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Aluminium is an element commonly occurring in nature, the third most abundant in the earth's crust after oxygen and silicon. It forms numerous mineral and organic complexes, characterised by different degrees of hydration. Its easy transition from solid to liquid phase and high solubility in acid environment are decisive factors for its important function in the environment. Until recently, aluminium was considered harmless for the human organism as it is readily excreted through urine. However, studies of environmental toxicology conducted in recent years indicated that aluminium could be a cause of many diseases in humans, animals and plants. Acid rains and increasing acidification of the environment induced water and soil pH changes which resulted in the mobilisation of toxic aluminium ions which in turn evoked many unfavourable alterations, such as plant poisoning, forest drying, crop reduction, vanishing of water fauna, and numerous disturbances in the function of human and animal organisms. Aluminium can be found in many food products and feed for animals. In this way it enters the organism and accumulates in various tissues. Although the mechanism of toxic aluminium actions on humans has not been elucidated yet, prophylactic action should be undertaken aimed at limiting the contact of humans with aluminium. Most of all, it should be eliminated from food, food additives and medicines. We should avoid tools, kitchen utensils and appliances made of aluminium as well as aluminium wrappings and containers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mineral fertilization of arable land positively affects an increase of the biological productivity of various ecosystems as well as the microbial activity in soil. From the three elements N, P, K used for fertilization -- nitrogen is one of the most important factors affecting soil fertility and productivity as well as the growth and development of cultivated plants. The chemical studies show that high N rates of fertilization result in the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in soil environments. The use of mineral N resulted in significant changes in microbiocenoses under investigated ecological condition. The decline of some beneficial microorganisms, as well as the occurrence of carcinogenic nitrosamines in soil, were the symptoms of changes in the environment. INSET: Table 4.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorafenib and lenvatinib are multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors which are currently approved to treat advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma. However this treatment is often limited due to common adverse events which may occur via oxidative stress. The study aims to compare sorafenib- and lenvatinib-induced oxidative damage to membrane lipids (lipid peroxidation, LPO) in homogenates of porcine noncancerous tissues of the thyroid, the liver, and the kidney and to check if it can be prevented by antioxidants melatonin and indole-3-propionic acid (IPA). Homogenates of individual tissues were incubated in the presence of sorafenib or lenvatinib (1 mM, 100 µM, 10 µM, 1 µM, 100 nM, 10 nM, 1 nM, 100 pM) together with/without melatonin (5.0 mM) or IPA (5.0 mM). The concentration of malondialdehyde + 4-hydroxyalkenals, as the LPO index, was measured spectrophotometrically. The incubation of tissue homogenates with sorafenib resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in LPO (statistically significant for concentrations of 1mM and 100 µM in the thyroid and the liver, and of 1 mM, 100 µM, and 10 µM in the kidney). The incubation of thyroid homogenates with lenvatinib did not change LPO level. In case of the liver and the kidney, lenvatinib increased LPO but only in its highest concentration of 1 mM. Melatonin and IPA reduced completely (to the level of control) sorafenib- and lenvatinib-induced LPO in all examined tissues regardless of the drug concentration. In conclusion, sorafenib comparing to lenvatinib is a stronger damaging agent of membrane lipids in noncancerous tissues of the thyroid, the liver, and the kidney. The antioxidants melatonin and IPA can be considered to be used in co-treatment with sorafenib and lenvatinib to prevent their undesirable toxicity occurring via oxidative stress.

Sandy soils occur in different regions throughout the world. In spite of poor quality, they are being used in crop production. The use of sandy soils for crop production requires soil-improving cropping systems (SICS). The aim of this study was to determine the spatial relationships of soil properties including intrinsic texture and relatively stable organic carbon, pH(KCl), cation exchange capacity, and cereal yield (grain and straw yields and plant height) in response to random application of SICS using geostatistics and maps. A 4-year field experiment included the following crop rotation: oat, wheat, wheat and oat and SICS: the control (C) and SICS: liming (L), leguminous catch crops for green manure (LU), farmyard manure (M), and farmyard manure+liming+leguminous catch crops together (M + L + LU). The use of the soil properties as auxiliary variables in the cross-semivariograms improved the prediction of the spatial distribution of the cereal yield, compared to the semi-variograms. The cokriging maps showed positional similarity between the cereal yield, the application of some SICS, and soil textural fractions. The application of M and M + L + LU providing the greatest amounts of organic matter and nitrogen was an effective measure in increasing cereal yields in sub-areas with low contents of sand, compared with the C, L, and LU variants. This increase in the yield was most pronounced in the last study year with an adequate rainfall amount and distribution during the growing season. The similar spatial effects of the SICS M and M + L + LU suggest that the application of M can be in part replaced by incorporation of atmospheric nitrogen-fixing legume catch crops and liming with maintenance of the same productivity and nitrogen supply. The spatial interrelations of the yield response, soil texture, and SICS type will help in selection of the most effective SICS in terms of cereal productivity, depending on local soil conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Soil organic matter is a key resource base for agriculture. However, its content in cultivated soils is low and often decreases. This study aimed at examining the effects of long-term application of chicken manure (CM) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) on organic matter accumulation, acidity, and hydraulic properties of soil. Two podzol soils with sandy texture in Podlasie Region (Poland) were enriched with recycled CM (10 Mg ha -1 ) and SMS (20 Mg ha -1 ), respectively, every 1-2 years for 20 years. The application of CM and SMS increased soil organic matter content at the depths of 0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm, especially at 0-20 cm (by 102-201%). The initial soil pH increased in the CM- and SMS-amended soil by 1.7-2.0 units and 1.0-1.2 units, respectively. Soil bulk density at comparable depths increased and decreased following the addition of CM and SMS, respectively. The addition of CM increased field water capacity (at -100 hPa) in the range from 45.8 to 117.8% depending on the depth within the 0-60 cm layer. In the case of the SMS addition, the value of the parameter was in the range of 42.4-48.5% at two depths within 0-40 cm. Depending on the depth, CM reduced the content of transmission pores (>50 µm) in the range from 46.3 to 82.3% and increased the level of residual pores (<0.5 µm) by 91.0-198.6%. SMS increased the content of residual pores at the successive depths by 121.8, 251.0, and 30.3% and decreased or increased the content of transmission and storage pores. Additionally, it significantly reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within 0-40 cm. The fitted unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within the 0-40 cm layer increased and decreased in the CM- and SMS-amended soils, respectively. The results provide a novel insight into the application of recycled organic materials to sequester soil organic matter and improve crop productivity by increasing soil water retention capacity and decreasing acidity. This is of particular importance in the case of the studied low-productivity sandy acidic soils that have to be used in agriculture due to limited global land resources and rising food demand.

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) is a key property for evaluating soil water movement and quality. Most studies on spatial variability of K have been performed soil at a field or smaller scale. Therefore, the aim of this work was to assess (quantify) the spatial distribution of K at the larger regional scale in south-eastern Poland and its relationship with other soil properties, including intrinsic sand, silt, and clay contents, relatively stable organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and temporally variable water content (WC), total porosity (FI), and dry bulk density (BD) in the surface layer (0-20 cm). The spatial relationships were assessed using a semivariogram and a cross-semivariogram. The studied region (140 km 2 ) with predominantly permeable sandy soils with low fertility and productivity is located in the south-eastern part of Poland (Podlasie region). The mean sand and organic carbon contents are 74 and 0.86 and their ranges (in %) are 45-95 and 0.002-3.75, respectively. The number of individual samples varied from 216 to 228 (for K, WC, BD, FI) to 691 for the other soil properties. The best fitting models were adjusted to the empirical semivariogram (exponential) and the cross-semivariogram (exponential, Gaussian, or linear) used to draw maps with kriging. The results showed that, among the soil properties studied, K was most variable (coefficient of variation 77.3%) and significantly (p < 0.05) positively correlated with total porosity (r = 0.300) and negatively correlated with soil bulk density (r = - 0.283). The normal or close to the normal distribution was obtained by natural logarithmic and root square transformations. The mean K was 2.597 m day -1 and ranged from 0.01 up to 11.54 m day -1 . The spatial autocorrelation (range) of K in the single (direct) semivariograms was 0.081° (8.1 km), while it favourably increased up to 0.149°-0.81° (14.9-81 km) in the cross-semivariograms using the OC contents, textural fractions, and CEC as auxiliary variables. The generated spatial maps allowed outlining two sub-areas with predominantly high K above 3.0 m day -1 in the northern sandier (sand content > 74%) and less silty (silt content < 22%) part and, with lower K in the southern part of the study region. Generally, the spatial distribution of the K values in the study region depended on the share of individual intrinsic textural fractions. On the other hand, the ranges of the spatial relationship between K and the intrinsic and relatively stable soil properties were much larger (from ~ 15 to 81 km) than between K and the temporally variable soil properties (0.3-0.9 km). This knowledge is supportive for making decisions related to land management aimed at alteration of hydraulic conductivity to improve soil water resources and crop productivity and reduce chemical leaching.

The assessment of water resources in soil is important in understanding the water cycle in the natural environment and the processes of water exchange between the soil and the atmosphere. The main objective of the study was to assess water resources (in 2010-2013) in the topsoil from satellite (SMOS) and in situ (ground) measurements using the SWEX&#95;PD approach (Soil Water EXtent at Penetration Depth). The SWEX&#95;PD is a result of multiplying soil moisture (SM) and radiation penetration depth (PD) for each pixel derived from the SMOS satellite. The PD, being a manifold of the wavelength λ 0 equal to 21 cm, was determined from the weekly SMOS L2 measurement data based on the real and imaginary part of complex dielectric constant. The SWEX&#95;PD data were compared with soil water resources (WR) calculated from the sum of components derived from multiplication of soil moisture (SM) and layer thickness in nine agrometeorological stations located along the eastern border of Poland. Each study site consisted of seven neighbouring Discrete Global Grid pixels (nodes spaced at 15 km) including the central ones with agrometeorological stations. The study area included different types of soils and land covers. The agreement between the water resources obtained from the SWEX&#95;PD and ground measurements (WR) was quantified using classical statistics and Bland-Altman's plots. Calibrated Layer Thickness (CLT = d bias ) from 8 to 28 cm was obtained with a low values of bias (close to zero), limits of agreements, and confidence intervals for all the SWEX&#95;PD, depending on the pixel location. The results revealed that the use of the SWEX&#95;PD for assessing soil water resources is the most reliable approach in the study area. Additionally, the data from Bland-Altman plots and the equation proposed in these studies allowed calculation of the Equivalent Layer Thickness (ELT = [Formula: see text]), which corresponds to the water resources derived from the SMOS satellite at the same time as (SM) measurements performed in the agrometeorological stations. The ranges of the mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and coefficient of variation (CV) of ELT among all pixels and stations were 8.28-28.7 cm, 3.27-12.66 cm, 3.03-10.87 cm, 19.23-94.97 cm, and 24.72-98.79%, respectively. The ranges of the characteristics depended on environmental conditions and their means were close to the values of the calibrated layer thickness. The impacts of soil texture, organic matter, vegetation, and their interactive effects on the differentiation and agreement of soil water resources obtained from SWEX&#95;PD vs. data from ground measurements in the study area are discussed. Further studies are required to address the impact of the environmental factors to improve the assessment of soil water resources based on satellite SM products (retrievals).

Background: Land use change significantly alters soil organic carbon content and the microbial community. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of changing cropland to grassland on structural and functional soil microbial diversity was evaluated. The specific aims were (i) to identify the most prominent members of the fungal communities and their relevant ecological guild groups; (ii) to assess changes in the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea; (iii) to determine the relationships between microbial diversity and selected physical and chemical properties., Methods: We investigated microbial diversity and activity indicators, bulk density and the water-holding capacity of sandy soil under both cropland and 25-year-old grassland (formerly cropland) in Trzebieszów, in the Podlasie Region, Poland. Microbial diversity was assessed by: the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, fungal community composition and functional diversity. Microbial activity was assessed by soil enzyme (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase) and respiration tests., Results: It was shown that compared to cropland, grassland has a higher soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass, basal respiration, rate of enzyme activity, richness and diversity of the microbial community, water holding capacity and the structure of the fungal and ammonia-oxidizing archaea communities was also altered. The implications of these results for soil quality and soil health are also discussed. The results suggest that grassland can have a significant phytosanitary capacity with regard to ecosystem services, due to the prominent presence of beneficial and antagonistic microbes. Moreover, the results also suggest that grassland use may improve the status of soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics, thereby increasing the relative abundance of fungi and ammonia-oxidizing archaea., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2020 Frąc et al.)

Knowledge on spatial distribution of crop yield in relation to fixed soil fertilisation with exogenous organic materials is essential for improving precise crop and soil management practices within a field. This study assessed the effect of various application rates and types of exogenous (recycled) organic materials (EOMs) containing different organic matter and nitrogen contents vs. mineral nitrogen on the yield of maize by means of linear regressions (trends), spatial kriging-interpolated maps, and Bland-Altman statistics. The experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 on two soils, i.e. loam silt in Braszowice (Poland) and clay silt loam in Pusté Jakartice (Czech Republic) under a cross-border cooperation project. The organic materials included compost from manure, slurry, and straw (Ag), industrial organic compost from sewage sludge (Ra), animal meal from animal by-products (Mb), and digestate from a biogas fries factory (Dg). The following 3 application rates of each EOM were adjusted according to the reference 100% = 200 kg N ha -1 : 50 (50% N from EOM and 50% mineral N), 75 (75% N from EOM and 25% mineral N), and 100 (100% N from EOM). 100% mineral N was applied on control plots. All treatments were carried out in 4 replicates. The linear regressions between the EOM application rates and the maize yield were in general ascending in the Braszowice soil and descending in the more productive Pusté Jakartice soil. The spatial kriging-interpolated maps allowed separating zones of lower and higher yields with EOMs compared to the control. They were attributed in part to the different EOM application rates and soil water contents. The Bland-Altaman statistics showed that addition of 50% of N from EOMs in 2013 caused a decrease and an increase in the maize grain yield in Braszowice and Pusté Jakartice, respectively, whereas the inverse was true with the 75 and 100% EOM additions. In 2014, the yield of maize for silage increased with the increasing EOM application rate in Braszowice and decreased in Pusté Jakartice, but it was smaller on all EOM-amended plots than in the control. As shown by the limits of agreement lines, the maize yields were more even in Pusté Jakartice than Braszowice. These results provide helpful information for selection of the most yield-producing EOM rates depending on the site soil conditions and prevalent weather conditions.

iSQAPER project - Interactive Soil Quality Assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Resilience - aims to develop an app to advise farmers on selecting the best Agriculture Management Practice (AMPs) to improve soil quality. For this purpose, a soil quality index has to be developed to account for the changes in soil quality as impacted by the implementation of the AMPs. Some promising AMPs have been suggested over the time to prevent soil degradation. These practices have been randomly adopted by farmers but which practices are most used by farmers and where they are mostly adopted remains unclear. This study is part of the iSQAPER project with the specific aims: 1) map the current distribution of previously selected 18 promising AMPs in several pedo-climatic regions and farming systems located in ten and four study site areas (SSA) along Europe and China, respectively; and 2) identify the soil threats occurring in those areas. In each SSA, farmers using promising AMP's were identified and questionnaires were used to assess farmer's perception on soil threats significance in the area. 138 plots/farms using 18 promising AMPs, were identified in Europe (112) and China (26).Results show that promising AMPs used in Europe are Crop rotation (15%), Manuring & Composting (15%) and Min-till (14%), whereas in China are Manuring & Composting (18%), Residue maintenance (18%) and Integrated pest and disease management (12%). In Europe, soil erosion is the main threat in agricultural Mediterranean areas while soil-borne pests and diseases is more frequent in the SSAs from France and The Netherlands. In China, soil erosion, SOM decline, compaction and poor soil structure are among the most significant. This work provides important information for policy makers and the development of strategies to support and promote agricultural management practices with benefits for soil quality., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sandy soils occupy large area in Poland (about 50%) and in the world. This study aimed at determining spatial relationships of cereal yields and the selected soil physical and chemical properties in three study years (2001-2003) on low productive sandy Podzol soil (Podlasie, Poland). The yields and soil properties in plough and subsoil layers were determined at 72-150 points. The test crops were: wheat, wheat and barley mixture and oats. To explore the spatial relationship between cereal yields and each soil property spatial statistics was used. The best fitting models were adjusted to empirical semivariance and cross-semivariance, which were used to draw maps using kriging. Majority of the soil properties and crop yields exhibited low and medium variability (coefficient of variation 5-70%). The effective ranges of the spatial dependence (the distance at which data are autocorrelated) for yields and all soil properties were 24.3-58.5m and 10.5-373m, respectively. Nugget to sill ratios showed that crop yields and soil properties were strongly spatially dependent except bulk density. Majority of the pairs in cross-semivariograms exhibited strong spatial interdependence. The ranges of the spatial dependence varied in plough layer between 54.6m for yield×pH up to 2433m for yield×silt content. Corresponding ranges in subsoil were 24.8m for crop yield×clay content in 2003 and 1404m for yield×bulk density. Kriging maps allowed separating sub-field area with the lowest yield and soil cation exchange capacity, organic carbon content and pH. This area had lighter color on the aerial photograph due to high content of the sand and low content of soil organic carbon. The results will help farmers at identifying sub-field areas for applying localized management practices to improve these soil properties and further spatial studies in larger scale., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Rehabilitation according to Vojta is a neurophysiological method used to obtain reflex responses in muscles following stimulation of particular activation zones., Objectives: This study aims to objectively evaluate the muscular responses following stimulation according to Vojta's method. The possible routes of spinal transmission responsible for the phenomenon of muscle activation in upper and lower extremities are considered., Methods: Polyelectromyographic (pEMG) recordings in the upper and lower extremities in healthy volunteers (N = 25; aged 24 ± 1 year) were performed to find out the possible routes of spinal transmission, responsible for muscle activation. The left acromion and right femoral epicondyle were stimulated by a Vojta therapist; pEMG recordings were made including the bilateral deltoid and rectus femoris muscles., Results and Discussion: Following acromion stimulation, muscle activation was mostly expressed in the contralateral rectus femoris, rather than the contralateral deltoid and the ipsilateral rectus femoris muscles. After stimulation of the lower femoral epicondyle, the following order was observed: contra lateral deltoid, ipsilateral deltoid and the contra lateral rectus femoris muscle. One of the candidates responsible for the main crossed neural transmission involved in the Vojta therapy mechanism would be the long propriospinal tract neurons., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cancer disease is usually associated with impaired nutritional status, which is one of the factors contributing to deterioration of the results of surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy., Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether nutritional support with high protein (ONS) in adult oncologic patients in the first step of cancer cachexia-asymptomatic precachexia, has an influence on the toxicity of systemic therapy. However, secondary endpoints were established: to determine whether high protein ONS influences the nutritional status, the quality of life, and the performance status., Materials and Methods: A total of 114 persons aged 40-84 years old with colorectal cancer were examined. Based on the randomization, 47 patients were qualified to the interventional group (ONS group) and 48 to Control group. To evaluate the nutritional status NRS-2002 (Nutritional Risk Screening), SGA (Subjective Global Assessment), SCRINIO (SCReenIng the Nutritional status In Oncology) Working Group classification, VAS (Visual Analog Scale) for appetite was used. FAACT (Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy) questionnaire was used for assessment of the quality of life. The health status of patients was evaluated based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale. Anthropometric measurements were done., Results: Severe complications of chemotherapy, which caused the end of treatment, a slight complication of the gastrointestinal tract such as diarrhea grade 2 according to ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) score regardless of the studied group, were observed. There were no statistical differences in the number and severity of the observed complications, i.e., neutropenia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. During the follow-up the significant changes of SGA, VAS, albumin and prealbumin were observed between groups. In the ONS group an improvement in nutritional status was noticed (increased appetite VAS, p = 0.05; increased points in SGA, p = 0.015, and increased levels of albumin and prealbumin, p = 0.05). In Control group nutritional status was stable during observation. The performance status and quality of life were stable in both groups. No statistical differences between groups (ONS vs. Control) in the numbers for disqualification, resignation, delay in treatment, or dose reduction were observed., Conclusions: Results of the study did not indicate that nutritional support in precachectic oncologic patients influenced the toxicity of systemic therapy. High protein nutritional support improved nutritional status assessed by SGA, VAS for appetite, albumin, and prealbumin. The performance status and quality of life were stable throughout the observation and were not changed under the supplementation., Competing Interests: None of the authors has a conflict of interest.

Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) are among the most common side effects/complications of chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the practice of the use of biosimilar filgrastim in the primary and secondary prevention of FN, and assess its efficacy and safety. A multi-center, non-interventional epidemiological study of 170 cancer patients aged 23-82 years was conducted. Data were collected via a questionnaire completed based on medical documentation and patient examination over five chemotherapy visits. The risk of FN related to the chemotherapy protocol used was in the range of 10-20% in >50% of the patients (53.5%) and a majority (74.7%) had additional FN risk factors. 60% of the patients received filgrastim as primary prevention of FN, and 40% received it as secondary prevention. In 40.6% of cases, six cycles of chemotherapy were used. More than 90% of patients continued chemotherapy according to the initial recommended dose. In majority of patients, no FN was observed following the final cycle of chemotherapy. Median neutrophil count at visit 1 was 2.2×103/µl and did not fall below that level. Majority of patients (>70%) performed self-injections of filgrastim, and 86.3% of patients were continuing therapy with this drug at the last visit. No treatment-related side effects were recorded. The use of biosimilar filgrastim in the primary and secondary prevention of FN allows to maintain initial chemotherapy dosage. Furthermore, the use of biosimilar filgrastim is safe and tolerable, and has a high acceptance by patients.

Aim of the Study: Cancer is usually associated with impaired nutritional status, which is one of the factors contributing to the deterioration of the results of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. The aim of this study was the assessment of the nutritional status of patients with CRC qualified to chemotherapy., Material and Methods: Seventy-five persons aged 40-86 years with colorectal cancer were examined. To evaluate the nutritional status NRS 2002, SGA, SCRINIO Working Group classification, VAS scale for appetite, and FAACT questionnaire were used. The health status of patients was evaluated based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale. Anthropometric measurements were made., Results: The results indicate that 75% of patients present pre-cachexia status based on SCRINIO Working Group classification. According to both NRS-2002 and SGA, 73.3% of patients were moderately malnourished and 2.7% were severely malnourished. 37.0% of patients had moderate appetite and 6.0% ( n = 5) had poor appetite. The Karnofsky score indicates the state of normal activity, and minor signs and symptoms of the disease among most of the patients. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the VAS and the Karnofsky score (R = 0,4; p < 0.05). The FACCT average score (78.5) indicates a reduction in the quality of life of the patients in all aspects of functioning., Conclusions: Evaluation of the baseline nutritional status of patients with CRC should be a part of routine clinical practice. Because of the high incidence of confirmed pre-cachexia, this group of patients also requires early adequate nutrition intervention., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of earthworms (Lumbricidae) on the enzymatic activity and microbial functional diversity in the burrow system [burrow wall (BW) 0-3 mm, transitional zone (TZ) 3-7 mm, bulk soil (BS) > 20 mm from the BW] and cast aggregates of a loess soil under a pear orchard. The dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, protease, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, and acid phosphomonoesterase enzymes were assessed using standard methods. The functional diversity (catabolic potential) was assessed using the Average Well Color Development and Richness Index following the community level physiological profiling from Biolog Eco Plates. All measurements were done using soil from each compartment immediately after in situ sampling in spring. The enzymatic activites including dehydrogenase, protease, β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphomonoesterase were appreciably greater in the BW or casts than in BS and TZ. Conversely, acid phosphomonoesterase had the largest value in the BS. Average Well Color Development in both the TZ and the BS (0.98-0.94 A590 nm) were more than eight times higher than in the BWs and casts. The lowest richness index in the BS (15 utilized substrates) increased by 86-113% in all the other compartments. The PC1 in principal component analysis mainly differentiated the BWs and the TZ. Utilization of all substrate categories was the lowest in the BS. The PC2 differentiated the casts from the other compartments. The enhanced activity of a majority of the enzymes and increased microbial functional diversity in most earthworm-influenced compartments make the soils less vulnerable to degradation and thus increases the stability of ecologically relevant processes in the orchard ecosystem.

Inoculation of legume seeds with Rhizobium affects soil microbial community and processes, especially in the rhizosphere. This study aimed at assessing the effect of Rhizobium inoculation on microbial activity in the faba bean rhizosphere during the growing season in a field experiment on a Haplic Luvisol derived from loess. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) seeds were non-inoculated (NI) or inoculated (I) with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae and sown. The rhizosphere soil was analyzed for the enzymatic activities of dehydrogenases, urease, protease and acid phosphomonoesterase, and functional diversity (catabolic potential) using the Average Well Color Development, Shannon-Weaver, and Richness indices following the community level physiological profiling from Biolog EcoPlate™. The analyses were done on three occasions corresponding to the growth stages of: 5-6 leaf, flowering, and pod formation. The enzymatic activities were higher in I than NI (p < 0.05) throughout the growing season. However, none of the functional diversity indices differed significantly under both treatments, regardless of the growth stage. This work showed that the functional diversity of the microbial communities was a less sensitive tool than enzyme activities in assessment of rhizobial inoculation effects on rhizosphere microbial activity.