Response of Horticultural Soil Microbiota to Different Fertilization Practices.

Environmentally friendly agricultural production necessitates manipulation of microbe-plant interactions, requiring a better understanding of how farming practices influence soil microbiota. We studied the effect of conventional and organic treatment on soil bacterial richness, composition, and predicted functional potential. 16S rRNA sequencing was applied to soils from adjacent plots receiving either a synthetic or organic fertilizer, where two crops were grown within treatment, homogenizing for differences in soil properties, crop, and climate.

Long term monitoring of metal pollution in sediments as a tool to investigate the effects of engineering works in estuaries. A case study, the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal estuary (Bilbao, Basque Country).

The Nerbioi-Ibaizabal estuary (Bilbao, Basque Country) suffered an important input of contaminants, including metals and metalloids, between 1875 and 1975. We collected sediments in the tidal part of the river in January 2018 and measured the concentrations of 27 elements in them. At that time, two important construction works were taking place in the area: the extension of the commercial port and the opening of long semi-closed channel.

Accumulation and Translocation of Essential and Nonessential Elements by Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicum) Cultivated in Open-Air Plots under Organic or Conventional Farming Techniques.

A 5-month experiment was performed to study the accumulation of several inorganic elements in tomato plants cultivated using organic or synthetic fertilizer. Plants were harvested in triplicate at six sampling dates during their life cycle. Statistical and chemometric analysis of data indicated the sequestration of toxic elements and of Na, Zn, Fe, and Co in roots, while the rest of the elements, including Cd, were mainly translocated to aboveground organs.

Sample pretreatment to differentiate between bioconcentration and atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mosses.

In this first approach a comparison using different sample pretreatment methodologies has been made to differentiate between total atmospheric deposition and bioconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in moss samples (Brachythecium rutabulum). Samples were collected in a densely polluted urban area in Barakaldo (Biscay, Basque Country) and submitted to different cleaning procedures with the aim to remove as many deposited atmospheric particles as possible. Analysis by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) allowed to quantify the removal efficiency of each cleaning procedure and to chemically characterise particles still present in the pre-cleaned sample.