The use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to detect a variety of elements in soils has been demonstrated and instruments have been developed to facilitate these measurements. The ability to determine nitrogen in soil is also important for applications ranging from precision farming to space exploration. For terrestrial use, the ideal situation is for measurements to be conducted in the ambient air, thereby simplifying equipment requirements and speeding the analysis. The high concentration of nitrogen in air, however, is a complicating factor for soil nitrogen measurements. Here we present the results of a study of LIBS detection of nitrogen in sand at atmospheric and reduced pressures to evaluate the method for future applications. Results presented include a survey of the nitrogen spectrum to determine strong N emission lines and determination of measurement precision and a detection limit for N in sand (0.8% by weight). Our findings are significantly different from those of a similar study recently published regarding the detection of nitrogen in soil.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1366/0003702041389201 | DOI Listing |
New Phytol
January 2025
North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 155 Research Road, Quincy, FL, 32351, USA.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) play a crucial role in facilitating plant nutrient uptake from the soil although inorganic nitrogen (N) can potentially diminish this role. However, the effect of inorganic N availability and organic matter on shaping EMF-mediated plant iron (Fe) uptake remains unclear. To explore this, we performed a microcosm study on Pinus taeda roots inoculated with Suillus cothurnatus treated with +/-Fe-coated sand, +/-organic matter, and a gradient of NHNO concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Microbiol Biotechnol
January 2025
Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate via nitrite, links nitrogen fixation and nitrogen loss processes, playing key roles in coastal nitrogen cycle. However, few studies have simultaneously examined both ammonia-oxidizing and nitrite-oxidizing microbes. This work investigated the abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) using archaeal amoA gene, bacterial amoA gene, and NOB nxrB gene, respectively, through q-PCR and Sanger sequencing along the Changjiang Estuary salinity gradient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
College of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, P. R. China.
Aeolian sandy soil is barren and readily leads to low fertilizer utilization rates and yields. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the water and fertilizer retention capacity of these soils. In this paper, three kinds of biochar (rice husk, corn stalk, and bamboo charcoal) and bentonite were used as amendments in the first year of the experiment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
College of Resources and environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. Electronic address:
Limestone mining in arid regions, particularly within fragile environments, leads to severe environmental pollution and ecological degradation. Developing a scientifically sound and effective ecological rehabilitation strategy is therefore critical. This study constructed a three-dimensional ecological rehabilitation model integrating soil amelioration and vegetation reconstruction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
Cactus pear ( (L.) Mill.) is an important agricultural crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species used as a source of food, forage, fodder, and secondary products and as a biofuel feedstock.
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