A simple and reliable method using on-line purge and trap gas chromatography mass spectrometry has been developed for the determination of the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-DCP) in agricultural water and soil samples. The proposed analytical methodology was validated in the target environmental matrices by the analysis of spiked blank matrix samples. Limit of detection values of 0.05 microg...

BACKGROUND As one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides in vegetable production, phoxim (C(12)H(15)N(2)O(3)PS) is often found as residues in crops and soils and thus poses a potential threat to public health and environment. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi may make a contribution to the decrease of organophosphate residues in crops and/or the degradation in soils, but such effe...

Nitrous oxide production from N-impacted soils is highly influenced by rates of inorganic nitrogen metabolized by the soil microbial community. The processes of nitrification and denitrification convert soil nitrite into nitrous oxide either directly or via nitrate. Although methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) are predominantly involved in converting methane to carbon dioxide, their evolutionary l...

Lumber used to construct raised garden beds is often treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). This project aimed to determine (i) how far As, Cu, and Cr had diffused away from CCA-treated wood surfaces in raised garden beds under realistic conditions, (ii) the uptake of these elements by crops, and (iii) the effect of CCA solution on soil bacteria. This study showed that As, Cu, and Cr dif...

This study focused on the effects of organic and inorganic amendments and straw retention on the microbial biomass (MB) and taxonomic groups of bacteria in sugarcane-cultivated soils in a greenhouse mesocosm experiment monitored for gas emissions and chemical factors. The experiment consisted of combinations of synthetic nitrogen (N), vinasse (V; a liquid waste from ethanol production), and sug...

Spatial variability is a major source of uncertainty in estimating the fluxes of greenhouse gases between steppe and atmosphere. The fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O were carried out between 08:00 and 10:00 h. of the following day during the midsummer period from a transect (area: 5.25×10 ha) in the semiarid steppe of northern China, using the dark static chamber technique and gas chromatography. Tw...

Despite the importance of organic soils, including peatlands, in the global carbon cycle, detailed information on regional and global emissions is scarce. This is due to the difficulty to map, measure, and assess the complex dynamics of land, soil, and water interactions needed to assess the human-driven degradation of organic soils. We produced a new methodology for the comprehensive assessmen...

Arenosols in the Brazilian Cerrado are increasingly being used for agricultural production, particularly maize. These sandy soils are characterized by low soil organic matter, low available nutrients, and poor water-holding capacity. For this reason, adding biochar as a soil amendment could lead to improved water and nutrient retention. A greenhouse experiment was carried out using twelve bioch...

Four greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of native prairie grasses and two pesticide-degrading bacteria to remediate atrazine and metolachlor in soils from agricultural dealerships (Alpha site soil, northwest Iowa, USA; Bravo site soil, central Iowa, USA). The Alpha soil contained a low population of atrazine-degrading microorganisms relative to the Bravo soil. Each soil f...