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Abstract Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common cerebral vascular disease with high incidence, disability, and mortality. Ferroptosis is a regulated type of iron-dependent, non-apoptotic programmed cell death. There is increasing evidence that ferroptosis may lead to neuronal damage mediated by hemorrhagic stroke mediated neuronal damage. Salvianolic acid A (SAA) is a natural bioactive polyphenol compound extracted from salvia miltiorrhiza, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifibrosis activities. SAA is reported to be an iron chelator that inhibits lipid peroxidation and provides neuroprotective effects. However, whether SAA improves neuronal ferroptosis mediated by hemorrhagic stroke remains unclear. The study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effect of SAA on Ferroptosis mediated by Intracerebral hemorrhage and explore its potential mechanisms. We constructed in vivo and in vitro models of intracerebral hemorrhage in rats. Multiple methods were used to analyze the inhibitory effect of SAA on ferroptosis in both in vivo and in vitro models of intracerebral hemorrhage in rats. Then, network pharmacology is used to identify potential targets and mechanisms for SAA treatment of ICH. The SAA target ICH network combines SAA and ICH targets with protein–protein interactions (PPIs). Find the specific mechanism of SAA acting on ferroptosis through molecular docking and functional enrichment analysis. In rats, SAA (10 mg/kg in vivo and 50 μM in vitro, p

Triassic intermediate-mafic igneous rocks are sporadically exposed in the East Kunlun Orogen Belt (EKOB), and their petrogenesis and geological implications for the Paleo-Tethyan orogeny are not well constrained. Geochronologic and geochemical data for the gabbro, gabbroic diorite and quartz diorite in Qingshuihe pluton are presented here to constrain their ages, petrogenesis and geodynamic settings. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the gabbro, gabbroic diorite and quartz diorite were formed at 239.8 ± 2.1 Ma, 238.4 ± 1.1 Ma and 235.7 ± 1.1 Ma, respectively. The studied samples span a wide range in geochemical compositions with SiO2 content of 47.55–63.93 wt%, exhibiting low-K tholeiitic to high-K calc-alkaline affinities. All samples have trace element compositions resembling typical arc magmas, however, from gabbro, gabbroic diorite to quartz diorite, the fractionation degree of rare earth elements gradually increases ((La/Yb) N = 2.08–2.52, 2.20–9.23 and 7.15–17.95, respectively), and the enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, Th and K) and the depletion in high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti) are also more obvious. These geochemical features, combined with their enriched Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.709694–0.71445, εNd(t) = -7.9 – -4.7, εHf(t) = -3.65–3.79, respectively), unanimously indicate their parental magma was derived by partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle, followed by cumulation of tabular plagioclase and prismatic amphibole generating the appinitic gabbro, and subsequent certain degree of magma mixing and fractional crystallization forming the evolved gabbroic diorite and quartz diorite. This study therefore not only demonstrates that mantle-derived arc magma underplating followed by crust-mantle mixing and fractional crystallization is an important mechanism of continental crust growth, but also confirms that the East Kunlun Paleo-Tethyan oceanic subduction lasted at least until 235 Ma.

This study investigated the efficacy of three spray adjuvants (Coerce, Wetcit, and Silwet408) in enhancing dinotefuran permeation in rice leaves. Different concentrations of these adjuvants were tested using an external standard method. The rice leaf surface was analyzed by using the van Oss–Chaudhury–Good method to establish a link between surface free energy (SFE) and dinotefuran permeation. All of the adjuvants effectively increased dinotefuran permeation in rice leaves, with the highest permeation of 8.496 mg/kg achieved using Wetcit at 1000 mg/L. The SFE of the rice leaf surface was determined to be 29.28 mJ/m2. A notable correlation was observed between the energy difference (the SFE of the pesticide liquid versus the SFE of the rice leaf surface) and permeation. Various fitting methods, including linear, exponential, logarithmic, polynomial, and power methods, were applied. Polynomial fitting demonstrated the highest coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.9000). The relationship between the permeation (y) and energy difference (Δγ) conformed to the polynomial equation y = aΔγ2 + bΔγ + c, where a, b, and c are constants. This model provides a predictive tool for the optimal dosage of spray adjuvants according to target plant characteristics, enhancing the understanding of the interaction between pests and pesticides.

Meloidogyne spp. are important parasitic nematodes affecting a variety of plants worldwide. We investigated the nematicidal properties of specific compounds found in bio-fumigant plants, particularly linalool, nonanal, methylene chloride, and 2-Decanal. Laboratory findings revealed that methylene chloride and 2-Decenal effectively reduced populations of second-stage juveniles (J2s). Additionally, the research explored the effects of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) on M. incognita J2s, observing that tomato leaves significantly increased J2 mortality for all time measurements and different temperatures, while the opposite results were observed for root-stems. In the study, leaf treatment resulted in a maximum mortality response (MRmax) and half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of approximately 100% and 4.0 µg/mg, respectively, at a temperature of 35 °C by week 8. In contrast, the root-stems treatment showed an MRmax of 13.5% and an EC50 of 3.0 ± 1.7 µg/mg. GC-MS analysis identified key compounds in tomato leaves and root-stems, such as α-pinene, d-limonene, and linalool. The results suggest that tomato leaves have potential as effective bio-fumigants for controlling root-knot nematodes.

Abstract Background Danon disease is characterized by the failure of lysosomal biogenesis, maturation, and function due to a deficiency of lysosomal membrane structural protein (LAMP2). Methods The current report describes a female patient with a sudden syncope and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype. We identified the pathogenic mutations in patients by whole‐exon sequencing, followed by a series of molecular biology and genetic approaches to identify and functional analysis of the mutations. Results Suggestive findings by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), electrocardiogram (ECG), and laboratory examination suggested Danon disease which was confirmed by genetic testing. The patient carried a novel de novo mutation, LAMP2 c.2T>C located at the initiation codon. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot (WB) analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes from the patients revealed evidence of LAMP2 haploinsufficiency. Labeling of the new initiation codon predicted by the software with green fluorescent protein followed by fluorescence microscopy and Western blotting showed that the first ATG downstream from the original initiation codon became the new translational initiation codon. The three‐dimensional structure of the mutated protein predicted by alphafold2 revealed that it consisted of only six amino acids and failed to form a functional polypeptide or protein. Overexpression of the mutated LAMP2 c.2T>C showed a loss of function of the protein, as assessed by the dual‐fluorescence autophagy indicator system. The mutation was confirmed to be null, AR experiments and sequencing results confirmed that 28% of the mutant X chromosome remained active. Conclusion We propose possible mechanisms of mutations associated with haploinsufficiency of LAMP2: (1) The inactivation X chromosome carrying the mutation was not significantly skewed. However, it decreased in the mRNA level and the expression ratio of the mutant transcripts; (2) The identified mutation is null, and the active mutant transcript fails to translate into the normal LAMP2 proteins. The presence of haploinsufficiency in LAMP2 and the X chromosome inactivation pattern were crucial factors contributing to the early onset of Danon disease in this female patient.

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is a relatively new soil fumigant used in agro-industrial crop production to control soil-borne pests that damage crops and reduce yield. The emissions of DMDS after fumigation reduce soil concentrations thus reducing the risk of phytotoxicity to newly planted crops. However, the factors affecting the desorption of DMDS from soil are unclear. In our study, the desorption characteristics of DMDS from soil were measured in response to continuous ventilation. The degradation of DMDS in soil was examined by thermal incubation. The phytotoxic response of newly-planted cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings to DMDS residues was measured by a sand culture experiment. The results showed DMDS desorption and degradation rates fit a first-order model; that 92% of the DMDS desorption occurred in the first hour after fumigant application; and that residue concentrations in the soil at the end of the ventilation period were unlikely to be phytotoxic to newly-planted cucumber seedlings. By the third day of ventilation, the average desorption rate (ADR) of DMDS in Wenshan soil was 4.0 and 3.6 times, respectively, faster than that in Shunyi and Suihua soils and the ADR of DMDS in soil decreased by 40.0% when the soil moisture content increased from 3% to 12% (wt/wt). Moreover, within one hour of ventilation, the ADR of DMDS in soil decreased by 20.1% when the soil bulk density increased from 1.1 to 1.3 g cm-3. The degradation of DMDS in soil, however, was mostly influenced by soil type and moisture content. A slow degradation rate resulted in a high initial desorption concentration of DMDS in soil. Our results indicated that DMDS desorption from soil in response to continuous ventilation was affected by the soil type, moisture content and bulk density. Rapid degradation of DMDS in soil will lower the risk of phytotoxic residues remaining in the soil and reduce emissions during the waiting period. Acceleration of emissions early in the waiting period by managing soil moisture content or increasing soil porosity may shorten the duration of emissions. Alternatively, soil extraction technology could be developed to recover and reduce fumigant emissions.

IntroductionPanax notoginseng is a precious Chinese medicinal material. Soil fumigation can control soil-borne disease and overcome the continuous cropping obstacles of P. notoginseng. However, chloropicrin (CP) fumigation can kill non-target soil microorganisms and reduce microbial diversity, but the long-time impacts of CP fumigation on soil microbial are less reported.MethodsWe studied the long-term effects of CP fumigation on soil microbes with high-throughput gene sequencing, and correlated the changes in the composition of microbial communities with environmental factors like soil physicochemical properties and soil enzyme activities. This study mainly focuses on the recovery characteristics of soil microbe after soil fumigation by evaluating the ecological restoration of P. notoginseng soil, its sustained control effect on plant diseases, and its promotion effect on crop growth by focusing on the CP fumigation treatment.ResultsThe results showed that CP fumigation significantly increased soil available phosphorus (P) to 34.6 ~ 101.6 mg/kg and electrical conductivity (EC) by 18.7% ~ 34.1%, respectively. High-throughput gene sequencing showed that soil fumigation with CP altered the relative abundance of Trichoderma, Chaetomium, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi in the soil while inhibiting a lot of Fusarium and Phytophthora. The inhibition rate of Phytophthora spp. was still 75.0% in the third year after fumigation. Fumigation with CP enhanced P. notoginseng’s survival rate and stimulated plant growth, ensuring P. notoginseng’s healthy in the growth period. The impact of fumigation on microbial community assembly and changes in microbial ecological niches were characterized using normalized stochasticity ratio (NST) and Levins’ niche breadth index. Stochasticity dominated bacterial community assembly, while the fungal community was initially dominated by stochasticity and later by determinism. Fumigation with CP reduced the ecological niches of both fungi and bacteria.ConclusionIn summary, the decrease in microbial diversity and niche caused by CP fumigation could be recovered over time, and the control of soil pathogens by CP fumigation remained sustainable. Moreover, CP fumigation could overcome continuous cropping obstacles of P. notoginseng and promote the healthy growth of P. notoginseng.

Abstract Reductions in the quality and yield of crops continuously produced in the same location for many years due to annual increases in soil-borne pathogens. Environmentally-friendly methods are needed to produce vegetables sustainably and cost effectively under protective cover. We investigated the impact of biofertilizers on cucumber growth and yield, and changes to populations of soil microorganisms in response to biofertilizer treatments applied to substrate or soil. We observed that some biofertilizers significantly increased cucumber growth and decreased soil-borne pathogens in soil and substrate. Rhizosphere microbial communities in soil and substrate responded differently to different biofertilizers, which also led to significant differences in microbial diversity and taxonomic structure at different times in the growing season. Biofertilizers increase the prospects of re-using substrate for continuously producing high-quality crops cost-effectively from the same soil each year while at the same time controlling soil-borne disease.

Soil fumigation can kill soil pathogens and solve the problem of crop continuous cropping. However, soil fumigation also has negative effects on the soil environment. One way to mitigate the negative effects is to apply soil amendments, but there is limited evidence of the effects of combining soil fumigation and amendments. This study was a controlled environmental pot trial. We measured the effects of dazomet fumigation combined with soil amendments on soil-borne pathogens, soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and strawberry growth. The results showed that dazomet fumigation combined with soil amendments significantly increased the content of ammonium nitrogen, available phosphorus and organic matter and increased soil activities by varying degrees. We also found that the control effect of soil-borne pathogens Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. was further enhanced, reaching 88.97–96.88%. Correlation analysis showed that the growth indices of strawberries such as plant height, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, and fresh weight were negatively correlated with Fusarium spp. (R = −0.75, R= −0.62, R = −0.71, R = −0.88; p < 0.01) and Phytophthora spp. (R = −0.72, R= −0.72, R = −0.78, R = −0.91; p ≤ 0.001), respectively. The effect of fumigation combined with soil amendments was better than that of fumigation alone, and silicon fertilizer had the best effect. Our study suggests that dazomet fumigation combined with soil amendments can improve soil nutrient supply, activate soil enzyme activities, enhance the control effect of soil-borne pathogens, and thus promote strawberry growth.

All-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have received great attention in white light emission because of their outstanding properties. However, their practical application is hindered by poor stability. Herein, we propose a simple strategy to synthesize excellent stability and efficient emission of CsPbBr3 QDs by using 2-hexyldecanoic acid (DA) as a ligand to replace the regular oleic acid (OA) ligand. Thanks to the strong binding energy between DA ligand and QDs, the modified QDs not only show a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 96% but also exhibit high stability against ethanol and water. Thereby warm white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are constructed by combining ligand modified CsPbBr3 QDs with red AgInZnS QDs on blue emitting InGaN chips, exhibiting a color rendering index of 93, a power efficiency of 64.8 lm/W, a CIE coordinate of (0.44, 0.42) and correlated color temperature value of 3018 K. In addition, WLEDs based on ligand modified CsPbBr3 QDs also exhibit better thermal performance than that of WLEDs based on the regular CsPbBr3 QDs. The combination of improved efficiency and better thermal stability with high color quality indicates that the modified CsPbBr3 QDs are ideal for WLEDs application.

Seeds comprise an important way in which plant pathogens are introduced into new areas, and serve as carriers for their survival from one planting season to another. Seed health is a recognized factor in modern agricultural science, and affects ideal plant populations and good harvests. Seed disease is one of the most important biological constraints in seed production worldwide. Effective and rapid detection and identification methods for seed disease comprise an important step in crop management, and a measure to protect seeds from pathogens. The detection of seed diseases is usually divided into three categories: traditional detection, immunological detection, and bioinformatics-based detection. The detection methods used for different types of pathogens also vary. For the prevention and control of seed diseases, appropriate methods should also be adopted, such as physical methods, chemical methods, and biological methods. They can be used alone or in combination to achieve the purpose of disease prevention and control. Therefore, this article reviews some important crop seed diseases, their detection and identification methods, and control techniques, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive prevention and effective control of seed diseases.

Organic materials added to soil create anaerobic conditions that can reduce soil-borne pathogens that reduce the yield and quality of agricultural crops. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) requires relatively large quantities of readily available, inexpensive organic materials. We evaluated the impact of ASD with rice bran and biochar organic materials on changes to the soil’s physicochemical properties, microbial taxa, and strawberry fruit yield. We found that the organic materials applied at different dose rates significantly increased the control effect of the soil Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. to 69–99% and 63–98%, respectively. In addition, ASD significantly increased soil organic matter and ammonium nitrogen contents. Strawberry yield also increased significantly after ASD treatment with biochar applied at 10 t/ha, which was positively correlated with increased soil nutrients and a significant reduction in pathogens. High-throughput gene sequencing showed that ASD significantly increased the abundance of some beneficial microorganisms such as Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Mortierella, possibly due to changes in the soil’s physicochemical properties that favored their survival. We found for the first time that biochar applied at 10 t/ha could create anaerobic conditions that effectively reduced soil-borne pathogens and increased crop yield.

Abstract High‐performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) depend heavily on the quality of perovskite films, which is closely related to the lattice distortion, perovskite crystallization, and interfacial defects when being spin‐coated and annealed on the substrate surface. Here, a dynamic strategy to modulate the perovskite film formation by using a soft perovskite–substrate interface constructed by employing amphiphilic soft molecules (ASMs) with long alkyl chains and Lewis base groups is proposed. The hydrophobic alkyl chains of ASMs interacted with poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) greatly improve the wettability of PTAA to facilitate the nucleation and growth of perovskite crystals, while the Lewis base groups bound to perovskite lattices significantly passivate the defects in situ. More importantly, this soft perovskite–substrate interface with ASMs between PTAA and perovskite film can dynamically match the lattice distortion with reduced interfacial residual strain upon perovskite crystallization and thermal annealing owing to the soft self‐adaptive long‐chains, leading to high‐quality perovskite films. Thus, the inverted PSCs show a power conversion efficiency approaching 20% with good reproducibility and negligible hysteresis. More impressively, the unencapsulated device exhibits state‐of‐the‐art photostability, retaining 84% of its initial efficiency under continuous simulated 1‐sun illumination for more than 6200 h at elevated temperature (≈65 °C).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative effect on university students’ mental health worldwide. The pandemic has resulted in individuals experiencing increased levels of anxiety and stress as well as intensified concerns about the future due to a rise in uncertainty. To eliminate the anxiety and stress caused by uncertainty, individuals who have high cognitive closure needs are strongly motivated to achieve certainty and seek answers, even if the decisions they make in the process are inappropriate or even irrational. This study attempts to analyze the influence of anxiety and stress on university students’ academic involution behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic through the mediating effect of the need for cognitive closure. Analyzing the survey data collected from 402 university students from 3 different universities through the mediating effect model and path analysis with latent variable (PA-LV), our results indicate that: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the levels of anxiety and stress experienced by university students. The path coefficient of the perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 to perceived emotions (including anxiety and stress) was 0.352 (p

Friendship establishment was analyzed using constructs from social cognitive theory (self-efficacy and personality traits) and social network theory (reciprocity and triad closure). In further studies, we investigated the effect of personality traits, interpersonal self-efficacy, and network structure on the establishment of friendships. In this study, we used social network analysis method and exponential random graph model (ERGM). The following findings are reported. First, the friendship network of college students had small group characteristics, and the formation of this small group was more based on personality complementarity than similarity. The homogeneity hypothesis of personality was not tenable. Secondly, individuals with dominance or influence personality traits and high interpersonal self-efficacy were more likely to be in the center of the friendship network. Furthermore, personality traits and interpersonal self-efficacy may have interactive effects on the formation of friendship networks. Popularity and activity effects existed in friendship networks, but the reciprocal relationship based on personality traits was not verified. The balance structure can easily explain the agglomeration of friendships in a small range, indicating that small groups of friendships prefer a two-way circular close relationship. Finally, the formation of a friendship network includes the comprehensive process of individual characteristics and endogenous tie formation, which helps us to understand the social population structure and its process over a wider range.

The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is a plant pathogen that causes significant economic damage to important food crops. The nematicidal and insecticidal effects of the essential oil and extract of the root and stem of different species of Eupatorium have been studied in several countries. We investigated the impact of root stems and leaves of the E. adenophorum on the second-stage juveniles (J2s) of M. incognita. Nematode mortality decreased by root-stem treatment and increasing temperature and time. Nematodes (J2) were more sensitive to root-stem treatment than leaf treatment at all tested conditions. For example, the half maximal effective concentration (EC50) root-stems at 35 °C was estimated as 10.3 mg/g and in the 8th week as 7.8 mg/g, while the maximal effective concentration (ECmax) in leaf treatment is 20.3 and 10.1 mg/g, respectively. The E. adenophorum 40 mg/g concentration of root stems also produced the highest height of the cucumber stem and the highest cucumber fresh weight in the greenhouse. (E)-beta-farnesene, α-pinene and D-limonene, as the main identified components in fumigant plants, increased the mortality rate of J2s in root-stems treatment. We conclude that E. adenophorum dried root stems added to the soil in greenhouses have the potential as a bio-fumigant for M. incognita management.

The felsic volcanic rocks in orogenic belts are vital probes to understand the tectonic evolution and continental crust growth. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the zircon U–Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon Lu-Hf isotopes of Early felsic volcanic rocks from the Hongshuichuan Formation, East Kunlun Orogen, Northern Tibet, aiming to explore their petrogenesis and implications for the Paleo-Tethyan orogeny and crustal evolution. The studied felsic volcanics comprise rhyolite porphyry and rhyolite, exhibiting coeval zircon U–Pb ages of ca. 247–251 Ma. Rhyolite porphyries show metaluminous to peraluminous nature (A/CNK = 0.88–1.24) with high SiO2 contents (72.1–78.9 wt%) and moderate Mg# values (22–40), and they display enrichment of LREE with (La/Yb)N ratios of 6.02–17.9 and depletion of high field strength elements. In comparison, the rhyolites are strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.09–1.74) with high SiO2 contents (71.7–74.3 wt%) and high Mg# values (43–52) and are also enriched in LREE ((La/Yb)N of 6.65–18.4) and depleted in HFSE (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti). Combining with their different zircon Lu-Hf isotopes, i.e., enriched isotopes for the rhyolite porphyries (εHf(t) = −7.3 to −3.8) and depleted Hf isotopes for the rhyolites (ɛHf = −0.6 to +3.0), we interpret that the studied rhyolite porphyries and rhyolites were derived by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic metagreywacke sources followed by plagioclase-dominated fractional crystallization, but the latter shows the significant contribution of crust–mantle magma mixing. The mixed mantle-derived magma comes from an enriched lithospheric mantle source that had been metasomatized by subduction-related fluids. Combining with other geological evidence, we propose that the studied Early Triassic felsic volcanic rocks were formed in a subduction arc setting, and the reworking of ancient continental crust with crust–mantle magma mixing is the major mechanism of crustal evolution in the East Kunlun Paleo-Tethyan orogenic belt.

Abstract The additive manufacturing of continuous fiber composites has the advantage of a high-precision and efficient forming process, which can realize the lightweight and integrated manufacturing of complex structures. However, many void defects exist between layers in the printing process of additive manufacturing; consequently, the bonding performance between layers is poor. The bonding neck is considered a key parameter for representing the quality of interfacial bonding. In this study, the formation mechanism of the bonding neck was comprehensively analyzed. First, the influence of the nozzle and basement temperatures on the printing performance and bonding neck size was measured. Second, CT scanning was used to realize the quantitative characterization of bonding neck parameters, and the reason behind the deviation of actual measurements from theoretical calculations was analyzed. When the nozzle temperature increased from 180 to 220 °C, CT measurement showed that the bonding neck diameter increased from 0.29 to 0.34 mm, and the cross-sectional porosity reduced from 5.48% to 3.22%. Finally, the fracture mechanism was studied, and the influence of the interfacial bonding quality on the destruction process of the materials was determined. In conclusion, this study can assist in optimizing the process parameters, which improves the precision of the printing parts and performance between the layers.

The Kirigami approach is an effective way to realize controllable deformation of intelligent materials via introducing cuts into bulk materials. For materials ranging from ordinary stiff materials such as glass, ceramics, and metals to soft materials, including ordinary hydrogels and elastomers, all of them are all sensitive to the presence of cuts, which usually act as defects to deteriorate mechanical properties. Herein, we study the influence of the cuts on the mechanical properties by introducing “dispersed macro-scale cuts” into a model tough double network (DN) hydrogel (named D-cut gel), which consists of a rigid and brittle first network and a ductile stretchable second network. For comparison, DN gels with “continuous cuts” having the same number of interconnected cuts (named C-cut gel) were chosen. The fracture tests of D-cut gel and C-cut gel with different cut patterns were performed. The fracture observation revealed that crack blunting occurred at each cut tip, and a large wrinkle-like zone was formed where the wrinkles were parallel to the propagation direction of the cut. By utilizing homemade circular polarizing optical systems, we found that introducing dispersed cuts increases the rupture force by homogenizing the stress around the crack tip surrounding every cut, which reduces stress concentration in one certain cut. We believe this work reveals the fracture mechanism of tough soft materials with a kirigami cut structure, which should guide the design of advanced soft and tough materials along this line.

The absorption signals of metastable He in HD 209458b and several other exoplanets can be explained via an escaping atmosphere model with a subsolar He/H ratio. The low abundance of helium can be a result of planet formation if there is a small amount of helium in their primordial atmosphere. However, another possibility is that the low He/H ratio is caused by the process of mass fractionation of helium in the atmosphere. In order to investigate the effect of fractionation in the hydrogen-helium atmosphere, we developed a self-consistent multi-fluid 1D hydrodynamic model based on the well-known open-source MHD code PLUTO. Our simulations show that a lower He/H ratio can be produced spontaneously in the multi-fluid model. We further modeled the transmission spectra of He 10830 lines for HD 209458b in a broad parameter space. The transmission spectrum of the observation can be fitted in the condition of 1.80 times the X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet flux of the quiet Sun. Meanwhile, the ratio of the escaping flux of helium to hydrogen, F _He / F _H , is 0.039. Our results indicate that the mass fractionation of helium to hydrogen can naturally interpret the low He/H ratio required by the observation. Thus, in the escaping atmosphere of HD 209458b, decreasing the abundance of helium in the atmosphere is not needed even if its He abundance is similar to that of the Sun. The simulation presented in this work hints that in the escaping atmosphere, mass fractionation can also occur on other exoplanets, which needs to be explored further.

Adakites or adakitic rocks usually show special geochemical signatures and are petrological probes to reveal the tectono–magmatic evolutionary history of paleo–orogenic belts. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the zircon U–Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon Lu-Hf isotopes of Mogetong adakitic pluton in East Kunlun orogen, Northern Tibetan Plateau, to constrain its petrogenesis and tectonic setting, and thus to reveal its implications for the Paleo–Tethyan orogeny. The studied pluton comprises of quartz monzonite porphyry with zircon U–Pb crystallization age of ca. 215 Ma, which is coeval to their diorite enclaves (ca. 212 Ma). The quartz monzonite porphyries have intermediate SiO2 (63.31–65.74 wt%), relatively high Al2O3 (15.52–16.02 wt%), K2O (2.83–3.34 wt%), and Sr (462–729 ppm), but low Y (9.14–15.7 ppm) and Yb (0.73–1.39 ppm) with high Mg# (47–55), Sr/Y (30–57) and La/Yb ratios resembling typical high–K calc-alkaline and high Mg# adakitic rocks. Zircon Lu–Hf isotopes show that the studied samples have weakly juvenile zircon Lu-Hf isotopes (εHf(t) = 1.80–4.03) with older model age (1.00–1.14 Ga). The relative low content of Cr (14–59 ppm) and Ni (8–30 ppm), as well as the petrological, geochemical, and Lu-Hf isotopic data, indicates that the Mogetong adakitic rocks were generated by partial melting of thickened lower crust with a certain contribution of the underplated mantle-derived magma in slab break-off setting. This study shows that the Late Triassic adakitic magmatism in East Kunlun orogen may be the response of tectonic transition from oceanic subduction to post–subduction extension, and the reworking of ancient continental crust with subsequent variable crust-mantle magma mixing is the major mechanism of continental crust evolution in the Paleo–Tethyan orogenic belt.

Biocontrol agents applied after fumigation play an important role to the soil microenvironment. We studied the effect of Trichoderma applied after dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) plus chloropicrin (PIC) fumigation on the cucumber growth, soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activity, taxonomic diversity, and yield through laboratory and field experiments. The results confirmed that Trichoderma applied after fumigation significantly improved soil physicochemical properties, cucumber growth, soil-borne pathogens, and soil enzyme activity. Genetic analysis indicated that Trichoderma applied after fumigation significantly increased the relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Humicola and Chaetomium, and significantly decreased the relative abundance of the pathogens Fusarium spp. and Gibberella spp., which may help to control pathogens and enhanced the ecological functions of the soil. Moreover, Trichoderma applied after fumigation obviously improved cucumber yield (up to 35.6%), and increased relative efficacy of soil-borne pathogens (up to 99%) and root-knot nematodes (up to 96%). Especially, we found that Trichoderma applied after fumigation increased the relative abundance of some beneficial microorganisms (such as Sodiomyces and Rhizophlyctis) that can optimize soil microbiome. It is worth noting that with the decline in the impact of the fumigant, these beneficial microorganisms still maintain a higher abundance when the cucumber plants were uprooted. Importantly, we found one tested biocontrol agent Trichoderma 267 identified and stored in our laboratory not only improved cucumber growth, reduced soil-borne diseases in late cucumber growth stages but also optimized micro-ecological environment which may have good application prospect and help to keep environmental healthy and sustainable development.

The area used to grow high-value crops is currently decreasing because production in the same soil for many years increases soil-borne diseases that reduce crop yield and quality as well as farmer income. Soil-borne disease is effectively controlled by soil fumigation prior to planting. In this study, the five different types of soils that had been used to grow tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, ginseng and ginger were collected from field plots with high incidence of soil-borne diseases. This experiment adopts the indoor fumigation method to conduct triple fumigation of chloropicrin(PIC), metham sodium(MS) and dimethyl disulfide(DMDS) on different soil collected to examine changes in the soil microbial community, including pathogenic fungi and bacteria and beneficial microorganisms in order to clarify the impact on the overall structure of soil microbial community while controlling complex and multiple pathogens. High-throughput gene sequencing was used to detect bacterial and fungal taxonomic changes in the treated soils. Triple fumigation significantly reduced the abundance of at least five kinds of pathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Mortierella, Neocosmospora, Nitrospira Alternaria and significantly increased the abundance of two kinds of beneficial species, Bacillus and Trichoderma. The research result observed increases and decreases in the biodiversity and richness of beneficial and pathogenic bacteria and fungi in response to triple fumigation of soil that had been used to grow tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, ginseng and ginger. The most significant effect was observed in the experimental field of Panax notoginseng in Wenshan, Yunnan. Triple fumigation showed good potential to decrease pathogenic bacteria and fungi in soils and improve the disease resistance of soils, and that it has a good application prospect in the field of soil disinfestation.

Foodborne pathogens that enter the human food chain are a significant threat worldwide to human health. Timely and cost-effective detection of them became challenging for many countries that want to improve their detection and control of foodborne illness. We summarize simple, rapid, specific, and highly effective molecular technology that is used to detect and identify foodborne pathogens, including polymerase chain reaction, isothermal amplification, loop-mediated isothermal amplification, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, as well as gene chip and gene probe technology. The principles of their operation, the research supporting their application, and the advantages and disadvantages of each technology are summarized.

Dazomet (DZ) is a soil fumigant that has been used for decades at many countries, however it was reported to have caused phytotoxicity and reduced crop yield in many countries. In this experiment, in order to clarify whether the diameter of DZ is related to phytotoxicity, this research investigated the degradation rate of DZ with different diameter ranges under three soil types held at 15, 20 or 30% soil water content at 4, 15, 25 or 37 °C, and monitored concentrations of methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) produced when Shunyi soil was fumigated with DZ using the different particle sizes ranges. When the soil water content and temperature increased, the degradation rate of DZ with different particle sizes accelerated. However, the degradation rate of DZ with large particle sizes was still lower than small particle sizes. NO3−-N, available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), pH and silt content in the soil were all significantly positively correlated with 400 μm DZ. However, organic matter (OM) and sand content produced the opposite result. The maximum concentration of MITC produced by 100–300 μm of DZ in 25 °C Shunyi soil at 30% water content were 102.2 mg/kg at 24 h. DZ produced peaks significantly higher and earlier at 30% than at 20% soil water content. We recommend selecting DZ manufactured with particle in the range of 100 to 300 μm, fumigating at about 25 °C and ensuring that about 30% soil water content is present in the soil immediately after fumigation.

Chloropicrin (Pic) and dazomet (DZ) are effective soil fumigants that are often used to reduce soil-borne pathogens that would otherwise reduce crop yield. As Pic is scheduled to be banned, we investigated whether its consumption could be halved by alternating it with DZ. We observed that Pic alternated with DZ increased the soil NH4+-N content by 28.74–47.07 times, increased available potassium content by 40.80%−46.81% and increased electrical conductivity by 39.23%−85.81%. It generally improved the soil’s physicochemical properties. High-throughput DNA sequencing showed that Pic alternated with DZ changed the taxonomic diversity of bacteria and fungi by increasing the relative abundance of Bacillus and Firmicutes, and by decreasing Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Sphingomonas. Moreover, Pic alternated with DZ can inhibit key soil pathogens by more than 90% and significantly increased strawberry yield by 78.22%−116.12%. In terms of strawberry production, we recommend using DZ in the first year and Pic in the second year. Our results showed significant ecological benefit and yield benefit when Pic consumption was halved by alternating it with DZ.

Chloropicrin (CP) can cause long-term damage to beneficial microbes which reduces soil health. Biochar (BC) can mitigate against the effects of CP by reducing the time for beneficial microbes to recover after CP fumigation. In this study, we used Real-Time Quantitative PCR to determine the effects of different rates of BC added to CP-fumigated soil on the speed of recovery of bacteria and fungi population and on changes to gene copy number of the target pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. And then we compared the structure and composition of the beneficial microbial community in the different treatments soil by using High throughput Illumina sequencing. As the results shown, adding 1 or 3% BC after CP fumigation accelerated the recovery of bacterial and fungal populations without increasing F. oxysporum abundance. BC also promoted the recovery of beneficial bacteria Rokubacteria and Latescibacteria damaged by CP. And these two bacteria may be related to the immunity of soil to F. oxysporum. In CP-fumigated soil, BC improved the disease resistance of the soil by increasing beneficial microbes, such as Steroidobacter, Sphingomonas, Purpureocillium and Mortierella. This combination of CP and BC is a new concept that could encourages the development of a healthy and sustainable soil ecosystems while controlling plant pathogens.

In this paper, a fault severity estimation method is presented for high-resistance connection (HRC) in a permanent magnet synchronous machine drive system, being dependent upon the zero sequence voltage component (ZSVC) and stator currents. According to the relationship between the stator current, ZSVC and resistance deviations, a bivariate quadratic equation group is established with regard to the resistance deviations caused by HRC. The resistance deviations are obtained by solving the equation group. Based on the obtained resistance deviations, not only the fault is diagnosed and the faulty phase is identified, but also the HRC fault severity is estimated. Both the simulation and experiment are studied to validate the fault severity estimation method. The results verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed fault severity estimation method.

Pesticides are considered the most effective way to protect crops. However, irrational use has caused resources waste and environmental pollution. Dazomet (DZ) is a soil fumigant that has been used in many countries for decades, although it has caused occasional crop damage or insufficient control efficacy in some circumstances. In this study, the effects of DZ’s granule size and exposure to various environmental conditions on DZ degradation when used as a fumigant were demonstrated. The degradation rate of DZ was closely related to granule size. The half-life of larger DZ granules was longer than smaller granules with all studied environmental factors. The degradation rate decreased as the DZ usage (90–360 mg/kg) increased and different granule sizes showed the same variation trend. The half-life in each of the five granule size ranges tested decreased significantly as the temperature increased. DZ half-life decreased by 4.67–6.59 times as the temperature increased from 4 to 35 °C. Moreover, DZ usage and temperature affected the half-life of granules >400 and 300–400 μm in diameter significantly more than

Drying-induced cracks are frequently observed in soils, which can severely influence the mechanical parameters of soils in geotechnical engineering applications. In addition, geohazards can also be accelerated with the formation of preferential path in slopes caused by cracks in soils. This study aims to analyze the cracking behaviors and mechanisms of a special soil collected in northwestern China using experimental methods. Local displacements and strains can be obtained and analyzed with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method. Combined with DIC method, the tensors maps with total “mechanical” principal strain are drawn. Cracks in mixed opening-sliding mode are identified and the curling phenomenon of soils is observed in situ. Three typical types of crack patterns are observed, which are “T,” “Y,” and “wave-ring,” respectively. Crack pattern of “T” is more frequent than the other two types. The identification of cracking behaviors and mechanisms is helpful for the analysis of mechanical properties of soils and the prevention of geohazards in northwestern China.

Root-knot nematode is an important soil pest in horticulture crops and constrains the protected cultivation development after methyl bromide (MB) was phased out in China. Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) exhibits excellent efficacy against nematodes. Laboratory experiments and field trials were set up to clarify DMDS dose, efficacy, and yield. A dose-response experiment using three methods showed that DMDS presented high efficacy against the nematode Meloidogyne incongnita. The LC50 values of direct fumigation activity in the dessicator method were 0.086 and 0.070 mg L-1 for DMDS and 1,3-D, 29.865 and 18.851 mg L-1 for DMDS and 1,3-D of direct contact activity in the small tube method, 6.438 and 3.061 mg L-1 for DMDS and 1,3-D of soil fumigation activity in the soil fumigation method, respectively. The field trials indicated that DMDS showed an excellent efficacy of 80%-94% on root-knot nematode applied at 10-100 g m-2 on tomato in Tongzhou, Beijing. The crop yields showed no significant difference after applying 10-80 g m-2 DMDS. Results indicate that DMDS applied at 10 g m-2 for controlling root-knot nematode in Beijing is cost effective. In conclusion, DMDS is an excellent soil fumigant that can be used for controlling root-knot nematode and can be an potential novel alternative to MB in China.

The influence of soil fumigation on microorganisms involved in transforming nitrogen remains little understood, despite the use of fumigants for many decades to control soil-borne pathogens and plant-parasitic nematodes. We used real-time PCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing techniques to monitor changes in the diversity and community structure of microorganisms associated with nitrogen transfer after the soil was fumigated with dazomet (DZ). We also examined nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from these microorganisms present in fumigated fluvo-aquic soil and lateritic red soil. Fumigation with DZ significantly reduced the abundance of 16S rRNA and nitrogen cycling functional genes (nifH, AOA amoA, AOB amoA, nxrB, narG, napA, nirK, nirS, cnorB, qnorB, and nosZ). At the same time, N2O production rates increased between 9.9 and 30 times after fumigation. N2O emissions were significantly correlated with NH4+, dissolved amino acids and microbial biomass nitrogen, but uncorrelated with functional gene abundance. Diversity indices showed that DZ temporarily stimulated bacterial diversity as well as caused a significant change in bacterial community composition. For example, DZ significantly decreased populations of N2-fixing bacteria Mesorhizobium and Paenibacillus, nitrifiers Nitrosomonas, and the denitrifiers Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Paracoccus. The soil microbial community had the ability to recover to similar population levels recorded in unfumigated soils when the inhibitory effects of DZ fumigation were no longer evident. The microbial recovery rate, however, depended on the physicochemical properties of the soil. These results provided useful information for environmental safety assessments of DZ in China, for improving our understanding of the N-cycling pathways in fumigated soils, and for determining the potential responses of different N-cycling groups after fumigation.

To further improve the mechanical properties of thermoplastic resin in additive manufacturing (AM), this paper presents a novel method to directly and quantitatively place the short fibers (SFs) between two printing process of resin layers. The printed composite parts with SFs between the layers was reinforced. The effects of single-layer fiber content, multi-layer fiber content and the length of fibers on the mechanical properties of printed specimens were studied. The distribution of fibers and quality of interlayer bonding were assessed using mechanical property testing and microstructure examination. The results showed that the tensile strength of the single-layered specimen with 0.5 wt% interlayered SFs increased by 18.82%. However, when the content of SFs continued to increase, the mechanical properties declined because of the increasing interlayered gap and the poor bonding quality. In addition, when the interlayered SFs length was 0.5–1 mm, the best reinforcement was obtained. To improve the interfacial bonding quality between the fiber and the resin, post-treatment and laser-assisted preheating printing was used. This method is effective for the enhancement of the interfacial bonding to obtain better mechanical properties. The research proves that adding SFs by placement can reduce the wear and breakage of the fibers compared to the conventional forming process. Therefore, the precise control of the length and content of SFs was realized in the specimen. In summary, SFs placement combined with post-treatment and laser-assisted preheating is a new method in AM to improve the performance of thermoplastic resin.

The important role of vetiver grass roots in preventing water erosion and mass movement has been well recognized, though the detailed influence of the grass roots on soil has not been addressed. Through planting vetiver grass at the Kadoorie Farm in Hong Kong and leaving it to grow without artificial maintenance, the paper studies the influence of vetiver grass roots on soil properties and slope stability. Under the natural conditions of Hong Kong, growth of the vetiver grass roots can reach 1.1 m depth after one and a half year from planting. The percentage of grain size which is less than 0.075 mm in rooted soil is more than that of the nonrooted soil. Vetiver grass roots can reduce soil erosion by locking the finer grain. The rooted soil of high finer grain content has a relatively small permeability. As a result, the increase in water content is therefore smaller than that of nonrooted soil in the same rainfall conditions. Shear box test reveals that the vetiver grass roots significantly increased the peak cohesion of the soil from 9.3 kPa to 18.9 kPa. The combined effects of grass roots on hydrological responses and shearing strength significantly stabilize the slope in local rainfall condition.

BACKGROUND:Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp., RKN) causes a disease that significantly reduces the yield of greenhouse cucumber crops year after year. Chemical control based on a single pesticide is now unreliable mainly due to pest resistance. Fumigant and non-fumigant pesticide combinations can potentially result in effective and economic RKN control. RESULTS:Combining the insecticide abamectin (ABM) with fumigants dazomet (DZ) or chloropicrin (CP) significantly extended the half-life of ABM by an average of about 1.68 and 1.56 times respectively in laboratory trials, and by an average of about 2.02 and 1.69 times respectively in greenhouse trials. Laboratory experiments indicated that all the low rate ABM combination treatments controlled RKN through a synergistic effect. ABM diffused into the nematode epidermis more rapidly when ABM was combined with DZ and CP, giving effective nematode control and an increase cucumber total yield, compared to the use of these products alone. ABM combined with CP or DZ produced significantly higher total cucumber yield than when these products were used alone. CONCLUSIONS:A low concentration of ABM combined with DZ in preference to CP would be an economic and practical way to control nematode and soilborne fungi in a greenhouse producing cucumbers.

Oils extracted from the leaves of Eupatorium adenophorum were tested in vitro and in vivo against the soilborne pathogen Pythium myriotylum which causes soft rot, a devastating disease of commercial ginger production in China. Twelve compounds accounting for 99.15% of the total oil composition were identified by GC-MS. The major components were 10Hβ-9-oxo-agerophorone (37.03%), 10Hα-9-oxo-agerophorone (37.73%) and 9-oxo-10, 11-dehydro-agerophorone (23.41%). Antifungal activity was tested by the poisoned food technique against P. myriotylum, indicating minimum inhibitory concentrations of 100μg/ml after 7 days incubation. In addition, the oil extracts greatly inhibited the formation of both wet and dry mycelial biomass. The combination of E. adenophorum oil extracts and synthetic fungicides showed a strong synergistic effect, inhibiting the mycelial growth in in vitro assays. The synergistic effect of oil extracts with fungicides could allow fungicides to be used at reduced rates in the future which has environmental advantages. Oil extracts applied at 160 and 200μg/ml concentrations to ginger rhizomes before inoculation with P. myriotylum significantly reduced the infection rate in ginger. Examination by light and transmission electron microscopy revealed that oil extracts caused swelling of the hyphae, disruption of the cell wall, degradation of the cytoplasmic organelles and shortening of the cytoplasmic inclusion. These results suggested that the plasma membrane and endomembrane systems of P. myriotylum were severely damaged by the oil extracts of E. adenophorum which offer significant potential for use as a fungicide to control P. myriotylum.

Methyl bromide (MB) and other alternatives were evaluated for suppression of Fusarium spp., Phytophthora spp., and Meloidogyne spp. and their influence on soil microbial communities. Both Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. were significantly reduced by the MB (30.74 mg kg-1), methyl iodide (MI: 45.58 mg kg-1), metham sodium (MS: 53.92 mg kg-1) treatments. MS exhibited comparable effectiveness to MB in controlling Meloidogyne spp. and total nematodes, followed by MI at the tested rate. By contrast, sulfuryl fluoride (SF: 33.04 mg kg-1) and chloroform (CF: 23.68 mg kg-1) showed low efficacy in controlling Fusarium spp., Phytophthora spp., and Meloidogyne spp. MB, MI and MS significantly lowered the abundance of different microbial populations and microbial biomass in soil, whereas SF and CF had limited influence on them compared with the control. Diversity indices in Biolog studies decreased in response to fumigation, but no significant difference was found among treatments in PLFA studies. Principal component and cluster analyses of Biolog and PLFA data sets revealed that MB and MI treatments greatly influenced the soil microbial community functional and structural diversity compared with SF treatment. These results suggest that fumigants with high effectiveness in suppressing soil-borne disease could significantly influence soil microbial community.

Biochar has sorption capacity, and can be used to enhance the sequestration of volatile organic contaminants such as pesticides in soil. Chloropicrin (CP) is an important soil fumigant for the production of many fruit and vegetable crops, but its emissions must be minimized to reduce exposure risks and air pollution. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity of biochar to adsorb CP and the effect of biochar amendments to soil on CP emission, concentration in the soil gas phase, degradation in soil and CP bioactivity for controlling soil borne pests. CP emission and concentration in the soil air phase were measured from packed soil columns after fumigant injection at 20-cm depth and application of selected doses of biocharto the surface 5 cm soil. Laboratory incubation and fumigation experiments were conducted to determine the capacity of biochar to adsorb CP, the effects on CP degradation and, separately, CP's bioactivity on soil borne pests in soil amended with biochar. Biochar amendment at 2% to 5% (w/w) greatly reduced total CP emission losses by 85.7% - 97.7% compared to fumigation without biochar. CP concentrations in the soil gas-phase, especially in the top 5 cm of soil, were reduced within 48 h following application. The half-life of CP decreased from 13.6 h to 6.4 h as the biochar rate increased from 0% to 5%. CP and its metabolite (dichloronitromethane) both degraded more rapidly in pure biochar than in soil. The biochar used in the present study had a maximum adsorption capacity for CP of less than 5 mg g(-1). There were no negative effects on pathogen and nematode control when the biochar used in this study was less than 1% (on a weight basis) in soil. Biochar amendment to soil reduced the emissions of CP. CP concentrations in the top 5 cm of soil gas-phase were reduced. CP degradation was accelerated with the addition of biochar. The biochar used in the present study had a low adsorption capacity for CP. There were no negative effects on pathogen and nematode control when the biochar amendment rate was less than 1% (by weight). The findings would be useful for establishing guidelines for biochar use in soil fumigation.

BACKGROUND: Chloropicrin (Pic) offers a potential alternative to methyl bromide (MB) against Ralstonia solanacarum in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) production. MB is scheduled to be withdrawn from routine use by 2015 in developing countries. METHODS: Pic treatments were evaluated in a laboratory study and in three commercial ginger fields. RESULTS: Laboratory studies showed that the EC50 value and EC80 value of Pic were 2.7 and 3.7 mg a.i. kg-1 soil, respectively. Field trials in highly infested soil revealed that treatments of Pic at the dose of 50 g m-2 covered with totally impermeable film (TIF) or polyethylene film (PE) sharply reduced Ralstonia solanacarum and maintained high ginger yields. Both of the Pic treatments provided results similar to, or in some cases slightly lower than, MB with respect to Ralstonia solanacarum control, plant survival, plant growth and yield. All of the fumigant treatments were significantly better than the non-treated control. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms that the Pic is a promising alternative with good efficacy against Ralstonia solanacarum for ginger production and could be used in integrated pest management programs in China.

Biochar (BC) is increasingly applied in agriculture; however, due to its adsorption and degradation properties, biochar may also affect the efficacy of fumigant in amended soil. Our research is intended to study the effects of two types of biochars (BC-1 and BC-2) on the efficacy and emission of methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) in biochar amendment soil. Both types of biochars can significantly reduce MITC emission losses, but, at the same time, decrease the concentration of MITC in the soil. The efficacy of MITC for controlling soil-borne pests (Meloidogyne spp., Fusarium spp. Phytophthora spp., Abutilon theophrasti and Digitaria sanguinalis) was reduced when the biochar (BC-1 and BC-2) was applied at a rate of higher than 1% and 0.5% (on a weight basis) (on a weight basis), respectively. However, increased doses of dazomet (DZ) were able to offset decreases in the efficacy of MITC in soils amended with biochars. Biochars with strong adsorption capacity (such as BC-1) substantially reduced MITC degradation rate by 6.2 times, and increased by 4.1 times following amendment with biochar with high degradability (e.g., BC-2), compared to soil without biochar amendment. This is due to the adsorption and degradation of biochar that reduces MITC emission losses and pest control.

The characteristics of biochar vary with pyrolysis temperature. Chloropicrin (CP) is an effective fumigant for controlling soil-borne pests. This study investigated the characteristics of biochars prepared at 300, 500, and 700 °C by michelia alba (Magnolia denudata) wood and evaluated their capacity to adsorb CP. The study also determined the potential influence of biochar, which was added to sterilized and unsterilized soils at rates of 0%, 1%, 5%, and 100%, on CP degradation. The specific surface area, pore volume, and micropores increased considerably with an increase in the pyrolytic temperature. The adsorption rate of biochar for CP increased with increasing pyrolytic temperature. The maximum adsorption amounts of CP were similar for the three biochars. Next, the study examined the degradation ability of the biochar for CP. The degradation rate constant (k) of CP increased when biochar was added to the soil, and k increased with increased amendment rate and pyrolysis temperature. The results indicate that biochar can accelerate CP degradation in soil. The findings will be instructive in using biochar as a new fertilizer in fumigating soil with CP.