Search results for "Oil quality"

Unravelling the importance of forest age stand and forest structure driving microbiological soil properties, enzymatic activities and soil nutrients …

2016

This study aimed to investigate the effects that stand age and forest structure have on microbiological soil properties, enzymatic activities and nutrient content. Thirty forest compartments were randomly selected at the Palancares y Agregados managed forest area (Spain), supporting forest stands of five ages; from 100 to 80years old to compartments with trees that were 19-1years old. Forest area ranging from 80 to 120years old and without forest intervention was selected as the control. We measured different soil enzymatic activities, soil respiration and nutrient content (P, K, Na, Mg, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ca) in the top cm of 10 mineral soils in each compartment. Results sh…

Biological soil crusts determine soil properties and salt dynamics under arid climatic condition in Qara Qir, Iran

2020

Biological soil crusts are a thin layer within the soil system but strongly determine the infiltration, runoff and water and solute movement. Little is known about the role of biological soil crusts on soil solute dynamics in arid ecosystems and the objective of this paper is to determine in Qara Qir rangeland how biological soil crusts control the water and salt distribution along the soil profile. Rainfall simulation experiments were carried out at five locations, and measurements of the soil at 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-50 and 50-80 cm depth were done before, 48 h and 21 days after the rainfall simulations. Soil particle size distribution, bulk density, water content, organic carbon an…

Recent Developments in Understanding Biochar’s Physical–Chemistry

2021

Biochar is a porous material obtained by biomass thermal degradation in oxygen-starved conditions. It is nowadays applied in many fields. For instance, it is used to synthesize new materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, animal feeding, adsorbent for smells, etc. In the last decades, biochar has been applied also to soils due to its beneficial effects on soil structure, pH, soil organic carbon content, and stability, and, therefore, soil fertility. In addition, this carbonaceous material shows high chemical stability. Once applied to soil it maintains its nature for centuries. Consequently, it can be considered a sink to store atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils, thereby mitigat…

Optimization of microbial biopreparations for soil quality improvement: Testing new formulations

2015

An oxygen monitoring and control system inside a malaxation machine to improve extra virgin olive oil quality

2013

In recent years, oxygen content regulation during malaxation has been noted as a process parameter. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal time during the malaxation process of the olives of the Sicilian cultivar Nocellara del Belice when the presence of oxygen in the machine headspace activates the enzyme complex in favour of the volatile compounds, without compromising the phenolic composition. During the malaxation process, the atmosphere inside the malaxation machine was modified by blowing pure oxygen from cylinders at specific stages of the process (i.e., 5, 15, 25, and 35 min after the start of malaxation), using a system that allows the automatic and continuous maintenanc…

Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics

2017

Abstract. Although intensive agriculture is necessary to sustain the world's growing population, accelerated soil erosion contributes to a decrease in the environmental health of ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Reversing the process of land degradation using vegetative measures is of utmost importance in such ecosystems. The present study critically analyzes the effect of grasses in reversing the process of land degradation using a systematic review. The collected information was segregated under three different land use and land management situations. Meta-analysis was applied to test the hypothesis that the use of grasses reduces runoff and soil erosion. The effect of gra…

Effects of Biochar Addition on Rill Flow Resistance

2021

The development of rills on a hillslope whose soil is amended by biochar remains a topic to be developed. A theoretical rill flow resistance equation, obtained by the integration of a power velocity distribution, was assessed using available measurements at plot scale with a biochar added soil. The biochar was incorporated and mixed with the arable soil using a biochar content BC of 6 and 12 kg m−2. The developed analysis demonstrated that an accurate estimate of the velocity profile parameter Гv can be obtained by the proposed power equation using an exponent e of the Reynolds number which decreases for increasing BC values. This result pointed out that the increase of biochar content dump…

Response of soil bacterial community structure to successive perturbations of different types and intensities

2008

SummaryIn soil, genetic structure modifications of indigenousbacterial community consecutively to a severe stress(mercury contamination) were delayed when thecommunity was pre-exposed to various minor per-turbations (heat, copper and atrazine). Such minorperturbations induced transitory community struc-ture modifications leading to an increase of commu-nity stability towards a severe mercury stress. Theseresults illustrated well the short-term pre-adaptationprocess for bacterial community hypothesizing thatcommunity submitted to perturbations become moreresistant to withstand another stress. Compared with other environmental matrices of the bio-sphere, soils are considered as the main reservo…

Assessment of nitrate contamination risk: The Italian experience

2009

16 páginas, 19 figuras, 10 tablas.-- El PDF es el manuscrito aceptado para su publicación.-- et al.

Bypass flow, salinization and sodication in a cracking clay soil

2004

Abstract In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good-quality waters is spreading irrigation with saline–sodic waters, thus enhancing the risk of soil secondary salinization and sodication. Sustainable management strategies are urgently needed in Sicily to prevent extent of salinization and sodication, thus preserving soil quality. Since irrigation is performed in cracking soils using irrigation systems involving high application rates, bypass flow of water and solutes occurs during irrigation. The objectives of this paper were (i) to investigate the process of Na–Ca exchange and subsequent salinization/sodication during bypass flow and (ii) to explore possibilities of using cyclic strategies…