Search results for "soil"

Long-term Additions of Organic Amendments in a Loire Valley Vineyard. I. Effects on Properties of a Calcareous Sandy Soil

2008

International audience; A long-term experiment (28 years) was conducted to Study the effects of various organic amendments oil physical, chemical, and biological properties of a sandy vineyard soil. Annual applications of either crushed pruned vine-wood (2 t/ha fresh wt), cattle manure (10 and 20 t/ha fresh wt.), or spent mushroom compost (8 and 16 t/ha fresh wt) were compared to all unamended treatment, In plots unamended for 28 years, total organic C (TOC) showed a slow and limited decrease (19%). For the highest rates of exogenous organic amendments, the increase in TOC reached a saturation Value after 20 years and carbon (C) sequestered after 28 years reached 30 Mg/ha. Final predicted T…

Rhizosphere: achievements and challenges

2009

Reprinted from Plant and Soil, Vol.321, nos 1-2; International audience

In situ polymerization of soil organic matter by oxidative biomimetic catalysis

2017

Abstract Background Agricultural practices that enhance organic matter content in soil can play a central role in sequestering soil organic carbon (SOC) and reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Methods We used a water-soluble iron-porphyrin to catalyze directly in situ oxidative polymerization of soil organic matter in the presence of H2O2 oxidant, with the aim to enhance OC stabilization, and, consequently, reduce CO2 emissions from soil. The occurred SOC stabilization was assessed by monitoring soil aggregate stability, OC distribution in water-soluble aggregates, soil respiration, and extraction yields of humic and fulvic acids. Results Soil treatment with H2O2 and iron-porphyrin increas…

Estimation of the degrading genetic potential of soil bacterial communities: a new tool for evaluating and predicting soil contamination by organic m…

2007

During the last two centuries, industrialisation has led to increasing contamination of the environment by xenobiotics, notably aromatic compounds (i.e. PAHs, pesticides). These widespread pollutants are a major threat affecting soil quality and human health. In this context, numerous policies have been drawn up notably in Europe, to monitor the threats of pollution to ecosystems and to detect and implement measures to counterbalance the damage. Nevertheless, the European Commission and scientific community are still confronted with a lack of appropriate tools to monitor biodiversity in relation to environmental processes affecting global warming and soil protection. This study proposes too…

BOTANICAL CONTRIBUTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAND EVALUATION IN THE FP7 MEMOLA PROJECT

2014

Assessing Hydrus-2D model to investigate the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies on potato crop under subsurface drip irrigation

2019

The objective of this paper was to assess the performance of Hydrus-2D model to simulate the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies applied on potato crop. The ability of the model to simulate the stress coefficient (Ks), obtained as the ratio between actual and maximum transpiration, and to define the productive function of potato crop under the semi-arid conditions of central Tunisia were also evaluated. Experiments were carried out on potato crop under full (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI) and two different water qualities supplied by means of a subsurface drip irrigation system. Results evidenced that the model, despite some discrepancies locally observed, can fairly accurat…

Ultrasound-assisted sequential extraction method for the evaluation of mobility of toxic elements in contaminated soils

2005

A method for the fast sequential extraction of toxic elements in contaminated soil samples using an ultrasonic water bath, followed by determination with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), was developed and compared with other methods introduced in the literature. The five-step sequential extraction (Tessier scheme) was shortened using ultrasound-assisted sequential extraction (UASE). The optimization of the five-step sequential extraction was based on the analysis of SRM 2710 using Tessiers’s method as a reference. Several extracting solutions with different sonication times and temperatures were tested in the optimization procedure. Concentrations of arsen…

Sorption of thallium(I) ions by peat.

2013

The increasing industrial use of thallium has raised the need for removal of this highly toxic element from wastewater. Thallium is more toxic than cadmium, copper, zinc, lead and mercury and as it is easily accumulated in humans, animals and plants, it poses a threat to both the environment and human health. Peat has been used as an effective, relatively cheap and easily available sorbent to treat waters containing heavy metals. In this study, peat was characterized and used as sorbent for the removal of Tl(I) ions from aqueous solution. The effect of initial Tl(I) concentration, pH, contact time, temperature and ionic strength was studied in batch mode. The maximum sorption capacity of pe…

Mineralogy and geochemistry of Terra Rossa soils, western Sicily: insights into heavy metal fractionation and mobility

1996

Abstract The distribution of heavy metals in typical Terra Rossa soils and their partitioning in specific soil phases are estimated on the basis of the comparative evaluation of bulk contents, results from sequential chemical extraction procedure (SEP) and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis ( SEM EDX ). A general natural enrichment of heavy metals with respect to average soil is observed. Cadmium proves to be remarkably high (up to 2.4 ppm). Large amounts of Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn occur in the ‘residual’ fraction. The results indicate selective accumulation of the heavy metals in Fe oxides, present as hematite, goethite and maghemite. There is good evidence th…

Biomethylation of Heavy Metals in Soil and Terrestrial Invertebrates

2009

Heavy metals play a prominent role in the lives of all organisms. They can be essential, as in the cases of iron, manganese, nickel and copper, which are needed to obtain proper enzyme conformation and reactivity. Some heavy metals are toxic to organisms, such as mercury or cadmium. Often, these metals are rarely accessible in their inorganic form. After biological transformation into organometallic compounds, they exhibit increased toxicity and penetration into animal tissue is facilitated. The alkylation mechanisms of metals (especially mercury) performed by aquatic microorganisms have been well documented. The organometallic food chain from fish to humans has also been investigated. Howe…