Purpose Ammonia oxidation plays an important role in global nitrogen cycle. However, little information is available on ammonia oxidizers in paddy soils. This study aimed to understand the controlling factors of ammonia oxidizers in the paddy soils. Materials and methods Three types of paddy soils were collected from southwest [Chongqing City (CQ)], central [Honghu City (HH)], and northeast [Pa...

Rhizoremediation involves the breakdown of contaminants in soil resulting from microbial activity that is enhanced in the plant root zone. The objective of this study was to assess Australian native grasses for their ability to stimulate removal of aliphatic hydrocarbons from a mine site soil. Time-course pot experiments were conducted in a greenhouse with three grass species (Cymbopogon ambigu...

The relationship between plant species coexistence and soil microbial communities under heavy metal pollution has attracted much attention in ecology. However, whether plant species coexistence could offset the impacts of heavy metal combined pollution on soil microbial community structure and soil enzymes activities is not well studied. The modified ecological dose model and PCR-RAPD method we...

The acreage planted in corn and soybean crops is vast, and these crops contribute substantially to the world economy. The agricultural practices employed for farming these crops have major effects on ecosystem health at a worldwide scale. The microbial communities living in agricultural soils significantly contribute to nutrient uptake and cycling and can have both positive and negative impacts...

Previous surveys of vineyards had indicated that Mesocriconema xenoplax was present in 85% of vineyards in western Oregon, but yields were not depressed in established vines. Microplot studies were initiated in 1997 in a Willamette Valley vineyard to determine the impact of M. xenoplax on vine establishment. Plots were infested with 0.03, 0.6, and 3.0 M. xenoplax g soil and planted with self-ro...

Over the last decades, understanding of the effects of plants on soil microbiomes has greatly advanced. However, knowledge on the assembly of rhizospheric communities in aged-contaminated industrial soils is still limited, especially with regard to transcriptionally active microbiomes and their link to the quality or quantity of carbon sources. We compared the short-term (2-10 days) dynamics of...

Oxamyl coated on soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Elgin) seeds in solutions of 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/ml had no serious deleterious effects on seedling emergence and growth when planted in sterile soil. Seedling emergence on day 3 was less than that of the uncoated control, but by day 7 emergence was equal to, or greater than, the control. Shoot and root growth from seed coated with oxamyl i...

In a survey conducted in 1984 in Essex, Lambton, and Middlesex Counties of Ontario, Canada, greater incidences of head blight and greater concentrations of deoxynivalenol in grain were observed in fields of winter wheat planted after corn than in those planted after soybeans, barley, and mixed grains. Neither head blight nor deoxynivalenol level were correlated significantly with soil P, K, or ...

Less than 10% of Minnesota’s hardwood forests remain after heavy logging in the 19 and early 20 centuries. In order to ensure that this ecosystem continues to be a part of Minnesota’s natural history, forest managers have begun practicing active and passive restoration. The composition of a remnant forest, planted forest, and an adjacent old-field in the St. Olaf College Natural Lands, was anal...

A study was conducted to determine the impacts of soil disturbance and compaction on soil physical properties and tree growth and the effectiveness of tillage in maintaining or enhancing site productivity for intensively managed Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon sites in Dedza, Malawi. The results indicate that about fifty-two percent of the area of compacted plots was affected by the vehicular traf...