducted by collecting 60 soil and grain samples in

Abstract Purpose Understanding the underlying mechanism of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation is of great significance for soil C sequestration and climate change mitigation, as well as soil fertility improvement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of C and N accumulation in aggregates and fine soil particles to long-term mineral fertilizer and manure application. Materials

Abstract Purpose: Erosion processes spatially redistribute soil particles and the associated carbon across landscapes. Their spatial redistribution pattern is governed by the transport distances of individual displaced soil particles, which is not only dependent on their settling velocity, but also affected by slope topography. However, the potential impacts of fine-scale variation of slope topography

Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to compare the feeding activity of soil fauna in forest floor soil and in soil layer developing on dead cedar logs in temperate ancient rainforest of North British Columbia (Canada) inlands. Materials and methods Bait–lamina test was applied to study the soil fauna feeding activity. On each of ten plots, measurements were conducted on a dead tree trunk (log)

Abstract Purpose Understanding ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition in response to dramatic land-use change is critical for modeling and predicting carbon (C) cycles. However, the patterns of litter decomposition along with long-term secondary succession (over 100 years) are not well reported, especially concerning nutrient limitations on litter decomposition. Materials and methods To clarify

Abstract Purpose Purple paddy soils cover about 66% of the paddy soils in Sichuan Basin. Complex interactions made the effects of potassium fertilizer application on NH4+ adsorption more complicated and the behavior of NH4+ and K+ interaction in purple paddy soils has rarely been evaluated. We hypothesize that correct management of these soils can enhance the efficiency of ammonium and potassium fertilizers

Abstract Purpose Humic substances, which are integral components of total organic carbon (TOC), influence soil quality. The study aimed to investigate whether humic and non-humic fractions exhibit early, consistent, and measurable changes and affect TOC sensitivity and storage in a tropical sandy loam soils amended with corn cob biochar. Materials and methods There were four treatments with four replicates

Abstract Purpose Magnetic removal techniques using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles as adsorbents have been frequently tested for use in the removal of heavy metals in aqueous solution, but seldom in farmland soil. Here, a novel magnetic microparticle solid chelator (MSC) was employed as the adsorbent for magnetic removal and/or immobilization of Cd and Zn in a paddy soil (PS), an upland soil

Abstract Purpose Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been frequently discussed as a strategy for meeting CO2 emission reduction and its targets. However, some critical issues have been raised with regard to the potential hazards to near-surface environments by CO2 leakage. Hence, this study was conducted to examine the effects of soil moisture content on the potential risks associated with a high

Abstract Four phosphate rock-solubilizing bacteria (PRSB) (Asaia lannensis Vb1, Pseudomonas sp. Vr14, Rahnella sp. Sr24, and Pantoea sp. Vr25) isolated from the mycorrhizosphere of maize were evaluated as inoculants, individually or in different combinations, together with Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM 197198, under greenhouse conditions. To create an effective bacterial mix for P solubilization and

Bacterial communities are major participant in the alpine biogeochemical phosphorus (P) cycle. However, shifts in the main bacteria towards phosphorus recycling systems (BPRS) over elevation gradients and their driving factors are poorly understood. In this work, BPRS were associated with bacterial sequences according to Illumina sequencing and a published dataset of BPRS orders. BPRS communities over

Knowledge of pre-germination seed treatments is critical for ecological restoration practices such as outplantings or direct seeding. However, in drylands, there is a lack of this kind of information about some species with high potential value for ecological restoration. This is the case of Larrea divaricata Cav., a native species that is dominant and can grow in degraded environments to the Monte

Abstract Aims Orobanche cumana is an obligate root parasite which specifically infects roots of Helianthus annuus L., causing severe yield and economic losses in agricultural fields worldwide. For an efficient control strategy, it is necessary to understand specialized host defense mechanisms and the pathogenesis of O. cumana during underground interaction with the host. Methods RNA-Seq was used to

Abstract Aims Celosia argentea (Amaranthaceae) can accumulate both Cd and Mn. This study reveals the interactive effect and underlying mechanism of Cd and Mn during their uptake in this species. Methods Plants were grown in hydroponic and soil media with different Cd and Mn treatments. The concentrations of Cd and Mn in plants and soil solutions were determined by ICP-MS. The real-time Cd2+ flux values

Abstract Aims Quantitatively assess the foraging and burrowing effects of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae, hereafter pikas) on vegetation biomass and soil organic carbon at plot scale. Methods Combining field surveys and aerial photographing, we investigated pikas density, vegetation biomass, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen at quadrat-scale in 82 grassland sites of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Aims Metal hyperaccumulation is a rare phenomenon described for an increasing number of plant taxa. In this study we investigated the root growth responses of the well-known nickel, zinc, cadmium hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens and of the metal tolerant (non-accumulator) Stellaria media, in order to observe root foraging vs avoidance responses to nickel.  Methods To allow for observations

Phosphorus (P) fertilizers vary considerably in contents of uranium (U), thus raising concerns regarding U accumulation in agricultural soils. We examined U concentrations in soil from three long-term field experiments with different P fertilizer applications: Rengen (P fertilizer from basic slag, grassland, Germany), Thyrow (P fertilizer from igneous phosphate rocks, arable land, Germany) and Askov

Despite the impacts of extraction activities, quarries have great potential for conservation of biodiversity, and their restoration can be considered a major task in restoration ecology. A particularly important issue is to quantify the roles of the following various factors that may influence biodiversity and restoration success: (a) local variables, (b) landscape variables and (c) ecological management

In south China, benggang erosion causes intensive soil loss and land degradation. However, the mechanisms underlying its development remain unclear. In this study, the relationship between soil erosion, landform development, and benggang development in Jiangxi and Fujian provinces of China was investigated by using a soil erosion model and hypsometric integral (HI) values. Benggang number and area

If a map is constructed through prediction with a statistical or non‐statistical model, the sampling design used for selecting the sample on which the model is fitted plays a key role in the final map accuracy. Several sampling designs are available for selecting these calibration samples. Commonly, sampling designs for mapping are compared in real world case studies by selecting just one sample for

Stream channels in the American Southwest are misunderstood because they have been understudied and overgeneralized. This misunderstanding has serious consequences for environmental policy, particularly in defining the scope of jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. While the current status of regulations defining the scope of jurisdictional waters is in flux, the currently-codified regulations require

The plant family Brassicaceae includes some of the most studied hosts of plant microbiomes, targeting microbial diversity, community assembly rules, and effects on host performance. Compared to bacteria, eukaryotes in the brassicaceous microbiome remain understudied, especially under natural settings. Here, we assessed the impact of host identity and age on the assembly of fungal and oomycete root

Combining bioenergy land use with biochar production could represent a win-win management strategy to increase energy production whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, a fuller understanding of the effects that these changes in land use and soil amendment could have on soil biodiversity and processes is needed. We performed a 2-year field experiment to determine the consequences of adding

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile C fractions play a central role in soil quality and C cycles. This study aimed to investigate the potential of laboratory-based hyperspectral imaging (HSI) spectroscopy to predict and map SOC and its labile C fractions (e.g., dissolved organic C, DOC; readily oxidizable organic C, ROC; and microbial biomass C, MBC) in soil profiles with a high resolution. The

Phosphorus (P) is an element crucial for plant nutrition. P can be bound in primary minerals such as apatites or to secondary minerals, such as metal(hydr-)oxides. Microorganisms are capable of releasing mineral-bound P, and thus, transforming it into plant-available forms. This study examined the potential of native microbial communities of five beech forest soils to release P either from hydroxyapatite

In northeastern Brazil, the sugarcane expansion has occurred historically over the Atlantic Forest biome. However, little is known about the physical process and changes induced by sugarcane cultivation in this biome. Thus, a field study was conducted to evaluate changes induced by sugarcane cultivation on soil physical properties, processes and functions in the Atlantic Forest biome. For that, soil

Abstract In the present study, the interactive effect of irrigation and nitrogen (N) on biomass and physiological characteristics of amaranth and the influence of zeolite in this interaction were investigated. A 2-year field experiment was conducted as split-plot factorial in a randomized complete block design in three replicates. The main factor consisted of different levels of deficit irrigation

Abstract Bioweathering in arid lands is a complex set of processes comprising a wide variety of organisms, all contributing to soil formation. Weathering starts with outcrop fragmentation by physical forces, later thermal stress and salts produce propagation of cracks that allow colonization by lithobiontic communities. Growth and development of primary colonizers produce pools of C and N available

Abstract Soil aggregates support diverse microbes due to heterogeneous micro-environment. A lot of researches have exhibited the difference of microbial composition and activity within different size soil aggregates, but the relative influences of these microbes and the mechanisms underlying their effects on plant health are still poorly understood. This study investigated the microbiomes within four

Ecosystem degradation is one of the most pressing environmental problems in the world. Re-vegetation is the major method in land restoration, playing an important role in improving soil quality and biodiversity. Bacteria constitute a vital part of terrestrial ecosystems; however, the relationship between bacteria and restoration of degraded land is not well understood. In this study, we investigated

Abstract Aims Soil bacterial communities play vital roles in subtropical broad-leaved forests (SBFs), however, the mechanisms regulating their formation remain poorly understood. The present work aimed to address this question. Methods We used dIVI (Important Value Index of deciduous canopy trees) to quantitively classify three SBFs. Soil bacterial traits such as community composition, diversity and

As the land area of short‐rotation coppice (SRC) increases, their soil physical impacts have to be evaluated. The objective of this study was to detect the effects of long‐term SRC with poplar and willow on the vertical distribution of soil physical properties (bulk density, water retention, penetration resistance) and on solute transport patterns. An 18‐year‐old SRC located in northeastern Germany

Injection of slurry or digestate below maize seeds is a relatively new technique developed to improve nitrogen use efficiency. However, this practice has the major drawback of increasing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The application of a nitrification inhibitor (NI) is an effective method to reduce these emissions. To evaluate the effect of the NI 3,4‐dimethypyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on N2O emissions

Soil fertilization with trace‐metal rich organic fertilizers such as Fucus serratus seaweed may be an effective way to combat micronutrient deficiency. In this study the kinetics of zinc release from Fucus serratus seaweed was investigated in a packed soil column leaching experiment over 1,776 h. The release of zinc from control (soil only) and treatment (soil + seaweed; equivalent zinc application

Soil air permeability is an important parameter which governs the aeration in soils that significantly promotes the root growth of field and grassland species and leads, in turn, to higher levels of evapotranspiration. The German Landfill Directive (2009) requires a rigid or a minimal shrinking capping system that ensures a high evapotranspiration rate to decrease the infiltration rate through the

Intensive vegetable production in greenhouses has rapidly expanded in China since the 1990s and increased to 1.3 million ha of farmland by 2016, which is the highest in the world. We conducted an 11‐year greenhouse vegetable production experiment from 2002 to 2013 to observe soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics under three management systems, i.e., conventional (CON), integrated (ING), and intensive

Background: The enhancement of zinc (Zn) concentration in cereal crops without compromising yield is a global challenge with crucial health and food security implications.

The contribution of N remobilization is crucial for new shoots growth and quality formation during spring tea shoots development. However, the translocation mechanism of N from source leaves to sink young shoots is not well understood. In the present study, 15N urea was applied to mature tea leaves one week before bud break to track N remobilization in a field experiment. The dynamic changes in plant

The availability of nitrogen (N) contained in crop residues for a following crop may vary with cultivar, depending on root traits and the interaction between roots and soil. We used a pot experiment to investigate the effects of six spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (three old varieties introduced before mid last century and three modern varieties) and N fertilization on the ability of

The objective of this study was to determine 13‐year management effects on soil properties between a corn–soybean (Zea mays–Glycine max) cropping system (CSRS) and vegetable production systems (VPS) on a soil in central Ohio. Three treatments included in the VPS were: (1) addition of wood chips, (2) permanent raised beds (PRB) with black polyethylene film (20 μm thick), and (3) bare soil surface (BSS)

Today, a large share of mineral fertilizer is substituted by biogas digestates. Biogas digestates are known to promote N2O production, compared to mineral fertilizer. In particular, the initial phase following fertilizer application is crucial for the N gas release as N2O and also N2. However, this period impact has been rarely investigated, especially not across various field sites. Thus, undisturbed

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore interactive effects between quality (types) and quantity (application rates) of biochar as well as of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis on the growth of potato plants.

Thermal utilization of sewage sludge through mono‐incineration or gasification results in phosphorus (P) rich sewage sludge ash (SSA) that must be returned to agricultural production systems to fulfill the need for recycling of P resources contained in wastewater streams. As the plant‐availability of P contained in SSA is low, we propose feeding SSA directly into the production of superphosphate fertilizers

Phosphorus (P) fluxes from forest soils are not well understood. For temperate zone forests, there is some evidence from watershed studies that P export occurs mainly in preferential flow pathways during storm events after dry periods. Therefore, we tested the practical applicability of a sampling approach, which should allow for quantifying P concentrations and fluxes. We used zero‐tension lysimeters

Total Zn in fertilizer is a poor predictor of Zn availability in granular fertilizers. In this study, we compared different extraction methods using Zn fertilizers for which the agronomic effectiveness had previously been determined. Sixteen fertilizers were extracted by eight different procedures using five extractant solutions: water, 1 M ammonium acetate (pH 7.0), 74 mM EDTA (pH 7.0), 5 mM DTPA

Background: Nitrogen losses is an economic problem for wheat production and a high risk to the environment. Therefore, improved N fertilizer management is a key to increasing the N efficiency and minimizing N losses. To increase N efficiency, enhanced fertilizers such as urea combined with urease inhibitor can be used.

Of critical importance to plants is the ability to secure adequate photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for functioning, growth and reproduction. The Opuntia genus represents plants that produce new cladodes (=pads, the primary photosynthetic surface) annually and whose orientation is a response to PAR. Because of the great variability in orientation, I assess pad orientation and tilt at highly

The present study assessed the accuracy of twenty-three available globally and regionally gridded precipitation products over Iran. The datasets were classified into five different categories based on the data sources used: gauge-only, gauge-satellite, gauge-reanalysis, reanalysis-only, and gauge-satellite-reanalysis. By considering monthly rain gauge observation data as reference, the above precipitation