Trace Elements Loss Characteristics in Runoff Discharge from Tobacco-Growing Red Soil in Sichuan Province of China

Trace elements are found in small concentrations in soil, yet plants require them for physiological functions. The runoff process leads to soil fertility loss by shifting soil particles and elements, and deposits them to a different position. However, there is a lack of information about the amount of trace elements that flow in tobacco-growing red soil during the natural rainy seasons due to runoff. In this study, runoff discharge was collected from two different soil mulching conditions (straw and no straw) at 15?, in Miyi county of Sichuan province, to evaluate the characteristics of trace elements in runoff discharge. The runoff discharge was filtered to separate water (runoff) from sediment. The concentrations of the elements were analyzed in samples obtained from 9 erosive rainfall events, with 3 replications for every sample. The considered trace elements were Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), and Molybdenum (Mo). In addition, the total amount of each element loss per unit area (total loss) was also calculated statistically. The results revealed different concentrations and total losses for the selected trace elements. The total loss in runoff ranged from 10.82 to 194.05 mg/ha, 0.62 to 18.91 mg/ha, and 0.32 to 2.37 mg/ha for Zn, Cu, and Mo, respectively. The total loss in sediment ranged from 54.65 to 12036.34 mg/ha, 44.74 to 5285.30 mg/ha, and 1.78 to 399.82 mg/ha for Zn, Cu, and Mo, respectively. Rainfall intensity, runoff depth, and sediment yield showed distinct positive correlations with the trace elements losses. The loss reduced with the addition of straw in the experimental area. Since each trace element showed distinct characteristics in the runoff and sediment, it is crucial to assess the loss of trace elements in runoff discharge from different agronomic practices. In turn, various sustainable practices of preventing soil fertility loss will be identified.

Combined application of organic manure and chemical fertilizers stabilizes soil N-cycling microflora

Straw and manure are widely applied to agricultural systems,and greatly shape soil N-cycling microflora.However,we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how these organic materials structure soil N-cycling microbial communities.In this study,metagenomic analysis was performed to investigate the compositional variation in N-cycling microbial communities in a 30-year long-term experiment under five fertilization regimes:no fertilization(Control),chemical fertilization only(NPK),and NPK with wheat straw(NPK+HS),pig manure(NPK+PM),and cow manure(NPK+CM).Long-term NPK application differentially changed N-cycling gene abundance and greatly altered N-cycling microbial community structure.NPK+HS resulted in a similar pattern to NPK in terms of gene abundance and community structure.However,NPK+PM and NPK+CM significantly increased most genes and resulted in a community similar to that of the Control.Further analysis revealed that serious soil acidification caused by long-term NPK fertilization was a major factor for the variation in N-cycling microbial communities.The addition of alkaline manure,rather than wheat straw,stabilized the N-cycling microbial community structure presumably by alleviating soil acidification.These results revealed the strong impact of soil acidification on microbial N-cycling communities and illustrated the possibility of resolving nitrogen-related environmental problems by manipulating pH in acidified agricultural soils.

Optimizing nitrogen management in the food system for sustainable development: a case study of Quzhou County

Nitrogen(N) is an essential nutrient for food production. The rapid increase in population requires high inputs of N to meet the growing food demand. If not managed well, the substantial loss of N from the food system has multiple impacts on grain yield, air and water pollution, and the economic benefits of agricultural. Multi-objective(food security, environmental sustainability and economic sustainability) synergistic consideration of N management in the food system is still lacking. This study employed strategies for optimizing N management in the food system, using Quzhou County as a typical example on the North China Plain. Firstly, a food chain approach was adopted to understand drivers and reasons behind N losses from the food system.Secondly, a top-down approach was used to define multi-objective N management, taking into consideration food security, environmental sustainability and economic sustainability. Multi-objective N management aims to reduce N losses to the environment and increase N use efficiencies,while simultaneously increasing yields and economic benefits. Thirdly, 3R(reduce-retain-recycle) N management strategies were identified for specific crops and animals through a bottom-up approach and then analyzed the potential of these strategies to achieve the multi-objectives. Finally, there is a discussion of how to engage different stakeholders to promote the technologies implementation. This study provides new insights into the synergistic achievement of multi-objective N management in the food system and the development of environmentally-friendly agriculture.

China requires region-specific manure treatment and recycling technologies

Heterogenous distribution of crops,feed and livestock across China has halted the circulation of nutrients within the agricultural system and is responsible for massive nutrient losses[1,2].Generated livestock manure exceeded optimal crop requirements in 30%and 50%of over 2300 studied counties when there was improved recycling of nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)in the food chain,repectively[2].Most of these counties are located in southern and coastal areas,whereas there is a deficit of livestock manure in northern and western China.Such heterogenous distribution of crop-livestock production led to 4.0 Tg manure N and 0.9 Tg manure P[2],which are economically impossible to recycle and will end up in the surrounding environment.In addition,about 40%of feed protein consumed by domestic livestock production relied on importation,putting China’s livestock production supply at high risk in the post pandemic world[3].Hence,China is facing the twin issues of too many manure nutrients but too little feed nutrients simultaneously.

Sequence-based Functional Metagenomics Reveals Novel Natural Diversity of Functional CopA in Environmental Microbiomes

Exploring the natural diversity of functional genes/proteins from environmental DNA in high throughput remains challenging.In this study,we developed a sequence-based functional metagenomics procedure for mining the diversity of copper(Cu)resistance gene copA in global microbiomes,by combining the metagenomic assembly technology,local BLAST,evolutionary trace analysis(ETA),chemical synthesis,and conventional functional genomics.In total,87 metagenomes were collected from a public database and subjected to copA detection,resulting in 93,899 hits.Manual curation of 1214 hits of high confidence led to the retrieval of 517 unique CopA candidates,which were further subjected to ETA.Eventually,175 novel copA sequences of high quality were discovered.Phylogenetic analysis showed that almost all these putative CopA proteins were distantly related to known CopA proteins,with 55 sequences from totally unknown species.Ten novel and three known copA genes were chemically synthesized for further functional genomic tests using the Cu-sensitive Escherichia coli(DcopA).The growth test and Cu uptake determination showed that five novel clones had positive effects on host Cu resistance and uptake.One recombinant harboring copA-like 15(copAL15)successfully restored Cu resistance of the host with a substantially enhanced Cu uptake.Two novel copA genes were fused with the gfp gene and expressed in E.coli for microscopic observation.Imaging results showed that they were successfully expressed and their proteins were localized to the membrane.The results here greatly expand the diversity of known CopA proteins,and the sequence-based procedure developed overcomes biases in length,screening methods,and abundance of conventional functional metagenomics.

A Meta-Analysis on Phenotypic Variation in Cadmium Accumulation of Rice and Wheat:Implications for Food Cadmium Risk Control

In some densely-populated countries, farmland has been widely cadmium (Cd) contaminated, and the utilization of the contaminated farmland for crop production is currently unavoidable. This necessitates the use of low-Cd crops (i.e., pollution-safe cultivars, the crop varieties with the ability to accumulate a low level of Cd in their edible parts when grown on polluted soil) in these areas and highlights the importance of knowledge on phenotypic variation in crop Cd accumulation for food Cd risk control. Studies on phenotypic variation in heavy metal accumulation started decades ago for a wide range of crops, and synthesis of the scattered experimental results in the literature is in need. We built a Low-Cd Crops Database based on literature research, and relevant meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively explore the phenotypic variation in Cd uptake and translocation of rice and wheat. Considerable variability existed among rice (median grain Cd bioconce nt ration factor (BCF) of 0.10) and wheat (median grain Cd BCF of 0.21) phenotypes in grain Cd accumulation, and this variability was labile to soil pH and the level of Cd stress. Wheat statistically had a higher root-to-shoot Cd-translocating ability than rice, highlighting potential food Cd risks and the importance of growing low-Cd wheat in slightly Cd-contaminated regions. Meanwhile, no correlations were detected among soil-to-root, root-to-shoot, and shoot-to-grain translocation factors, implying that Cd uptake and internal translocation in crops were probably controlled by different underlying gene tic mechanisms. Root-to-shoot Cd transport could be a favorable target trait for selecting and breeding low-Cd rice and wheat. In all, this review provides a comprehensive low-Cd crop list for remediation practice and a systematic meta-analysis inferring food Cd risks based on plant capacity for Cd accumulation and desired traits for low-Cd crop breeding.

Functional Metagenomics to Mine Soil Microbiome for Novel Cadmium Resistance Genetic Determinants

Metal resistance genes are valuable resources for genetic engineering of bioremediation tools. In this study, novel genetic determinants involved in cadmium(Cd) resistance were identified using a small-insert metagenomic DNA library constructed from an arable soil microbiome. A total of 16 recombinant plasmids harboring 49 putative open reading frames(ORFs) were found to be associated with enhanced Cd tolerance. In addition to several ORFs for ion transport/chelation and stress response, most ORFs were assumed to be associated with non-direct metal resistance mechanisms such as energy metabolism, protein/amino acid metabolism,carbohydrate/fatty acid metabolism, and signal transduction. Furthermore, 13 ORFs from five clones selected at random were cloned and subject to Cd resistance assay. Eight of these ORFs were positive for Cd resistance when expressed in Escherichia coli, among which four ORFs significantly reduced Cd accumulation and one increased Cd enrichment of the host cells. Notably, C1-ORF1, potentially encoding a histidine kinase-like adenosine triphosphatase, was the most effective Cd resistance determinant and reduced host Cd accumulation by 33.9%. These findings highlight the vast capacity of soil microbiome as a source of gene pool for bioengineering.The novel genetic determinants for Cd resistance identified in this study merit further systematic explorations into their molecular mechanisms.

Visualizing the emerging trends of biochar research and applications in 2019:a scientometric analysis and review

Biochar,derived from thermal pyrolysis of biomass,has been regarded as a low-cost,sustainable and beneficial material and widely applied in agriculture,environment and energy during the last two decades.To elucidate the research status timely and future trends in biochar field,CiteSpace is used to systematically analyze the related literature retrieved from the Web of Science core collection in 2019.Based on the keywords clustering analysis,it was found that“biochar production”,“organic pollutants removal”,“heavy metals immobilization”,“bioremediation”were the main hotspots in research covering biochar.“Bioremediation”is an emerging topic and deserves extensive attention due to its highly effective and environmentally friendly treatment of pollutants.Improving the phytoremediation effect,immobilizing functional microorganisms on biochar,and using microorganisms as raw materials to produce biochar were the common methods of biochar-assisted bioremediation.While studies focused on“soil quality and plant growth”and“biochar and global climate change”decreased,investigations concentrated in the toxicity of biochar to soil biota and ruminants are sustainably growing.Research on direct and catalytic thermal pyrolysis of green waste(mainly microalgae)for biofuels(bio-oil,biodiesel,syngas,etc.)and biochar production is increasing.Converting municipal wastes(e.g.,sewage sludge,fallen leaves)into biochar through pyrolysis was a suitable treatment for municipal waste and became a popular topic in recent time.Moreover,the biochar produced from these municipal wastes exhibited excellent performance in the removal of pollutants from wastewater and soil.This review may help to identify future directions in biochar research and applications.

Effects of logging on the trade-off between seed and sprout regeneration of dominant woody species in secondary forests of the Natural Forest Protection Project of China

Background:Promoting natural regeneration(including seed and sprout regeneration)of dominant woody species is essential for restoring secondary forests.However,such restoration processes have been decelerated by the enclosure under Natural Forest Protection Project of China(NFPP).It remains unclear how to implement appropriate management measures(e.g.,whether to apply logging and the suitable intensity)to facilitate natural regeneration according to the responses of two regeneration modes to management measures.We monitored the early stages of seed regeneration(seed rain,soil seed bank,and 1–3-year-old seedlings)and sprout regeneration(stump sprout rate,stump survival rate,probability of sprouting,and number of sprouts per stump)over the first 3 years(2017–2019)after logging under three intensity regimes(control[0%],25%,and 50%logging intensity)in secondary forests.Results:The seed rain density decreased markedly,seedling density increased insignificantly after logging,and logging promoted seedling survival at an increasing conversion rate of 3-year-old seedlings(37.5%under 0%,100%under 25%,and 80.95%under 50%logging)compared to those of the control.The proportion of 3-year-old seedlings increased with logging intensity and was the highest(16.2%)at 50%logging intensity.Sprout density was not affected by logging intensity,however,under 25%and 50%logging,it decreased by 27%and 6%in 2018,and by 37%and 33%in 2019,respectively.Seedling density was 41.65-and 15.31-fold higher than that of sprouts in the 50%and 25%logging treatments,respectively.Based on the relative contributions of the two regeneration modes after logging,three groups of natural regeneration patterns were classified for dominant woody species in temperate secondary forests,i.e.,seed regeneration preference(Betula dahurica,Carpinus cordata and Fraxinus mandshurica),sprout regeneration preference(Acer mono and Acer pseudosieboldianum)and no preference(Quercus mongolica,Fraxinus rhynchophylla,and Juglans mandshurica).Conclusion:In addition to enclosure,appropriate logging can be applied according to the responses of various natural regeneration patterns of dominant woody species to logging in temperate secondary forests under the NFPP.

STRATEGIES FOR A LOW-CARBON FOOD SYSTEM IN CHINA

In China,there has been insufficient study of whole food system greenhouse gas(GHG)accounting,which limits the development of mitigation strategies and may preclude the achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.The paper presents the development of a carbon extension of NUFER(NUtrient flows in Food chain,Environment and Resources use model),a food system GHG emission accounting model that covers land use and land-use change,agricultural production,and post-production subsectors.The spatiotemporal characteristics of GHG emissions were investigated for the Chinese food system(CFS)from 1992 to 2017,with a focus on GHG emissions from the entire system.The potential to achieve a low-carbon food system in China was explored.The net GHG emissions from the CFS increased from 785Tg CO_(2)equivalent(CO_(2)-eq)in 1992 to 1080 Tg CO_(2)-eq in 2017.Agricultural activities accounted for more than half of the total emissions during the study period,while agricultural energy was the largest contributor to the GHG increase.In 2017,highest emitting regions were located in central and southern China(Guangdong and Hunan),the North China Plain(Shandong,Henan and Jiangsu)and Northeast China(Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia)and contributed to over half of the total GHG emissions.Meanwhile,Xinjiang,Qinghai and Tibet are shown as carbon sink areas.It was found that foodsystem GHG emissions could be reduced to 355 Tg CO_(2)-eq,where enhancing endpoint mitigation technologies,transforming social-economic and diet conditions,and increasing agricultural productivities can contribute to 60%,25%and 15%,respectively.Synergistic mitigation effects were found to exist in agricultural activities.

China needs long-term solutions for African Swine Fever

African Swine Fever(ASF)has received a lot of public concerns in and outside of China(1)Currently,more than 1 million head of pigs have been culled,and the stocking number of fattening pigs and sows has been reported reduced by more than 20%(Fig.1a,b),and the price of pork has been increased by around 30%compared with the same period in 2018(Fig.1c).ASF in China has also had a significant impact on the world meat market,due to its huge contribution to global pig production.

Strategies to reduce nutrient pollution from manure management in China

As the demand for livestock products continues to increase in China,so too does the challenge of managing increasing quantities of manure.Urgent action is needed to control point source(housing,storage and processing)and diffuse(field application)pollution and improve the utilization of manure nutrients and organic matter.Here,we review strategies to improve management at each stage of the manure management chain and at different scales.Many strategies require infrastructure investment,e.g.,for containment of all manure fractions.Engineering solutions are needed to develop advanced composting systems with lower environmental footprints and design more efficient nutrient stripping technologies.At the field-scale,there is an urgent need to develop a manure nutrient recommendation system that accounts for the range of manure types,cropping systems,soils and climates throughout China.At the regional scale,coordinated planning is necessary to promote recoupling of livestock and cropping systems,and reduce nutrient accumulation in regions with little available landbank,while minimizing the risk of pollution swapping from one region to another.A range of stakeholders are needed to support the step change and innovation required to improve manure management,reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizers,and generate new business opportunities.

China’s low-emission pathways toward climate-neutral livestock production for animal-derived foods

Animal-derived food production accounts for 19%of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions.Diet followed in China is ranked as lowcarbon emitting(i.e.,0.21 t CO_(2-)eq per capita in 2018,ranking at 145^(th) of 168 countries)due to the low average animal-derived food consumption rate,and preferential consumption of animal-derived foods with lower GHG emissions(i.e.,pork and eggs versus beef and milk).

GREEN AGRICULTURE AND BLUE WATER IN CHINA:REINTEGRATING CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION FOR CLEAN WATER

Crop and livestock production are essential to maintain food security.In China,crop and livestock production were integrated in the past.Today,small backyard systems are still integrated but the larger livestock farms are landless and largely geographically separated from crop production systems.As a result,there is less recycling of animal manures and there are lower nutrient use efficiencies in the Chinese food production systems.This,in turn,results in considerable losses of nutrients,causing water pollution and harmful algal blooms in Chinese lakes,rivers and seas.To turn the tide,there is a need for agricultural“green”development for food production through reintegrating crop and livestock production.An additional wish is to turn the Chinese water systems“blue”to secure clean water for current and future generations.In this paper,current knowledge is summarized to identify promising interventions for reintegrating crop and livestock production toward clean water.Technical,social,economic,policy and environmental interventions are addressed and examples are given.The paper highlights recommended next steps to achieve“green”agriculture and“blue”water in China.