TG-DTA, DRIFT and NMR characterisation of humic-like fractions from olive wastes and amended soil.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate, by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies, the structural features of the humic-like fraction (HLF) from olive pulp (OP), its effluents originated from the fermentation processes for hydrogen (EH2) and methane production (ECH4) and humic acid (HA) from soil amended with each of these materials. A considerable structural modification emerged between the HLF, in particular from the ECH4 effluent, which was characterised by a high content of polyphenolic and polypeptidic substances. The short-term amendment trial with OP and EH2 indicated that no chemical or structural changes in soil HA appeared. In contrast, the amendment with ECH4 substantially influenced the chemical and structural composition of soil HA. The structural interpretation performed by 2D NMR indicated the presence of aliphatic and aromatic protons while the sugar-like content and O-CH3 groups decreased with respect to the soil control HA. It emerges from this study that olive wastes contain stabilised humic-like material that may be recycled as an amendment in areas where olive trees are cultivated.

Isotopic discrimination during litter decomposition and delta13C and delta15N soil profiles in a young artificial stand and in an old floodplain forest.

In the present study, rates of litter decomposition and microbial biomass nitrogen were monitored over an 8-month period in a young broadleaf plantation (18 y) and in an old floodplain forest. Moreover, delta13C and delta15N temporal variations within soil profiles were evaluated at both sites. Rates of litter decomposition were higher in spring and autumn than in summer, in both forests. At the end of the observation period the percentage of original litter remaining was not statistically different between the young and the old forest and accounted for 60-70% of the original amount. Microbial biomass nitrogen in the remaining litter and the percentage of litter mass lost during decomposition were positively correlated. The difference in litter quality affected the decomposition rate and also the changes in carbon isotopic composition during the decomposition process. In contrast, 15N isotopic signatures showed a similar trend in the litter of the two forests irrespective of the litter quality. Although delta13Csoil and delta15Nsoil showed considerable temporal variation they increased with depth in the soils of both sites but their seasonal changes did not reflect those of the decomposing litter. Within the same soil horizon, both delta13C and delta15N showed similar seasonal trends in the soils of the two forests, suggesting the involvement of environmental factors acting at regional level, such as soil temperature and rainfall variations, in regulating seasonal delta13C and delta15N soil variations.

Recycling of nitrogen in the xylem of Prunus avium trees starts when spring remobilization of internal reserves declines.

Nitrogen (N) storage capacity of cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees grown in sand culture was preconditioned by applying contrasting N supplies for one year. During the spring of the following year, a constant amount of 15N was supplied and the dynamics of N remobilization and root uptake were characterized as a function of internal N status of the trees. To calculate the flux of N through xylem, both xylem sap N concentration and whole-tree transpiration rates were measured. By comparing the cumulative flux of N through the xylem with the amount of N recovered in the new above ground growth, we indirectly evaluated the recycling of N in the xylem, i.e., the amount of N derived from shoot-root translocation that was subsequently reloaded into the xylem. The contrasting N storage capacities imposed during the first year affected both N remobilization and uptake from roots in the following year. Recycling of N in the xylem apparently did not occur during the remobilization of internal reserves (i.e., during the first 6-8 weeks after bud burst). However, when remobilization declined, measurement of the cumulative flux of N through the xylem overestimated the amount of N recovered in the new biomass, allowing the extent of N recycling to be evaluated. The amount of N recycling in the xylem was greater in high-N trees, which also took up less N through their roots than trees preconditioned to have a lower internal N status. This suggests that recycling of N in the xylem is a mechanism by which plants regulate N uptake by roots.