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Background and aims In Malawi, strategies are being sought to boost maize production through improvements in soil fertility. This study assessed the impact of intercropping maize (Zea mays) with pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) in Lixisols of Malawi on yield, biological N fixation, soil aggregation, and P forms within soil aggregates. Methods Maize and pigeon pea were grown intercropped in pots, with varying degrees of root interaction in order to understand the relative importance of biochemical versus physical rhizospheric interactions. Following harvest, soils were separated into aggregate fractions using wet-sieving, and the nutrient content of all fractions was assessed. Results The proportion of macroaggregates and microaggregates increased by 52 and 111%, respectively, in the intercropping treatment compared to sole maize, which significantly increased organic P storage in the microaggregates of intercropped compared to sole maize (84 versus 29 mg P kg⁻¹, respectively). Biologically fixed N increased from 89% in the sole pigeon pea to 96% in the intercropped system. Conclusions Intercropping maize with pigeon pea can have a significant and positive impact on soil structure as well as nutrient storage in these high P-sorbing soils. This is caused primarily by physical root contact and to a lesser degree by biochemical activities.

Background and aims The current paradigm for phosphorus (P) fertilizers applied to calcareous soil is that almost entirely water soluble P fertilizers are efficient and sparingly soluble P fertilizers are not efficient P sources for crops. We hypothesize that this paradigm does not apply to recycled P fertilizers and that other P pools can explain the plant use of recycled P fertilizers on calcareous soil. Methods We applied 33P isotopic dilution method to evaluate recycled P fertilizers based on plant P uptake from fertilizer relative to plant uptake from a water soluble P reference fertilizer. The predictability of fertilizer effectiveness based on sequentially extracted P forms and X-ray diffraction pattern of recycled fertilizers derived from sewage sludge, human urine and organic waste was evaluated. Results The plant experiments showed that tested recycled P fertilizers including compost were more effective than rock phosphate. The water insoluble P contained in urine based products was almost as effective as a fully water soluble P fertilizer. The tested recycled P fertilizers are characterized by complex P compounds differing in solubility which were so far not considered in the water and citric acid extraction methods. The fraction of resin- and NaHCO3 extractable fertilizer P explained effectiveness of P fertilizer applied to the calcareous and to an acidic soil. Conclusion We concluded that water solubility is not required when P forms in recycled products are comparable to reactions products of rock phosphate based fertilizers in soil. Alternatives to fully water soluble P fertilizers are available to supply P to crops grown on calcareous soil efficiently.

Background and aims Legumes integrated in crop rotations are intended to improve crop nitrogen (N) supply and yield. In conservation agriculture (CA) systems under low input conditions on highly weathered tropical soils, experimental evidence for these benefits is lacking. To understand the mechanisms and evaluate the impact of the legume N on the subsequent crop, an in-depth study on N dynamics in the soil-plant system was conducted. Methods In Madagascar, a CA based crop rotation with the perennial forage legume Stylosanthes guianensis (stylo) and upland rice (rice/stylo – stylo - rice/stylo) was established under three fertilization regimes. In addition, rice was grown in a non-CA bare fallow rotation without fertilizer. Over the three years N2 fixed in stylo shoots, the incorporation of stylo shoot (mulch) N into soil N pools and mulch N uptake by rice was quantified using 15N techniques and mulch and stylo root residue decomposition was investigated in a litterbag study Results N2 fixed in stylo shoots ranged from 96 to 122 kg N ha−1. Between 50 to 70% of stylo mulch and root residues decomposed during the third cropping season. Without fertilizer, grain yield of rice after the fallow with stylo was about 70% greater than after bare fallow, corresponding to 11 kg N ha−1 greater N uptake. Recoveries of stylo mulch N after rice harvest were on average 64% in soil, with about 3% in each of the microbial and mineral N pools, with 39% on the soil surface, and 6% in the rice crop. The N input via stylo seed, leaf litter and belowground N totalled about three times the amount of N contained in stylo mulch, which usually is considered as major rice N source. Conclusions Legumes, like stylo, can improve crop N supply and yield in low input CA cropping systems on highly weathered tropical soils. To explain the impact and mechanisms involved requires a consideration of all legume-N components beyond the mulch N present at the onset of the rice-cropping season.

Background and aim Symbiotic dinitrogen (N₂) fixation is the most important external N source in organic systems. Our objective was to compare symbiotic N₂ fixation of clover grown in organically and conventionally cropped grass-clover leys, while taking into account nutrient supply gradients. Methods We studied leys of a 30-year-old field experiment over 2 years in order to compare organic and conventional systems at two fertilization levels. Using ¹⁵N natural abundance methods, we determined the proportion of N derived from the atmosphere (PNdfa), the amount of Ndfa (ANdfa), and the transfer of clover N to grasses for both red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Results In all treatments and both years, PNdfa was high (83 to 91 %), indicating that the N₂ fixation process is not constrained, even not in the strongly nutrient deficient non-fertilized control treatment. Annual ANdfa in harvested clover biomass ranged from 6 to 16 gN m⁻². At typical fertilizer input levels, lower sward yield in organic than those in conventional treatments had no effect on ANdfa because of organic treatments had greater clover proportions. In two-year-old leys, on average, 51 % of N taken up by grasses was transferred from clover. Conclusion Both, organically and conventionally cropped grass-clover leys profited from symbiotic N₂ fixation, with high PNdfa, and important transfer of clover N to grasses, provided sufficient potassiumand phosphorus-availability to sustain clover biomass production.

Microbial activity is known to be high under permanent grassland, but consequences for soil phosphorus (P) dynamics and availability are not well understood. Our main objective was to assess the microbial P turnover derived from the seasonal fluctuations in microbial P (measured as hexanol-labile P (Pₕₑₓ) at 13 sampling times during 9 months) in a permanent grassland in Switzerland as affected by different P fertilization treatments (P inputs of 0 (NK) or 17 kg P ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in the form of superphosphate (NPK) or dairy slurry (DS)). Plant P uptake, available inorganic P measured as resin-extractable P (Pᵣₑₛ), potential organic P mineralization indicated by acid phosphomonoesterase activity and climatic conditions were also recorded. Despite significant differences in plant P uptake and Pᵣₑₛ (NPK > DS > NK), the turnover rate of Pₕₑₓ was similar in all treatments (approximately once per growing season). Thus, the seasonal P flux through Pₕₑₓ was similar to the stock of Pₕₑₓ, which was about 18, 25 and 37 kg P ha⁻¹ in NK, NPK and DS, respectively, and larger than the corresponding seasonal plant P uptake of 6, 17 and 12 kg P ha⁻¹. The estimate of Pₕₑₓ turnover based on seasonal dynamics did not confirm previous tracer-based findings of a much faster Pₕₑₓ turnover under low availability of inorganic P, and the magnitude of Pₕₑₓ turnover depended on the number of sampling points taken into account. Fluctuations in Pᵣₑₛ and Pₕₑₓ were related to soil moisture and indicated competition between plants and microorganisms for available P.

On nutrient‐depleted Lixisols from Burkina Faso, nutrient acquisition by crops and soil microbes mainly relies on the limited amounts of mineral and organic fertilizers applied by small‐scale farmers. The objective of this study was to determine simultaneously the uptake of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contained in organic and mineral fertilizers by sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ] and soil microbial biomass. Double 15N and 33P direct and indirect labeling techniques were applied in a pot experiment to determine the contributions of different fertilizers to sorghum N and P uptake during 52 d of growth. In parallel, soil respiration, available, and microbial N and P were tracked in an incubation experiment. Sorghum derived 83–90% of P from fertilizers. Nitrogen from cattle manure was poorly available, contributing only 20% of the N taken up by sorghum. Water‐soluble mineral fertilizers increased soil N and P availability, resulting in the highest total N and P uptake by sorghum from fertilizers and soil among all treatments. The application of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] residues induced microbial N and P immobilization, reducing sorghum N and P uptake to the level of the non‐fertilized treatment. The use of double 15N and 33P labeling elucidated the impact of fertilizers on soil nutrient pools. The low plant N/P ratio suggested N limitation for sorghum in the manure treatment. Cowpea residues were inefficient for sorghum nutrition, but they increased soil microbial nutrient pools. This study gives insights on the potential effects of legume residues used as green manure to build soil fertility.

Microbial nutrient limitation was investigated in a 53-year-old field experiment in the Central-West of Burkina Faso under sorghum–cowpea rotation, comparing three fertilization practices: mineral fertilizer (MIN), mineral fertilizer and farmyard manure (MINFYM), and a non-fertilized control (CON). We assessed microbial N and P limitation after removal of C limitation by (i) determining microbial N and P, (ii) assessing respiration kinetics in incubated soil samples amended with easily available C (glucose) alone or in combination with N and/or P, or not amended, and (iii) evaluating changes in microbial biomass and community composition at the peak of microbial respiration by microbial P and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses. Microbial N and P were very low in all fertilization practices, but greater in MINFYM than in CON. Easily available C was the first factor limiting microorganisms in all fertilization practices. After removal of C limitation, most indicators suggested N and P co-limitation in CON. In contrast, respiration kinetics in MINFYM and MIN were only N-limited, while biomass formation in MINFYM was also P-limited. PLFA analyses indicated preferential fungal growth on the added C, and P limitation of changes in microbial community composition in MIN. Long-term application of fertilizers mostly alleviated secondary microbial nutrient limitation by P but not by N, and C always remained the primary limiting factor for microbial growth.

Stress conditions and proinflammatory cytokines activate the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), a member of the stress-activated group of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). We recently demonstrated that inhibition of JNK signaling with the use of the islet-brain (IB) 1 and 2 proteins prevented interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced pancreatic beta-cell death. Bioactive cell-permeable peptide inhibitors of JNK were engineered by linking the minimal 20-amino acid inhibitory domains of the IB proteins to the 10-amino acid HIV-TAT sequence that rapidly translocates inside cells. Kinase assays indicate that the inhibitors block activation of the transcription factor c-Jun by JNK. Addition of the peptides to the insulin-secreting betaTC-3 cell line results in a marked inhibition of IL-1beta-induced c-jun and c-fos expression. The peptides protect betaTC-3 cells against apoptosis induced by IL-1beta. All-D retro-inverso peptides penetrate cells as efficiently as the L-enantiomers, decrease c-Jun activation by JNK, and remain highly stable inside cells. These latter peptides confer full protection against IL-1beta-induced apoptosis for up to 2 weeks of continual treatment with IL-1beta. These data establish these bioactive cell-permeable peptides as potent pharmacological compounds that decrease intracellular JNK signaling and confer long-term protection to pancreatic beta-cells from IL-1beta-induced apoptosis.

Phosphorus losses from agricultural soil to water bodies are mainly related to the excessive accumulation of available P in soil as a result of long-term inputs of fertilizer P. Since P is a nonrenewable resource, there is a need to develop agricultural systems based on maximum P use efficiency with minimal adverse environmental impacts. This requires detailed understanding of the processes that govern the availability of P in soil, and this paper reviews recent advances in this field. The first part of the review is dedicated to the understanding of processes governing inorganic P release from the solid phase to the soil solution and its measurement using two dynamic approaches: isotope exchange kinetics and desorption of inorganic P with an infinite sink. The second part deals with biologically driven processes. Improved understanding of the abiotic and biotic processes involved in P cycling and availability will be useful in the development of effective strategies to reduce P losses from agricultural soils, which will include matching crop needs with soil P release and the development of appropriate remediation techniques to reduce P availability in high P status soils.

Soil fertility decline and high N demand during plant growth are cited as main causes of low yield in yam (Dioscorea spp.). As information regarding fertilizer N use in yam is lacking, a field experiment was undertaken in 2006 and repeated in 2007 in central Côte d'Ivoire using 15N (15NH415NO3) labeled fertilizers to monitor N uptake and fertilizer use efficiency in D. alata. The 15N‐labeled fertilizer was added in two splits (at 90 and 130 d after planting) for a target tuber yield of 40 Mg fresh tuber ha−1. The application of mineral fertilizers increased total biomass production and tuber yield as well as N uptake from native soil organic matter. The recovery of 15N‐labeled fertilizer applied at 90 and 130 d after planting was not significantly different but the year affected 15N recovery by the plant. The maximum 15N recoveries calculated from the sum of the 15N recovery measured at both application dates were 46 and 23% in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Leaf dry matter and leaf N uptake were higher in 2006 than in 2007, but tuber dry matter was not different between years at the final harvest. Up to 170 kg N ha−1 was returned to the soil through the fallen shoots, indicating an important recycling of N for soil fertility replenishment. Thus, crop succession or intercropping are encouraged in a yam cropping system. Our results also show that the application of mineral fertilizers had a strong “priming effect” on the native soil N in both years.