Search results for "FOREST"

Contamination of soil by copper affects the dynamics, diversity, and activity of soil bacterial communities involved in wheat decomposition and carbo…

2009

ABSTRACT A soil microcosm experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of copper contamination on the dynamics and diversity of bacterial communities actively involved in wheat residue decomposition. In the presence of copper, a higher level of CO 2 release was observed, which did not arise from greater wheat decomposition but from a higher level of stimulation of soil organic matter mineralization (known as the priming effect). Such functional modifications may be related to significant modifications in the diversity of active bacterial populations characterized using the DNA stable-isotope probing approach.

Pengembangan Kriteria dan Klasifikasi Tingkat Kekritisan Lahan pada Skala Tinjau di Kawasan Budidaya Pertanian Lahan Kering di Kabupaten Bogor

2018

<em>The objectives of this research are to develop critical land criteria and classification on the reconnaissance scales. The method used in this research is survey method through case studies. Data analysis methods include: bivariate correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis. The results showed development criteria at reconnaissance scale resulted three determinant variables, namely: effective soil depth, stones, and degree of erosion; and produced two classes of critical land, namely: Critical class and Non-Critical class.</em>

Water erosion assessment and modeling in two calanchi areas in Sicily, Italy

I badlands sono forme di erosione localizzate principalmente nelle regioni aride e semi-aride e sono formati da una complessa combinazione di processi morfogenetici. La loro origine coinvolge processi di erosione idrica ma anche tunnel erosion e movimenti di massa. Inoltre, tali forme possono anche essere correlate a fenomeni di erosione accelerata che hanno luogo laddove le azioni antropiche disturbano l'equilibrio naturale tra processi morfogenetici e suolo. I badlands, con i loro versanti ripidi, sono spesso inseriti all’interno di paesaggi più dolci, in mezzo a colture o bosco, localizzati in aree dove i processi responsabili del loro modellamento sono di solito piuttosto attivi determi…

Quantifying interrill and ephemeral gully erosion in a small Sicilian basin

2012

Establishing soil loss tolerance: an overview

2016

Soil loss tolerance is a criterion for establishing if a soil is potentially subjected to erosion risk, productivity loss and if a river presents downstream over-sedimentation or other off-site effects are present at basin scale. At first this paper reviews the concept of tolerable soil loss and summarises the available definitions and the knowledge on the recommended values and evaluating criteria. Then a threshold soil loss value, at the annual temporal scale, established for limiting riling was used for defining the classical soil loss tolerance. Finally, some research needs on tolerable soil loss are listed.

Checking generalization of the USLE-MM in central and South Italy

2018

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. In this investigation, carried out at the three experi-mental sites of Bagnara, Masse and Sparacia, in Italy, the soundness of the USLE-MM scheme with a single exponent for the three sites was tested. The model was parameterized both locally and considering all sites simultaneously. The performances of the fitted models were established by considering all erosive events and also by distinguishing between events of different severity. The b1 exponent varied widely among the three sites (1.05 - 1.44) bu…

Key Biochemical Attributes to Assess Soil Ecosystem Sustainability

2011

Soil is not a renewable resource, at least within the human timescale. In general, any anthropic exploitation of soils tends to disturb or divert them from a more “natural” development which, by definition, represents the best comparison term for measuring the relative shift from soil sustainability. The continuous degradation of soil health and quality due to abuse of land potentiality or intensive management occurs since decades. Soil microbiota, being ‘the biological engine of the Earth’, provides pivotal services in the soil ecosystem functioning. Hence, management practices protecting soil microbial diversity and resilience, should be pursued. Besides, any abnormal change in rate of in…

Links Between Soil Security and the Influence of Soil on Human Health

2017

Soil is important to human health because of (1) food availability and quality, (2) human contact with various chemicals in soil, (3) human contact with soil organisms, and (4) disposal of wastes. The five dimensions of soil security each have ties to soils and their influence on human health. Capability is related to the ability of soils to produce adequate and high-quality food and filter waste products to provide a clean environment, particularly clean, safe water supplies. Condition influences the nutritional quality of agricultural products produced in a given soil. Capital recognizes that there is value to the services soil provides in promoting human health, costs when soil constitue…

Connecting the public with soil to improve human health

2019

Despite the definite links between soil and human health, it is likely that most people do not think about soil when considering human health. There is a disconnect between most people in our modern society and soil, and when people notice soil it is often in a negative context. People care for things that matter to them, and creating a more positive public image of soil could improve human health by leading to better treatment and understanding of the soil resource. There are a number of concepts that may be able to connect people to the soil, including terroir, soil health and soil security. While terroir originally established a connection between those who appreciate wine and the soils …

Testing the “physical model concept” by soil loss data measured in Sicily

2012

The best possible model to predict the erosion from an area of land has been suggested to be a physical model of the area that has similar soil type, land use, size, shape, slope and erosive inputs. Therefore, a replicated plot has to be considered the best possible, unbiased, real world model. In this paper the physical model concept was tested by using soil loss data collected on plots of different length at the experimental station of Sparacia, in Sicily (South Italy). This investigation supported the conclusions that i) a coefficient of determination between measured and predicted soil loss values of 0.77 has to be considered as the best-case prediction scenario and ii) an uncalibrated …