Reduced nitrogen fertilization combined with microbial bio-inputs restores soil bacterial functional profiles and sustains wheat performance.

ABSTRACT Diversifying tree species is increasingly important for enhancing forest resilience under climate change in Sweden. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a promising alternative to native conifers but seedlings are sensitive to frost damage during establishment on exposed sites. This study evaluated the establishment and early growth of Douglas-fir seedlings planted under low shelters of different compositions. A field experiment in southern Sweden tested five shelter treatments: two densities of naturally regenerated birch (Betula spp.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) shelter, mixed birch-spruce shelter, and a clearcut control. Seedling survival, frost damage, height growth, top shoot elongation, and morphological quality were monitored over five years. Survival was high across all treatments and unaffected by shelter treatment. Frost damage was significantly reduced under all shelter treatments compared with the control, with the strongest protection provided by the densest birch shelter. Shelter also helped preventing multiple leaders, indicating improved seedling quality. No significant negative effects of low shelter on early height or shoot growth were detected. The results demonstrated that a low shelter can effectively mitigate frost risk during Douglas-fir establishment without compromising early seedling height growth, supporting its use as a practical silvicultural tool for climate-adapted forestry in Sweden.

Development and field application of a vehicle-mounted NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer for rapid mapping of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in agricultural soils

Thermal performance testing of shallow geothermal systems: Insights from field experiments and numerical modelling

Use of travel time in a shared automated vehicle for work and leisure: Results from a field experiment with a Wizard-of-Oz simulator-on-wheels vehicle

Seed treatment of cool-season turfgrasses with entomopathogenic fungi stimulated plant growth but had limited effects as a biocontrol agent.

Plant and bacterial diversity co-regulate ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical grasslands of southwestern China.

Modeling the filter-feeding behavior of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in response to natural variations in seston availability in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Colouration can affect predation risk through camouflage, signalling, or other mechanisms that shape predator perception and decision-making. The Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina), a flagship longhorn beetle of European beech forests, has a bluish-grey exoskeleton with conspicuous black spots, yet the function of this colour pattern remains unclear. We tested whether its blue body colouration is consistent with background matching to beech bark and whether black spotting reduces predation risk beyond that provided by the blue body colouration alone. We measured reflectance spectra of the blue body colouration, black spots and beech bark, modelled chromatic contrasts under avian vision, and deployed plasticine beetle models in three colour variants: black, blue and a natural pattern with blue and black spots. Visual modelling showed that both beetle colours were chromatically distinguishable from beech bark, but black spots had lower chromatic contrast than blue body colouration, suggesting that the black component may match the bark background more closely than the blue component. In the field experiment, attack occurrence varied with colour, sampling session and their interaction. In September, blue and patterned models were less likely than black models to be attacked. Patterned models also received fewer marks than black models. By October, these colour differences had weakened or disappeared. These findings indicate that the blue body colouration and the natural colour pattern may reduce predation risk relative to an entirely black phenotype, particularly early in the season. However, we found no clear evidence that black spotting provides protection beyond that afforded by the blue body colouration alone. Alternative functions of the spots, including thermoregulation or signalling, remain plausible.

Field experiment study of well-group control and exploitation in Fuyu oil shale using topochemical heat in-situ conversion technology

More frequently extreme precipitation delayed sowing window of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in North China Plain (NCP), which could change wheat phenological development, threatening yield formation. Widely, increased seeding rates were a proposed strategy to maximize potential yields. There is a clear need to examine the effects of delayed sowing and increased seeding rates on key wheat parameters, including phenology, growth and development. A 2-year field experiment was conducted with three sowing dates (conventional date, Con; delayed 7 days, D7; delayed 14 days, D14) and two seeding rates (250 seeds m-2, Nor; 310 seeds m-2, Inc). Results showed that without abundant pre-winter photothermal resources, yields under delayed sowing decreased by 7.60% (D7) and 18.04% (D14) compared with Con. However, Inc could alleviate and even reverse the yield loss caused by delayed sowing, which primarily was due to 29.95% higher pre-winter population and 9.40% more final spikes than Nor. Additionally, post-winter thermal accumulation under delayed sowing increased by 24.57-72.62 d °C compared to Con, which ensured higher tillers improvement from overwintering to jointing, increased relative growth rate by 38.52-109.69% compared to Con after jointing and prolonged effective grain-filling duration. Notably, compared with Nor-Con, the Inc-D7 effectively balanced crop population and individual characteristics, thereby achieved a 101.82% reversal in aboveground biomass accumulation and a 7.03% yield increase. Inc-D7 combination established yield resilience by establishing optimal population and adaptive growth regulation, which provided valuable information to secure production stability in the NCP agricultural system to cope with climate changes. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Variable effects of biochar on soil greenhouse gas emissions: A meta-analysis of climate, soil, and biochar property interactions.

Parameterisation of epidemiological models from small field experiments: A case study of banana bunchy top virus transmission.

The gut microbiome hosts diverse bacterial communities that significantly influence individual spatial behaviour in animal societies. However, this relationship remains understudied in marine fish due to the challenges associated with measuring behavioural traits in free-living fish and simultaneously obtaining gut microbiome composition data. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to explore the relationship between space and habitat use, social organization, and gut microbiome composition in marine fish. We used a novel high-resolution acoustic telemetry system to collect 7930 one-day-long movement trajectories from 232 individuals of Xyrichtys novacula of the same population (153 females, 79 males) near the coastline of Mallorca, Spain. A subset of these individuals was recaptured to analyse the diversity of core and non-core gut microbiome, quantified using operational phylogenetic units (OPUs) based on 16S rRNA gene amplicons through Illumina sequencing. Individuals closer to Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow had higher non-core microbiome diversity, especially larger individuals. Multivariate analysis showed no significant differences in microbiome composition across the tested variables (i.e. body size, territory size, degree, strength, distance to the seagrass meadow, and sex), but males showed a visually greater, but non-significant, variability in core microbiome composition. Core microbiome composition was weakly associated with social harem structure. These findings indicate that gut microbiome composition is primarily shaped by local habitat conditions, while social organization may contribute weakly and indirectly, pending further experimental validation.

Impact of optimized tillage and mulching practices on soil water and yield responses to precipitation: A 20-year field experiment study

Expectations and realities in primary care appointment access in the United States: A national study.

Cornus officinalis is an important Chinese medicinal herb with high economic value. Carposina coreana Kim (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae) is a severe fruit-boring pest that inflicts devastating damage on C. officinalis. There is an urgent need to develop attractants to monitor and control this pest. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD), we identified (Z)-7-eicosen-11-one and (Z)-7-tricosene as the female-produced sex pheromone components of C. coreana to attract its conspecific males. Field experiments showed that rubber septa dispenser baited with a blend of 1000 μg (Z)-7-eicosen-11-one and 500 μg (Z)-7-tricosene is the optimal lure formulation for attracting the male moths. Further experiments revealed that the most efficient traps are green Delta sticky traps, hung at 1.5-2.0 m aboveground from tree branches and ≈15-20 m from the forest edge. Finally, we validated the trap effectiveness in a 2-month monitoring survey conducted in three major C. officinalis production regions, and the identity of the captured insects was confirmed by DNA barcoding. We identified the sex pheromone components of C. coreana, which provide technical support for the monitoring and control of this pest. Our findings establish a foundation for developing sustainable pest management strategies to improve C. officinalis production. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

This field experiment, conducted in 2023, assessed the effects of ten imazethapyr dosages (0, 0.375, 0.75, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, 25, 50, and 100g a.i. ha⁻¹) on the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), as well as on growth and grain yield of niger plants. No visible phytotoxicity was detected at 0.375-0.75g a.i. ha⁻¹, whereas leaf scorch increased markedly at 1.5g a.i. ha⁻¹ and higher. Some recovery was observed at dosages of 1.5 to 12g a.i. ha⁻¹ while chlorosis at dosages of 25 to 100 became progressively more severe over time. Overall, high imazethapyr concentrations reduced photosynthetic pigments and growth parameters, while antioxidant enzyme activities showed dose-dependent increases. High herbicide concentrations reduced grain yield and elevated malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and proline levels, whereas lower concentrations produced the opposite pattern of response. Chlorophyll exhibited greater sensitivity to imazethapyr than carotenoids. Among the antioxidant enzymes, GPX showed the greatest dose‑responsive change to imazethapyr application. The results of this experiment indicated a hormetic response of imazethapyr on niger plants, as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and consequently membrane lipid peroxidation were decreased while grain yield was increased at low herbicide concentrations. Moreover, the activity of CAT, compared to those of APX and GPX showed a stronger correlation with the hormetic effects of imazethapyr. These findings suggest that applying imazethapyr at lower concentrations may improve crop performance under specific conditions and support more efficient and sustainable management practices.

Poultry litter is widely applied as an organic fertilizer, yet concerns remain regarding the cumulative input and potential accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural soils. This study evaluated the medium-term effects of repeated poultry litter application on pseudo-total concentrations and cumulative inputs of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cs), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in an acidic dystrophic Red Latosol under subtropical conditions in southern Brazil. An eight-year field experiment (2011-2018) evaluated four annual poultry litter rates (0, 4, 8, and 12 t ha⁻1) combined with dolomitic limestone application under a randomized complete block split-plot design. Baseline soil characterization, cumulative PTE mass balance, and linear mixed-effects models were integrated to assess treatment responses and environmental relevance. Despite continuous inputs, no significant accumulation of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, or Ni was detected within the evaluated 0-20cm soil layer, likely reflecting low cumulative additions relative to initial soil stocks and soil retention processes. In contrast, Zn showed significant dose-dependent accumulation in the surface layer (0-10cm), consistent with its higher cumulative input from poultry litter. Dolomitic limestone application had no detectable effect on PTE dynamics during the evaluated period, probably due to the limited increase in soil pH. Although all PTE concentrations remained below Brazilian regulatory thresholds, cumulative Zn inputs represented the largest proportional increase relative to the initial soil pool, highlighting Zn as a sensitive indicator for monitoring repeated organic amendment applications. These findings emphasize the importance of combining baseline characterization, mass balance approaches, and continued monitoring to improve environmental risk assessments of organic waste reuse in subtropical agroecosystems.

Peat-based soil amendments enhance long-term soil-plant-microbe recovery in boreal mine reclamation.