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Biochar has been known as means to increase soil carbon (C) storage, and at the same time to ameliorate soil acidity and enhance plant growth. However, how biochar addition affects microbial community composition and metabolic function in subtropical plantation soils and their linkage with soil quality change is still poorly understood. We selected bamboo stick, corn straw and peel of Carya cathayensis as feedstocks to produce three biochars at 350 °C by slow pyrolysis, and added them to an acid bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantation soil. Changes in soil nutrient and C availability, soil acidity, plant biomass, and microbial function in terms of C source utilization and soil enzyme activities were investigated after a three-month greenhouse trial. The results showed that the biochars from corn straw and peel significantly increased plant biomass, soil pH, organic C, total nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic N contents, while decreased exchangeable H+ and exchangeable Al3+ concentrations. The concentration of total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) was increased significantly under biochars from corn straw and peel. The activities of β-D-cellobiosidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase were significantly increased by peel biochar. Soil basal respiration and microbial utilization rate of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and amino acids compounds were significantly increased under the three biochars, suggesting a higher capacity of biochar-treated soil to catabolize C sources. Increased plant biomass was related to the increased N availability and decreased acidity. Our study suggests that biochar–induced changes in soil acidity and soil nutrient availability are key drivers shaping the composition of microbial communities and enhancing their catabolic capacity, but the effects on soil microbial function vary depending on feedstock origins.

A microcosm study was performed to investigate changes in soil enzyme activities and microbial C- and N-use efficiencies (CUE and NUE) with amendment of biochars prepared at three pyrolysis temperatures (350, 500 and 700 °C) in an acid bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) forest soil. The results showed that, compared to the non-amended control, biochars produced at 500 and 700 °C significantly (P

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) was known to be transmitted by small brown planthopper (SBPH) in a persistent, circulative and propagative manner in nature. Here, we show that RBSDV major outer capsid protein (also known as P10) suppresses the protein kinase C (PKC) activity of SBPH through interacting with receptor for activated protein kinase C 1 (LsRACK1). The N terminal of P10 (amino acids (aa) 1–270) and C terminal of LsRACK1 (aa 268–315) were mapped to be crucial for the interaction. Confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation showed that RBSDV P10 fused to eGFP formed vesicular structures associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in Spodoptera frugiperda nine cells. Our results also indicated that RBSDV P10 retargeted the initial subcellular localization of LsRACK1 from cytoplasm and cell membrane to ER and affected the function of LsRACKs to activate PKC. Inhibition of RACK1 by dsRNA-induced gene silencing significantly promoted the replication of RBSDV in SBPH. In addition, PKC pathway participates in the antivirus innate immune response of SBPH. This study highlights that RACK1 negatively regulates the accumulation of RBSDV in SBPH through activating the PKC signalling pathway, and RBSDV P10 changes the subcellular localization of LsRACK1 and affects its function to activate PKC.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.

Biochar amendment constitutes an effective soil remediation strategy for organic contaminants, but how the soil organic carbon (SOC) content affects polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) degradation and adsorption to biochar remains unclear. A 120-day biochar amendment experiment was conducted to investigate the dynamic effects of SOC on PCBs degradation in soil and adsorption to biochar. Biochar in low-SOC (LSOC) soils adsorbed a significantly higher amount of PCBs than did that in high-SOC (HSOC) soils. PCBs degradation was also greatly enhanced in LSOC soils when compared with that in HSOC soils after 30 days of biochar amendment. Degradation of di- and tri-chlorobiphenyls (CBs) were significantly enhanced in the LSOC soils than in the HSOC soils, while the biochar in the LSOC soil tended to adsorb significantly higher amount of tetra- and penta-CBs. Compared to biochar adsorption, microbial degradation contributed significantly to soil PCBs removal. Soil bacterial 16S rDNA abundance increased concomitantly with soil PCBs degradation. Regardless of SOC, soil bacterial communities and PCB congener compositions changed significantly after 30 days of biochar amendment. The abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were negatively correlated with the soil PCBs removal, while Gemmatimonadetes and Proteobacteria were positively correlated. The results of this study revealed that, compared with that to HSOC soils, biochar amendment to LSOC soils may have a greater positive effect on both soil PCB degradation and biochar adsorption. Therefore, the application of bamboo biochar to LSOC soils could be more effective than that to HSOC soils with respect to the remediation of PCBs contamination.

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) can infect a number of gramineous plants and cause severe crop yield losses in southeast Asian countries. The virus is transmitted by small brown planthopper (SBPH) in a persistent circulative manner. The interactions between RBSDV and its different hosts remain unknown. Besides, how the virus adjusts itself to infect different hosts is unclear. In the present study, the relative RNA levels of the thirteen RBSDV genes in rice, maize, wheat, and SBPH were measured by real-time quantitative PCR. P7-1 and P10 genes were predominantly expressed whereas P8 and P7-2 genes were expressed at low levels in plant hosts. Similar to the expression in rice, P7-1 was the most abundantly expressed gene and P8 was expressed at the lowest level in SBPH, indicating that RBSDV adopts the same strategy to infect distinct hosts. The high expression levels of the P7-1 gene in both plants and insect suggest that it can be used as the target gene for disease diagnostics. However, the expression levels of some genes varied from host to host. P5-1, P6 and P9-1, the components of the RBSDV viroplasm, are differentially expressed in different hosts. Moreover, western blot analysis showed that the quantity of the P9-1 protein was more abundant in SBPH than in plant hosts. These data indicate that the virus may adjust its own gene expression to replicate in different hosts. Analysis of time course of gene expression revealed that P7-1 stands out as the only gene highly expressed at the earliest time point and its expression precedes all others throughout infection from 8 to 24 days post-inoculation. The high expression levels of the P7-1 gene suggest that it plays a significant role in RBSDV–host interactions.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play key roles in plant growth, ecosystem sustainability and stability. However, it is still unclear how the soil, root AMF growth and community composition are affected by fertilizer application in subtropical wheat-rice rotation agro-ecosystems. We investigated the impact of different organic and/or inorganic fertilizers on AMF growth and community composition in a long-term experiment field in Zhejiang Province, east China. AMF biomass was determined using 16:1ω5 phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFAs) content. Soil and root AMF community compositions were determined by DGGE analysis, cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. The root colonization rate was not significantly affected by different fertilizer regimes. Manure amendment significantly enhanced both AMF hyphal (i.e., 16:1ω5 PLFA) and spore (i.e., 16:1ω5 NLFA) biomass content, while inorganic fertilizer only increased the AMF spore biomass. A total of 10 and 11 Glomeromycota phylotypes were detected in soil and root samples, respectively. Glomus was the dominant genus in both soil and root samples, while Acaulospora genus occurred in roots only. Although the different fertilizers altered soil AMF communities, the root AMF community structure was not significantly altered. Soil pH (. F=. 5.695, P

RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved mechanism against viruses in plants and animals. It is thought to inactivate the viral genome by producing virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is transmitted to plants by the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus), and seriously threatens production of rice in East Asia, particularly Oryza sativa japonica subspecies. Through deep sequencing, genome-wide comparisons of RBSDV-derived vsiRNAs were made between the japonica variety Nipponbare, and the indica variety 9311. Four small RNA libraries were constructed from the leaves and shoots of each variety. We found 659,756 unique vsiRNAs in the four samples, and only 43,485 reads were commonly shared. The size distributions of vsiRNAs were mostly 21- and 22-nt long, and A/U bias (66-68%) existed at the first nucleotide of vsiRNAs. Additionally, vsiRNAs were continuously but heterogeneously distributed along S1-S10 segments of the RBSDV genome. Distribution profiles of vsiRNA hotspots were similar in different hosts and tissues, and the 5'- and 3'-terminal regions of S4, S5, and S8 had more hotspots. Distribution and abundance of RBSDV vsiRNAs could be useful in designing efficient targets for exploiting RNA interference for virus resistance. Degradome analysis found 25 and 11 host genes appeared to be targeted by vsiRNAs in 9311 and Nipponbare. We report for the first time vsiRNAs derived from RBSDV-infected rice.

Background The small brown planthopper (SBPH) is an important pest of cereal crops and acts as a transmission vector for multiple RNA viruses. Rapid diagnosis of virus in the vector is crucial for efficient forecast and control of viral disease. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a rapid, sensitive and reliable method for virus detection. The traditional RT-PCR contains a RNA isolation step and is widely used for virus detection in insect. However, using the traditional RT-PCR for detecting RNA virus in individual SBPHs becomes challenging because of the expensive reagents and laborious procedure associated with RNA isolation when processing a large number of samples. Results We established a simplified RT-PCR method without RNA isolation for RNA virus detection in a single SBPH. This method is achieved by grinding a single SBPH in sterile water and using the crude extract directly as the template for RT-PCR. The crude extract containing the virus RNA can be prepared in approximately two minutes. Rice stripe virus (RSV), rice black streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and Himetobi P virus (HiPV) were successfully detected using this simplified method. The detection results were validated by sequencing and dot immunobinding assay, indicating that this simplified method is reliable for detecting different viruses in insects. The evaluation of the sensitivity of this method showed that both RSV and HiPV can be detected when the cDNA from the crude extract was diluted up to 103 fold. Compared to the traditional RT-PCR with RNA isolation, the simplified RT-PCR method greatly reduces the sample processing time, decreases the detection cost, and improves the efficiency by avoiding RNA isolation. Conclusions A simplified RT-PCR method is developed for rapid detection of RNA virus in a single SBPH without the laborious RNA isolation step. It offers a convenient alternative to the traditional RT-PCR method. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-017-0732-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sequencing results of the detected viruses. (DOCX 14 kb)

The effect of plant invasion on soil microbial communities in various ecosystems has increasingly become the focus of research over the last decade. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) invasion of native forests in Tianmushan National Nature Reserve located in southeastern China has resulted in greatly decreased biodiversity of plants and birds. We combined three different microbial community techniques (Biolog, cellular fatty acids, and 16S-PCR–DGGE) to examine whether changes in the overstory of plant taxa, or any associated environmental changes, modified soil microbial communities. Three types of forests were examined: mono-bamboo forest, mixed forest of bamboo and broadleaf, and native broadleaf forest. The fatty acid and DGGE results showed that bamboo invasion of the native forest influenced soil community structure and increased microbial biomass and taxonomic diversity despite decreased plant diversity. The Biolog results indicated no change in microbial functional diversity as a result of bamboo invasion. Evidence from bacterial PCR–DGGE suggested that bamboo stimulated the growth of otherwise undetected soil bacterial species. Overall, the results indicate that bamboo invasion may significantly affect associated soil microbial communities.

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important elements that can limit plant growth in forest ecosystems. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are considered as the key drivers of global N biogeochemical cycling. Soil ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities associated with subtropical vegetation remain poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to determine how AOA and AOB abundance and community structure shift in response to four typical forest vegetations in subtropical region. Broad-leaved forest (BF), Chinese fir forest (CF), Pinus massoniana forest (PF), and moso bamboo forest (MB) were widely distributed in the subtropical area of southern China and represented typical vegetation types. Four types of forest stands of more than 30 years grew adjacent to each other on the same soil type, slope, and elevation, were chosen for this experiment. The abundance and community structure of AOA and AOB were characterized by using real-time PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The impact of soil properties on communities of AOA and AOB was tested by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The results indicated that AOB dominated in numbers over AOA in both BF and MB soils, while the AOA/AOB ratio shifted with different forest stands. The highest archaeal and bacterial amoA gene copy numbers were detected in CF and BF soils, respectively. The AOA abundance showed a negative correlation with soil pH and organic C but a positive correlation with NO3 −−N concentration. The structures of AOA communities changed with vegetation types, but vegetation types alone would not suffice for shaping AOB community structure among four forest soils. CCA results revealed that NO3 −−N concentration and soil pH were the most important environmental gradients on the distribution of AOA community except vegetation type, while NO3 −−N concentration, soil pH, and organic C significantly affected the distribution of the AOB communities. These results revealed the differences in the abundance and structure of AOA and AOB community associated with different tree species, and AOA was more sensitive to vegetation and soil chemical properties than AOB. N bioavailability could be directly linked to AOA and AOB community, and these results are useful for management activities, including forest tree species selection in areas managed to minimize N export to aquatic systems.

The results of a three-year field experiment showed that boron application significantly increased spring shoot length, spring shoot incidence, leaf area, and uptake of N, P, and K in red bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zuca). Soil application of boron gave a significantly higher fruit yield than foliar application of boron in 2009 and 2008. On average, over three years the increases in uptake amounts of N, P, and K as well as fruit yield were in the following order: soil application of boron every year > foliar B application every year > soil B application only in the first year > foliar B application only in the first year.

Shoot dieback characterized by leaflet, rosette shoots, and dieback of shoot tips is one of the most important problems in red bayberry production in south China. However, the causes of shoot dieback have not been determined. The results of leaf analysis and correction experiment showed that leaf boron (B) concentrations were highly correlated with leaf area (P < 0.01), spring shoot length (P < 0.01), and spring shoot numbers sprouting from one old shoot (P < 0.05). Foliar application of B at 2.0 g L–1 of borax was more effective on correcting shoot dieback than foliar application of Zn at 2.0 g L–1 of zinc sulfate and of molybdenum (Mo) at 2.0 g L–1 of ammonium molybdate. Boron application increased fruit yields by 1.23–2.15 times compared with the control. Shoot dieback resulted mainly from B deficiency in the red bayberry trees.

Although heavy winter mulch and high rate fertilizer application are commonly practiced in intensively managed bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations, little is known about the effects of these practices on soil microbial activities. Therefore a field study was conducted to investigate the long term intensive management on the development and composition of soil fungal communities. Fungal biomass (fungal phospholipid fatty acid marker), fungal DNA (18S rDNA real-time qPCR) and fungal community composition (culture-independent methods: DGGE, cloning and sequencing) were determined across a bamboo plantation that included seven stand age-classes (1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20 years old). Although soil microbial PLFA biomass and fungal DNA abundance were unaffected during the first two years of intensive management, all increased significantly after three years of intensive management. The total microbial PLFA and bacterial PLFA increase linearly (P

The reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) has been widely used to determine gene functions in Laodelphax striatellus (Fall&eacute, n) (small brown planthopper). Selection of suitable reference gene(s) for normalizations of RT-qPCR data is critical for reliable results. To date, reports on identification of suitable L. striatellus reference genes are still very limited. L. striatellus is a destructive rice pest and it can transmit multiple viruses, including Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), Rice stripe virus (RSV), and Maize rough dwarf virus (MRDV), to many important cereal crops worldwide. In this study, we examined the stablity of seven selected candidate reference genes in L. striatellus at different developmental stages, in different tissues, in RBSDV- or RSV-infected L. striatellus or in RBSDV-infected and Lssynaptojanin 1 (LsSYNJ1)-silenced L. striatellus. The RT-qPCR data representing individual candidate genes were analyzed using five different methods: the delta Ct method, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and the RefFinder algorithm, respectively. The most stable reference gene for the specific condition was selected according to a comprehensive analysis using the RefFinder method. Ribosomal protein L5 (LsRPL5) and LsRPL8 are the most stably expressed genes in L. striatellus at different developmental stages. Alpha-1-tubulin (Ls&alpha, TUB) is the most stably expressed reference gene in different tissues of RBSDV viruliferous (RBSDV-V) or non-viruliferous (RBSDV-NV) L. striatellus. LsRPL8 is the most stably expressed reference gene in RBSDV-V or RSV viruliferous (RSV-V) L. striatellus, while beta-tubulin (Ls&beta, TUB) is the most stably expressed reference gene in RBSDV-V and LsSYNJ1-silenced L. striatellus. The selected reference genes were further investigated during analyses of RBSDV P5-1 and P10 gene expression in different tissues from RBSDV-V or RBSDV-NV L. striatellus. The stably expressed reference genes identified in this study will benefit future gene function studies using L. striatellus.

Intensive forest management practices, such as fertilization, understory removal and deep tilling, play an important role in improving plant growth in forests through altering nutrient availability and soil structure. However, how such management affects soil microbial community diversity and functions related to nutrient cycling remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the responses of soil bacterial community composition and enzyme activities involved in C, N and P cycling to long-term intensive management, and identified the critical determinants that regulated them across a chronosequence of Moso bamboo forests (0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of intensive management) in subtropical China. Our results demonstrated that intensive management decreased soil pH and aggregation and increased mineral nutrient contents. Illumina MiSeq sequencing showed that significant (P

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) was known to be transmitted by the small brown planthopper (SBPH) in a persistent, circulative and propagative manner in nature. Here, we show that RBSDV major outer capsid protein (also known as P10) suppresses the protein kinase C (PKC) activity of SBPH through interacting with the receptor for activated protein kinase C 1 (LsRACK1). The N terminal of P10 (amino acids (aa) 1–270) and C terminal of LsRACK1 (aa 268–315) were mapped as crucial for the interaction. Confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation showed that RBSDV P10 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein formed vesicular structures associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in Spodoptera frugiperda nine cells. Our results also indicated that RBSDV P10 retargeted the initial subcellular localization of LsRACK1 from cytoplasm and cell membrane to ER and affected the function of LsRACKs to activate PKC. Inhibition of RACK1 by double stranded RNA-induced gene silencing significantly promoted the replication of RBSDV in SBPH. In addition, the PKC pathway participates in the antivirus innate immune response of SBPH. This study highlights that RACK1 negatively regulates the accumulation of RBSDV in SBPH through activating the PKC signalling pathway, and RBSDV P10 changes the subcellular localization of LsRACK1 and affects its function to activate PKC. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.

As a part of the Long-term Urban Ecosystem Observation and Research Station in Xiamen (Xiamen LUEORS) with the Environmental Internet of Things (EIoT) as its technical support, southeast China by the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, long-term monitoring was established in an urbanizing watershed to understand the effects of urbanization on stream water quality. Six monitoring sites were established within forested headwater (Headwater), reservoir (Reservoir), agricultural (Agriculture, two locations), suburban residential (Residence), and estuarine (Estuary) locations within the Bantou reservoir watershed. Results from data collected in the whole year of 2012 show that in-stream total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) concentrations were significantly higher in the agricultural and residential sites and in the cool season. Although dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in stream water was dominated by -N rather than -N except in the headwater and estuary sites, -N concentrations were relat...

Alternate bearing, resulting mainly from boron (B) deficiency, and excessive fruits in the alternate years of red bayberry trees are the most important limiting factors for production. This investigation was conducted on 18-year-old Muye red bayberry trees (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zuca) in a commercial red bayberry orchard located in Laxi County, Zhejiang Province in 2006–2007.The results indicated that foliar application of paclobutrazol (PB) significantly increased the vegetative growth parameters (i.e., spring shoot incident and spring shoot length). Spring shoot incidents and spring shoot lengths of red bayberry were increased with increasing PB concentrations, but the optimum fruit yield and quality were obtained from foliar-applied PB at 100–200 mg L−1 at full bloom. Foliar application of PB increased the contents of N and K in the leaves with increases of PB concentrations up to 300–600 mg L−1. Fruit quality of red bayberry trees treated with PB or and boron fertilizer (BF) was improved at full bloom...

Selection and development of tree species with high fixing CO2 capacity is an increasing problem worldwide. A comparative study on carbon fixation ability of three forest stands was conducted at Linlong Mountain, Li’nan County, Zhejiang Province, China. The results showed that total carbon storage in the ecosystems of Moso bamboo, Chinese fir, and Masson pine stands were 104.83, 95.66, and 96.49 t C/ha, respectively. The spatial distribution of carbon storage in the three ecosystems decreased in the order: soil > tree story > the vegetation under the forests. Carbon storage in the soils under Moso bamboo, Chinese fir, and Masson pine stands accounted for 65.3, 61.4, and 55.6% of the total CSs, respectively. The Moso bamboo forest ecosystem fixed 1.69 and 1.63 times as much C (9.64 t C/ha/year) as the Chinese fir and Masson pine forest ecosystems, respectively.

Bamboo is widespread in the subtropics and tropics of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The total area of bamboo forests of various species is 22.0 × 106 ha, accounting for about 1.0% of the total global area of forest. Although the total forest areas in many countries have decreased drastically, bamboo forests have increased at a rate of 3% annually. China has the richest resources of bamboo in the world, with over 500 species in 39 genera. Carbon storage of vegetation, soils, and litter in bamboo forest system in China was 0.2511 × 1015, 0.8516 × 1015, and 0.0361 × 1015 g C, respectively, giving a total of 1.1388 × 1015 g C. This paper reviews carbon storage of vegetation, soils, and litter in bamboo forest system and compares the carbon fixation abilities of bamboo forest ecosystems with those of other tree species in subtropical China.

High rate of fertilization and heavy winter mulch have been a common practice to gain a good yield in Phyllostachys praecox stands, but the long-term impact of this intensive management on soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is largely unknown. Population size of soil AOB was quantified by real-time PCR in Phyllostachys praecox stands with different intensive management history. AOB population sizes and nitrification activities in intensive managed bamboo stands were significantly higher than that of the control. However, both soil AOB abundance and activity significantly decreased after long-term intensive management, and they correlated positively with soil mineral N and available potassium but negatively with soil pH. The results indicated that, although AOB activity and growth responded strongly to high rate of mineral fertilization during the first few years of intensive management, soil pH should be a dominant factor regulating the communities on a long-term basis.

Purpose The bamboo species Phyllostachys praecox has been planted in large areas of southern China for the production of edible bamboo shoots. In recent years, high rates of fertilizer application and heavy winter mulch have been employed to achieve an earlier harvest of the shoots and a better economic return. Little is known about the potential impact of these intensive management practices on the receiving environment. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to quantify the effect of winter mulch on soil CO2 efflux, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Large areas of red soil in southern China are degraded due to improper management in land use change from forest to agricultural crops in 1970s, which has resulted in serious soil erosion. Since 1980s, artificial revegetation has been practiced to restore the productivity and maintain ecological functionality of red soils. Whereas numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of revegetation on soil physical and chemical properties, little information is available on soil microbial responses. The objective of this work was thus to investigate the influence of plant species and growing period on soil biochemical and biological properties. In March 2005, the field trial was set up using two historical revegetation experiments with different plant species established in 1985 (20-year) and in 1993 (12-year). The trial had six vegetation treatments with three replications. The plant species on the trial site included crenate gugertree, Chinese fir, grapefruit, and annual ryegrass. Soil samples (0–0.2 m) were taken from the trial site and analyzed for the soil total organic C (TOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), water-soluble organic C (WSOC), and mineralizable C (MC). The specific ability of soil microbiota to consume a range of C substrates was measured using Biolog ECO microplate. Soil TOC, MBC, MBN, WSOC, and MC were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) enhanced by artificial revegetation treatments. All soil parameters analyzed were improved with the revegetation time when comparing 20-year Chinese fir with 12-year Chinese fir. Soil parameters in 20-year crenate gugertree stand were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) greater than the 20-year Chinese fir. Concentrations of most C forms and MBN in soils of the 12-year ryegrass treatment were generally higher than those of the 12-year Chinese fir and grapefruit treatments. The activities of microbial communities as average well color development measured with Biolog ECO microtiter plate were in the order of 20-year crenate gugertree and 20-year Chinese fir > 12-year Chinese fir and 12-year ryegrass > 12-year grapefruit and the control. The patterns of C utilization obtained from principal component analysis showed that microbial communities from plots with various revegetation duration (20-year site vs 12-year site) separated along the first component (PC1) and with different species along the second component (PC2). Soil biochemical and biological properties were closely related to the types and amount of C source, which were influenced by plant species and revegetation time. Artificial revegetation can effectively enhance the productivity of degraded red soil caused by erosion in subtropical areas of China. The revegetation time was positively related to improvement of soil biological and biochemical properties. Plant species selection can also significantly influence the outcome of artificial revegetation. Among the species used in our study, crenate gugertree and ryegrass can enhance soil biological properties better than the other species.

Background, aim, and scope Bamboo (Phyllostachy pubescens Mazel ex Lehaie), a unique fast-growing tree species, is an important forest resource in southern China. Because of its high economic value and short rotation period, intensive management practices such as fertilization, weeding, and deep tilling are extensively utilized. These practices significantly increase the production of mature timber and young shoots. In this paper, bamboo stands under intensive management with short-term (STIP) and long-term (LTIP) practices were compared with those managed conventionally (CON) to study the effects of intensive management practices on soil biological properties.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a causative agent of viral myocarditis, pancreatitis and meningitis in humans. Although the susceptibility of CVB3-induced acute pancreatitis is age-dependent, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we identified the host factor Golgi matrix protein 130 (GM130) as a novel target of CVB3 during CVB3-induced acute pancreatitis. The viral protein VP1 interacted with GM130, disrupted GM130-GRASP65 complexes and caused GM130 degradation, which may lead to disruption of the Golgi ribbon and development of acute pancreatitis in mice. Interestingly, the expression level of GM130 in mouse pancreas was age-dependent, which was nicely correlated with the age-associated susceptibility of CVB3-induced acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, interference RNA-mediated knockdown of GM130 significantly reduced CVB3 replication in HeLa cells. Taken together, the study identified GM130 as a novel target of CVB3, which may implicate in the pathogenesis of CVB3-induced acute pancreatitis.

Bamboo plants have been proven to be rich in phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) and play an important role in reducing atmospheric concentrations of CO2. The object of this paper was to obtain more accurate methods for estimation of PhytOC stock in monopodial bamboo because previous studies may have underestimated it. Eight monopodial bamboo species, widely distributed across China, were selected and sampled for this study in their own typical distribution areas. There were differences (P branch > culm. The average PhytOC stored in aboveground biomass and PhytOC production flux contributed by aboveground biomass varied substantially and they were 3.28 and 1.57 times corresponding dates in leaves, with the highest in Phyllostachys glauca McClure and lowest in Indocalamus tessellatus (Munro) Keng f. It can be concluded that it could be more accurate to estimate PhytOC stock or PhytOC production flux by basing on whole aboveground biomass rather than on leaf or leaf litter only. The whole biomass should be collected for more estimation of bamboo PhytOC sequestration capacity in the future.

Soil microorganisms drive nutrients cycling to a great extent, and they play an essential role in maintaining a stable soil ecosystem and ensuring sustainable forestry development. Land management has been proven to be a real factor in influencing soil quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different land management techniques on soil microbial communities. There were four types of land management systems selected for this study: natural masson pine, Phyllostachy pubescens, Phyllostachys praecox, and vegetable. Soils were sampled from these four systems and assayed for soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), community level substrate utilization pattern, functional diversity, and principle component analysis. Values of MBC were significantly different (P Phyllostachy pubescens>Phyllostachys Praecox>vegetable. Analysis of community level substrate utilization pattern indicated that carbon source utilization and total act...

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the influence of three types of decomposing fresh organic materials [pig manure (PM), Astagalus sinicus (AS), and Alternanthera philoxeroides (AP)] on dissolution of Fe2O3 and ZnO and also the use of a loamy calcareous soil as an alternative source of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). Levels of Fe and Zn concentrations in composting solutions changed with composting time. The maximum levels of solution Fe resulting from the decomposition of the three organic materials were 20, 612, and 348 mg L−1 for PM, AS, and AP, respectively, when the soil was supplied as the Fe source, and 17, 32, and 16 mg L−1 when Fe2O3 was supplied as the Fe source. Corresponding maximum levels of solution Zn were 0.9, 0.7, and 1.3 mg L−1 and 35, 171, and 103 mg L−1 when the soil and ZnO was supplied as the Zn source respectively for the same three organic materials.

In order to understand the behavior of water soluble organic matter (WSOM) in soil under different types of forest, soil samples from twenty sites were sampled and analyzed for each forest in the area of Huzhou, China. Each sample was extracted with both cool water (25°C) and hot water (100°C). Without exception, hot water soluble organic carbon (HWSOC) was more than cool water soluble organic carbon (CWSOC). Chinese fir forest soil contained 1.49 times more CWSOC and 1.34 times more HWSOC than did the masson pine forest soil. The CWSOC and HWSOC in soil under Chinese fir forest account for 1.11% and 1.60% of total soil organic carbon (TSOC), and 0.70% and 1.19% under masson pine forest soil, respectively. CWSOC under Chinese fir forest was closely related to SOM and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (correlation coefficients were 0.474* and 0.482* respectively), HWSOC, however, has little to do with SOM, MBC and soil enzymatic activities. HWSOC under masson pine forest was generally associated with SOM, MBC...

Phyllostachy praecox is a major bamboo species which produces a small-type of bamboo shoot, one of the most delicious forest vegetables in China. Emergence of bamboo shoots of Phyllostachy praecox usually begins in late January to early February but most shooting does not occur until March. Mulching in winter is commonly adopted to achieve earlier emergence of the bamboo shoots. However, with mulching the plantation of bamboo trees appears to develop early senescence. This could be a result from “disordered” changes of soil chemical and/or biochemical properties. A field experiment was conducted to understand the mechanism. Three commonly used mulching materials, rice straw (RS), mixture of rice straw and rice grain hulls (RH) and leaves of bamboo trees (BL) were applied in December. A control plot without covering (CK), was also established. Dynamic changes of soil chemical properties and soil enzymatic activities were monitored through winter to spring by collecting soil samples at 25 day intervals. The...

A high-throughput, specific, and rapid liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was established and validated for the simultaneous determination of atorvastatin and its two major metabolites, ortho-hydroxyatorvastatin and para-hydroxyatorvastatin, in human plasma. A simple salting-out-assisted liquid-liquid extraction using acetonitrile and a mass-spectrometry-friendly salt, ammonium acetate, was employed to extract the analytes from human plasma. A recovery of more than 81% for all analytes was achieved in 1 min extraction time. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Kinetex XB C18 column utilizing a gradient elution starting with a 60% of water solution (1% formic acid), followed by increasing percentages of acetonitrile. Analytes were detected on a tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source that was operated in the positive mode, using the transitions of m/z 559.3 → m/z 440.2 for atorvastatin, and m/z 575.3 → m/z 440.2 for both ortho- and para-hydroxyatorvastatin. Deuterium-labeled compounds were used as the internal standards. The method was validated over the concentration ranges of 0.0200-15.0 ng/mL for atorvastatin and ortho-hydroxyatorvastatin, and 0.0100-2.00 ng/mL for para-hydroxyatorvastatin with acceptable accuracy and precision. It was then successfully applied in a bioequivalence study of atorvastatin.

Land use/cover change is a dominant factor affecting surface water quality in rapidly developing areas of Asia. In this study we examined relationships between land use and instream metal loadings in a rapidly developing mixed land use watershed in southeastern China. Five developing subwatersheds and one forested reference site (head water) were instrumented with timing- and rainfall-triggered autosampler and instream loadings of anthropogenic metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, and Mn) were monitored from March 2012 to December 2013. Farm land and urban land were positively, and forest and green land were negatively associated with metal loadings (except Cr) in stream water. All developing sites had higher loadings than the reference head water site. Assessed by Chinese surface water quality standard (GB3830-2002), instream loadings of Cu and Zn occasionally exceeded the Class I thresholds at monitoring points within farmland dominated subwatersheds while Mn loadings were greater than the limit for drinking water sources at all monitoring points. Farm land use highly and positively contributed to statistical models of instream loadings of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Mn while urban land use was the dominant contributor to models of Pb and Cd loadings. Rainfall played a crucial role in metal loadings in stream water as a direct source (there were significant levels of Cu and Zn in rain water) and as a driver of watershed processes (loadings were higher in wet years and seasons). Urbanization effects on metal loadings in this watershed are likely to change rapidly with development in future years. Further monitoring to characterize these changes is clearly warranted and should help to develop plans to avoid conflicts between economic development and water quality degradation in this watershed and in watersheds throughout rapidly developing areas of Asia.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) could be produced during the plant-virus compatible interaction. However, the cell responses regulated by the enhanced H2O2 in virus infected plant are largely unknown. To make clear the influence of Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) infection on H2O2 accumulation, we measured the content of H2O2 and found the H2O2 level was increased in rice seedlings inoculated with RBSDV. To reveal the responses initiated by the enhanced H2O2 during plant-virus interaction, the present study investigated the global proteome changes of rice under long-term RBSDV infection. Approximately 1800 protein spots were detected on two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels. Among them, 72 spots were found differently expressed, of which 69 spots were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. Furthermore, the differentially expressed proteins induced by RBSDV infection were compared to that induced by H2O2. 19 proteins corresponding to 37 spots, which were differentially expressed under RBSDV infection, were observed differentially expressed under H2O2 stress as well. These overlapping responsive proteins are mainly related to photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, metabolism, energy pathway, and cell wall modification. The increased H2O2 in RBSDV infected plant may produce an oxidative stress, impair photosynthesis, disturb the metabolism, and eventually result in abnormal growth. The data provide a new understanding of the pivotal role of H2O2 in rice-RBSDV compatible interaction.

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), a member of the genus Fijivirus in the family Reoviridae, is propagatively transmitted by the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus Fallen). RBSDV causes rice black-streaked dwarf and maize rough dwarf diseases, which lead to severe yield losses in crops in China. Although several RBSDV proteins have been studied in detail, the functions of the nonstructural protein P7-1 are still largely unknown. To investigate the role of the P7-1 protein in virus pathogenicity, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants were generated in which the P7-1 gene was expressed under the control of the 35S promoter. The RBSDV P7-1-transgenic Arabidopsis plants (named P7-1-OE) were male sterility. Flowers and pollen from P7-1-transgenic plants were of normal size and shape, and anthers developed to the normal size but failed to dehisce. The non-dehiscent anthers observed in P7-1-OE were attributed to decreased lignin content in the anthers. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species levels were quite low in the transgenic plants compared with the wild type. These results indicate that ectopic expression of the RBSDV P7-1 protein in A. thaliana causes male sterility, possibly through the disruption of the lignin biosynthesis and H2O2-dependent polymerization pathways.

In this paper, fertilization experiment was conducted on Phyllostachys praecox stand to study the effects of different heavy application of chemical fertilizers and manure on soil active organic carbon pool. The results showed that compared with only applying chemical fertilizers, the combined application of chemical fertilizers and manure significantly increased the contents of soil total organic carbon (TOC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineralized carbon (MC) as well as the ratios of WSOC/TOC, MGC/TOC and MC/TOC (P0.01 or P0.05). With the decreasing application rate of manure, soil TOC, WSOC, MBC and MBC/TOC decreased significantly (P0.05), and when the application rate of manure was decreased by 50%, soil TOC, WSOC, MBC and MBC/TOC decreased by 10.75%, 12.02%, 30.94% and 22.61%, respectively. In the treatments of only applying chemical fertilizers, soil WSOC, MBC and MBC/TOC decreased obviously when the application rate of fertilizer nitrogen exceeded 1009.5 kg x hm(-2) x yr(-1). There were significant correlations between soil TOC, WSOC, MBC and MC (P0.01 or P0.05), among which, MBC and MBC/TOC could be used as the quality indications of soil carbon pool under Phyllostachys praecox stand.