Tomato Growth and Organic Acid Changes in Response to Partial Replacement of NO_3^--N by NH_4^+-N

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effect of partial replacement of NO-3-N by NH4+-N on the seedling growth and organic acid content of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). A completely randomized design was established with three replications and five treatments, i.e., NO-3-N/NH4+-N of 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100. Results showed that 25% replacement of NO3--N by NH4+-N significantly (P = 0.05) improved fresh and dry weight, revealing that a proper percentage of NH4+-N was important for tomato nitrogen nutrition. This could increase the plant growth even though tomato was a crop that preferred nitrate nutrition. Also an increase in the proportion of NH4+-N in the nutrient solution led to a significant decrease (P = 0.05) in malate, citrate and fumarate. However, the 25% NH4+-N plus 75% NO3--N treatment had no significant effect (P = 0.05) on the 2-ketoglutarate, succinate or oxalic acid content, showing that only some organic acids in tomato plants were affected. Only pyruvate increased significantly (P = 0.05), and it only increased for 25% and 50% replacement of NO3--N by NH4+-N. Metabolism of these organic acids, especially malate, citrate and fumarate, should be further studied at the molecular level in vegetables applied with different nitrogen forms.

Soil Microbial Biomass Nitrogen and Its Relationship to Uptake of Nitrogen by Plants

The contents of the soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) in the soils sampled from the Loess Plateau of China were determined using chloroform fumigation aerobic incubation method (CFAIM), chloroform fumigation anaerobic incubation method (CFANIM) and chloroform fumigation-extraction method (CFEM).The N taken up by ryegrass on the soils was determined after a glasshouse pot experiment. The flushes of nitrogen (FN) of the soils obtained by the CFAIM and CFANIM were higher than that by the CFEM, and there were significantly positive correlations between the FN obtained by the 3 methods. The N extracted from the fumigated soils by the CFAIM, CFANIM and CFEM were significantly positively correlated with the N uptake by ryegrass. The FN obtained by the 3 methods was also closely positively correlated with the plant N uptake. The contributions of the SMBN and mineral N and mineralized N during the incubation period to plant N uptake were evaluated with the multiple regression method. The results showed that the N contained in the soil microbial biomass might play a noticeable role in the N supply of the soils to the plant.

Dynamics of Soil Erosion in Xingguo County, China, Determined Using Remote Sensing and GIS

The spatial and temporal dynamics of soil erosion in Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province, China were studied using multi-period remote sensing images and GIS. The results indicated that the soil erosion status of the region has been improving, particularly since the 1980s, with the erosion rate showing an evident decline over the past 30 years. The improvement showed not only in the decline of eroded soil area, but also with the reduction in the extent of erosion. The extent of erosion mainly changed by one level, and the change primarily occurred with the severely or moderately eroded soil types. However, in general, soil erosion was still an overriding problem in the region with some areas becoming more serious, especially those with large quantities of granite.

Factors Influencing Runoff P Losses from Farmlands of the Dianchi Lake Watershed in Yunnan, China

Effects of factors such as slope, surface soil textuie, fertilization andcrop cover with different rainfall intensities on phosphorus (P) losses in farmland runoff of theDianchi Lake Watershed in Yunnan Province of China were studied through a rainfall simulation testusing a red soil, one of the most widely distributed soils of the study area. Results showed thatthe runoff concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and P losses differed with the slope, beinghighest when the slope was 18 deg. At twodifferent rainfall intensities, the runoff TP and P losseshad a similar decreasing trend as the surface soil texture became coarser, therefore applying thegrit would decrease P in runofi from soils of farmland on slopes with heavier textures. With wheatas a crop cover the runoff TP concentrations and P losses were significantly lower than those of thebare soil. This showed that plant cover would greatly decrease P in runoff from the farmland of thestudy area. The TP concentration in runoff from the soil two days after fertilization doubled whencompared with that from the non-fertilized soil, indicating that fertilization could mean a dramaticrise in P runoff if irrigation or heavy rainfall occurred immediately after application and that nofertilization before a rain and no irrigation immediately after fertilization would reduce runoff Ploss from the farmland of the study area.

Binding of pyrene to dissolved organic matters: fractionation and characterization

Based on a modified Leenheer DOM fractionation scheme, fractionation of DOM from the paddy soil was conducted by using XAD-8 resin into hydrophobic bases(HOB), hydrophobic acids(HOA), acid-insoluble matter(AIM), hydrophobic neutrals(HON) and hydrophilic matter(HIM). In total carbon content of DOM, 35.32% were the HIM and only 0.73% the HOB. However, HOA and AIM altogether occupied 53.45%, while the HON fraction represented 10%. The sorption experiments were conducted to determine the sorption capacity of pyrene on unfractionated DOM and its fractions. Elemental analysis, 1H-NMR and FTIR spectra were carried out on unfractionated DOM and its fractions to examine the relationship between the structure of DOM and partition coefficients(K oc). The results showed that HON had a greater affinity for binding pyrene than other fractions. While HON was characterized by large long-chain alkylate (aliphatic structure). AIM exhibited relative higher K oc values than HOA and HIM, due to much aromatic structure in AIM, while the high content of carboxylic groups of HOA and HIM depressed their binding capacity. This study demonstrated HON is a key subcomponents of DOM in binding of pyrene, in other words, aliphalic structure in DOM play an important role in binding of pyrene.

Effect of Fertilization on Soil Fertility and Wheat Yield of Dryland in the Loess Plateau

Long-term fertility experiments have become an important tool for investigating the sustainability of cropping systems. Therefore, a long-term (18-year) fertilization experiment was conducted in Changwu County, Shaanxi Province, China, to ascertain the effect of the long-term application of chemical fertilizers and manure on wheat yield and soil fertility in the Loess Plateau, so as to provide a scientific basis for sustainable land management. The experiment consisted of nine fertilizer treatments with thr…

Nitrogen Recommendations for Summer Maize in Northern China Using the N_min Test and Rapid Plant Tests

A field experiment with a split-plot design was carried out at Dongbeiwang Farm in Beijing Municipality to establish reliable N fertilizer recommendation indices for summer maize (Zea mays L.) in northern China using the soil Nmin (mineral N) test as well as the plant nitrate and SPAD (portable chlorophyll meter readings) tests. The results showed that Nmin sollwert (NS) 60 kg N ha-1 at the third leaf stage and N rate of 40 to 120 kg N ha-1 at the tenth leaf stage could meet the N requirement of summer maiz…

Nitrification Potential of Soils Under Liquid Incubation Conditions

A red soil, a fluvo-aquic soil and a permeable paddy soil were used in a long-term investigation to study changes in nitrification with treatments: 1) soil incubation, 2) liquid incubation inoculated with soil samples, and 3) liquid incubation inoculated with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) from the soils. There were significant differences (P < 0.001) in nitrification rates among the three soils when measured for 28 days by adding (NH4)SO4 at the rate of 154 mg N kg-1 dry soil to fresh soil. However, t…

Modeling Methane Emission from Rice Paddy Soils:Ⅱ.Model Validation and Application

A simulation model developed by the authors (Huang et al., 1999) was validated against independent field measurements of methane emission from rice paddy soils in Texas of USA, Tuzu Of China and Vercelli of Italy.A simplified version of the simulation model was further validated against methane emission measurements from various regions of the world, including italy, China, Indonesia, Philippines and the United States. Model validation suggested that the seasonal variation of methane emission was mainly regulated by rice growth and development and that methane emission could be predicted from rice net productivity, cultivar character, soil texture and temperature, and organic matter amendments. Model simulations in general agreed with the observations. The comparison between computed and measured methane emission resulted in correlation coefficients r2 values from 0.450 to 0.952, significant at 0.01-0.001 probability level.On the basis of available information on rice cultivated area, growth duration, grain yield, soil texture and temperature, methane emission from rice paddy soils of China's Mainland was estimated for 28 rice cultivated provinces/municipal cities by employing the validated model. The calculated daily methane emission rates, on a provincial scale, ranged from 0.12 to 0.71 g m-2 with an average of 0.26 g m-2. A total amount of 7.92 Tg CH4 per year, ranging from 5.89 to 11.17 Tg year-1, was estimated to be released from Chinese rice paddy soils. Of the total, 45% was emitted from the single-rice growing season, and 19% and 36% were from the early-rice and the late-rice growing seasons, respectively. Approximately 70% of the total was emitted in the region located at latitude between 25°and 32°N. The emissions from rice fields in Sichuan and Hunan provinces were calculated to be 2.34 Tg year-1, accounting for approximately 30% of the total.

Effects of cracks and some key factors on emissions of nitrous oxide in paddy fields

Paddy field is a primary agricultural landscape in the south of China and is often regarded as one of main sources emitting nitrous oxide to atmosphere. The nitrous oxide emissions under a variety of paddy field practices, such as fertilization, flooding/draining management were investigated to study on agricultural activities on paddy field affect the dynamic process of the emission. Under no addition of fertilizers the average emission flux of nitrous oxide was 8 55 μg/(m 2·h) during the rice( Oryza Sativa L.) growth season. The results indicated that most of nitrous oxide emissions occurred during the crack forming and expansion period when paddy field was being drained. The diurnal emissions peak of nitrous oxide appeared at 20∶30 at night in cracked rice fields. The statistical analysis suggested that the correlation of nitrous oxide emissions flux( Y ) with soil water content( X 1), soil temperature( X 2), and E h( X 3), could be described in a regression equation: Y =-1498 95+2895 48 X 1+50 63 X 2-96 99 X 1· X 2+0 006 X 2· X 3 There were the different power equations to simulate the correlations between the everyday dynamic N 2O emissions and the mean surface area of cracks, mean volume and depth of cracks respectively during paddy soil drying by soil columns incubation experiments. Taken all together, the current study presented a dynamic analysis of nitrous oxide emission of paddy field under various conditions, therefore provided a basis for the management to balance between environmental effect and paddy field activities.

Assessment on the pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus of Beijing surface water based on GIS system and multivariate statistical approaches

This paper presented the characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in Beijing surface water during the survey. A significant difference was found out in concentration distribution of various parameters of nitrogen and phosphorus. Most water bodies in five water systems were polluted by total nitrogen with the content even up to 120 mg/L which was higher than exceeded the fifth class standard of national surface water quality standard GB3838-2002 except for several segments of Chaobaihe and Yongdinghe. Ammonia and phosphorus showed a similar tendency of distribution with higher content in Daqinghe, Beiyunhe and Jiyunhe water systems, but with relatively low concentrations in Chaobaihe and Yongdinghe water systems. Meanwhile, nitrate was found at comparatively low content(mostly less than 10 mg/L) and could fit for corresponding water quality requirements. Totally, the water quality of Daqinghe, Jiyunhe and Beiyunhe river systems as well as the lower reaches of Yongdinghe and Chaobaihe was contaminated seriously with high content of total nitrogen and phosphorus. Through multivariate statistical approaches, it can be concluded that total nitrogen, ammonia and total phosphorus was highly correlated to chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity, which explained the same pollution source from anthropogenic activities.

Synthesis of Novel Chitosan Microspheres Grafted with β-Cyclodextrins and Their Adsorption for Iodine for Antibacterial Activities

The novel chitosan microspheres grafted with beta-cyclodextrins (CMGC) wereprepared by means of the reaction of chitosan microspheres and mono-(6-p-tosyl)- beta-cyclodextrins(beta-CD-OTs-6). beta-CD-OTs-6 were gained by the reaction of p-toluenesul-fonyl chloride (TsCl) andbeta-cyclodextrins (beta-CDs). Their structures were proved by Fourier transform infrared spectralanalysis (FT-IR), X ray powder diffraction analysis, and ^(13)C NMR; the configuration of CMGC wascharacterized by scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and transmittance electron micrograph (TEM). Theinclusion complex of CMGC with iodine was prepared and its inclusion ability was studied. Theexperimental results showed that some iodine was included with CMGC and formed a stable inclusion.The stable complex of CMGC and iodine (CMGC-1) shows good antibacterial effect.

Kinetics of Nitrogen and Potassium Uptake by Various Rice Cultivars at Different Nitrogen Levels from Purple Soil

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen and potassium uptake by four rice cultivars. Results showed that the quadatic parabola relationship between biomass of rice and nitrogen levels was observed, with the maximum biomass at the nitrogen level of 150 mg kg-1.The rates of nitrogen and potassium uptake by the four rice cultivars depended on growth stage and rice cultivar with the maximum rate of N in Shanyou-63 and maximum rate of K in Kaiyou-5 (hybrid rice),respedively. The kinetics of nitrogen and potasssium uptake by rice plant could be quantitstively described by the following equations: y = a + blogt, y = ab + t1/2 and y = ae-bt. The b value in the equations was correlated significantly to the rates of nitrogen and potassium uptake (NR and KR, r=0.901**～0.990**),suggesting that the b value could be used to distinguish the index of nitrogen and potassium uptake capacity of rice. The maximum values of nitrogen uptake by plant (b value) and apparent recovery of fertilizer nitrogen were observed in Shanyou-63, and the minimum value in Eryou-6078. However, the capacity of potassium uptake (b value) by Kaiyou-5 ranked first and that by Shanyou-63 second. There was a significant linear relationship between nitrogen level and nitrogen uptake by rice, but a quadratic parabola relationship was found between nitrogen level and patassium uptake by rice. The application of nitrogen fertilizer decreased the ratios of potassium to nitrogen uptake by rice plant. The greatest reduction in the ratio was observed at high nitrogen level, and the least reduction was found in Kaiyou-5 and Shanyou-63 due to their greater ability to absorb potassium.

Characteristics of Phosphorous Adsorption and Desorption by Organo-Mineral Colloidal Complexes of Purple Paddy Soils

The kinetic characteristics of P adsorption and desorption by organo-mineral colloidal complexes (OMC)were studied using acid, calcareous and neutral purple paddy soils taken from Chongqing and Sichuan, China.The results showed that the P adsorption capacity of the organo-mineral colloidal complexes differed with the soil types, being higher for the acid and calcareous purple soils than for the neutral purple soils. Partial removal of the organic matter increased the adsorption capacity of the colloidal complexes. A very significant positive correlation was found between the amounts of P desorbed from OMC and the P saturation degrees.The P adsorption reaction was quick at the early stage and slowed later. The raise of temperature increased P adsorption capacity and P adsorption rate of the colloidal complexes. The adsorption processes could be described by the Elovich equation.

Multi-Suitability Evaluation of Cultivated Land in Houhu Farm Area Based on GIS and Niche-Fitness

The niche-fitness and limited factors of rice, wheat, cotton and rape inHouhu Farm area of Jianghan Plain are analyzed by weighted average model and limited factor model.The niche-fitness theory and GIS are applied to the research on multi-suitability evaluation. Thehigh values of the niche-fitness (the maximum is 0.958) indicate that the environmental conditionsbasically meet the requirements of crops in the area. Suitability evaluation of single crop showsthat the degrees of suitability are satisfactory. Comprehensive suitability evaluation shows thatthe acreage for grade 1 (highly suitable for cultivation) accounts for 18.16% of the totalcultivated land area, whereas the acreage for grade 3 (critically suitable) and grade 4 (unsuitable)only for 8.9%. The main factors limiting the potential land productivity are cation exchangecapacity (CEC), available phosphorus content and accessibility level of road.

Evaluation of Eco-Environmental Stability Based on GIS in Tibet, China

By making an evaluation index system and using Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) to determine the evaluation factor's weights, this paper builds the valuation model ofEco-environmental stability of Tibet and uses the overlay function of raster-GIS (geographicinformation systems) to make a result map and finds the distribution characteristics ofEco-environmental stability of Tibet based on the analysis of result map. The study shows that theEco-environmental stability of Tibet is almost good andthe unstable region which is only 9. 78% ofthe total area of Tibet is distributed in the middle and low reaches of Yarlung river. To protectthe Eco-environmental of the unstable area from farther degenerating, the government should pay moreattention on the Eco-environmental construction work on this area.

Effects of Water Regime and Straw Application in Paddy Rice Season on N2O Emission from Following Wheat Growing Season

A split-plot experiment in a rice-winter wheat rotation system was performed to study the effects of water regime and wheat straw application in rice-growing season on N2O emission from following wheat growing season. Water regime in the rice-growing season was designed as the conventional irrigation (flooding/drainage cycle) and the permanent flooding. Wheat straw was incorporated with three rates of 0, 225 and 450 g m-2 into the paddy soil for each water regime just before rice was transplanted. N2O emission was measured by static chamber-gas chromatograph method. Results from the variance analysis indicated that the permanent flooding in rice-growing season markedly enhanced N2O emission in following wheat growing season (P=0. 003), and that the effect of straw application on N2O emission was distinguished between two water regimes. Under the conventional irrigation, incoporation of wheat straw reduced N2O emission in the following wheat growing season, while there were no significant differences in the emission for the straw application rates of 225 and 450 g m-2. No significant differences in N2O emissions were observed among the three rates of straw application for the permanent flooding regime. In addition, the seasonal variation of N2O emission was regulated by soil temperature and moisture. The daily N2O flux (Y, mg m-2 d-1) can be quantitatively described by soil temperature (T, ℃) and moisture (W, WFPS %) asY=A0+A1T+A2W+A3W2(n=23, R2 ≥0. 4159** )or y=C0+C1W+C2W2(n=23,R2≥0. 4074** ). Compared with the effect of soil temperature on N2O emission, soil moisture was an important factor regulating the seasonal pattern of N2O emission.

Simulation and Prediction of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Jiangsu Province Based on Model and GIS Techniques

Based on the databases of soils, meteorology, crop production, and agricultural management, changes in the soil organic carbon (SOC) of agro ecosystems in Jiangsu Province were simulated by using a soil organic carbon model with a linkage of GIS. Four data sets of soil organic carbon measured from various field experiments in Jiangsu Province were used to validate the model. It was demonstrated that the model simulation in general agreed with the field measurements. Model simulation indicated that the SOC content in approximately 77% of the agricultural soils in Jiangsu Province has increased since the Second National Soil Survey completed in the early 1980s. Compared with the values in 1985, the SOC content in 2000 was estimated to increase by 1.03.0 g kg 1 for the north and the coastal areas of the province, and by 3.55.0 g kg 1 for the region of Tai Lake in the south. A slight decrease (about 0.51.5 g kg 1 ) was estimated for the central region of Jiangsu Province and the Nanjing Zhenjiang hilly area. Model prediction for 2010 A.D. under two scena rios, i.e., with 30 and 50% of the harvested crop straw incorporation, suggested that the SOC in Jiangsu Province would increase, and thus that the agricultural soils would have potential as organic carbon storage. The incorporation of crop straw into soils is of great benefit to increase soil carbon storage, consequently to benefit the control of the rise of atmospheric CO 2 concentration and to maintain the sustainable development of agriculture.

A quantitative analysis on the sources of dune sand in the Hulun Buir Sandy Land:application of stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) to the granulometric data

Quantitatively determining the sources of dune sand is one of the problems necessarily and urgently to be solved in aeolian landforms and desertification research. Based on the granulometric data of sand materials from the Hulun Buir Sandy Land, the paper employs the stepwise discriminant analysis technique (SDA) for two groups to select the principal factors determining the differences between surface loose sediments. The extent of similarity between two statistical populations can be described quantitatively by three factors such as the number of principal variables, Mahalanobis distance D 2 and confidence level 琢for F-test. Results reveal that: 1) Aeolian dune sand in the region mainly derives from Hailar Formation (Q 3 ), while fluvial sand and palaeosol also supply partially source sand for dunes; and 2) in the vicinity of Cuogang Town and west of the broad valley of the lower reaches of Hailar River, fluvial sand can naturally become principal supplier for dune sand.

Clomazone dissipation, adsorption and translocation in four paddy topsoils

Laboratory experiments about the dissipation, adsorption and translocation in four paddy topsoils were conducted in this paper. From the results it can be concluded as follows: the dissipation rate of clomazone differed greatly in different paddy soil derived from different parent materials. The half-lives for clomazone degradation in paddy soils ranged from 5.7 to 22.0 d. The order of clomazone dissipation rate was reddish yellow paddy soil > alluvial sandy paddy soil > yellow clayey paddy soil > purple sandy paddy soil. Clomazone sorption quantity was significantly correlated with organic carbon(R2=0.62) and clay content(R2=0.67) in the tested paddy soils. Positive correlation was found between apparent K d value and cation exchange content(CEC). The consequences for the adsorption of different soils were purple sandy paddy soil>yellow clayey paddy soil>reddish yellow paddy soil>alluvial sandy paddy soil. Under the simulated rainfall of 200 mm through four different unsaturated soil lysimeters over 24 h, clomazone was readily to be leached into lower surface soil and there was about 2.6%—4.2% of applied clomazone leached out of 20 cm cultivated soil layer. Translocation experiments showed that the order of clomazone leaching ability was: alluvial sandy paddy soil > reddish yellow paddy soil > yellow clayey paddy soil > purple sandy paddy soil. Simple regression results manifested that factors like CEC, organic carbon, clay, and adsorption rate constant had been negatively correlated with the percentage of clomazone loss from soil lysimeters.