Tecniche e Modelli di Cartografia Digitale Predittiva dei Suoli Basati sull'Approccio SCORPAN per il Downscaling della Nuova Carta dei Suoli della Sicilia

A new definition of soil to promote soil awareness, sustainability, security and governance

Abstract In these last decades, the awareness that soil is a very important resource for humans has noticeably increased. Many actions and initiatives to promote soil governance, aiming at sustainable soil management and soil security have been undertaken by several national and international institutions and in many countries. Analysis of the changes of soil perception over the centuries allows highlighting a perfect harmony between the evolution of soil awareness and the level of knowledge and technology achieved by humans during their history and evolution. Notwithstanding these many achievements, soils continue to be scarcely considered in politics and society. We suggest some thoughts …

Integrating soil survey, land use management and political ecology: A case study in a border area between Peru and Ecuador

In Latin America countries, competition for access to natural resources among different groups has been a major reason for the outburst of violence over the last decades. One of the main aims of the political ecology concerns the understanding of the environmental conditions that can underlies the social conflict among people. Such understanding needs to be based on a detailed investigation of the natural resources of the landscape, mainly the soils. Few years ago the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs financed a soil survey with a humanitarian purpose: the development of a peace plan between Peru and Ecuador by improving the socio-economic conditions of the rural populations living in th…

Threshold climatic changes for SOM variations in different Mediterranean crop systems

1H NMR-Based Metabolomics to Assess the Impact of Soil Type on the Chemical Composition of Nero d’Avola Red Wines

: In this study, the soil effect on the micro-component composition of Nero d'Avola wines obtained from different locations was investigated through 1H NMR-based metabolomics. Two different approaches were applied: the targeted (TA) and the non-targeted one (NTA). The former differentiated the wines by profiling (i.e., by identifying and quantifying) a number of different metabolites. The latter provided wine fingerprinting by processing the entire spectra with multivariate statistical analysis. NTA also allowed investigation of the hydrogen bond network inside wines via the analysis of 1H NMR chemical shift dispersions. Results showed that the differences among wines were due not only to t…

Attività microbiologica e qualità del suolo in una sequenza di suoli di pianura dell'ambiente xerico siciliano

Indagine spazio-temporale sul consumo dei suoli in una fascia di costa della Sicilia.

Features of selected benchmark soils along an elevational transect of the northeastern part of the Moldavian Plateau (Romania)

Soil morphological, physical and chemical properties are described at four locations along an elevational transect in the northeastern part of the Moldavian Plateau (Romania). These data contribute to the knowledge of the soils of this area and to their classification according to the USDA-Soil Taxonomy, FAO-WRB and the SRTS-Romanian System. The soils were classified as Inceptisols, Alfisols and Mollisols, according to the USDA-Soil Taxonomy; Gleysol, Chernozem and Luvisol, according to the FAO-WRB and Gleiosol, Cernoziom, Preluvosol, Luvosol, according to the SRTS-Romanian System. The selected soils have a range of properties that represent the soilscape of the Moldavian subcarpathian plat…

Enzymatic activity of anthropogenic proto-organic soils in soilless farming

In soilless agriculture and horticulture coir is the more used substratum to grow plants because it is widely available and more environmentally friendly than sphagnum or peat. In Italy, soilless agriculture concerns an area of about 1,000 hectares, particularly concentrated in Sicily. The southern coastal belt of this region is the area interested by the most significant experiences in the application of techniques of soilless cultivation that, recently, has been used also for growing table grapes. Starting from the above consideration we suppose that the features of the coconut fiber underlay an evident transformation and that even after few years of table grape cultivation, such organic …

Interrelazioni quali-quantitative tra descrittori fisici, chimici e biochimici di un pedon, prima e dopo il disturbo antropico

La descrizione dei suoli può iniziare col telerilevamento; proseguire con il riconoscimento dell'elemento territoriale e continuare con la determinazione delle caratteristiche chimico-fisiche del terreno, che sono un insieme di analisi, definite di base, necessarie e (supposte) sufficienti ad identificare le caratteristiche fondamentali del suolo. Con le attuali tecniche analitiche sono oggi disponibili descrittori più fini quali contenuto di metalli in traccia e caratteristiche biochimiche. Nel nostro caso-studio, la sensibilità di risposta al disturbo antropico ordina le classi di descrittori nel senso terre rare < metalli < indicatori chimici < indicatori biochimici. I descrittori pedolo…

Soils, Past Landscapes and Cultural Heritage: Phytoliths as Indicators of Ancient Crops

Soils, Past Landscapes and Cultural Heritage: Phytoliths as Indicators of Ancient Crops

Spatio-temporal Effects of Land Use Change on the Anthropogenic Soils Formation

Recent Developments in Understanding Biochar’s Physical–Chemistry

Biochar is a porous material obtained by biomass thermal degradation in oxygen-starved conditions. It is nowadays applied in many fields. For instance, it is used to synthesize new materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, animal feeding, adsorbent for smells, etc. In the last decades, biochar has been applied also to soils due to its beneficial effects on soil structure, pH, soil organic carbon content, and stability, and, therefore, soil fertility. In addition, this carbonaceous material shows high chemical stability. Once applied to soil it maintains its nature for centuries. Consequently, it can be considered a sink to store atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils, thereby mitigat…

Distribution patterns of fungi and bacteria in saline soils

Saline soils are environments characterized by uneven temporal and spatial water distribution and localized high concentrations of salts. Spatial distribution patterns of fungi and bacteria in saline soils, and the link between microbial community dynamics and salts accumulation are critical issues throughout the world (Ettema, Wardle 2002). This study was focused on spatial distribution patterns of soil fungi and bacteria in a saline soil located in Piana del Signore (Gela, Italy) where some ecological variables acted as shaping factors in aboveground and belowground communities distribution. Bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities diversity and distribution in ten soil sites (A horizo…

Pedotechnique applications in large-scale farming: Economic value, soil ecosystems services and soil security

Abstract Since ancient times Humans and Soil have experienced interwoven links. Nowadays soil scientists continue to stress such links highlighting the importance of soil in: i) satisfying the ever growing Human demand for food, water and energy, and ii) providing ecosystem services that mitigate climate changes, influence human health and improve biodiversity. Pedotechniques are recently used to generate soils suitable for table grape cultivation in order to increase productivity and grape quality, thus to get substantial financial returns. We show one emblematic study case of pedotechniques applied in Sicily (Italy). Aims of the investigation were: i) stressing threats to soil security de…

Soil genetic erosion: New conceptual developments in soil security

In the last decades, in some Mediterranean areas, pedodiversity decreased mainly due to pedotechnique application in large-scale farming that transformed original soils into Anthrosols. Supporting the consideration that soils can be considered as living systems, the original concept of 'soil genetic erosion' is re-proposed. Data, extrapolated and modeled from a Soil Information System in a study case representative of a Mediterranean landscape, predicted that most of the soil types would disappear in few years leading to a decrease of the soil diversity and originating soil genetic erosion. This circumstance is intentionally here told in form of a story where the fairy tale characters are s…

La rete di monitoraggio dei suoli ai fini ambientali della Sicilia

LA VULNERABILITÀ DEI SUOLI ITALIANI

Negli ultimi decenni la pressione esercitata sul paesaggio dalla popolazione italiana – al pari di quella europea – è cresciuta in maniera più intensa e veloce che nel passato. Questa pressione antropica ha avuto un così elevato impatto sull’ambiente che ha causato un notevole intervento dei processi di degradazione del suolo. In particolare: i) vaste aree del paesaggio italiano sono e rimangono esposte alla erosione del suolo che ancora rappresenta uno dei più gravi problemi per la scarsa addozione di misure e pratiche di conservazione del suolo; ii) Il consumo di suolo è ancora molto più evidente nelle principali aree metropolitane e costiere, spinto anche dalla diffusione degli impianti …

SOILS AND PLANTS IN AN ANTHROPOGENIC DUMP OF THE KOKDZHON PHOSPHORITE MINE (KAZAKHSTAN)

Soil development is a crucial aspect in the process of mine spoil restoration and is also critical for the establishment of the vegetation. In this short paper, we present the features of mine proto-soils (i.e. soils at the early stage of development) and the natural vegetation species colonizing mine sites in a dry arid environment of Kazakhstan characterized by surface disturbance due to mine activity to access phosphorite deposit. These disturbed soils showed morphological features very different from each other (particularly horizons depth and sequence), even if the main chemical features were quite homogeneous. This is reasonably linked to the features of the Human Transported Material…

Le Climosequenze: strumenti per valutare gli effetti dei cambiamenti climatici su alcune proprietà e caratteri funzionali del suolo - un caso studio in Sicilia.

ATTIVITA’ ENZIMATICA NEI SUOLI DELLE SALINE DI TRAPANI E PACECO

Su oltre 80 campioni di suolo costituenti i diversi orizzonti dei suoli prelevati nelle saline di Trapani e Paceco sono state determinate 18 attività enzimatiche idrolasiche e il contenuto di dsDNA.

Spatio-Temporal Effects of Land Use Change on the Anthropogenic Soils Diffusion: A Case Study in a Mediterranean Vineyard Area

Anthropogenic soils created ex novo by land-use change in large scale farming are, from a pedogenetic point of view, catastrophic events that bring the soils to time zero and change the natural pattern of the soilscape, remarkably, in some cases. The quantitative aspects of pedodiversity of a soilscape in South-East Sicily, where some types of soils, in recent decades, have suffered a consistent reduction due to the transformations by large scale farming, are considered. The evolution of pedodiversity over a 53-year period (1955 to 2008) is examined using a dedicated statistical method and a space–time model based on Markov analysis and cellular automata in order to predict the evolution of…

Spatial microbial community structure and biodiversity analysis in "extreme" hypersaline soils of a semiarid Mediterranean area

In recent years specific attention has been paid on the biotechnological potential of microorganisms in extreme soils, in particular in saline soils. Salinity is one of the most widespread soil degradation processes on the Earth, and saline soils can be defined as extreme soils or border line habitats in which several factors, as high salt content, may limit the growth of organisms. In this study, the physical, chemical and microbiological soil properties were investigated in the shallower horizon of natural saltaffected soils in Sicily (Italy). The main aim of the research was to evaluate the structure and diversity of bacterial and archaeal communities by terminal-restriction fragment len…

Is land-use change a cause of loss of pedodiversity? The case of the Mazzarrone study area, Sicily

Anthropogenic soils created ex novo by land-us e change in large scale farming are, from a pedogenetic point of view, catastrophic events that bring the soils to time zero and change the natural pattern of the soilscape, remarkably, in some cases. The qu antitative aspects of pedodiversity of a soilsc ape in South-East Sicily, where some types of soils, in recent decades, have suffered a consistent reduction due to the transformations by large scale farming, are considered. The evolution of pedodiversity over a 53-year period (1955 to 2008 ) is examined using a dedicated statistical method and a space – time model based on Markov analysis and cellular autom ata in order to predict the evolu…

Proposal for a new diagnostic horizon for WRB Anthrosols

Abstract To investigate man's role in the creation and evolution of soils in areas of large scale farming, and to investigate the main morpho-descriptive aspects of the related soils, a survey was carried out in south eastern Sicily, Italy, where, as common to other regions of the Mediterranean basin, there are wide areas with anthropogenic soils due to large scale farming activity. The complex genesis pattern of these anthropogenic soils, which shows a double sequence of man-made horizons, sideways oriented to the soil surface, does not allow their classification as Technosols, because their composition is not dominated or strongly influenced by artefacts or human-made materials as is the …

Plant Growth-Promoting Activities of Bacteria Isolated from an Anthropogenic Soil Located in Agrigento Province

Bacteria producers of plant growth-promoting (PGP) substances are responsible for the enhancement of plant development through several mechanisms. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the PGP traits of 63 bacterial strains that were isolated from an anthropogenic soil, and obtained by modification of vertisols in the Sicily region (Italy) seven years after creation. The microorganisms were tested for the following PGP characteristics: indole acetic acid (IAA), NH3, HCN and siderophore production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity (ACC) and phosphate solubilization. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that Bacillus tequilensis SI 319, Brevib…

The main environmental features of the Belice basin

Soil consumption due to incorrect land management: the Montevago case study.

Problematiche di estrazione e quantificazione del Carbonio organico in suoli gessosi con metodologie convenzionali

Suolo, Risorsa di Paesaggio

La valutazione dei suoli per scopi umanitari: l’esempio della Regione di Piura, Perù.

Un Modello Computerizzato di Valutazione dei Suoli per la Zonazione Vitivinicola Ecosostenibile in Aree Siciliane

Role of land set-up systems on soil (physicochemical) conditions

Land reclamation and drainage networks represent one of the most ancient human modifications of the Italian soilscape, where tailored land set-up systems were developed in agro- and forestecosystems in three millennia of man’s activity. Most of once manually maintained land settings are currently scarcely working or even disappeared because of the cost needed for their maintenance and the advent of mechanization that have simplified the field organization. The scarce attention to the soil experienced in the last decades, has accelerated soil erosion and flooding events, which entailed high costs in terms of money and human lives, but also caused reduction of soil thickness, water holding ca…

Variabilità quali-quantitativa dello scheletro in due toposequenze di gypsisuoli

Le procedure standard di analisi fisica dei suoli prevedono la setacciatura del suolo, con rimozione dello scheletro, la frazione di diametro maggiore di due millimetri. Diversi studi hanno però confermato che lo scheletro, oltre ad influenzare le proprietà chimico-fisiche-idrologiche dei suoli, rappresenta in alcuni casi una preziosa fonte di terra fine, di carbonio organico, di azoto, e possiede una sua capacità di scambio cationico. Inoltre, ai fini tassonomici rappresenta una caratteristica diagnostica per l’individuazione di discontinuità litologiche. Scopo del lavoro è stato quello di determinare quanti-qualitativamente e classificare lo scheletro di suoli con salinità secondaria da g…

Soil aggregates, organic matter turnover and carbon balance in a Mediterranean eroded vineyard

The carbon cycle is being affected by the human impacts (Novara et al., 2011; Yan-Gui et al., 2013), and one of those is the intensification in the soil erosion in agriculture land (Cerdà et al., 2009; García Orenes et al., 2009). Vineyards also are affected by the human activities (Fernández Calviño, 2012). Vineyards in Sicily are cultivated on 110.000 ha, 10% of which on >10% slope. Deficiencies of soil organic matter are typical of the semi arid Mediterranean environment especially where traditional intensive cropping practices are adopted (Novara et al., 2012; 2013). These practices in vineyards could lead soil to intensive erosion processes (Novara et al., 2011). The fate of SOC under …

Variability of Soil Organic Carbon and radiocarbon in a Mediterranean benchmark Vertisol

The “genetic erosion” of the soil ecosystem

Abstract This paper takes into consideration the influence of human activities on the loss of pedodiversity in a Mediterranean area due to large scale farming. In particular it examines the quantitative and qualitative soil changes in a period of 53 years (from 1955 to 2008) evaluating the loss of soil diversity at soil subgroups level of the USDA Soil Taxonomy system. The following indices were used: richness; Shannon’s diversity index; Simpson diversity index; Shannon’s evenness index; Simpson’s evenness index. In this case study, considering what we observed in time, the human intervention in soil transformation could increase the diversity in the landscape in an initial phase, but forwa…

The “Soil Genetic Erosion”: a new threat for soils?

During the 1990’s the concept of pedodiversity started to be diffused in the scientific literature and the decrement of the soil diversity in space and time - particularly due to human activity - has been seen as a sort of underhand problem affecting soil ecosystems, considering that different soil types face gradual or drastic reduction or complete loss of their unique “genetic features”. Pedodiversity has received considerable recent interest, especially as peculiar aspect of biodiversity and has been assessed by several authors by applying diversity indices used in ecology. This paper takes into consideration the influence of human activities on the loss of pedodiversity in a Mediterrane…

Interrelazioni quali-quantitative tra descrittori fisici, chimici e biochimici di un pedon, prima e dopo un disturbo antropico

La descrizione dei suoli può iniziare col telerilevamento; proseguire con il riconoscimento dell'elemento territoriale e continuare con la determinazione delle caratteristiche chimico-fisiche del terreno, che sono un insieme di analisi, definite di base, necessarie e (supposte) sufficienti ad identificare le caratteristiche fondamentali del suolo. Con le attuali tecniche analitiche sono oggi disponibili descrittori più fini quali contenuto di metalli in traccia e caratteristiche biochimiche. Nel nostro caso-studio, la sensibilità di risposta al disturbo antropico ordina le classi di descrittori nel senso terre rare < metalli < indicatori chimici < indicatori biochimici. I descrittori pedolo…

Fine-scale spatial variability of soil organic carbon and related environmental variables in a protected area of Sicily, Italy

The institution of Natural Reserves has promoted, in Italy, the conservation and the environmental improvement of several areas and their physical and biological factors. Agriculture, forestry and every human activity are regulated to preserve their high ecological and naturalistic value. Land use, in particular, must follow careful rules to preserve the soil fertility and to limit the factors of landscape degradation. Maps of soil organic carbon (SOC) or soil organic matter (SOM) are of interest for agricultural management, resulting a very important soil fertility parameter, as well as in environmental policy related to the terrestrial sequestration of atmospheric carbon. Thus, a better u…

Microbiological analysis and metagenomic profiling of the bacterial community of an anthropogenic soil modified from typic haploxererts

This work aimed to characterize the microbial communities of an anthropogenic soil originating from application of pedotechniques to Vertisols in a Mediterranean environment. Bare soil profiles were sampled at three depths (0&ndash;10 cm, 10&ndash;30 cm, and 30&ndash;50 cm) and compared with the original soil not transformed at the same depths. The anthropogenic soils were characterized by a higher CaCO3 concentration (360&ndash;640 g/kg) than control soil (190&ndash;200 g/kg), while an opposite trend was registered for clay, where control soil showed a higher concentration (465 g/kg on average) than anthropogenic soil (355 g/kg on average). Organic carbon content was much higher in the unt…

Economic aspects of pedotechnique applications in large scale farming: a case study

Conference of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation

Archeobotanical study of traditional agroecosystems based on SEM-EDX analysis of buried phytoliths

The FP7 Project "MEditerranean MOntainous LAndscapes: an historical approach to cultural heritage based on traditional agrosystems (MEMOLA)" (http://www.memolaproject.eu/it) is studying past landscapes using ancient soil horizons as archaeological records. The project aims at evaluating the biodiversity of no longer existing environments, in order to reconstruct the past agroecosystems. One of the approach used in the study consisted in the selective sampling of buried paleo-soil horizons for the search of “testimonials” or useful pedo-archaeological "indicators" that can tell something about past environments and peculiar ecosystems no longer present. To this purpose it was decided to star…

VARIABILITÀ SPAZIALE DELLA CONDUCIBILITÀ ELETTRICA SU SUOLI FORESTALI EVOLVENTI SULLA SERIE GESSOSO-SOLFIFERA

In Sicilia, una superficie di circa 250.000 ettari, è interessata da suoli affetti da salinità. In laboratorio, la salinità del suolo può essere stimata, indirettamente, determinando la conducibilità elettrica (CE) dell’estratto di sospensioni suolo/acqua, mentre per la sua stima diretta in campo si sta diffondendo l’uso dei sensori ad induzione elettromagnetica. Scopo del lavoro è stata la valutazione della variabilità spaziale della conducibilità elettrica di suoli affetti da salinità, con un sensore elettromagnetico. L’area di studio ricade nella Sicilia centrale, nel “Complesso Boscato Mustigarufi” i cui suoli presentano un diverso contenuto di sali. Le misure, effettuate in 329 punti s…

A Vertisol in the Sparacia farm.

La diversità dei suoli siciliani: quale futuro?

Compartmentalization of gypsum and halite associated with cyanobacteria in saline soil crusts

The interface between biological and geochemical components in surface crust of a saline soil was investigated using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS). Mineral compounds such as halite and gypsum were identified crystallized around filaments of cyanobacteria. A total of 92 genera were identified from the bacterial community based on 16S gene pyrosequencing analysis. The occurrence of the gypsum crystals, their shapes and compartmentalization suggested that they separated NaCl from the immediate microenvironment of the cyanobacteria, and that some cyanobacteria and communities of su…

Fine-Scale Spatial Variability Of Soil Organic Carbon And Related Environmental Variables In a protected area of Sicily

Repercussion of anthropogenic landscape changes on pedodiversity and preservation of the pedological heritage

Over a period of time people have lived in and with their surrounding landscapes and for several thousand years transformed the soilscapes and the vegetation into cultural landscape types important for their economy and to meet their needs (Richter 2007, Ellis 2011, Hjelle 2012). The sustainable provision of goods and services depends critically on managing soils without damaging the natural soilscapes and the related natural resources. To support the transition towards sustainable development, science needs to understand how land-use change affects the environment and how this, in turn, feeds back into human livelihood strategies or infl uences the vulnerability of the environment (Rounsev…

Features and ecological significance of benchmark soils of the Moldavian plateau, Romania

Features and ecological significance of benchmark soils of the Moldavian plateau, Romania

Local soil classification and crop suitability: Implications for the historical land use and soil management in Monti di Trapani (Sicily)

In the past, the lack of technologies (e.g. synthetic fertilizers) to overcome biophysical limitations has played a central role in land use planning. Thus, landscape management and agronomic practices are reactions to local knowledge and perceptions on natural resources, particularly soil. In the framework of the European research project MEMOLA (FP7), the role of local farmers knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical land use through the spatial distribution of crops and the various management practices have been assessed in three different areas of Monti di Trapani region (Sicily). The identification of the soil classification systems of farmers and the criteria on which it i…

Soil interpretation in the context of anthropedogenic transformations and pedotechniques application

Abstract Following a long and vigorous study carried out by the International Committee on Anthropogenic Soils (ICOMANTH), the Soil Taxonomy (ST) classification system recently incorporated a number of changes to include Human-Altered and Human-Transported soils, generally called anthropogenic soils. These changes underwent careful scrutiny as they affect the current classification of existing soil series, and as the proposals and logics are as yet untested against existing data and descriptions. Particular attention was given to the diagnostic characteristics of the anthropogenic soils and to the Subgroups for Human-Altered and Human-Transported soils. In this study, we consider a frequent…

Una cronosequenza antropedogenica nella Sicilia sud-orientale

Agricoltura superintensiva, pedotecniche e pedodiversità in un’area della Sicilia meridionale

Irish Soil Information System – application of novel and traditional techniques in soil survey

The overall objective of this project is to conduct a programme of structured research into the distribution of soil types over the whole of Ireland and construct a soil map, at 1:250,000 scale, which will identify and describe the soils according to a harmonised national legend. This map will be in digital form and will form the basis for development of a new soil information system for Ireland. This is in response to national requirements to address the need to provide soil with a level of protection similar to that for water and air and, at international level, the recently adopted official ‘Communication on a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection in Europe’ (European Commission, 2002, 20…

Soil Threats

Soil and pedomesofauna relationships under different forests on a western slope of Etna Volcano

Although the pedofauna influences the processes of pedogenesis and has an important role in the main functional properties of the soil, it has rarely been used as a key-element in defining soil quality. As has been stressed, this is due to the fact that the utility of pedofauna as a soil quality indicator is a function of the definition of soil quality which, in turn, depends on different functions, both biotic and abiotic, performed by the soil. If we consider the biological functions of vegetal, animal and microbiotic activity, the usefulness of the pedofauna, as a diagnostic element of soil quality, reaches its maximum since it is one of the indicators of the biodiversity. Previous work …

Assessing SOM spatial variability in a protected area of Sicily, Italy

A natural saline soil as a model for understanding to what extent the concentration of salt affects the distribution of microorganisms

Soils preserve and sustain life. Their health and functioning are crucial for crop production and for the maintenance of major ecosystem services. Human induced salinity is one of the main soil threats that reduces soil fertility and affect crop yields. In recent times, great attention has been paid to the general shortage of arable land and to the increasing demand for ecological restoration of areas affected by salinization processes. Despite the diffuse interest on the effects of salinization on plants’ growth, and all the derived socioeconomic issues, very few studies analyzed the ecology of the microbial species in naturally saline soils and the resilience of biological fertility in th…

The contribution of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC) to scientific knowledge, education and sustainability

Soil is an integral component of the global environmental system that supports the quality and diversity of terrestrial life on Earth. Therefore, it is vital to consider the processes and impacts of soil degradation on society, especially on the provision of environmental goods and services, including food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Scientific societies devoted to Soil Science play significant roles in promoting soil security by advancing scientific knowledge, education and environmental sustainability. The European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC) was founded in Ghent (Belgium) on 4 November 1988 by a group of 23 researchers from several European countries. …

Correction: Salinity and Bacterial Diversity: To What Extent Does the Concentration of Salt Affect the Bacterial Community in a Saline Soil?

Three authors were omitted from the author contributions section in the ‘‘contributed to the writing of the manuscript’’ subsection. Please refer to the correct author contributions here: Conceived and designed the experiments: LC GB AB. Performed the experiments: LC GB GLP. Analyzed the data: LC GB FP GLP. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CD AB GLP. Contributed to the writing of the manuscript: LC FP GB.GLP CD AB

The contribution of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC) to scientific knowledge, education and sustainability

Soil is an integral component of the global environmental system which supports the quality and diversity of terrestrial life on Earth. Therefore, it is vital to consider the processes and impacts of soil degradation on society, especially on the provision of environmental goods and services, including food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Scientific societies devoted to soil science play significant roles in reducing soil degradation and promoting soil conservation by advancing scientific knowledge, education and environmental sustainability. The ESSC was founded on 4 November 1988, with the aims to: 1. Support research on soil degradation, soil protection and soil an…

Variabilità spaziale dell'orizzonte gypsico in un ambiente mediterraneo semiarido della Sicilia centro meridionale

Nell’ambiente semiarido della Sicilia centro meridionale vi sono suoli che pur non evolvendo direttamente su substrati gessosi risultano interessati dall’accumulo di gesso secondario. Scopo di questo lavoro è evidenziare le caratteristiche e la distribuzione spaziale dell’orizzonte gypsico proprio di suoli che evolvono su un substrato privo di gesso ma che sono da classificare come Gypsisuoli. È stata scelta un area costituita da un pendio collinare ad andamento Nord-Ovest Sud-Est in cui sono presenti suoli che evolvono su marne argillose del Pliocene inferiore “trubi” e poste a quota topograficamente più bassa rispetto ad un affioramento gessoso del Messiniano. Lungo la pendice sono stati …

Un modello per la definizione della adatabilita' dei suoli del tratto terminale del fiume Belice (AG) allo smaltimento delle acque di vegetazione.

Development of protofragipanic horizon after severe degradation processes of greenhouses soil

Plant growing in greenhouses and plastic tunnels has some advantages: obtaining early production, plant protection against hail, hoarfrost, late spring and early autumn frosts. The main criteria considered for setting greenhouses are the existence of heating and water sources. Due to the compulsory location imposed by the above conditions, many greenhouses were placed on soils having low capability. After application of ameliorative measures some satisfactory results could be obtained on a relatively short period. Our studies on some soils in greenhouses and plastic tunnels in Romania have shown that after 15-20 years of the intensive exploitation an impermeable soil horizon with brittle bl…

How much can regional agri-environmental measures contribute to SOC stocking in the soils of Sicily?

Soils have a great potential in stocking soil organic carbon SOC, but how much can human activities, and particularly agricultural ones, contribute to increase (or decrease) the SOC content? Which kind of agricultural practices are the most effective? From the soil database of Sicily we have selected 52 profiles, whose first 40 cm from the soil surface were analyzed for the SOC, of which 15 analyzed also for nitrogen N content, localized in the clayey hills and limestone marine terraces of the western Sicily, cultivated with grain crops and orchards (mainly olive groves and vineyards), surveyed and analyzed in a period from 1995 to 2008. By interviews to the farmers owners of those parcels,…

Effects of different cropping systems on the soil organic matter in a xeric environment (Italy)

Zoning protected areas using digital maps and environmental parameters: study case of “Santa Ninfa caves” natural reserve of Italy.

Taxonomic and environmental implication of pedotechnique in large scale farming

Abstract Human activities that involve deep modifications of the soils and a substantial deterioration of their features are numerous and very diverse. Such activities are considered as pedotechniques and, in large-scale farming, are used only under the boost of significant economic returns. In these last decades, the pedotechniques used to tailor soils suitable for table vine cultivation in the Acate valley (Sicily, Italy), not only led to objective difficulties in the classification of these deeply transformed soils but also, to several environmental hazards. In this work after considering the pedotechniques used in tailoring suitable soil for table vine cultivation, we propose to introdu…

Distribuzione di descrittori di qualità fisico-chimica in “Miscic Geofragmexerants”

Land set-up systems in Italy: A long tradition of soil and water conservation sewed up to a variety of pedo-climatic environments

Land set-up systems in Italy were and, in a few cases, still are integral parts of agricultural landscapes. The soils of Italy mirror a wide variety of climates and morphologies and derive from a great diversity of parent materials influenced by different soil temperature and moisture regimes. Furthermore, their development was influenced by several anthropogenic activities over time including land settings. Land set-up systems have been widely used throughout the Italian soilscape to regulate surface and underground water and to improve the physical soil features in a way that ensures mixed herbaceous and tree-crops cultivation. In recent times, new technologies have been introduced in agr…

Integrating geophysical and geostatistical techniques to map the spatial variation of clay

Abstract The development of subsoil models represents an important aspect of land resource evaluation, because they can provide an accurate description of the spatial variability in soil properties. Although direct soil sampling provides the best information in terms of soil properties, sample density is rarely adequate to accurately describe the horizontal and vertical variability of the physical properties of soil. Geophysical methods, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors, provide rapid, non-invasive and exhaustive ways for subsoil characterization. Moreover, geophysical methods can be integrated with geostatistics to map soil properties. This…

Towards 2014: Planned ISIS Outputs

The development focus of the design and implementation of the Soil Information System (SIS) is on the structured holding and maintenance of data arising from all other project activities, in addition to significant other legacy datasets. The SIS further represents the core source from which users and stakeholders will draw upon for their future use of the results of the overall project activities. The design and implementation must therefore not only be ‘fit for purpose’ for the immediate project requirements, be able to facilitate interoperability of the datasets, and must also be consistent with the principles of Directive 2007/2/EC, Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Co…

Education in Soil Science: the Italian approach

The Italian Society of Soil Science (SISS) was founded in Florence on February 18th, 1952. It is an association legally acknowledged by Decree of the President of the Italian Republic in February 1957. The Society is member of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) of the European Confederation of Soil Science Societies (ECSSS) and collaborates with several companies, institutions and organizations having similar objectives or policy aspects. SISS promotes progress, coordination and dissemination of soil science and its applications encouraging relationships and collaborations among soil lovers. Within the SISS there are Working Groups and Technical Committees for specific issues o…

Salinity and Bacterial Diversity: To What Extent Does the Concentration of Salt Affect the Bacterial Community in a Saline Soil?

In this study, the evaluation of soil characteristics was coupled with a pyrosequencing analysis of the V2-V3 16S rRNA gene region in order to investigate the bacterial community structure and diversity in the A horizon of a natural saline soil located in Sicily (Italy). The main aim of the research was to assess the organisation and diversity of microbial taxa using a spatial scale that revealed physical and chemical heterogeneity of the habitat under investigation. The results provided information on the type of distribution of different bacterial groups as a function of spatial gradients of soil salinity and pH. The analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA showed differences in bacterial compositi…

Effetti spazio-temporali dei cambiamenti dell'uso del suolo sulla diffusione dei suoli antropogenici: il caso studio di Mazzarrone

L’elevata pressione antropica, in molte aree del pianeta, può innescare processi che conducono alla formazione di suoli antropogenici. Questo fenomeno è particolarmente evidente in alcune aree del Mediterraneo, dove l’agricoltura specializzata su vasca scala ha comportato la trasformazione dell’uso del suolo e del pedopaesaggio. Viene esaminato il caso studio di Mazzarrone (nel sud est della Sicilia) dove i cambiamenti d’uso del suolo e l’adozione di particolari pedotecniche per la coltivazione dell’uva da tavola hanno originato ex-novo suoli antropogenici. In particolare, sono stati studiati i processi antropedogenetici, che hanno interessato quest’area nell’arco di più di quaranta anni, n…

Elementi di Pedologia e di Valutazione dei Suoli

In situ remediation of polluted Spolic Technosols using Ca(OH)2 and smectitic marlstone

Technosols are soils developed on non-traditional substrates and containing large quantities of materials mostly due to intensive human industrial activity, such as artefacts. The increasing number of sites affected by Technosols and their impact on the environment as growing media for plants or as source of pollutants require an understanding of their functioning and evolution, above all the knowledge on the transport of toxic substances from contaminated technogenic soils to groundwater. A case study on properties, remediation and evaluation of Technosols made up by vitrified fly ash and glass–ceramics in Italy was carried out. Original technogenic soils, classified as Spolic Technosols (…

Anthropogenic soils: general aspects and features

In recent decades man&#39;s role in soil formation has become a matter of great concern among soil scientists. Man is now considered a soil-forming factor and anthrosolization is recognised as a soil-forming process that consists of a collection of geomorphic and pedological processes resulting from human activities. These human activities include deep working, intensive fertilization, the addition of extraneous materials, irrigation with sediment-rich waters and wet cultivation. In this paper we review the influence of man as a soil forming factor stressing also some peculiar aspects linked to their classification.

Pedotecniche e qualità delle produzioni e dell’ambiente: un caso di studio.

Effects of different cropping systems on soil organic matter quality in a xeric environment (Italy)

Microscopic findings and soil genetic “indicators” in support of pedoarchaeological studies

Archaeologists use historical artefacts and archaeological records to reconstruct the communities that produced them and the environment in which they lived. Soil protects our buried or damaged heritage of archaeological and historic remains from depletion, damage, and any disturbance. Here are presented some preliminary results obtained in the framework of the FP7 Project "MEditerranean MOntainous LAndscapes: an historical approach to cultural Heritage based on traditional agrosystems (MEMOLA)" where ancient soils horizons are themselves archaeological records. In order to implement the MEMOLA archaeological study and to identify soil genetic "indicators", two integrated approaches were us…