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Water ionization is an efficient physical water treatment technology, and crop water and nutrient use efficiencies can be improved using ionized water for irrigation. In order to explore the effect of ionized water on soil nitrification and nitrifying microorganisms, we conducted a laboratory soil incubation experiment with the addition of ionized water and ordinary water under different soil water contents (equal to 30%, 60%, 100% and 175% of the field capacity, θFC). During the soil incubation, we analyzed soil inorganic nitrogen transformation, ammonia oxidation gene abundances and nitrifying microbial community structure. The results showed that, no matter adding ordinary water or ionized water, the soil nitrification rate and the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the 100%θFC treatment were significantly higher than those in other water conditions, while the abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea was not affected by the soil water content. With the same soil water content, the nitrification rate of ionized water treatment was stronger than that of the ordinary water treatment. Although the absolute abundance of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in ionized water treatment was significantly lower than that of ordinary water (p < 0.05), the relative abundance of some dominant nitrifying microbial genera in the ionized water treatment was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The dominant genera may play a key role in the nitrification process. The results show that ionized water irrigation can significantly promote the nitrification of silt loam soil, especially under 100%θFC conditions, and may regulate soil nitrification by affecting some dominant nitrifying microorganisms. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the biological regulation mechanism of ionized water irrigation on soil nutrient transformation and for application of ionized water to field irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Soil water storage (SWS) is a crucial parameter for vegetation restoration and a variety of hydrological processes in semi-arid regions. Its dynamics reflect the integrated influence of different factors operating at various intensities and scales. In this study, we investigated the scale-specific correlations between SWS and six selected environmental factors along a 1340-m long sampling transect in a semi-arid catchment using multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD). The six factors were bulk density, elevation, clay, silt, sand, and soil organic carbon content. The multivariate data series of the SWS and factors of interest were separated into seven intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and residue. IMF1, IMF3, and IMF5 were identified as the primary scales according to the percentage of total variance (about 50%) in SWS under different soil moisture conditions. The scale-specific correlations between SWS and the corresponding factors varied with scale but were irrelevant to soil moisture condition. SWS at each IMF and residue could be estimated using the associated scale-specific environmental factors at the same IMF or residue. SWS at the measurement scale was satisfactorily estimated by summarizing all the predicted IMFs and residue, which outperformed measurement-scale SWS estimation based on multivariate stepwise linear regression between SWS and the associated factors. Soil moisture condition could affect the relative importance of the environmental factors in overall SWS estimation. In general, soil properties were the dominant predictor of SWS under different soil moisture conditions. MEMD provides a useful opportunity to deal with scale-specific correlations between various variables. • MEMD can separate SWS and factors into various IMFs and residue. • IMF1, IMF3, and IMF5 were identified as the primary scales under different soil moisture conditions. • Soil moisture condition affected the relative importance of factors in SWS prediction. • Overall SWS prediction by MEMD outperformed those based on multivariate stepwise linear regression method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In lead-contaminated soil, it is favorable that the formation of lead insoluble phases is maximized in water-unsaturated soil amended with hydroxyapatite. The aims of this study were to determine a relationship between the pyromorphite formation and soil moisture condition from the water-unsaturated to water-saturated soil and to provide a reproducible procedure to maximize pyromorphite formation in the water-unsaturated soil.Materials and methods: Hydroxyapatite was well mixed with the soil, and ultrapure water was added to maintain 0, 50, and 100% soil water-holding capacity (WHC). All treatments were performed without mixing and incubated at 25 °C for 2 weeks. Another test was conducted to investigate stirring as a method to maximize the formation of pyromorphite. The soil with hydroxyapatite was prepared following the same procedure, and ultrapure water was added to maintain 50, 100, and 120% soil WHC. Stirring was performed 10 and 100 times using a glass bar after the addition of water. In the soil with 120% WHC, stirring was further conducted 100 times in the first and second weeks. After incubation, the soil samples were collected and freeze dried prior to chemical and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses.Results and discussion: The presence of water in the soil pores at more than 50% WHC induced the water-soluble lead level to be suppressed by more than 99.8% compared with no water presence in the soil pores. A quantitative XRD analysis showed that the percentages of lead transformed into pyromorphite in the soil with 50 and 100% WHC as well as in the flooded soil were 6.5, 19, and 27%, respectively, of the lead added during the 2-week incubation, while that in soil with 0% WHC was under the limit of detection (< 3.0%). The stirring treatment demonstrated a substantial enhancement in the formation of pyromorphite in the water-unsaturated soil; however, in the water-saturated soil, stirring was not effective.Conclusions: The water-saturated or more soil moisture conditions are favorable for the formation of pyromorphite; however, the addition of a large quantity of water would also cause the lead to spread during the reaction of lead immobilization. Thus, to simultaneously achieve the greatest pyromorphite formation and reduction in the lead leachability, the application of immobilization material to the water-unsaturated soil and the 10 times or longer stirring treatment would be an effective for lead immobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydroxyapatite (HAP) can transform lead into pyromorphite in the soil. However, it is not clear how the physicochemical properties of soil enhance or reduce the formation of pyromorphite. This study determined that the presence of ferrihydrite or soil moisture condition was a more important factor to enhance the formation of pyromorphite. We also evaluated lead sorption characteristics and stability in soil with HAP in the presence of ferrihydrite. The difference in the maximum lead removal capacity of soil with and without 5 wt% ferrihydrite corresponded to 10.4% of the difference in lead removal between soils with and without HAP. In artificially contaminated soil with a 50% water-holding capacity, the ratio of lead that formed into pyromorphite was compatible between soils with and without ferrihydrite at 22% and 28% of added lead, respectively. In a percolation test, almost all of the added lead was transformed into pyromorphite, despite the presence of ferrihydrite. In both water and a 0.1-M citric acid extraction, the differences in lead extracted from the contaminated soil with HAP with or without ferrihydrite were very small compared with water-soluble lead in soil without HAP. This study indicated that in soil with 5 wt% ferrihydrite, lead was removed and converted into pyromorphite by HAP with a little disturbance by ferrihydrite, and the immobilized lead would be stable. In addition, this study suggested that the soil moisture condition was a more important factor for the formation of pyromorphite than the presence of ferrihydrite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of the sensitivity of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter (σo) to crop and soil conditions was conducted using 57 RADARSAT-2 C-band quad-polarized SAR images acquired from April to September 2009 for large fields of wheat, barley, oat, corn, onion, and alfalfa in Barrax, Spain. Preliminary results showed that the cross-polarized σHVo was particularly useful for monitoring both crop and soil conditions and was the least sensitive to differences in beam incidence angle. The greatest separability of barley, corn, and onion occurred in spring after the barley had been harvested or in the narrow time window associated with grain crop heading when corn and onion were still immature. The time series of σo offered reliable information about crop growth stage, such as jointing and heading in grain crops and leaf growth and reproduction in corn and onion. There was a positive correlation between σo and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for onion and corn but not for all crops, and the impact of view direction and incidence angle on the time series was minimal compared to the signal response to crop and soil conditions. Related to planning for future C-band SAR missions, we found that quad-polarization with image acquisition frequency from 3-6 days was best suited for distinguishing crop types and for monitoring crop phenology, single- or dual-polarization with an acquisition frequency of 3-6 days was sufficient for mapping crop green biomass, and single- or dual-polarization with daily image acquisition was necessary to capture rapid changes in soil moisture condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some plant species develop multiple defense traits. To test the hypothesis that plants with both direct and indirect defense traits mainly develop the direct and indirect defense traits under the low and high soil moisture conditions, respectively, the development of multiple defense traits on the young plants of Mallotus japonicus (Thunb.) Muell. Arg., and the number of ants on the plants were experimentally examined under different soil moisture conditions. Under the low soil moisture condition, the plant growth declined, and the trichomes and pellucid dots developed well. The pearl bodies developed on the plants under the high soil moisture condition. The volume of extrafloral nectar secreted and the number of ants on the plants significantly increased under the high soil moisture condition. These results clearly show that the young plants of M. japonicus firmly develop sound direct defense traits under the low soil moisture condition, and they develop indirect defense traits that are less reliable but have relatively low costs under the high soil moisture condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freshwater marshes in northern China are heavily impacted by anthropogenic disturbances such as cultivation and fertilization and increased levels of nutrients (especially N and P) through atmospheric deposition and agricultural surface runoff. These disturbances have affected the emission of N2O from these systems. This laboratory study was conducted to determine the effects of increased inputs of inorganic N and P on N2O emission from marsh soil in response to different soil moisture conditions. The results showed that the emission of N2O increased with the enhancement of N inputs when the soil was submerged, but that the highest N treatment suppressed the emission of N2O when the soil was at 60% water holding capacity (WHC), which may have occurred due to an inadequate amount of available C. Furthermore, the results of this study indicated that a small amount of N fertilizer induced much more N2O evolution from freshwater wetland soil, while P fertilizer inputs appeared to stimulate the emission of N2O only during the first few days of the experiment. Additionally, soil that was treated with P appeared to absorb N2O when it was at 60% WHC after around 6 weeks of the incubation, which indicates that the input of P fertilizer might serve as a shift of source or N2O sink in wetland soils under non-flooded conditions. When compared to soil at 60% WHC, submerged soil had significantly higher N2O emissions, except when subjected to the medial N treatment. These findings indicate that the soil moisture condition had a significant effect on N2O emissions when the same amount of N or P was applied. Therefore, the effects of N and P fertilization in the northern temperate wetlands cannot be neglected from regional or national emissions of N2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the areas with seasonal drought, water is the key factor affecting plant growth and development. Based on long-term continuous observation data, it is of great significance to explore plant water use patterns for vegetation construction in areas with seasonal drought. Taking Platycladus orientalis in Beijing mountainous area as the research object, stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope technique was applied to measure the isotopic composition of water from the soil, plant branches, and precipitation from 2012 to 2017. The relative contribution of soil water from different soil layers to P. orientalis was quantified by the MixSIAR model. The results showed that soil water in the deep layer (40-100 cm) was more stable than that in the shallow layer (0-40 cm). The variation of soil water content and water isotope values in the shallow layer were more obvious due to the effects of evaporation and precipitation. P. orientalis mainly absorbed stable deep soil water, with a relative contribution rate of 55.7%. In the dry season, with the decreases of soil water content, the absorption depth of plants to soil water gradually shifted to the shallow layer. Under conditions of moist, natural condition, mild drought and moderate drought, the relative contribution rates of deep soil water were 59.8%, 57.9%, 54.6%, 52.7%, respectively. To maintain higher transpiration in the wet season, P. orientalis relied more on deep soil water under mild and moderate drought conditions than in the dry season. Under the conditions of moist, natural condition, mild drought and moderate drought, the relative contribution rates of deep soil water were 58.9%, 57.6%, 56.4%, and 57.1%, respectively. The adaptive characteristic of P. orientalis , which adjusts the depth of root water absorption according to soil moisture condition, is of great significance for tree species selection in ecological afforestation and long-term management planning in areas with seasonal drought.

Soil erosion by the wind is an important phenomenon in drastic soil degradation. In Japan, andosol agricultural field is eroded by the wind and agricultural productivity is significantly affected. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of wind velocity and soil moisture condition on the soil erosion in andosol agricultural fields. Also, we determined the timing and amount of irrigation water needed to prevent soil erosion by the wind with respect to the wind and soil moisture conditions. A numerical model to simulate airflow in bare andosol field was developed using a continuity equation and Navier Stokes equations. Wind tunnel experiments which described a bare andosol field were performed to measure the degree of soil erosion for four levels of soil moisture condition and five wind velocities. Using the measured amount of soil transferred by wind, the erodibility parameter in Bagnold's method that quantifies soil erosion was estimated inversely for four soil moisture values. The amounts of soil erosion calculated using this parameter were in good agreement with the measured amounts. These results indicate that the soil moisture and wind conditions under which soil erosion occurs can be determined and the amount of soil erosion can be predicted. Using these conditions and the erodibility parameter, the amount of irrigation needed for the prevention of soil erosion was quantified and the effect of irrigation on soil erosion was evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]