1. |
- Ahonen-Jonnarth, Ulla, et al.
(author)
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Effects of elevated nickel and cadmium concentrations on growth and nutrient uptake of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris seedlings
- 2001
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 236, s. 129-138
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effects of Ni and Cd on growth and nutrient uptake of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings were investigated in a pot experiment. Seedlings were either inoculated with Laccaria bicolor (Maire) Orton or left uninoculated before being planted in pots containing a mixture of sandy soil from the B-horizon of a coniferous forest, small stones and pure quartz sand. The pots were supplied with small amounts of a balanced nutrient solution every 24 h using peristaltic pumps. Nickel or Cd were added as chlorides to the nutrient solution at levels of 85 μM Ni (Ni 1), 170 μM Ni (Ni 2), or 8.9 μM Cd. Mycorrhizal colonisation of the roots was nearly 100% in the mycorrhizal treatments. The mycorrhizal seedlings grew significantly better than the non-mycorrhizal ones. The weight of mycorrhizal seedlings in the Ni 2 treatment was 29% lower than that of the mycorrhizal controls, but still 34% greater than that of the non-mycorrhizal seedlings not exposed to metals. There was an overall, statistically significant, negative effect of metals on plant yield. Mycorrhizal plants had lower root:shoot (R:S) ratios than non-mycorrhizal plants and the R:S ratio was increased by metal exposure, particularly in the non-mycorrhizal seedlings. Plant concentrations of Cd or Ni were not affected by mycorrhizal colonisation, but total uptake of Cd and Ni was higher in bigger mycorrhizal seedlings. Nickel decreased P concentration in all seedlings and Cd decreased P concentration in the non-mycorrhizal seedlings. Generally, the mycorrhizal seedlings grew better than non-mycorrhizal ones and had better P, K, Mg and S status. Root growth was not significantly affected by the metal treatments. The reduction in mean shoot growth of non-mycorrhizal plants, relative to the metal-free control, appeared higher than in mycorrhizal plants but was not statistically significant due to high variation in the non-mycorrhizal plants not exposed to metals. The main mycorrhizal effect was thus increased nutrient uptake and growth of the seedlings.
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2. |
- Ben-Gal, A., et al.
(author)
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Temporal robustness of linear relationships between production and transpiration
- 2003
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 251:2, s. 211-218
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Seasonal dependence of biomass production on transpiration has been previously reported for a number of crops under salinity and drought. Linear yield (Y) to transpiration ( T) relationships have been utilized in plant-growth and water-uptake models to estimate yield based on predicted transpiration values. The relationship is often employed for time steps that are very small compared with the whole season measurements, even though no empirical validation exists for such application. This work tests the hypothesis that linear Y-T relationships are valid throughout the life span of crops under varied natural conditions and levels of environmental stress. Effects of salinity and water supply on growth, water use and yields of tomatoes ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were studied for two distinct conditions of potential transpiration. Linear relationships between relative Y and relative ET were found to be consistent throughout the life span of the crops for both growing seasons. Water-use efficiency increased together with plant growth as a result of changes in the plant's surface area to volume ratio. This empirical validation of linear Y-T relationships for short time periods is beneficial in confirming their usefulness in growth and water uptake models.
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3. |
- Ekblad, Alf, 1957-, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of delta C-13 of CO2 distinguishes between microbial respiration of added C-4-sucrose and other soil respiration in a C-3-ecosystem
- 2000
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 219:1-2, s. 197-209
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The main aim of this study was to test various hypotheses regarding the changes in δ13C of emitted CO2 that follow the addition of C4-sucrose to the soil of a C3-ecosystem. It forms part of an experimental series designed to assess whether or not the contributions from C3-respiration (root and microbial) and C4-respiration (microbial) to total soil respiration can be calculated from such changes. A series of five experiments, three on sieved (root-free) mor-layer material, and two in the field with intact mor-layer (and consequently with active roots), were performed. Both in the experiments on sieved mor-layer and the field experiments, we found a C4-sucrose-induced increase in C3-respiration that accounted for between 30% and 40% of the respiration increase 1 h after sucrose addition. When the course of C3-, C4- and total respiration was followed in sieved material over four days following addition of C4-sucrose, the initially increased respiration of C3-C was transient, passing within less than 24 h. In a separate pot experiment, neither ectomycorrhizal Pinus sylvestrisL. roots nor non-mycorrhizal roots of this species showed respiratory changes in response to exogenous sucrose. No shift in the δ13C of the evolved CO2 after adding C3-sucrose to sieved mor-layer material was found, confirming that the sucrose-induced increase in respiration of endogenous C was not an artefact of discrimination against 13C during respiration. Furthermore, we conclude that the C4-sucrose induced transient increase in C3-respiration is most likely the result of accelerated turnover of C in the microbial biomass. Thus, neither respiration of mycorrhizal roots, nor processes discriminating against δ13C were likely sources of error in the field. The estimated δ13C of evolved soil CO2 in three field experiments lay between −25.2‰ and −23.6‰. The study shows that we can distinguish between CO2 evolved from microbial mineralisation of added C4-sucrose, and CO2 evolved from endogenous carbon sources (roots and microbial respiration).
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4. |
- Ekblad, Alf, 1957-, et al.
(author)
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Is growth of soil microorganisms in boreal forests limited by carbon or nitrogen availability?
- 2002
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 242:1, s. 115-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To study whether the biomass of soil microorganisms in a boreal Pinus sylvestris-Vaccinium vitis-idaea forest was limited by the availability of carbon or nitrogen, we applied sucrose from sugar cane, a C4 plant, to the organic mor-layer of the C3–C dominated soil. We can distinguish between microbial mineralization of the added sucrose and respiration of endogenous carbon (root and microbial) by using the C4-sucrose as a tracer, exploiting the difference in natural abundance of 13C between the added C4-sucrose (δ13C −10.8‰) and the endogenous C3–carbon (δ13C −26.6 ‰). In addition to sucrose, NH4Cl (340 kg N ha−1) was added factorially to the mor-layer. We followed the microbial activity for nine days after the treatments, by in situ sampling of CO2 evolved from the soil and mass spectrometric analyses of δ13C in the CO2. We found that microbial biomass was limited by the availability of carbon, rather than nitrogen availability, since there was a 50% increase in soil respiration in situ between 1 h and 5 days after adding the sucrose. However, no further increase was observed unless nitrogen was also added. Analyses of the δ13C ratios of the evolved CO2 showed that increases in respiration observed between 1 h and 9 days after the additions could be accounted for by an increase in mineralization of the added C4–C.
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5. |
- Jones, D L, et al.
(author)
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Organic acid behavior in soils - misconceptions and knowledge gaps
- 2003
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 248:1-2, s. 31-41
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic acids have been hypothesized to perform many functions in soil including root nutrient acquisition, mineral weathering, microbial chemotaxis and metal detoxification. However, their role in most of these processes remains unproven due to a lack of fundamental understanding about the reactions of organic acids in soil. This review highlights some of the knowledge gaps and misconceptions associated with the behavior of organic acids in soil with particular reference to low-molecular-weight organic acids (e.g., citrate, oxalate, malate) and plant nutrient acquisition. One major concern is that current methods for quantifying organic acids in soil may vastly underestimate soil solution concentrations and do not reveal the large spatial heterogeneity that may exist in their concentration (e.g., around roots or microbes). Another concern relates to the interaction of organic acids with the soil's solid phase and the lack of understanding about the relative importance of processes such as adsorption versus precipitation, and sorption versus desorption. Another major knowledge gap concerns the utilization of organic acids by the soil microbial community and the forms of organic acids that they are capable of degrading (e.g., metal-complexed organic acids, adsorbed organic acids etc). Without this knowledge it will be impossible to obtain accurate mathematical models of organic acid dynamics in soil and to understand their role and importance in ecosystem processes. Fundamental research on organic acids and their interaction with soil still needs to be done to fully elucidate their role in soil processes.
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6. |
- Nyberg, Gert, et al.
(author)
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Respiration from C-3 plant green manure added to a C-4 plant carbon dominated soil
- 2000
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 218:1-2, s. 83-89
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Application of tree leaves (C3 plants) on maize (Zea mays L.) (C4 plant) fields is an agroforestry management technology to restore or maintain soil fertility. The rate at which the tree leaves decompose is crucial for the nutrient supply to the crop. We studied the in situ decomposition of Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. leaves or C3 sugar for 4 – 8 days after application to a maize field in Kenya. By using the difference of around 10‰ in natural abundance of 13C between the endogenous soil C (mainly C4) and the applied C (C3), we could calculate the contributions of the two C sources to soil respiration. The δ13C value of the basal respiration was from –15.9 to –16.7‰. The microbial response to the additions of leaves and sugar to this tropical soil was immediate. Application of sesbania leaves gave an initial peak in respiration rates that lasted from one to less than 6 days, after which it levelled off and remained about 2 – 3 times higher (230–270 mg C m-2 h-1) than the control respiration rates throughout the rest of the experiment (5 – 8 days). In the sugar treatment, there was no initial peak in respiration rate. The respiration rate was 170 mg C m-2 h-1 after 4 days. At the end of the experiments, after 4–8 days, as much as 14–17% of the added C had been respired and about 60% of the total respiration was from the added sesbania leaves or C3 sugar. This non-destructive method allows repeated measurements of the actual rate of C mineralisation and facilitates decomposition studies with high temporal resolution in the field.
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7. |
- Roitto, M., et al.
(author)
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Does the lichen mat alleviate the effects of wet deposited nickel on soil microorganisms and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings?
- 2001
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 230:2, s. 267-277
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A field experiment was conducted in a dry heath forest dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and a mat-forming lichen (Cladina stellaris (Opiz) Brodo) to assess the effect of wet-deposited nickel (Ni) on pine seedlings and soil microorganisms, and to explore whether an intact lichen mat could act as a buffer against heavy metal deposits. Pine seedlings were planted in quadrats covered by a natural lichen layer and in quadrats from which the lichen layer had been completely removed. The quadrats were exposed to four levels of Ni deposition: 0 (i.e., distilled water), 10, 100 and 1000 mg m-2 year-1 in two growing seasons. Increasing Ni deposition led to an increase in the Ni content of the needles, roots and the soil organic layer. The lichen mat reduced Ni flow to the organic soil layer, but had no significant, reducing effect on needle or root Ni concentration. The most severe Ni treatment had detrimental effects on seedling growth and increased peroxidase activity in the previous years needles. Removal of the lichen layer did not increase susceptibility of seedlings to Ni. Values of maximal carbon use efficiency (Max) and metabolic quotient (qCO2) of the soil microorganisms indicated protective value of the lichen mat to soil microorganisms at the highest Ni treatment. Skimming per se decreased basal respiration, qCO2 and concentrations of potassium in the soil and also increased the lag period of the microorganisms as a response to in situ substrate addition.
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8. |
- Tavares, Fernando, et al.
(author)
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Identification and expression studies of a catalase and a bifunctional catalase-peroxidase in Frankia strain R43
- 2003
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 254:1, s. 75-81
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A monofunctional catalase and a bifunctional catalase-peroxidase were revealed by activity staining of non-denaturing PAGE in Frankia strain R43. Both enzymes were shown to be cytoplasmatic, growth regulated and expressed mainly during the stationary growth phase. Nevertheless, low levels of constitutive expression could also be detected during the early stages of growth. Immunoblot analyses using a polyclonal antibody raised against a catalase-peroxidase purified from Streptomyces reticuli showed a band of 83.2 kDa, with the same growth dependent pattern as obtained by the non-denaturing PAGE analyses. Induction studies revealed that both enzymes were strongly induced by raising the intracellular concentration of H2O2 with paraquat, but not with exogenous H2O2. In addition, no acquisition of tolerance to exogenous H2O2 was observed whatever the pretreatment of the inocula, i.e. despite the expression level of both hydroperoxidases.
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9. |
- Tyler, Germund
(author)
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Rare earth elements in soil and plant systems - A review
- 2004
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 267:1-2, s. 191-206
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The rare earth elements (REES) form a chemically uniform group and include yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La) and the lanthanides cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). Their average abundance in the Earth's crust range from 66 mug g(-1) in Ce to 0.5 mug g(-1) in Tm and much less than0.1 mug g(-1) in Pm. Recent great improvements in more routine analytical technique, the use of REEs as fertilisers, at least in East Asian agriculture, and the importance of these elements as indicators in both pedological and physiological processes and reactions have contributed to an increased interest in these previously less considered elements in environmental sciences. This review of recent and current literature deals with REES in primary and secondary soil minerals, concentrations in surface soils, factors influencing adsorption, solubility and transport in soils. including weathering and transformations of REE minerals. and vertical distribution in soil profiles. Reviewed and discussed are also concentrations, distribution and localisation of REES in plants and plant organs, soil-plant relationships and interactions, effects on plant growth and crop production and their importance in plant physiology and biochemistry. The REEs are found. usually several elements together, as phosphates. carbonates and silicate minerals finely dispersed especially in magmatic and metamorphic rocks. REE concentrations in surface soils of humid climates, such as the A(E)-horizons of Podzols and Laterites. are usually lower than in the parent material, due to higher weathering and leaching rates than of the average soil constituents. Some fractionation may occur due to the formation of more element-specific secondary minerals. Transfer from soil to plant is usually low, but extreme accumulators are found, e.g., among several species of ferns. Roots have generally hi her concentrations than shoots. Possible uptake mechanisms of REES are discussed. Uptake is positively, though often weakly, correlated with soil acidity and easily soluble concentrations of the elements. but rarely well related to their total concentrations in the soil. Under certain conditions, low concentrations of at least some REES seem to favour plant growth and productivity, but the physiological mechanisms are still not well understood. Some considerations concerning, the boundary between essential and non-essential micro nutrients are discussed.
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10. |
- Fransson, Ann-Mari, et al.
(author)
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Plantago lanceolata L. and Rumex acetosella L. differ in their utilisation of soil phosphorus fractions
- 2003
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In: Plant and Soil. - 0032-079X. ; 248:1-2, s. 285-295
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To establish relationships between soil phosphorus (P) fractions and leaf P, a mycorrhizal species (Plantago lanceolata L.) was compared with a typically non-mycorrhizal species (Rumex acetosella L.) in a glasshouse experiment. The plants were grown in 40 soils from non-fertilised, abandoned pastures or abandoned arable fields and leaf P concentration were found to be related to various soil P fractions after six weeks of growth. The differences in the P fractions in soil can account for a large share of the variation in leaf P concentration in both species, but the two species differed in their utilisation of P fractions. Leaf P concentration of R. acetosella was more related to extractable soil P than that of P. lanceolata. Rumex acetosella showed a higher maximum P concentration. The P fractions accounting for the largest share of the variation in leaf P concentration was the Bray 1 extractable and the weak oxalate (1 mM) extractable P, and for P. lanceolata also the Na2SO4+NaF extractable P fraction. P extracted with these methods accounted for up to 80% of the variation in P concentration in leaves of R. acetosella and 65% of the variation in leaves of P. lanceolata. More P extractable with weak oxalate, Na2SO4+NaF and strong oxalate (50 mM) was released from the soil than was taken up by the plants during the experimental period. The Bray 1 extractable P fraction, however, decreased in both unplanted and planted soils. Phosphatase release was not induced in any of the plants during the experimental period, indicating that they were not mobilising soil organic P. However, some of the methods extracted a large share of the organic P and still explained much of the variation in leaf P concentration. Mycorrhizal colonisation of P. lanceolata was inversely related to the extractable soil P. The consistently fast P uptake of R. acetosella indicates that this species have a high demand for P. The differences in P utilisation between R. acetosella and P. lanceolata could be caused by their different mycorrhizal status.
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