In a proof-of-concept study, an acidic (pH 5.8) biochar was created using a low pyrolysis temperature (350 °C) and steam activation (800 °C) to potentially improve the soil physicochemical status of an eroded calcareous soil. Biochar was added at 0%, 1%, 2%, and 10% (by wt.) and soils were destructively sampled at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 month intervals. Soil was analyzed for gravimetric water con...

Nitrate was formed from ammonium at pH 3.2 to 6.1 in suspensions of a naturally acid forest soil; the maximum rates of formation occurred at ca. pH 4 to 5. Nitrate was also formed from soil nitrogen in suspensions incubated at 50 degrees C. Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria could not be isolated from this soil. Enrichment cultures produced nitrate in a medium with beta-alanine if much soil was ad...

The response of soil respiration to acid rain in forests, especially in forests of different maturity, is poorly understood in southern China despite the fact that acid rain has become a serious environmental threat in this region in recent years. Here, we investigated this issue in three subtropical forests of different maturity [i.e. a young pine forest (PF), a transitional mixed conifer and ...

A new soil extractant (HA) with the ability to extract NH4, NO3, and P from soil was developed and tested against 32 soils, which varied greatly in clay content, organic carbon (C), and soil pH. The extractant (HA) eliminates the need for separate phosphorus (P) extractants for acid and calcareous soils and maintains the extract pH, on average, within one unit of the soil pH. The extractant is ...

To determine how soil properties influence nanoparticle (NP) fate, bioavailability and toxicity, this study compared the toxicity of nano zinc oxide (ZnO NPs), non-nano ZnO and ionic ZnCl2 to the earthworm Eisenia fetida in a natural soil at three pH levels. NP characterisation indicated that reaction with the soil media greatly controls ZnO properties. Three main conclusions were drawn. First ...

Plants affect the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms, but the influence of the local abiotic context is poorly documented. We investigated the effect of a single plant species, the cushion plant Silene acaulis, on habitat conditions, and microbial community. We collected soil from inside (In) and outside (Out) of the cushions on calcareous and siliceous cliffs in the French Alps along ...

Chitin amendment is a promising soil management strategy that may enhance the suppressiveness of soil toward plant pathogens. However, we understand very little of the effects of added chitin, including the putative successions that take place in the degradative process. We performed an experiment in moderately acid soil in which the level of chitin, next to the pH, was altered. Examination of ...

A method is described for efficiently concentrating enteroviruses from soil. Viruses were eluted from soil by mechanical agitation in high pH glycine buffer containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The eluted viruses were concentrated on a floc that formed de novo upon adjustment of the soil eluate to 0.06 M aluminum chloride and pH 3.5. Viruses not pelleted with the floc were concentrated b...

in order to investigate the effects of soil chemical characteristics on weed species diversity in eastern mashhad region wheat (triticum aestivum l.) fields, an investigation was held in the year 2009. wheat fields were classified based on the acreage from 3-5, 5-10 and higher than 10 ha. five random soil samples were taken using a 5 cm diameter auger from the soil of each experimental field an...

In a laboratory experiment, wheat straw (WS), pig slurry (PS) and a mixture of the two materials (WSPS) were added to soil at the rate of 2% on a dry soil basis. Samples of the soil alone and with the amendments were collected at various intervals of time during a one year period and analysed for: pH, electrical conductivity (EC.), NO 3, HPO42-, phenolic compounds and volatile acids. A germinat...