氮素添加对内蒙古羊草草原净氮矿化的影响

　　氮素作为陆地生态系统生产力主要的限制因子，对生态系统过程的调控有着重要的意义。净氮矿化是有机氮素到无机氮素的转变过程，该过程决定了土壤氮素的可利用性。准确估计土壤的供氮能力可以为确定最佳施肥量和施肥时间提供理论依据，并将影响着土地的可持续发展和管理政策。氮矿化潜力N0被定义为在最适温度和湿度下，土壤氮素在无限时间内所能矿化的最大量。由于氮矿化潜力是土壤供氮能力很好的指示值，所以对氮矿化潜力的研究能够使我们更好地了解土壤的氮素矿化动态和其供氮潜力。 　　为更好地了解天然草原氮素矿化对全球氮沉降背景以及草原施肥管理模式的响应，我们从2000年起在内蒙古羊草草原开展了长期的氮素添加实验，分别设置对照(N0)、添加5g N•m-2(N1.75)、30g N•m-2(N10.5)和80g N•m-2(N28)四个氮肥添加梯度以及对照(control)、添加100g有机肥•m-2(O100)、添加500g有机肥•m-2(O500)、添加1000g有机肥•m-2(O1000)四个有机肥添加梯度。氮肥添加在相邻并同时进行施肥的两个生态系统类型中展开，即成熟羊草草原（A区，1979年围封）和退化的羊草草原（B区，1999年围封），有机肥添加也同时在与之相邻的C区中展开（C区的土地利用历史与B区一致）。 2002年和2006年，从A、B区中进行氮肥处理后的土壤取样；有机肥处理的土壤样品从2002年C区中获得。土样在最佳温度(25℃)和湿度(60%田间持水量（WHC）)下进行了5周室内培养，并用阶段淋溶方法来测定氮肥添加和有机肥添加对土壤氮矿化动态的影响。 　　氮肥添加显著降低了土壤的pH值，但累积氮矿化量与土壤pH值、有机碳、全氮均没有显著的相关性。在两个区内，氮素添加都显著改变了土壤的累积氮矿化量。最高氮素处理N28相对应于最低的累积氮矿化量，而低氮素处理N1.75却使得累积氮矿化量最高。同时，在N0和N1.75处理中硝态氮的含量高于铵态氮，但在N28处理中却表现出相反趋势。实验还表明大多数氮素添加强度处理在A区比B区有更高的土壤累积氮矿化量。 　　有机肥添加也显著改变了土壤5周内的累积氮矿化量，并且累积氮矿化量随有机肥添加强度的升高而显著增加。培养5周末时土壤的累积铵态氮的含量与有机肥施加强度之间并没有相关性，但是累积硝态氮的含量有随着有机肥施加强度的上升而增加的趋势。 　　基于前5周土壤培养所得到的结果，我们选择了氮肥添加的N0，N1.75， N28处理以及有机肥添加的control、O100、O1000处理继续进行了长达15周的培养。培养数据与描述土壤氮矿化动态的一级动力学模型--first-order kinetics: Nm=N0（1－exp(-kt)）拟合良好( R2=0.893～0.97)。无论是氮肥添加还是有机肥添加都显著增加了土壤的氮矿化潜力N0，并且N0随着氮肥或者机肥添加强度的增加而增加。对于氮肥处理的土壤来说， N0与氮矿化速率常数k之间反向相关，但是在有机氮处理的土壤中N0与k之间却没有相关性。总的结果显示，经有机肥添加的土壤比经氮肥添加的土样有着更大的氮矿化潜力N0值以及氮矿化速率常数k值，较大的k值暗示着土壤氮素较快的周转速率。

克氏针茅草原植物根与叶形态特性及其相互关系对氮素添加的响应

为了探究草原植物生长策略及其对养分变化的响应，本文比较分析了克氏针茅（Stipa krylovii)、冷蒿（Artemisia frigida)和糙隐子草（Cleistogenes squarrosa)根与叶的形态特性及其对氮素添加的响应。结果表明不同植物具有不同的生长策略，糙隐子草主要采取快速获取资源的生长策略，表现为具有高的比根长和比叶面积；冷蒿则主要采取保存资源的生长策略，表现为具有较高的根组织密度和较低的比根长；克氏针茅对资源的获取和保存能力都相对较强，表现为具有较大的比根长、较小的比叶面积和中等大小的根与叶组织密度。氮素添加主要影响克氏针茅和冷蒿的根特性，随着氮素添加量的增加，克氏针茅比根长显著增加，根组织密度显著降低，说明随着氮素添加量的增多克氏针茅根系对氮素的获取能力增强，从而导致其在群落中的生物量比例显著增加。冷蒿根表面积随着氮素添加量的增多显著降低，说明随着氮素添加量的增加冷蒿根系对氮素的吸收能力下降，导致其在群落中的生物量比例随着氮素添加量的增大而减少。氮素添加没有显著地影响糙隐子草根和叶特性，它在群落中的生物量比例也没有明显规律。因此，我们研究结果证明通过植物根和叶形态特性的变化能够预测植物在群落中地位的改变。 根与叶特性之间的关系可以进一步反映植物对资源获取和保存的权衡能力，研究植物根与叶特性的内在关系有助于更全面地理解植物的生存对策，更好地预测植物对环境变化的反应。我们通过简单相关分析和典型相关分析研究了克氏针茅草原植物的根与叶特性之间的关系及其对氮素添加的响应和根与叶总体关系。简单相关分析结果表明根特性之间、叶特性之间以及根与叶特性之间均存在相关性，植物特性之间的相互关系在根与叶中是相似的，且体现了植物对资源的获取与保存的权衡关系，如根组织密度与比根长负相关，叶组织密度与比叶面积负相关等，根与叶对应指标之间没有必然的联系。施氮肥使根与叶特性之间的相关性及其强弱发生变化，表明氮素添加是影响植物根与叶特性之间关系的因素之一。典型相关分析表明不同物种根与叶关系密切程度存在差异，不同根与叶特性之间的关系对根与叶总体的关系贡献程度也有所不同。

内蒙古典型草原群落和主要植物种对氮素添加和刈割干扰的响应

自然界中资源的异质性是普遍存在的，既有自然因素导致的，也有人类干扰导致的。在内蒙古草原，植物经常处在地上部异质性的干扰生境和地下异质性的养分生境中。植物的生物量生产反映了植物对不同生境的适应能力，而资源的分配策略是链接进化生态学和功能生态学的纽带。在变化的生境中植物可以通过改变资源分配的格局而适应环境的变化，获得较高的生物产量。但是，关于草原植物在生物量生产和资源分配上如何对异质性的生境做出响应迄今研究尚少。为此在中国科学院内蒙古草原生态系统定位研究站的长期围封样地（1983年围封），设计了氮素添加和刈割处理的小区实验，使植物处于不同的养分和干扰生境中。我们选择羊草（Leymus chinensis ，根茎禾草，群落优势种）、大针茅（Stipa grandis ，丛生禾草，群落优势种）、糙隐子草（Cleistogenes squarrosa ， C4 植物，群落常见伴生种）、木地肤（Kochia prostrate ，藜科半灌木，群落常见伴生种）、猪毛菜（Salsola collina，藜科一年生植物，群落常见伴生种）为对象对这一问题进行了研究。同时，以1979 年围封的羊草样地为对照，选择了比邻的刈割草场，就草原植物对长期刈割干扰的响应策略进行了研究。结果显示： 1. 氮素添加使植物群落生物量显著提高，而且高氮生境下群落生物量增加的幅度最大。从季节动态看，植物群落生物量对氮素添加的响应存在滞后现象，在植物进入快速生长期后，氮素添加的效应日趋明显。 2. 不同植物种群对氮素添加的响应不同，按照植物种群生物量的变化可以分为三种类型：极其敏感型 、敏感型和不敏感型。极其敏感型代表植物是羊草，氮素添加后其种群生物量显著增加。敏感型代表植物是糙隐子草和猪毛菜，前者种群生物量在中氮生境下显著增加，后者种群生物量在低氮生境下显著增加。不敏感型代表植物是大针茅和木地肤，氮素添加后，二者的种群生物量均无显著变化。 3．从生物量向地上和地下器官的分配来看，添加氮素后，一年生植物猪毛菜向地上器官分配的生物量的比例均显著增加；多年生草本植物羊草、大针茅和糙隐子草向地上器官分配的比例均没有发生变化；多年生灌木木地肤在中氮生境下向地上器官的分配比例增加。从生殖分配来看，多年生的C3植物羊草和大针茅和一年生的C4植物猪毛菜的生殖分配格局相对稳定，均未因氮素的添加而发生显著改变。多年生C4植物糙隐子草和木地肤在低氮生境中生殖分配比例显著增加。 4. 不同时间刈割对草原群落生物量影响不同。在牧草快速生长期刈割，群落生物量显著降低，当季能恢复，但影响翌年群落水平的生物量生产；而在牧草生物量最大期刈割，当季难恢复，但对第二年的植物的生长影响较小。 5. 刈割对不同植物的影响存在显著差异：C4植物＜C3植物，一年生植物＜多年生植物，牧草快速生长期刈割＜牧草生物量最大期刈割。 6. 面对不同时间的刈割干扰，草原植物的响应不同。在生物量向地上器官和地下器官分配方面：C3植物大针茅、羊草面对刈割干扰生物量分配分配格局相对稳定，变异较小；而C4植物的资源分配对刈割干扰响应敏感，因不同刈割时间其生物量分配格局不同。在生物量生殖分配方面：多年生植物（如羊草、大针茅、糙隐子草、木地肤）资源分配格局相对稳定，面对刈割干扰其生物量生殖分配格局无显著变化，而一年生植物猪毛菜对刈割干扰敏感，因刈割时间不同其生殖分配格局将随之发生变化。 7.长期刈割干扰下大针茅的种群生物量维持不变；而糙隐子草的种群生物量表现为显著增长的趋势。由于大针茅的株丛生物量显著降低，糙隐子草无显著变化，长期刈割干扰下两种植物种群生物量的维持或增加都是因为密度的显著提高。因此，密度调节是两种植物实现种群调节的重要机制。 8. 长期刈割干扰下大针茅的丛面积和单株分蘖数均无显著变化，表明大针茅非生殖株丛密度的增加不是以降低单个非生殖株丛的大小为代价的，而是通过减少生殖株丛的密度来实现的。而糙隐子草丛面积降低，但是单株分蘖数无显著变化，说明糙隐子草密度增加的过程中，单个株丛占据的营养面积减少了，但株丛的生长状况没有受到显著影响。 9．面对长期刈割干扰，两种植物对无性繁殖和有性繁殖过程采取了截然相反的调整策略。大针茅显著提高了非生殖株丛的密度和相对密度，显著降低了生殖株丛的相对密度，而且降低了对有性生殖过程的生物量分配的比例。糙隐子草显著增加了生殖株丛的密度和相对密度，而且增加了对有性生殖过程的生物量分配的比例。面对刈割干扰两个植物种在繁殖策略上的逆向调节，可能是它们在刈割干扰梯度上能够相互取代的重要原因。

川西亚高山两种针叶树幼苗对增温和施氮的响应

人类活动引起全球大气中温室气体（CO2、CH4、NOx）浓度不断增加，致使地球表面温度在过去的100 年中已经增长了0.74 ± 0.18℃，预计到本世纪末将会增加1.1-6.4℃。此外，氮沉降也是当今社会的重要环境问题，随着经济发展的全球化, 高氮沉降也呈现出全球化趋势。全球气候变暖和氮沉降给陆地生态系统的地上、地下生物学和生物地球化学过程所带来巨大影响越来越引起人们的关注。 本文以川西亚高山针叶林的两个重要树种云杉和油松幼苗为研究对象，采用红外辐射增温（空气增温2.1℃，土壤增温2.6℃）和根部施氮（施氮量25 g N m-2yr-1）的方法，从生长形态、光合作用、抗氧化能力和矿质营养等方面研究这两种幼苗对气候变暖和氮沉降的响应。该实验为室外控制实验，包括四个处理：(1)不增温+不施氮（UU）；(2) 不增温+施氮（UF）；(3) 增温+不施氮（WU）；(4) 增温+施氮（WF）。本研究旨在从生理生化、物质代谢 、生长及形态等不同水平上研究模拟增温和施氮对两种树苗的联合效应，提高我们对全球变化下亚高山针叶林早期更新过程的理解，同时也为森林管理提供科学依据。具体研究结果如下： 单独增温处理显著提高了云杉和油松幼苗的地茎、叶重、茎重、根重以及总生物量；单独施氮处理也增加了两种幼苗的株高和总生物量。而增温和施氮联合作用对两种幼苗生长的影响并不相同，联合作用对云杉幼苗生长指标的正效应显著低于单独施氮处理，但是联合作用比单独增温或施氮更大程度的促进了油松幼苗生物量的积累。 单独增温和施氮都有利于提高云杉和油松叶片中叶绿素含量、净光合速率(A)、最大净光合速率(Amax)、表观量子效率（Φ）、最大光能转化效率（Fv/Fm）和量子产量（Y）。与对两种幼苗生长指标的影响相似，加氮和增温共同作用下油松幼苗的以上光合指标比在单独增温或施氮处理下有更大程度的提高；而联合作用下云杉幼苗叶绿素含量、净光合速率、最大净光合速率、表观量子效率、最大光能转化效率以及量子产量比单独施氮处理明显地降低。 增温和施氮都显著地降低了云杉和油松幼苗针叶组织中活性氧和丙二醛的积累。交互作用降低了云杉幼苗叶片的抗氧化酶活性、脯氨酸和ASA 的含量，却显著提高了油松幼苗SOD、POD、APX 等抗氧化酶的活性，并且对油松幼苗脯氨酸和ASA 积累的促进作用比单一因子更加明显。因此，增温和施氮共同作用下油松幼苗叶片中O2-产生速率、H2O2 及MDA 含量明显降低，而云杉叶片中只有O2-产生速率出现降低趋势。 增温和施氮都降低了云杉体内的P、Ca、Mg 元素的含量，增加了Cu、Zn、Mn 在各器官内的积累。对油松幼苗而言，增温和加氮单独作用也显著降低了Ca 含量增加了Cu、Zn、Mn 的积累，但是不同于云杉幼苗的是P、Mg 也显著增加。增温和施氮联合作用对云杉幼苗体内元素的影响与单一施氮处理或增温处理相似，不同的是比单一因子作用更为明显降低了P、Ca、Mg 含量，增加了植株中N、Cu、Zn、Mn 的含量，但是油松矿质元素含量在联合作用下并没有产生类似于云杉幼苗的双因子叠加效应。 总之，尽管单独增温或者施氮都有利于云杉和油松幼苗生长指标、光合能力以及抗氧化能力的提高。但是，增温和施氮对云杉幼苗生长生理的促进效应非但没有在交互作用下有更大的提高，反而低于单独氮处理。与此不同的是，增温和施氮联合作用比单因子作用更有利于油松幼苗生长及生理指标的提高。 With the continued increase in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (CO2、CH4、NOx), the mean global surface temperature has increased by about 0.74 ± 0.18℃ over the past century and is predicted to rise by as much as 6.4℃ during this century. Besides global warming, nitrogen deposition is another serious environmental problem caused by human activities, and high nitrogen load has become globalization as a result of global economy development. Global climate warming and nitrogen deposition have induced dramatic alternations in above - and below- ground biology and biogeochemistry process in terrestrial ecosystems, and more and more attention has been invited to those problems. This experiment mainly studies two important species Picea asperata and Pinus tabulaeformis in subalpine coniferous forest of western Sichuan, China. Infared heaters are induced to increase both air and soil temperature by 2.1℃ and 2.6 ℃, respectively. Ammonium nitrate solution (for a total equivalent to 25 g N m-2 year-1) is added to soil surface. There are four treatments in this study: (1) unwarmed unfertilized (UU); (2) unwarmed fertilized (UF); (3) warmed unfertilized (WU); (4) warmed fertilized (WF). This study is conducted to determine the influences of experimental warming and nitrogen fertilization on physiolchemistry, nutrition metabolism, growth and morphology in the two coniferous species seedlings. The current study is favorable for increasing our understanding on the early phase of regeneration behavior in subalpine coniferous forest, and it also provide scientific direction for forest management under future global changes. The results are as follows: Artificial warming alone significantly increased basal diameter, leaf mass, stem mass, root mass and total biomass for Picea asperata and Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings, and single nitrogen fertilization are also favorable for growth of the two species and stimulate plant hight and total biomass. The two species seedlings respond differently to the combination of elevated temperature and nitrogen addition. Warming combined with nitrogen fertilization weakens the positive effects of nitrogen addition for growth of Picea asperata seedlings. However, the combination of elevated temperature and nitrogen fertilization further increase biomass accumulation of Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings. Both elevated temperature alone and nitrogen fertilization alone can increase photosynthetic pigments contents, net photosynthetic rate (A), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Amax), apparent quantity yield (Φ), maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield (Y). Similarly with growth parameters, the combination of warming and nitrogen addition induced more increment of these above photosynthetic parameters for Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings. However, these photosynthetic parameters of Picea asperata seedlings under the combination of warming and nitrogen addition are lower than those under nitrogen fertilization alone. The levels of active oxygen species (AOS) and malodiadehyde (MDA) in needles of the two coniferous species seedling are obviously decreased by experimental warming or additional nitrogen. Warming combined with nitrogen fertilizer reduces the activities of SOD, CAT and APX, and the contents of proline and ASA of Picea asperata seedlings, but the combination significantly increases activities of these antioxidant enzymes in needlels of Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings and further improves the accumulation of proline and ASA compared to either artificial warming or nitrogen addition. Therefore, the rate of O2 - production, the contents of H2O2 and MDA in needles of Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings are remarkably reduced by the combination of warming and nitrogen addition, but the combination only significantly decreased the rate of O2 - production of Picea asperata seedlings. Elevated temperature or nitrogen fertilization decrease the contents of P, Ca, Mg but increase Cu, Zn, Mn contents for Picea asperata seedlings. For Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings, elevated temperature alone and nitrogen fertilization alone decreased Ca, but increased P, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn contents. The effects of the combination of warming and nitrogen addition on these element contents in needles of Picea asperata seedlings are added or multiplied the effects of warming and nitrogen addition alone, resulting in less contens of P, Ca, Mg and more contents of Cu, Zn, Mn than either elevated temperature or nitrogen fertilization. Howere, these adding or multipluing single-factor effects on contents of these elements are not observed in the case of Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings. In conclusion, growth parameters, photosynthetic capacities and antioxidant abilities of Picea tasperata and Pinus abulaeformis seedlings are improved by experimental warming or nitrogen fertilization. Interestingly, the positive effects of warming and nitrogen addition on growth and physiological performances are not multiplied by the combination of elevated temperature and nitrogen fertilization, even dempened for Picea asperata seedlings. However, for Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings, growth and physiological performances are further improved by the combination.

Is inorganic nutrient enrichment a driving force for the formation of red tides? A case study of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea in an embayment

Red tides (high biomass phytoplankton blooms) have frequently occurred in Hong Kong waters, but most red tides occurred in waters which are not very eutrophic. For example, Port Shelter, a semi-enclosed bay in the northeast of Hong Kong, is one of hot spots for red tides. Concentrations of ambient inorganic nutrients (e.g. N, P), are not high enough to form the high biomass of chlorophyll a (chl a) in a red tide when chl a is converted to its particulate organic nutrient (N) (which should equal the inorganic nutrient, N). When a red tide of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea occurred in the bay, we found that the red tide patch along the shore had a high cell density of 15,000 cells ml(-1), and high chl a (56 mu g l(-1)), and pH reached 8.6 at the surface (8.2 at the bottom), indicating active photosynthesis in situ. Ambient inorganic nutrients (NO3, PO4, SiO4, and NH4) were all low in the waters and deep waters surrounding the red tide patch, suggesting that the nutrients were not high enough to support the high chl a >50 mu g l(-1) in the red tide. Nutrient addition experiments showed that the addition of all of the inorganic nutrients to a non-red-tide water sample containing low concentrations of Scrippsiella trochoidea did not produce cell density of Scrippsiella trochoidea as high as in the red tide patch, suggesting that nutrients were not an initializing factor for this red tide. During the incubation of the red tide water sample without any nutrient addition, the phytoplankton biomass decreased gradually over 9 days. However, with a N addition, the phytoplankton biomass increased steadily until day 7, which suggested that nitrogen addition was able to sustain the high biomass of the red tide for a week with and without nutrients. In contrast, the red tide in the bay disappeared on the sampling day when the wind direction changed. These results indicated that initiation, maintenance and disappearance of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea red tide in the bay were not directly driven by changes in nutrients. Therefore, how nutrients are linked to the formation of red tides in coastal waters need to be further examined, particularly in relation to dissolved organic nutrients. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efeito do lodo de esgoto e nitrogênio na nutrição e desenvolvimento inicial da mamoneira

Aiming to evaluate the application effect of different sewage sludge ( SS) doses, with and without nitrogen addition, in the castorbean initial development, one experiment was installed in an entirely randomized experimental design, in split-plot scheme 5 X 2, constituted of five sewage sludge doses (0, 4, 8, 16 e 32 Mg ha(-1)) and nitrogen addition or not (15 kg ha(-1)), with five replications. The experimental unit was constituted of plastic bags with capacity of 3,5 dm(3) of soil. Fifty days after emergency it was evaluated height of plants, dry matter of the aerial part, nutrient content in the aerial part, soil electrical conductivity and soil chemical analysis. The SS doses promoted increase in the height of plants and dry matter of castorbean. The concentration of N, K, Mg and S and also the micronutrients Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in the aerial part of the plants also suffered a positive effect with SS doses, the same didn't occur for the P and Ca concentrations. N addition increased the concentration of N, S, Cu and Zn in the plants. The SS did not present significant effect over pH levels, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, organic matter and soil cation exchange capacity after the experiment conduction period.

Utilização do resíduo líquido de indústria de processamento de suco de laranja como meio de cultura de Penicillium citrinum: depuração biológica do resíduo e produção de enzima

Penicillium citrinum grown in orange juice processing wastes medium under continuous agitation was studied in order to establish optimal conditions (incubation period, incubation temperature, initial pH and nitrogen addition) for biomass and ribonuclease production, as well as, biological depuration of the wastes. Nitrogen addition to wastes medium increased the biomass and ribonuclease production and provides COD reduction. The soy meal shows to be the best nitrogen source. The conditions for a more favorable enzyme and biomass production and COD reduction were initial pH 6.0 and temperature of 27°C. The maximum value obtained for these parameters on optimal conditions of cultivation was 11 U/mL of enzyme, 4 mg/mL of biomass (dry matter) and 55% of COD reduction, in 96 hours of incubation.

Inoculação de sementes com bactéria diazotrófica e aplicação de nitrogênio em cobertura e foliar em milho

Considering the importance of nitrogen management and its biological fixation with diazotrophic bacteria, this study was carried out aiming to evaluate the agronomic performance of maize, in response to seed inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and nitrogen application in side-dressing and leaf. The experiment was conducted in Selvíria, Mato Grosso of Sul State, Brazil, during the growing season 2010/2011, on a clayey Rhodic Haplustox (20° 20' S and 51° 24' W, with altitude of 340 m). Sixteen treatments were established with four replications, in randomized blocks with the combination of the factors A. brasilense (with and without inoculante), nitrogen rate (0 and 90 kg ha-1, in V5 growth stage) and urea leaf application (0, 4, 8 and 12%: application in V5 and V8 growth stage). The maize hybrid used was the DKB 390 YG®, sowed in the row spacing of 0.9 m. Parameters measured were productive and morphological components of culture and crop yield. Increase in maize yield by seed inoculation with A. brasilense was observed. The application of 90 kg ha -1 of nitrogen in side-dressing provided higher chlorophyll leaf index, stalk diameter and prolificacy, however, the yield not was increased. The application of urea leaf did not agronomic efficiency and, therefore, should not be used as the unique form of supply and alternative to nitrogen addition to crop.

Nitrógeno prontamente asimilable : efecto sobre la velocidad de fermentación del jugo de uva (Vitis vinifera L.)

El propósito de este trabajo fue evaluar la incidencia de la concentración de nitrógeno prontamente asimilable (NPA) sobre la velocidad y duración de la fermentación alcohólica de los mostos de uva. El experimento se diseñó con tres tratamientos (A=testigo; B=agregado de PO4H(NH4)2 50 mg/L; C=agregado de PO4H(NH4)2 100 mg/L) y cuatro repeticiones. Se realizaron microvinificaciones con jugo de uva pasteurizado var. Chardonnay, inoculado con Saccharomyces cerevisiae cepa FCA 32. La fermentación se condujo a 25 °C. La concentración de NPA fue medida por titulación en medio formol. La velocidad de fermentación fue determinada por pérdida de peso. La velocidad máxima de fermentación se alcanzó al tercer día. Existen diferencias significativas entre la velocidad máxima alcanzada por el testigo y por los tratamientos B y C pero no hay diferencias significativas entre las velocidades máximas alcanzadas por los tratamientos B y C. La velocidad máxima de fermentación alcanzada por el tratamiento B (agregado de 50 mg/L de PO4H(NH4)2) fue 57 % superior respecto del testigo, mientras que el tratamiento C (agregado de 100 mg/L de PO4H(NH4)2) fue 53 % superior respecto del mismo testigo La velocidad máxima de fermentación aumentó con la adición de nitrógeno, pero no se observan diferencias entre las distintas dosis empleadas. La duración media de la fermentación resulta significativamente diferente para los tres tratamientos: 9.25 días para el testigo, 7.5 días para el tratamiento B y 6.25 días para el tratamiento C. El agregado de PO4H(NH4)2 disminuye la duración de la fermentación en las condiciones de trabajo. La duración de la fermentación del tratamiento B (agregado de 50 mg/L de PO4H(NH4)2) fue del 81 % respecto del testigo 100 %, mientras que el tratamiento C (agregado de 100 mg/L de PO4H(NH4)2) fue del 67 %, respecto del mismo testigo.

Evaluation of the In desorption during the capped process in diluted nitride In(Ga)As quantum dots

Diluted nitride self-assembled In(Ga)AsN quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs substrates are potential candidates to emit in the windows of maximum transmittance for optical fibres (1.3-1.55 μm). In this paper, we analyse the effect of nitrogen addition on the indium desorption occurring during the capping process of InxGa1−xAs QDs (x = l and 0.7). The samples have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy and studied through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence techniques. The composition distribution inside the dots was determined by statistical moiré analysis and measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. First, the addition of nitrogen in In(Ga)As QDs gave rise to a strong redshift in the emission peak, together with a large loss of intensity and monochromaticity. Moreover, these samples showed changes in the QDs morphology as well as an increase in the density of defects. The statistical compositional analysis displayed a normal distribution in InAs QDs with an average In content of 0.7. Nevertheless, the addition of Ga and/or N leads to a bimodal distribution of the Indium content with two separated QD populations. We suggest that the nitrogen incorporation enhances the indium fixation inside the QDs where the indium/gallium ratio plays an important role in this process. The strong redshift observed in the PL should be explained not only by the N incorporation but also by the higher In content inside the QDs

Nitrous oxide emissions from European agriculture - an analysis of variability and drivers of emissions from field experiments

Nitrous oxide emissions from a network of agricultural experiments in Europe were used to explore the relative importance of site and management controls of emissions. At each site, a selection of management interventions were compared within replicated experimental designs in plot-based experiments. Arable experiments were conducted at Beano in Italy, El Encin in Spain, Foulum in Denmark, Logarden in Sweden, Maulde in Belgium CE1, Paulinenaue in Germany, and Tulloch in the UK. Grassland experiments were conducted at Crichton, Nafferton and Peaknaze in the UK, Godollo in Hungary, Rzecin in Poland, Zarnekow in Germany and Theix in France. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured at each site over a period of at least two years using static chambers. Emissions varied widely between sites and as a result of manipulation treatments. Average site emissions (throughout the study period) varied between 0.04 and 21.21 kg N2O-N ha−1yr−1, with the largest fluxes and variability associated with the grassland sites. Total nitrogen addition was found to be the single most important deter- minant of emissions, accounting for 15 % of the variance (using linear regression) in the data from the arable sites (p<0.0001), and 77 % in the grassland sites. The annual emissions from arable sites were significantly greater than those that would be predicted by IPCC default emission fac- tors. Variability of N2O emissions within sites that occurred as a result of manipulation treatments was greater than that resulting from site-to-site and year-to-year variation, highlighting the importance of management interventions in contributing to greenhouse gas mitigation

Comportamento em desgaste por erosão cavitação, erosão - corrosão e em ensaios de microesclerometria linear instrumentada de um aço inoxidável martensítico AISI 410 nitretado a plasma em baixa temperatura, utilizando a tecnologia de tela ativa.

Amostras de um aço inoxidável martensítico AISI 410 temperado e revenido foram nitretadas a plasma em baixa temperatura usando o tratamento de nitretação plasma DC e a nitretação a plasma com tela ativa. Ambos os tratamentos foram realizados a 400 °C, utilizando mistura gasosa de 75 % de nitrogênio e 25 % de hidrogênio durante 20 horas e 400 Pa de pressão. As amostras de aço AISI 410 temperado e revenido foram caracterizadas antes e depois dos tratamentos termoquímicos, usando as técnicas de microscopia óptica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, medidas de microdureza, difração de raios X e medidas de teor de nitrogênio em função da distância à superfície por espectrometria WDSX de raios X. A resistência à erosão por cavitação do aço AISI 410 nitretado DC e com tela ativa foi avaliada segundo a norma ASTM G32 (1998). Os ensaios de erosão, de erosão - corrosão e de esclerometria linear instrumentada segundo norma ASTM C1624 (2005) somente foram realizados no aço AISI 410 nitretado com tela ativa. Ensaios de nanoindentação instrumentada forma utilizados para medir a dureza (H) e o módulo de elasticidade reduzido (E*) e calcular as relações H/E* e H3/E*2 e a recuperação elástica (We), utilizando o método proposto por Oliver e Pharr. Ambos os tratamentos produziram camadas nitretadas de espessura homogênea constituídas por martensita expandida supersaturada em nitrogênio e nitretos de ferro com durezas superiores a 1200 HV, porém, a nitretação DC produziu maior quantidade de nitretos de ferro do que o tratamento de tela ativa. Os resultados de erosão por cavitação do aço nitretado DC mostraram que a precipitação de nitretos de ferro é prejudicial para a resistência à cavitação já que reduziu drasticamente o período de incubação e aumentou a taxa de perda de massa nos estágios iniciais do ensaio; entretanto, depois da remoção desses nitretos de ferro, a camada nitretada formada somente por martensita expandida resistiu bem ao dano por cavitação. Já no caso do aço nitretado com tela ativa, a resistência à erosão por cavitação aumentou 27 vezes quando comparada com o aço AISI 410 sem nitretar, fato atribuído à pequena fração volumétrica e ao menor tamanho dos nitretos de ferro presente na camada nitretada, às maiores relações H/E* e H3/E*2 e à alta recuperação elástica da martensita expandida. A remoção de massa ocorreu, principalmente, pela formação de crateras e de destacamento de material da superfície dos grãos por fratura frágil sem evidente deformação plástica. As perdas de massa acumulada mostradas pelo aço nitretado foram menores do que aquelas do aço AISI 410 nos ensaios de erosão e de erosão corrosão. O aço nitretado apresentou uma diminuição nas taxas de desgaste em ambos os ensaios de aproximadamente 50 % quando comparadas com o aço AISI 410. O mecanismo de remoção de material foi predominantemente dúctil, mesmo com o grande aumento na dureza. Os resultados de esclerometria linear instrumentada mostraram que a formação de martensita expandida possibilitou uma diminuição considerável do coeficiente de atrito em relação ao observado no caso do aço AISI 410 sem nitretar. O valor de carga crítica de falha foi de 14 N. O mecanismo de falha operante no aço nitretado foi trincamento por tensão.

Fast pyrolysis and nitrogenolysis of biomass and biogenic residues:production of a sustainable slow release fertiliser

The production of agricultural and horticultural products requires the use of nitrogenous fertiliser that can cause pollution of surface and ground water and has a large carbon footprint as it is mainly produced from fossil fuels. The overall objective of this research project was to investigate fast pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis of biomass and biogenic residues as an alternative route to produce a sustainable solid slow release fertiliser mitigating the above stated problems. A variety of biomasses and biogenic residues were characterized by proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Pyrolysis – Gas chromatography – Mass Spectroscopy (Py–GC–MS) for their potential use as feedstocks using beech wood as a reference material. Beech wood was virtually nitrogen free and therefore suitable as a reference material as added nitrogen can be identified as such while Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and rape meal had a nitrogen content between 5.5wt.% and 6.1wt.% qualifying them as high nitrogen feedstocks. Fast pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis experiments were carried out in a continuously fed 1kg/h bubbling fluidized bed reactor at around 500°C quenching the pyrolysis vapours with isoparaffin. In-situ nitrogenolysis experiments were performed by adding ammonia gas to the fast pyrolysis reactor at nominal nitrogen addition rates between 5wt.%C and 20wt.%C based on the dry feedstock’s carbon content basis. Mass balances were established for the processing experiments. The fast pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis products were characterized by proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and GC– MS. High liquid yields and good mass balance closures of over 92% were obtained. The most suitable nitrogen addition rate for the in-situ nitrogenolysis experiments was determined to be 12wt.%C on dry feedstock carbon content basis. However, only a few nitrogen compounds that were formed during in-situ nitrogenolysis could be identified by GC–MS. A batch reactor process was developed to thermally solidify the fast pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis liquids of beech wood and Barley DDGS producing a brittle solid product. This was obtained at 150°C with an addition of 2.5wt% char (as catalyst) after a processing time of 1h. The batch reactor was also used for modifying and solidifying fast pyrolysis liquids derived from beech wood by adding urea or ammonium phosphate as post processing nitrogenolysis. The results showed that this type of combined approach was not suitable to produce a slow release fertiliser, because the solid product contained up to 65wt.% of highly water soluble nitrogen compounds that would be released instantly by rain. To complement the processing experiments a comparative study via Py–GC–MS with inert and reactive gas was performed with cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and beech wood. This revealed that the presence of ammonia gas during analytical pyrolysis did not appear to have any direct impact on the decomposition products of the tested materials. The chromatograms obtained showed almost no differences between inert and ammonia gas experiments indicating that the reaction between ammonia and pyrolysis vapours does not occur instantly. A comparative study via Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy of solidified fast pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis products showed that there were some alterations in the spectra obtained. A shift in frequencies indicating C=O stretches typically related to the presence of carboxylic acids to C=O stretches related to amides was observed and no double or triple bonded nitrogen was detected. This indicates that organic acids reacted with ammonia and that no potentially harmful or non-biodegradable triple bonded nitrogen compounds were formed. The impact of solid slow release fertiliser (SRF) derived from pyrolysis and in-situ nitrogenolysis products from beech wood and Barley DDGS on microbial life in soils and plant growth was tested in cooperation with Rothamsted Research. The microbial incubation tests indicated that microbes can thrive on the SRFs produced, although some microbial species seem to have a reduced activity at very high concentrations of beech wood and Barley DDGS derived SRF. The plant tests (pot trials) showed that the application of SRF derived from beech wood and barley DDGS had no negative impact on germination or plant growth of rye grass. The fertilizing effect was proven by the dry matter yields in three harvests after 47 days, 89 days and 131 days. The findings of this research indicate that in general a slow release fertiliser can be produced from biomass and biogenic residues by in-situ nitrogenolysis. Nevertheless the findings also show that additional research is necessary to identify which compounds are formed during this process.

A new regime for high rate growth of nanocrystalline diamond films using high power and CH4/H2/N2/O2 plasma

In this work, we report high growth rate of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films on silicon wafers of 2 inches in diameter using a new growth regime, which employs high power and CH4/H2/N2/O2 plasma using a 5 kW MPCVD system. This is distinct from the commonly used hydrogen-poor Ar/CH4 chemistries for NCD growth. Upon rising microwave power from 2000 W to 3200 W, the growth rate of the NCD films increases from 0.3 to 3.4 μm/h, namely one order of magnitude enhancement on the growth rate was achieved at high microwave power. The morphology, grain size, microstructure, orientation or texture, and crystalline quality of the NCD samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The combined effect of nitrogen addition, microwave power, and temperature on NCD growth is discussed from the point view of gas phase chemistry and surface reactions. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitrate metabolism in the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum

Les dinoflagellés sont des eucaryotes unicellulaires retrouvés dans la plupart des écosystèmes aquatiques du globe. Ces organismes amènent une contribution substantielle à la production primaire des océans, soit en tant que membre du phytoplancton, soit en tant que symbiontes des anthozoaires formant les récifs coralliens. Malheureusement, ce rôle écologique majeur est souvent négligé face à la capacité de certaines espèces de dinoflagellés à former des fleurs d'eau, parfois d'étendue et de durée spectaculaires. Ces floraisons d'algues, communément appelées "marées rouges", peuvent avoir de graves conséquences sur les écosystèmes côtiers, sur les industries de la pêche et du tourisme, ainsi que sur la santé humaine. Un des facteurs souvent corrélé avec la formation des fleurs d'eau est une augmentation dans la concentration de nutriments, notamment l’azote et le phosphore. Le nitrate est un des composants principaux retrouvés dans les eaux de ruissellement agricoles, mais également la forme d'azote bioaccessible la plus abondante dans les écosystèmes marins. Ainsi, l'agriculture humaine a contribué à magnifier significativement les problèmes associés aux marées rouges au niveau mondial. Cependant, la pollution ne peut pas expliquer à elle seule la formation et la persistance des fleurs d'eau, qui impliquent plusieurs facteurs biotiques et abiotiques. Il est particulièrement difficile d'évaluer l'importance relative qu'ont les ajouts de nitrate par rapport à ces autres facteurs, parce que le métabolisme du nitrate chez les dinoflagellés est largement méconnu. Le but principal de cette thèse vise à remédier à cette lacune. J'ai choisi Lingulodinium polyedrum comme modèle pour l'étude du métabolisme du nitrate, parce que ce dinoflagellé est facilement cultivable en laboratoire et qu'une étude transcriptomique a récemment fourni une liste de gènes pratiquement complète pour cette espèce. Il est également intéressant que certaines composantes moléculaires de la voie du nitrate chez cet organisme soient sous contrôle circadien. Ainsi, dans ce projet, j'ai utilisé des analyses physiologiques, biochimiques, transcriptomiques et bioinformatiques pour enrichir nos connaissances sur le métabolisme du nitrate des dinoflagellés et nous permettre de mieux apprécier le rôle de l'horloge circadienne dans la régulation de cette importante voie métabolique primaire. Je me suis tout d'abord penché sur les cas particuliers où des floraisons de dinoflagellés sont observées dans des conditions de carence en azote. Cette idée peut sembler contreintuitive, parce que l'ajout de nitrate plutôt que son épuisement dans le milieu est généralement associé aux floraisons d'algues. Cependant, j’ai découvert que lorsque du nitrate était ajouté à des cultures initialement carencées ou enrichies en azote, celles qui s'étaient acclimatées au stress d'azote arrivaient à survivre près de deux mois à haute densité cellulaire, alors que les cellules qui n'étaient pas acclimatées mourraient après deux semaines. En condition de carence d'azote sévère, les cellules arrivaient à survivre un peu plus de deux semaines et ce, en arrêtant leur cycle cellulaire et en diminuant leur activité photosynthétique. L’incapacité pour ces cellules carencées à synthétiser de nouveaux acides aminés dans un contexte où la photosynthèse était toujours active a mené à l’accumulation de carbone réduit sous forme de granules d’amidon et corps lipidiques. Curieusement, ces deux réserves de carbone se trouvaient à des pôles opposés de la cellule, suggérant un rôle fonctionnel à cette polarisation. La deuxième contribution de ma thèse fut d’identifier et de caractériser les premiers transporteurs de nitrate chez les dinoflagellés. J'ai découvert que Lingulodinium ne possédait que très peu de transporteurs comparativement à ce qui est observé chez les plantes et j'ai suggéré que seuls les membres de la famille des transporteurs de nitrate de haute affinité 2 (NRT2) étaient réellement impliqués dans le transport du nitrate. Le principal transporteur chez Lingulodinium était exprimé constitutivement, suggérant que l’acquisition du nitrate chez ce dinoflagellé se fondait majoritairement sur un système constitutif plutôt qu’inductible. Enfin, j'ai démontré que l'acquisition du nitrate chez Lingulodinium était régulée par la lumière et non par l'horloge circadienne, tel qu'il avait été proposé dans une étude antérieure. Finalement, j’ai utilisé une approche RNA-seq pour vérifier si certains transcrits de composantes impliquées dans le métabolisme du nitrate de Lingulodinium étaient sous contrôle circadien. Non seulement ai-je découvert qu’il n’y avait aucune variation journalière dans les niveaux des transcrits impliqués dans le métabolisme du nitrate, j’ai aussi constaté qu’il n’y avait aucune variation journalière pour n’importe quel ARN du transcriptome de Lingulodinium. Cette découverte a démontré que l’horloge de ce dinoflagellé n'avait pas besoin de transcription rythmique pour générer des rythmes physiologiques comme observé chez les autres eukaryotes.