Effects of combined natural synergists and chemical inhibitors on yield, nitrogen utilization and balance in wheat/maize rotation system.

Urease inhibitors and nitrification inhibitors can enhance nitrogen (N) fertilizer utilization efficiency and reducing N losses through regulating urea-N transformation. Common urease or nitrification inhibitors, however, are predominantly chemically synthesized and high-cost. Furthermore, their inhibitory effects are mediated by soil pro-perties, climatic conditions, and crop systems. In this study, we conducted a field experiment using natural synergists humic acid/zeolite, along with chemical nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and their combination to elucidate the impacts of natural synergists combined with chemical inhibitors on annual yield, nitrogen utilization efficiency, soil nitrate-N accumulation, and nitrogen balance within the wheat/maize rotation system. The treatments included no nitrogen fertilizer application (CK), single application of urea (N), urea +DCD (ND), urea + humic acid (NH), urea + zeolite (NP), urea + urease inhibitor N-butylthiophosphoric triamide + DCD (NUD), urea + humic acid + DCD (NHD), and urea + zeolite + DCD (NPD). The results showed that, compared to the treatments NH and NP, the integration of humic acid or zeolite with DCD (NHD and NPD) significantly increased maize yield (11268 and 11397 kg·hm-2) and total annual yield (20494 and 20582 kg·hm-2), which were comparable to those of combined chemical urease and nitrification inhibitors (NUD). The NHD and NPD treatments had higher nitrogen utilization efficiency and lower soil nitrate-N accumulation in 80-100 cm soil layer across all seasons relative to the N treatment, which had no significant difference compared to the NUD treatment. Furthermore, a decline in soil nitrogen surplus by 10.7% and 13.9% was observed when comparing the NHD and NPD treatments with the NH and NP treatments, respectively. These findings suggested that combined humic acid or zeolite and chemical nitrification inhibitors could effectively enhance crop yield and N utilization efficiency and meet the requirements of the green and environmental preservation of modern agriculture.

[Status of soil fertility, nutrient balance, and environmental risk assessment in yam production of North China Plain]. / åŽåŒ—å¹³åŽŸå±±è¯ä¸»äº§åŒºåœŸå£¤è‚¥åŠ›å’Œå »åˆ†å¹³è¡¡çŽ°çŠ¶åŠçŽ¯å¢ƒé£Žé™©è¯„ä»·.

Taking the main production area of yam in North China Plain as the research area, we analyzed the status of soil fertility and fertilizer application in yam production through field investigation and tracking monitoring, examined soil nutrient balance using the input-output model of nutrients in agricultural system, and assessed the environmental risks in the yam planting system. The results showed that: 1) the contents of soil organic matter and total N were extremely low, and the contents of available P and available Zn were both low; both nitrate and available Cu contents were at the middle level, the contents of soil slowly available K, available S, and exchangeable Ca and Mg were all extremely high, the contents of available K, available Fe, and available Mn were all at high level; 2) The nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P2O5), and potassium (K2O) inputs were 575-943 kg·hm-2, 341-981 kg·hm-2, and 655-1219 kg·hm-2 during the whole growth period of yam, with chemical fertilizer accounting for 83.0%, 88.6%, and 91.3%, respectively; The input imbalance between organic and inorganic fertilizer, as well as the excessive nutrients input were prominent; 3) The surplus rate of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium reached 271.14 kg·hm-2, 466.34 kg·hm-2, and 739.97 kg·hm-2, with corresponding surplus ratio of 48.7%, 258.1%, and 324.5%, respectively, which all exceeded the environmental safety threshold and were classified as moderate risk, severe risk, and severe risk, respectively. The overall environmental risk caused by chemical fertilizer application in yam production had reached severe risk level.

[Amelioration effect of humic acid on saline-alkali soil]. / è æ¤é ¸ç±»ç‰©è´¨çš„æ–½ç”¨å¯¹ç›ç¢±åœ°çš„æ”¹è‰¯æ•ˆæžœ.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three types of humic acid, i.e. oxidized humic acid (OHA), aminated humic acid (AHA) and microbial-humic acid (MHA), on physico-chemical properties of saline-alkali soil and maize growth. Results showed that the application of all humic acid materials had no significant effect on soil pH in the current season. However, the soil electrical conductivity (EC), the contents of water-soluble Na+ and K+, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) decreased under all three treatments of humic acid application measured in up to 40 cm soil depth. OHA had the strongest effect in reducing soil EC, while no significant differences were detected among the three tested materials in reducing contents of water-solu-ble Na+ and K+ and SAR. In addition, humic acid reduced soil NO3--N content and increased soil NH4+-N content, soluble organic nitrogen (SON) content and total soluble nitrogen (TSN) content, with higher effects of AHA and MHA than OHA. Moreover, the application of humic acid materials increased the content of soil available phosphorus, which was most significant in MHA. Humic acid addition could significantly enhance the yield and function leaf SPAD value of maize, which did not vary among the tested humic acid materials. The rank of effect size on apparent utilization efficiency of N and P fertilizer was in the order of AHA>MHA>OHA. While OHA treatment had the highest agronomic efficiency of N and P, AHA treatment achieved the highest partial factor productivity of applied N and P.

The top-down synthesis of single-layered Cs4CuSb2Cl12 halide perovskite nanocrystals for photoelectrochemical application.

The development of an all-inorganic lead-free perovskite nanocrystal is of crucial importance to solve the instability and lead toxicity of organic-inorganic lead hybrid perovskites. Herein, single-layered Cs4CuSb2Cl12 nanocrystals (NCs) with a narrow band gap of 1.6 eV were prepared for the first time via an ultrasonic exfoliation technique. This powerful top-down method was further generalized to synthesize a class of lead-free perovskite (Cs3Bi2X9 and Cs3Sb2X9) NCs. The experimental and theoretical studies revealed that not only inter-layer van der Waals forces but also in-plane chemical bonds played a critical role in the exfoliation process. Specifically, smaller uniform-sized NCs were observed for Cs4CuSb2Cl12 (∼3 nm) as compared to those for Cs3Sb2Cl9 (∼20 nm) although both Cs4CuSb2Cl12 and Cs3Sb2Cl9 exhibited a similar exfoliation energy (∼0.310 J m-2). This can be ascribed to the weaker in-plane chemical bonds of Cu-Cl (2.808 Å) and Sb-Cl (2.924 Å) in Cs4CuSb2Cl12 than the uniform Cl-Sb bond (2.69 Å) in Cs3Sb2Cl9 that allow for an easier exfoliation process. In addition, exfoliation of the Cs4CuSb2Cl12 microcrystal into NCs results in an indirect-to-direct bandgap transition and a reduced electron effective mass, which provides a rapid and steady photoelectrochemical response, demonstrating that Cs4CuSb2Cl12 NCs are a promising candidate for optoelectronic applications.

Effects of yam/leguminous crops intercropping on soil chemical and biological properties of yam field.

We investigated the effects of yam/leguminous crops intercropping on soil chemical and biological properties as well as soil comprehensive fertility in a field experiment. Results showed that compared with the monoculture, both yam/alfalfa and yam/clover intercropping increased the concentrations of nitrate nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and available potassium (K) in the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers, while reduced soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in early growth period and rhizome rapid expansion period of yam. Intercropping with leguminous crops enhanced the activities of urease, alkaline phosphatase and catalase, and also enhanced soil basal respiration in the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers during the whole growth period of yam. There was no influence of intercropping on soil sucrase activity and dehydrogenase activity. The effects of intercropping with leguminous crops on soil fertility at yam harvest were further analyzed by combining the membership function model and principal component analysis. Results showed that intercropping with leguminous crops could significantly increase the soil comprehensive fertility in the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers. Therefore, it might be an effective measure to improve soil fertility and environmental quality, as well as alleviate continuous cropping obstacles of yam by yam/leguminous crops intercropping through enhancing soil biological diversity.

KB(PO4)F: a novel acentric deep-ultraviolet material.

Two challenges to grow KBe2BO3F2 (KBBF), the best known deep-ultraviolet nonlinear optical (NLO) material to date, are the limited crystal sizes and the use of a highly toxic element (Be). Herein we report on the discovery of a novel anhydrous non-centrosymmetric alkali fluorinated borophosphate KB(PO4)F (KBPF) featuring a cut-off wavelength of less than 200 nm and a large second-harmonic generation (SHG) effect similar to KH2PO4 (KDP), hence representing a new promising deep-ultraviolet NLO material. The KBPF crystals consisting of common elements can be grown using green and cost effective processes and do not show any detectable hygroscopicity. The title compound also features a 2-dimensional layer [BPO4F]∞ built from [BO3F]4- and [PO4]3- tetrahedral groups but has much stronger interlayer bonds than KBBF, allowing the growth of large crystals. The title compound has been characterized by PXRD, SEM, TG-DSC, FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR diffuse reflectance and SHG analyses as well as single-crystal X-ray structure refinements. The optical properties of KBPF have also been evaluated by first-principles calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level.

[Ecological adaptability evaluation of peanut cultivars based on biomass and nutrient accumulation].

To identify the good peanut cultivars with the properties of high yield, high nutrient use efficiency and wide adaptability, 19 selected peanut cultivars were planted in the low champaign area and piedmont plain area of Hebei Province. By using principal component analysis, the adaptability of these 19 cultivars was evaluated for different ecological regions through comparing their 16 main traits including biomass and nutrient parameters. According to the critical value of principal component (>1.0), the 16 biomass and nutrient characteristics were integrated into 4 principal components which accounted for 85% of the original information. The results indicated that there were obvious differences in yield and nutrient use efficiency for the peanut cultivars in different ecological regions. The 19 peanut cultivars were classified into 2 groups according to their ecological adaptability, and the cultivars from the group with wide adaptability could further be divided into 3 categories according to their yield and nutrient use efficiency. Among these cultivars, Yuhua 9719, Jihua 0212-4, Weihua 10, Yuhua 15, Puhua 28 and Jihua 10 were selected as the better peanut cultivars with the properties of high yield, high nutrient use efficiency and wide adaptability.

Contamination and health risks from heavy metals in cultivated soil in Zhangjiakou City of Hebei Province, China.

A total of 79 topsoil samples (ranging from 0 to 20 cm in depth) were collected from a grape cultivation area of Zhangjiakou City, China. The total concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soil samples were determined to evaluate pollution levels and associated health risks in each sample. Pollution levels were calculated using enrichment factors (EF) and geoaccumulation index (I geo). Health risks for adults and children were quantified using hazard indexes (HI) and aggregate carcinogenic risks (ACR). The mean concentrations of measured heavy metals Cd, Hg, and Cu, only in the grape cultivation soil samples, were higher than the background values of heavy metals in Hebei Province. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the anthropogenic activities related to agronomic and fossil fuel combustion practices attributed to higher accumulations of Cd, Hg, and Cu, which have slightly polluted about 10-40% of the sampled soils. However, the HI for all of the heavy metals were lower than 1 (within safe limits), and the ACR of As was in the 10(-6)-10(-4) range (a tolerable level). This suggests the absence of both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks for adults and children through oral ingestion and dermal absorption exposure pathways in the studied area. It should be also noted that the heightened vulnerability of children to health risks was accounted for higher HI and ACR values. Consequently, heavy metal concentrations (e.g., Cd, Hg, Cu) should be periodically monitored in these soils and improved soil management practices are required to minimize possible impacts on children's health.

Synthesis and characterization of mixed-valence manganese fluorophosphate and analogues with clathrate-like structures: Mn(III)6F12(PO3(OH))8[Na8(Kx(H3O)4-x(H2O)2)M(IV)(OH)6] (M(IV) = Mn, Ti, Ge).

A novel, mixed- and high-valence manganese (Mn(3+)/Mn(4+)) fluorophosphate, Mn(III)6F12(PO3(OH))8[Na8(Kx(H3O)4-x(H2O)2)Mn(IV)(OH)6] (denoted as MN), has been prepared via a water-deficient hydrothermal route with phosphoric acid as the sole solvent. This compound features a cubic three-dimensional open-framework structure built from corner-sharing [Mn(III)O4F2] octahedra and [HPO4] groups, which encapsulates a clathrate-like "guest cluster" of Na8(Kx(H3O)4-x(H2O)2)Mn(IV)(OH)6. The guest cluster is architecturally composed of a [Mn(IV)(OH)6] octahedron in a cubic cage of Na(+) cations, which in turn is surrounded by an octahedral arrangement of K(+)/H2O ions, resulting in an unprecedented octahedral @ cubic @ octahedral @ cubic arrangement (OCOC). The +4 oxidation state of Mn in the guest cluster has been confirmed by the synthesis of isotypic Ti- and Ge- analogues (denoted as TI and GE) using TiO2 and GeO2 as the replacement for MnO2 in the starting materials. The compounds MN, TI and GE are not stable in aqueous solution and are peeled off layer-by-layer after the absorption of water. This report provides a new route for the synthesis of mixed- and high-valence manganese phosphates that cannot be produced by conventional hydrothermal methods.

[Effects of different nitrogen regulators on nitrogen transformation in different soil types].

Laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to compare the inhibitory effects of dicyandiamide (DCD) and 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMP) on nitrification in meadow-cinnamon soil and fluvo-aquic soil, the main soil types of North China Plain. The synergistic effect of DMP combined with urease inhibitor hydroquinone (HQ) on nitrogen transformation in fluvo-aquic soil was further studied. The results indicated that, in contrast to DCD, DMP had a stronger inhibitory effect on the nitrification in the two tested soils. In comparison with the treatment without any inhibitor, the soil NH(4+)-N content in the treatment with DMP increased significantly by 149.5%-387.2% at the peak of nitrogen transformation stage, and the soil NO(3-)-N content reduced by 22.3%-55.3%. The inhibitory effects of DCD and DMP in fluvo-aquic soil were both stronger than in meadow-cinnamon soil. In addition, the application of DMP combined with HQ had a significantly synergistic effect on soil nitrogen transformation.

[Effects of nitrogen regulators on fertilizer nitrogen transformation in meadow cinnamon soil and on pakchoi growth].

Soil incubation test and pot experiment were conducted to investigate the effects of dicyandiamide (DCD) and its combination with nano-carbon on the transformation of fertilizers (urea and ammonium bicarbonate) nitrogen (N) in meadow cinnamon soil, a typical soil type in North China Plain, and on the growth of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis). In the first two weeks after applying urea and ammonium bicarbonate, the soil NH4+-N and NO3(-)-N contents varied greatly, but little variation was observed since then. The effects of the applied fertilizer N on the pakchoi growth and its N use efficiency differed significantly at early growth stages, but had little difference at harvesting stage. The DCD inhibited the transformation of the fertilizer N (especially ammonium bicarbonate N) into nitrate markedly, and this effect increased with increasing DCD dose. Under the conditions of our experiment, the optimal application rate of DCD was 1.0-1.5% of applied fertilize N, which could increase the pakchoi yield significantly, improve the leaf color, decrease the plant nitrate contents, and increase the fertilizer N use efficiency. The combination of DCD and nano-carbon exerted a synergistic effect on inhibiting soil ammonium oxidation, and also, promoted the pakchoi growth and N utilization at early growth stages significantly and decreased the plant nitrate level at harvesting stage.

[Application effect, affecting factors, and evaluation of nitrification inhibitor: a review].

The agronomic, environmental, and ecological significances of applying nitrification inhibitor (NI) have been demonstrated by many researches, but the efficiency of NI application was affected by many factors. In this paper, the effects of NI on soil N transformation, nitrate leaching and greenhouse gases emission, fertilizer N use efficiency, yield and quality of agricultural products, and availability of soil nutrients besides N were reviewed, and the factors affecting the efficiency of NI application as well as the evaluation criteria of NI were summarized.

[Regulation of soil nitrification with nitrification inhibitors and related mechanisms].

To improve the use efficiency of fertilizer N while alleviate its pollution is one of the keys in ensuring the high yield and good quality of agricultural products and the sustainable development of agriculture and environment, for which, applying nitrification inhibitors to retard the course of soil nitrification is an efficient measure. In this review, the definition, screening criteria, major varieties being widely used, and action mechanisms of nitrification inhibitors were introduced, and the existing problems and prospects in related researches were discussed.

[Effects of 3,5-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPZP) on soil nitrification].

With aerobic incubation test, this paper studied the effects of 3,5-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPZP) on soil nitrification, taking dicyandiamide (DCD) as reference. The results indicated that when the dosage was 1.0% of applied N, DMPZP could significantly inhibit the oxidation of soil ammonium, increase soil NH4+ -N concentration, and decrease soil NO3- -N concentration. The inhibitory effect of DMPZP increased with its increasing dosage. DCD showed a higher efficacy when its dosage was the same with DMPZP, but a lower efficacy when the DMPZP was applied two-fold. However, the efficacy of equimolar DMPZP was significantly higher than that of DCD, because of the smaller molecular weight of DCD. The highest inhibitory effect of DMPZP was observed during the period of 7-14 days after its application, with an inhibition rate higher than 30%. Compared with the control, the apparent inhibition rate was decreased by 29.3% and 41.7% on the 7th day, and by 18.6% and 34.3% on the 14th day when the application rate of DMPZP was 1.0% and 2.0% of applied N, respectively. DMPZP could also slow down the falling rate of soil pH, but no significant difference was observed between the treatments of applying DMPZP and DCD.