Production of Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Using Wastewater from Parboiled Paddy Rice and Evaluation of Antifungal Property of the Biosurfactant Against Two Dermatophyte Fungi.

A previously isolated lipopeptide biosurfactant-producing bacterium Bacillus licheniformis SCV1 was investigated for the production of the biosurfactant using wastewater from parboiled paddy rice. The biosurfactant thus produced was evaluated for its antifungal property against dermatophyte fungi Trichophyton ajelloi and Microsporum fulvum. Results revealed that the bacterial strain reduced surface tension of the media from 56.16 ± 1 mN/m to 35 ± 0.9 mN/m within 12 h, which further shrank to 29.3 ± 1 mN/m in 24 h of incubation. The yield of the biosurfactant was 3.15 ± 0.25 g/L at 48 h of incubation. The obtained biosurfactant exhibited efficient emulsifying activity against a wide range of hydrophobic substrates such as crude oil, olive oil, engine oil, and kerosene oil used in the study. The critical micelle concentration of the biosurfactant was found to be 80 mg/L. Structural characterization using FT-IR and TLC revealed that the biosurfactant produced by the strain in the wastewater is a lipopeptide consisting of surfactin and iturin. LCMS analysis revealed that the surfactin homologs range from C12 to C17-surfactin while the iturin contains C13 to C17-iturin homologs. It also revealed an in vitro study that the biosurfactant has antifungal properties against dermatophyte fungi Trichophyton ajelloi and Microsporum fulvum. Microscopic observation of the hyphae of the treated dermatophyte revealed disruption and fissure of the mycelia. The chemical composition of the wastewater revealed that it contains adequate nutritional composition and micronutrients to support bacterial growth. This is the first report that the wastewater of parboiled paddy could be used as a low-cost substrate for the production of lipopeptide biosurfactant, and the biosurfactant could be used for preventing dermatophytes fungi.

Application of fungal inoculants enhances colonization of secondary bacterial degraders during in situ paddy straw degradation: a genomic insights into cross-domain synergism.

Rice cultivation generates huge amounts of on farm residues especially under mechanical harvesting. Paddy straw being recalcitrant hinders sowing of upcoming rabi crops like wheat and mustard. Non-environmental sustainable practice of on-farm burning of the paddy residues is being popularly followed for quick disposal of the agro-residues and land preparation. However, conservation agriculture involving in situ residue incorporation can be a sustainable option to utilize the residues for improvement of soil biological health. However, low temperature coupled with poor nitrogen status of soil reduces the decomposition rate of residues that may lead to nitrogen immobilization and hindrance in land preparation. In this direction, ecological impact of two approaches viz priming with urea and copiotrophic fungus-based bioformulation (CFB) consisting of Coprinopsis cinerea LA2 and Cyathus stercoreus ITCC3745 was studied for in situ degradation of residues. Succession of bacterial diversity was deciphered through high throughput whole metagenomic sequencing along with studies on dynamics of soil microbial enzymes. Treatments receiving CFB (T1) and urea (T2) when compared with bulk soil (absolute control) showed an increase in richness of the microbial diversity as compared to control straw retained treatment control (T3). The ß diversity indices also indicated sufficient group variations among the treatments receiving CFB and urea as compared to only straw retained treatment and bulk soil. Priming of paddy straw with CFB and urea also induced significant rewiring of the bacterial co-occurrence networks. Quantification of soil ligno-cellulolytic activity as well as abundance of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZy) genes indicated high activities of hydrolytic enzymes in CFB primed straw retention treatment as compared to urea primed straw retention treatment. The genomic insights on effectiveness of copiotrophic fungus bioformulation for in situ degradation of paddy straw will further help in developing strategies for management of crop residues in eco-friendly manner.

Prediction of protein content in paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) combining near-infrared spectroscopy and deep-learning algorithm.

Rice is a staple crop in Asia, with more than 400 million tons consumed annually worldwide. The protein content of rice is a major determinant of its unique structural, physical, and nutritional properties. Chemical analysis, a traditional method for measuring rice's protein content, demands considerable manpower, time, and costs, including preprocessing such as removing the rice husk. Therefore, of the technology is needed to rapidly and nondestructively measure the protein content of paddy rice during harvest and storage stages. In this study, the nondestructive technique for predicting the protein content of rice with husks (paddy rice) was developed using near-infrared spectroscopy and deep learning techniques. The protein content prediction model based on partial least square regression, support vector regression, and deep neural network (DNN) were developed using the near-infrared spectrum in the range of 950 to 2200 nm. 1800 spectra of the paddy rice and 1200 spectra from the brown rice were obtained, and these were used for model development and performance evaluation of the developed model. Various spectral preprocessing techniques was applied. The DNN model showed the best results among three types of rice protein content prediction models. The optimal DNN model for paddy rice was the model with first-order derivative preprocessing and the accuracy was a coefficient of determination for prediction, Rp 2 = 0.972 and root mean squared error for prediction, RMSEP = 0.048%. The optimal DNN model for brown rice was the model applied first-order derivative preprocessing with Rp 2 = 0.987 and RMSEP = 0.033%. These results demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy for the non-destructive prediction of protein content in both husked rice seeds and paddy rice.

Fe oxides simultaneously improve stability of Cd and carbon in paddy soil：The underlying influence at aggregate level.

Iron (Fe) oxides have a strong adsorption affinity for Cd and organic carbon (SOC). However, under alternate wet-dry (IF) condition,the influences of Fe oxides on the speciation and disrtribution of Cd and SOC in soil aggregates are unkown. In the present study, soils untreated (S), removed (S-Fe) or added (S+Fe) Fe oxide soils were blended with cadmium chloride solution and cultivated for 56 days under different moisture management practices. Compared with the S-Fe soil, the IF treatment increased the contents of Fe oxide-bound SOC (Fe-OC) and Fe/Mn oxide-bound Cd (Fe/Mn-Cd) by 18.5-29.8-fold and 1.45-2.45-fold, repectively, in the S and S+Fe soils, corresponding to a 36 %-42 % increase in the recalcitrant C pool (RCP) and a 53 %-87 % decrease in the exchangeable Cd content. These results could be attributed to soil particle aggregation and Fe redistribution. Fe addition promoted the transfer of Cd/SOC accumulated in microaggregates to macroaggregates and increased the variable negative charge content in macroaggregates and the adsorption capacity of macroaggregates for Cd/SOC. More Cd/SOC accumulated in macroaggregates in Fe oxide-bound form, which reduced the risk of Cd migration and Cd availability and increased the physical protection of SOC. Therefore, Fe oxide has great potential to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and cadmium toxicity in paddy soil.

Chemical speciation and rice uptake of soil molybdenum-Investigation with X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotope fractionation.

Molybdenum (Mo) contamination of farmland soils poses health risks due to Mo accumulation in crops like rice. However, the mechanisms regulating soil availability and plant uptake of Mo remain poorly understood. This study investigated Mo uptake by rice plants, focusing on Mo speciation and isotope fractionation in soil and rice plants. Soil Mo species were identified as sorbed Mo(VI) and Fe-Mo(VI) using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Soil submergence during rice cultivation led to the reductive dissolution of Fe-associated Mo(VI) while increasing sorbed Mo(VI) and Ca-Mo(VI). Soil Mo release to soil solution was a dynamic process involving continuous dissolution/desorption and re-precipitation/sorption. Mo isotope analysis showed soil solution was consistently enriched in heavier isotopes during rice growth, attributed to re-sorption of released Mo and the uptake of Mo by rice plants. Mo was significantly associated with Fe in rice rhizosphere as sorbed Mo(VI) and Fe-Mo(VI), and around 60 % of Mo accumulated in rice roots was sequestrated by Fe plaque of the roots. The desorption of Mo from Fe hydroxides to soil solution and its subsequent diffusion to the root surface were the key rhizosphere processes regulating root Mo uptake. Once absorbed by roots, Mo was efficiently transported to shoots and then to grains, resulting in heavier isotope fractionation during the translocation within plants. Although Mo translocation to rice grains was relatively limited, human exposure via rice consumption remains a health concern. This study provides insights into the temporal dynamics of Mo speciation in submerged paddy soil and the uptake mechanisms of Mo by rice plants.

Optimizing agricultural sustainability: enriched organic formulations for growth, yield, and soil quality in a multi-crop system.

Utilizing agricultural and industrial wastes, potent reservoirs of nutrients, for nourishing the soil and crops through composting embodies a sustainable approach to waste management and organic agriculture. To investigate this, a 2-year field experiment was conducted at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, focusing on a pigeon pea-vegetable mustard-okra cropping system. Seven nutrient sources were tested, including a control (T1), 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (T2), 100% RDN through improved rice residue compost (T3), 100% RDN through a paddy husk ash (PHA)-based formulation (T4), 75% RDN through PHA-based formulation (T5), 100% RDN through a potato peel compost (PPC)-based formulation (T6), and 75% RDN through PPC-based formulation (T7). Employing a randomized block design with three replications, the results revealed that treatment T4 exhibited the significantly highest seed (1.89 ± 0.09 and 1.97 ± 0.12 t ha-1) and stover (7.83 ± 0.41 and 8.03 ± 0.58 t ha-1) yield of pigeon pea, leaf yield (81.57 ± 4.69 and 82.97 ± 4.17 t ha-1) of vegetable mustard, and fruit (13.54 ± 0.82 and 13.78 ± 0.81 t ha-1) and stover (21.64 ± 1.31 and 22.03 ± 1.30 t ha-1) yield of okra during both study years compared to the control (T1). Treatment T4 was on par with T2 and T6 for seed and stover yield in pigeon pea, as well as okra, and leaf yield in vegetable mustard over both years. Moreover, T4 demonstrated notable increase of 124.1% and 158.2% in NH4-N and NO3-N levels in the soil, respectively, over the control. The enhanced status of available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the soil, coupled with increased soil organic carbon (0.41%), total bacteria population (21.1%), fungi (37.2%), actinomycetes (44.6%), and microbial biomass carbon (28.5%), further emphasized the positive impact of T4 compared to the control. Treatments T2 and T6 exhibited comparable outcomes to T4 concerning changes in available N, P, soil organic carbon, total bacteria population, fungi, actinomycetes, and microbial biomass carbon. In conclusion, treatments T4 and T6 emerge as viable sources of organic fertilizer, particularly in regions confronting farmyard manure shortages. These formulations offer substantial advantages, including enhanced yield, soil quality improvement, and efficient fertilizer utilization, thus contributing significantly to sustainable agricultural practices.

Long-term Application of Agricultural Amendments Regulate Hydroxyl Radicals Production during Oxygenation of Paddy Soils.

Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) play a significant role in contaminant transformation and element cycling during redox fluctuations in paddy soil. However, these important processes might be affected by widely used agricultural amendments, such as urea, pig manure, and biochar, which have rarely been explored, especially regarding their impact on soil aggregates and associated biogeochemical processes. Herein, based on five years of fertilization experiments in the field, we found that agricultural amendments, especially coapplication of fertilizers and biochar, significantly increased soil organic carbon contents and the abundances of iron (Fe)-reducing bacteria. They also substantially altered the fraction of soil aggregates, which consequently enhanced the electron-donating capacity and the formation of active Fe(II) species (i.e., 0.5 M HCl-Fe(II)) in soil aggregates (0-2 mm), especially in small aggregates (0-3 µm). The highest contents of active Fe(II) species in small aggregates were mainly responsible for the highest •OH production (increased by 1.7-2.4-fold) and naphthalene attenuation in paddy soil with coapplication of fertilizers and biochar. Overall, this study offers new insights into the effects of agricultural amendments on regulating •OH formation in paddy soil and proposes feasible strategies for soil remediation in agricultural fields, especially in soils with frequent occurrences of redox fluctuations.

Novel herbicide flusulfinam: absolute configuration, enantioseparation, enantioselective bioactivity, toxicity and degradation in paddy soils.

BACKGROUND: Flusulfinam, a novel chiral herbicide, effectively controls Echinochloa crusgalli and Digitaria sanguinalis in paddy fields, indicating significant potential for practical agricultural applications. However, limited information is available on flusulfinam from a chiral perspective. A comprehensive evaluation of the enantiomeric levels of flusulfinam was performed. RESULTS: Two enantiomers, R-(+)- and S-(-)-flusulfinam, were separately eluted using a Chiralcel OX-RH column. The bioactivity of R-flusulfinam against the two was 1.4-3.1 fold that of Rac-flusulfinam against two weed species. R-flusulfinam toxicity to Danio rerio larvae and Selenastrum capricornutumwere was 0.8- and 3.0-fold higher than Rac-flusulfinam, respectively. Degradation experiments were conducted using soil samples from four Chinese provinces. The findings indicated that S-flusulfinam (half-life T1/2 = 40.8 days) exhibits preferential degradation than R-flusulfinam (T1/2 = 46.2-57.8 days) in the soils of three provinces. Under anaerobic conditions, soil from Anhui exhibited preferential degradation of R-flusulfinam (T1/2 = 46.2 days) over S-flusulfinam (T1/2 = 63 days). Furthermore, two hydrolysis products of flusulfinam (M299 and M100) are proposed for the first time. CONCLUSION: The enantioselective bioactivity, toxicity and degradation of flusulfinam were investigated. Our findings indicate that R-flusulfinam is an extremely effective and low-toxicity enantiomer for the tested species. The soil degradation test indicated that the degradation of flusulfinam was accelerated by higher organic matter content and lower soil pH. Furthermore, microbial communities may play a crucial role in driving the enantioselective degradation processes. This study lays the groundwork for the systematic evaluation of flusulfinam from an enantiomeric perspective. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative evaluation of 16S rRNA primer pairs in identifying nitrifying guilds in soils under long-term organic fertilization and water management.

Compared with 454 sequencing technology, short-read sequencing (e.g., Illumina) technology generates sequences of high accuracy, but limited length (<500 bp). Such a limitation can prove that studying a target gene using a large amplicon (>500 bp) is challenging. The ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), which plays a crucial part in the nitrification process, is such a gene. By providing a full overview of the community of a functional microbial guild, 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing could overcome this problem. However, it remains unclear how 16S rRNA primer selection influences the quantification of relative abundance and the identification of community composition of nitrifiers, especially AOA. In the present study, a comparison was made between the performance of primer pairs 338F-806R, 515F-806R, and 515F-907R to a shotgun metagenome approach. The structure of nitrifier communities subjected to different long-term organic matter amendment and water management protocols was assessed. Overall, we observed higher Chao1 richness diversity of soil total bacteria by using 515F-806R compared to 338F-806R and 515F-907R, while higher Pielou's evenness diversity was observed by using 515F-806R and 515F-907R compared to 338F-806R. The studied primer pairs revealed different performances on the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota, AOB, and NOB. The Thaumarchaeota 16S rRNA sequence was rarely detected using 338F-806R, while the relative abundances of Thaumarchaeota detected using 515F-806R were higher than those detected by using 515F-907R. AOB showed higher proportions in the 338F-806R and 515F-907R data, than in 515F-806R data. Different primers pairs showed significant change in relative proportion of NOB. Nonetheless, we found consistent patterns of the phylotype distribution of nitrifiers in different treatments. Nitrosopumilales (NP) and Nitrososphaerales (NS) clades were the dominant members of the AOA community in soils subject to controlled irrigation, whereas Ca. Nitrosotaleales (NT) and NS clades dominated the AOA community in soils subject to flooding irrigation. Nitrospira lineage II was the dominant NOB phylotype in all samples. Overall, ideal 16S rRNA primer pairs were identified for the analysis of nitrifier communities. Moreover, NP and NT clades of AOA might have distinct environmental adaptation strategies under different irrigation treatments.

Exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides induces physiological disorders and affects color performance and foraging behavior in goldfish.

We investigated the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides (NEOs) on the spontaneous swimming and foraging behavior, as well as the morphological and physiological changes of goldfish. Most fish reared in thiamethoxam (THM)-sprayed rice fields showed the scales easily peeled off, and increased ascites. Some individuals showed decreased bio-defense activity and low plasma Ca2+. Similar changes were found in the exposure test to THM (1.0 and 20.0 µg/L) and dinotefuran (1.2 and 23.5 µg/L). Next, the effects of a low concentration of THM (1.0 µg/L) on the spontaneous swimming and foraging behavior of fish were examined. Fish exposed to THM for 1 week became restless and had increased the swimming performance, especially under natural light, white LED lighting and blue LED lighting. Goldfish exposed to THM had also increased intake of shiny white beads under green LED illumination. These results indicate that the exposure to NEO, even for a short period and at low levels, not only suppressed bio-defense activities and metabolic abnormalities, but also stress response, the swimming and foraging behavior of the fish are likely to be significantly suffered.

Effects of Short-Term Tillage on Rhizosphere Soil Nitrogen Mineralization and Microbial Community Composition in Double-Cropping Rice Field.

Soil extracellular enzyme plays a vital role in changing soil nitrogen (N) mineralization of rice field. However, the effects of soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEA) and microbial community composition response to N mineralization of rice field under short-term tillage treatment needed to be further explored. In this study, we investigated the impact of short-term (8-year) tillage practices on rhizosphere soil N transformation rate, soil enzyme activities, soil microbial community structure, and the N mineralization function gene abundances in double-cropping rice field in southern China. The experiment consisted of four tillage treatments: rotary tillage with crop straw input (RT), conventional tillage with crop straw input (CT), no-tillage with crop straw retention (NT), and rotary tillage with all crop straw removed as a control (RTO). The results indicated that the rhizosphere soil N transformation rate in paddy field under the NT and RTO treatments was significantly decreased compared to RT and CT treatments. In comparison to the NT and RTO treatments, soil protease, urease, ß-glucosaminidase, and arginase activities were significantly improved by the CT treatment, as were abundances of soil sub, npr, and chiA with CT and RT treatments. Moreover, the overall diversity of soil bacterial communities in NT and RTO treatments was significantly lower than that in RT and CT treatments. Soil chitinolytic and bacterial ureolytic communities were also obviously changed under a combination of tillage and crop straw input practices.

Evidence of Potential Anammox Activities from Rice Paddy Soils in Microaerobic and Anaerobic Conditions.

Anammox, a reaction in which microorganisms oxidize ammonia under anaerobic conditions, is used in the industry to remove ammonium from wastewater in an environmentally friendly manner. This process does not produce intermediate products such as nitrite or nitrate, which can act as secondary pollutants in soil and water environments. For industrial applications, anammox bacteria should be obtained from the environment and cultivated. Anammox bacteria generally exhibit a slow growth rate and may not produce a large number of cells due to their anaerobic metabolism. Additionally, their habitats appear to be limited to specific environments, such as oxidation-reduction transition zones. Consequently, most of the anammox bacteria that are used or studied originate from marine environments. In this study, anammox bacterial evidence was found in rice paddy soil and cultured under various conditions of aerobic, microaerobic, and anaerobic batch incubations to determine whether enrichment was possible. The anammox-specific gene (hzsA) and microbial community analyses were performed on the incubated soils. Although it was not easy to enrich anammox bacteria due to co-occurrence of denitrification and nitrification based on the chemistry data, potential existence of anammox bacteria was assumed in the terrestrial paddy soil environment. For potential industrial uses, anammox bacteria could be searched for in rice paddy soils by applying optimal enrichment conditions.

A review of amendments for simultaneously reducing Cd and As availability in paddy soils and rice grain based on meta-analysis.

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains is a global food safety issue, and various methods and materials have been used to remove or reduce As and Cd in agricultural soils and rice grains. Despite the availability of synthesized materials capable of simultaneous As and Cd reduction from soil and rice grains, the contributions, efficiency, and main ingredients of the materials for As and Cd immobilization remain unclear. The present study first summarized the biogeochemistry of As and Cd in paddy soils and their transfer in the soil-food-human continuum. We also reviewed a series of reported inorganic and organic materials for simultaneous immobilization of As and Cd in paddy soils, and their reduction efficiency of As and Cd bioavailability were listed and compared. Based on the abovementioned materials, the study conducted a meta-analysis of 38 articles with 2565 observations to quantify the impacts of materials on simultaneous As and Cd reduction from soil and rice grains. Meta-analysis results showed that combining organic and inorganic amendments corresponded to effect sizes of -62.3% and -67.8% on As and Cd accumulation in rice grains, while the effect sizes on As and Cd reduction in paddy soils were -44.2% and -46.2%, respectively. Application of Fe based materials significantly (P < 0.05) reduced As (-54.2%) and Cd (-74.9%), accounting for the highest immobilization efficiency of As and Cd in rice grain among all the reviewed materials, outweighing S, Mn, P, Si, and Ca based materials. Moreover, precipitation, surface complexation, ion exchange, and electrostatic attraction mechanisms were involved in the co-immobilization tactics. The present study underlines the application of combined organic and inorganic amendments in simultaneous As and Cd immobilization. It also highlighted that employing Fe-incorporated biochar material may be a potential strategy for co-mitigating As and Cd pollution in paddy soils and accumulation in rice grains.

Design and assessment of tractor-driven chopping tilling and mixing machine for in-situ management of paddy straw.

In many Indian regions, paddy wheat is the main crop rotation and facing the problem of straw incorporation for seed bed preparation in short period. The handling of straw in combine harvested paddy fields is a significant issue in the paddy wheat rotation. In order to solve this issue, efforts were carried out to cut paddy straw into small pieces by the newly proposed counter-rotating blades, followed by the simultaneous incorporation of a rotary tiller into the soil. Therefore, a tractor operated chopping cum tilling mixing machine was developed. In the study, three different blades (straw management system (SMS) Serrated, cutter bar and SMS plain) were tested in the terms of torque and required to chop the straw. SMS serrated blade was best suitable for the chopping mechanism as it required minimum cutting torque for the straw bunches. The developed chopping cum tilling mixing machine was tested at three different levels of forward speed (1.77, 2.3, and 3 km h-1), moisture content at three levels (35 ± 3.4, 24 ± 2.2 and 17 ± 2.6%) with fix rotary tiller rotational speed of 810 rev min-1. Optimum operating condition of the machine was obtained at a forward speed of 1.9 km h-1 and a moisture of 24%. At these optimized values, the mixing index (96%), mean weight diameter (7.9 mm), bulk density (1230 g cc-1) and fuel consumption (3 l h-1) were 96%, 7.9 mm, 1230 g cc-1 and 3.0 l h-1 respectively. The developed machine performs three operations i.e., chopping, tilling, and mixing in single pass for effective in-situ straw management.

Crenobacter oryzisoli sp. nov., a novel phosphate-solubilizing bacterium isolated from the paddy soil.

Two Gram-staining-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped and phosphate-solubilizing strains designated SG2303T and SG2305, were isolated from paddy soil in China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16 S rRNA gene sequences indicated that SG2303T and SG2305 represented a member of the genus Crenobacter within the family Neisseriaceae of the phylum Pseudomonadota. Strain SG2303T displayed higher 16 S rRNA gene sequence similarities with members of the genus Crenobacter ranging from 93.5 to 94.0%. Strains C. luteus YIM 78141T and C. cavernae K1W11S-77T were closest related to the isolated strains and were considered as type strains. Growth of strain SG2303T occurred at 10-55 °C (optimum 37 °C), pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum pH 6.0-7.0) and 0-1% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0%). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain SG2303T and its closely related taxa were 76.1-78.2% and 20.5-22.1%, respectively. The genomic DNA G + C content was 62.2%. The quinone of strain SG2303T was Q-8. The major fatty acids (> 10%) of strain SG2303T were C16:0 (30.6%), summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c) (26.0%) and C12:0 3OH (12.1%). The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phospholipids (PL), glycolipid (GL) and unidentified lipids (UL). Based on the results of the phylogenetic, physiological, biochemical, and morphological analysis, strain SG2303T is recognized as a novel species of the genus Crenobacter, for which the name Crenobacter oryzisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SG2303T (= GDMCC 1.3970T = JCM 36468T). In addition, SG2303T was also able of phosphorus solubilization and promoting the growth of rice seeds. Strain SG2303T exhibited a relatively high dissolvable phosphorus content of 2.52 µg·mL- 1.

Synchronous influence of soil amendments on alkylmercury and methane emissions in mercury-contaminated paddy soil.

Mercury (Hg) alkylation and methane (CH4) emissions pose significant global concerns. Paddy soil, due to its long-term anaerobic conditions and abundant organic matter, is hotspots for soil Hg alkylation and CH4 emissions. However, the relevance between Hg alkylation and CH4 emissions, especially their simultaneous reduction strategies, remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of biochar (BC), selenium (Se) and rice straw (RS) amendments on Hg alkylation and CH4 emissions in paddy soil, and the accumulation of Hg speciation. Results found that both BC and RS amendments significantly increased the levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) and humification index (HIX). Furthermore, BC decreased the concentrations of Hg(II), methylmercury (MeHg) and ethylmercury (EtHg) by 63.1%, 53.6% and 100% in rice grains. However, RS increased Hg(II) concentration but decreased the total Hg (THg), MeHg and EtHg concentrations in rice grains. Compared to the CK, RS significantly increased CH4 emissions, while BC decreased CH4 emissions, and Se showed no significant difference. Se amendment increased the Hg(II) and EtHg concentrations by 20.3% and 17.0% respectively, and decreased the MeHg concentration in grains by 58.3%. Both BC and RS impacted the abundance of methanogens by enhancing SOC and HIX, subsequently modulating the relevance between Hg alkylation and CH4 emissions. These findings provide insights into the relevance between Hg alkylation and CH4 emissions and propose potential mitigation mechanisms in Hg-contaminated paddy soil.

An integrated approach through controlled experiment and LCIA to evaluate water quality and ecological impacts of irrigated paddy rice.

This study used an integrated approach to mainly assess the water quality of paddy field during cultivation and quantify its equivalent ecological damages. Accordingly, an isolated pilot area with 0.6 ha and subsurface drainage pipes was prepared for flow measurement and multiple pollutant examination (DO, EC, pH, COD, TKN, TN, TP, NO3, butachlor) under controlled condition during 94 days of rice cultivation. Based on life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) database, the indices of ReCiPe (2016) were used to convert the examined nutrient and herbicide pollution. Results showed that TKN and TP were significant pollutants and reached the maximum concentrations of 7.2 and 4.9 mg/L in pilot outflow, respectively. Here, their average discharged loads were 56.2 gN/day and 45.3 gP/day. These loads equal leaching 8.5% and 9.4% of applied urea and phosphate fertilizers, respectively. The nutrient export coefficients were 8.4 kgN/ha and 6.8 kgP/ha. Nevertheless, the majority of this pollution was transferred by inflow. The net export coefficients were 0.3 kgN/ha and 2.6 kgP/ha while net leaching rates were 0.3%TN and 3.3%TP. The trend of combined ecological damages also showed that the 11-17th day of cultivation imposed the highest ecological risks. The state-of-the-art index of ecological footprint per food production estimates the equivalent ratio of lost lives by impaired ecosystem against lives saved from starvation. This index showed that 7% of the potential of produced paddy rice in this area for saving lives would be spoiled by releasing pollution to the terrestrial ecosystem in the long term. Yet, it can be enhanced as a matter of direct discharge to the freshwater. Therefore, using suitable agricultural operations or improving farm management practices for pollution abatement or assimilation potential is highly recommended.

Spatial distribution and enrichment characteristics of selenium in paddy soil and rice around the Dongting Lake.

Selenium (Se) deficiency is a major global health issue. Given that the Dongting Lake region is a significant agricultural production area in China, its soil and geographical properties have a marked influence on Se accumulation in rice. Investigating these factors and their importance can provide technical guidance for the production of Se-rich rice locally and in other similar regions worldwide. Such studies can foster Se-enriched agricultural practices on a global scale, contributing to improved human health and environmental quality. Therefore, in this study, we investigated 15,403 paddy soil samples and their corresponding rice grains from the Dongting Lake area, by analyzing their Se content, spatial distribution, and bioaccumulation factor (BCF). The effects of parent materials, soil characteristics (physicochemical), and geographical factors on Se content in soil, rice grains, and BCF were also assessed. We found that the average Se content in the paddy soil of the Dongting Lake area was 0.43 mg/kg, which was 1.48 folds higher than the background Se content (0.29 mg/kg) in Chinese soil. The average Se content in rice grains was 0.059 mg/kg, surpassing the Chinese standard for Se-rich rice (0.04 mg/kg). Se distribution in the paddy soil and rice were the highest in the western and central regions and lowest in the eastern region. Se-enriched rice and Se-enriched rice fields are widely distributed in Dongting Lake area. Seven parent materials significantly influenced soil Se and BCF. Correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between soil Se and soil organic matter (SOM), zinc, altitude, and mean annual precipitation. BCF was positively correlated with pH and mean annual temperature. The Random Forest model highlighted that SOM played a pivotal role in soil Se enrichment, being the most influential factor for both soil and rice enrichment (RR type), whereas pH exerted the most significant influence on soil enrichment without rice enrichment (RN type).

Hydration behavior and kinetic studies of paddy cultivars: optimization of process variables for improved physical, milling and textural properties.

The optimization of hydration temperature and duration were determined in six basmati and non-basmati paddy cultivars varying in grain size, shape, and amylose content based on kinetic parameters and effect of hydration temperature on physical, milling, textural and color attributes. Based on higher R2, lower Chi square and RMSE values, Peleg model fitted more suitably compared to Singh and Kulshrestha model. Hydration process significantly altered geometric, gravimetric and mechanical properties as evident by regression analysis. Physical properties except length and L/B ratio positively correlated with increasing hydration temperature. Head rice yield significantly improved in the hydrated treatments and showed a linear increase with the increase in hydration temperature. Head rice yield significantly correlated with hardness of grain (r = 0.684, p ≤ 0.01). Variable physico-chemical properties of cultivars led to establishment of cultivar specific optimum hydration temperature. Based on improvement in hardness, milling efficiency, head rice yield, color and textural attributes, the optimized temperature emerged as 75 °C for long slender grained cultivars (PB1509, PB1718, PS17) and 80 °C for medium grained cultivars (PD18, KJ, AL). The results revealed that optimum hydration temperature should be cultivar specific to get better output of parboiling process. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05925-1.

Response of soil microbial ecological functions and biological characteristics to organic fertilizer combined with biochar in dry direct-seeded paddy fields.

Biochar and organic fertilizer are commonly used to maintain soil health and sustainable agroecosystems, and the alternate wet-dry management of soil moisture in dry direct-seeded paddy fields can complicate the effects of biochar and organic fertilizer on soil microhabitats. Therefore, this study used chicken manure organic fertilizer to replace some of the inorganic fertilizer and applied biochar to explore the ability of biochar and organic fertilizer to regulate the functions of the soil microhabitat in dry direct-seeded paddy fields. The coupling effect of organic fertilizer and biochar increased the diversity and richness of soil bacteria but had no significant effect on soil fungi. Biochar and organic fertilizer affected the distribution and composition of soil bacteria and fungi, and the total number of soil bacteria and fungi increased by 1365 and -71 (5 t/hm2 biochar and no organic fertilizer), 660 and 79 (10 t/hm2 biochar and no organic fertilizer), 3121 and 7 (no biochar and 20 % organic fertilizer substitution), 1873 and -72 (5 t/hm2 biochar and 20 % organic fertilizer substitution), and -544 and -65 (10 t/hm2 biochar and 20 % organic fertilizer substitution), respectively, compared with that of the control treatment. Compared with the application of biochar alone, the coupling effect of biochar and organic fertilizer increased the average degree (0.95 and 0.16), links (190 and 32), and ratio of fungal positive links (1.651 %), and decreased the modularity (0.034 and 0.052) and ratio of bacterial positive links (6.482 %) of bacterial and fungal networks. In addition, the coupling effect resulted in a more complex association between soil microbial diversity and richness and microbial ecological functions. Random forest predictions indicated that, organic fertilizer as a random factor, changes in the abundance of bacterial Bacteroidetes and Nitrospirae and fungal Monoblepharomycota were the main factors driving the differences in soil microbial ecological functions.