Impact of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions on the soil aggregate stability of yellow‒brown soil

Soil aggregate is the basic structural unit of soil,which is the foundation for supporting ecosystem functions,while its composition and stability is significantly affected by the external environment.This study was conducted to explore the effect of external environment(wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions)on the soil aggregate distribution and stability and identify the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability.The yellow‒brown soil from the Three Gorges Reservoir area(TGRA)was used,and 8 wetting-drying conditions(0,1,2,3,4,5,10 and 15 cycles)were simulated under 4 acidic conditions(pH=3,4,5 and 7).The particle size distribution and soil aggregate stability were determined by wet sieving method,the contribution of environmental factors(acid condition,wetting-drying cycle and their combined action)to the soil aggregate stability was clarified and the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability under wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions were determined by using the Pearson’s correlation analysis,Partial least squares path modeling(PLS‒PM)and multiple linear regression analysis.The results indicate that wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions have significant effects on the stability of soil aggregates,the soil aggregate stability gradually decreases with increasing number of wetting-drying cycles and it obviously decreases with the increase of acidity.Moreover,the combination of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions aggravate the reduction in the soil aggregate stability.The wetting-drying cycles,acidic conditions and their combined effect imposes significant impact on the soil aggregate stability,and the wetting-drying cycles exert the greatest influence.The soil aggregate stability is significantly correlated with the pH,Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),maximum disintegration index(MDI)and soil bulk density(SBD).The PLS‒PM and multiple linear regression analysis further reveal that the soil aggregate stability is primarily influenced by SBD,Ca^(2+),and MDI.These results offer a scientific basis for understanding the soil aggregate breakdown mechanism and are helpful for clarifying the coupled effect of wetting-drying cycles and acid rain on terrestrial ecosystems in the TGRA.

Effects of red-yellow soil acidification on seed germination of Chinese pine

Acid treatments significantly change the physical and chemical properties of red yellow soil by lowering its pH value and leaching out aluminum(Al) ions that are harmful to the growth of plants. The structure of soil will be damaged, resulting in higher viscosity, higher water retention rate and lower air permeability of the soil. The germination rate of Chinese pine( Pinus tabulacformic Carr. ) seeds sowed in soil treated with sulphuric acid(H 2SO 4) decreased compared to that for untreated soil. The direct cause was the large amount of Al ions leached out because of low pH values(≥3.5). The added acid decreased the soil aggregation and increased the number of micro aggregates(under 250 μm in diameter). Such changes increased the soil's viscosity, which tied the pine needles to the soil after the seeds had germinated and prevented the seedlings from fully developing.

Soil Phosphorus Release to the Water Bodies in the Upland Fields of Yellow Soil Areas and Impacting Factor

Soil phosphorus release to the water bodies in the upland fields of yellow soil areas and impacting factor was studied in Guizhou province. The results showed that the content of dissolved active P of surface runoff from various upland fields of yellow-soil were significantly different, which the concentrations of dissolved active P of runoff correlated with the contents of available-P, amorphous oxides of A1, and organic matter in the soils. The amount of soil phosphorus release to the water bodies affected by the level of applying P fertilizer and the process of corn growth, which with fertilizing from 150 to 900 kg P205 ha^-1 in the soil with high P level, the average contents of dissolved active P in the permeability-water of the soil increased from 0.020 mg L^-1 to 0.137 mg L^-1. The amount of soil phosphorus release to the water bodies also affected by environmental factor, which the amount of soil phosphorus release significantly increased under the conditions that temperature is 30℃-35℃, water/soil ratios is 15：1-25：1, submergence-time by water is 12-18 h and pH value of acid rains is 3.82-3.73.

Spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River during the period 2002–2011 based on the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System(AMSR-E) data

Detecting near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in high-altitude cold regions is important for understanding the Earth＇s surface system, but such studies are rare. In this study, we detected the spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River（SRYR） during the period 2002–2011 based on data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System（AMSR-E）. Moreover, the trends of onset dates and durations of the soil freeze-thaw cycles under different stages were also analyzed. Results showed that the thresholds of daytime and nighttime brightness temperatures of the freeze-thaw algorithm for the SRYR were 257.59 and 261.28 K, respectively. At the spatial scale, the daily frozen surface（DFS） area and the daily surface freeze-thaw cycle surface（DFTS） area decreased by 0.08% and 0.25%, respectively, and the daily thawed surface（DTS） area increased by 0.36%. At the temporal scale, the dates of the onset of thawing and complete thawing advanced by 3.10（±1.4） and 2.46（±1.4） days, respectively; and the dates of the onset of freezing and complete freezing were delayed by 0.9（±1.4） and 1.6（±1.1） days, respectively. The duration of thawing increased by 0.72（±0.21） day/a and the duration of freezing decreased by 0.52（±0.26） day/a. In conclusion, increases in the annual minimum temperature and winter air temperature are the main factors for the advanced thawing and delayed freezing and for the increase in the duration of thawing and the decrease in the duration of freezing in the SRYR.

Study on Seedling Techniques of Artocarpus nanchuanensis

[Objective] This study aimed to solve the problems of low seed germina- tion rate and difficult bareroot seedling transplanting in artificial cultivation of Arto- carpus nanchuanensis, a native species in China. [Method] Under different seed treatment and seedling style, the seed germination rate and seedling emergence rate of A. nanchuanensis were investigated. [Result] tn both sand bed and direct sowing yellow soil, the seed germination rate, seedling survival rate and seedling emergence rate in the treatment II were all higher than those in the treatments I and III. The average seed germination rate, seedling survival rate and seedling emergence rate in sand beds were 1.5%, 16.27% and 13.95%, respectively higher than those in direct sowing yellow soil. The average seedling emergence rate in sand beds was 2.46% higher than that in containers. Among the 8 kinds of light matrix formulas, the growth of seedlings in the formula VIII was best. In the three treatment groups, the seedling emergence rates, seedling heights and ground diame- ters in the formula VIII were all significantly different from those in the other formu- las. The seedling growth in the formula I and III ranked second, while the seedling emergence rate, seedling height and ground diameter in the formula VII were the poorest. [Conclusion] If conditions allow, the formulas I （meadow soil：vermiculite：yel- low soi1=5：3：2）, III （meadow soil：perlite：yellow soi1=5：3：2） and VIII （peat：forest top soi1=6：4） should be promoted in seedling with light matrixes.

Effect of Rare Earths on Fractionation and Transformation of Soil Available Nitrogen

The effect of rare earths (RE) on fractionation and transformation of available nitrogen in a yellow cinnamon soil was studied with soil cultivation. The results show that under the dry condition, when the extraneous RE are added to the soil, both concentrations of soil ammonium N and hydrolysable N increase, and the concentrations of soil nitric N decrease. The concentrations of soil available N increase with the increase of RE concentrations in soils when the RE concentrations are low, but it decreases with the increase of high RE concentrations in soils. The NOEC (no observed effect concentration) of the extraneous RE to available N in the soils is 443.8 mg·kg -1 . Under the inundated condition, low RE concentrations in soil has no significant effect on soil ammonium N and hydrolysable N. However, when the soil RE concentrations are high, both of them decrease with the increase of RE concentrations. The NOEC of the extraneous RE to soil ammonium N and hydrolysable N are 171.2 and 256.9 mg·kg -1 , respectively.

Effects of geosorbent and solution properties on sorption and desorption of PAHs

Characteristics of phenanthrene and pyrene’s sorption and desorption on two local soils in solutions of simulated groundwater,simulated lung fluid,and simulated saliva were studied with batch equilibrium experiments to understand the fate of PAHs in the karst region of southwestern China and to assess the environmental exposure and the health risk of PAHs.The results showed that the sorption and desorption isotherms of phenanthrene and pyrene on two target soils in the three solution systems could be adequately described by the Freundlich model,while the fitted isotherm parameters for the simulated groundwater solution distinguished notably from those for the simulated body fluid solutions.For the sorption experiments,in the simulated groundwater,the n values were 0.722 and 0.672 for phenanthrene and were 0.724 and0.663 for pyrene,respectively,on the yellow soil and the limestone soil;The log KF values were 3.118 and 3.323 for phenanthrene and were 3.648 and 3.846 for pyrene,respectively,on the yellow soil and the limestone soil.In the simulated body fluids,the n values for phenanthrene and pyrene ranged from 0.622 to 0.836 and from 0.590 to0.865,respectively,and the log KF values of phenanthrene and pyrene ranged from 2.845 to 3.327 and from 3.344 to3.779,respectively.For the desorption experiments,in the simulated groundwater,the n values were 0.662 and 0.744 for phenanthrene and were 0.702 and 0.647 for pyrene,respectively,on the yellow soil and the limestone soil.The log KF values were 3.666 and 3.686 for phenanthrene and were 4.128 and 4.225 for pyrene,respectively,on the yellow soil and the limestone soil.In the simulated body fluids,the n values for phenanthrene and pyrene ranged from 0.612 to 0.668 and from 0.631 to 0.819,respectively,and the log KF values of phenanthrene and pyrene ranged from 3.134 to 3.407 and from 3.533 to 3.839,respectively.The limestone soil had relatively higher log KF values but lower KOC values compared to those of the yellow soil,indicated that the nature of sorbent soils played the dominant role in sorption and desorption behaviors of PAHs.The experimental results showed a remarkable differences in sorption and desorption behaviors of PAHs in simulated body fluids and groundwater.The nonlinearities of measured isotherms and the measured sorption capacities of soils in simulated body fluids were significantly lower than corresponding those in the simulated groundwater,and HI values for simulated body fluids systems were significantly smaller than corresponding those for the simulated groundwater systems.The results underscore cautions in assessing environmental exposure and health risks of PAHs based on their sorption-desorption data in simulated groundwater as this is traditionally done.

Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization as Affected by Cyclical Temperature Fluctuations in a Karst Region of Southwestern China

The diurnal fluctuation in soil temperature may influence soil organic carbon （SOC） mineralization, but there is no consensus on SOC mineralization response to the cyclical fluctuation in soil temperature. A 56-d incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of constant and variable temperatures on SOC mineralization. Three soils were collected from the karst region in western Guizhou Province, southwestern China, including a limestone soil under forest, a limestone soil under crops and a yellow soil under crops. According to the World Reference Base （WRB） classification, the two limestone soils were classified as Haplic Luvisols and the yellow soil as a Dystric Luvisol. These soils were incubated at three constant temperatures （15, 20 and 25 ℃） and cyclically fluctuating temperatures （diurnal cycle between 15 and 25 ℃）. The results showed that the 56-d cumulative SOC mineralized （C56） at the fluctuating temperatures was between those at constant 15 and 25 ℃, suggesting that the cumulative SOC mineralization was restricted by temperature range. The SOC mineralization responses to the fluctuating temperatures were different among the three soils, especially in contrast to those at constant 20 ~C. Compared with constant 20 ℃, significant （P 〈 0.05） decreases and increases in C56 value were found in the limestone soil under forest and yellow soil under crops at the fluctuating temperatures, respectively. At the fluctuating temperatures, the forest soil with lower temperature coefficient Q10 （the relative change in SOC mineralization rate as a result of increasing the temperature by 10 ℃） had a significantly （P 〈 0.05） lower SOC mineralization intensity than the two cropland soils. These indicated that differences in temperature pattern （constant or fluctuating） could significantly influence SOC mineralization, and SOC mineralization responses to the fluctuating temperatures might be affected by soil characteristics. Moreover, the warmer temperatures might improve the ability of soil microbes to decompose the recalcitrant SOC fraction, and cyclical fluctuations in temperature could influence SOC mineralization through changing the labile SOC pool size and the mineralization rate of the recalcitrant SOC in soils.

Influence of soil type and genotype on Cd bioavailability and uptake by rice and implications for food safety

Cadmium （Cd） entering the human body via the food chain is of increasing concern. This study investigates the effects of soil type and genotype on variations in the Cd concentrations of different organs of nine rice plants grown on two types of soils with two Cd levels. Cd concentrations in nine rice cultivars varied significantly with genotype and soil type （P 〈 0.01）. The Cd concentration was higher in red paddy soil （RP） than in yellow clayey paddy soil （YP）. The average Cd concentrations of different organs in three rice types were indica 〉 hybrid 〉 japonica for the Cd treatments and controls. The polished grain concentration in YP and RP soils had a range of 0.055--0.23 mg/kg and 0.13-0.36 mg/kg in the Cd treatment, respectively. Two rice cultivars in YP soil and five rice cultivars in RP soil exceeded the concentration limits in the Chinese Food Hygiene Standard （0.2 mg/kg）. The Cd concentrations in roots, stems, and leaves were all significantly and positively correlated to that in polished grain in a single test. The Cd concentrations in polished grain were positively and significantly （P 〈 0.01） correlated with the calculated transfer factors of stem to grain and leaf to grain Cd transfer. The results indicated that the variations of Cd concentration in grain were related to Cd uptake and the remobilization of Cd from stem and leaf to grain. Also, the cultivars with a strong tendency for Cd-accumulation should be avoided in paddy soil with low soil pH and low organic matter content to reduce the risks to human health from high Cd levels in rice.

Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Nitri?cation in a Highly Acidic Subtropical Pine Forest Soil

The occurrence of nitri?cation in some acidic forest soils is still a subject of debate.Identi?cation of main nitri?cation pathways in acidic forest soils is still largely unknown.Acidic yellow soil(Oxisol) samples were selected to test whether nitri?cation can occur or not in acidic subtropical pine forest ecosystems.Relative contributions of autotrophs and heterotrophs to nitri?cation were studied by adding selective nitri?cation inhibitor nitrapyrin.Soil NH^+_4-N concentrations decreased,but NO^-_3-N concentrations increased signi?cantly for the no-nitrapyrin control during the ?rst week of incubation,indicating that nitri?cation did occur in the acidic subtropical soil.The calculated net nitri?cation rate was 0.49 mg N kg^(-1)d^(-1)for the no-nitrapyrin control during the ?rst week of incubation.Nitrapyrin amendment resulted in a signi?cant reduction of NO^-_3-N concentration.Autotrophic nitri?cation rate averaged0.28 mg N kg^(-1)d^(-1)and the heterotrophic nitri?cation rate was 0.21 mg N kg^(-1)d^(-1)in the ?rst week.Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) abundance increased slightly during incubation,but nitrapyrin amendment signi?cantly decreased AOB amo A gene copy numbers by about 80%.However,the ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) abundance showed signi?cant increases only in the last 2weeks of incubation and it was also decreased by nitrapyrin amendment.Our results indicated that nitri?cation did occur in the present acidic subtropical pine forest soil,and autotrophic nitri?cation was the main nitri?cation pathway.Both AOA and AOB were the active biotic agents responsible for autotrophic nitri?cation in the acidic subtropical pine forest soil.

Impacts of different surface features on soil detachment in the subtropical region

Near-surface features have a great influence on runoff and detachment processes by overland flow,but the contributions are still unclear on steep slopes with yellow soil in subtropical humid regions.Field scouring experiments were conducted to investigate how near-surface features affect hydraulic parameters and detachment rate by overland flow.Five treatments and a baseline(disturbed rootless bare cropland)were designed to identify the contributions from stem-leaves,litter,biological soil crusts(BSCs),root systems and non-disturbance,respectively.The results showed that(1)the values of velocity,Reynolds number and Froude number for vegetated slopes were significantly lower than that of baseline,and stem-leaves made a greater contribution(average of 47.30%)to reducing kinetic energy than the other features;(2)the total contribution rate of grassland was 99.38%,and of this total,1.19,1.44,2.49,49.79 and 44.47%reductions were attributed to the stem-leaves,litter,BSCs,root systems and non-disturbance,respectively.Root system and non-disturbance dominated the detachment rate reduction;(3)with increasing flow rate or slope gradient,the total contribution rate remained between 98%and 100%;and(4)for each treatment,the relationship between detachment rate and hydraulic parameters remained constant,and the stream power was the best predictor to detachment rate.The study results are helpful in evaluating the effects of near-surface features on erosion control and providing reference for government decision-makers to choose appropriate soil conservation and management practices.