Search results for "Forestry"

Nitrogen losses in vineyards under different types of soil groundcover. A field runoff simulator approach in central Spain

2017

The soils of Mediterranean vineyards are usually managed with continuous tillage, resulting in bare soil, low infiltration and high soil erosion rates. Soil nutrients, such as nitrogen, could be lost dissolved in the runoff, causing a decrease in soil fertility on such degraded soils and producing eutrophication downstream. The influences of groundcover on the soil erosion processes and sediment yields in Mediterranean vineyards have been widely addressed. However, the runoff process itself, excluding the effect of raindrop impacts, has barely been studied. Thus, a field runoff simulator was built to assess runoff and nutrient losses under different soil management strategies in Central Spa…

The multidisciplinary origin of soil geography: A review

2018

Abstract Soil geography should be clearly recognized as a sub-discipline of physical geography and soil science, but at various times over the last century it was accepted as a complementary and descriptive sub-discipline of botany, agronomy and geology. In other words, there was not a clear consensus about its definition and origins. The main goal of this paper is to conduct a historical review (s. XX-XXI) of soil geography to clarify its origin, early methods, first authors and the importance of its interdisciplinary perspective within the scientific community. We found that soil geography was considerably advanced by the work of K.D. Glinka (1867–1927), one of Dokuchaev's students, who c…

Historical Perspectives on Soil Mapping and Process Modeling for Sustainable Land Use Management

2017

Basic soil management goes back to the earliest days of agricultural practices, approximately 9000 BCE. Through time humans developed soil management techniques of ever increasing complexity, including plows, contour tillage, terracing, and irrigation. Spatial soil patterns were being recognized as early as 3000 BCE, but the first soil maps did not appear until the 1700s and the first soil models finally arrived in the 1880s. The beginning of the 20th century saw an increase in standardization in many soil science methods and wide-spread soil mapping in many parts of the world, particularly in developed countries. However, the classification systems used, mapping scale, and national coverag…

Goal Oriented Soil Mapping

2017

Abstract Soil mapping is very important for the correct implementation of sustainable land use management. In recent decades, soil mapping methods and data availability have increased exponentially, improving the quality of the maps produced. Despite these advances, local knowledge is a great source of information, refined for centuries and useful for soil mapping and the implementation of a sustainable land management. Local wisdom and experience should be an important aspect of soil mapping because farmers will be one of the major end-users of the maps produced and they should account for the farmers’ reality. However, several problems have been identified in the spatial correlation betwe…

Impact of Innovative Agricultural Practices of Carbon Sequestration on Soil Microbial Community.

2011

This chapter deals with the impact on soil microbiology of innovative management techniques for enhancing carbon sequestration. With in the MESCOSAGR project, the effect of different field treatments was investigated at three experimental sites differing in pedo-climatic characteristics. Several microbiological parameters were evaluated to describe the composition of soil microbial communities involved in the carbon cycle, as well as to assess microbial biomass and activity. Results indicated that both compost and catalyst amendments to field soils under maize or wheat affected microbial dynamics and activities, though with out being harmful to microbial communities.

Salinity-induced responses and resistance in Trifolium repens L.

2015

Abstract White clover ( Trifolium repens L.) is a commonly cultivated legume with good ground cover potential often used with companion grass species in urban grassed areas. The effect of increased soil salinity on plant growth is an urgent problem in cities where NaCl is used as a de-icing material. The aim of this research was to examine the effect of different salinity levels and K supply-induced responses and tolerance in the T. repens L. variety ‘Daile’, a variety which is used in urban greenery. To analyze the impact of increased soil salinity and the antagonistic effect of K, the effect of gradually increasing NaCl (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 mM) and K (+0, +100, +200, +300 mg/L) levels …

Assessment of soil suitability for improvement of soil factors and agricultural management

2019

The dramatic growth of the world&rsquo

Vineyard Compost Supplemented with Trichoderma Harzianum T78 Improve Saline Soil Quality

2016

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…

Assessing Field and Laboratory Calibration Protocols for the Diviner 2000 Probe in a Range of Soils with Different Textures

2016

Frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) downhole sensors have been increasingly used for soil moisture field monitoring because they allow measurement, even continuously, along a soil profile. Moreover, they can also be installed with minimal soil disturbance around the access tube. The objectives of the paper were to assess the field and laboratory calibration protocols for a FDR capacitance probe (Diviner 2000) for a range of soils characterized by different particle size distributions and shrink/swell potential and to propose a practical and effective protocol on the basis of undisturbed soil samples, accounting for soil shrinkage/swelling processes characterizing swelling clay soils. The e…