Livestock waste composts with minimum inorganic fertilizer as a soil amendment in low-input intensive farming are a feasible agricultural practice to improve soil fertility and productivity and to ...mitigate soil degradation. The key benefits of the practice rely on the activities of soil microorganisms. However, the role of different livestock composts composted cattle manure (CCM) vs. composted swine manure (CSM) on soil microbes, their activities and the overall impact on soil fertility and productivity in a flooded paddy remains elusive. This study compares the effectiveness of CCM and CSM amendment on bacterial communities, activities, nutrient availability, and crop yield in a flooded rice cropping system. We used deep 16S amplicon sequencing and soil enzyme activities to decipher bacterial communities and activities, respectively. Both CCM and CSM amendment significantly increased soil pH, nutrient availability (C, N, and P), microbial biomass, soil enzyme activities indicative for C and N cycles, aboveground plant biomass and grain yield. And the increase in above-mentioned parameters was more prominent in the CCM treatment compared to the CSM treatment. The CCM amendment increased species richness and stimulated copiotrophic microbial groups (Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes) which are often involved in degradation of complex organic compounds. Moreover, some dominant species (e.g.,
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) which have key roles in plant growth promotion and/or lignocellulose degradation were enhanced under CCM treatment compared to CSM treatment. Multivariate analysis revealed that soil pH and available carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) were the major, while total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (P) were the minor drivers of variation in bacterial communities. Overall, our observations suggest that CCM amendment is better than CSM amendment to improve soil fertility and crop yield in a submerged rice cropping system.
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions, their global warming potential, carbon efficiency ratio and related biogeochemical properties of a tropical soil planted to rice were investigated under different ...N management i.e. urea-N (120kgN ha−1), rice straw (RS) (30kgN ha−1)+urea-N (90kgN ha−1), compost (C) (30kgN ha−1)+urea-N (90kgN ha−1) and poultry manure (PM) (30kgN ha−1)+urea-N (90kgN ha−1). CH4 fluxes were increased by 82.7%, 65.1%, 63.4% and 31.9% in RS+urea-N, C+urea-N, PM+urea-N and urea-N, respectively whereas percentage increase in cumulative N2O emission was 390.6, 371.8, 315.6, and 253.1 in PM+urea-N, urea-N, C+urea-N and RS+urea-N, respectively over control (no fertilizer amendment). However, increase of GWPs in different manure+urea-N over that of control were 85.5%, 69.2%, 68.8% and 37.6% in RS+urea-N, C+urea-N, PM+urea-N and urea-N, respectively. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), readily mineralizable carbon (RMC) and fluorescence diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis activity were significantly affected by integrated N-management and followed the order of C+urea-N>PM+urea-N>RS+urea-N>urea-N>control. With considerably high microbial biomass C and microbial activity, high C efficiency ratio, high yield and low greenhouse gas intensity, C+urea-N could be a better option to mitigate CH4 and N2O emissions and to maintain soil biological quality and yield in tropical paddy.
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•Cumulative CH4 emission was highest in rice straw+urea-N treatment•Cumulative N2O emission was highest in poultry manure+urea-N treatment•Global warming potential was highest in rice straw+urea-N treatment•Compost+urea-N had lowest GHGI, highest CER and highest yield•Compost+urea-N could be an effective option to mitigate CH4 and N2O emissions
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•As-enrichment enhanced root exudates and increased rhizosphere soil pH of P. vittata.•As-enrichment enhanced As and P mobilization, uptake and growth of P. vittata.•As-enrichment ...enhanced Fe- and S-reducing gene abundance of P. vittata rhizosphere.•C and N fixation in P. vittata rhizosphere increased due to As-enrichment.•As-enrichment reduced microbial community in the rhizosphere of P. vittata.
Phytoremediation of arsenic (As)-contaminated soil by hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata is promising. A better understanding of the rhizosphere microbial dynamics that regulate As availability and plant growth is important to optimize the phytoremediation process. In this study, Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was applied to assess the rhizosphere microbial community structure of P. vittata. Microbial functionality was monitored by soil enzyme activities and MPN-PCR targeting genes of interest. Arsenic (100mgkg−1 AsV) addition to soil significantly increased DOC, root exudates, As and P uptake and the frond biomass of P. vittata. Moreover, As-enrichment significantly increased soil enzyme activities involved in N, P and S cycling and the gene abundance of As transforming bacteria, Fe- and S-reducing bacteria and N and C fixing bacteria in the rhizosphere of P. vittata. Together, the results revealed that the combined selective pressure of As and rhizosphere resulted in stimulation of microbial community, which most likely has a role in reductive dissolution of Fe and S, As and P mobilization, C degradation and fixation, and N fixation. These changes appeared to have a role in mitigation of As toxicity and to promote growth and the As uptake ability of P. vittata under As-enriched conditions.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with distinct clinical and histopathological features whose molecular basis is unresolved. Here we describe a human IBC cell line, ...A3250, that recapitulates key IBC features in a mouse xenograft model, including skin erythema, diffuse tumor growth, dermal lymphatic invasion, and extensive metastases. A3250 cells express very high levels of the CCL2 chemokine and induce tumors enriched in macrophages. CCL2 knockdown leads to a striking reduction in macrophage densities, tumor proliferation, skin erythema, and metastasis. These results establish IBC-derived CCL2 as a key factor driving macrophage expansion, and indirectly tumor growth, with transcriptomic analysis demonstrating the activation of multiple inflammatory pathways. Finally, primary human IBCs exhibit macrophage infiltration and an enriched macrophage RNA signature. Thus, this human IBC model provides insight into the distinctive biology of IBC, and highlights potential therapeutic approaches to this deadly disease.
Although rice cultivated under water-saturated conditions as opposed to submerged conditions has received considerable attention with regard to reducing As levels in rice grain, the rhizosphere ...microbiome potentially influencing As-biotransformation and bioavailability in a rice ecosystem has rarely been studied. In this study, the impacts of flooded, non-flooded and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) practices on rhizosphere bacterial composition and activities that could potentially impact As speciation and accumulation in rhizosphere soil and pore water, As fractions in rhizosphere soil and As speciation and distribution in plant parts were assessed. The results revealed that in addition to pore water As concentration, non-specifically sorbed As fraction, specifically sorbed As fraction and amorphous iron oxide bound As fraction in soil were bio-available to rice plants. In the flooded treatment, As(III) in the pore water was the predominant As species, accounting for 87.3–93.6% of the total As, whereas in the non-flooded and AWD treatments, As(V) was the dominant As species, accounting for 89.6–96.2% and 73.0–83.0%, respectively. The genera Ohtaekwangia, Geobacter, Anaeromyxobacter, Desulfuromonas, Desulfocapsa, Desulfobulbus, and Lacibacter were found in relatively high abundance in the flooded soil, whereas the genera Acinetobacter, Ignavibacterium, Thiobacillus, and Lysobacter were detected in relatively high abundance in the non-flooded soil. Admittedly, the decrease in As level in rice cultivated under the non-flooded and AWD conditions was mostly linked to a relatively high soil redox potential, low As(III) concentration in the soil pore water, a decrease in the relative abundance of As-, Fe- and sulfur-reducing bacteria and an increase in the relative abundance of As-, Fe- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in the rhizosphere soil of the rice. This study demonstrated that with substantial reduction in grain As levels and higher water productivity, AWD practice in rice cultivation should be favored over the non-flooded and continuously flooded rice cultivations in As-contaminated sites.
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•Water management significantly influenced As behavior and rhizosphere microbiome.•Rhizosphere mocrobiome was studied with high throughput sequence analysis.•As, Fe and S cycling in rice rhizosphere influenced As contamination in rice paddies.•Water management significantly influenced As fractions in rhizosphere soil of rice.•AWD is promising for reducing As level in grain while maintaining grain yield.
With the increase in iron/steel production, the higher volume of by-products (slag) generated necessitates its efficient recycling. Because the Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag is rich in silicon (Si) and ...other fertilizer components, we aim to evaluate the impact of the LD slag amendment on soil quality (by measuring soil physicochemical and biological properties), plant nutrient uptake, and strengthens correlations between nutrient uptake and soil bacterial communities. We used 16 S rRNA illumine sequencing to study soil bacterial community and APIZYM assay to study soil enzymes involved in C, N, and P cycling. The LD slag was applied at 2 Mg ha
to Japonica and Indica rice cultivated under flooded conditions. The LD slag amendment significantly improved soil pH, plant photosynthesis, soil nutrient availability, and the crop yield, irrespective of cultivars. It significantly increased N, P, and Si uptake of rice straw. The slag amendment enhanced soil microbial biomass, soil enzyme activities and enriched certain bacterial taxa featuring copiotrophic lifestyles and having the potential role for ecosystem services provided to the benefit of the plant. The study evidenced that the short-term LD slag amendment in rice cropping systems is useful to improve soil physicochemical and biological status, and the crop yield.
The effective utilization of slag fertilizer in agriculture to neutralize soil acidity, improve crop productivity, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and stabilize heavy metals in contaminated soils ...turns it into a high value added product in sustainable agriculture. These effects could be due to the shift in microbial metabolism and/or modification of microbial habitats. At the system level, soil microorganisms play an integral role in virtually all ecosystem processes. There is a growing interest to reveal the underlying mechanisms of slag-microbe interactions and the contribution of soil biota to ecosystem functioning. In this perspective, we discuss the possible driving mechanisms of slag-microbe interactions in soil and how these slag-microbe interactions can affect crop yield, greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon sequestration, and heavy metal stabilization in contaminated soils. In addition, we discuss the problems and environmental concerns in using slag in agriculture. Emphasis has been given for further research to validate the proposed mechanisms associated with slag-microbe interactions for increasing soil quality, crop productivity, and mitigating environmental consequences. While evaluating the slag amendment, effects on agriculture and environment, the potential risks, socio-economics, techno-economics, and ethics should be assessed.
The effective utilization of slag-based Silicon fertilizer (silicate fertilizer) in agriculture to improve crop productivity and to mitigate environmental consequences turns it into a high value ...added product in sustainable agriculture. Despite the integral role of soil microbiome in agricultural production and virtually all ecosystem processes, our understanding of the microbial role in ecosystem functions and agricultural productivity in response to the silicate fertilizer amendment is, however, elusive. In this study, using 16S rRNA gene and ITS amplicon illumina sequencing and a functional gene microarray, i.e., GeoChip 5, we report for the first time the responses of soil microbes and their functions to the silicate fertilizer amendment in two different geographic races of Oryza sativa var. Japonica (Japonica rice) and var. Indica (Indica rice). The silicate fertilizer significantly increased soil pH, photosynthesis rate, nutrient (i.e., C, Si, Fe, P) availability and crop productivity, but decreased N availability and CH4 and N2O emissions. Moreover, the silicate fertilizer application significantly altered soil bacterial and fungal community composition and increased abundance of functional genes involved in labile C degradation, C and N fixation, phosphorus utilization, CH4 oxidation, and metal detoxification, whereas those involve in CH4 production and denitrification were decreased. The changes in the taxonomic and functional structure of microbial communities by the silicate fertilizer were mostly regulated by soil pH, plant photosynthesis, and nutrient availability. This study provides novel insights into our understanding of microbial functional processes in response to the silicate fertilizer amendment in rice cropping systems and has important implications for sustainable rice production.
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•Silicate fertilization increased abundance of genes involved in labile C degradation.•Silicate fertilization increased gene abundance for C and N fixation.•Silicate fertilization significantly decreased gene (mcrA) abundance for methanogen.•It significantly increased gene (pmoA) abundance for methanotroph.•Silicate fertilization significantly increased metal detoxifying gene abundance.