Search results for "soil"
showing 10 items of 3493 documents
The SMOS mediterranean ecosystem L-band characterisation experiment (MELBEX) over natural shrubs
2010
10 páginas, 5 figuras, 7 tablas.
SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS AS AFFECTED BY SHALLOW TILLAGE IN A VINEYARD GROWN IN A SEMIARID MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT
2016
Within the Mediterranean basin, soil tillage enhances the mineralisation of soil organic matter. We assessed the short-term impact of shallow tillage [field cultivator (FC), rotary tiller (RT) and spading machine (SM)] on some soil quality indicators [bulk density, water-stable aggregates, total and labile organic C pools (microbial biomass and extractable organic C), soil respiration and related eco-physiological indexes] in a Sicilian vineyard. Also no tillage was included. We hypothesized that (i) RT and FC worsened soil quality indicators more than SM, and (ii) within the same tillage system, labile C pools, soil respiration and eco-physiological indexes will respond more efficiently th…
Discrimination of Lithogenic and Anthropogenic Metals in Calcareous Agricultural Soils: A Case Study of the Lower Vinalopó Region (SE Spain)
2008
Analysis of heavy metal concentrations in soils and their sources is required to identify agricultural areas affected by contamination on a regional level, according to the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Pseudo-total and EDTA-extractable concentrations of nine elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in eighteen agricultural soils with vegetable crops in the Lower Vinalopo region (southeast Spain) were determined. The main aim was to assess the present state of the agricultural soils in relation to contamination processes by heavy metals for a representative area of the Mediterranean region under semiarid conditions. The pseudo-total concentrations for heavy metals …
FT-IR spectroscopy reveals that ash water repellency is highly dependent on ash chemical composition
2013
Abstract After a fire, an ash layer is commonly present, which influences soil properties and hillslope hydrology. The wettability of ash, which can vary from highly absorbent to water repellent, is an important characteristic in this context. Recent work has suggested that ash wettability is related to its degree of combustion, which in turn, can be expected to determine ash chemical composition. In this paper we therefore examine the relationship between ash water repellency and ash chemical composition. Ten ash samples with different wettability were each taken from four burned Mediterranean forest sites located at Albaida (A), Lliber (L), Navalon (N), and Pinoso (P), in the east of Spai…
Effects of different amendments (organic matter and hydrogel) on the actual evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of turf grass under field conditi…
2020
The irrigation schedule in arid areas has to be efficient in order to reduce losses due to evaporation and deep infiltration. Irrigation optimization poses the need to establish with precision the value of actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and the crop coefficient (Kc). The water soil availability can be increased using hydrogel and organic matter amendments, and their effects could vary ETa and Kc. The aim of this study was to determine the ETa, and Kc of an experimental site with lysimeters on the Spanish Mediterranean coast cropped with a turf grass variety, Agrostis stolonifera ‐L‐93, under field conditions, and amended with hydrogel and organic matter. Reference evapotranspiration (ET0)…
Soil aggregate stability under different Mediterranean vegetation types
1998
The influence of vegetation type on soil erodibility was studied by means of aggregate stability measurements using the Modified Emerson Water Dispersion Test (MEWDT), water-drop impacts (CND and TDI) and Ultrasonic Disruption (UD) methods on soils from north-facing slopes of the mountain range of La Serra Grossa in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Soils with similar characteristics but covered by the main plant species at the study area were selected. Quercus ilex woodland showed the most resistant soil aggregates followed by Q. coccifera and Pistacea lentiscus scrubland, Brachypodium retusum grassland and Pinus halepensis woodland. Aggregates developed beneath dwarf shrubs like Rosmarinus o…
Four-year soil erosion rates in a running-mountain trail in eastern Iberian Peninsula
2019
During the last decades, the use of mountain trails for running is more and more popular. New trails are opened to allow the runners to practice and compete. This form of human impact on the landscape is new as the new trails do not follow the conservation strategies in design and maintenance as traditional mountain trails constructed by farmers, shepherds and muleteers do. This impact of sport events in nature is not measured and we know little about this impact on vegetation, fauna and soils. We surveyed in September 2018 a trail that was opened in September 2014 and was used for four official mountain trail races, and for training by local runners. Our interviews with organizers and user…
Comparing different methods to determine soil physical quality in a mediterranean forest and pasture land
2016
Soil physical quality (SPQ) can be assessed by different experimental methodologies and criteria and the optimal/critical values or ranges for SPQ indicators are still approximate. Sampling soils with minimal anthropic pressures should allow improvements in SPQ assessment. Different experimental methodologies and criteria were applied to sample a Mediterranean oak forest (Quercus ilex L.) and pasture land, in Sicily, with a varying degree of anthropic disturbance. Soil water retention was determined in the laboratory and the field, using the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. Capacity-based indicators, the S index, and locatio…
Application of minidisk infiltrometer to estimate water repellency in Mediterranean pine forest soils
2017
Assessment of soil water repellency (SWR) was conducted in the decomposed organic floor layer (duff) and in the mineral soil layer of two Mediterranean pine forests, one in Italy and the other in Spain, by the widely-used water drop penetration time (WDPT) test and alternative indices derived from infiltration experiments carried out by the minidisk infiltrometer (MDI). In particular, the repellency index (RI) was calculated as the adjusted ratio between ethanol and water soil sorptivities whereas the water repellency cessation time (WRCT) and the specifically proposed modified repellency index (RIm) were derived from the hydrophobic and wettable stages of a single water infiltration experi…
Long-term impact of rainfed agricultural land abandonment on soil erosion in the Western Mediterranean basin
2018
[EN] Land abandonment is widespread in the Mediterranean mountains. The impact of agricultural abandonment results in a shift in ecosystem evolution due to changes in soil erosion, but little is known about long-term soil and water losses. This paper uses 11 years of measurements in two paired plots (abandoned vs control) with four subplots to determine how soil and water losses evolved after abandonment within an agricultural parcel. For two years (2004¿2005) both plots were under tillage, and after 2006 one plot was abandoned. The monitored plots measured runoff and sediment concentration after each rainfall event.