Although some work has been done on the effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on the numbers and kinds of organisms of the soil (Smith, Dawson and Wenzel, 1945; Hoover and Colmer, 1953), on respiration of certain soil organisms (Magee, 1954), and on the effect of this herbicide on certain processes of the soil (Newman, 1947; Jones, 1948; Carlyle and Thorpe, 1947; and Payne and Fults,...

The key abiotic factor found to affect the percentage cover of nettles in this investigation was soil temperature, with a 0.734 Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between the two variables (showing a significant correlation where P<0.05). This is thought to be due to the fact that an increase in soil temperature will cause an increase in the metabolic activities of the nettle. This include...

We investigated the effects of various factors (brij 30, brij 35, yeast extract, hydrogen peroxide and compost) on the aerobic degradation of nonylphenol (NP) in soil and characterized the structure of the microbial community in that soil. Residues of NP were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a change of microbial communities was demonstrated using denaturing gradi...

Soils are arguably the most microbially diverse ecosystems. Physicochemical properties have been associated with the maintenance of this diversity. Yet, the role of microbial substrate specialization is largely unexplored since substrate utilization studies have focused on simple substrates, not the complex mixtures representative of the soil environment. Here we examine the exometabolite compo...

In a soil conditions like limestone mined spoils which has low soil nutrients level with poor nutrient cycling capacity; application of selected microbes as inoculants may be helpful in the establishment of plants in nutrient poor mined spoils. Pongamia pinnata grown on limestone mined over burden dump were supplemented with different microbial and inorganic fertilizer. Plants inoculated with m...

The responses of Aedes albopictus to sources of oviposition attractants and stimulants were evaluated with a behavioral bioassay in which females attracted to odorants emanating from water were trapped on screens coated with an adhesive. Gravid mosquitoes were attracted to volatiles from larval-rearing water and soil-contaminated cotton towels. Bacteria were isolated from these substrates and f...

Phenolic compounds are intermediary transformation products of many naturally occurring substances and synthetic chemicals, including crop residues, organic wastes, pesticides and industrial products. They are suitable substrates for the phenolases and peroxidases produced by the soil microflora. Although measurement of the enzymatic oxidation of phenolic compounds is an important measure of th...

Suitability of various substrates for anaerobic biodegradation of DDT in contaminated soil was tested in lab-scale tests with granular sludge inoculation. Use of carbohydrate-based substances such as starch, sucrose, molasses and whey resulted in acidification, which in extreme cases inhibited DDT removal. A large amount of phosphate buffer prevented pH drop for starch, but not for sucrose. Bet...

Liquefaction is one of the most determinant factors in the collapse of transportation infrastructures. This is especially true for roads and railroads located on saturated, fine-sand substrates under seismic conditions. The damage and human casualties resulting from liquefaction highlight the importance of understanding and mapping this phenomenon. Soil liquefaction occurs as a natural hazard i...

Brassica microgreens are typically cultivated using a peat-based growing substrate with higher production cost as this must be imported from overseas. In Vietnam, source of local bio-materials that could used to replace peat, resulting in more affordable substrates. Several substrates for were evaluated study: GT1 (30% sand +20% organic soil + 50% coco coir), GT2 (75% coir 25% rice husk), GT3 C...