Arsenic levels in rice grain and assessment of daily dietary intake of arsenic from rice in arsenic-contaminated regions of Bangladesh—implications to groundwater irrigation

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) causes significant human health effects, including various cancers and skin disorders. Naturally elevated concentrations of As have been detected in the groundwater of Bangladesh. Dietary intake and drinking water are the major routes of As exposure for humans. The objectives of this study were to measure As concentrations in rice grain collected from households in As-affected villages of Bangladesh where groundwater is used for agricultural irrigation and to estimate the daily intake of As consumed by the villagers from rice. The median and mean total As contents in 214 rice grain samples were 131 and 143 μg/kg, respectively, with a range of 2–557 μg/kg (dry weight, dw). Arsenic concentrations in control rice samples imported from Pakistan and India and on sale in Australian supermarkets were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in rice from contaminated areas. Daily dietary intake of As from rice was 56.4 μg for adults (males and females) while the total daily intake of As from rice and from drinking water was 888.4 and 706.4 μg for adult males and adult females, respectively. From our study, it appears that the villagers are consuming a significant amount of As from rice and drinking water. The results suggest that the communities in the villages studied are potentially at risk of suffering from arsenic-related diseases.     

Effect of different pearling times on the quality of hull-less barley rice北大核心CSCD

Hull-less barley is a special food crop rich in various nutrients in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Six-pearling is often used to produce commercial hull-less barley rice in order to improve its rough taste and inferior cooking quality. This study evaluated the differences in the nutritional, cooking, sensory, and storage qualities of hull-less barley rice with different pearling times to obtain suitable processing conditions for the production of high-quality hull-less barley rice. With increasing pearling time, the contents of vitamin B6, vitamin E, dietary fiber, iron, zinc, phenols, and flavonoids significantly decreased to a large extent, protein and vitamin B3 decreased slightly, the contents of total starch and β-glucan increased significantly, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) initially increased and then decreased. The peak, trough, and final viscosity of whole grain barley were 1 860.50 cP, 914.50 cP, and 2 150.00 cP, respectively, and increased after six-pearling to 4 219.00 cP, 2 628.00 cP, and 5 074.00 cP, respectively. At the same time, the water absorption and volume expansion of the pearled hull-less barley increased significantly. The hardness of pearled hull-less barley reduced from 4 708.50 g to 2 282.00 g, its adhesiveness increased from 0.00 to -7.33, and its taste and sensory quality exhibited better. The activities of α-amylase, polyphenol oxidase, lipase, and catalase in pearled hull-less barley slightly decreased. Hull-less bran flour is rich in a variety of nutritional components and could be a potential resource with great developmental value. In general, hull-less barley rice obtained from three-pearling has high nutritional value, high cooking quality, low enzyme activity, and low energy consumption; therefore, it can be used to produce high-quality barley rice. This study provides important information for high-quality pearled hull-less barley and further utilization of barley bran flour. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Response of the grain yield and quality of hybrid rice to weak light stress北大核心CSCD

In this study, three rice varieties, Byou268 (low light-sensitive type), Nei5you768 (intermediate type), and Yixiangyou1108 (low light-tolerant), were used as experimental materials to investigate the yield and quality responses of different rice varieties to low light stress under normal light (CK) and low light (SH). The results showed the following: (1) Compared with normal light, the decrease in Yixiangyou1108’s 1 000-grain weight, grain number per spike, and seed setting rate under low light treatment were much lower than those of Nei5you768 and Byou268. The yield decline of Yixiangyou1108 (46.5%) was significantly lower than that of Nei5you768 (56.5%) and Byou268 (69.8%). Yixiangyou1108 showed strong tolerance to low light stress in terms of 1 000-grain weight, seed setting rate, grain number per panicle, and yield. (2) Compared with normal light, the reduction in grain length and width of Yixiangyou1108 under low-light treatment was significantly greater than that of Byou268; however, the reduction in the length-width ratio did not reach a significant level. The amylose content and gel consistency of the rice were significantly reduced. The reduction in amylose content of Yixiangyou1108 (24.5%) was significantly lower than that of Nei5you768 (28.1%) and Byou268 (30.6%); however, the decrease in gel consistency of Yixiangyou1108 (14.7%) was significantly higher than that of Nei5you768 (9.8%) and Byou268 (8.1%). After low light treatment, the characteristic values of the RVA curve of rice changed. The peak viscosity and breakdown viscosity of Yixiangyou1108, Nei5you768, and Byou268 were significantly decreased, but the cold glue viscosity and setback viscosity were significantly increased, while there was no significant difference in the peak time and peak temperature. The response of 1 000-grain weight, grain number per spike, and seed setting rate under low light stress can be used as a yield index of rice breeding with low light tolerance; rice grain type, amylose, and gel consistency; and peak viscosity and hot paset viscosity in RVA characteristic values can be used as quality indexes of low-light-tolerant rice material breeding. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Preliminary toxicity evaluation of water from rice fields using cost‐effective microbiotests

A study was performed in a Protected Area (Natural Reserve of Sado Estuary) in 1996, to evaluate the acute toxicity for aquatic life of surface water from rice fields treated with pesticides, particularly with molinate and quinclorac. As a preliminary assessment, the following rapid toxicity tests were used: “Rotoxkit F”;, “Thamnotoxkit F”; and the recently introduced “Daphtoxkit F magna”; and “Algaltoxkit F”;. Water samples were collected from: a water source for irrigating the rice fields, two rice plots, a drainage channel and from Sado river in which the water is discharged. The results showed that samples from the rice plot treated with molinate were more toxic than those obtained from rice plot treated with quinclorac. Water samples from the river were the most toxic, causing 100% of immobility in all organisms and a substantial inhibition in the algal growth. Water collected from the drainage channel in late July, was also found to be quite toxic. The results obtained until now indicate that some characteristics of these microbiotests, like their rapidity, simplicity and relatively low cost, make them a practical tool to evaluate acute effects of pesticides in freshwater ecosystems. They may also contribute to suggest some changes in pesticides use to promote agricultural practices with lower impact to aquatic life.     

Adsorption of Cu（Ⅱ） on rice straw char from acidic aqueous solutions

研究了稻草炭对Cu（Ⅱ）的吸附特征,探讨了Cu（Ⅱ）的吸附机制.结果表明,稻草炭对Cu（Ⅱ）有很高的吸附容量,Langmuir方程能很好地拟合Cu（Ⅱ）吸附等温线,因此可以描述稻草炭对Cu（Ⅱ）的吸附,其预测的Cu（Ⅱ）在pH 4.5和pH 5.0时的最大吸附量分别为0.628 mol.kg-1和0.763 mol.kg-1.稻草炭对Cu（Ⅱ）的吸附量随体系pH升高而增加,但吸附Cu（Ⅱ）的解吸率呈相反的变化趋势.当吸附体系pH≤4.5时,Cu（Ⅱ）解吸率大于55%,说明此时以静电吸附为主;在较高pH条件下Cu（Ⅱ）以非静电吸附机制为主.红外光谱的分析结果表明,稻草炭表面有丰富的—COOH和—OH等含氧官能团,Cu2＋与含氧官能团形成有机络合物导致—COOH吸附峰位移.Cu（Ⅱ）吸附使稻草炭颗粒的Zeta电位向正值方向位移.结果说明Cu（Ⅱ）在稻草炭表面发生了专性吸附.     

Effects of planting density on the microclimate of rice population with different panicle-types and its yield components北大核心CSCD

Split-plot field experiments, with variety as the main plot, were designed to analyze the microclimate and character of R498 (curved panicle) and R499 (erect panicle) varieties of rice during the full heading day and on the 20th day after full heading. The planting densities assigned to the subplots were 0.23 m (line spacing) × 0.12 m (hole spacing), 0.27 m × 0.14 m, 0.33 m × 0.17 m, 0.38 m × 0.20 m, and 0.40 m × 0.21 m. The results showed that for all the planting densities, the maximum temperature of R499 increased by 1.52 ℃ on an average during the full heading stage, but decreased by 0.66 ℃ on the 20th day after full heading, in comparison to those of R498. The mean daily light intensities of R498 and R499 in sparse planting (0.38 m × 0.20 m, 0.40 m × 0.21 m) were higher than those of other planting density treatments during the full heading stage, being 43.56% and 16.22% higher, respectively, than that of the lowest daily light intensity. The daily light intensity of R498 was hindered by close planting (0.23 m × 0.12 m, 0.27 m × 0.14 m) while that of R499 was inhibited by sparse planting on the 20th day after the full heading stage. The rates of decrease of vertical light intensity of R498 and R499 in sparse planting were the highest among all the planting density treatments, their rates of decrease being 97.96% and 92.56%, respectively, during the full heading stage, and 94.81% and 91.10%, respectively, on the 20th day after the full heading stage. When the planting density was decreased, the variability of plant height, tiller number, and panicle curvature were greater for R499 than those of R498. The rates of incidence of sheath blight for R498 and R499 in the planting specification of 0.38 m × 0.20 m were 66.67% and 68.89%, respectively, which was the most serious among all the planting density treatments. On increasing the effective spike number and panicle weight, both R498 and R499 produced the highest yields with the planting specification of 0.27 m × 0.14 m, among all the planting density treatments. Even when the density was excessively reduced, the value of yield components did not increase any further. Thus, it is better to plant rice with curved panicles (R498) in a reasonable planting density (neither too close nor too sparse), and to plant rice with erect panicles in a reasonably close planting density. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Residues of 14C‐γ‐HCH in paddy after dusting,and the fate of γ‐HCH during refining process of rice bran oil

Paddy (rice) plants were dusted with 10% HCH containing ¹⁴C‐Γ‐HCH, at the rate of 2.5 kg a.i./ha and ¹⁴C‐residues were determined in different fractions of rice. Rice bran (0.187 ppm) had more of ¹⁴C‐residues than grain (0.026 ppm) and husk (0.042 ppm). The rice bran oil contained 0.129 ppm HCH residues. While degumming, dewaxing, alkali refining and bleaching had no effect, deodorisation alone eliminated 99.5% of added ¹⁴C‐residues in rice bran the oil during refining process.     

Geochemistry of trace elements in paddy (rice) soils of Sri Lanka – implications for iodine deficiency disorders (IDD)

Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) are a common health problem prevalent in the wet zone of Sri Lanka with a prevalence of >25 of the population. In comparison, in the dry zone of Sri Lanka IDD occurs in <10 of the population. Seventy soil samples from 14 villages selected on the basis of the incidence of goitre, were collected and analysed for 13 trace elements using ICP-MS. In order to identify any prevailing differences in antecedent chemical environments, soil samples from each pre-selected village were classified into three groups in terms of their geographical location. Among the elements investigated, the total soil concentrations of Rb, Sr, Ba, Mn and Co are lower in the wet zone of Kalutara. In contrast, total soil Rb, Sr, Ba and Mn contents are higher in the dry zone of Anuradhapura. Further soil total Mo and Nb levels are relatively similar in all pre-selected study locations. The high endemic goitre regions (IDD >25 of the population) show low levels of Rb, Sr, Ba, and Mn and higher levels of V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb as compared with moderate and non-goitre areas. Factor analysis was used to exploit the correlation structure present in data and yielded three groups in all cases. This indicated that most transition group elements and iodine are associated with the Mn phase in the low IDD areas whereas iodine shows a high affinity for the organic phase in high IDD regions. The variable distribution of trace elements, therefore, must be due to differences in mobility and capacity for incorporation into the structure of secondary minerals or organic phases.     

Assessing the fractionation and bioavailability of heavy metals in soil–rice system and the associated health risk

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - This study developed a method to build relationships between chemical fractionations of heavy metals in soils and their accumulations in rice and estimate...     

Mycelial culture of wild Inonotus hispidus parasitizing the jujube tree and the cultivation conditions of its fruit body on rice medium北大核心CSCD

Inonotus hispidus is a kind of rare medicinal fungus, and its natural resources are very scarce. Currently, the artificial cultivation technology of I. hispidus is not completely developed, and this reflects on its extremely low biological conversion rate and long cultivation period. In order to improve the bioconversion rate and shorten the production cycle of I. hispidus, we first analyzed the mycelia culture conditions of the collected I. hispidus, and then we further explore the method of domesticated cultivation of its fruiting body in rice medium. During the process of mycelial culture, the suitable temperature, pH, carbon source, and nitrogen source for mycelial growth were selected using the mycelial growth rate as index. During the domesticated cultivation of the fruiting body, the suitable culture medium for its growth was selected using the bioconversion rate as index. Screening results of mycelial culture conditions showed that the optimal culture conditions for the growth of mycelium of the wild I. hispidus were: temperature of 25 °C, initial pH of 6.0, glucose as the carbon source, and yeast extract powder as the source of nitrogen. The results of the domesticated cultivation showed that the biotransformation rate of I. hispidus was higher when using rice as the main medium substrate. The optimal cultivation conditions were: a 0.2% yeast extract content in the nutrient solution, a 1:1.6 ratio of rice to nutrient solution, and a 4 mL inoculum of the liquid strain. Under these conditions, it took about 4 days for the mycelium to grow over the cultivation medium. The time required for the differentiation of the primordium to form fruit bodies was about 20 days, and the bioconversion rate reached 28.70% ± 5.05%. The results of this study indicate the feasibility of using rice as the main substrate for the cultivation of I. hispidus, and it also provide new insights for the finding of new cultivation substrates for other rare medicinal fungi. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Agro-biodiversity in rice–wheat-based agroecosystems of eastern Uttar Pradesh,India: implications for conservation and sustainable management

In this study, we analysed the indigenous practices of agro-biodiversity, changing patterns of cropping systems and conservation of agriculturally important natural resources of rice–wheat-based agroecosystems. The research was carried out in three villages of Azamgarh district, eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Participatory approaches and personal interviews were combined to collect the data from 180 farmers. The results indicated that resource-poor (RP) farmers, by applying traditional practices of natural resource conservation, outperform their rich (RR) counterparts in conserving agro-biodiversity. Increase in irrigation facilities, adoption of improved crop varieties, commercialisation of farming and socio-economic changes have threatened the agro-biodiversity and related natural resources of these agroecosystems. For most of the crops, the RP farmers had better production stability as compared to the RR ones because the former tend to apply more sustainable and ecologically sound indigenous practices. A negative growth rate was observed in the area/numbers and production of legumes, livestock, pasture lands and community forestry. Women, who are the local custodians of conserving indigenous biodiversity (uncultivated species) and crop varieties through localised knowledge and sociocultural institutions, had significantly higher knowledge on agro-biodiversity than men. We concluded that integration of farmers’ eco-friendly practices with formal science and policy-making in a participatory mode may enhance sustainability of functions of agroecosystem leading to the strengthening of adaptive practices in changing climate and socio-economic scenario.     

Spatial distribution and controlling factors of heavy metals contents in paddy soil and crop grains of rice–wheat cropping system along highway in East China

There is consensus concerning the heavy metal pollution from traffic emission on roadside agricultural land. However, few efforts have been paid on examining the contamination characteristics of heavy metals in roadside paddy-upland rotation field, and especially in combination with detailed quantitative analysis. In this study, we investigated the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn) in soil and crop grains of the rice-wheat cropping system along a major highway in East China in 2008 and analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals and their influencing factors with GIS and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Significantly elevated levels of heavy metals in soil, rice and wheat grains indicated the heavy metals contamination of traffic emission in roadside rice-wheat rotation field. The contamination levels of Cd, Cr and Zn in wheat grain were higher than rice grain, while that of Pb showed an opposite trend. Obvious dissimilarities in the spatial distributions of heavy metals contents were found between in the soil, rice and wheat grains, indicating that the heavy metals contents in the roadside crop grains were not only determined by the concentrations of heavy metals in the paddy soil. Results of CART analysis showed that the spatial variation of the heavy metals contents in crop grains was mainly affected by the soil organic matter or soil pH, followed by the distance from highway and wind direction. Our findings have important implications for the environmental assessment and crop planning for food security along the highway.     

Interference competition between introduced black rats and endemic Galápagos rice rats

Replicated field experiments were used to quantify and to describe the mechanism of competition between the introduced black rat Rattus rattus and the endemic Santiago rice rat Nesoryzomys swarthi on Santiago Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. The removal of R. rattus significantly slowed the rate of seasonal population decline in N. swarthi. This effect was particularly evident for female, relative to male, N. swarthi and appeared to be driven solely by enhanced immigration; no other fitness or space use parameters were affected. The candidate hypotheses to explain the mechanism of competition were exploitation competition, interference by resource defense, and interference by aggressive encounter. To distinguish between hypotheses, we conducted a replicated resource supplementation experiment with patchy food, scattered food, and no food (control) treatments. The opportunistic R. rattus responded to the extra resources with increased adult immigration and juvenile recruitment, resulting in a significant abundance boost of sevenfold on patchy grids and fourfold on scattered grids. Females increased in body mass, and the breeding season was lengthened. In contrast, there was no change in the abundance of N. swarthi and no obvious benefit to reproduction. Instead, the costs of interference apparently outweighed the benefits of extra food: female N. swarthi increased in mass with supplementary food, but female (relative to male) immigration and residency were repressed on all supplemented areas. This response supported the hypothesis of interference by aggressive encounter, and we were able to rule out the alternative hypotheses. Although periodic population crashes of R. rattus on the arid north coast of Santiago may ameliorate its competitive impact, climate change may tip the balance. Control or eradication of R. rattus should improve future survival prospects for N. swarthi, but wildlife managers must be prepared for the potential eruption of the introduced house mouse Mus musculus, because this species experienced a release from interference competition and immigrated to removal areas.     

Heavy metal contamination of paddy soils and rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.) from Kočani Field (Macedonia)

This research focuses on the heavy metal contamination of the paddy soils and rice from Kočani Field (eastern Macedonia) resulting from irrigation by riverine water impacted by past and present base-metal mining activities and acid mine drainage. Very high concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in the paddy soils (47.6, 6.4, 99, 983 and 1,245 μg g⁻¹) and the rice (0.53, 0.31, 5.8, 0.5 and 67 μg g⁻¹) in the western part of Kočani Field, close to the Zletovska River, which drains the mining facilities of the Pb–Zn mine in Zletovo. In terms of health risk, the observed highest concentrations of these elements in the rice could have an effect on human health and should be the subject of further investigations.     

Effects of β-cyclodextrin on adsorption and desorption of carbofuran in soils of divergent texture

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the adsorption/desorption equilibrium of carbofuran between four divergently textured soils and distilled water and an aqueous solution of 0.01?mol?L^?1 β-cyclodextrin using a batch equilibrium technique. The determined adsorption isotherms for silt loam soils were of L-shaped, for sandy loam soil S-shaped, in agreement with a Freundlich isotherm. In the presence of β-cyclodextrin, the adsorption of carbofuran to the four soils was lower than with distilled water. Positive hysteresis was observed in all soils with distilled water, negative hysteresis when using a solution of β-cyclodextrin as desorbent. The results indicate the potential use of β-cyclodextrin for remediation of pesticide-contaminated soils.     

Influence of phytoplankton on complexing capacity of seawater†

Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (DPASV) was employed to measure Apparent Copper Complexing Capacity (L_t) and Stability Constants (K_s) of related cupric complexes of cell exudates of the phytoplanktonic alga Dunaliella salina. Three natural seawater samples collected 0.1, 2, 5 miles off the Tyrrhenian coast were used as culture medium. The measurements were carried out 1h and 7 days after the inoculum. Furthermore, on one culture the medium was passed through C₁₈‐SEP‐PAK cartridges in order to separate the cell exudates. The results show that Dunaliella salina influences the value of L_t but does not affect the value of K_s . The C₁₈SEP‐PAK retain only 50% of the ligands produced by the cells and capable of complexing copper.     

Lake of flies, or lake of fish? A trophic model of Lake Malawi

Ecosystem-focused models have, for the first time, become available for the combined demersal and pelagic components of a large tropical lake ecosystem, Lake Malawi. These provide the opportunity to explore continuing controversies over the production efficiencies and ecological functioning of large tropical lakes. In Lake Malawi these models can provide important insight to the effect of fishing on fish composition, and the potential competition that the lakefly Chaoborus edulis may have with fisheries production. A mass-balanced trophic model developed for the demersal fish community of the southern and western areas of Lake Malawi was integrated with an existing trophic model developed for the open-water pelagic. Input parameters for the demersal model were obtained from a survey of fish distributions, fish food consumption studies, and from additional published quantitative and qualitative information on the various biotic components of the community. The model was constructed using the Ecopath approach and software. The graphically presented demersal food web spanned four trophic levels and was based primarily on consumption of detritus, zooplankton and sedimented diatoms. Zooplankton was imported into the system at trophic levels three and four through fish predation on carnivorous and herbivorous copepods and Chaoborus larvae. It is proposed that the primary consumption of copepods was by fish migrating into the pelagic zone. Chaoborus larvae in the demersal were probably consumed near the lakebed as they conducted a daily migration from the pelagic to seek refuge in the sediments. This evidence for strong benthic-pelagic coupling provided the opportunity for linking the demersal model to the existing model for the pelagic community so producing the first model for the complete ecosystem. Energy fluxes through the resulting combined model demonstrated that the primary import of biomass to the demersal system was detritus of pelagic origin (72.1%) and pelagic zooplankton (10.6%). Only 15.8% of the biomass consumed within the demersal system was of demersal origin. Lakefly production is efficiently utilised by the lake fish community, and any attempt to improve fishery production through introduction of a non-native plantivorous fish species would have a negative impact on the stability and productivity of the lake ecosystem.     

Collective Contents of Volume 12 of Ecology and Environment

No.1 Research Papers Effect of digestion on measurement of total mercury in topsoil …………………………………………………………… DING Zhen-hu, WANG Wen-hua(1) The characteristics of adsorption and desorption of humic acids on copper…………………………………………………… LI Guang-ling, WEI Shi-qiang(4) Influence of electrolyte on adsorption of copper in soils……………………………………………………… LI Ying, LI Hong-jun, ZHANG Gui-yin, et al.(8) Comparative studies on availabl…     

Variation in soil organic carbon mineralization and microbial community structure induced by the conversion from double rice fields to drained fields北大核心CSCD

Land use conversion is an important factor influencing the carbon gas exchange between land and atmosphere. The effect of land use conversion on soil organic carbon mineralization and microbial function is important for soil organic carbon sequestration and stability. This research studied the effects of land use conversion on soil chemical properties, organic carbon mineralization and microbial community structure after two years of conversion from double rice cropping (RR) to maize-maize (MM) and soybean-peanut (SP) double cropping systems in southern China. The results showed that soil pH significantly decreased by 0.50 (MM) and 0.52 (SP, P = 0.002), and dissolved organic carbon significantly increased by 23%- 35% (P = 0.016). No significant difference was found in soil organic carbon mineralization rate with the land use conversion, though the accumulated mineralization decreased after 13 days of incubation (P = 0.019). Land use conversion from paddy to upland significantly changed soil microbial community structure. The total PLFAs, bacterial, gram-positive bacterial (G+), gram-negative bacterial (G-) and actinomycetic PLFAs decreased significantly (P < 0.05), the ratio of fungal PLFAs to bacterial PLFAs (F/B) increased significantly (P = 0.006). But no significant differences in microbial groups were found between MM and SP. The accumulated mineralization at the beginning period of the incubation were significantly positively correlated with soil actinomycetic PLFAs (P = 0.034). After 13 days of incubation, soil F/B showed a positive correlation with the accumulated mineralization (P = 0.004). However, soil microbial community structure(P = 0.014)and total PLFAs(P = 0.033)showed a positive correlation with the accumulated mineralization after 108 days of incubation. Our results indicated that after conversion from paddy soils to drained soils, soil pH and total nitrogen are the key factors regulating the variations in soil microbial community structure and biomass, and then influencing soil organic carbon mineralization.     

Inhibition of decomposing leaf litter of Cinnamomum camphora on growth of Pharbitis nil and the alleviation effect of nitrogen application北大核心CSCD

In plant configuration of landscaping, herbaceous plant is often inter-planted with ornamental tree species. But unreasonable plant collocation may reduce the effectiveness of afforestation for the inhibition effect of tree on the growth of understory, and further more affect the greening effect. Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is widely planted in landscaping accompanying herbaceous plants including morning glory (Pharbitis nil). But camphor was reported to have allelopathic effect on its adjacent plant, therefore correct selection and collocation of plants has important significance to obtain good greening effect. This research aimed to study by a pot experiment the effects of decomposing leaf litter of Cinnamomum camphora on the growth, phenological traits of Pharbitis nil, as well as modification of these effects by nitrogen application. Three application rates of C. camphora leaf litter including 25, 50 and 100 g/pot (denoted by L25, L50 and L100, respectively) and a control (CK) were implemented. Nitrogen application began on the 34th d of decomposition, with 0.39 g urea being divided into three equal portions and added continuously to each pot. The results showed that (1) The height, basal diameter, leaf area and biomass production of Pharbitis nil were all inhibited sharply by exposure to the leaf litter, being decreased by 32.85%-83.78%, 5.23%-23.00%, 30.31%-58.47%, and 40.34%-84.54%, respectively, with the inhibition effect increasing both in intensity and stability with the increase of leaf litter. Such inhibition effect was obviously alleviated by exogenous nitrogen application. (2) The flowering dynamics of Pharbitis nil was greatly impacted by the leaf litter, with the flower initiation 2.5-10.0 d later and the flowering duration 6.3-11.4 d longer compared to the control. Although the leaf litter-treated plants exhibited more (0.5-3.3) flowers than the control, their quality decreased, and the hundred-grain weight of the seed decreased with the increase of leaf litter. However, the differences among treatments in the reproductive parameters mentioned above reduced after nitrogen fertilization. The results indicated that leaf litter of C. Camphora has a great allelopathic effect on morphological and reproductive growth of Pharbitis nil, which may be attributed to the release of phototoxic substances during the decomposition process.