Rice husk and melaleuca biochar additions reduce soil CH 4 and N 2O emissions and increase soil physicochemical properties.

Background: Biochar is a promising material in mitigating greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from paddy fields due to its remarkable structural properties. Rice husk biochar (RhB) and melaleuca biochar (MB) are amendment materials that could be used to potentially reduce emissions in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). However, their effects on CH 4 and N 2O emissions and soil under local water management and conventional rice cultivation have not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We conducted a field experiment using biochar additions to the topsoil layer (0-20 cm). Five treatments comprising 0 t ha -1 (CT0); 5 t ha -1 (RhB5) and 10 t ha -1 (RhB10), and 5 t ha -1 (MB5) and 10 t ha -1 (MB10) were designed plot-by-plot (20 m 2) in triplicates. Results: The results showed that biochar application from 5 to 10 t ha -1 significantly decreased cumulative CH 4 (24.2 - 28.0%, RhB; 22.0 - 14.1%, MB) and N 2O (25.6 - 41.0%, RhB; 38.4 - 56.4%, MB) fluxes without a reduction in grain yield. Increasing the biochar application rate further did not decrease significantly total CH 4 and N 2O fluxes but was seen to significantly reduce the global warming potential (GWP) and yield-scale GWP in the RhB treatments. Biochar application improved soil Eh but had no effects on soil pH. Whereas CH 4 flux correlated negatively with soil Eh ( P < 0.001; r 2 = 0.552, RhB; P < 0.001; r 2 = 0.502, MB). The soil physicochemical properties of bulk density, porosity, organic matter, and anaerobically mineralized N were significantly improved in biochar-amended treatments, while available P also slightly increased. Conclusions: Biochar supplementation significantly reduced CH 4 and N 2O fluxes and improved soil mineralization and physiochemical properties toward beneficial for rice plant. The results suggest that the optimal combination of biochar-application rates and effective water-irrigation techniques for soil types in the MD should be further studied in future works.

Cardiovascular anatomy and cardiac function in the air-breathing swamp eel (Monopterus albus).

Monopterus albus, a swamp eel inhabiting the freshwaters of South East Asia, relies on an extensive vascularisation of the buccal cavity, pharynx and anterior oesophagus for gas exchange, while the gills are much reduced. In the present study we describe the macro-circulation in the cephalic region and the vascularisation of the buccal cavity of M. albus using vascular fillings and micro-computed tomography (µCT). We also show that M. albus has the capacity to use the buccal cavity for aquatic gas exchange, being able to maintain normal arterial blood gas composition, blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac output throughout 10h of forced submergence. M. albus therefore can be characterised as a facultative air-breather. Because M. albus aestivates for many months in moist mud during the dry season we characterised in vivo cardiovascular function during exposure to anoxia as well as the effects of anoxia on in vitro contractility of strip preparations from atria and ventricle. Both studies revealed a low anoxia tolerance, rendering it unlikely that M. albus can survive prolonged exposure to anoxia.

Brain cholinesterase response in the snakehead fish (Channa striata) after field exposure to diazinon.

The snakehead Channa striata is an economically important air-breathing fish species in the Mekong delta of Vietnam. Rice paddies, which are disturbed by the frequent application of agro-chemicals, are among the preferred habitats for this species during the rainy season. Diazinon is one of most commonly used chemicals in rice paddies. In the present study, exposure of adult snakehead fish to a single diazinon application in cages within a rice field resulted in long-term brain cholinesterase inhibition, while the water concentration of this insecticide fell below the detection limit within 3 days. In addition, incubation of brain homogenates with 2-PAM caused reactivation of the cholinesterase diazinon complex to within 80% of the control level. These experiments also showed that chemical ageing of the diazinon cholinesterase binding occurred, which may explain the long-term effects of this pesticide.