Structure and function of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil microbial community respond differently to elevated ozone in field-planted wheat

To assess the responses of the soil microbial community to chronic ozone（O3）, wheat seedlings（Triticum aestivum Linn.） were planted in the field and exposed to elevated O3（e O3）concentration. Three treatments were employed：（1） Control treatment（CK）, AOT40 = 0;（2） O3-1, AOT40 = 1.59 ppm·h;（3） O3-2, AOT40 = 9.17 ppm·h. Soil samples were collected for the assessment of microbial biomass C, community-level physiological profiles（CLPPs）, and phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs）. EO3 concentration significantly reduced soil microbial carbon and changed microbial CLPPs in rhizosphere soil, but not in non-rhizosphere soil.The results of the PLFAs showed that e O3 concentrations had significant effects on soil community structure in both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. The relative abundances of fungal and actinomycetous indicator PLFAs decreased in both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, while those of bacterial PLFAs increased. Thus the results proved that e O3 concentration significantly changed the soil microbial community function and composition, which would influence the soil nutrient supply and carbon dynamics under O3 exposure.

Science Letters:Alterations in seedling vigour and antioxidant enzyme activities in Catharanthus roseus under seed priming with native diazotrophs

An experiment was conducted on Catharanthus roseus to study the effect of seed treatments with native diazotrophs on its seedling growth and antioxidant enzyme activities. The treatments had significant influence on various seedling parameters. There is no significant influence on dry matter production with the diazotrophs, Azospirillum and Azotobacter. However, the vital seedling parameters such as germination percentage and vigour index were improved. Azotobacter treatment influenced maximum of 50% germination, whereas Azospirillum and Azotobacter were on par with C. roseus with respect to their vigour index. There was significant difference in the population of total diazotrophs. Azospirillum and Azotobacter between rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of C. roseus had the same trend and were observed at various locations of the study. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) were increased to a significant extent due to the treatment with diazotrophs.

Long-term fertilization leads to specific PLFA finger-prints in Chinese Hapludults soil

Soil microbes play essential roles in the biogeochemical processes of organic carbon and nutrient cycling. Many studies have reported various short-term effects of fertilization on soil microbes. However, less is known about the effects of longterm fertilization regimes on the rhizosphere. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore how the soil microbial communities in the rhizosphere respond to different long-term fertilization strategies. Based on a 21-year field treatment experiment in Guizhou, China, we extracted phospholipid fatty acids(PLFAs) to determine the microbial community structure in both the non-rhizosphere(NR) and rhizosphere(R). Six treatments were included: no fertilizer(CK), mineral nitrogen fertilizer(N), N with potassium(NK), phosphorus with K(PK), NPK, and NPK combined with manure(MNPK). The results showed that total PLFAs under unbalanced mineral fertilization(N, NK and PK) were decreased by 45% on average in the NR compared with CK, whereas MNPK increased fungi and G~– bacteria abundance significantly in both the NR(by 33 and 23%) and R(by 15 and 20%), respectively. In addition, all microbial groups in the R under these treatments(N, NK and PK) were significantly increased relative to those in the NR, except for the ratio of F/B and G^+/G~–, which might be due to the high nutrient availability in the R. Soil pH and SOC significantly regulated the soil microbial community and structure, explaining 51 and 20% of the variation in the NR, respectively. However, the rhizosphere microbial community structure was only significantly affected by soil pH(31%). We concluded that the soil microbial community in the NR was more strongly affected by long-term fertilization than that in the R due to the rhizosphere effect in the agricultural ecosystem. Rhizosphere nutrient conditions and buffering capacity could help microbial communities resist the change from the long-term fertilization.

Research on Change of Rhizosphere Soil Properties of Chinese fir Plantation

This article emphatically reviews the difference of soil biological activities, biochemical activities and soil chemical properties between the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil of first rotation of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb) Hook) plantation. It also reviews their dynamic patterns during Chinese fir plantation development. The results show that the contents of organic and inorganic nutrients in the rhizosphere soil of young, half-mature and near-mature Chinese fir of first-rotation ...