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In north-eastern Argentina, Camponotus punctulatus builds large numbers of big and coherent anthills after abandonment of rice cultivation. These anthills easily reach 1 m in height and 2 m in diameter, and a density of 1800 nests ha −1 . We studied the internal morphology of C. punctulatus aged anthills of 4, 6 and 15 years, respectively, by describing and quantifying, meso- and macroporosity...
The variability of the clay mineralogy in the topsoil of agricultural fields has rarely been examined, although it is important to the construction of accurate potassium (K) availability models. The variability of clay mineralogy and the relationship to plant available nonexchangeable K (Step K) were examined in two steep-land fields in the southern North Island of New Zealand. The soils at the sites...
Terrain analysis of digital elevation models (DEM) has become an important technique to assess landscape and watershed scale hydrologic and pedologic processes and the spatial variability of soil and ecologic properties. Light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) elevation data sets provide the flexibility needed to produce multiple horizontal resolutions of DEM from the same data source. A series of 61...
Kinetics of K release from soils and their different size fractions in relation to diffusion parameters was investigated by equilibrating with chloride free H-resin for time periods, up to 100 h. Diffusion of applied K was investigated by employing half-cell technique. Potassium released to H-resin after 100 h equilibration was 0.45 to 0.59 for submontane (mean annual rainfall >800 mm), 0.50 to...
Microscopic examination of microbiotic soil crust shows that the profiles of soil with a dense cyanobacterial cover had two different layers: a surface thin layer composed of aeolian-born materials and an organic layer formed by filamentous cyanobacteria associated with sand particles. The results indicate that microbiotic cover is an important determinant of sand fixation in the Gurbantunggut Desert,...
Our objective was to quantify the improvement in fine-resolution maps of soil organic carbon stock (CS, Mg C ha −1 ) resulting from utilizing multivariate sources of secondary information. Different geostatistical techniques for mapping CS in the top 0.3 m of soil with or without secondary information were assessed in three large no-till fields (49 to 65 ha) in Nebraska, which were sampled...
Soil properties were characterised under Chromolaena odorata (the dominant natural fallow in southern Cameroon) on the Typic Kandiudult and Typic Kandiudox using nutrient concentrations, particulate organic matter (POM) status and C mineralization in vitro. POM (53–4000 μm) status was assessed by weight and C and N contents while C mineralization was determined after 4 weeks of soil incubation in...
In the Tigray highlands of Northern Ethiopia, the establishment of exclosures (i.e., areas closed for grazing and agriculture) has become an important measure to combat land degradation and restore vegetative cover. Exclosures are commonly found on steep slopes and downslope from a sediment source area. In this study their sediment trapping capacity and controlling factors were investigated. Total...
Soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with clay plus silt sized particles (<20 μm) in uncultivated grassland soils has been proposed to have a maximum concentration that is referred to as the soil protective capacity. For cultivated soils, SOC is lost from the soil during various operations such as tillage, crop removal, lack of a crop cover between cropping seasons and as a result this SOC is typically...
Especially in dry summers, such as 2003 in Europe, wetlands may become subject to desiccation and oxidation processes may affect sediment top layers. In this paper, we present the results of a study in which the development of the pore water chemistry (major ions, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate and some metals) was monitored during experimental desiccation of previously anaerobic freshwater sediments...
Twenty-eight soil samples with a wide range of chemical and physical properties were collected from typical uncontaminated soils of Central Spain, characterised in general by their medium or high calcium carbonate contents. The extractability and solid-phase fractionation of manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) in the soils was determined by the single extraction procedure proposed by the BCR for calcareous...
Soil forming processes important to the development of Red-Brown Earths (duplex soils) in southeastern Australia have been investigated by a combination of techniques, including isotopic (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, 14 C), spectroscopic ( 13 C NMR, MIR), optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) and phytolith analyses. A distinct increase in clay content, corresponding changes...
A detailed examination of soil porosity employing micromorphology and image analysis can provide a better understanding of the peculiar behavior of hardsetting horizons. Owing the fact that hardsetting layers exhibit high bulk density values, we hypothesize that natural soil compaction in hardsetting horizons influences total porosity and pore shape and orientation. The aim of this study is to evaluate...
Inventories of carbon stocks and projected changes at national scale are needed in the context of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but uncertainties in the necessary soil data remain large. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and inorganic carbon (SIC) reserves in Jordan were estimated using a revised 1:500000 soil and terrain database, providing baseline data. The 95% confidence limits...
Peatland methane emissions have been proposed to decrease during summer drought as the onset of more aerobic conditions causes enhanced methane oxidation and suppressed methane production. However, emissions often fail to return to pre-drought levels for a year or more after the water table has returned to the peat surface and conditions favourable for methane production have been restored. Droughts...
The particle size distributions of surface soils from two cultivated silty fields (Moorfield and Railway South) in Herefordshire, UK, were assessed by sampling on 20-m grids across the fields. Moorfield (8 ha) had a uniform landscape sloping mainly in a North–South direction while Railway South (12 ha) had complex undulating landscape characteristics. Samples from 3 surficial layers were also taken...
There has been growing interest in the use of diffuse infrared reflectance as a quick, inexpensive tool for soil characterization. In studies reported to date, calibration and validation samples have been collected at either a local or regional scale. For this study, we selected 3768 samples from all 50 U.S. states and two tropical territories and an additional 416 samples from 36 different countries...
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