Effectiveness of a novel composite filler to enhance phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands.

Improving the adsorption performance of wetland fillers is of great significance for enhancing pollutant removal in constructed wetlands. Currently, limited by complex preparation processes and high costs, large numbers of high adsorption fillers studied in lab are difficult to be applied in practical engineering. In this study, a newly low-cost and efficient phosphorus removal composite wetland filler (CFB) is prepared by using industrial and agriculture waste (steel slag and oyster shells) and natural ore (volcanic rock) as raw materials. The results show that phosphorus removal efficiency was largely enhanced by synergistic effects of steel slag, oyster shells, and volcanic rock, and it was mainly influenced by the proportion of each component of CFB. Based on the fitting of the classical isothermal equation, the adsorption capacity of CFB is 18.339 mg/g. The adsorption of phosphorus by CFB is endothermic and spontaneous, and there are heterogeneous surfaces and multi-layer adsorption processes, as well as pH value and temperature, are free from the influence on CFB phosphorus removal. During the practical wastewater application experiments, the phosphorus removal rate of the CFB-filled constructed wetland apparatus (CW-A) can reach 94.89% and is free from the influence on the removal of other pollutants (COD, TN, and NH3-N) by the system. Overall, the prepared CFB is of excellent decontamination effect, an extremely simple preparation process, low cost, and sound practical engineering application potential, providing new ideas and approaches for enhancing the phosphorus removal capacity and waste resource utilization of constructed wetland systems.

Alleviating the adverse effects of Cd-Pb contamination through the application of silicon fertilizer: Enhancing soil microbial diversity and mitigating heavy metal contamination.

The use of silicon fertilizer (SF) as a means of remediating cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) pollution has proven to be beneficial. However, the mechanism via which SF enhances soil quality and crop productivity under Cd- and Pb-contaminated soil (S) remains unclear. This study investigated the impacts of chemical fertilizer, mineral SF (MSF), and organic SF (OSF) on microbial community structure, activity of nutrient acquisition enzymes, and growth of tobacco in the presence of S condition. SF significantly reduced the contents of Cd and Pb in soil under S condition by 6.92-42.43% and increased plant height and leaf area by 15.27-81.77%. Moreover, the use of SF was observed to increase the efficiency of soil carbon and phosphorus cycling under S condition by 6.88-23.08%. Concurrently, SF was found to play a crucial role in facilitating the establishment of a complex, efficient, and interdependent molecular ecological network among soil microorganisms. In this context, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota were observed to be integral components of this network. SF was found to have a substantial positive impact on the metabolic functions and organismal systems of soil microorganisms. Moreover, the combined utilization of the Mantel test and partial least squares path model provided empirical evidence supporting the assertion that the administration of SF had a positive impact on both soil nutrient acquisition enzyme activity and tobacco growth, which was attributed to the enhancement of soil microbial diversity resulting from the application of SF. Furthermore, compared with MSF, OSF has advantages in reducing soil Pb and Cd content, promoting tobacco agronomic traits, increasing the number of key microbial communities, and maintaining the structural stability of microbial networks. The aforementioned findings, therefore, suggest that the OSF played a pivotal role in alleviating the adverse impacts of S, thereby demonstrating its efficacy in this particular process.

The impact of different preceding crops on soil nitrogen structure and nitrogen cycling in tobacco-planting soil.

Soil nitrogen content, structure, and nitrogen cycling play a crucial role in tobacco growth quality, with different preceding crops having varying impacts on tobacco cultivation soil. This study conducted using field experiments, employed three treatments with different preceding crops, namely tobacco, barley, and rapeseed, to investigate the effects of different preceding crops on soil nitrogen structure and the expression levels of soil nitrogen cycling-related functional genes in tobacco cultivation soil. The results indicated that different preceding crops had varying effects on the content of different nitrogen forms in tobacco cultivation soil. Ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen were the two nitrogen forms which were most influenced by preceding crops, with the ammonium nitrogen content in soils following barley and rapeseed preceding crops increasing by 82.88% and 63.56%, respectively, compared to sole tobacco cultivation. The nitrate nitrogen content in tobacco cultivation soil was 26.97% higher following barley preceding crops and 24.39% higher following rapeseed preceding crops compared to sole tobacco cultivation. Simultaneously, different preceding crops also affected the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes in tobacco cultivation soil. In the nitrification process, amoA was significantly impacted, with its expression reduced by 64.39% and 72.24% following barley and rapeseed preceding crops, respectively, compared to sole tobacco cultivation. In the denitrification process, except for the narG gene, all other genes were subjected to varying degrees of inhibition when preceded by barley and rapeseed crops. Correlation analysis between soil nitrogen structure and the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes revealed that increased nitrogen levels suppressed the expression of Arch-amoA. Additionally, ammonium nitrogen strongly influenced the expression levels of most soil nitrogen cycling functional genes. In conclusion, preceding crops alter soil nitrogen structure, possibly due to changes in soil microorganisms, and different preceding crops modified the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes in tobacco cultivation soil, consequently affecting the proportions of various nitrogen forms in the soil.

Effects of topping and non-topping on growth-regulating hormones of flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)-a proteomic analysis.

Introduction: Until now, the mechanism underlying the impact of topping on hormone regulation in tobacco plants remains unclear, and most studies investigating the hormone signaling pathways in plants rely on genes or transcriptional pathways. Methods: This study examines the regulatory mechanisms of hormones in the roots and leaves of tobacco plants with and without topping at the protein level. Results: The results demonstrate that, compared with non-topped plants, topping leads to a decrease in the levels of IAA (auxin), ABA (abscisic acid), and GA (gibberellin) hormones in the leaves, whereas the content of the JA (jasmonic acid) hormone increases. Furthermore, in the roots, topping results in an increase in the levels of IAA, ABA, and JA hormones, along with a decrease in GA content. In the leaves, a total of 258 significantly different proteins were identified before and after topping, with 128 proteins upregulated and 130 proteins downregulated. In the roots, there were 439 proteins with significantly different quantities before and after topping, consisting of 211 upregulated proteins and 228 downregulated proteins. Notably, these proteins were closely associated with the metabolic and biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites, as indicated by functional categorization. Conclusions: When integrating the hormone changes and the proteomics results, it is evident that topping leads to increased metabolic activity and enhanced hormone synthesis in the root system. This research provides a theoretical foundation for further investigations into the regulation and signaling mechanisms of hormones at the protein level before and after topping in plants.

The physiological response of different tobacco varieties to chilling stress during the vigorous growing period.

Tobacco is be sensitively affected by chilling injury in the vigorous growth period, which can easily lead to tobacco leaf browning during flue-curing and quality loss, however, the physiological response of tobacco in the prosperous period under low temperature stress is unclear. The physiological response parameters of two tobacco varieties to low temperature stress were determined. The main results were as follows: ① For tobacco in the vigorous growing period subjected to low-temperature stress at 4-16 °C, the tissue structure of chloroplast changed and photosynthetic pigments significantly decreased compared with each control with the increase of intensity of low-temperature stress. ② For tobacco in the vigorous growing period at 10-16 °C, antioxidant capacity of the protective enzyme system, osmotic adjustment capacity of the osmotic adjusting system and polyphenol metabolism in plants gradually increased due to induction of low temperature with the increase of intensity of low-temperature stress. ③ Under low-temperature stress at 4 °C, the protective enzyme system, osmotic adjusting system and polyphenol metabolism of the plants played an insignificant role in stress tolerance, which cannot be constantly enhanced based on low-temperature resistance at 10 °C. This study confirmed that under the temperature stress of 10-16 °C, the self-regulation ability of tobacco will be enhanced with the deepening of low temperature stress, but there is a critical temperature between 4 and 10 °C. The self-regulation ability of plants under low temperature stress will be inhibited.

Cold stress in the harvest period: effects on tobacco leaf quality and curing characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Weather change in high-altitude areas subjects mature tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) to cold stress, which damages tobacco leaf yield and quality. A brupt diurnal temperature differences (the daily temperature dropping more than 20 °C) along with rainfall in tobacco-growing areas at an altitude above 2450 m, caused cold stress to field-grown tobacco. RESULTS: After the flue-cured tobacco suffered cold stress in the field, the surface color of tobacco leaves changed and obvious large browning areas were appeared, and the curing availability was extremely poor. Further research found the quality of fresh tobacco leaves, the content of key chemical components, and the production quality were greatly reduced by cold stress. We hypothesize that cold stress in high altitude environments destroyed the antioxidant enzyme system of mature flue-cured tobacco. Therefore, the quality of fresh tobacco leaves, the content of key chemical components, and the production quality were greatly reduced by cold stress. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that cold stress in high-altitude tobacco areas was the main reason for the browning of tobacco leaves during the tobacco curing process. This adverse environment seriously damaged the quality of tobacco leaves, but can be mitigated by pay attention to the weather forecast and pick tobacco leaves in advance.

The effect of flue-curing procedure on the dynamic change of microbial diversity of tobaccos.

The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of flue-curing procedure on the diversity of microbial communities in tobaccos and the dynamic change of compositions of microbial communities in the flue-curing process. It expects to provide a theoretical basis for the application of microbes in tobacco leaves and a theoretical basis and idea for optimization of the flue-curing technologies. By investigating tobacco variety K326, the tests were carried out for comparing the conventional flue-curing procedure and dry-ball temperature set and wet-ball temperature degradation flue-curing procedure. Based on the culture-independent approach and high-throughput sequencing procedure, the relationship between the flue-curing procedure for tobaccos and microbial communities in tobaccos was revealed by measuring the dynamic change of microbial communities. The results indicated that:(1) Relative to surface wiping method, washing method was more suitable for the sampling of microbes on the surface of tobacco leaves; (2) Dry-ball temperature set and wet-ball temperature degradation flue-curing procedure was more favorable for maintaining the microbial diversity of tobaccos; (3) Relative to bacteria of the tobaccos, the succession rule of the fungal communities in tobaccos was relatively steady; (4)Compared with bacterial community diversity, the fungal community diversity presented an obvious negative correlation with temperature and humidity during the flue-curing process. (5) The function of bacterial communities in tobaccos matched with the material transformation law of tobaccos, having a direct correlation on the flue-curing process. In short, Dry-ball temperature set and wet-ball temperature degradation flue-curing procedure can more favorably maintain the microbial diversity of tobaccos; moreover, the function of the tobacco system involved in microbes in tobaccos was closely related to the material transformation law of tobaccos in the flue-curing process. It validated that the bacteria in tobaccos play an important role in the flue-curing process of tobaccos.

Type-II Ising Superconductivity and Anomalous Metallic State in Macro-Size Ambient-Stable Ultrathin Crystalline Films.

Recent emergence of two-dimensional (2D) crystalline superconductors has provided a promising platform to investigate novel quantum physics and potential applications. To reveal essential quantum phenomena therein, ultralow temperature transport investigation on high-quality ultrathin superconducting films is critically required, although it has been quite challenging experimentally. Here, we report a systematic transport study on the ultrathin crystalline PdTe2 films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Interestingly, a new type of Ising superconductivity in 2D centrosymmetric materials is revealed by the detection of large in-plane critical field more than 7 times the Pauli limit. Remarkably, in a perpendicular magnetic field, we provide solid evidence of an anomalous metallic state characterized by the resistance saturation at low temperatures with high-quality filters. The robust superconductivity with intriguing quantum phenomena in the macro-size ambient-stable ultrathin PdTe2 films remains almost the same for 20 months, showing great potentials in electronic and spintronic applications.

Temperature-assisted photochemical construction of CdS-based ordered porous films with photocatalytic activities on solution surfaces.

Taking a colloidal monolayer floating on the surface of a precursor solution as template, free-standing CdS/Cd composites and pure CdS (CdS-based) ordered porous films had been prepared by a temperature-assisted photochemical strategy. After irradiation with UV-light and heat treatment, the films formed hemi-spherical pores due to the preferable deposition of CdS and Cd onto the PS spheres during the photochemical and interfacial reactions. When the temperature increased from 15 to 60°C, the air/water interface gradually changed into a vapor/water interface on the surface of the solution, resulting in variations of the final compositions. The optical properties of the films were hence changed. Because of the free-standing characteristic, the ordered porous films were first transferred on surface of polluted solutions as photocatalysts, which was a new mode in application of photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activities of films showed regular variations with the compositions in photodegradation of Rhodamine B. This method provides a simple route for tuning the properties of porous films through control of its composition and a flexible application of films on any surface.