Mineralogy and genesis in an alkaline soil system in the southern Pantanal wetland, Brazil

This chapter focuses on the maintenance of the camps. It explores how wartime shortages and Japanese American labor protests intersected with harsh environmental conditions, complicating the WRA’s efforts to keep the camps running smoothly. One of the first challenges was finding adequate coal to heat the camps during the winter. The WRA then confronted the protests of detainees, who called attention to how seasonal changes added to their labor duties. Alkaline soil, moreover, ate away at water pipelines and required constant repairs. The natural world helped to shape modes of Japanese American resistance, as some individuals refused to work or went on strike.

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Biochar and urease inhibitor mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions and improve wheat yield in a urea fertilized alkaline soil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96771-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Khadim Dawar ◽

Shah Fahad ◽

M. M. R. Jahangir ◽

Iqbal Munir ◽

Syed Sartaj Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Block Design ◽

N Uptake ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Urease Inhibitor ◽

Alkaline Soil ◽

Total N ◽

N Assimilation

AbstractIn this study, we explored the role of biochar (BC) and/or urease inhibitor (UI) in mitigating ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) discharge from urea fertilized wheat cultivated fields in Pakistan (34.01°N, 71.71°E). The experiment included five treatments [control, urea (150 kg N ha−1), BC (10 Mg ha−1), urea + BC and urea + BC + UI (1 L ton−1)], which were all repeated four times and were carried out in a randomized complete block design. Urea supplementation along with BC and BC + UI reduced soil NH3 emissions by 27% and 69%, respectively, compared to sole urea application. Nitrous oxide emissions from urea fertilized plots were also reduced by 24% and 53% applying BC and BC + UI, respectively, compared to urea alone. Application of BC with urea improved the grain yield, shoot biomass, and total N uptake of wheat by 13%, 24%, and 12%, respectively, compared to urea alone. Moreover, UI further promoted biomass and grain yield, and N assimilation in wheat by 38%, 22% and 27%, respectively, over sole urea application. In conclusion, application of BC and/or UI can mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions from urea fertilized soil, improve N use efficiency (NUE) and overall crop productivity.

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Calcium-Enriched Animal Manure Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Salt Stress on Growth, Physiology and Nutrients Homeostasis of Zea mays L.

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants8110480 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 480 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bushra Niamat ◽

Muhammad Naveed ◽

Zulfiqar Ahmad ◽

Muhammad Yaseen ◽

Allah Ditta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Uptake ◽

Soil Salinity ◽

Crop Production ◽

Growth Yield ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Alkaline Soil ◽

Sodic Soil ◽

Growth Physiology

Soil salinity and sodicity are among the main problems for optimum crop production in areas where rainfall is not enough for leaching of salts out of the rooting zone. Application of organic and Ca-based amendments have the potential to increase crop yield and productivity under saline–alkaline soil environments. Based on this hypothesis, the present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of compost, Ca-based fertilizer industry waste (Ca-FW), and Ca-fortified compost (Ca-FC) to increase growth and yield of maize under saline–sodic soil conditions. Saline–sodic soil conditions with electrical conductivity (EC) levels (1.6, 5, and 10 dS m−1) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) = 15, were developed by spiking soil with a solution containing NaCl, Na2SO4, MgSO4, and CaCl2. Results showed that soil salinity and sodicity significantly reduced plant growth, yield, physiological, and nutrient uptake parameters. However, the application of Ca-FC caused a remarkable increase in the studied parameters of maize at EC levels of 1.6, 5, and 10 dS m−1 as compared to the control. In addition, Ca-FC caused the maximum decrease in Na+/K+ ratio in shoot up to 85.1%, 71.79%, and 70.37% at EC levels of 1.6, 5, and 10 dS m−1, respectively as compared to the control treatment. Moreover, nutrient uptake (NPK) was also significantly increased with the application of Ca-FC under normal as well as saline–sodic soil conditions. It is thus inferred that the application of Ca-FC could be an effective amendment to enhance growth, yield, physiology, and nutrient uptake in maize under saline–sodic soil conditions constituting the novelty of this work.

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“Two‐steps” seed‐derived plugs as an effective propagation method for the establishment of Miscanthus in saline–alkaline soil

GCB Bioenergy ◽

10.1111/gcbb.12820 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cheng Zheng ◽

Shuai Xue ◽

Liang Xiao ◽

Yasir Iqbal ◽

Guorong Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alkaline Soil

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Alkaline soil pH affects bulk soil, rhizosphere and root endosphere microbiomes of plants growing in a Sandhills ecosystem

FEMS Microbiology Ecology ◽

10.1093/femsec/fiab028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 97 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Lucas Dantas Lopes ◽

Jingjie Hao ◽

Daniel P Schachtman

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Plant Species ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Bulk Soil ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Alkaline Soil ◽

Alkaline Soils ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Soil Rhizosphere

ABSTRACT Soil pH is a major factor shaping bulk soil microbial communities. However, it is unclear whether the belowground microbial habitats shaped by plants (e.g. rhizosphere and root endosphere) are also affected by soil pH. We investigated this question by comparing the microbial communities associated with plants growing in neutral and strongly alkaline soils in the Sandhills, which is the largest sand dune complex in the northern hemisphere. Bulk soil, rhizosphere and root endosphere DNA were extracted from multiple plant species and analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results showed that rhizosphere, root endosphere and bulk soil microbiomes were different in the contrasting soil pH ranges. The strongest impact of plant species on the belowground microbiomes was in alkaline soils, suggesting a greater selective effect under alkali stress. Evaluation of soil chemical components showed that in addition to soil pH, cation exchange capacity also had a strong impact on shaping bulk soil microbial communities. This study extends our knowledge regarding the importance of pH to microbial ecology showing that root endosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities were also influenced by this soil component, and highlights the important role that plants play particularly in shaping the belowground microbiomes in alkaline soils.

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Quantitative assessment of the effects of biochar amendment on photosynthetic carbon assimilation and dynamics in a rice–soil system

New Phytologist ◽

10.1111/nph.17651 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhiwei Liu ◽

Xiulan Wu ◽

Shixian Li ◽

Wei Liu ◽

Rongjun Bian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Assessment ◽

Carbon Assimilation ◽

Rice Soil ◽

Soil System ◽

Photosynthetic Carbon ◽

Photosynthetic Carbon Assimilation ◽

Biochar Amendment

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Comparison of Drivers of Soil Microbial Communities Developed in Karst Ecosystems with Shallow and Deep Soil Depths

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11010173 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 173

Author(s):

Huiling Guan ◽

Jiangwen Fan ◽

Haiyan Zhang ◽

Warwick Harris

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Soil System ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Total Soil ◽

Karst Ecosystems

Soil erosion is prevalent in karst areas, but few studies have compared the differences in the drivers for soil microbial communities among karst ecosystems with different soil depths, and most studies have focused on the local scale. To fill this research gap, we investigated the upper 20 cm soil layers of 10 shallow–soil depth (shallow–SDC, total soil depth less than 100 cm) and 11 deep–soil depth communities (deep–SDC, total soil depth more than 100 cm), covering a broad range of vegetation types, soils, and climates. The microbial community characteristics of both the shallow–SDC and deep–SDC soils were tested by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFAs) analysis, and the key drivers of the microbial communities were illustrated by forward selection and variance partitioning analysis. Our findings demonstrated that more abundant soil nutrients supported higher fungal PLFA in shallow–SDC than in deep–SDC (p < 0.05). Furthermore, stronger correlation between the microbial community and the plant–soil system was found in shallow–SDC: the pure plant effect explained the 43.2% of variance in microbial biomass and 57.8% of the variance in the ratio of Gram–positive bacteria to Gram–negative bacteria (G+/G−), and the ratio of fungi to total bacteria (F/B); the pure soil effect accounted for 68.6% variance in the microbial diversity. The ratio of microbial PLFA cyclopropyl to precursors (Cy/Pr) and the ratio of saturated PLFA to monounsaturated PLFA (S/M) as indicators of microbial stress were controlled by pH, but high pH was not conducive to microorganisms in this area. Meanwhile, Cy/Pr in all communities was >0.1, indicating that microorganisms were under environmental stress. Therefore, the further ecological restoration of degraded karst communities is needed to improve their microbial communities.

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