Distribution of a Population of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv trifolii Among Different Size Classes of Soil Aggregates

ABSTRACT A combination of the plant infection-soil dilution technique (most-probable-number [MPN] technique) and immunofluorescence direct count (IFDC) microscopy was used to examine the effects of three winter cover crop treatments on the distribution of a soil population ofRhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii across different size classes of soil aggregates (<0.25, 0.25 to 0.5, 0.5 to 1.0, 1.0 to 2.0, and 2.0 to 5.0 mm). The aggregates were prepared from a Willamette silt loam soil immediately after harvest of broccoli (September 1995) and before planting and after harvest of sweet corn (June and September 1996, respectively). The summer crops were grown in soil that had been either fallowed or planted with a cover crop of red clover (legume) or triticale (cereal) from September to April. The Rhizobiumsoil population was heterogeneously distributed across the different size classes of soil aggregates, and the distribution was influenced by cover crop treatment and sampling time. On both September samplings, the smallest size class of aggregates (<0.25 mm) recovered from the red clover plots carried between 30 and 70% of the total nodulatingR. leguminosarum population, as estimated by the MPN procedure, while the same aggregate size class from the June sampling carried only ∼6% of the population. In June, IDFC microscopy revealed that the 1.0- to 2.0-mm size class of aggregates from the red clover treatment carried a significantly greater population density of the successful nodule-occupying serotype, AR18, than did the aggregate size classes of <0.5 mm, and 2 to 5 mm. In September, however, the population profile of AR18 had shifted such that the density was significantly greater in the 0.25- to 0.5-mm size class than in aggregates of <0.25 mm and >1.0 mm. The populations of two otherRhizobium serotypes (AR6 and AS36) followed the same trends of distribution in the June and September samplings. These data indicate the existence of structural microsites that vary in their suitabilities to support growth and protection of bacteria and that are influenced by the presence and type of plant grown in the soil.

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Quality of soil from the nickel mining area of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, engineered using earthworms (Pheretima sp.)

Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management ◽

10.15243/jdmlm.2021.084.2995 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 2995-3005

Author(s):

Hasbullah Syaf ◽

Muhammad Albar Pattah ◽

Laode Muhammad Harjoni Kilowasid

Keyword(s):

Tap Water ◽

Soil Aggregates ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Mining Area ◽

Size Class ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Total N ◽

Organic C ◽

Size Classes ◽

Nickel Mining

Earthworms (Pheretima sp.) could survive under abiotic stress soil conditions. Furthermore, their activities as ecosystem engineers allow for the creation of soil biostructures with new characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the abundance of Pheretima sp. on the aggregate size, physicochemistry, and biology of the topsoil from the nickel mining area of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was carried out by first grouping their abundance into zero, two, four, six, and eight individuals per pot and then carrying out tests. The Pheretima sp. were then released onto the surface of the topsoil and mixed with biochar that was saturated with tap water in the pot overnight. The results showed that the abundance of the species had a significant effect on the size class distribution, and aggregate stability of the soil. Furthermore, the size of the soil aggregates formed was dominated by the size class 2.83 - 4.75 mm under both dry and wet conditions. Under dry conditions, three size classes were found, while under wet conditions, there were five size classes. The results also showed that the highest and lowest stability indexes occurred with zero and eight Pheretima sp., respectively. Furthermore, the abundance had a significant effect on pH, organic C, total N, CEC, and total nematodes. However, it had no significant effect on the total P, C/N ratio, total AMF spores, and flagellate. The highest soil pH occurred with zero Pheretima sp., while with six and two members of the species, the total nematode was at its highest and lowest populations, respectively. Therefore, it could be concluded that the species was able to create novel conditions in the topsoils at the nickel mining area that were suitable for various soil biota.

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Soil aggregates indirectly influence litter carbon storage and release through soil pH in the highly alkaline soils of north China

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7949 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7949 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chao Yang ◽

Jingjing Li ◽

Yingjun Zhang

Keyword(s):

Mass Loss ◽

Soil Ph ◽

North China ◽

Soil Aggregates ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Plant Litter ◽

Leymus Chinensis ◽

Alkaline Soil ◽

Alkaline Soils ◽

Size Classes

Background Soil aggregate-size classes, structural units of soil, are the important factors regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover. However, the processes of litter C mineralization and storage in different aggregates-size classes are poorly understood, especially in the highly alkaline soils of north China. Here, we ask how four different aggregate sizes influence rates of C release (Cr) and SOC storage (Cs) in response to three types of plant litter added to an un-grazed natural grassland. Methods Highly alkaline soil samples were separated into four dry aggregate classes of different sizes (2–4, 1–2, 0.25–1, and <0.25 mm). Three types of dry dead plant litter (leaf, stem, and all standing dead aboveground litter) of Leymus chinensis were added to each of the four aggregate class samples. Litter mass loss rate, Cr, and Cs were measured periodically during the 56-day incubation. Results The results showed that the mass loss in 1–2 mm aggregates was significantly greater than that in other size classes of soil aggregates on both day 28 and day 56. Macro-aggregates (1–2 mm) had the highest Cr of all treatments, whereas 0.25–1 mm aggregates had the lowest. In addition, a significant negative relationship was found between Cs/Cr and soil pH. After incubation for 28 and 56 days, the Cs was also highest in the 1–2 mm aggregates, which implied that the macro-aggregates had not only a higher CO2 release capacity, but also a greater litter C storage capacity than the micro-aggregates in the highly alkaline soils of north China.

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Rhizosphere priming effects in soil aggregates with different size classes

Ecosphere ◽

10.1002/ecs2.3027 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaohong Wang ◽

Feike A. Dijkstra ◽

Liming Yin ◽

Di Sun ◽

Weixin Cheng

Keyword(s):

Soil Aggregates ◽

Priming Effects ◽

Size Classes

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Impact of Cover Crop Monocultures and Mixtures on Organic Carbon Contents of Soil Aggregates

Soil Systems ◽

10.3390/soilsystems5030043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Daphne Topps ◽

Md Imam ul Khabir ◽

Hagir Abdelmagid ◽

Todd Jackson ◽

Javed Iqbal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Aggregates ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Vicia Villosa ◽

Size Classes ◽

Oilseed Radish

Cover crops are considered an integral component of agroecosystems because of their positive impacts on biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health. At present, we know little about the impact of cover crop types and diversity on the organic carbon (OC) contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. In this study, we investigated the effect of cover plant diversity on OC contents of different soil aggregates, such as macro- (<2000–500 μm), meso- (<500–250 μm), and micro-aggregates (<250 μm). Our experiment included a total of 12 experimental treatments in triplicate; six different monoculture treatments such as chickling vetch (Vicia villosa), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), field peas (Pisum sativum), oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus), and mighty mustard (Brassica juncea), and their three- and six-species mixture treatments, including one unplanted control treatment. We performed this experiment usingdeep pots that contained soil collected from a corn-soybean rotation field. At vegetative maturity of cover plants (about 70 days), we took soil samples, and the soil aggregate-size classes were separated by the dry sieving. We hypothesized that cover crop type and diversity will improve OC contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. We found that cover plant species richness weakly positively increased OC contents of soil macro-aggregates (p = 0.056), whereas other aggregate-size classes did not respond to cover crop diversity gradient. Similarly, the OC contents of macroaggregates varied significantly (p = 0.013) under cover crop treatments, though neither monoculture nor mixture treatments showed significantly higher OC contents than the control treatment in this short-term experiment. Interestingly, the inclusion of hairy vetch and oilseed radish increased and decreased the OC contents of macro- and micro-aggregates, respectively. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between shoot biomass and OC contents of macroaggregates. Overall, our results suggest that species-rich rather than -poor communities may improve OC contents of soil macroaggregates, which constitute a major portion of soil systems, and are also considered as important indicators of soil functions.

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