Soil organic and inorganic carbon sequestration by consecutive biochar application: Results from a decade field experiment

Biochar addition can expand soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and has potential ability in mitigating climate change. Also, some incubation experiments have shown that biochar can increase soil inorganic carbon (SIC) contents. However, there is no direct evidence for this from the field experiment. In order to make up the sparseness of available data resulting from the long‐term effect of biochar amendment on soil carbon fractions, here we detected the contents and stocks of the bulk SIC and SOC fractions based on a 10‐year field experiment of consecutive biochar application in Shandong Province, China. There are three biochar treatments as no‐biochar (control), and biochar application at 4.5 Mg ha^?1 year^?1 (B4.5) and 9.0 Mg ha^?1 year^?1 (B9.0), respectively. The results showed that biochar application significantly enhanced SIC content (3.2%–24.3%), >53 μm particulate organic carbon content (POC, 38.2%–166.2%) and total soil organic carbon content (15.8%–82.2%), compared with the no‐biochar control. However, <53 μm silt–clay‐associated organic carbon (SCOC) content was significantly decreased (14%–27%) under the B9.0 treatment. Our study provides the direct field evidence that SIC contributed to carbon sequestration after the biochar application, and indicates that the applied biochar was allocated mainly in POC fraction. Further, the decreased SCOC and increased microbial biomass carbon contents observed in field suggest that the biochar application might exert a positive priming effect on native soil organic carbon.     

Genetic diversity of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) populations in northeastern and northwestern China as revealed by ISSR markers

As a N₂-fixing tree species, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is well adapted to arid regions and is utilized for multiple purposes in China. Current knowledge of genetic variability of H. rhamnoides is limited in terms of rangewide distributions. Eleven natural populations of sea buckthorn in northeastern and northwestern China were analyzed to detect genetic variation among and within populations, by use of ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeats) markers. Using eight primers, 207 polymorphic loci were observed, ranging in size from 250 to 2500 bp. The coefficient of gene differentiation (Gst = 0.0679) showed that the total molecular variance of 11 populations was mainly existed within populations. The genetic variation within and among the 11 populations was 93.21 and 6.79%, respectively. No significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances of the populations was found using ISSR markers. Our study provides a population-level genetic profile for further investigation and conservation of genetic diversity of sea buckthorn.     

甜菜碱含量的测定方法比较

甜菜碱含量的测定方法有很多种,包括酸碱滴定法、紫外分光光度法、高氯酸非水滴定法、离子色谱法等。各种方法均有其优缺点,综合考虑,离子色谱法与非水滴定法的测定结果较好。为比较这两种方法哪种更准确、更方便,设计如下实验。选取5种含量不同的甜菜碱产品,分别用非水滴方法和离子色谱法测定5种产品的甜菜碱含量。实验结果表明,离子色谱法测定的甜菜碱含量与真实值较接近,非水滴定法测定的甜菜碱含量比真实值偏高。     

Carbon dynamics and stability between native Masson pine and exotic slash pine plantations in subtropical China

Afforestation and ecological restoration have often been carried out with fast-growing exotic tree species because of their high apparent growth and yield. Moreover, fast-growing forest plantations have become an important component of mitigation measures to offset greenhouse gas emissions. However, information on the long-term performance of exotic and fast-growing species is often lacking especially with respect to their vulnerability to disturbance compared to native species. We compared carbon (C) storage and C accumulation rates in vegetation (above- and belowground) and soil in 21-year-old exotic slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and native Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) plantations, as well as their responses to a severe ice storm in 2008. Our results showed that mean C storage was 116.77 ± 7.49 t C ha^?1 in slash pine plantation and 117.89 ± 8.27 t C ha^?1 in Masson pine plantation. The aboveground C increased at a rate of 2.18 t C ha^?1 year^?1 in Masson pine and 2.23 t C ha^?1 year^?1 in slash pine plantation, and there was no significant difference in C storage accumulation between the two plantation types. However, we observed significant differences in ice storm damage with nearly 7.5 % of aboveground biomass loss in slash pine plantation compared with only 0.3 % loss in Masson pine plantation. Our findings indicated that the native pine species was more resistant to ice storm because of their adaptive biological traits (tree shape, crown structure, and leaf surface area). Overall, the native pine species might be a safer choice for both afforestation and ecological restoration in our study region.     

Straw coverage alleviates seasonal variability of the topsoil microbial biomass and activity

Straw coverage on soil surface is a well-known practice for conserving soil and water. Seasonal variability of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and basal respiration (BR) in surface soil (0–5 cm) was compared between conventional straw removal (SR) and straw coverage (SC) in a maize (Zea mays L.) field experiment, Northeast China. The straw coverage treatment significantly increased microbial energy, carbon and nutrient sources (soil C and N contents) and improved soil physical environment (moisture and porosity), and thus stimulated MBC and BR across the growth season of maize, as compared to the straw removal treatment. MBC and BR showed similar seasonal trends in soil temperature, with maximum values in summer. In both study years, the straw coverage treatment reduced seasonal variation of soil temperature, therefore it significantly moderated seasonal variability of MBC and BR. Our results demonstrate that straw coverage contributes to stabilizing soil microbial characteristics in season.     

Novel avian orthoavulavirus 13 in wild migratory waterfowl: biological and genetic considerations

Avian orthoavulavirus 13 (AOAV-13), formerly known as Avian paramyxovirus 13 (APMV-13), is found scatteredly in wild birds around the world. Although four complete genome sequences of AOAV-13 had been identified since the first discovery in Japan in 2003, the information available on the genetic variation and biological characteristics of AOAV-13 is still limited. In the present study, we isolated six AOAV-13 strains from fecal samples of wild migratory waterfowls during annual (2014–2018) viral surveillance of wild bird populations from wetland and domestic poultry of live bird markets (LBMs) in China. The phylogenetic analyses based on the HN and F genes showed that they had very close relationship and the molecular clock estimations showed a low evolutionary rate of AOAV-13. However, Bean goose/Hubei/V97–1/2015 is 1953 nt in size (ORF, 1, 776 nt), which is a unique size and longer than other reported AOAV-13 strains. Additionally, four repeats of conserved sequences “AAAAAT” was presented in the 5′-end trailer region of Swan goose/Hubei/VI49–1/2016, which is unprecedented in the AOAV-13. These findings highlight the importance of continuous monitoring the specific species of APMVs.

     

中国胡椒疫霉种及交配型的研究

1982—1990年,从海南、云南、广东省13个县(市)的60多个发生胡椒瘟病的胡椒园采集大量带菌材料的样本,经分离获得65个疫霉菌株,并鉴定为寄生疫霉(Phytophthara parasitica Dast.)和竦淑疫霉(P.capsici Leon.)两个种。这是国内首次报道。在65个菌株中,寄生疫霉为34株,辣椒疫霉为31株,两者的比例接近1:1。这两个种对中国主要胡椒植区的胡椒瘟病具有同等的重要性。所有菌株的支配型中,两个种都以A~2占大多数,而且都存在个别同宗配合和中性菌株。     

不同贮藏条件对中华寿桃采后生理及贮藏效果的研究

本论文以中华寿桃为试验材料,研究了不同贮藏条件对中华寿桃的冰点、呼吸强度、相对电导率、PPO、POD等品质和生理指标的影响。并探讨了中华寿桃软化衰老的生理机制,为中华寿桃的贮藏保鲜提供了理论依据。