Methane emissions and microbial communities as influenced by dual cropping of <em>Azolla</em> along with early Rice

Azolla caroliniana Willd. is widely used as a green manure accompanying rice, but its ecological importance remains unclear, except for its ability to fix nitrogen in association with cyanobacteria. To investigate the impacts of Azolla cultivation on methane emissions and environmental variables in paddy fields, we performed this study on the plain of Dongting Lake, China, in 2014. The results showed that the dual cropping of Azolla significantly suppressed the methane emissions from paddies, likely due to the increase in redox potential in the root region and dissolved oxygen concentration at the soil-water interface. Furthermore, the floodwater pH decreased in association with Azolla cultivation, which is also a factor significantly correlated with the decrease in methane emissions. An increase in methanotrophic bacteria population (pmoA gene copies) and a reduction in methanogenic archaea (16S rRNA gene copies) were observed in association with Azolla growth. During rice cultivation period, dual cropping of Azolla also intensified increasing trend of 1/Simpson of methanogens and significantly decreased species richness (Chao 1) and species diversity (1/Simpson, 1/D) of methanotrophs. These results clearly demonstrate the suppression of CH(4) emissions by culturing Azolla and show the environmental and microbial responses in paddy soil under Azolla cultivation

Characterization of Selenium Accumulation, Localization and Speciation in Buckwheat–Implications for Biofortification

Buckwheat is an important crop species in areas of selenium (Se) deficiency. To obtain better insight into their Se metabolic properties, common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and tartary buckwheat (F. tataricum) were supplied with different concentrations of Se, supplied as selenate, selenite, or Astragalus bisulcatus plant extract (methyl-selenocysteine). Se was supplied at different developmental stages, with different durations, and in the presence or absence of potentially competing ions, sulfate, and phosphate. The plants were analyzed for growth, Se uptake, translocation, accumulation, as well as for Se localization and chemical speciation in the seed. Plants of both buckwheat species were supplied with 20 μM of either of the three forms of Se twice over their growth period. Both species accumulated 15–40 mg Se kg−1 DW in seeds, leaves and stems, from all three selenocompounds. X-ray microprobe analysis showed that the Se in seeds was localized in the embryo, in organic C-Se-C form(s) resembling selenomethionine, methyl-selenocysteine, and γ-glutamyl-methylselenocysteine standards. In short-term (2 and 24 h) Se uptake studies, both buckwheat species showed higher Se uptake rate and shoot Se accumulation when supplied with plant extract (methyl-selenocysteine), compared to selenite or selenate. In long-term (7 days) uptake studies, both species were resistant to selenite up to 50 μM. Tartary buckwheat was also resistant to selenate up to 75 μM Se, but &gt;30 μM selenate inhibited common buckwheat growth. Selenium accumulation was similar in both species. When selenite was supplied, Se levels were 10–20-fold higher in root (up to 900 mg Se kg−1 DW) than shoot, but 4-fold higher in shoot (up to 1,200 mg Se kg−1 DW) than root for selenate-supplied plants. Additionally, sulfate and phosphate supply affected Se uptake, and conversely selenate enhanced S and P accumulation in both species. These findings have relevance for crop Se biofortification applications

Enhancing naked oat (Avena nuda L.) productivity with minimal indirect nitrogen loss and maximum nitrogen use efficiency through integrated use of different nitrogen sources.

Oat (Avena nuda L.) is a nutritious grain crop, rich in dietary fibers and phytochemicals. Application of efficient nitrogen (N) sources and dose is very important to obtain higher crop productivity and to achieve environmental sustainability. The exploitation of natural beneficial microbes and organic nitrogen in combination with chemical nitrogen would be effective to boost soil N for plant uptake. Hence, a field experiment was conducted during 2016 and 2017 with the aim to ameliorate the use of chemical N (CN) with organic nitrogen (ON) and microbial fertilizer (MBF) without compromising the productivity of oat. T1 = control, T2 = 100% CN, T3 = 100% CN+MBF, T4 = 75% CN+ 25% ON+MBF, T5 = 50% CN+ 50% ON+MBF, T6 = 100% ON+MBF, T7 = 100% ON were the treatments. 50% CN + 50% ON + MBF treatment proved to be an efficient combination regarding enhanced biomass and grain yield, nitrogen uptake and NUE as compared to rest of the treatments in both years. During the critical stages of the crop, when most of the applied CN was leached from the top 20 cm soil depth, a substantial N came from the PM mineralization through enhanced microbial activity by the addition of MBF. Lastly, the application of ON supplemented with MBF improved the rhizosphere soil properties, i.e. mineral N concentration, total N (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), soil respiration rate and enzymatic activity. A balanced and source conscious application of CN, ON and MBF reduced N losses and added a substantial amount of N into the soil N pool. We concluded that organic N combined with chemical N and MBF proved to be effective in improving soil properties ensuring less N loss and increasing oat production in the semi-arid region

Paraphyletic genus Ditylenchus Filipjev (Nematoda, Tylenchida), corresponding to the D. triformis-group and the D. dipsaci-group scheme

The genus Ditylenchus has been divided into 2 groups: the D. triformis-group, and the D. dipsaci-group based on morphological and biological characters. A total of 18 populations belong to 5 species of Ditylenchus was studied: D. africanus, D. destructor, D. myceliophagus and dipsaci, D. weischeri, the first 3 belong to the D. triformis-group, the last 2 the D. dipsaci-group. The species of D. triformis-group were cultured on fungi, while the species from D. dispaci-group cultured on excised roots of plant hosts in petri dish. DNA sequences of regions of the nuclear ribosomal first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) and the small subunit 18S were PCR amplified, sequenced and the phylogenetic analyses also including the sequences of the closely related species from the GenBank. The randomly amplified polymorphisms of genomic DNA (RAPD) were also generated. Two clusters or clades corresponding to the 2 groups were consistently observed with significant statistical support from the 3 datasets. The phylogenetic analysis also revealed that the genus is paraphyletic, separating the 2 groups by species of Anguina and Subanguina

Three-dimensional inversion of magnetic data in the simultaneous presence of significant remanent magnetization and self-demagnetization: Example from Daye iron-ore deposit, Hubei province, China

Natural remanent magnetization and self-demagnetization on high-susceptibility bodies are two important factors affecting magnetic data inversion. We propose a framework for the inversion and interpretation of magnetic anomalies, in which significant remanent magnetization and self-demagnetization are present simultaneously. The framework is based on the assumptions that the external applied field and internal self-demagnetization field are uniform and the deflection of self-demagnetization in the total magnetization direction is negligible. First, the magnetization vector distributions are obtained from magnetic data by estimating the magnetization direction, then inverting for the magnetization intensity distribution, using the inferred magnetization direction as a constraint. Based on a priori information about the Koenigsberger ratio derived from petrophysical measurements, the direction and intensity of the remanent magnetization are obtained. The self-demagnetization factor is then computed using the finite volume method. Finally, the true-susceptibility distribution is achieved by correcting for the self-demagnetization effect. The method is first applied to synthetic magnetic data produced by a prism-shaped source model that has significant remanent magnetization and high susceptibility. In a case study of the Daye iron-ore deposit, Hubei province, China, the true susceptibility and remanent magnetization are reconstructed. The remanence direction information reveals that local geological activities such as synclines and faults lead to changes in the remanence directions at different local deposits

Performance of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) supplied with selenite or selenate for selenium biofortification in northeastern China

Selenium (Se) deficiency commonly occurs in soils of northeastern China and leads to insufficient Se intake by humans. A two-year field study of Se biofortification of common buckwheat supplied with 40 g Se ha−1 as selenite (Se(IV)), selenate (Se(VI)), or a combination (1/2 Se(IV + VI)) was performed to investigate Se accumulation and translocation in plants and determine the effects of different forms of Se on the grain yield, biomass production, and Se use efficiency of plants and seeds. Se application increased seed Se concentrations to 47.1–265.1 μg kg−1. Seed Se concentrations following Se(VI) or 1/2 Se(IV + VI) treatment exceeded 100 μg kg−1, an amount suitable for crop Se biofortification. Se concentration in shoots and roots decreased with plant development, and Se translocation from root to shoot in Se(IV)-treated plants was lower than that in plants treated with 1/2 Se(IV + VI) and Se(VI). Both grain yield and biomass production increased under 1/2 Se(IV + VI) treatment, with grain yields reaching 1663.8 and 1558.5 kg ha−1 in 2015 and 2016, respectively, reflecting increases of 11.0% and 10.3% over those without Se application. The Se use efficiency of seeds and plants under Se(VI) treatment was significantly higher than those under 1/2 Se(IV + VI) and Se(IV) treatments. Thus, application of selenate could result in higher Se accumulation in buckwheat seeds than application of the other Se sources, but the combined application of selenate and selenite might be an alternative approach for improving buckwheat grain yield by Se biofortification in northeastern China. Keywords: Common buckwheat, Se uptake, Se accumulation, Se translocation, Se biofortificatio