Search results for " soil"
showing 10 items of 774 documents
Predicting soil loss in central and south Italy with a single USLE-MM model
2018
Purpose: The USLE-MM estimates event normalized plot soil loss, Ae,N, by an erosivity term given by the runoff coefficient, QR, times the single-storm erosion index, EI30, raised to an exponent b1> 1. This modeling scheme is based on an expected power relationship, with an exponent greater than one, between event sediment concentration, Ce, and the EI30/Pe(Pe= rainfall depth) term. In this investigation, carried out at the three experimental sites of Bagnara, Masse, and Sparacia, in Italy; the soundness of the USLE-MM scheme was tested. Materials and methods: A total of 1192 (Ae,N, QREI30) data pairs were used to parameterize the model both locally and considering all sites simultaneously. …
Effect of a Heavy Rainstorm on the Surface Hydrodynamic Properties of a Sandy-Loam Soil
2022
Changes in surface-soil hydrodynamic properties associated with torrential natural rainstorms are largely unknown. This investigation aimed at verifying if the surface hydrodynamic properties of a sandy-loam soil varied due to the heavy rainfall event (130 mm in nearly three hours) that occurred in the summer of 2020 at Palermo (Italy) and also to establish if soil recovery processes occurred soon after the event. The soil of an orchard was sampled immediately before the rainstorm and a few days and 1.5 months later. The rainstorm determined a moderate decrease (by 1.8 times) of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, and an increase of its relative variability. In the subsequent wee…
Impact of hydrologically driven hillslope erosion and landslide occurrence on soil organic carbon dynamics in tropical watersheds
2016
The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle. Past attempts to quantify the net C exchange with the atmosphere in regional and global budgets do not systematically account for dynamic feedbacks among linked hydrological, geomorphological, and biogeochemical processes, which control the fate of SOC. Here we quantify effects of geomorphic perturbations on SOC oxidation and accumulation in two adjacent wet tropical forest watersheds underlain by contrasting lithology (volcaniclastic rock and quartz diorite) in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory. This study uses the spatially-explicit and physically-based model of SOC dy…
Biogeochemical responses to nutrient, moisture and temperature manipulations of soil from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands in the Maritime Antarctic
2014
AbstractWe have investigated how the microbially-driven processes of carbon (C) mineralization (respiration) and nitrogen (N) mineralization/immobilization in a soil from the northern Maritime Antarctic respond to differences in water availability (20% and 80% water-holding capacity) and temperature (5°C and 15°C) in the presence and absence of different organic substrates (2 mg C as either glucose, glycine or tryptone soy broth (TSB) powder (a complex microbial growth medium)) in a controlled laboratory experiment over 175 days. Soil respiration and N mineralization/immobilization in the presence of a C-rich substrate (glucose) increased with increases in water and temperature. These facto…
Relationships between soil water repellency and microbial community composition under different plant species in a Mediterranean semiarid forest
2014
Abstract Soil water repellency (SWR) can influence many hydrological soil properties, including water infiltration, uneven moisture distribution or water retention. In the current study we investigated how variable SWR persistence in the field is related to the soil microbial community under different plant species (P. halepensis, Q. rotundifolia, C. albidus and R. officinalis) in a Mediterranean forest. The soil microbial community was determined through phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). The relationships between microbiological community structure and the soil properties pH, Glomalin Related Soil Protein (GRSP) and soil organic matter (SOM) content were also studied. Different statistical …
Compartmentalization of gypsum and halite associated with cyanobacteria in saline soil crusts
2016
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…
Evaluation in microcosm of biostimulation and bioaugmentation efficacy on diesel-contaminated soil
2021
Bioremediation is a promising technology for the treatment of hydrocarbon (HC) contaminated soils that is based on the biodegradation capacities of native or introduced microbial populations. Biotractability tests are essential for choosing the optimal bioremediation treatment. For this purpose, multiple microcosm tests, based on biostimulation by landfarming or bioventing and addition of nutrients, were conducted for 120 days on a soil contaminated by diesel, after assessing its intrinsic catabolic potential. An additional bioaugmentation treatment was performed for further 60 days by inoculating selected HC degrading bacteria. HC (C10-C40) concentration was monitored by GC-FID analysis an…
Effect of carbon source supply and its location on competition between inoculated and established bacterial strains in sterile soil microcosm
1999
The aim of this work was to study how the location of a carbon source and of bacterial cells in soil can enhance the growth of a bacterial inoculum. Studies were performed using irradiated soil and two pairs of strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Pseudomonas fluorescens. For each species, an antibiotic-resistant mutant was used as inoculant and introduced into a sterile soil pre-colonised with its parent strain. The inocula and a glycerol amendment were introduced together or separately into soil using porous microgranules or by spraying a suspension onto the bulk soil. Competition was assessed by plate counts of both inoculant and established populations. Both B. japonicum and P. fluor…
Long-term Additions of Organic Amendments in a Loire Valley Vineyard. I. Effects on Properties of a Calcareous Sandy Soil
2008
International audience; A long-term experiment (28 years) was conducted to Study the effects of various organic amendments oil physical, chemical, and biological properties of a sandy vineyard soil. Annual applications of either crushed pruned vine-wood (2 t/ha fresh wt), cattle manure (10 and 20 t/ha fresh wt.), or spent mushroom compost (8 and 16 t/ha fresh wt) were compared to all unamended treatment, In plots unamended for 28 years, total organic C (TOC) showed a slow and limited decrease (19%). For the highest rates of exogenous organic amendments, the increase in TOC reached a saturation Value after 20 years and carbon (C) sequestered after 28 years reached 30 Mg/ha. Final predicted T…
In situ polymerization of soil organic matter by oxidative biomimetic catalysis
2017
Abstract Background Agricultural practices that enhance organic matter content in soil can play a central role in sequestering soil organic carbon (SOC) and reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Methods We used a water-soluble iron-porphyrin to catalyze directly in situ oxidative polymerization of soil organic matter in the presence of H2O2 oxidant, with the aim to enhance OC stabilization, and, consequently, reduce CO2 emissions from soil. The occurred SOC stabilization was assessed by monitoring soil aggregate stability, OC distribution in water-soluble aggregates, soil respiration, and extraction yields of humic and fulvic acids. Results Soil treatment with H2O2 and iron-porphyrin increas…