Call number: LD2668 .T4 1960 M66

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / David B. Mengel / A number of questions are being raised concerning phosphorus (P) management as producers switch to minimum or no-tillage cropping systems. Benefits of P application are site specific and potential advantages need to be evaluated for each location. Deep band application effects on crop yield and soil P distribution have been studied, but conclusive results are lacking because of the complexity of environment and P placement interactions, particularly in moisture limited environments. Challenges in soil test sampling and interpretation have also affected P management in these reduced and no-tillage systems because of decreased confidence in soil test P data. The objectives of this research were to evaluate crop responses to P application rate and placement and to study the distribution of soil P concentration, both vertically and laterally at a number of locations in Kansas. This research shows that crop growth at the sites evaluated was not negatively affected by P stratification, which was present at all sites at the beginning of the study. Phosphorus placement methods (broadcast and deep band) did not have significant effects on P responses. However, P application was required to achieve maximum yields at sites with low soil P, but high P sites did not consistently respond to P application. When P fertilizer was broadcast, shallow soil depths continued to have high soil test P, while deep band application increased soil P in the 7.6 to 15 cm depth. The addition of starter application with deep banding of P generally resulted in a more even vertical distribution of soil P. Soil test P data also demonstrated that the presence of bands can be confirmed through soil sampling, but the confidence of soil test P data in a vertical and lateral stratified soil was decreased. Soil samples taken from the band area had highly variable P (high coefficient of variation) concentrations likely due to an inability to sample from within the P band or variability in P application. Soil sampling in these management systems proves to be challenging and will need further research to identify improved methods for soil test P sampling and interpretation.

No description available.

Excess nitrate-N concentration (>10 mg L-1) in drinking water can cause significant risk to human health. Also, at very low concentration (0.035-0.1 mg P L-1), phosphorus is considered as a pollutant due to its effects of promoting algal growth and eutrophication of surface waters. This thesis’ research was conducted at two different sites. The first study was conducted at Carman on a sandy loam soil with cropping system, perennial versus annual, as the main plot and manure nutrient management system, as the subplot to measure nitrate and phosphorus leaching from hog manures. The second field experiment, located northwest of the town of Carberry, Manitoba, was conducted on a loamy sand soil. A two year rotation was employed for the annual cropping systems with a randomized complete block design. Treatments included two rates of liquid hog manure (LH-5000, LH-2500), two rates of fertilizers (F5000, F2500) corresponding to the amount of available nitrogen in the two rates of hog manure a compost treatment (Com-2500) and a control for a total of six treatments. The results from Carman site showed that while a substantial amount of nitrate-nitrogen was lost from the annual plots (40 to 60 kg ha-1 in 2010 and 23 to 60 kg ha-1 in 2011), a negligible amounts of nitrate was lost from the perennial (< 1 kg ha-1). There was no evidence of significant downward movement of phosphorus below the top 15 cm soil layer in this study. However, repeated, annual application of manure at an N-based rate resulted in increased soil test P. In Carberry, total N leaching of fertilizer amended plots was greater than in plots that received manure. Based on the results, application of liquid hog manure at the rate of 2500 gallon ac-1 was economically and environmentally more desirable and is recommended. We applied the multi-layer water balance model, VSMB, to the data that we generated in the field to gain an understanding of how well the model will simulate the loss of water that we measured from the lysimeters. The simulation study showed that the VSMB model grossly underestimated the amount of leached water, possibly due to an overestimation of evapotranspiration. / October 2015

The present study sought to define a possible role of phosphorus-stimulated ammoniagenesis, previously observed in vitro and in experimental animals, in the hypocalciuric effect of phosphorus in young men. It was hypothesized that titrating some of the hydrogen ions destined for excretion with ammonia would be beneficial to kidney calcium reabsorption because ammonium ion unlike hydrogen ion does not increase urinary calcium loss. To test this hypothesis, seven young men (22 - 31 years old and average weight of 70 kg) were fed a single menu providing 800 mg phosphorus, 1200 mg calcium, 11.7 MJ (~ 2800 kcal) and 14.5 g nitrogen for 10 days. In a subsequent 10-day period, dietary phosphorus was doubled to 1600 mg by the addition of cheddar cheese and milk to the menu. Dietary nitrogen, calcium and vitamin D were equalized for the two periods. Three 24-hour urine samples and a fasting blood sample were collected at the end of each experimental period. Comparison of period 2 with 1 showed urinary phosphorus excretion + 82%, urinary calcium excretion - 38%, serum phosphorus + 6.2%, serum calcium - 3.8%, urinary sulfate and creatinine excretion no change. Urinary ammonia nitrogen excretion increased in all seven subjects with an average increase of 13%. Furthermore each individual increase in ammonia nitrogen excretion was found to be directly correlated with urinary phosphorus excretion (r = 0.76, P < 0.05). Urinary urea nitrogen excretion was found to vary inversely with urinary ammonia nitrogen excretion with an average decrease of 12% and urinary total nitrogen excretion decreased 14% for the entire group. Results obtained therefore offer a mechanism by which phosphorus directly improves the non-parathyroid hormone portion of tubular calcium reabsorption. The magnitude of the effects seen however suggest that phosphorus-stimulated ammoniagenesis only plays a small role in the mechanism of the hypocalciuric effect of phosphorus in young men. / Graduation date: 1996

Under conditions of phosphate starvation Escherichia coli can solubilize mineral phosphates, such as dicalcium phosphate, to orthophosphate which is then available for uptake and cell growth processes. lac operon fusions were created using MudX phage, and mineral phosphate solubilization (Mps) mutants were identified by their inability to solubilize mineral phosphate on plate assays. Four of these mutants have been mapped on the E. coli chromosome via Hfr matings and are located at two distinct portions of the chromosome; between 23 and 50 minutes and between 60 and 90 minutes. One mutant in each region has phosphate starvation inducible (Psi) promoter activity. One of these mutants (DB1047) was mapped to between 69 and 75 minutes via F' matings, and fine structure mapped to 75 minutes by hybridization with λ clones from a genomic library of Escherichia coli. DB1047 was characterized more closely and found to exhibit pleiotropy with regard to several membrane related traits. Evidence that this is a single insertional event comes from the simultaneous loss of all traits tested in spontaneous revertants. Additionally, a Tn5 mutant was identified that was identical for these traits. Our data strongly support the hypothesis that the mutation carried by DB1047 is in the ompB locus. This locus consists of the two regulatory cotranscribed genes, ompR and envZ. This locus is involved in regulation of transcription of the ompC and ompF genes for outer membrane porin proteins, and is located at 75 minutes on the chromosome as is the DB1047 mutation. DB1047 lacks the outer membrane porin OmpF, a phenotype previously attributed to envZ mutants. However, the ompR321 mutant resembles DB1047 in reduced ability to solubilize phosphate. Additional supporting evidence for the DB1047 mutation belonging to the ompB locus comes from the most recent report that mutations in the himA gene, which I found to be deficient in the ability to solubilize phosphate, also affect the regulation of production of the outer membrane porin OmpF.

No description available.

Concern over excess phosphorus (P) input and loading in some soils of the Canadian prairie region has led to a need for a better understanding of the fate of added manure and fertilizer P. Information on the effects of manure application over long term (i.e., years) and short term (i.e., weeks, months) as related to management practices and manure form is still lacking. Knowledge of the P forms and species present in soil following application of manure and inorganic P fertilizers, and linking this to potential P availability and mobility is needed to make sound P management recommendations. The objective of this thesis project was to assess the speciation of soil P in different manures and inorganic fertilizer-amended Saskatchewan soils as affected by time, presence and absence of plants, landscape position, soil type, and management practices including rate and placement. Three studies were conducted (growth chamber and field-based experiments) to study P behavior in soils. These studies closely followed a time scale, beginning with speciation and fate followed over the very short-term (i.e., days to weeks) to a short-term period (i.e., months to a year) following amendment application, and finally the effects of repeated annual manure additions made over the long term (i.e., 11 years). Soils used in this study were loamy textured Brown and Black Chernozems. Solid cattle manure (SCM) and liquid hog manure (LHM) were applied at low and high rates in the very short-term and long-term studies. The low rate of SCM and LHM application was 7.6 T ha-1 yr-1 (dry weight) and 37,000 L ha-1 yr-1, respectively which was equivalent to approximately 100 kg total N ha-1 yr-1 application (agronomic N rate). The high rate was four times this amount. Inorganic fertilizer (mono-ammonium phosphate blended with urea) at rate of 54 kg N ha-1 and 12 kg P ha-1 and SCM at rate of 60 T ha-1 were applied in the short-term study. A sequential chemical extraction procedure was used to fractionate P in very short-term and short-term studies and different soil test phosphorus (STP) methods were used to determine effects on the labile P in the long-term study. Changes in P speciation with time and their relative proportions in fertilizered soils were also assessed using the synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy in all studies. This study has revealed that manure, especially SCM elevates labile P over all time frames examined. Over the very short-term (i.e., weeks to a month), P was added as manure tends to remain in labile forms like brushite and adsorbed P that is accessible to plants for uptake. In the manure band (months to a year), manure P was relatively unchanged over a period of months while in the mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) fertilizer band, adsorbed and Ca-P was readily formed from fertilizer P. Aging over several years (one to eleven years), along with high soil pH and high Ca:P ratio enhanced formation of more stable Ca-P minerals like apatite, especially in SCM amended soil. Overall, the unique combined use of wet chemical analysis and synchrotron-based techniques in this thesis research has improved our understanding of fate and transformation of P added to prairie soils. It is suggested that future studies of fate of applied P in soil also utilize a combination of wet chemical and spectroscopic techniques, as this was shown to be a rewarding approach.

Plant growth promoters (PGP) are microorganisms essential for sustainable food production systems by improving the productivity of crops and mitigating environmental impacts. Microorganisms enhance the P availability to plants by mineralizing organic P and solubilizing precipitated phosphates. This work is focused on the effect of inoculation of a commercial product containing a mixture of Bacillus spp. on hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa) integrated with tilapia (Orechromis niloticus) aquaculture in a closed-loop system, in comparison with an untreated control. We determined plant growth and crop quality parameters to assess the efficacy of the beneficial microorganisms. A nutrient dynamics analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of Bacillus inoculation on the changes of nutrient concentration in aquaponics solutions, as well as the phosphorus accumulation in several components (fish, plants, water and solids). We performed a plate-count assay to quantify the number microorganisms present in systems inoculated or not with the commercial Bacillus mixture. In general, nutrient dynamics was affected by the inclusion of the Bacillus mixture in the water. Systems that received the product showed faster decreases in ammonia concentration and faster increase in nitrite and nitrate concentrations than the control. The untreated aquaponics systems showed lower accumulation of phosphorus in the water than systems receiving the Bacillus mixture, which resulted in poor plant growth, low phosphorus accumulation in the leaves and low chlorophyll content. However, the mass balance analysis showed that an external source of phosphorus possibly contributed to the overall P budget in systems receiving the Bacillus mixture. The microbial plate count assay demonstrated an active microbiota in aquaponics systems receiving the treatment while untreated systems showed zero microbial counts. The Bacillus mixture used in the present study appears to have PGP properties and to affect P dynamics in aquaponics systems. However, since the product contained traces of phosphorus in its composition, further analysis will be necessary to distinguish whether the advantageous effects promoted by the Bacillus occurred as a result of a beneficial microbial activity or a fertilizing effect. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The interaction between the main ions in aquaponics nutrient solutions affects chemical composition and availability of nutrients, and nutrient uptake by plant roots. This study determined the effect of pH on phosphorus (P) speciation and availability in an aquaponics nutrient solution and used Visual MINTEQ to simulate P species and P activity. In both experimental and simulated results, P availability decreased with increase in pH of aquaponics nutrient solutions. According to simulations, P binds to several cations leaving less free phosphate ions available in solution. High pH values resulted in the formation of insoluble calcium phosphate species. The study also demonstrated the importance of organic matter and alkalinity in keeping free phosphate ions in solution at high pH ranges. It is recommended though that pH in aquaponics systems is maintained at a 5.5-7.2 range for optimal availability and uptake by plants. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.