Search results for "soil"

Experimental investigations of the soil–concrete interface: physical mechanisms, cyclic mobilization, and behaviour at different temperatures

2016

Behaviour of the pile–soil interface is important to correctly predict the response of floating piles in terms of displacement and lateral friction. Regarding energy piles, which couple the structural roles of deep foundations with the principle of shallow geothermal energy, the response of pile–soil interfaces is influenced by seasonal and daily cyclic thermal variations. Accordingly, the goal of this paper is to experimentally investigate the response of the pile–soil interface at different temperatures. This experimental campaign aims to analyse (i) the cyclic mobilization of the shear strength of the soil–pile interface that is induced by thermal deformation of the pile and (ii) the di…

A view of extraterrestrial soils

2009

International audience; The nature of soils on celestial bodies other than Earth is a growing area of research in planetary geology. However, disagreement over the significance of these deposits arises in part due to the lack of a unified concept and definition of soil in the literature. The pragmatic definition “medium for plant growth” is taken by some to imply the necessity of biota for soil to exist, and has been commonly adopted in the planetary science community. In contrast, a more complex and informative definition bases on scientific theory: soil is the (bio)geochemically/physically altered material at the surface of a planetary body that encompasses surficial extraterrestrial tell…

Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Physical Disturbances Caused by Forest Machinery: a Comprehensive Review

2022

Abstract Purpose of Review Ground-based mechanized forest operations can cause severe soil disturbances that are often long lasting and detrimental to the health of forested ecosystems. To reduce these soil disturbances, focus is being increasingly directed at identifying and using appropriate mitigation techniques. This systematic review considered 104 scientific articles and reported the main findings according to four core themes: terrain-related factors, operational planning, machine modifications, and types of amendments used to mitigate machine-induced soil impacts. Recent Findings For terrain-related factors, most severe disturbances occur on machine operating trails exceeding 20% sl…

Forage production, N uptake, N2 fixation, and N recovery of berseem clover grown in pure stand and in mixture with annual ryegrass under different ma…

2011

In Mediterranean countries, forage grasses and legumes are commonly grown in mixture because of their ability to increase herbage yield and quality compared with monocrop systems. However, the benefits of intercropping over a monocrop system are not always realized because the efficiency of a grass–legume mixture is strongly affected by agronomic factors. The present study evaluated productivity, N2 fixation, N transfer, and N recovery of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) grown in pure stand and in mixture with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) under high or low defoliation frequencies and varying plant arrangements (sowing in the same row or in alternating rows). On average, the b…

Wooden biochar as a carrier for endophytic isolates

2017

Abstract Plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPM) serve as a basis for bio-fertilizers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the wood-derived biochar as a potential carrier for PGPM, previously isolated from plants. The selected microbial consortium was compatible with aged biochar obtained from tree branches and processed at temperatures of 600–800 °C. The effect of the consortium or biochar alone and biochar carrier-based bio-formulation on plant growth was estimated in a 14-day greenhouse experiment with barley. The length of shoots and roots increased by 46% and 32% respectively in comparison with control. Synergy of consortium with biochar was observed regarding root length. Conso…

Hygienic characteristics of radishes grown in soil contaminated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

2015

Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a plant growth-promoter. This bacterium is also implicated in human diseases. Thus, after the use of this bacterium in agriculture, the safety of the final products has to be verified. Due to the ubiquitous presence of S. maltophilia in soil, in this study a massive contamination was simulated to evaluate the growth and safety of Raphanus sativus L.. Results: Different inoculums and soil treatment conditions were tested. Soils were analysed weekly and the radishes at harvest for their microbial loads and presence/persistence of S. maltophilia LMG 6606. The concentration of the bacterium added in the different trials decreased during the first week…

Long-term soil feedback on plant N allocation in defoliated grassland miniecosystems

2005

Abstract Defoliation of plants is known to have effects on soil organisms and nutrient availability in grassland communities, but few studies have examined whether changes in soil attributes can further feed back to plant growth and plant nutrient content. To examine defoliation-induced soil feedbacks, we established replicated miniecosystems with a grass Phleum pratense , defoliated half of the systems, collected soil from both defoliated and non-defoliated systems and planted new seedlings into each soil. The two soils did not differ in promoting shoot and root growth. However, seedlings that grew in the soil collected from defoliated systems had higher shoot N content, allocated relative…

Verifica dell’applicabilità del metodo irriguo sub-superficiale su colture agrumicole e ottimizzazione dell’uso della risorsa idrica

2020

Gli impianti di subirrigazione (SDI), in relazione alla posizione interrata dei gocciolatori permettono la riduzione dei consumi irrigui, garantendo la possibilità di utilizzo di risorse altrimenti non utilizzabili. Tuttavia, i costi di investimento iniziali risultano maggiori di quelli relativi ai tradizionali impianti di microirrigazione e pertanto, diventano economicamente vantaggiosi, se l'efficienza del sistema viene garantita per periodi di almeno 15-20 anni. La SDI, inoltre, permette di ottenere valori elevati di efficienza d’uso dell’acqua, spesso superiori al 90%, se associata ad un monitoraggio continuo dello stato idrico del suolo e della pianta e ad una corretta stima delle esig…

Combining hectometric and decametric satellite observations to provide near real time decametric FAPAR product

2017

Abstract A wide range of ecological, agricultural, hydrological and meteorological applications at local to regional scales requires decametric biophysical data. However, before the launch of SENTINEL-2A, only few decametric products are produced and most of them remain limited by the small number of available observations, mostly due to a moderate revisit frequency combined with cloud occurrence. Conversely, kilometric and hectometric biophysical products are now widely available with almost complete and continuous coverage, but the associated spatial resolution limits the application over heterogeneous landscapes. The objective of this study is to combine unfrequent decametric spatial res…

2021

Abstract We propose a signal deconvolution procedure for imaging spectrometer data, where a measured point spread function (PSF) is deconvolved itself before being used for deconvolution of the signal. We evaluate the effectiveness of our procedure for improvement of the spatio-spectral signal, as well as our target application, i.e. estimation of sun-induced fluorescence (SIF). Imaging spectrometers are well established instruments for remote sensing. When used for scientific purposes these instruments are usually calibrated on a regular basis. In our case the point spread function of the optics is measured in an elaborate procedure with a tunable monochromator point light source. PSFs are…