Search results for " SOIL"

Relaciones suelo-vegetación en una toposecuencia del Escudo Guayanés, Venezuela

2014

El Escudo Guayanés es uno de los territorios más antiguos del planeta; tiene millones de años sometido a procesos de lixiviación y erosión que dejan suelos oligotróficos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue hacer la caracterización de los parámetros físicos y químicos de los suelos, en diferentes comunidades boscosas de la Reserva Forestal Imataca, e identificar ciertas relaciones entre los componentes edáficos y las especies que allí se presentan. Se realizó un inventario de todos los individuos mayores a 10cm dap (diámetro a la altura del pecho) en 15 parcelas (1ha); en cada una de esas parcelas se evaluaron cuatro sub-parcelas de sotobosque (100m²) para contabilizar todas las espermatofitas;…

Spatial distribution of soil water repellency in a grassland located in Lithuania

2014

Soil water repellency (SWR) it is recognized to be very heterogeneous in time in space and depends on soil type, climate, land use, vegetation and season (Doerr et al., 2002). It prevents or reduces water infiltration, with important impacts on soil hydrology, influencing the mobilization and transport of substances into the soil profile. The reduced infiltration increases surface runoff and soil erosion. SWR reduce also the seed emergency and plant growth due the reduced amount of water in the root zone. Positive aspects of SWR are the increase of soil aggregate stability, organic carbon sequestration and reduction of water evaporation (Mataix-Solera and Doerr, 2004; Diehl, 2013). SWR depe…

THE STRUCTURE OF SOIL CADASTRE. A MODEL OF SOIL INVENTORY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND TAXATION PURPOSES IN A GLOBALISED MARKET

2018

The author shows the development of a structure, derived from the processing and integration of Ground Cadastre, where all soil characteristics are described. The soil is considered as divided according to the updated concept of cadastral parcel (soil and topographic uniformity of ownership and municipality). The land use is also assessed with reference to sustainability, taxation and environmental risk prevention. The structure of Soil Cadastre can contribute to the bureaucratic simplification of agricultural policies and environmental emergencies, as well as product presentation and traceability. Through the updating of some characteristics by professionals, the cadastre can become eviden…

VOLUMETRIC BEHAVIOUR OF SOILS EXPERIENCING WIDE CHANGES IN THE DEGREE OF SATURATION

2021

Analysis of the Economic Potential Trough Biochar Use for Soybean Production in Poland

2021

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important crops grown globally. Biochar has been proposed as an alternative to aid sustainable soybean production. However, comprehensive studies that include both the economic aspects of soybean production and biochar are scarce. Poland, with an economy largely based on agriculture, is an interesting case to investigate the cost-effectiveness of using biochar in soybean production. We show that the use of biochar at rates of 40, 60 and 80 t/ha is unprofitable compared with a traditional soil amendment, such as NPK fertilization. The breakeven price for biochar to be economically viable should be USD 39.22, USD 38.29 and USD 23.53 for 40, 60 and 8…

Potential effects of transgenic cotton on soil ecosystem processes in Vietnam.

2008

This chapter concentrates on the potential effects of transgenic cotton on the soil ecosystem of three major cotton growing areas in Vietnam: the coastal lowlands region, the central highlands (eastern and western Truong Son Mountain Range) and the south-eastern region. Soils in these three regions are very different, so it will be necessary to assess the effects of transgenic cotton on typical soils from all three regions. The soils in the south-eastern region are Luvisols, Andosols and Acrisols. In the central highlands, the soils are mainly Luvisols, Rhodic Ferrasols and Haplic Acrisols. The soils in the coastal lowlands region are mainly delta soils, consolidated occasionally by grey li…

LCA of Different Construction Choices for a Double-Track Railway Line for Sustainability Evaluations

2023

The international commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in the next few decades has oriented human activities towards the preservation of natural and non-renewable resources. In this context, a great research effort has been devoted to the search for sustainable solutions for the infrastructure construction sector, based on a thorough assessment of the environmental impact (EI). In this regards, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is considered one of the main components of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and, for a comprehensive analysis, all the costs incurred by stakeholders during the useful life of the infrastructure should also be taken into account, applying the Life Cycle Cost (LCC)…

Hydro-mechanical modelling of a natural slope affected by a multiple slip surface failure mechanism

2009

A coupled hydro-mechanical formulation is presented for the analysis of landslide motion during crisis episodes. The mathematical formulation is used to model a natural slope affected by a multiple slip surface failure mechanism, in which pore water pressure evolution was identified as the main cause for movement accelerations. An elasto-plastic constitutive model is adopted for the behaviour of slip surfaces. Material parameters are obtained by combining the available laboratory tests and the back analysis of some crisis episodes. After being calibrated and validated, the model is applied to improve the understanding of the physical processes involved and to predict the landslide behaviour…

An effective stress based shear strength criterion for unsaturated compacted double-porosity clays

2015

An effective stress based shear strength criterion is proposed taking into account the fundamental effects of microstructure characteristics on retention properties of compacted double-porosity clays and their overall coupled hydro-mechanical behaviour. Results of triaxial compression tests carried out on saturated and unsaturated samples of a compacted scaly clay show that points representative of failure conditions depict a unique failure envelope when the macropore degree of saturation is used in the definition of the effective stress and its evolution with the suction is taken into account. Furthermore, the proposed criterion is very effective to consider the most relevant aspects of su…

Selenium around Etna Volcano, Italy

2010

Humans are attracted by the fertile properties of volcanic soils and currently around 10% of the world population lives within active volcanic areas. Volcanoes emit significantly amounts of potentially toxic elements such as selenium (Se), even in the absence of obvious volcanic activity. Although Se is an essential element for humans, ingestion of an excess amount of Se can produce adverse effects. Mt. Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe, is persistently active for the last 200,000 years and one of the most intensely monitored volcanoes. We have studied selenium in rainwater and soils from Mt Etna volcano. Bulk depositions were collected from April 2006 to December 2007, using a network of…