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The objective of this study was to investigate the current soil properties in lowland paddy fields in Peninsular Malaysia and to assess the long-term changes in the soil fertility status during 50 ...

To understand the long-term behavior of radiocesium in the biological processes of a forest ecosystem, its concentration in Japanese epigeic earthworms (Megascolecidae), litter, and soil, and the ambient dose equivalent rates, were investigated after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The metabolism of radiocesium in the earthworms was also investigated in the laboratory, and its biological half-life (Tb) was estimated. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in the habitat soil and litter changed from 2014 to 2016, with levels in the litter going from 44.9 Bq/g dw (in 2014) to 45.3 Bq/g dw (2015) and 10.7 Bq/g dw (2016); in soil, these values were 9.79 Bq/g dw, 7.14 Bq/g dw and 18.0 Bq/g dw, respectively. By contrast, no significant changes were observed in the concentrations in the earthworms, which were 4.87 Bq/g fw, 5.30 Bq/g fw and 4.67 Bq/g fw in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The ambient dose equivalent rates at the sampling site declined significantly over these three years, going from 2.15 μSv/h to 1.68 μSv/h and 1.35 μSv/h, mostly corresponding to physical decay of radiocesium. The majority (95%) of the ¹³⁷Cs in the earthworms, observed via autoradiography, was concentrated primarily in the intestine. The clearance of ¹³⁷Cs from the earthworms was described by dual exponential functions: the half-life in the rapid loss due to gut clearance was 0.10 days and a second slower loss due to physiological clearance was 27.4 days.

The effective radiation dose of palladium under the assumption that it is contaminated with 107Pd (1 Bq/g) is estimated through four exposure pathways: the inhalation of airborne particles emitted from an automobile exhaust control catalyst, ingestion via food or drinking water, ingestion of palladium in saliva after release from a dental application, and inhalation exposure of dust in the work place. The highest dose (3.17 × 10−9 μSv/y) was estimated in adult workers manufacturing palladium products. Considering variations in parameters and possible exposure pathways, it is concluded that this is the critical group for determining the clearance level of 107Pd. The clearance level, which is defined as a 107Pd concentration providing less than 10 μSv/y in any exposure pathway, is calculated as 3.16 × 103 Bq/g.

To understand the behavior of radioactive cesium (134Cs+137Cs) in terrestrial invertebrates, chronological changes in the concentration of radioactive Cs in arthropods from different trophic levels were investigated after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. In addition, the level of radioactive Cs in earthworms, representing the detritivores, was also investigated. The median radioactive Cs concentration in the rice grasshopper (Oxya yezoensis) and the Emma field cricket (Teleogryllus emma) was 0.46 and 0.15 Bq/g fresh weight (fw) in 2012, respectively, which dropped continuously to 0.05 and 0.01 Bq/g fw in 2016. In contrast, no significant reduction in radioactive Cs concentration was observed in the Joro spider (Nephila clavata) in which the concentration was 0.31 Bq/g fw in 2012 and remained at 0.14 Bq/g fw in 2016. The comparison of radioactive Cs concentration at each trophic level showed that the amount in detritivorous earthworms was 85 times higher than in herbivorous grasshoppers. This suggests that detritus food web could be a primary pathway for migration of radioactive Cs through food webs.

Research on the recycling of useful elements in spent nuclear fuels of light-water cooling reactors is progressing. Palladium (Pd), a fission product in high-level radioactive waste, is one of the elements that can be recovered and recycled. Even if the Pd recycling system is successfully established, 107Pd contamination will be unavoidable. In this report, we review the lifecycle of Pd (applications, environmental levels, and human exposure) with respect to setting clearance levels for 107Pd. The major applications of Pd in Japan are catalysts for automobile exhausts and chemical industries, followed by dental prostheses and electrical devices. The World Health Organization reported a daily uptake of Pd from drinking water and food of 0.03 and

Little is known about the effect of soil disinfection on bacterial communities. Soils were treated with an effective chemical fumigant chloropicrin and biofumigant mustard greens (Brassica juncea). While mustard greens did not affect the soil bacterial community structures very much, chloropicrin greatly reduced soil biomass and bacterial species richness. Chloropicrin also influenced the bacterial community structure, making the phylum Firmicutes dominant by occupying about 75%. In more than two months, the proportion of Firmicutes was reduced to the basal level, and the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria became dominant. Since mustard greens worked as carbon sources for soil reduction, soils were treated with wheat bran and a low concentration of ethanol. Soil reduction with wheat bran and ethanol did not influence the soil bacterial community structures. Beta diversity analyzed by Principal Coordinate Analysis showed that bacterial communities in the soils except chloropicrin-applied soils formed a cluster. All together, biofumigant mustard greens, a probable substitute for chloropicrin, were demonstrated to cause much less damage on soil bacterial community than chemical chloropicrin.

A pot culture experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of amorphous iron-(hydr)oxide (Am-FeOH) amendments on arsenic (As) availability and its uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BR28) irrigated with As-contaminated water. A rhizobag system was established using 3.5 L plastic pots, each containing one central compartment for plant growth, a middle compartment and an outside compartment. Three levels of laboratory-synthesized Am-FeOH (0, 0.1 and 0.5% w/w) were used to amend samples of the As-free sandy loam paddy soil placed into each compartment of the rhizobag system. The soils were submerged with a solution containing 5 mg L−1 As(V). Two-week-old rice seedlings were planted in the central compartments and cultured for 9 weeks under greenhouse conditions. The addition of 0.1% Am-FeOH to the soil irrigated with As-contaminated water improved plant growth, reduced the As concentration in the plants and enhanced Fe-plaque formation on the root surfaces. Analysis of soil solution samples ...

The effects of steam sterilization (SS), methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation and chloropicrin (CP) fumigation on soil N dynamics and microbial properties were evaluated in a pot experiment. All disinfection treatments increased the NH+ 4-N level and inhibited nitrification. The additional NH+ 4-N in the CP treatment probably originated from the decomposition of microbial debris by surviving microbes, while that in the SS treatment was attributable to deamination processes of soil organic N occurring in a less labile fraction in addition to the decomposition of microbial debris. The MeBr fumigation increased the level of NH+ 4-N without changing the soil microbial biomass. Based on the determinations of soil microbial biomass, substrate utilization activity (Biolog method) and microbial community structure (phospholipid fatty acid method), the effects of the MeBr, CP and SS treatments on the microbial community were compared. The MeBr fumigation had relatively mild and short-term effects on microbial...

This study assessed the arsenic and heavy metal contaminations of agricultural soils around the tin and tungsten mining areas in Dai Tu district in northern Vietnam. Among the examined elements, high total contents of As and Cu were found in the agricultural fields at both tin and tungsten mining sites. Although the major part of the accumulated As and Cu were bound by various soil constituents such as Fe and Mn oxides, organic matter, and clay minerals, increases in water soluble As and Cu were observed, especially for the paddy fields. The results suggest that, in the studied area, As and Cu dispersion from their pollution sources into farmlands is mainly via fluvial transportation of mine waste through streams that cross the paddy fields around the tin mining area, and soil erosion at the tea fields located at lower positions of the slope in the tungsten mining area.

Soil properties under secondary forests were studied in relation to vegetation conditions to clarify the site selection method for shifting cultivation of the Iban in Sarawak, Malaysia. Soils and vegetation were surveyed at 25 suitable sites and 17 unsuitable sites for shifting cultivation, classified by the landowners based on their perceptions through knowledge of vegetation condition. Principal component analysis classified soil properties into three principal components. The first was soil texture and organic matter with high factor loadings of clay content, cation exchange capacity, total C, and total N, and, to a lesser extent, exchangeable K. These properties were little affected by the fallow duration and site suitability. Clay content was regarded as one of important factors related to the levels of organic matter and nutrient retention capacity of the soils. The second component reflected soil acidity and exchangeable bases with high factor loadings of pH, exchangeable Ca and Mg, exchangeable Al, and Al saturation. These properties reflected the remnant effects of ash addition and fallow duration. However, no clear differences were apparent in these properties in terms of site suitability. The third component was linked to N availability, including the C/N ratio and exchangeable NH4. The N availability was higher at suitable sites than at unsuitable sites. At suitable sites, N availability tended to be higher with increasing fallow age. The N availability showed a statistically significant correlation with the site score of the first axis obtained from correspondence analysis of plant density, suggesting a strong relationship between N availability and vegetation condition. That relationship was attributable to depletion of the available N of the soils during cropping and at the initial fallow stage, as well as to improvement of N availability of soils with increasing length of the fallow period. This finding related to N availability was consistent with farmers' criteria for fertile land: leaves of trees in fertile land should be dark green. The presence of some specific plant species might be correlated with levels of available P and soil hardness. Results of this study show that the Iban farmers' vegetation-based site-selection method might reflect the ability of secondary forest ecosystems to supply nutrients for rice plants through burning practices.

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and phosphorus (P) application on arsenic (As) toxicity were studied in a rhizobox system with As-contaminated soil collected from Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The treatments consisted of a combination of two levels of AM (Glomus aggregatum) inoculation (−AM and +AM) and two levels of P application (−P and +P at 30 mg P kg−1). Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings were cultured in rhizoboxes for 6 weeks. Rates of root AM infection in +AM treatments were about 40% regardless of P application. AM inoculation as well as P application reduced As toxicity symptoms, most clearly so in the +AM−P treatment. Plant growth was highest in the +AM + P treatment. Shoot As concentrations were slightly reduced by AM inoculation but enhanced by P application. Shoot P concentration in the +AM−P treatment was similar to that of +P treatments and was higher than in −AM−P. Analyses of rhizosphere soils at the end of the cultivation period indicated that P application increased water-soluble As (WS−As) in all compartments while AM inoculation increased WS−As in the central compartment only. Both the WS−arsenite [WS−As(III)] and the dominant form, arsenate [WS−As(V)], showed gradients toward the root surface. Dimethylarsine (DMAA) was detected in the +AM treatments only. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of DMAA in the mycorrhizosphere. AM inoculation increased WS−P similarly as +P treatments did and promoted acid phosphatase activity in the soil. In conclusion, AM inoculation alleviated the effects of As toxicity by improving P nutrition without increasing As concentrations in the shoots. Moreover, AM appeared to be involved in the transformation of soil inorganic As into less toxic organic forms.

Experimental shifting cultivation was conducted at two sites, Balai Ringin (B. Ringin) and Sabal in Sarawak, Malaysia. The soils at the B. Ringin site were clayey with strongly acidic nature while those at the Sabal site were sandy with a very low nutrient status. The plots (10 x 10 m2) were burned with vegetation biomass (fuel) amounting to 0 (control), 100,200, and 300 Mg ha-1 for the cultivation of upland rice. At both sites, the fire severity was found to range from moderate to high for the treatments with 200 and 300 Mg ha-1 fuel, and from low to moderate for the treatment with 100 Mg ha-1 fuel. At the B. Ringin site, the content of total C (T-C) of the soils decreased during rice cultivation which could be ascribed to the rapid decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and the loss of SOM due to soil erosion. One year after burning, the T-C content returned to the initial level before burning, suggesting that SOM was replenished by the addition of fresh organic matter derived from rice str...

The effects of steam sterilization (SS) on soil microbial properties including metabolic diversity of the microbial communities were examined in a greenhouse compared with those of two fumigants, methyl bromide (MB) and chloropicrin (CP). The numbers of fungi decreased in all the treatments. Nitrifiers, both ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, were severely affected by the SS and CP treatments, resulting in their virtual disappearance. The decrease in the levels of microbial biomass C and N after the treatments suggested that the SS and CP treatments eradicated the microorganisms more effectively than the MB treatment and that the influence of the former persisted until the end of the experiment, 4 months after the treatments. Accumulation of NH4-N was observed after the SS and CP treatments mainly due to the partial decomposition of the dead microorganisms and the marked decrease in the number of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The richness and average well color development...

In the traditional shifting cultivation system practiced by the Karen people in northern Thailand, the effects of burning on the content of extractable organic matter, microbial biomass, and N mineralization process of the soils were studied. Five plots (5×5 m2 quadrat) with 0, 10, 20, 50, and 100 Mg ha-1 of slashed materials were arranged and burned. Ten to 20 Mg ha-1 of slashed biomass corresponded to the amount commonly burned by the Karen people. During the burning process, the soil temperature at the depth of 2.5 cm in the 100 Mg ha-1 plot almost evenly increased to 300°C while the temperature in the 10 to 50 Mg ha-1 plots increased with large variations from 50 to 300°C. Burning caused a conspicuous increase in the contents of organic C and (organic + mineral)-N extracted at room temperature and a simultaneous decrease in the contents of microbial biomass C and N, especially in the soil of the 100 Mg ha-1 plot. In the rainy season, the values of the changes induced by burning reverted to th...

In order to analyze the N mineralization process under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand, labile pools of soil organic matter were studied, which were considered to be the factors contributing to the N mineralization process. Organic C, (organic + NH4 +)-N, and hexose-C were extracted from fresh soils in the surface 0–5 cm layers with a 0.5 M K2S0. solution at 110°C in an autoclave (fraction A) or at room temperature with a reciprocal shaker (fraction B), and analyzed as labile pools of organic matter. In the traditional shifting cultivation system, the content of organic C in fraction A in the fallow fields for 8 to 15 y was 3,710 mg kg-1 while that in the fallow fields for 1 y and 3 to 5 y was 2,640 and 2,600 mg kg-1, respectively. A high correlation was observed between the contents of the labile pool in fraction A and total soil organic matter. The ratio of the pool in fraction A to total soil organic matter apparently remained constant through the input-output balance in the pool. Th...

N mineralization process (ammonification plus nitrification) in the surface 0-5 cm soil layers under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand was studied. Labile pool of organic matter extracted with a K2S04 solution at 1l0°C in an autoclave (fraction A) or by shaking at room temperature (fraction B) was used as factor to evaluate the N mineralization process which was examined in an incubation experiment. In the soils, in which the N mineralization pattern was fitted to a first order kinetics model, the content of (organic + NH4 +)-N in fraction B determined the initial rate of N mineralization. The soils, which showed a short lag time of less than 7 d both in the N mineralization and nitrification processes, had a high ratio of organic C to (organic + NH4 +)-N in fraction B, exceeding the value of 7. The soils, which showed a long lag time of more than 7 d only in the nitrification process, had a low pH(KCI) (less than 4.2). Thus, the rate of N mineralization was affected by the labile pool in...

There is a large number of hill people in northern Thailand, who practices shifting cultivation. In order to analyze the soil ecological problems involved in the transition from traditional shifting cultivation to more intensive upland farming, the authors carried out comparative studies on the dynamics of organic matter and its related properties in soils both in the traditional shifting cultivation systems adopted by Karen people and more intensive upland farming practiced by Thai and Hmong people in the area. The contents of organic matter and available N in the surface 10 cm layers of soil from the fields continuously cultivated were lower than those in soils under prolonged fallow (more than 10 y) or natural forest. Based on the rate of soil respiration, the amount of organic matter decomposed within 1 y was estimated to reach nearly 10% of that stored in the upper 50 cm layers of the soil profile in the upland crop fields. These results indicate that the organic matter-related resources mar...

This study assessed pesticide residues in soils, sediments, and vegetables in the Xuan Khe and Hop Ly communes located along the Chau Giang River in the Red River Delta, northern Vietnam. Samples were collected from agricultural areas within and outside of embankments built to prevent flooding. In Xuan Khe, the soils outside of the embankment were more clayey with higher organic matter contents compared with the inside, due to selective deposition during river flooding. Many of the soils contained significant amounts of pesticides including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dicofol, isoprothiolane, and metalaxyl although their levels were below the maximum allowable concentration set by the Vietnamese government. The spectrum of DDT derivatives found suggested that the source of DDTs was not contaminated dicofol. Soils in Hop Ly resembled soils in Xuan Khe but were relatively sandy; one field showed appreciable contents of DDT derivatives. The ratios of (p,p(')-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene + p,p(')-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane)/ summation operatorDDT in the surface and subsurface soils in Hop Ly were 0.34 and 0.57, suggesting that the DDTs originated from recent application. Pesticide residues in soils were not likely to translocate into vegetable crops, except for metalaxyl. High concentrations of cypermethrins in kohlrabi leaves could be ascribed to foliar deposition.

To investigate the dynamics of micronutrients in the rhizosphere under the application of sterile and non-sterile arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum, sunflower plants were grown in a rhizobox system. When the non-sterile mycorrhizal inoculum was supplied in the central compartment of the rhizobox, concentration of N, P, K, Mg, Fe, and Zn in the shoots increased without reducing the plant growth. Analyses of the rhizosphere soil showed an increase in the amount of water soluble Fe in addition to that of P, and a higher activity of phosphomonoesterase. Fractionation of P in the rhizosphere soil indicated a decrease in the amount of Fe-P. Neither the excretion of low-molecular-weight organic acids specific to the treatment nor the increase in amounts was observed. These results suggested that the enzymes originated from arbuscular mycorrhiza and/or mycorrhizal roots caused the dissolution of Fe-P with a resultant release of both Fe and P.

(Jpn. J. Soil Sci.Plant Nutr., 77, 257–263, 2006) The symptom of blighted leaves was observed for the melon plants grown on an isolated soil bed after steam sterilization (SS) in a greenhouse in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. To clarify the causes of this symptom, soil and plant analyses were conducted in the first experiment. Manganese concentrations in the leaves with the symptom were higher than 1,000 mg kg−1and exchangeable Mn in the soil was higher than 30 mg kg−1, which indicated the observed symptom was due to Mn excess. In the second experiment, formation of Mn oxide-dissolving substances after SS was examined for several organic amendments, because large amounts of palm chips had been supplied to the soil before SS in the first experiment. As a treatment similar to SS, palm chips, bark compost, and cattle feces manure were autoclaved. The water extracts were collected before and after the autoclave treatment and the Mn oxide-dissolving capacities of the extracts were evaluated. The Mn oxide-dissolving capacity of the water extracts after SS was remarkably higher than before SS, and the value was highest in palm chips, and followed by bark compost, and cattle feces manure. Fractionation and HPLC analysis of the water extracts after SS revealed that the main substance behind Mn oxide reduction in palm tips was arabinose and that in bark manure was malic acid. Further, Mn oxide-dissolving capacities of the water extracts were almost completely explained by the amounts of arabinose or malic acid found in these materials. From these results, it was considered that reducing substances such as arabinose were released by SS from the palm chips which had been applied in large quantity before SS and these reducing substances dissolved the soil Mn oxides and increased the amounts of available Mn, which led to the occurrence of Mn toxicity to the plants.

A pot culture experiment was conducted using a Cu-spiked soil to compare the effects of the application of ethylenediamine-N,N′-tetraacetate (EDTA) and [S,S]-ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinate (EDDS), a biodegradable chelating agent, on the soil Cu distribution, Cu uptake by brown mustard and on the metabolic activity of the soil microorganisms for substrate utilization. Seedlings of brown mustard were planted in the pots fitted with hollow fibers for soil solution suction, and cultivated for 12 weeks. Solutions of chelating agents with pH 6.0 at a concentration of 1.0 mmol kg−1 soil were supplied on the 35, 43, and 51 d after transplanting (total 3.0 mmol kg−1). The addition of EDTA and EDDS enhanced plant Cu uptake by 2.9 and 1.8 times compared with the uptake of the control plants which were grown without chelating agent supply. However, EDTA addition caused a significant growth reduction compared with the control, while the application of EDDS did not reduce the dry matter yield of the plants. The conce...