Prediction and Analysis of Total Nitrogen in a Sewage Treatment Plant Effluent

Total nitrogen was an important indicator for characterizing eutrophication of polluted water. Although the use of water quality online monitoring instrument can monitor water quality changes in real time, the degree of intelligence was low, so it was urgent to predict the water quality and take precautions in advance. A predictive model for total nitrogen levels in a sewage treatment plant utilizing the Anaerobic-Anoxic-Oxic (AAO) process was investigated in this paper. This model demonstrated significant practical application value. Based on the ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model and taking into account the impact of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), a prediction model for effluent total nitrogen was developed. However, the initial results exhibited significant deviations. To address this issue, seasonal factors were further considered. Then, the dataset was divided into winter and Non-winter sub-samples, leading to a reconstruction of the prediction model. Additionally, in developing the Non-winter prediction model, life cycle considerations were incorporated, and consequently, a SARIMA (Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model was established. The predicting deviation associated with both the winter and Non-winter forecasting models showed a significant reduction.

Distribution Characteristics of Soil Total Nitrogen in Low-efficiency Forest Land in the Northern Windy Desert Area of Jingbian County

[Objectives]The paper was to investigate the distribution characteristics of soil total nitrogen in low-efficiency forest land in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County.[Methods]The distribution of soil total nitrogen in the 0-40 cm soil layer of 5 towns in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County was studied through field sampling and laboratory detection.[Results]The average soil total nitrogen contents of Hongdunjie Town,Haizetan Town,Huanghaojie Town,Ningtiaoliang Town,Dongkeng Town and windy desert area in the 0-20 cm soil layer were 0.259,0.224,0.242,0.248,0.431 and 0.275 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Dongkeng Town was higher than those in other towns,while there was little difference among other regions.The average total nitrogen contents in the 20-40 cm soil layer were 0.239,0.285,0.113,0.262,0.349 and 0.241 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Huanghaojie Town was slightly lower than those in other towns,while that in Dongkeng town was higher.The variation coefficient of soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was greater than 30%,and there was great difference in spatial distribution.With the increase of soil depth,there was little change in soil total nitrogen content,namely the soil total nitrogen contents in 5 towns and windy desert area were not statistically different in the 0-40 cm soil layer.According to the nutrient grading standard of the second national soil survey,the soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was in the deficiency grade.[Conclusions]The research will provide a scientific guidance for the healthy and sustainable development of vegetation in arid regions.

Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in Rubber Plantations Soil at Different Age Stages in the Western Region of Hainan Island

[Objective]The aim was to study on the characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in rubber （Hevea brasiliensis Muell-Arg） plantations at different age stages in the western region of Hainan Island,so as to evaluate the ecological benefits of rubber plantations and provide basic data for studying the effect of tropical land utilization/cover change on the global carbon and nitrogen cycle. [Method]The situs was in Danzhou city,western region of Hainan Island,and the samples were four kinds of rubber plantations soil at different ages and one kind of control check （pepper,Piper nigrum L.） soil. In this research,four quadrats were set up in each sample,and the size of each was 20 cm×20 cm. Four specimens were gathered from four layers of 0-15,15-30,30-45,45-60,and the average of them was the last analysis result of each sample. Soil density was measured by cutting ring method,soil containing and hygroscopic water was detected by oven drying method,soil organic carbon （SOC） was measured by low temperature heated outside potassium dichromate oxidation-colorimetry method,and soil total nitrogen （STN） was detected by semimicro Kjeldahl method. [Result]SOC contents of different layers in rubber plantations soil at different age stages （including the CK pepper soil,the same as below） varied little,and the content of SOC in surface layer （0-15 cm） was higher,while the underlayer （45-60 cm） was lower than the average value; there was significant difference in SOC content among different kinds of soil,and the content was of 6.03-7.78 g/kg,tapping young trees （7 years） CK pepper mature age trees （30 years） prophase of young trees （2 years） tapping trees （16 years）; there was no significant difference in SOC storage among different kinds of soil,and the storage was of 61.33-74.29 t/hm2,mature age trees （30 years） tapping young trees （7 years） prophase of young trees （2 years） CK pepper tapping trees （16 years）; there was significant difference in STN content among rubber plantations soil at different age stages,the content was of 410.86-664.14 mg/kg2,CK pepper tapping young trees （7 years） prophase of young trees （2 years） mature age trees （30 years） tapping trees （16 years）,and STN content of tapping trees （16 years） soil was extremely lowest; there was significant difference in C/N ratio among different kinds of soil,the ratio was of 10.94-14.47,and the ratio of tapping trees （16 years） mature age trees （30 years） tapping young trees （7 years） CK pepper prophase of young trees （2 years）. [Conclusion]There wasn＇t unhealthy effect of rubber trees planted in tropical area on the content and storage of SOC,the content of STN and the ratio of C/N. there was no significant difference between rubber plantations and CK pepper soil,and the effects of rubber plantation on soil carbon-nitrogen was similar to that of other tropical crops （such as pepper）.

Variation Dynamics of Total Nitrogen and Nicotine of Burley Tobacco at Various Growing Stages under Different Nitrogen Nutrition Levels

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the variation dynamics of total nitrogen and nicotine of burtey tobacco at various growing stages under different ni- trogen nutrition levels to provide reference for optimizing fertilization technologies for burley tobacco. [Method] Fresh burley tobacco leaves were collected at various growing stages and dried to measure the content of total nitrogen, protein and nico- tine by using INTEGRAL automated chemical analyzer and analyze the correlation with nitrogen application level. [Result] Regardless of the nitrogen application level, the content of total nitrogen and protein showed a downward trend since root ex- tending stage and reached the minimum at mature stage; the content of nicotine showed an upward trend since early vigorous growing stage and increased to the maximum at mature stage; the content of total nitrogen, protein and nicotine all in- creased after air curing; the content of total nitrogen, protein and nicotine showed positive correlation with nitrogen application level, while total nitrogen/nicotine was negatively correlated. The results indicate that nitrogen level is closely related to the total nitrogen and nicotine of burley tobacco at growing period and post-air curing, rational application of nitrogen is an important measure to regulate the content of total nitrogen and nicotine of tobacco. [Conclusion] This study provides scientific ba- sis for rational fertilization of burley tobacco.

Analysis on Variation of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Content and Carbon Storage in the Oasis Cotton Field of Manas River Valley

Objective] The research aimed to study soil organic carbon and total ni-trogen distribution in oasis cotton farmland. [Method] With the oasis cotton field of Manas River Val ey in Tianshan Mountains as the research area and abandoned farmland as a control, the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content in the cotton field of Manas River Val ey in the last 23 years were investigated by using geographic methods. [Result] Presenting vertical distribution, cotton soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content in Manas River Val ey de-creased with the increase of soil depth, and those in 0-30 cm soil layer was sig-nificantly higher than those in soil layer of below 30 cm, while organic carbon stor-age showed the trend of increase. Also in vertical distribution, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen decreased significantly with the increase of soil depth, and soil organic carbon content in abandoned farmland decreased month by month. Howev-er, cotton soil organic carbon storage firstly decreased and then increased in the oasis cotton field that in the early growth of cotton, soil organic carbon in the layers of 0-30 and 30-100 cm decreased to the lowest in the bloom stage, and then or-ganic carbon increased with the reproductive growth of cotton into the later stages. However, due to no input of plant litter in the abandoned farmland, the soil organic carbon storage decreased month by month. There were significantly differences be-tween oasis cotton field and abandoned farmland in organic carbon contents. [Con-clusion] The soil organic carbon content and total nitrogen content in oasis cotton field were significantly higher than those in the abandoned farmland. The soil organ-ic carbon storage increased in the layer of 0-30 cm, while there was no significant change of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content in the layer of 30-100 cm, which was consistent with the previous study on the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content profile.

Characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen under various grassland types along a transect in a mountain-basin system in Xinjiang, China

Soil organic carbon （SOC） and soil total nitrogen （STN） in arid regions are important components of global C and the N cycles, and their response to climate change will have important implications for both ecosystem processes and global climate feedbacks. Grassland ecosystems of Funyun County in the southern foot of the Altay Mountains are characterized by complex topography, suggesting large variability in the spatial distribution of SOC and STN. However, there has been little investigation of SOC and STN on grasslands in arid regions with a mountain-basin structure. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of SOC and STN in different grassland types in a mountain-basin system at the southern foot of the Altai Mountains, north of the Junggar Basin in China, and explored their potential influencing factors and relationships with meteorological factors and soil properties. We found that the concentrations and storages of SOC and STN varied significantly with grassland type, and showed a decreasing trend along a decreasing elevation gradient in alpine meadow, mountain meadow, temperate typical steppe, temperate steppe desert, and temperate steppe desert. In addition, the SOC and STN concentrations decreased with depth, except in the temperate desert steppe. According to Pearson＇s correlation values and redundancy analysis, the mean annual precipitation, soil moisture content and soil available N concentration were significantly positively correlated with the SOC and STN concentrations. In contrast, the mean annual temperature, pH, and soil bulk density were significantly and negatively correlated with the SOC and STN concentrations. The mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature were the primary factors related to the SOC and STN concentrations. The distributions of the SOC and STN concentrations were highly regulated by the elevation-induced differences in meteorological factors. Mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature together explained 97.85% and 98.38% of the overall variations in the SOC and STN concentrations, respectively, at soil depth of 0-40 cm, with precipitation making the greatest contribution. Our results provide a basis for estimating and predicting SOC and STN concentrations in grasslands in arid regions with a mountain-basin structure.

^137Cs tracing dynamics of soil erosion,organic carbon,and total nitrogen in terraced fields and forestland in the Middle Mountains of Nepal

The Middle Mountains is one of the regions of Nepal most vulnerable to water erosion, where fragile geology, steep topography, anomalous climatic conditions, and intensive human activity have resulted in serious soil erosion and enhanced land degradation. Based on the 137 Cs tracing method, spatial variations in soil erosion, organic carbon, and total nitrogen(TN) in terraced fields lacking field banks and forestland were determined. Soil samples were collected at approximately 5 m and 20 m intervals along terraced field series and forestland transects respectively. Mean 137 Cs inventories of the four soil cores from the reference site was estimated at 574.33 ± 126.22 Bq m-2(1 Bq(i.e., one Becquerel) is equal to 1 disintegration per second(1 dps)). For each terrace, the 137 Cs inventory generally increased fromupper to lower slope positions, accompanied by a decrease in the soil erosion rate. Along the entire terraced toposequence, 137 Cs data showed that abrupt changes in soil erosion rates could occur between the lower part of the upper terrace and the upper part of the immediate terrace within a small distance. This result indicated that tillage erosion is also a dominant erosion type in the sloping farmland of this area. At the same time, we observed a fluctuant decrease in soil erosion rates for the whole terraced toposequence as well as a net deposition at the toe terrace. Although steep terraces(lacking banks and hedgerows) to some extent could act to limit soil sediment accumulation in catchments, soil erosion in the terraced field was determined to be serious. For forestland, with the exception of serious soil erosion that had taken place at the top of slopes due to concentrated flows from a country road situated above the forestland site, spatialvariation in soil erosion was similar to the "standard" water erosion model. Soil organic carbon(SOC) and TN inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the 137 Cs inventory for both toposequences investigated. However, due to the different dominant erosion processes between the two, we found similar patterns between the <0.002 mm soil particle size fraction(clay sized) and 137 Cs inventories in terraced fields, while different patterns could be found between 137 Cs inventories and the <0.002 mm soil particle size fraction in the forestland site. Such results confirm that 137 Cs can successfully trace soil erosion, SOC and soil nitrogen dynamics in steep terraced fields and forestland in the Middle Mountains of Nepal.

Distribution Characteristics of Soil Organic Matter and Total Nitrogen on the Yajiageng Vertical Belt,Gongga Mountain around the Dadu River Banks

Distribution characteristics of soil organic matter（SOM） and total nitrogen（TN） were studied in different plant communities of the Yajiageng vertical belt in Gongga Mountain around the Dadu River banks. The results show： （1） the contents of SOM and TN of the plant communities gradually decreased with the following order： subalpine coniferous forest （3 027 m）, subalpine meadow （3 873 m）, coniferous broadleaved mixed forest（2 737 m）, subalpine shrub（3 565 m） and treeline（3 564 m）. （2） With soil profile depth increasing, the contents of SOM and TN gradually decreased. For different vegetation types, the contents of SOM and TN in sub-alpine coniferous forest were higher than that of other vegetational types. （3）The ratio of the content of carbon to the content of total nitrogen （Cc/CTN）WaS 13.5-27.6, which was relatively lower than the appropriate Cc/CTN of 25-30, and indicated that the soil in favor of the organic matter decomposed and nutrients released. Cc/CTN in the soil had no correlation with sea level altitude. However, its distribution in the soil x, aried with different vegetation types. （4） Nitrogen in SOM existed mainly in the form of organic nitrogen, and Cc/CTN in the soil was not obvious correlated with SOM and TN.

Development of a Novel Feedforward Neural Network Model Based on Controllable Parameters for Predicting Effluent Total Nitrogen

The problem of effluent total nitrogen(TN)at most of the wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)in China is important for meeting the related water quality standards,even under the condition of high energy consumption.To achieve better prediction and control of effluent TN concentration,an efficient prediction model,based on controllable operation parameters,was constructed in a sequencing batch reactor process.Compared with previous models,this model has two main characteristics:①Superficial gas velocity and anoxic time are controllable operation parameters and are selected as the main input parameters instead of dissolved oxygen to improve the model controllability,and②the model prediction accuracy is improved on the basis of a feedforward neural network(FFNN)with algorithm optimization.The results demonstrated that the FFNN model was efficiently optimized by scaled conjugate gradient,and the performance was excellent compared with other models in terms of the correlation coefficient(R).The optimized FFNN model could provide an accurate prediction of effluent TN based on influent water parameters and key control parameters.This study revealed the possible application of the optimized FFNN model for the efficient removal of pollutants and lower energy consumption at most of the WWTPs.

Effects of degradation succession of alpine wetland on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the Yellow River source zone,west China

Wetland is an important carbon pool,and the degradation of wetlands causes the loss of organic carbon and total nitrogen.This study aims to explore how wetland degradation succession affects soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)contents in alpine wetland.A field survey of 180 soilsampling profiles was conducted in an alpine wetland that has been classified into three degradation succession stages.The SOC and TN contents of soil layers from 0 to 200 cm depth were studied,including their distribution characteristics and the relationship between microtopography.The results showed that SOC and TN of different degradation succession gradients followed the ranked order of Non Degradation(ND)>Light Degradation(LD)>Heavy Degradation(HD).SWC was positively correlated with SOC and TN(p<0.05).As the degree of degradation succession worsened,SOC and TN became more sensitive to the SWC.Microtopography was closely related to the degree of wetland degradation succession,SWC,SOC and TN,especially in the topsoil(0-30 cm).This result showed that SWC was an important indicator of SOC/TN in alpine wetland.It is highly recommended to strengthen water injection into the wetland as a means of effective restoration to reverse alpine meadow back to marsh alpine wetland.

Characteristics of soil organic carbon andtotal nitrogen storages for differentland-use types in Central Yunnan Plateau

Two-factor analysis of variance and redundancy analysis were used to analyze the characte-ristics of soil organic carbon total nitrogen storage in garden land,forestland,grassland,farmland,and bare land in the Dachunhe watershed of Jinning District,Kunming City,Yunnan Province,China.The effects of the soil organic carbon,total nitrogen stratification ratio,soil physical and chemical factors on the storage characteristics of organic carbon and total nitrogen of different land-use types were analyzed.The results show that the rates of carbon and nitrogen stratification in soil from 0-20 cm and 40-60 cm of the same land-use types differed are statistically significant(P<0.05).The organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratio SR1 of garden land soil are 38.5%and 25.3%,respectively,which are higher than SR^(2).The soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratio SR^(2) of different land-use types are greater than SR1.There are statistically significant differences in the SR^(2) soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratios(P<0.05).Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage of diffe-rent land-use types gradually decrease with increasing soil depth,with the maximum soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in the 0-20 cm soil layer.Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen sto-rage at the same soil depth are significantly different(P<0.05).Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in the garden land are greater than those in the other land-use types.Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in 0-20 cm garden land are 4.96 and 3.19 times than those in bare land,respectively;soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage are explained by 93.66%and 1.53%in redundancy analysis RDA1 and RDA2,respectively.All physicochemical factors except Available Phosphorus and pH are statistically significance with carbon and nitrogen storage(P<0.05).Soil cationic exchange capacity,Available Phosphorus,C/N ratio,and Moisture Content are positively correlated with organic carbon and total nitrogen storage.In contrast,soil Bulk Density is negatively correlated with organic carbon storage and total nitrogen storage.Available Phosphorus,C/N ratio,and Moisture Content are the main factors promoting soil organic carbon and total nitrogen accumulation.

The enrichments of organic matter and total nitrogen in sediment as affected by relavant factors

Serious soil erosion has already resulted in degradation of the Loess Plateau of China. Soil erosion is commonly accompanied by extensive soil nutrient loss. Because of enrichment processes,sediment nutrient content is often higher than that of natural soil. The objective of this study is to determine the enrichments of organic matter and total nitrogen in sediment in hilly and gully loess areas on the Loess Plateau of China. Measurements of enrichment ratios (ER) of organic matter (EROM) and total nitrogen (ERTN) in sediment as affected by rainfall, slope gradient, tillage, and fertilization were made in the field under natural rainfall conditions. The results showed that the enrichment of clay in sediment resulted in the enrichment of organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (TN) in sediment. The averages of sediment clay ER, EROM and ERTN for the various slope gradients were 1.77, 2.09 and 1.61, respectively. The soil erosive module was negatively correlated with EROM and ERTN. Our results indicate that measures to reduce soil erosion, i.e. reducing rainfall erosivity, decreasing soil slope gradient, decreasing fertilizer use, and using level trenches, may increase EROM and ERTN. Both quantity and quality of sediment yield should be considered when implementing erosion control measures.

Residue management induced changes in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen under different tillage practices in the North China Plain

Crop residue retention has been considered a practicable strategy to improve soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN),but the effectiveness of residue retention might be different under varied tillage practices.To evaluate the effects of residue management on the distribution and stocks of SOC and TN under different tillage practices,a bifactorial experiment with three levels for tillage practices(no-tillage,rotary tillage,and conventional tillage)and two levels for residue managements(residue retention and residue removal)was conducted in the North China Plain(NCP).Results showed that after a short experimental duration(3–4 years),concentrations of SOC and TN in the 0–10 cm layer were higher under no-tillage than under conventional tillage,no matter whether crop residues were retained or not.Residue retention increased SOC and TN concentrations in the upper layers of soil to some degree for all tillage practices,as compared with residue removal,with the greatest increment of SOC concentration occurred in the 0–10 cm layer under rotary tillage,but in the 10–30 cm layer under conventional tillage.The stocks of SOC in the 0–50 cm depth increased from 49.89 Mg ha–1 with residue removal to 53.03 Mg ha–1 with residue retention.However,no-tillage did not increase SOC stock to a depth of 50 cm relative to conventional tillage,and increased only by 5.35%as compared with rotary tillage.Thus,residue retention may contribute more towards SOC sequestration than no-tillage.Furthermore,the combination between residue retention and no-tillage has the greatest advantage in enhancing SOC and TN in the NCP region.

Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen, and C/N Ratio in Chinese Apple Orchards

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen are used as indexes of soil quality assessment and sustainable land use management. At the same time, soil C/N ratio is a sensitive indicator of soil quality and for assessing the carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils. We studied the characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen by investigating a large number of apple orchards in major apple production areas in China. High apple orchard soil organic carbon content was observed in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, and Yunnan, whereas low content was found in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi, with the values ranging between 6.44 and 7.76 g·kg-1. Similar to soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen content also exhibited obvious differences in the 12 major apple producing provinces. Shandong apple orchard soil had the highest total nitrogen content (1.26 g·kg-1), followed by Beijing (1.23 g·kg-1). No significant difference was noted between these two regions, but their total nitrogen content was significantly higher than the other nine provinces, excluding Yunnan. The soil total nitrogen content for Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, and Gansu was between 0.87 and 1.03 g·kg-1, which was significantly lower than that in Shandong and Beijing, but significantly higher than that in Liaoning, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. Six provinces exhibited apple orchard soil C/N ratio higher than 10, including Heilongjiang (15.42), Xinjiang (13.38), Ningxia (14.45), Liaoning (12.24), Yunnan (11.03), and Gansu (10.63). The soil C/N ratio was below 10 in the remaining six provinces, in which the highest was found in Shaanxi (9.47), followed by Beijing (8.98), Henan (7.99), and Shanxi (7.62), and the lowest was found in Hebei (6.80) and Shandong (6.05). Therefore, the improvement of soil organic carbon should be given more attention to increase the steady growth of soil C/N ratio.

Effects of Tillage Methods on Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Content in the Loess Plateau

In order to determine whether long-term no-tillage operation in the loess plateau threatens soil fertility and crop yield,a suitable high-yield and efficient tillage technology system was established.In the Changwu loess plateau agri-Gecological experiment station of the Northwest A&F University of Changwu County,Shaanxi Province,the no-tillage experimental field for three consecutive years was selected.In September 2015,no-tillage,tillage,and rotary tillage were carried out before winter wheat was sowed.After the harvest of winter wheat in2016,soil organic carbon,total nitrogen and wheat yield in 0-30 cm soil layers under different tillage methods were analyzed.The results showed that the soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents in the 0-30 cm soil layer decreased along the profile under the three tillage methods.In this study,the soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content in the 0-10 cm soil layer under different tillage methods were no-tillage>rotary tillage>tillage,the actual yield of winter yield in one hectare was tillage>rotary tillage>no-tillage,and there was significant difference in the actual yield of winter wheat only between the no-tillage and tillage.

Estimating Total Nitrogen Content in Brown Soil of Orchard Based on Hyperspectrum

The best hyperspectral estimation model of soil total nitrogen (TN) was established, which provided the basis for rapid and accurate estimation of soil total nitrogen content, scientific and rational fertilization and soil informatization management. A total of 92 brown soil samples were collected from the orchard of Qixia County, Yantai City, Shandong Province. After drying and grinding, the hyperspectrum of the soil was measured in the laboratory using ASD FieldSpec3. The TN contents of brown soil were measured by Kjeldahl method. The sensitive wavelengths were selected by multiple linear stepwise regression method. The hyperspectral estimation model of TN was established by Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The models were validated by independent samples. The best estimation model was obtained. The sensitive wavelengths were 956 nm, 995 nm, 1020 nm, 1410 nm, 1659 nm and 2020 nm. The coefficients of determination (R2) of the two estimation models were 0.8011 and 0.8283, the root mean square errors (RMSE) were 0.022 and 0.025, and relative errors (RE) were 0.1422 and 0.1639, respectively. Random Forest model and Support Vector Machines model are feasible in estimating TN contents, but the Support Vector Machines model is better.

Assessment of soil quality using soil organic carbon and total nitrogen and microbial properties in tropical agroecosystems

Assessment of soil quality is an invaluable tool in determining the sustainability and environmental impact of agricultural ecosystems. The study was conducted to assess the quality of the soils under arable cultivation, locally irri-gated and non-irrigated, forestry plantations of teak (Tectona grandis Lin.) and gmelina (Gme- lina arborea Roxb.), and cashew (Anacardium occidentale Lin.) plantation agro ecosystems using soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total ni-trogen (STN) and soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) and N (SMBN) at Minna in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from soil depths of 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm in all the agro ecosystems and analyzed for physical, chemical and biological properties. All the agro ecosystems had similar loamy soil texture at both depths. The soils have high fer-tility status in terms of available phosphorus and exchangeable calcium, magnesium and po- tassium. The irrigated arable land had significantly (P 6.6 suggesting fungal domination in all the agroecosystems. The forestry plantation soils had higher SMBC and SMBN as a per-centage of SOC and STN respectively than the cultivated arable land soils. Burning for clearing vegetation and poor stocking of forestry planta-tions may impair the quality of the soil. The study suggests that the locally irrigated agro- ecosystem soil seems to be of better quality than the other agroecosystem soils.

Effect of Salinity on the Growth Performance, Body Composition, Antioxidant Indexes of Perinereis aibuhitensis and Total Nitrogen in the Substrate

In this study, the effects of different salinity levels (9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, and 33) on the growth performance, body composition, antioxidant indexes of Perinereis aibuhitensis (initial average mass, 20.4 ± 0.3 mg) and total nitrogen in the substrate were investigated. The survival rate, specific growth rate, feed coefficient, and protein efficiency ratio under different salinity levels were measured. The results showed that the survival rate of P. aibuhitensis at the salinity level of 9 was significantly lower than that of P. aibuhitensis at other salinity levels (P P. aibuhitensis at other salinity levels was not significant (P > 0.05). On the basis of quadratic polynomial fitting of the relationship between salinity levels and the specific growth rate, feed coefficient, and protein efficiency ratio, it was concluded that 25.36 - 25.9 is the most suitable salinity range for the growth performance of P. aibuhitensis. The main body composition (moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and ash content) was measured at different salinity levels. The results indicated that, with the increase in salinity, the moisture content of P. aibuhitensis decreased gradually;in contrast, the ash content increased gradually, as the salinity level increased. However, in the salinity range of 18 to 33, the difference in ash content was not significant (P > 0.05). Salinity had a significant influence on the crude protein content (P P. aibuhitensis specimens were cultured for 60 days was higher than the total nitrogen in the soil. With an increase in salinity, the total nitrogen content first decreased and then increased, and the lowest value was observed at the salinity level of about 24.

Is There Any Correlation Between Landscape Characteristics and Total Nitrogen in Wetlands Receiving Agricultural Drainages?

In the case of increasing fragmentation of wetlands, the study of the relationship between wetland landscape characteristics and total nitrogen(TN) in water is of great significance to reveal the mechanism of wetland water purification. Taking the Naoli River(NR) wetlands in Northeast China as the research object, 10 uniformly distributed sampling sites in the study area were sampled in August 2015 to test the TN concentration and interpret the images of NR wetlands in the same period. Taking the sampling site as the control point, the whole wetlands were divided into 10 regions, and the landscape index of each region was extracted. In order to reveal whether the landscape characteristics are related to the TN concentration in the wetlands water body, the landscape index and the TN concentration in the control point water body were analyzed by correlation analysis, step-by-step elimination analysis and path analysis to reveal whether the landscape characteristics are related to the TN concentration under wetlands receiving agricultural drainages. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between four area indexes or eight shape indexes and TN concentration did not reach a significant correlation level(P > 0.05), indicating that TN removal was not only determined by a single landscape index. The path coefficient of edge density(ED) index is –0.41, indicating that wetland patch connectivity is the primary factor of TN removal, and there is no relationship between the larger patch area and the higher TN removal. The removal of TN in wetlands is restricted by the synergistic effect of landscape area and shape characteristics.