Transformation of nitrogen and carbon during composting of manure litter with different methods.

In this study, to investigate the nitrogen and carbon characteristics throughout the composting process in different systems, four methods of composting including static treatment (ST), turning treatment (TT), forced aeration treatment (FAT), and forced aeration with acidification treatment (FAAT) were conducted. Organic matter degradation was improved in TT and FAT that accelerated the composting efficiency. The harmless time based on phytotoxicity was significantly shortened in FAT comparing with ST.

Foliar-feeding insects acquire microbiomes from the soil rather than the host plant.

Microbiomes of soils and plants are linked, but how this affects microbiomes of aboveground herbivorous insects is unknown. We first generated plant-conditioned soils in field plots, then reared leaf-feeding caterpillars on dandelion grown in these soils, and then assessed whether the microbiomes of the caterpillars were attributed to the conditioned soil microbiomes or the dandelion microbiome. Microbiomes of caterpillars kept on intact plants differed from those of caterpillars fed detached leaves collected from plants growing in the same soil.

Soil HONO emissions at high moisture content are driven by microbial nitrate reduction to nitrite: tackling the HONO puzzle.

Nitrous acid (HONO) is a precursor of the hydroxyl radical (OH), a key oxidant in the degradation of most air pollutants. Field measurements indicate a large unknown source of HONO during the day time. Release of nitrous acid (HONO) from soil has been suggested as a major source of atmospheric HONO.

Effects of micro-/nano-hydroxyapatite and phytoremediation on fungal community structure in copper contaminated soil.

Micro-/nano-hydroxyapatite (MHA/NHA) has been used to reduce the concentration of available heavy metals and increase soil pH in the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, little is known about the effects of MHA and NHA on soil fungal communities and function. In this study, fungal community composition was characterized from copper-contaminated soils amended with MHA, NHA and three other classic amendments combined with Elsholtzia splendens during a 3-year immobilization experiment.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Auxin Receptor Family Genes in var. .

Transport inhibitor response 1/auxin signaling f-box proteins TIR1/AFBs) play important roles in the process of plant growth and development as auxin receptors. To date, no information has been available about the characteristics of the gene family in var. .

Assessment of bacterial communities in Cu-contaminated soil immobilized by a one-time application of micro-/nano-hydroxyapatite and phytoremediation for 3 years.

Heavy metals contamination of soil has been considered as a global environmental problem, and consequently various soil amendments have been widely used in immobilization. Previous studies have reported that micro-/nano-hydroxyapatite (MHA/NHA) as a novel chemical material could alleviate soil acidity and reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals. However, the mechanism of soil microorganism responding to the application of MHA/NHA is little studied.

Electrodes Donate Electrons for Nitrate Reduction in a Soil Matrix via DNRA and Denitrification.

Microbial strains and indigenous microbiota in soil slurries have been reported to use electrons from electrodes for nitrate (NO) reduction. However, few studies have confirmed this in a soil matrix hitherto. This study investigated if, and how, an electric potential affected NO reduction in a soil matrix.

Effects of composting and carbon based materials on carbon and nitrogen loss in the arable land utilization of cow manure and corn stalks.

Recycling organic wastes to arable land as fertilizers has been recognized as a sustainable utilization to reduce environmental pollution. Techniques used for the treatment of organic wastes determine their nutrient contents and thus fertilizer efficiency for agricultural applications. The current study investigated the influences of composting and carbon based materials (biochar and woody peat), on carbon and nitrogen loss in the process of agricultural wastes utilization in the soil batch experiments.

Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization Elevates the Activity and Abundance of Nitrifying and Denitrifying Microbial Communities in an Upland Soil: Implications for Nitrogen Loss From Intensive Agricultural Systems.

The continuous use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to increase soil fertility and crop productivity often results in unexpected environmental effects and N losses through biological processes, such as nitrification and denitrification. In this study, multidisciplinary approaches were employed to assess the effects of N fertilization in a long-term (~20 years) field experiment in which a fertilizer gradient (0, 200, 400, and 600 kg N ha yr) was applied in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation cropping system in the North China Plain, one of the most intensive agricultural regions in China. The potential nitrification/denitrification rates, bacterial community structure, and abundances of functional microbial communities involved in key processes of the N cycle were assessed during both the summer maize (SM) and winter wheat (WW) seasons.

China's livestock transition: Driving forces, impacts, and consequences.

China's livestock industry has experienced a vast transition during the last three decades, with profound effects on domestic and global food provision, resource use, nitrogen and phosphorus losses, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the driving forces around this transition and its national and global consequences. The number of livestock units (LUs) tripled in China in less than 30 years, mainly through the growth of landless industrial livestock production systems and the increase in monogastric livestock (from 62 to 74% of total LUs).

Systematic discovery of novel and valuable plant gene modules by large-scale RNA-seq samples.

Motivation: The complex cellular networks underlying phenotypes are formed by the interacting gene modules. Building and analyzing genome-wide and high-quality Gene Co-expression Networks (GCNs) is useful for uncovering these modules and understanding the phenotypes of an organism.

Results: Using large-scale RNA-seq samples, we constructed high coverage and confident GCNs in two monocot species rice and maize, and two eudicot species Arabidopsis and soybean, and subdivided them into co-expressed gene modules.

Genetic improvement of the shoot architecture and yield in soya bean plants via the manipulation of GmmiR156b.

The optimization of plant architecture in order to breed high-yielding soya bean cultivars is a goal of researchers. Tall plants bearing many long branches are desired, but only modest success in reaching these goals has been achieved. MicroRNA156 (miR156)-SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) gene modules play pivotal roles in controlling shoot architecture and other traits in crops like rice and wheat.

DR2DI: a powerful computational tool for predicting novel drug-disease associations.

Finding the new related candidate diseases for known drugs provides an effective method for fast-speed and low-risk drug development. However, experimental identification of drug-disease associations is expensive and time-consuming. This motivates the need for developing in silico computational methods that can infer true drug-disease pairs with high confidence.

Response of Nitrifier and Denitrifier Abundance and Microbial Community Structure to Experimental Warming in an Agricultural Ecosystem.

Soil microbial community plays an important role in terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, the response of the soil nitrifier and denitrifier communities to climate warming is poorly understood. A long-term field warming experiment has been conducted for 8 years at Luancheng Experimental Farm Station on the North China Plain; we used this field to examine how soil microbial community structure, nitrifier, and denitrifier abundance respond to warming under regular irrigation (RI) and high irrigation (HI) at different soil depths (0-5, 5-10, and 10-20 cm).

NetMiner-an ensemble pipeline for building genome-wide and high-quality gene co-expression network using massive-scale RNA-seq samples.

Accurately reconstructing gene co-expression network is of great importance for uncovering the genetic architecture underlying complex and various phenotypes. The recent availability of high-throughput RNA-seq sequencing has made genome-wide detecting and quantifying of the novel, rare and low-abundance transcripts practical. However, its potential merits in reconstructing gene co-expression network have still not been well explored.

Global environmental costs of China's thirst for milk.

China has an ever-increasing thirst for milk, with a predicted 3.2-fold increase in demand by 2050 compared to the production level in 2010. What are the environmental implications of meeting this demand, and what is the preferred pathway? We addressed these questions by using a nexus approach, to examine the interdependencies of increasing milk consumption in China by 2050 and its global impacts, under different scenarios of domestic milk production and importation.

Hydroxylamine released by nitrifying microorganisms is a precursor for HONO emission from drying soils.

Nitrous acid (HONO) is an important precursor of the hydroxyl radical (OH), the atmosphere´s primary oxidant. An unknown strong daytime source of HONO is required to explain measurements in ambient air. Emissions from soils are one of the potential sources.

Environmental impacts and resource use of milk production on the North China Plain, based on life cycle assessment.

Life cycle assessment methodology was used to quantify the environmental impacts and resource use of milk production on the North China Plain, the largest milk production area in China. Variation in environmental burden caused by cow productivity was evaluated, as well as scenario analysis of the effects of improvement practices. The results indicated that the average environmental impact potential and resource use for producing 1kg of fat and protein corrected milk was 1.

The miR172c-NNC1 module modulates root plastic development in response to salt in soybean.

Background: Plant roots are highly plastic to high salinity. However, the molecular mechanism by which root developmental plasticity is regulated remains largely unknown. Previously we reported that miR172c-NNC1 module plays a key role in soybean-rhizobial symbiosis.

Environment and geographic distance differ in relative importance for determining fungal community of rhizosphere and bulk soil.

Rhizospheric fungi play major roles in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. However, little is known about the determinants of their diversity and biogeographic patterns. Here, we compared fungal communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils of wheat fields in the North China Plain.

Nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production in China: Lessons learned from historical changes and regional differences.

The dairy industry in China was rapidly expanded and intensified from 1980 to 2010, engendering potential long-term impacts on the environment and natural resources. However, impacts of dairy intensification on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were unknown. This study was undertaken to examine these relations using the NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use (NUFER)-dairy model.