Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis of a soil microbial community was coupled with (13)C isotope tracer analysis to measure the community's response to addition of 35 microg of [(13)C]toluene ml of soil solution(-1). After 119 h of incubation with toluene, 96% of the incorporated (13)C was detected in only 16 of the total 59 PLFAs (27%) extracted from the soil. Of the total (13)C-enriched P...

Dalton, F.N. and van Genuchten, M.Th., 1986. The time-domain reflectometry method for measuring soil water content and salinity. Geoderma, 38: 237--250. This paper discusses the physical principles and use of time-domain reflectometry as a new tool for studying water and solute transport in unsaturated soils. In-situ measurements of water content and bulk soil electrical conductivity are shown ...

The yield response of various crops to salinity under field conditions is affected by soil processes and environmental conditions. The composition of dissolved ions depend on soil chemical processes such as cation or anion exchange, oxidation-reduction reactions, ion adsorption, chemical speciation, complex formation, mineral weathering, solubility, and precipitation. The nature of cations and ...

The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) has been shown to be a promising tool to assess metal bioavailability in soils under laboratory conditions. In this study we used DGT to investigate the resupply kinetics of Cu and Zn under in-situ conditions in a polluted lysimeter soil and compared the results with laboratory measurements using undisturbed soil cores at defined water co...

Understanding of soil processes is essential for addressing the global issues of food security, disease transmission and climate change. However, techniques for observing soil biology are lacking. We present a heterogeneous, porous, transparent substrate for in situ 3D imaging of living plants and root-associated microorganisms using particles of the transparent polymer, Nafion, and a solution ...

environmental pollution by heavy metals is a growing global concern. most heavy metals accumulate in the top soil and in the long term, increased concentrations in the soil results in increased absorption and accumulation in plants. the usual concentration of cadmium in the soil is 0.001-2.4 mg/kg of dry soil. the level of absorption and accumulation in plants depends on the type of plant, tiss...

2,7-Dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (DCDD) was found to evaporate easily with water vapor from a heated solution. Steam distillation was also effective for the removal of DCDD from DCDD-applied soil; its concentration (250 microg/50g soil) in the original soil decreased to less than 5% after steam distillation for only 20 min. Actual dioxin-polluted soil in Tokorozawa City was partially decontaminated...

A rapid method for determining residues of the herbicide metribuzin in soil by laboratory experiment under controlled conditions is described. Field soil fortified with herbicide at concentration of 5 mg kg-1 soil, and maintained at field capacity moisture regime and kept at ambient temperature 25 ± 5°C. The soil samples were extracted with different ratio of methanol/water solution and the res...