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.