Soil microbial biomass and enzyme data after six years of cover crop and compost treatments in organic vegetable production.

Cover crops and compost are organic matter inputs that can impact soil health in tillage-intensive, high-input, organic vegetable production systems in the central coast region of California. Data are presented on soil microbial biomass (carbon and nitrogen) and soil enzymes (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartase and L-asparaginase and dehydrogenase) from a relatively long-term organic systems experiment in Salinas, California that was focused on lettuce and broccoli production and included eight different certified organic systems. These systems differed in compost inputs, cover cropping frequency, cover crop type, and cover cropping seeding rate.

Efficient Identification of Causal Mutations through Sequencing of Bulked F from Two Allelic Bloomless Mutants of .

Sorghum ( Moench, L.) plant accumulates copious layers of epi-cuticular wax (EW) on its aerial surfaces, to a greater extent than most other crops. EW provides a vapor barrier that reduces water loss, and is therefore considered to be a major determinant of sorghum's drought tolerance.

The influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability and toxicity to soil microbial communities in alfalfa rhizosphere.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may affect bioavailability and toxicity of organic contaminants due to their adsorption properties. Recent studies have observed the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organic contaminants. Greenhouse studies (49 d) were conducted with alfalfa plants in two different soil types.

Soil microbial and nutrient responses to 7 years of seasonally altered precipitation in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland.

Soil microbial communities in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands generally experience highly variable spatiotemporal rainfall patterns. Changes in precipitation regimes can affect belowground ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling by altering soil microbial community structure and function. The objective of this study was to determine if increased seasonal precipitation frequency and magnitude over a 7-year period would generate a persistent shift in microbial community characteristics and soil nutrient availability.

An evaluation of the impact of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on soil microbial community structure and functioning.

This study evaluated the impacts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on microbial community composition and functioning in a sandy loam soil over 90 d. We used test concentrations in the range of lower MWNT concentrations (10mg/kg) to extremely high MWNT concentrations (10,000 mg/kg) as a worst case scenario. We observed no effects of MWNTs on soil respiration, enzymatic activities, and microbial community composition at 10, 100 and 1,000 mg/kg.

Pyrosequencing reveals bacteria carried in different wind-eroded sediments.

Little is known about the microbial communities carried in wind-eroded sediments from various soil types and land management systems. The novel technique of pyrosequencing promises to expand our understanding of the microbial diversity of soils and eroded sediments because it can sequence 10 to 100 times more DNA fragments than previous techniques, providing enhanced exploration into what microbes are being lost from soil due to wind erosion. Our study evaluated the bacterial diversity of two types of wind-eroded sediments collected from three different organic-rich soils in Michigan using a portable field wind tunnel.

Effect of dihydrotestosterone on gastrointestinal tract of male Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice.

The cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still unknown. While research contributions identifying brain as locus of the disease is growing, evidence of severely impaired gastrointestinal (GI) functions with ageing too is accumulating, there is an equal dearth of information on GI tract in AD condition. The aim of this study was to assess the molecular, histological, morphological and microflora alterations of GI tract in male Alzheimer's transgenic mice.

Mid-Infrared and near-infrared spectral properties of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal root cultures.

We investigated the Fourier-transformed mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic properties of mycorrhizal (M) and non-mycorrhizal (NM) carrot roots with the goal of finding infrared markers for colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The roots were cultured with or without the AM fungus Glomus intraradices under laboratory conditions. A total of 50 M and NM samples were produced after pooling subsamples.

Linking microbial community structure and function to seasonal differences in soil moisture and temperature in a Chihuahuan desert grassland.

Global and regional climate models predict higher air temperature and less frequent, but larger precipitation events in arid regions within the next century. While many studies have addressed the impact of variable climate in arid ecosystems on plant growth and physiological responses, fewer studies have addressed soil microbial community responses to seasonal shifts in precipitation and temperature in arid ecosystems. This study examined the impact of a wet (2004), average (2005), and dry (2006) year on subsequent responses of soil microbial community structure, function, and linkages, as well as soil edaphic and nutrient characteristics in a mid-elevation desert grassland in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Memory and learning behavior in mice is temporally associated with diet-induced alterations in gut bacteria.

The ability of dietary manipulation to influence learning and behavior is well recognized and almost exclusively interpreted as direct effects of dietary constituents on the central nervous system. The role of dietary modification on gut bacterial populations and the possibility of such microbial population shifts related to learning and behavior is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether shifts in bacterial diversity due to dietary manipulation could be correlated with changes in memory and learning.

Soil microbial community response to drought and precipitation variability in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Increases in the magnitude and variability of precipitation events have been predicted for the Chihuahuan Desert region of West Texas. As patterns of moisture inputs and amounts change, soil microbial communities will respond to these alterations in soil moisture windows. In this study, we examined the soil microbial community structure within three vegetation zones along the Pine Canyon Watershed, an elevation and vegetation gradient in Big Bend National Park, Chihuahuan Desert.

Molecular mapping and characterization of BLMC, a locus for profuse wax (bloom) and enhanced cuticular features of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.).

Sorghum is distinct from other cereal crops due to its ability to produce profuse amount of epicuticular wax (EW or bloom) on its culm and leaves along with less permeable cuticle which are considered to be important traits contributing to abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we report the molecular mapping and characterization of BL OO M-C UTICLE (BLMC), a locus associated with production of profuse wax, using a mutant mapping population developed from a cross between BTx623 (wild type with profuse wax) and KFS2021 (a mutant with greatly reduced wax). The F2 progenies were genotyped using known and newly developed microsatellite markers to establish a molecular map of BLMC.

Soil microbial communities and enzyme activities under various poultry litter application rates.

The potential excessive nutrient and/or microbial loading from mismanaged land application of organic fertilizers is forcing changes in animal waste management. Currently, it is not clear to what extent different rates of poultry litter impact soil microbial communities, which control nutrient availability, organic matter quality and quantity, and soil degradation potential. From 2002 to 2004, we investigated the microbial community and several enzyme activities in a Vertisol soil (fine, smectitic, thermic, Udic Haplustert) at 0 to 15 cm as affected by different rates of poultry litter application to pasture (0, 6.

Enzyme activities and arylsulfatase protein content of dust and the soil source: biochemical fingerprints?

Little is known about the potential of enzyme activities, which are sensitive to soil properties and management, for the characterization of dust properties. Enzyme activities may be among the dust properties key to identifying the soil source of dust. We generated dust (27 and 7 microm) under controlled laboratory conditions from agricultural soils (0-5 cm) with history of continuous cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.