Effects of nitrogen fertilization on soil respiration in temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, China

Nitrogen addition to soil can play a vital role in influencing the losses of soil carbon by respiration in N-deficient terrestrial ecosystems. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of different levels of nitrogen fertilization (HN, 200 kg N ha(-1) year(-1); MN, 100 kg N ha(-1) year(-1); LN, 50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) on soil respiration compared with non-fertilization (CK, 0 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)), from July 2007 to September 2008, in temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Results showed that N fertilization did not change the seasonal patterns of soil respiration, which were mainly controlled by soil heat-water conditions. However, N fertilization could change the relationships between soil respiration and soil temperature, and water regimes. Soil respiration dependence on soil moisture was increased by N fertilization, and the soil temperature sensitivity was similar in the treatments of HN, LN, and CK treatments (Q (10) varied within 1.70-1.74) but was slightly reduced in MN treatment (Q (10) = 1.63). N fertilization increased soil CO2 emission in the order MN > HN > LN compared with the CK treatment. The positive effects reached a significant level for HN and MN (P < 0.05) and reached a marginally significant level for LN (P = 0.059 < 0.1) based on the cumulative soil respiration during the 2007 growing season after fertilization (July-September 2007). Furthermore, the differences between the three fertilization treatments and CK reached the very significant level of 0.01 on the basis of the data during the first entire year after fertilization (July 2007-June 2008). The annual total soil respiration was 53, 57, and 24% higher than in the CK plots (465 g m(-2) year(-1)). However, the positive effects did not reach the significant level for any treatment in the 2008 growing season after the second year fertilization (July-September 2008, P > 0.05). The pairwise differences between the three N-level treatments were not significant in either year (P > 0.05).

Radiation-use efficiency and the harvest index of winter wheat at different nitrogen levels and their relationships to canopy spectral reflectance

Radiation-use efficiency (RUE, g/MJ) and the harvest index (HI, unitless) are two helpful characteristics in interpreting crop response to environmental and climatic changes. They are also increasingly important for accurate crop yield simulation, but they are affected by various environmental factors. In this study, the RUE and HI of winter wheat and their relationships to canopy spectral reflectance were investigated based on the massive field measurements of five nitrogen (N) treatments. Crop production can be separated into light interception and RUE. The results indicated that during a long period of slow growth from emergence to regreening, the effect of N on crop production mainly showed up in an increased light interception by the canopy. During the period of rapid growth from regreening to maturity, it was present in both light interception and RUE. The temporal variations of RUEAPAR (aboveground biomass produced per unit of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy) during the period from regreening to maturity had different patterns corresponding to the N deficiency, N adequacy and N-excess conditions. Moreover, significant relationships were found between the RUEAPAR and the accumulative normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the integrated season (R-2 = 0.68), between the HI and the accumulative NDVI after anthesis (R-2 = 0.89), and between the RUEgrain (ratio of grain yield to the total amount of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy) and the accumulative NDVI of the whole season (R-2 = 0.89) and that after anthesis (R-2 = 0.94). It suggested that canopy spectral reflectance has the potential to reveal the spatial information of the RUEAPAR, HI and RUEgrain. It is hoped that this information will be useful in improving the accuracy of crop yield simulation in large areas.

Effects of nitrogen source and concentration on growth rate and fatty acid composition of Ellipsoidion sp (Eustigmatophyta)

In order to study the effects of different nitrogen source and concentration on the growth rate and fatty acid composition, a marine microalga Ellipsoidion sp. with a high content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was cultured in media with different nitrogen sources and concentrations. During the pre-logarithmic phase, the alga grew faster with ammonium as N source than with nitrate, but the reverse applied during the post-logarithmic phase. The alga grew poorly in N-free medium or medium with urea as the sole N source. In the same growth phase, ammonium medium resulted in higher yield of total lipid, but the EPA yield did not differ significantly different from that using nitrate medium. The maximum growth rate occurred in medium containing 1.28 mmol L-1 sodium nitrate, while maximum EPA and total lipid contents were reached at 1.92 mmol L-1, when EPA accounted for 27.9% total fatty acids. The growth rate kept stable when NH4Cl ranged from 0.64 to 2.56 mmol L-1, and the maximum content of total lipid and EPA occurred in the medium with 2.56 mmol L-1 NH4Cl. The EPA content was higher in the pre- than post-logarithmic phase, though the total lipid content was lower. The highest EPA content expressed as percent total fatty acid was 27.9% in nitrate medium and and 39.0% in ammonium medium.

Studies of ion energy and yield from argon clusters heated by intense femtosecond laser pulses

Using time-of-flight spectrometry, the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with argon clusters has been studied by measuring the energy and yield of emitted ions. With two different supersonic nozzles, the dependence of average ion energy (E) over bar on cluster size (n) over bar in a large range of (n) over bar approximate to 3 x 10(3) similar to 3 x 10(6) has been measured. The experimental results indicate that when the cluster size (n) over bar <= 3 x 10(5), the average ion energy (E) over bar proportional to (n) over bar (0.5), Coulomb explosion is the dominant expansion mechanism. Beyond this size, the average ion energy gets saturated gradually, the clusters exhibit a mixed Coulomb-hydrodynamic expansion behavior. We also find that with the increasing gas backing pressure, there is a maximum ion yield, the ion yield decreases as the gas backing pressure is further increased.