No shift to a deeper water uptake depth in response to summer drought of two lowland and sub-alpine C3-grasslands in Switzerland

Temperate C3-grasslands are of high agricultural and ecological importance in Central Europe. Plant growth and consequently grassland yields depend strongly on water supply during the growing season, which is projected to change in the future. We therefore investigated the effect of summer drought on the water uptake of an intensively managed lowland and an extensively managed sub-alpine grassland in Switzerland. Summer drought was simulated by using transparent shelters. Standing above- and belowground biomass was sampled during three growing seasons. Soil and plant xylem waters were analyzed for oxygen (and hydrogen) stable isotope ratios, and the depths of plant water uptake were estimated by two different approaches: (1) linear interpolation method and (2) Bayesian calibrated mixing model. Relative to the control, aboveground biomass was reduced under drought conditions. In contrast to our expectations, lowland grassland plants subjected to summer drought were more likely (43–68 %) to rely on water in the topsoil (0–10 cm), whereas control plants relied less on the topsoil (4–37 %) and shifted to deeper soil layers (20–35 cm) during the drought period (29–48 %). Sub-alpine grassland plants did not differ significantly in uptake depth between drought and control plots during the drought period. Both approaches yielded similar results and showed that the drought treatment in the two grasslands did not induce a shift to deeper uptake depths, but rather continued or shifted water uptake to even more shallower soil depths. These findings illustrate the importance of shallow soil depths for plant performance under drought conditions

Long-term monitoring of pesticide residues on public sites: A regional approach to survey and reduce spray drift

Plant protection strongly increased food safety and agricultural productivity, but with societal and environmental costs as the downside. Especially the contamination of non-target areas via spray drift represents an adverse side-effect. Residential zones and playgrounds are so-called “sensitive zones”, where spray drift is considered to have an increased potential for human health risk. To study the residue profile potentially associated with spray drift we analyzed data of a residue monitoring program in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). From 2018 to 2021, 39 playgrounds were analyzed multiple times per year for the presence and concentration of pesticide residues on grass samples. In a total of 399 samples, we identified 39 different residues deriving primarily from agricultural production. Mean concentration (0.0645 mg kg−1, SD: ± 0.1013 mg kg−1) and comparison to Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of food, revealed that 98.2% of the residues were in the range of MRLs and close to the analytical limit of quantification. We found that 6 out of 334 residues had relatively elevated concentrations clearly above the MRLs. Finally, a time series analysis of the study period revealed a significant decrease in the number of detected residues and their concentration by 72% and 78%, respectively. In the last year of this study, playgrounds showed on average 1.46 residues (SD: ± 1.252) with a mean concentration of 0.012 mg kg−1 (SD: ± 0.025), which is almost equal to the limit of detection (0.01 mg kg−1). The presented results demonstrate that 1) spray drift decreased significantly within 4-year and that 2) the introduced measures to decrease spray drift have been effective. Consequently, these results imply 3) that improved farming practice represents an important leverage point of further spray drift reduction

Fungicide-free management of Alternaria leaf blotch and fruit spot on apple indicates Alternaria spp. as secondary colonizer

The fungal genus Alternaria is a pan-global pathogen of > 100 crops, and is associated with the globally expanding Alternaria leaf blotch in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) which leads to severe leaf necrosis, premature defoliation, and large economic losses. Up to date, the epidemiology of many Alternaria species is still not resolved as they can be saprophytic, parasitic or shift between both lifestyles and are also classified as primary pathogen able to infect healthy tissue. We argue that Alternaria spp. does not act as primary pathogen, but only as a necrosis-dependent opportunist. We studied the infection biology of Alternaria spp. under controlled conditions and monitored disease prevalence in real orchards and validated our ideas by applying fungicide-free treatments in 3-years field experiments. Alternaria spp. isolates were not able to induce necroses in healthy tissue, but only when prior induced damages existed. Next, leaf-applied fertilizers, without fungicidal effect, reduced Alternaria-associated symptoms (− 72.7%, SE: ± 2.5%) with the same efficacy as fungicides. Finally, low leaf magnesium, sulphur, and manganese concentrations were consistently linked with Alternaria-associated leaf blotch. Fruit spot incidence correlated positively with leaf blotch, was also reduced by fertilizer treatments, and did not expand during storage unlike other fungus-mediated diseases. Our findings suggest that Alternaria spp. may be a consequence of leaf blotch rather than its primary cause, as it appears to colonize the physiologically induced leaf blotch. Taking into account existing observations that Alternaria infection is connected to weakened hosts, the distinction may appear slight, but is of great significance, as we can now (a) explain the mechanism of how different stresses result in colonization with Alternaria spp. and (b) substitute fungicides for a basic leaf fertilizer. Therefore, our findings can result in significant decreases in environmental costs due to reduced fungicide use, especially if the same mechanism applies to other crops

The impact of extreme summer drought on the short-term carbon coupling of photosynthesis to soil CO2 efflux in a temperate grassland

Along with predicted climate change, increased risks for summer drought are projected for Central Europe. However, large knowledge gaps exist in terms of how drought events influence the short-term ecosystem carbon cycle. Here, we present results from 13CO2 pulse labeling experiments at an intensively managed lowland grassland in Switzerland. We investigated the effect of extreme summer drought on the short-term coupling of freshly assimilated photosynthates in shoots to roots as well as to soil CO2 efflux. Summer drought was simulated using rainout shelters during two field seasons (2010 and 2011). Soil CO2 efflux and its isotopic composition were measured with custom-built chambers coupled to a quantum cascade laser spectrometer (QCLAS-ISO, Aerodyne Research Inc., MA, USA). During the 90 min pulse labeling experiments, we added 99.9 atom % 13CO2 to the grass sward. In addition to the isotopic analysis of soil CO2 efflux, this label was traced over 31 days into bulk shoots, roots and soil. Drought reduced the incorporation of recently fixed carbon into the shoots, but increased the relative allocation of fresh assimilates below ground compared to the control grasslands. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find a change of allocation speed in response to drought. Although drought clearly reduced soil CO2 efflux rates, about 75% of total tracer uptake in control plots was lost via soil CO2 efflux during 19 days after pulse labeling, compared to only about 60% under drought conditions. Thus, the short-term coupling of above- and below-ground processes was reduced in response to summer drought. The occurrence of a natural spring drought in 2011 lead to comparable albeit weaker drought responses increasing the confidence in the generalizability of our findings.ISSN:1726-4170ISSN:1726-417

Tightly bound soil water introduces isotopic memory effects on mobile and extractable soil water pools

Cryogenic vacuum extraction is the well-established method of extracting water from soil for isotopic analyses of waters moving through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. We investigate if soils can alter the isotopic composition of water through isotope memory effects, and determined which mechanisms are responsible for it. Soils with differing physicochemical properties were re-wetted with reference water and subsequently extracted by cryogenic water distillation. Results suggest some reference waters bind tightly to the soil and not all of this tightly bound water is removed during cryogenic vacuum extraction. Kinetic isotopic fractionation occurring when reference water binds to the soil is likely responsible for the (18)O-depletion of re-extracted reference water, suggesting an enrichment of the tightly bound soil water pool. Further re-wetting of cryogenically extracted soils indicates an isotopic memory effect of tightly bound soil water on water added to the soil. The data suggest tightly bound soil water can influence the isotopic composition of mobile soil water. Findings show that soils influence the isotope composition of soil water by (i) kinetic fractionation when water is bound to the soil and (ii) equilibrium fractionation between different soil water pools. These findings could be relevant for plant water uptake investigations and complicate ecohydrological and paleohydrological studies

An economic assessment of drought effects on three grassland systems in Switzerland

ISSN:1436-3798ISSN:1436-378

Reliability and quality of water isotope data collected with a lowbudget rain collector

RATIONALELow-budget rain collectors for water isotope analysis, such as the `ball-in-funnel type collector' (BiFC), are widely used in studies on stable water isotopes of rain. To date, however, an experimental quality assessment of such devices in relation to climatic factors does not exist. METHODSWe used Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometry (CRDS) to quantify the effects of evaporation on the O-18 values of reference water under controlled conditions as a function of the elapsed time between rainfall and collection for isotope analysis, the sample volume and the relative humidity (RH: 31% and 67%; 25 degrees C). The climate chamber conditions were chosen to reflect the warm and dry end of field conditions that favor evaporative enrichment (EE). We also tested the performance of the BiFC in the field, and compared our H-2/O-18 data obtained by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) with those from the Swiss National Network for the Observation of Isotopes in the Water Cycle (ISOT). RESULTSThe EE increased with time, with a 1 increase in the O-18 values after 10days (RH: 25%; 25 degrees C; 35mL (corresponding to a 5mm rain event); p <0.001). The sample volume strongly affected the EE (max. value +1.5 parts per thousand for 7mL samples (i.e., 1mm rain events) after 72h at 31% and 67% RH; p <0.001), whereas the relative humidity had no significant effect. Using the BiFC in the field, we obtained very tight relationships of the H-2/O-18 values (r(2) 0.95) for three sites along an elevational gradient, not significantly different from that of the next ISOT station. CONCLUSIONSSince the chosen experimental conditions were extreme compared with the field conditions, it was concluded that the BiFC is a highly reliable and inexpensive collector of rainwater for isotope analysis. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Fungicide-free management of Alternaria leaf blotch and fruit spot on apple indicates Alternaria spp. as secondary colonizer

The fungal genus Alternaria is a pan-global pathogen of > 100 crops, and is associated with the globally expanding Alternaria leaf blotch in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) which leads to severe leaf necrosis, premature defoliation, and large economic losses. Up to date, the epidemiology of many Alternaria species is still not resolved as they can be saprophytic, parasitic or shift between both lifestyles and are also classified as primary pathogen able to infect healthy tissue. We argue that Alternaria spp. does not act as primary pathogen, but only as a necrosis-dependent opportunist. We studied the infection biology of Alternaria spp. under controlled conditions and monitored disease prevalence in real orchards and validated our ideas by applying fungicide-free treatments in 3-years field experiments. Alternaria spp. isolates were not able to induce necroses in healthy tissue, but only when prior induced damages existed. Next, leaf-applied fertilizers, without fungicidal effect, reduced Alternaria-associated symptoms (- 72.7%, SE: ± 2.5%) with the same efficacy as fungicides. Finally, low leaf magnesium, sulphur, and manganese concentrations were consistently linked with Alternaria-associated leaf blotch. Fruit spot incidence correlated positively with leaf blotch, was also reduced by fertilizer treatments, and did not expand during storage unlike other fungus-mediated diseases. Our findings suggest that Alternaria spp. may be a consequence of leaf blotch rather than its primary cause, as it appears to colonize the physiologically induced leaf blotch. Taking into account existing observations that Alternaria infection is connected to weakened hosts, the distinction may appear slight, but is of great significance, as we can now (a) explain the mechanism of how different stresses result in colonization with Alternaria spp. and (b) substitute fungicides for a basic leaf fertilizer. Therefore, our findings can result in significant decreases in environmental costs due to reduced fungicide use, especially if the same mechanism applies to other crops.ISSN:2045-232

DataSheet1_Long-term monitoring of pesticide residues on public sites: A regional approach to survey and reduce spray drift.pdf

Plant protection strongly increased food safety and agricultural productivity, but with societal and environmental costs as the downside. Especially the contamination of non-target areas via spray drift represents an adverse side-effect. Residential zones and playgrounds are so-called “sensitive zones”, where spray drift is considered to have an increased potential for human health risk. To study the residue profile potentially associated with spray drift we analyzed data of a residue monitoring program in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). From 2018 to 2021, 39 playgrounds were analyzed multiple times per year for the presence and concentration of pesticide residues on grass samples. In a total of 399 samples, we identified 39 different residues deriving primarily from agricultural production. Mean concentration (0.0645 mg kg−1, SD: ± 0.1013 mg kg−1) and comparison to Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of food, revealed that 98.2% of the residues were in the range of MRLs and close to the analytical limit of quantification. We found that 6 out of 334 residues had relatively elevated concentrations clearly above the MRLs. Finally, a time series analysis of the study period revealed a significant decrease in the number of detected residues and their concentration by 72% and 78%, respectively. In the last year of this study, playgrounds showed on average 1.46 residues (SD: ± 1.252) with a mean concentration of 0.012 mg kg−1 (SD: ± 0.025), which is almost equal to the limit of detection (0.01 mg kg−1). The presented results demonstrate that 1) spray drift decreased significantly within 4-year and that 2) the introduced measures to decrease spray drift have been effective. Consequently, these results imply 3) that improved farming practice represents an important leverage point of further spray drift reduction.</p