Manipulating exudate composition from root apices shapes the microbiome throughout the root system.

Certain soil microorganisms can improve plant growth, and practices that encourage their proliferation around the roots can boost production and reduce reliance on agrochemicals. The beneficial effects of the microbial inoculants currently used in agriculture are inconsistent or short-lived because their persistence in soil and on roots is often poor. A complementary approach could use root exudates to recruit beneficial microbes directly from the soil and encourage inoculant proliferation.

The microbiomes on the roots of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) exhibit significant differences in structure between root types and along root axes.

There is increasing interest in understanding how the microbial communities on roots can be manipulated to improve plant productivity. Root systems are not homogeneous organs but are comprised of different root types of various ages and anatomies that perform different functions. Relatively little is known about how this variation influences the distribution and abundance of microorganisms on roots and in the rhizosphere.

Wastewater Treatment Processing of Silver Nanoparticles Strongly Influences Their Effects on Soil Microbial Diversity.

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) are entering soils with biosolids via wastewater treatment, and on-route, undergo changes (e.g., sulfidation) that alter silver bioavailability and toxicity.

Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions by Inhibiting Denitrification in the Earthworm Gut.

The accumulation of AgS in agricultural soil via application of Ag-containing sludge potentially affects the functioning of soil microorganisms and earthworms (EWs) due to the strong antimicrobial properties of Ag. This study examined the effects of AgS nanoparticles (AgS-NPs) on the EW-mediated ( and ) soil N cycle. We used 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the bacterial community and nitrification/denitrification-related gene abundance.

Soil chloride content influences the response of bacterial but not fungal diversity to silver nanoparticles entering soil via wastewater treatment processing.

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) are among the most widely used nanomaterials and are entering soil ecosystems, mainly via biosolids in agriculture. When added directly to soils, metallic Ag-NPs have been shown to affect microbial communities, which underpin important ecosystem functions. During wastewater treatment processing, metallic Ag-NPs are rapidly converted to AgS, which is relatively insoluble and less toxic.

Effects of carbon nanotubes and derivatives of graphene oxide on soil bacterial diversity.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and ammonia-functionalized graphene oxide (aGO), are nanomaterials with useful properties, such as high tensile strength, elasticity and thermal conductivity. However, following their use, their release into the environment is inevitable. While CNTs have been shown to influence soil bacterial diversity, albeit only at concentrations far exceeding predicted rates of release, the effects of rGO have only been examined using pure bacterial cultures, and those of aGO are unknown.

Effects of graphene oxide and graphite on soil bacterial and fungal diversity.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized form of graphene that is relatively cheap and easy to produce. This has heralded its widespread use in a range of industries, with its likelihood of release into the environment increasing accordingly. In pure culture, GO has been shown to influence bacteria and fungi, but its effects on environmental microbial communities remain poorly characterized, despite the important ecosystem services that these organisms underpin.

The effects of glyphosate, glufosinate, paraquat and paraquat-diquat on soil microbial activity and bacterial, archaeal and nematode diversity.

In this study, we investigated the effects of one-off applications of glyphosate, glufosinate, paraquat, and paraquat-diquat on soil microbial diversity and function. All herbicides were added to soil as pure compounds at recommended dose and were incubated under laboratory conditions for 60 days. High-throughput phylogenetic marker gene sequencing revealed that none of the herbicides significantly influenced the richness, evenness and composition of bacterial and archaeal communities.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells protect from viral bronchiolitis and asthma through semaphorin 4a-mediated T reg expansion.

Respiratory syncytial virus-bronchiolitis is a major independent risk factor for subsequent asthma, but the causal mechanisms remain obscure. We identified that transient plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) depletion during primary Pneumovirus infection alone predisposed to severe bronchiolitis in early life and subsequent asthma in later life after reinfection. pDC depletion ablated interferon production and increased viral load; however, the heightened immunopathology and susceptibility to subsequent asthma stemmed from a failure to expand functional neuropilin-1 regulatory T (T reg) cells in the absence of pDC-derived semaphorin 4a (Sema4a).

Silver Nanoparticles Entering Soils via the Wastewater-Sludge-Soil Pathway Pose Low Risk to Plants but Elevated Cl Concentrations Increase Ag Bioavailability.

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) results in their movement into wastewater treatment facilities and subsequently to agricultural soils via application of contaminated sludge. On-route, the chemical properties of Ag may change, and further alterations are possible upon entry to soil. In the present study, we examined the long-term stability and (bio)availability of Ag along the "wastewater-sludge-soil" pathway.

[Splitting into two lines: The historical development of the analytical and the gas ultracentrifuge].

In a historical perspective the ultracentrifuge is often taken as perfect example of a research technology according to Shinn and Joerges (Shinn and Joerges 2000, 2002). Research technologies are defined by a generic device, its own metrology and the interstitiality of the historical actors connected with the device. In our paper we give a detailed analysis of the development of the ultracentrifuge and thereby reveal two different lines of development: analytical ultracentrifuges and gas ultra centrifuges used for isotope separation.