Soil organic carbon pools across paired no-till and plowed Alfisols of central Ohio

No-till (NT) farming can restore the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool of agricultural soils, but the SOC pool size and retention rate can vary with soil type and duration of NT. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of NT and soil drainage characteristics on SOC accumulation across a series of NT fields on Alfisols in Ohio, USA. Sites under NT for 9 (NT9), 13 (NT13), 36 (NT36), 48 (NT48) and 49 (NT49) years were selected for the study. Soil was somewhat poorly drained at the NT48 site but moderately well drained at the other sites. The NT48 and NT49 on-station sites were under continuous corn (Zea mays), while the other sites were farmers' fields in a corn–soybean (Glycine max) rotation. At each location, the SOC pool (0–30 cm) in the NT field was compared to that of an adjacent plough-till (PT) and woodlot (WL). At the NT36, NT48 and NT49 sites, the retention rate of corn-derived C was determined using stable C isotope (13C) techniques. In the 0- to 10-cm soil layer, SOC concentration was significantly larger under NT than PT, but a tillage effect was rarely detected below that depth. Across sites, the SOC pool in that layer averaged 36.4, 20 and 40.8 Mg C/ha at the NT, PT and WL sites, respectively. For the 0- to 30-cm layer, the SOC pool for NT (83.4 Mg C/ha) was still 57% greater than under PT. However, there was no consistent trend in the SOC pool with NT duration probably due to the legacy of past management practices and SOC content differences that may have existed among the study sites prior to their conversion to NT. The retention rate of corn-derived C was 524, 263 and 203 kg C/ha/yr at the NT36, NT48 and NT49 sites. In contrast, the retention rate of corn-C under PT averaged 25 and 153 kg C/ha/yr at the NT49 (moderately well-drained) and NT48 (somewhat poorly drained) sites, respectively. The conversion from PT to NT resulted in greater retention of corn-derived C. Thus, adoption of NT would be beneficial to SOC sequestration in agricultural soils of the region

Clinical Study Comparison of Efficiencies of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, Neurothesiometer, and Electromyography for Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy

Aim. This study compares the effectiveness of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), neurothesiometer, and electromyography (EMG) in detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes type 2. Materials and Methods. 106 patients with diabetes type 2 treated at the outpatient clinic of Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Endocrinology between September 2008 and May 2009 were included in this study. Patients were evaluated by glycemic regulation tests, MNSI (questionnaire and physical examination), EMG (for detecting sensorial and motor defects in right median, ulnar, posterior tibial, and bilateral sural nerves), and neurothesiometer (for detecting alterations in cold and warm sensations as well as vibratory sensations). Results. According to the MNSI score, there was diabetic peripheral neuropathy in 34 (32.1%) patients (score ≥2.5). However, when the patients were evaluated by EMG and neurothesiometer, neurological impairments were detected in 49 (46.2%) and 79 (74.5%) patients, respectively. Conclusion. According to our findings, questionnaires and physical examination often present lower diabetic peripheral neuropathy prevalence. Hence, we recommend that in the evaluation of diabetic patients neurological tests should be used for more accurate results and thus early treatment options to prevent neuropathic complications

Effects of detergent solution on some soil properties of cultiveted soils

Bu çalışmada 6 farklı deterjan (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 ve D6) çözelti konsantrasyonlarının topraklara sulama suyu olarak 30, 60 ve 90 günlük periyotlarda uygulanması sonucu toprakların fiziksel, kimyasal ve biyolojik özelliklerindeki değişimler araştırılmıştır. Deneme serada yürütülmüş ve deneme süresi boyunca toprakların su içerikleri tarla kapasitesi seviyesinde sabit tutulmuştur. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre; farklı toz deterjanlarının konsantre (Kkon) çözeltileri inkübasyon sürelerinin artışına bağlı olarak toprakların ortalama reaksiyon (pH) değerleri, değişebilir Na, toplam N ve elverişli P ve B içeriklerinde artışa sebep olmuştur. Toprakların CO2 solunumu, bakteri ve mantar sayıları ise inkübasyon sürelerinin artışına bağlı olarak azalma göstermiştir. Toprakların CO2 solunumu ve bakteri ve mantar sayılarında azalmalar ile değişebilir Na, toplam N ve elverişli P ve B içeriklerindeki artışlar hafif bünyeli topraklarda daha yüksek oranda gerçekleşmiştir.In this study, the changes in chemical and biological properties of the soil applicated 6 different detergents (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 and D6) concentrations (Kkon) as irrigation water in 30, 60 and 90 days were investigated at the end of the incubation days. The humidity levels of the soil have been kept constant at the moisture level of the soil throughout the experiment period in greenhouse conditions. Soil pH, exchangeable Na, total N and the available P and B contents of the soil increased as the incubation times of the concentrate (KKON) detergent solutions of 6 different powder detergents increased. CO2 respiration of soil, bacterial and fungal counts decreased. Decreases in CO2 respiratory, bacterial and fungal numbers of soils and increased Na, total N and favourable P and B contents were higher in light soil

Effects of detergent solution on some soil properties of cultiveted soils

In this study, the changes in chemical and biological properties of the soil applicated 6 different detergents (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 and D6) concentrations (Kkon) as irrigation water in 30, 60 and 90 days were investigated at the end of the incubation days. The humidity levels of the soil have been kept constant at the moisture level of the soil throughout the experiment period in greenhouse conditions. Soil pH, exchangeable Na, total N and the available P and B contents of the soil increased as the incubation times of the concentrate (KKON) detergent solutions of 6 different powder detergents increased. CO2 respiration of soil, bacterial and fungal counts decreased. Decreases in CO2 respiratory, bacterial and fungal numbers of soils and increased Na, total N and favourable P and B contents were higher in light soil

Isolation and characterization of metal resistant-tolerant rhizosphere bacteria from the serpentine soils in Turkey

Despite the number of studies describing metal hyper-accumulating plants and their associated bacteria in various regions and countries, there is no information on rhizosphere microbial potential of the Turkish serpentine soils. This study aimed to explore the rhizosphere microbial diversity of Ni-resistant, hyper-accumulating plants grown on Ni-rich soils and their metal tolerance-resistance characteristics. One hundred ninety-one locations were visited to collect soil and plant samples from different serpentine regions of Western Turkey. Following bioavailable and total Ni analysis of collected samples, the seeds of the selected plants with higher Ni content were taken to the growth/germination test in a range of serpentine soils in a growth chamber condition. In order to investigate the rhizosphere microbial diversity, Isatis pinnatiloba and Alyssum dasycarpum which were able to germinate and grow well in the preliminary tests, were introduced to 6-month greenhouse experiment in the range of three serpentine soils with higher bioavailable Ni content. I. pinnatiloba had a better stimulatory effect on the rhizosphere microbial diversity. A total of 22 bacterial isolates were identified from different soil conditions in the end of experiment. Following microbial identification and confirmation tests, 11 isolates were found to be resistant and tolerant to the increasing concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cd and Zn in the range of 50-2,000 mg L (-aEuro parts per thousand 1), which was considerably higher than those indicated by earlier studies. The strains isolated and identified from the Turkish serpentine soils were the members of genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Microbacterium and Staphylococcus

Total phenolics, mineral elements, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of some edible wild plants in Turkey

Total phenolic content, macro and micro elements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu), antioxidant and antibacterial activities of leaves of some edible plants (Sinapis arvensis L., Polygonum aviculare L. and Tragopogon aureus Boiss.) grown wild in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey were studied. The total phenolic content was found between 12.56 mu gGAE/mg (T. aureus) and 22.25 mu gGAE/mg (S. arvensis). All three species showed high antioxidant activity and among them T aureus possessed the highest one (88.64 %). There was a low correlation (R = 0.447) between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the plant samples. N, P and K values of plants were between 1.98 % (T aureus) and 3.44 % (S. arvensis); 164 mg/100 g (T aureus) to 255 mg/100 g (S. arvensis) and 2005 mg/100 g (P aviculare) to 2710 mg/100 g (T aureus), respectively. The methanol extracts of the leaves of species showed antibacterial activities against a number of microorganisms searched. However, none of the water extracts of plants showed antibacterial activity on the microorganisms studied

Field-Scale Evaluation of the Soil Quality Index as Influenced by Dairy Manure and Inorganic Fertilizers

Long-term addition of manure increases soil organic carbon (SOC), provides nutrient supply, enhances soil quality and crop yield (CY), but may also increase global warming potential (GWP). In this study, a long-term experiment was conducted to investigate impacts of organic dairy manure and inorganic fertilizer on the spatial distribution of soil quality indicators in field scale. The experiment was initiated in 2008 (seven years), and includes three manure and two inorganic fertilizer treatments along with a control (no manure or no inorganic fertilizer addition). The study was set into a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four replications in a total of 24 plots with an equal size each of 6 × 18 m (108 m2). Soil physical, chemical and biological properties (total 26 properties) were considered as the total data set and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine long-term organic and inorganic fertilizer-induced changes in soil quality. Ordinary kriging interpolation methods were used to predict the spatial distributions of soil quality index (SQI) and mean soil quality values were compared with fertilization treatments by using Duncan’s test. Results showed that most measured soil quality index parameters showed significant differences (p < 0.05). The long-term dairy manure applications had positive impacts on soil quality index parameters where overall SQI scores were higher under high manure (HM) compared to medium manure (MM), low manure (LM), medium fertilizer (MF), high fertilizer (HF), control (CK) by 25%, 27%, 47%, 55% and 92%. A similar trend was observed for CY and GWP. This indicates that long-term dairy manure can be an option to increase SQI values and provide higher CY, however, this may lead to greater GWP