Search results for "Bulk density"
showing 10 items of 40 documents
Long-term no-tillage application increases soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide emissions and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) yields under rain-fed Mediterra…
2018
The introduction of legumes into crop sequences and the reduction of tillage intensity are both proposed as agronomic practices to mitigate the soil degradation and negative impact of agriculture on the environment. However, the joint effects of these practices on nitrous oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH) emissions from soil remain unclear, particularly concerning semiarid Mediterranean areas. In the frame of a long-term field experiment (23 years), a 2-year study was performed on the faba bean (Vicia faba L.) to evaluate the effects of the long-term use of no tillage (NT) compared to conventional tillage (CT) on yield and NO and NH emissions from a Vertisol in a semiarid Mediterranean environmen…
Can be GPR technique useful for strength characterization of concrete?
2010
The possibility of material characterization through the GPR measurements, taking into account the integration with the ultrasonic technique, has been studied and possible relationships between the permittivity of materials and their bulk density are discussed. We present here two different approaches. The first one describes an attempt to correlate the mechanical strength of concrete (as well the ultrasonic velocity) with the permittivity of the material. A series of samples of concrete, characterized by different material properties, were used for georadar and ultrasonic measures, seeking correlations among experimental data. The second approach illustrates the comparison between GPR and …
Data quality oriented procedure, for detailed mapping of heavy metals in urban topsoil as an approach to human health risk assessment
2021
Abstract Urban soils' health is important to the community because of the soils' potential use for recreational activities. A data quality-oriented approach to sampling design is proposed for performing soil representative surveys that gives support to defensible and statistically-based decisions. Krowoderski park in Cracow (Poland) was selected as a study case to investigate heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and to assess human risk exposure according to simulated scenarios. Statistical power was computed for optimizing the number of samples to compare HMs concentration against legal upper tolerance levels (LUTL). The samples' location was iteratively designed as random spatial distribution …
Impacts of wood extraction on soil: assessing rutting and soil compaction caused by skidding and forwarding by means of traditional and innovative me…
2021
AbstractIntensive forestry operations may cause soil compaction, plastic soil disturbances and rutting, which are responsible for undesirable effects on soils, vegetation and water bodies. Despite the numerous studies aimed to identify the main factors affecting soil damages, it still remains unclear whether wood extraction methods and driving direction (uphill or downhill) may affect the impacts of forest machines. This research analyses soil compaction and soil penetration resistance as well as rutting from forwarding and skidding using the same farm tractor in up- and downhill wood extraction. Rutting was estimated by 3D soil reconstruction derived by portable laser scanning (PLS) and cl…
Granulation of fly ash and biochar with organic lake sediments – A way to sustainable utilization of waste from bioenergy production
2019
Abstract The main waste generated during the thermochemical processes of biomass burning used for bioenergy production in cogeneration plants are ash and biochar which can be used as fertilizers in forestry and agriculture. However, several difficulties are attributed to possibilities of practical exploitation of ash and biochar due to the transporting, handling and mode of application. Granulation of energy generation waste has been shown in some circumstances as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method. Production of granules (pellets) from wood ash and biochar leads to improved recycling and logistics of waste as well as helps to control and avoid undesirable environmental ef…
Data on physical and chemical characterization of wood combustion products derived at cogeneration power plants
2021
The data presented in this article are related to the research paper “Granulation of fly ash and biochar with organic lake sediments – A way to sustainable utilization of waste from bioenergy production” [1] in the context of waste material investigation and possible valorization instead of disposal. This article provides a comprehensive chemical and physical characterization of wood combustion products – fly ashes, bottom ashes, mixed ashes and biochar. Multiple analytical techniques and methodology were exploited to investigate the composition of wood combustion products, among them a loss on ignition, potentiometry, colorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, indu…
Long-term monitoring of soil bulk density and erosion rates in two Prunus Persica (L) plantations under flood irrigation and glyphosate herbicide tre…
2021
Abstract Early season fruit production for the northern European market is highly intensive in fertilization, machinery, irrigation and the use of herbicides. Those conditions increase the soil losses and soil compaction and threaten the Sustainable Goals for Development of the United Nations by 2030. Long-term soil erosion measurements are necessary to determine the sustainability of agriculture managements. Moreover, soil erosion on flood irrigation land is a topic that request more surveys and research as rainfed sloping terrains attracted all the attention of scientists and research investment. Improved Stock Unearthing Method (ISUM) was applied to two 15 years-old herbicide treated fie…
Laboratory testing of Beerkan infiltration experiments for assessing the role of soil sealing on water infiltration
2018
Abstract Soil surface sealing is a major cause of decreased infiltration rates and increased surface runoff and erosion during a rainstorm. The objective of this paper is to quantify the effect of surface sealing on infiltration for 3 layered soils with different textures for the upper layer and investigate the capability of BEST procedure to catch the formation of the seal and related consequences on water infiltration. Rainfall experiments were carried out to induce the formation of the seal. Meanwhile, Beerkan infiltration runs were carried out pouring water at different distances from the soil surface (BEST-H versus BEST-L runs, with a High and Low water pouring heights, respectively) f…
Effects of solarisation on soil thermal-physical properties under different soil treatments: A review
2020
Solarisation technology allows for improving soil quality as well as crop productivity. The influence of the properties and method of use of plastic materials used to cover soils, such as the number and thickness of layers, and colour of the material, significantly alters soil thermal-physical properties. These effects can be managed and modified to increase solarisation efficiency by achieving a decrease in vapour movement between the soil surface and the atmosphere. Also, soil solarisation establishes microclimates that increase the effectiveness of fertilisers, thus modifying the soil thermal-physical properties. However, there is a lack of complete and general overview of this widely us…
Soil Erosion Induced by the Introduction of New Pasture Species in a Faxinal Farm of Southern Brazil
2018
The faxinal management system is an endangered agro-silvopastoral system which forms part of the local traditional management in the Paraná federal state (Brazil). Significant changes in land management since the 1970s caused farmers to look for alternatives to increase the productivity of their farms. The introduction of new pasture species is causing land degradation problems, of which soil erosion is the most important challenge. Therefore, in this study, we assessed the environmental consequences of introducing exotic pasture species, such as Brachiaria decumbens. To achieve this goal, ten erosion plots were installed with exotic and native pastures (Paspalum notatum Flügg&e…