Search results for " Microbial"
showing 10 items of 340 documents
Wastewater treatment and electricity production in a microbial fuel cell with Cu–B alloy as the cathode
2019
The possibility of wastewater treatment and electricity production using a microbial fuel cell with Cu&ndash
Effects of compost input and tillage intensity on soil microbial biomass and activity under Mediterranean conditions
2010
Organic amendment and tillage reduction are two common practices to contrast soil organic matter decline, thus promoting sustainable cropping and carbon sequestration. In a horticultural land use system under Mediterranean climate, we evaluated the 9-year effects of two compost inputs (15 and 30 t ha−1 y−1, low and high input, respectively) and two tillage intensities (intensive and reduced) on soil macronutrients concentration, microbial biomass and activity. Total organic C, total N and POlsen were smaller in plots amended at low input, whilst intensive tillage decreased them at both compost inputs. These decreases in intensively tilled plots was ascribed to the disruption of soil aggrega…
Reversing agriculture from intensive to sustainable improves soil quality in a semiarid South Italian soil
2010
Intensive agriculture (IA) is widespread in South Italy, although it requires frequent tillage, large amounts of fertilizers and irrigation water. We have assessed the efficacy of reversing IA to sustainable agriculture (SA) in recovering quality of a typical South Italy soil (Lithic Haploxeralf). This reversion, lasting from 2000 to 2007, replaced 75% of nutrients formerly supplied inorganically by farmyard manuring and reduced the tillage frequency. Several chemical and biochemical properties, functionally related to C and N mineralisation–immobilisation processes and to P and S nutrient cycles, were monitored annually from 2005 to 2007 in the spring. Reversing IA to SA decreased soil bul…
Meiofauna and benthic microbial biomass in a semi-enclosed mediterranean marine system (Stagnone di Marsala, Italy)
2004
Microbial and meiofaunal dynamics and their relationships with the biochemical composition of the sedimentary organic matter were investigated in a semi-enclosed marine system (Marsala lagoon, Western Sicily, Mediterranean Sea). Sediment samples were collected on a monthly basis from March 1996 to February 1997 in four stations located along a N–S transect characterized by different hydrodynamic regimes. Total sedimentary organic matter concentration ranged from 5.681.11 to 156.2812.63 mg g1, while the biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon (BPC, measured as sum of the lipids, carbohydrates and proteins) accounted for only a small fraction (24%) of total organic matter. Total meiofaunal de…
Phenazine antibiotics produced by fluorescent pseudomonads contribute to natural soil suppressiveness to Fusarium wilt
2009
Natural disease-suppressive soils provide an untapped resource for the discovery of novel beneficial microorganisms and traits. For most suppressive soils, however, the consortia of microorganisms and mechanisms involved in pathogen control are unknown. To date, soil suppressiveness to Fusarium wilt disease has been ascribed to carbon and iron competition between pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum and resident non-pathogenic F. oxysporum and fluorescent pseudomonads. In this study, the role of bacterial antibiosis in Fusarium wilt suppressiveness was assessed by comparing the densities, diversity and activity of fluorescent Pseudomonas species producing 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) (phlD+) …
Including the soil microbiota in the quality evaluation of soils vulnerable to desertification
2021
The soil microbiota is recognized as key player in both diversity and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems and it is mandatory to include its role in soil quality evaluation. Drivers of below-ground diversity are still largely unknown and is still unclear if the main soil features (i.e. soil organic matter, nutrient and water availability) are potential drivers of microbial diversity or are regulated by it. Increasingly negative effects of climate change due to drought and extreme weather phenomena are causing Mediterranean soil degradation that rapidly degenerates to desertification. Within the LIFE Desert-Adapt project we investigated bacterial diversity in soils of southern Europe unde…
Early Effects of No-Till Use on Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Productivity and Soil Functioning Vary between Two Contrasting Mediterranean Soils
2022
The diffusion of no-tillage (NT) is to be encouraged because of the benefits it can provide in terms of improving soil fertility and counteracting global warming and climate change as part of climate-smart agriculture practices. However, the introduction of this management can be difficult, especially in the first years of application, and can lead to unpredictable yield results depending on the soil type. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to evaluate the early effect of NT use, compared to the conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT), on two different soils, a clay-loam (GAL) and a sandy-clay-loam soil (SMA), by monitoring a set of 43 different soil and plant variables that were expe…
A Noxious Weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Ragweed) as Sustainable Feedstock for Methane Production and Metals Immobilization
2023
Plants of the Ambrosia genus are invasive and cause many ecological problems, including the oppression of the growth of agricultural crops and native plants, land depletion, and the production of strong allergens. The use of weeds as a sustainable feedstock for biogas production, either methane or hydrogen, is a promising way to fulfill the energy needs of the current generation, eliminate the depletion of non-renewable carbon resources, and preserve the ecosystem degradation caused by invasive species impacts. A diversified microbial community was used as inoculum and Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. biomass as a substrate for anaerobic degradation and methane production. In this regard, the dev…
Dynamique de la communauté microbienne de sols tropicaux suite à une application répétée de fertilisants organiques et minéraux
2019
Organic waste products (OWP) with NPK mineral fertilization are known to have an impact on soil microbial communities. However, dynamic of these communities following a repeated OWP and NPK application has not been well described. In the present study, this dynamic was observed on soil sampled at the La Mare (La Réunion) field experiment, which was set up in 2013. This experiment includes control plot (without organic input, but mineral fertilization) and several plots receiving different types of OWP coupled with NPK fertilization. Physico-chemical parameters were measured on soils and OWPs (2013 to 2017). Soil microbial biomass (from 2013 to 2018) and the structure of microbial community …
The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry can be used for dose estimation in irradiated pork
2009
Abstract Food safety can be improved using ionizing radiation to reduce food spoilage and to extend its shelf life. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been validated by the European Community as a powerful method to identify irradiated food containing fat. The preliminary goals of our research were: (i) to set up this method, based on the detection of radiation induced 2-dodecylcyclobutanones (2-DCB) in pork muscle samples and (ii) to check the microbiological efficacy of the treatment. The main objective was to render the GC/MS a quantitative technique for dose estimation, through the measurement of the 2-DCB concentration in the irradiated sample. Our results show that t…