Research Progress

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  Split mineral fertilizer application decreases straw mineralization and the priming effect in paddy soil

  Researchers in the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISA) investigated split N and P addition decreases straw mineralization and the priming effect of a paddy soil. The team found that the application of split NP fertilization along with straw addition improved microbial enzyme activity, yielding the highest positive priming effect (PE) for CO2 emission. In contrast, compared with the control (no addition), split NP application decreased the positive PE for CH4 emission. Therefore, the straw-C-derived total CO2 equivalent emission was decreased by split NP application.

  Aug 17, 2019
• Effects of Elemental Magnesium and Magnesium Oxide on Ruminal Fermentation

  Scientists found that elemental Mg or MgO supplementation increased Mg2+ concentration and pH in comparison to the control without supplements. There was no statistical difference in ruminalMg2+ concentration between MgO and elemental Mg supplementation.

  Jul 23, 2019
• Spatial distribution and stoichiometry of soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus along an elevation gradient in Dongting Lake wetland, China

  The researchers found that the ratios of C:P and N:P had similar patterns of distribution to soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). The SOC, TN, C:N, C:P and N:P ratios increased with increasing elevation, whereas total phosphorus (TP) showed no marked change. Furthermore, SOC, TN, C:N, C:P and N:P decreased considerably with increasing duration of submergence, soil moisture and pH.

  Jul 16, 2019
• The time of calcium feeding to sows during late pregnancy and lactation improved the growth performance of suckling piglets

  Researchers from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that the time of Ca to sows during late pregnancy and lactation affected productive performance of sows, compared to conventional feeding regimes.

  Jul 02, 2019
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  Cropland conversion impacts on microbial resource limitation in karst soil

  In a paper in Geoderma, researchers in the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISA) studied three common cropland conversion strategies in a karst area of southwest China (i.e., conversion with i) Toona sinensis (TS), ii) Guimu-1 hybrid elephant grass (GG), and iii) a combination of Zenia insignis and Guimu-1 hybrid elephant grass (ZG) using cropland (CR) with maize-soybean rotation as reference. Enzymatic stoichiometry was calculated and used as an indicator of microbial resource limitation.

  Jul 01, 2019
• HMB prevents obesity via gut microbiota

  Recently, a team of researchers from China Agricultural University, the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISA) conducted a study to compare and contrast the effects of different dosages of HMB on lipid metabolism in a high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice and unravel the underlying mechanisms of HMB action of lipid metabolism.

  Jul 01, 2019
• Biological Soil Crusts Modulate Soil Nitrogen Following Vegetation Restoration in Subtropical Karst Region

  To address the above uncertainties, researchers from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences measured the physical and chemical characteristics of the biocrusts and underlying soils, as well as litter properties under different vegetation restoration strategies (i.e., restoration with plantation forest, forage grass, and a combination of forest and grass, and spontaneous regeneration to natural grassland) following cropland abandonment in a subtropical karst region, southwest China.

  Jun 17, 2019
• Dietary supplementation with yeast glycoprotein affected intestinal mucosal morphology, immune response and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets

  Researchers from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that yeast glycoprotein (YG) affected growth performance, intestinal mucosal morphology, immune response and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets.

  Jun 08, 2019
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  Maternal undernutrition programs fetal development and increases the risk of metabolic disorders later in life

  TAN Zhiliang’s research group the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of Chinese Academy of Sciences use goats as model animals to study the changes of energy metabolism, meat quality and liver immune function in offspring suffering nutritional restriction in middle gestation.

  May 29, 2019
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  Scientists Discover Labile Carbon Matters More Than Temperature for Enzyme Activity in Paddy Soil

  The research team led by Prof. WU Jinshui from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently reported that enzyme activities are more sensitive to C addition than to temperature in paddy soil and SOM decomposition is accelerated by both C input and warming, especially at low temperatures.

  May 21, 2019