PCR-DGGE Analysis of Bacterial Communities Structure in Babylonia areolata Culture Systems of The Subtidal Zone and The Pond Mulched Plastic Film and Sand in Bottom

To know the bacterial communities structure in Babylonia areolata culture systems and to research and optimize the management pattem of Babylonia areola-ta culture systems of the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom, the bacte- rial communities in Babylonia areolata culture systems of the sub-tidal zone and the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom were analyzed at molecular level by adopting the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）. The results indicated that the dominant bacterial communities in Babylonia areolata culture systems of the sub-tidal zone and the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom, which were built on the basis of the seawater in East-island of Zhanjiang, included Proteobac- teda Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteria. The dominant bacterial groups in the above pond culture system were Garnmaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaprotecbacteda, Epsilonproteobacteda, Anaerolineae, Cyanobacteria and Acti- nobacteda. The dominant bacterial communities in the subtidal zone culture system were Gammaprotecbacteda, Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Anaerolineae and Cyanobacteda, and there were less Epsilonproteobacteria and Actinobacteria in the culture system. The higher diversity was detected in the above two culture sys- tems. The results of unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average （UPG- MA） showed that the bacterial communities of the sediment samples S1 and S2 in the above two culture systems were a cluster, the similarity of bacterial communities was 54.5%. The bacterial communities of seawater samples S3 and S4 in the above culture systems were in clusters, and the similarity of the bacterial communi- ties was 84.0%. The results showed that the microorganism ecological level in the Babylonia areolata culture systems of the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom could be similar to the sub-tidal zone culture systems through changing the pond seawater and monitoring the microbial population.

Long-term effects of gravel-sand mulch thickness on soil microbes and enzyme activities in semi-arid Loess Plateau,Northwest China

In semi-arid areas of China,gravel and sand mulch is a farming technique with a long history.In this study,a sample survey was conducted on long term gravel sand mulch observational fields in the Northwest Loess Plateau to determine the effects of long term mulch on soil microbial and soil enzyme activities.We found that after long term gravel-sand mulch,compared with bare ground,soil organic matter,alkali nitrogen,conductivity decreased,while pH and soil moisture increased.Urease,saccharase and catalase decreased with increased mulch thickness,while alkaline phosphatase was reversed.The results of Illumina MiSeq sequencing shows that after gravel-sand mulch,the bacterial and fungal community structure was different from bare land,and the diversity was reduced.Compared with bare land,the bacteria Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria abundance increased with increased thickness,and Actinobacteria was opposite.Also,at the fungal genus level,Fusarium abundance was significantly reduced,and Remersonia was significantly increased,compared with bare land.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that soil environmental factors were important drivers of bacterial community changes.Overall,this study revealed some of the reasons for soil degradation after long term gravel-sand mulch.Therefore,it is recommended that the addition of exogenous soil nutrients after long term gravel-sand can help improve soil quality.

Effects of gravel mulch on aeolian transport:a field wind tunnel simulation

The shape,size and coverage of gravels have significant impacts on aeolian sand transport.This study provided an understanding of aeolian transport over the gravel mulching surfaces at different wind velocities by means of a mobile wind tunnel simulation.The tested gravel coverage increased from 5% to 80%,with a progressive increment of 5%.The gravels used in the experiments have three sizes in diameter.Wind velocities were measured using 10 sand-proof pitot-static probes,and mean velocity fields were obtained and discussed.The results showed that mean velocity fields obtained over different gravel mulches were similar.The analysis of wind speed patterns revealed an inherent link between gravel mulches and mean airflow characteristics on the gravel surfaces.The optimal gravel coverage is considered to be the critical level above or below which aeolian transport characteristics differ strongly.According to the present study,the optimal gravel coverage was found to be around 30% or 40%.Threshold velocity linearly increased with gravel coverage.Sand transport rate first increased with height above the wind tunnel floor（Hf）,reaching a peak at some midpoint,and then decreased.

Evolution of soil and water conservation in rain-fed areas of China

Rain-fed(dryland)farming is an ancient agricultural production system in China.It occurs widely across almost the whole country,especially in the Northwest and North China.The semi-arid Loess Plateau is the most important region of rain-fed farming in China,but unfortunately,soil erosion on the Loess Plateau area is the highest in China,and indeed amongst the highest in the world.This highlights the necessity for developing practices that can reduce soil and water erosion,improve soil water use efficiency,improve crop productivity,and reduce rural poverty in the region.Many techniques of soil and water conservation are being used in rain-fed areas of China,including such systems as mulch,ridge and furrow systems.The Appendix describes a unique system of soil and water conservation,called Shatian.Modern research on conservation tillage(No Till),although essential for reducing erosion,increasing crop productivity,and ameliorating poverty,is just beginning in China.Modern conservation tillage research started in the1990s’with support from Australia and other countries.The procedures,however,were modified to be in accord with local conditions and prevailing farmer experiences.With 10 years of experimentation,results show that the most successful conservation practice on the Western Loess Plateau is no till with stubble retention.This technique helps to conserve soil water,increases soil organic carbon,improves soil structure and water infiltration,reduces soil and water erosion,and improves crop productivity and sustainability of rain-fed farming systems.However,its adoption rate remains low due to barriers such as traditional attitude,insufficient rural extension,and so forth.