The micro and nanostructures of Martian soil simulants with particles in the micrometre-size range have been studied using a combination of optical and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in preparation for the 2007 NASA Phoenix Mars Lander mission. The operation of an atomic force microscope on samples of micrometre-sized soil particles is a poorly investigated area where the unwanted interaction be...

Extracellular enzymes degrade complex organic compounds and contribute to carbon turnover in soils. We used physical fractionation procedures to investigate whether soil carbon is spatially isolated from degradative enzymes across a prairie restoration chronosequence in Illinois, USA. We found that carbon-degrading enzymes were abundant in all soil fractions, including macroaggregates, microagg...

Each fortified and control sample, moistened to 40~ saturation, was inoculated and kept in an enameled tray loosely covered with a glass plate to retard water evaporation, substrate volatilization, and photodecomposition. Thus, the substrates would be subject to possible microbial degradation, chemical degradation, and adsorption to soil colloids, but not losses due to leaching or soil transpor...

This study was conducted to evaluate the yield, nutrient characteristics, ruminal solubility, degradability and disappearance of spent mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) substrates for ruminants. The annual yield of spent Agaricus bisporus substrates was measured to be about 210,000 tons (M/T) in South Korea. The surface soil-removed spent substrates had nutritional characteristics of high crude ash ...

abstract in order to investigate the effect of different ratios of cocopeat and vermicompost as a cultural media on seed emergence and some qualitative and quantitative characteristics of sweet pepper transplant (cv. colifornia wonder). the treatments include: vermicompost + cocopeat (3:1), vermicompost + cocopeat (1:3), vermicompost + cocopeat (1:1) (v/v) and normal soil of transplant. the tre...

according to high importance of sodding for fast creating green beds in all seasons, this experiment carried out with aimidentifying suitable substrate and covering plant including two lawn genus and dichondra with blend seed. the trial carried out as factorial experiment with three factors based on complete block design in three replications. experimental factors consisted of planting networks...

Loss of photosynthetic area can affect soil microbial communities by altering the availability of fixed carbon. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and Biolog filamentous-fungus plates to determine the effects of artificial defoliation of pines in a mixed pine-spruce forest on the composition of the fungal community in a forest soil. As measured by DGGE, two fungal species we...

The diversity of Ochrobactrum anthropi, Ochrobactrum intermedium, Ochrobactrum tritici and Ochrobactrum grignonense in agricultural soil and on the wheat rhizoplane was investigated. O. anthropi was isolated both from soil and from the rhizoplane, O. intermedium and grignonense only from bulk soil, and O. tritici only from the wheat rhizoplane. On the genetic level, the immunotrapped isolates a...

Previous studies have shown that fertilization with nitrogen depresses overall microbial biomass and activity in soil. In the present study we broaden our understanding of this phenomenon by studying the seasonality of responses of specific microbial functional groups to chronic nitrogen additions in alpine tundra soils. We measured soil enzyme activities, mineralization kinetics for 8 substrat...