Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Rhizosphere Microbial Populations under Cotton Intercropped with Red Date in Arid Desert Oasis of Southern Xinjiang

[Objective]This study aimed to determine the number of microorganisms of cotton rhizosphere in a soil at various amounts of applied nitrogen fertilizer in a red date-cotton intercropping system. [Method] In the field experiment, nitrogen fer-tilizer was applied at 0, 150, 300, 450, 600, and 750 kg/hm2, respectively. The dy-namic changes of the populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes at the rhizo-sphere of cotton intercropped with red date were investigated. [Result] Microbial populations significantly increased at nitrogen fertilizer of 300 and 450 kg/hm2 during bud, flowering and bol opening periods. The numbers of bacteria and actinomycetes were higher during flowering and bol opening stages than at bud stage. The num-ber of fungi slightly changed during the entire growth period. Appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer （300 to 600 kg/hm2） was favorable to the survival of the microor-ganisms in the soil under the intercropping system. [Conclusion] The study provides a guideline for screening and determining the optimum amount of applied nitrogen fertilizer.

Effect of Lanthanum on Major Microbial Populations in Red Soil

Pure culture and pot culture experiments were carried out to study the effect of lanthanum (La) on bacteria, actinomyces and fungus, and some microbial physiological groups , nitrifier, azotobacter and phos- phobacteria, in a red soil taken form the Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangxi Province. LaCl3 was added into media at levels of 0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 500 mg L-1 in the pure culture experiment, and into soil samples in porcelain pots before rice growing at levels of 0, 6, 30, 150, 300, 600 and 900 mg kg-1 dry soil in the pot culture experiment. The populations of the three soil microbes in the pure culture experiment decreased with the addition level of La, indicating that La was toxic to the soil microbes in pure culture, and the sensitivity of the 3 major microbial types to La was in a decreasing order of actinomyces > bacteria > fungus. In the pot experiment, La had slightly stimulative effect on soil bacteria and actinomyces when applied at low concentrations while had inhibitory effect on soil bacteria, actinomyces and fungus at high concentrations. When the concentration of La was low, soil azotobacter was stimulated slightly while soil nitrifier was stimulated strongly and the maximum increase was up to 50%. When the concentration of La was high, both soil azotobacter and nitrifier were inhibited, and the inhibition of La to the nitrifier increased with La concentration. La added at all the levels had stimulative effect on soil inorganic and organic phosphobatteria. Among the 4 physiological groups, soil nitrifier was most sensitive to La, so , it might be reasonable to assume that soil nitrifier was a sensitive indicator for evaluating the biological and environmental effects of rare earths.

Root Zone Microbial Populations, Urease Activities, and Purification Efficiency for a Constructed Wetland

In order to investigate the effects of microorganisms and their urease activities in macrophytic root zones on pollutant removal, four small-scale plots (SSPs) of vertical/reverse-vertical flow wetlands were set up to determine: a) the relationship between the abundance of microorganisms in the root zones and water purification efficiency; and b) the relationship between urease activities in the root zones and pollutant removal in a constructed wetland system. Total numbers of the microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and actinomyces) along with urease activities in the macrophytic root zones were determined. In addition, the relationships between microbial populations and urease activities as well as the wastewater purification efficiencies of total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were also analyzed. The results showed that there was a highly significant positive correlation (r = 0.9772, P ＜ 0.01) between the number of bacteria in the root zones and BOD5 removal efficiency and a significant negative correlation (r = -0.9092, P ＜ 0.05) between the number of fungi and the removal efficiency of TKN. Meanwhile, there was a significant positive correlation (r -- 0.8830, P ＜ 0.05) between urease activities in the root zones and the removal efficiency of TKN. Thus, during wastewater treatment in a constructed wetland system,microorganism and urease activities in the root zones were very important factors.

Effect of probiotics on growth performance, development of small intestinal tract and microbial populations in broilers

The experiment was conducted using a total of 1392 one-day-old, Cobb commercial male broilers to investigate the effects of a commercial probiotic addition in diet on growth, the development of the small intestine and microbial populations of broilers. Broilers were randomly allotted by BW to 1 of 6 replicate cages （29 chicks per cage） for each of 8 treatments in a randomized block design involving one factorial arrangement of treatments. Dietary treatments included the basal diet （including corn, soybean, rapeseed, cottonseed meal） added with 100 mg/kg antibiotic, 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%, 0.25% or 0.3%. The experiment last 42 d and divided into the starter period （1-21 d） and the finisher period （22-42 d）. The results showed that there were significant differences in broiler body weight （BW） （P〈0.001）, average daily feed intake （ADFI） （P=0.033）, relative length of the duodenum （P〈0.001）, jejunum （P=0.008）, ileum （P〈0.001） and the populations of lactobacillus （P〈0.001） and coliform （P〈0.001） in the rectum between the probiotics treatments and the control treatment only in the starter period of the trails. No significant differences were observed in intestinal morphology parameters in two periods of the experiment. Our results indicated that the probiotic was able to improve the performance of broiler chickens, and it was better in the starter period to be used than in the finisher period.

Enzymatic pretreatment mitigates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes via regulating microbial populations and gene expressions during food waste fermentation

Food waste(FW)has been recognized as essential reservoir for resource recovery via anaerobic fermentation,which could also bring the potential risk of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)dissemination.Although the structural deficiency of FW could be stimulated by enzymatic pretreatment to enhance fermentation efficiency,the influences of enzymatic pretreatment on ARGs fate and microbial metabolic pathways involved in ARGs dissemination have rarely been reported.This work proved that enzymatic pretreatment could effectively decrease the total abundance of ARGs(reduced by 13.8%-24.5%)during long-term FW fermentation.It was found that enzymatic pretreatment significantly reduced the ARGs belonging to the efflux pump,which might be ascribed to its ability to increase membrane permeability.Furthermore,enzymatic pretreatment was in favor of reducing microbial diversity and various potential ARGs host(e.g.,Methanosarcina,Clostridium,Prevotella,Parabacteroides).Also,this pretreatment remarkably up-regulated the genetic expressions involved in ABC transporter(e.g.,eryF and mntA)and down-regulated the genetic expressions that participated in DNA replication,two-component systems(e.g.,uphA and cckA),and quorum sensing(e.g.,rpfF and lsrG),thereby decreasing ARGs transmission.This study would expand the insight of the influences of pretreatment method on ARGs fate during FW fermentation,and offer practical guidance on the sustainable management of FW.

Dynamic Study of Microbial Population and Enzyme Activity in Rhizosphere Soil of Allium sativum L.

[Objective] The aim was to investigate the changes in microbial population and soil enzyme activities in rhizosphere soil of two cultivars of Allium sativum L.at different growth stages.[Method]By using white garlic and purple garlic as the experimental materials,the microbial population,and the activities of urease,acid phosphatase and catalase in their rhizosphere soil at different growth stages were measured.[Result]The root exudates of the two garlic cultivars could promote the growth of bacteria,fungi and actinomycetes,and indirectly increase the urease,acid phosphatase and catalase activities in the rhizosphere soil,thereby improving the turnover and circulation of the soil nutrition elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus,and providing a better micro-ecological environment for the later crop.[Conclusion]The study had provided theoretical basis for the ecological research on garlic used as a preceding crop.

Combined Effect of Nutrient and Pest Managements on Substrate Utilization Pattern of Soil Microbial Population in Hybrid Rice Cropping System

A field experiment was conducted to study the combined effect of nutrient andpest managements on soil biomass phospholipid contents, functional biodiversity and substrateutilization patterns of soil microbial populations in hybrid rice cropping system. The mineral N, Pand K fertilizers (as urea, calcium superphosphate and KCl respectively) were incorporated at 100,25, and 100 kg ha^(-1), respectively, and the various pesticides were applied at the recommendedrates. The results of the experiment demonstrated a decline in the microbial abundance and soilmicrobial biomass phospholipid contents with the advancement of crop growth, and significant changesin substrate utilization pattern of soil microbial population studied were observed with differentmanagement practices and at different growth stages. The principal component analysis (PCA) usingall 95-carbon sources (BIOLOG plates) gave good differentiation among the treatments, indicatingthat they have different patterns of carbon utilization under different habitats. The data showedthat diversity in microbial community continuously changed with the progression in crop stage,particularly at physiological maturity (PM) stage that was evident from the utilization of differentcarbon sources at various crop stages.

Heavy metal contamination, physico-chemical and microbial evaluation of water samples collected from chromite mine environment of Sukinda, India

Water samples from chromite mine quarry of Sukinda and its adjacent areas were analyzed for their heavy metal contamination along with physico-chemical and microbial contents. The chromite mine water samples possessed high concentrations of heavy metals in the order of Cr〉Fe〉Zn〉Ni〉Co〉Mn while ground water did not show any heavy metal contamination except Fe. Physico-chemical parameters of mine water samples showed deviation from those of normal water. Mine water harboured low microbial populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in comparison with mine adjacent water samples. The correlation of data between metals with physico-chemical parameters showed both positive and negative responses while that of metal and microbial population exhibited negative correlation. Bacterial strains isolated from chromite mine water exhibited high tolerance towards chromium and other heavy metals as well as antibiotics which could be used as an indicator of heavy metal pollution.

Characteristics of the soil microbial population in forest land irrigated with saline water in the desert area

The study of soil microbial populations and diversity is an important way to understanding the soil energy process.In this study we analyzed the characteristics of soil microbial populations of the Tarim Desert Highway shelter-forest,by identifying microbial fatty acids and using methods of conventional cul-tivation.The results illustrated that the amount of soil microbial activity and the diversity of soil microbial fatty acid increased significantly with the plantation age of the shelter-forest;the soil microbial population was dominated by bacteria.The fatty acids of C14︰0,C15︰0,C16︰0,C17︰0,C18︰1ω9,C18︰0,C18︰2ω6 and C21︰0 were found to be dominant soil microbial fatty acids in the shelter-forest soil.Prin-cipal analysis and regression analysis showed that(1) concentrations of fatty acids of C14︰0,C16︰0 and C18︰0 could be used as indicators of total soil microbial population;(2) soil bacteria and actinomycetes populations were closely correlated with the amount of fatty acids of C15︰0 and C17︰0;and(3) soil fungi were closely correlated with the amount of fatty acids of C18︰1ω9 and C18︰2ω6.

Effect of Soybean Peptides on in vitro Ruminal Fermentation and Microbial Population

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Soybean Peptides(SPs) on ruminal fermentation and microbial diversity in vitro. Four levels of SPs supplements(0, 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% dry matter basis) were tested. p H, NH3-N, Neutral Detergent Fiber(NDF), Acid Detergent Fiber(ADF), Dry Matter Digestibility(DMD) and the Total Volatile Fatty Acid(TVFA) were measured at 6, 24, 48 h of in vitro mixed incubation the fluids. Microbial populations were determined at 24 h and Microbial Proteins(MCP) were determined at 24 and 48 h. The gas production after 48 h in vitro incubation presented linear growth(p<0.05) and the highest content was the level of 0.5% SPs(dry matter basis). NH3-N concentration reached the highest concentration with 0.75%(dry matter basis) at 48 h. p H linearly increased(linear, p<0.05) from 6 to 48 h. The digestion of DMD increased with increasing doses of SPs at 24 h. NDF and ADF linearly(p<0.01) decreased by adding SPs. The concentration of TVFA linearly increased(p<0.05) at 6, 24 and 48 h, and reached the highest concentration at the level of 0.75%(dry matter basis). SPs decreased(p<0.05) the molar proportion of acetate and propionate, respectively at 24 and 48 h. Acetat to Propionate ratio(A/P; linear, p<0.05) increased at 48 h, and reached the greatest value at the level of 0.75%(dry matter basis) at 48 h. The populations of rumen Ruminococcus flavefaciens(R. flavefaciens), Ruminococcusalbus(R. albus), Fibrobacter succinogenes(F. succinogenes), Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens(B. fibrisolvens), Streptococcus bovis(S.bovis), Ruminobacter amylophilus(R. amylophilus) and Succinimonas amylolytica(S. amylolytica) were analyzed based on the total rumen bacterial 16 S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid(r DNA). The relative abundance of R. flavefaciens and R. albus increased at 24 h, but the relative abundance of F. succinogenes decreased at this time. The incubation of SPs had no effect on the abundance of S. bovis and R. amylophilus. The relative abundance of B. fibrisolvens and S. amylolytica reached the greatest value(p<0.05) at middle doses of SPs inclusion at 24 h. The value of MCPs linearly increased(p<0.05) at 24 and 48 h. These results showed that SPs could improve in vitro fermentation and nutrient digestion of feed substrates, and had the ability to modulate the ruminal fermentation pattern by regulating the composition of functional rumen microbes. Hence, SPs might be a potential feed additive applied in the diets of ruminants.

Preliminary investigation on the role of microorganisms in the production of phosphine

The relationships between the phosphine content and various microbial populations,activities of different enzymes were investigated firstly.The results indicated that the phosphine content of samples from various environments was positively related to total anaerobic microorganisms,organic phosphate compound-dissolving bacteria,denitrifying bacteria,and the activities of alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase,with correlation coefficients (R^2) up to 0.93,0.90,0.69,0.79,and 0.82,respectively.Results also sh...

Bioactive Characteristics of Soil Microorganisms in Different-aged Orange (Citrus reticulate) Plantations

[Objective] The paper was to study the bioactive characteristics of soil microorganisms in different-aged orange plantations. [Method] Taking 010 cm deep soil in 3 orange plantations with different planting years in suburb of Yichang City as the test object, the variation rule of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil pH value, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, number of 3 main types of soil microbial flora, basal respiration, microbial entropy and metabolic entropy in differentaged orange plantations was studied. [Result] With the increase of planting years, the soil acidification of different-aged orange plantations was aggravating; total organic carbon and total nitrogen content increased first and then decreased; the total number of soil microorganism showed a downtrend, of which the number of bacteria decreased significantly, the number of actinomycetes had small changes, the number of fungi increased significantly, and the ratio of bacteria and fungi in soil （B/F） showed a decreasing trend. Soil microbial biomass carbon was fluctuated within a small range, whereas soil microbial biomass nitrogen decreased significantly; soil microbial entropy decreased significantly, and metabolic entropy showed an increasing trend. This indicated that the decrease of soil pH value affected the changes of soil microbial flora, microbial activity, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and soil major nutrients, and further affected the normal exertion of soil function. [Conclusion] The study explores soil nutrient characteristics and changes of microbial flora in test area, which will provide scientific basis for further study on orchard soil and orchard management.

Antioxidant compounds and minerals in tomatoes by Trichodermaenriched biofertilizer and their relationship with the soil environments

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Trichoderma-enriched biofertilizer（BioF/compost）on antioxidants and minerals in ripe tomatoes and soil health improvements in terms of nutrient availability and microbial populations.The study was comprised of six treatments：control（zero input）;recommended doses of NPK（135.5,45.6 and 22.9 kg ha^-1,respectively）;100%BioF/compost;75%BioF/compost＋25%N;50%BioF/compost＋50%N;and 25%BioF/compost＋75%N.The recommended doses of P and K were used in the last three treatments.It was found that the application of 100%BioF/compost enhanced plant growth,leaf greenness,and produced 12.9%higher yield compared to the recommended doses of NPK and other treatments.Mineral contents（P,K,Ca,Mg,Cu,Fe,Mn and Zn）in tomato roots,shoots and fruits and antioxidant compounds,i.e.,ascorbic acid,β-carotine,and lycopene were increased significantly in fruits fertilized with100%BioF/compost.The high efficiency of Trichoderma compost might be the result of its potential of nutrient solubilization and harboring soil microorganisms.Collectively,BioF/compost increased soil fertility and favored growth of microbes in the rhizosphere which ultimately contributed to higher yield,antioxidant,and mineral concentrations in tomatoes.Thus,Trichoderma-enriched biofertilizer may reduce application of chemical fertilizers and therefore,can be considered as a noble practice in sustainable agriculture.

Causes of Deterioration and Changes of Aroma Components in Cigarette Raw Materials

The quality of the favoring agents and fragrances degenerated frequently during the storage and transportation process in a cigarette factory in Yunnan Province, causing huge economic losses. In order to ascertain the causes of deterioration, the microbial population, quantity and aroma components of the raw mate- rials were analyzed in the present study. The results showed that a total of 28 bacterial strains and one fungal strain were isolated and identified, belonging to 13 genera. The 29 strains were Bacillus sp. , Microbacterium sp. , Sphingomonas sp. , Leclercia sp. and Acinetobacter sp. isolated from normal ZY material; Bacil- lus sp. , Microbacterium sp. , Sphingomonas sp. , Brevundimonus sp. , Acinetobacter sp. , Agrobacterium sp. , Ralstonia sp. , Acetobacterium sp. , Saccharomyces sp. and Acidovorax sp. isolated from deteriorated ZY material; Agrobacterium sp. , Microbacterium sp. , Burkholderia sp. , Bacillus subtilis strain, Acetobacterium sp. and Leclercia sp. isolated from normal RZ material ; Agrobacterium sp. , Microbacterium sp. , Bacillus subtilis strain, Acetobacterium sp. , Lec/erc/a sp. , Enter- obacter sp. , Acinetobacter sp. and Saccharomyces sp. isolated from deteriorated RZ material. Microbacterium was the dominant genus by number in normal ZY ma- terial, and the population of this genus accounted for 55.6% of the total. In deteriorated ZY material, Acetobacterium, Bacillus and Saccharomyces were dominant genera, as the population of the three genera occupied 75.0% of the total. The total population of microorganisms in the deteriorated ZY material was 90 times of that in normal ZY material. In normal RZ material, the population of each of Microbacterium, Agrobacterium and Bacillus accounted for 25%, while that of each of Leclercia and Burkholderia accounted for 12.5%. In deteriorated RZ material, the population of Bacillus accounted for 65.0% of the total. The total population of the microorganisms in deteriorated RZ material was 29 times of that in normal RZ material, indicating that the deterioration of the materials was caused by microor- ganisms. The contents of aroma components were detected using two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The results showed that in nor- mal ZY material, the content of β-damascone was higher than that of other aroma components. And normal ZY material had higher contents of benzaldehyde, β-damascone, β-damascone, β-damascone, menthol and benzyl benzoate than deteriorated ZY material, and the differences in the contents of β-ddamascone and β-damascone were most significant between the two materials. In normal RZ material, the content of β-damascone was higher than that of other aroma components. And normal RZ material had higher contents of menthol, ethyl capratc, β-damascone, β-damascone and tabanane C than deteriorated RZ material, and the differ- ences in the contents of ethyl caprate and capric acid were most significant between the two materials. The results revealed that aroma components changed greatly in deteriorated tobacco materials.

Degradation of crude oil by indigenous microorganisms supplemented with nutrients

Different kinds of mineral nutrients(NO_3-N, NH_4-N and PO_4-P) were applied in the simulated oil-polluted seawater for enhancing oil biodegradation in the N/P ratio 10∶1 and 20:1 Although indigenous microorganisms have the ability to degrade oil, adding nutrients accelerated biodegradation rates significantly. For the group amended with NO_3-N and PO_4-P in the ratio 10∶1, the reaction rate coefficient was 4 times higher than the natural biodegradation. Chemical and microbiological analysis showed that the optimal N/P ratio in the system is 10∶1, and microorganisms tend to utilize nitrate rather than ammonium as N source.

Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonium in Selected Paddy Soils of China *1

Three paddy soils were examined for their capacities of dissimilatory reduction of nitrate to ammonium (DRNA). 15 N labelled KNO 3 was added at the rate of 100 mg N kg -1 . Either glucose or rice straw powder was incorporated at the rate of 1.0 or 2.0 mg C kg -1 respectively. Three treatments were designed to keep the soil saturated with water: A) a 2 cm water layer on soil surface (with beaker mouth open); B) a 2 cm water layer and a 1 cm liquid paraffin layer (with beaker mouth open); and C) water saturated under O 2 free Ar atmosphere. The soils were incubated at 28 oC for 5 days. There was almost no 15 N labelled NH + 4 N detected in Treatment A. However, there was 1.4 to 3.4 mg N kg -1 15 N labelled NH + 4 N in Treatment B and 2.1 to 13.8 mg N kg -1 in Treatment C. Glucose was more effective than straw powder in ammonium production. Because there was sufficient amount of non labelled NH + 4 N in the original soils, 15 N labelled NH + 4 N produced as such should be the result of dissimilatory reduction. Studies on microbial population showed that there were plenty of bacteria responsible for DRNA process (DRNA bacteria) in the soils examined, indicating that number of DRNA bacteria was not a limiting factor for ammonium production. However, DRNA bacteria were inferior in number to denitrifiers. DRNA process in soil suspension seemed to start after 5 days of incubation. Glycerol and sodium succinate, though both are readily available carbon sources to organisms,did not facilitate DRNA process. DRNA occurred only when glucose was available and at the C/NO 3 - N ratio of over 12. It seemed that both availability and quality of the carbon sources affected DRNA.

Comparison of Soil Biota Between Organic and Conventional Agroecosystems in Oregon, USA

Soil samples at 0-10 cm in depth were collected periodically at paired fields in Corvallis, Oregon, USA to compare differences in soil microbial and faunal populations between organic and conventional agroecosystems. Results showed that the organic soil ecosystem had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) average number or biomass of soil bacteria; densities of flagellates, amoebae of protozoa; some nematodes, such as microbivorous and predaceous nematodes and plant-parasitic nematodes; as well as Collembola. Greater numbers of Rhabditida (such as Rhabditis spp.), were present in the organic soil ecosystem while Panagrolaimus spp. were predominant in the conventional soil ecosystem. The omnivores and predators of Acarina in the Mesostigmata (such as Digamasellidae and Laelapid), and Prostigmata (such as Alicorhaiidae and Rhagidiidae), were also more abundant in the organic soil ecosystem. However, fungivorous Prostigmata (such as Terpnacaridae and Nanorchestidae) and Astigmata (such as Acarida) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the conventional soil ecosystem, which supported the finding that total fungal biomass was greater in the conventional soil ecosystem. Seansonal variations of the population depended mostly on soil moisture condition and food web relationship. The population declined from May to October for both agroecosystems. However, higher diversities and densities of soil biota survived occurred in the organic soil ecosystem in the dry season.

Effects of Different Halophytes on Soil Microflora and Enzyme Acti-vities of Saline-alkali Soil

In the pot experiment,seven varieties of halophytes were grown in saline-alkali soil to investigate the responses of microflora and soil enzymes in the rhizosphere.The results showed that compared to the control,the population of bacterial colony(84.8%-95.6%),actinomycetes colony(12.0%-14.5%)and fungi colony(0.5%-1.1%)increased significantly(P<0.05).The population of ammonia bacteria,aerobic cellulose decomposition bacteria in the soil of Vicia sativa L.(201.99%and 395.49%),Medicago sativa(152.43%and 319.90%)and Sesbania cannabina(Retz.)Pori(193.14%and 396.08%)were higher significantly than that of Panicum virgatum L.(49%and 60%),Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench(99%and 210%),Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.(75%and 36%)and Aneurotepidimu chinense(75%and 77%)(P<0.05).However,Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench was evidently higher than Panicum virgatum L.,Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.and Aneurotepidimu chinense(P<0.05)in the soil.The population of ammonia bacteria and aerobic cellulose-decomposing bacteria was significantly correlated with the five enzymes(P<0.05),which could improve the microenvironment in saline-alkali soil to accelerate the element cycling and promote the sustainable development of agriculture through cultivating Medicago sativa,Vicia sativa L.,Sesbania cannabina(Retz.)Pori and Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench.

Xylanase-producing microflora in Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh,India

We screened soil samples collected from underneath shrubs and/or large trees at different locations in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh for xylanase-producing microorganisms. Xylose-utilizing bacteria were numerically dominant in soils of most locations whereas xylose-and xylan-utilizing actinobacteria were minor components. Xylan-utilizing fungi constituted a major share of total microbial populations in soil samples collected at half of the sites, whereas xylan-utilizing bacteria were predominant at other sampling locations. Some of the isolates of fungi exhibited xylanase activity with a range of400–4000 U/ml, indicating great potential for their uses in paper, pulping and bioethanol industries for producing value-added products.

System of Rice Intensification Verses Conventional Rice System: Off-farm Field Studies

With inevitable growth of demand for human and industrial needs,water available for agriculture will become scarcer in the future.India is a highly water-stressed country.Hence,India needs to invest in improving its water productivity,and any capacity to produce more rice with less water.System of Rice Intensification(SRI)has attracted much attention in increasing rice yield per unit area.For this study,fifteen farmers were selected those were practicing SRI technology by themselves during the Boro-cultivation season(January-April).The study was continued for three consecutive years 2012 to 14 on the same fields.In addition to the SRI plots,a similar size of non-SRI plot was maintained in conventional cultivation for comparison purpose.On an average,the non-SR I ight increased by 12%,number of tillers per square meter by 85%,number of reproductive tillers per hill by 286%,weight of panicle per hill by 139%,number of seeds per panicle by 41%and test weight by 26% due to SRI practice over the non-SRI practice.Average increment in straw and grain yield due to SRI over the non-SRI is 70%and 59%respectively.The physico-chemical and biological properties of soil improved due to SRI practice.