Although microbial inoculants are promoted as a strategy for improving compost quality, there is no consensus in the published literature about their efficacy. A quantitative meta-analysis was performed to estimate the overall effect size of microbial inoculants on nutrient content, humification and lignocellulosic degradation. A meta-regression and moderator analyses were conducted to elucidate abiotic and biotic factors controlling the efficacy of microbial inoculants. These analyses demonstrated the beneficial effects of microbial inoculants on total nitrogen (+30%), total phosphorus (+46%), compost maturity index (C:N ratio (-31%), humification (+60%) and the germination index (+28%). The mean effect size was -46%, -65% and -40% for cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin respectively. However, the effect size was marginal for bioavailable nutrient concentrations of phosphate, nitrate, and ammonium. The effectiveness of microbial inoculants depends on inoculant form, inoculation time, composting method, and experimental duration. The microbial inoculant effect size was consistent under different feedstock types and experimental scales. These findings imply that microbial inoculants are important for accelerating lignocellulose degradation. Higher mean effect sizes have tended to be published in journals with higher impact factors, thus researchers should be encouraged to publish non-significant findings in order to provide a more reliable estimation of effect size and clarify doubts about the benefits of microbial inoculants for composting.
- MeSH
- Nitrogen analysis MeSH
- Composting * MeSH
- Lignin MeSH
- Soil MeSH
- Nutrients MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Meta-Analysis MeSH
A woody-biochar was added to waste biomass during a composting process. The resulting compost-char was amended to a metal contaminated soil and two plant species, L. perenne and E. sativa, were grown in a pot experiment to determine 1) plant survival and stress factors, 2) uptake of metals to plants and, 3) chemical characteristics of sampled soils and pore waters. Compost supplemented with biochar after the composting process were also tested, as well as a commercially available compost, for comparison. Co-composting with biochar hastened the composting process, resulting in a composite material of reduced odour, increased maturity, circum-neutral pH and increased moisture retention than compost (increase by 3% of easily removable water content). When amended to the soil, CaCl2 extractable and pore water metals s were reduced by all compost treatments with little influence of biochar addition at any tested dose. Plant growth success was promoted furthest by the addition of co-composted biochar to the test soil, especially in the case of E. sativa. For both tested plant species significant reductions in plant metal concentrations (e.g. 8-times for Zn) were achieved, against the control soil, by compost, regardless of biochar addition. The results of this study demonstrate that the addition of biochar into the composting process can hasten the stability of the resulting compost-char, with more favourable characteristics as a soil amendment/improver than compost alone. This appears achievable whilst also maintaining the provision of available nutrients to soils and the reduction of metal mobility, and improved conditions for plant establishment.
- MeSH
- Biodegradation, Environmental MeSH
- Biomass MeSH
- Brassicaceae chemistry growth & development MeSH
- Charcoal chemistry MeSH
- Wood chemistry MeSH
- Lolium chemistry growth & development MeSH
- Composting * MeSH
- Metals analysis MeSH
- Soil Pollutants analysis MeSH
- Soil chemistry MeSH
- Models, Theoretical MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The establishment of phytoextraction crops on highly contaminated soils can be limited by metal toxicity. A recent proposal has suggested establishing support crops during the critical initial phase by metal immobilization through soil amendments followed by subsequent mobilization using elemental sulphur to enhance phytoextraction efficiency. This 'combined phytoremediation' approach is tested for the first time in a pot experiment with a highly contaminated soil. During a 14-week period, relatively metal-tolerant maize was grown in a greenhouse under immobilization (before sulphur (S) application) and mobilization (after S application) conditions with soil containing Cd, Pb and Zn contaminants. Apart from the control (C) sample, the soil was amended with activated carbon (AC), lignite (Lig) or vermicompost (VC) all in two different doses (dose 1~45 g additive kg-1 soil and dose 2~90 g additive kg-1 soil). Elemental S was added as a mobilization agent in these samples after 9 weeks. Biomass production, nutrient and metal bioavailability in the soil were determined, along with their uptake by plants and the resulting remediation factors. Before S application, Cd and Zn mobility was reduced in all the AC, Lig and VC treatments, while Pb mobility was increased only in the Lig1 and VC1 treatments. Upon sulphur application, Fe, Mn, Cd, Pb and Zn mobility was not significantly affected in the C, AC and VC treatments, nor total Cd, Pb and Zn contents in maize shoots. Increased sulphate, Mn, Cd, Pb and Zn mobilities in soil together with related higher total S, Mn, Pb and Zn contents in shoots were observed in investigated treatments in the last sampling period. The highest biomass production and the lowest metal toxicity were seen in the VC treatments. These results were associated with effective metal immobilization and showed the trend of steady release of some nutrients. The highest remediation factors and total elemental content in maize shoots were recorded in the VC treatments. This increased phytoremediation efficiency by 400% for Cd and by 100% for Zn compared to the control. Considering the extreme metal load of the soil, it might be interesting to use highly metal-tolerant plants in future research. Future investigations could also explore the effect of carbonaceous additives on S oxidation, focusing on the specific microorganisms and redox reactions in the soil. In addition, the homogeneous distribution of the S rate in the soil should be considered, as well as longer observation times.
- MeSH
- Biodegradation, Environmental MeSH
- Biological Availability MeSH
- Biomass MeSH
- Charcoal chemistry MeSH
- Phosphorus pharmacokinetics MeSH
- Composting MeSH
- Zea mays drug effects growth & development metabolism MeSH
- Soil Pollutants analysis pharmacokinetics MeSH
- Soil chemistry MeSH
- Environmental Restoration and Remediation methods MeSH
- Sulfur * pharmacokinetics MeSH
- Metals, Heavy analysis pharmacokinetics MeSH
- Plant Shoots drug effects metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Agricultural intensification over the last 40 years has increased cereal yields, but there is very limited information on the effects of intensification practices (e.g., nondiverse rotations, mineral NPK fertilizer, and pesticides) on crop health and quality. Results from the study reported here suggest that the use of mineral NPK fertilizers reduces phenolic acid and flavonoid concentrations in leaves and increases the susceptibility of wheat to lodging and powdery mildew, when compared to composted FYM inputs. In contrast, the use of herbicides, fungicides, and growth regulators reduces lodging and foliar disease severity but had no effect on phenolic acid and flavonoid concentrations. The use of composted FYM inputs also resulted in a significant grain yield reduction and not substantially reduced the severity of opportunistic pathogens such as Septoria, which remain a major yield limiting factor unless fungicides are used and/or more Septoria resistant varieties become available.
- MeSH
- Ascomycota drug effects physiology MeSH
- Phenols analysis MeSH
- Plant Leaves chemistry drug effects growth & development microbiology MeSH
- Plant Diseases microbiology prevention & control MeSH
- Climate MeSH
- Fertilizers analysis MeSH
- Fungicides, Industrial pharmacology MeSH
- Triticum chemistry drug effects growth & development microbiology MeSH
- Seeds chemistry drug effects growth & development MeSH
- Agriculture methods MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
Vermicomposting is a process of degradation of biowaste which involves complex interactions between earthworms and microorganisms. This process lacks a thermophilic stage and thus, the possible presence of pathogens poses a potential health hazard. To assess the contribution of earthworms during the selective reduction of various pathogens, apple pomace substrate was artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., thermotolerant coliform bacteria, and Enterococci. The artificial bacterial load did not influence the weight, reproduction, or intestinal enzymatic activity of the earthworms, but it caused reversible histological changes to the epithelial layer and chloragogen tissue of their intestines. The reduction of pathogenic Enterococci and E. coli from the substrate was accelerated by earthworms (63-fold, 77-fold, and 840-fold for Enterococci and 6-fold, 36-fold, and 7-fold for E. coli inoculated substrates after 2, 4, and 6 weeks, respectively). Moreover, the rapid elimination of Salmonella spp. was supported by the upregulated expression of two pattern recognition receptors which bind lipopolysaccharide, coelomic cytolytic factor, and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. Further, the microbiomes of the intestine and the composting substrate differed significantly. Graphical abstract.
- MeSH
- Escherichia coli MeSH
- Composting methods MeSH
- Oligochaeta microbiology physiology MeSH
- Soil Microbiology * MeSH
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Evaluation Study MeSH
The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides. Both glyphosate and its major metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), persist in waters; thus, their environmental fates are of interest. We investigated the influence of compost dose, sampling depth, moisture and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) on the persistence of these substances. The amounts of AMPA quantified by triple quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-QqQ-MS/MS) using isotopically labeled extraction standards were higher than those of glyphosate and differed among the samples. Both glyphosate and AMPA showed gradually decreasing concentrations with soil depth, and bootstrapped ANOVA showed significant differences between the contents of glyphosate and AMPA and their behavior related to different compost dosages and sampling depths. However, the compost dose alone did not cause significant differences among samples. Bayesian statistics revealed that the amounts of glyphosate and AMPA were both dependent on the sampling depth and compost dose, but differences were found when considering the physical factors of Ks and moisture. Glyphosate was influenced by moisture but not Ks, whereas AMPA was influenced by Ks but not moisture. Importantly, we found behavioral differences between glyphosate and its major metabolite, AMPA, related to the physical properties of Ks and moisture.
Three biodegradable plastics materials, namely pure poly(l-lactide) (PLA), PLA with plasticizer triacetine (TAC) and the mixture PLA/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and TAC were investigated concerning changes of physical properties due to biodegradation in compost at 58°C up to 16days. With rising time of degradation in compost, both number and weight molecular masses were decreasing progressively, but only marginal change of the polydispersity index was observed which indicates that biodegradation is not random process. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that in spite of the extensive decrease of molecular weight, no substantial change in chemical composition was found. The most significant modification of the spectra consisted in an appearing of the broad band in region 3100-3300cm-1, which was assigned to a formation of biofilm on the sample surfaces. This effect appeared for all three materials, however, it was much more pronounced for samples containing also triacetine. Measurement of changes in crystalline portion confirmed that amorphous phase degrades substantially faster compared to crystalline part. The plasticizer triacetine is disappearing also rather fast from the sample resulting besides other effect also in a temporary increase of Tg, which at the beginning grows almost to the value typical for PLA without plasticizer but later the Tg is decreasing due to substantial changes in molecular weight. Generally during composting, the samples keep shape for up to 8days, after that time the material disintegrates to rough powder.
Západní styl života je spojován s komplexními změnami chování a životního prostředí. Dochází i ke změnám ve stravovacích návycích. Snížení antioxidantů , zvýšení omega-6 polynenasycených mastných kyselin (omega-6 PUFA) a snížení omega-3 PUFA ve stravě vede ke zvýšené inci- denci astmatu a atopie. Zdá se, že existuje pozitivní vliv dietních opatření (antioxidanty a omega-3 PUFA) na zlepšení astmatu a atopie.Četné studie ukázaly pozitivní korelaci mezi stravou bohatou na omega-3 PUFA a astma, ale existují i studie kontroverzní.Příjem vitamínů− C, E, A, D a stopových prvků – zinek, selen, magnézium, je obecně vzato spojován spíše s pozitivním vlivem na plicní funkce. Konzumace ovoce (např. jablek, hroznů a ořechů) a tzv. středomoř ského typu diety bohatého na ovoce a zeleninu v předškolním věku vedla u těchto dětí ke snížení výskytu astmatu a pískotů . Naopak jednoznačně špatný vliv na vznik astmatických symptomů a pískotů u dětí má konzumace cukrovinek, cukrářského pečiva a hamburgerů nebo jídel typu tzv. „fast food“. Obezita je výsledkem komplexních interakcí podmíněných genetickými vlohami, potravními návyky, metabolismem a fyzickou aktivitou člověka a je považována za systémový prozánětlivý stav . U obézních jedinců bez známek jiné nemoci je významně zvýšena hladina C-reaktivního proteinu (CRP). V dlouhodobém horizontu reguluje příjem potravy cytokin označovaný jako leptin, tvořený adipocyty. Některé studie ukazují spojitost mezi leptinem a astmatem. Ukazuje se i možný společný genetický základ pro obě choroby – obezitu a asthma bronchiale. Přes ně které kontroverzní výsledky rozsáhlých studií se ukazuje dů ležitost vlivu výživy i na asthma bronchiale. Výživa je jedním z epigenetických faktorů , které se mohou uplatnit v koneč ném vlivu na vývoji asthma bronchiale u daného jedince. Náš životní styl a prostředí mají vliv na složení a dynamiku naší mikrobiální komunity a následně tak ovlivňují přirozenou i získanou imunitu.
Westernization of life style is associated with complex behavioral and environmental changes, which leads to the nutritional ch anges. Low antioxidants, foods rich in omega-6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) instead of omega-3-PUFA can be associated with incerased incidence of bronchial asthma and atopy. Observations show a benefit between antioxidants and omega-3-PUFA consumption and improvement of asthma and atopy, however not all studies confirm these results. Dietary antioxidants − vitamin C, E, A, D, zinc, selenium and magnesium are in general associated with lung funcion improvement. Also fruit consumption (e.g. apples, grapes and nuts) and Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables in preschool-age chi ldren lead to asthma and wheezing reduction. On the other hand consumption of candies, industrial pastry, hamburgers and fast food is related with negative effects on asthma symptoms and wheezing in children. Obesity is a result of individual ́s genetic factors, nutritional behaviour, metabolism and physical activity and is considered as a proinflammatory condition. In obese adults even without any disease there is an increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level. Leptin, produce d by adipocytes is a regulator of energy metabolism. Some observations show association between leptin and asthma. There is a possible common g enetic background for obesity and bronchial asthma. Epidemiologic studies have reported beneficial association between nutrion (dietary antioxidants and lipids) and parameters of asthma and atopic disease. Nutrition is one of the epigenetic factors with possible influenece on individual ́s asthma condition. Our life-style a nd environment have a continous effect on the compostion and dynamics of our microbial communities, and on the innate and adaptive immunity as a result.
- MeSH
- Antioxidants administration & dosage metabolism MeSH
- Asthma * etiology prevention & control MeSH
- Diet * MeSH
- Epigenomics MeSH
- Breast Feeding MeSH
- Fatty Acids, Omega-6 adverse effects MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Milk, Human MeSH
- Lipid Metabolism MeSH
- Microbiota MeSH
- Obesity * complications metabolism MeSH
- Fatty Acids, Omega-3 administration & dosage MeSH
- Fruit MeSH
- Fast Foods adverse effects MeSH
- Trace Elements administration & dosage MeSH
- Diet, Mediterranean MeSH
- Vitamins administration & dosage MeSH
- Vegetables MeSH
- Life Style * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
The biodegradation of four poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) samples with molecular weights (MW) ranging from approximately 34 to 160kgmol(-1) was investigated under composting conditions. The biodegradation rate decreased, and initial retardation was discernible in parallel with the increasing MW of the polymer. Furthermore, the specific surface area of the polymer sample was identified as the important factor accelerating biodegradation. Microbial community compositions and dynamics during the biodegradation of different PLA were monitored by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis, and were found to be virtually identical for all PLA materials and independent of MW. A specific PLA degrading bacteria was isolated and tentatively designated Thermopolyspora flexuosa FTPLA. The addition of a limited amount of low MW PLA did not accelerate the biodegradation of high MW PLA, suggesting that the process is not limited to the number of specific degraders and/or the induction of specific enzymes. In parallel, abiotic hydrolysis was investigated for the same set of samples and their courses found to be quasi-identical with the biodegradation of all four PLA samples investigated. This suggests that the abiotic hydrolysis represented a rate limiting step in the biodegradation process and the organisms present were not able to accelerate depolymerization significantly by the action of their enzymes.
BACKGROUND: Japanese knotweed, Reynoutria japonica, is known for its high growth rate, even on adverse substrates, and for containing organic substances that are beneficial to human health. Its hybrid, Reynoutria x bohemica, was described in the Czech Republic in 1983 and has been widespread ever since. We examined whether Reynoutria x bohemica as a medicinal plant providing stilbenes and emodin, can be cultivated in spoil bank substrates and hence in the coalmine spoil banks changed into arable fields. We designed a pot experiment and a field experiment to assess the effects of various factors on the growth efficiency of Reynoutria x bohemica on clayish substrates and on the production of stilbenes and emodin in this plant. RESULTS: In the pot experiment, plants were grown on different substrates that varied in organic matter and nutrient content, namely the content of nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen was also introduced into the substrates by melilot, a leguminous plant with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Melilot served as a donor of mycorrhizal fungi to knotweed, which did not form any mycorrhiza when grown alone. As expected, the production of knotweed biomass was highest on high-nutrient substrates, namely compost. However, the concentration of the organic constituents studied was higher in plants grown on clayish low-nutrient substrates in the presence of melilot. The content of resveratrol including that of its derivatives, resveratrolosid, piceatannol, piceid and astringin, was significantly higher in the presence of melilot on clay, loess and clayCS. Nitrogen supplied to knotweed by melilot was correlated with the ratio of resveratrol to resveratrol glucosides, indicating that knotweed bestowed some of its glucose production upon covering part of the energy demanded for nitrogen fixation by melilot's rhizobia, and that there is an exchange of organic substances between these two plant species. The three-year field experiment confirmed the ability of Reynoutria x bohemica to grow on vast coalmine spoil banks. The production of this species reached 2.6 t of dry mass per hectare. CONCLUSIONS: Relationships between nitrogen, phosphorus, emodin, and belowground knotweed biomass belong to the most interesting results of this study. Compared with melilot absence, its presence increased the number of significant relationships by introducing those of resveratrol and its derivatives, and phosphorus and nitrogen. Knotweed phosphorus was predominantly taken up from the substrate and was negatively correlated with the content of resveratrol and resveratrol derivatives, while knotweed nitrogen was mainly supplied by melilot rhizobia and was positively correlated with the content of resveratrol and resveratrol derivatives.
- MeSH
- Biomass MeSH
- Nitrogen metabolism MeSH
- Emodin metabolism MeSH
- Phosphorus metabolism MeSH
- Plants, Medicinal chemistry growth & development microbiology MeSH
- Mycorrhizae growth & development MeSH
- Polygonum chemistry growth & development microbiology MeSH
- Soil analysis MeSH
- Stilbenes metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
