A pot experiment was carried out with maize to determine the phosphorus (P) plant-availability of different secondary P-fertilizers derived from wastewater. We analyzed the respective soils by P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to determine the P chemical forms that were present and determine the transformation processes. Macro- and micro-XANES spectroscopy were ...

Peatlands are organic-matter-rich but nitrogen-limited natural systems, the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) status of which are subject to increasing exposure from long-term nitrate (NO3-) fertilizer inputs and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposits. To manage and protect these unique environments, an improved understanding of denitrification-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane (DAMO) in peatlands is nee...

Crop management strategies that improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) increase profits while reducing the detrimental effects on the environment associated with fertilizer nitrogen (N) loss. Effective N management should include several critical factors that are very interrelated. A study was conducted at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Goodwell, OK to evaluate the effects of multi...

This literature review focuses on the prevalence of nitrogen and phosphorus in urban environments and the complex relationships between land use and water quality. Extensive research in urban watersheds has broadened our knowledge about point and non-point pollutant sources, but the fate of nutrients is not completely understood. For example, it is not known how long-term nutrient cycling proce...

In east-central Illinois, fertilizer sales during the past 20 yr suggest that approximately half of the fertilizer nitrogen (N) applied to corn ( L.) occurs in the fall; however, fall fertilizer N sales were greatly reduced in 2009 as wet soil conditions restricted fall fieldwork, including fertilizer N applications. In 2010, we observed unusually low flow-weighted nitrate concentrations (appro...

We studied the heterogeneity of soil weed seed-bank in a rice-wheat rotation system after long-term application of different organic or non-organic fertilizers, and the effects of major nutrients on the characteristics of the weed seed-bank. The soil was sampled in the Taihu area after a 31-year long-term fertilization experiment. Weed seeds were identified and counted in the surface soil of 12...

In connection with a study at the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory on the possible transformation products of cyanamid, there was obtained a number of materials and mixtures concerning which there is either very little known, or concerning which there is still some doubt as to their fertilizing value. Thus, in the preparation of urephos, a product was obtained in which approximately 55 per ce...

C admium (Cd) is a nonessential heavy metal that can cause kidney problems. Diet is the main source of Cd for nonsmokers, with cereal products, including pasta, accounting for up to 20% of the daily intake of Cd. The current official standard for maximum level of Cd in durum wheat grain as stated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission is 0.2 ppm. The European Union has adopted this level as the m...

The intensity of the strong N v 1240 line relative to C iv 1549 or to He ii 1640 has been proposed as an indicator of the metallicity of quasi-stellar object (QSO) broad emission line regions, allowing abundance measurements in a large number of QSOs out to the highest redshifts. Previously, it had been shown that the (normally) much weaker lines N iii] 1750 and N iv] 1486 could be used in the ...