Search results for "SOIL"
showing 10 items of 3493 documents
Soil water repellency assessment in olive groves in Southern and Eastern Spain
2016
Soil water repellency (SWR) has been reported under different soils, land uses and regions of the world, particularly in forest land and after wildfires, yet the understanding of this variable in agricultural lands is still rather limited. This study presents the characterization from field-based measurements of SWR in four contrasted olive groves (Olea europaea L.) in Spain in terms of different environmental conditions and management: abandoned and commercial farms under permanent cover crop, conventional tillage and herbicide use. The main objectives were [1] to evaluate the potential occurrence, intensity and persistence of soil water repellency in different types of olive groves and [2…
Evaluation of the Fate of Aldicarb and Its Metabolites in Oranges
1995
Abstract The accumulation, persistence and fate of systemic pesticide aldicarb was melencholy evaluated in orange crops. The concentration of this pesticide and its two toxic metabolites, aldicarb sulfoxide and aldicarb sulfone was determined in leaves, rind and pulp of three orange varieties (Satsuma, Navelina and Clemetina de Nules) and in the top soil of the orange groves. The groves were located in two different places in the Valencia Community (Spain). The analysis showed that the aldicarb concentration was lower than those of aldicarb sulfoxide and aldicarb sulfone. In all cases, the residues persisted at least 160 days in vegetable samples and between 157 and 227 days in soil samples…
The role of hydrology on enhanced weathering for carbon sequestration II. From hydroclimatic scenarios to carbon-sequestration efficiencies
2021
Abstract Enhanced weathering (EW) scenarios are analyzed using the model presented in Cipolla et al. (2020). We explore the role of different hydroclimatic forcing on carbon-sequestration efficiencies. We also investigate whether increasing soil carbon content improves weathering conditions. We link olivine weathering rates to pH variations and quantify the suitability of hydroclimatic regimes to EW, based on rainfall intensity and frequency. The results show that the amount of CO 2 reacting with olivine and ending up in solution in the form of HCO 3 − and CO 3 2 − increases with mean annual precipitation (MAP) up to 2000 mm, but then tapers off for higher MAPs. On the contrary, the sequest…
Interaction of a Recombinant Prion Protein with Organo-Mineral Complexes as Assessed by FT-IR and CPMAS 13C NMR Analysis
2010
Prion proteins are considered as the main agents for the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE). The misfolded form, PrP Sc , which is also indicated as the etiological agent for TSE, exhibits high resistance to degradation in environmental processes. Soil contamination by prion proteins is a real environmental issue since contaminated soils can become potential reservoir and diffuser for TSE infectivity. In this work, the interaction of prion protein with organo- mineral complexes was studied by using a recombinant non pathogenic prion protein and a model soil system. This latter was represented by a soil manganese mineral coated with polymerized catechol. FT-IR spectra showed ami…
Vertical stratification and trophic interactions among organisms of a soil decomposer food web – a field experiment using 15N as a tool
2002
Abstract In this field study, we explored the spatial segregation between the litter- and humus-inhabiting organisms of the detrital food web using 15 N-isotope technique. The study was established in 11 × 11 m plots fertilized with 15 N-labelled urea. Ten years after urea application, soil samples were taken, both from the litter layer and the combined F+H layer. The samples were analysed for N content and the proportion of 15 N in (i) the residual organic matter in the litter and F+H layer (excluding microbes), (ii) microbial biomass, and (iii) various feeding guilds of soil fauna. The basal resource, soil microbes, and the fauna were more enriched with 15 N in the F+H layer than in the l…
Influence of land use on the characteristics of humic substances in some tropical soils of Nigeria
2005
Summary In highly weathered tropical conditions, soil organic matter is important for soil quality and productivity. We evaluated the effects of deforestation and subsequent arable cropping on the qualitative and quantitative transformation of the humic pool of the soil at three locations in Nigeria. Cultivation reduced the humic pool in the order: acetone-soluble hydrophobic fraction (HE) > humic acid (HA) > humin (HU) > fulvic acid (FA), but not to the same degree at all three sites. The C and N contents, as well as the C/N ratios of humic extracts, were large and not substantially influenced by land use. The δ13C values of the humic extracts were invariably more negative in forested soil…
Variability of near-surface saturated hydraulic conductivity for the clay soils of a small Sicilian basin
2019
Abstract Proper characterization of saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of clay soils in a hillslope or a basin is still a challenge for soil science. In this investigation, the clay soils of the Maganoce (Sicily, Italy) basin were sampled at 19 sampling sites by the BEST procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. More OM implied less compact conditions (decreasing dry soil bulk density; coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.67), more stability to water of the soil aggregates (increasing water stable aggregates; R2 = 0.83) and, consequently, higher Ks values (R2 = 0.54). Variability of Ks was lower in the steeper zones of the basin than in the flatter ones. A comparison with the Ks data…
Effects of compost input and tillage intensity on soil microbial biomass and activity under Mediterranean conditions
2010
Organic amendment and tillage reduction are two common practices to contrast soil organic matter decline, thus promoting sustainable cropping and carbon sequestration. In a horticultural land use system under Mediterranean climate, we evaluated the 9-year effects of two compost inputs (15 and 30 t ha−1 y−1, low and high input, respectively) and two tillage intensities (intensive and reduced) on soil macronutrients concentration, microbial biomass and activity. Total organic C, total N and POlsen were smaller in plots amended at low input, whilst intensive tillage decreased them at both compost inputs. These decreases in intensively tilled plots was ascribed to the disruption of soil aggrega…
Long-term cropping systems and tillage management effects on soil organic carbon stocks and steady state level of C sequestration rates in a semiarid…
2010
A calcareous and clayey xeric Chromic Haploxerept of a long-term experimental site in Sicily (Italy) was sampled (0–15 cm depth) under different land use management and cropping systems (CSs) to study their effect on soil aggregate stability and organic carbon (SOC). The experimental site had three tillage managements (no till [NT], dual-layer [DL] and conventional tillage [CT]) and two CSs (durum wheat monocropping [W] and durum wheat/faba bean rotation [WB]). The annually sequestered SOC with W was 2·75-times higher than with WB. SOC concentrations were also higher. Both NT and CT management systems were the most effective in SOC sequestration whereas with DL system no C was sequestered. …
Isotopes Trace Biogeochemistry and Sources of Cu and Zn in an intertidal soil
2013
River floodplain soils are sinks and potential sources for toxic trace metals like Cu and Zn. We hypothesize that stable Cu and Zn isotope ratios reflect both the mobilization and the sources of metals. We determined the soil properties, the concentrations and partitioning of Cu and Zn, and variations in δ65Cu and δ66Zn values in a core obtained from an Aquic Udifluvent developed on a freshwater intertidal mudflat of the River Elbe, Germany. The core was sampled at 2 cm intervals to a depth of 34 cm, which corresponds to approximately 9 yr of sedimentation. Elevated concentrations of Cu (up to 320 μg g−1) and Zn (up to 2080 μg g−1) indicated anthropogenic pollution. At the time of sampling …