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Charles Darwin and Vasily Dokuchaev made early and important, but quite different, contributions to pedogenic theory. Their major contributions were both written as books — Darwin's, 1881 The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms, With Observation on Their Habits, and Dokuchaev's, 1883 Russian Chernozem. Although most soil scientists are familiar with Dokuchaev's legacy and lasting...
The hydrologic effects of hillslope log debris dams were analyzed in areas of the Castejón Mountains (semiarid Ebro Basin, NE-Spain) affected by a wildfire. Four experimental sites showing differences in the soil composition (calcareous and gypseous) and the aspect of the steep slopes (north and south facing) were selected. All of the experimental sites were located along planar hillslopes, where...
The objective of this study is to quantify the potential risk of P leaching to groundwater in characteristic soil types in The Netherlands. In areas with shallow groundwater P losses via groundwater to surface waters is an important pathway.The risk of P leaching to groundwater can be assessed by means of the phosphate saturation degree (PSD) methodology. The PSD is an index of the actual phosphate...
Benefits of biochar as a soil amendment may vary with its properties, time after its application, and in relation to soil texture and mineralogy. Effects of pyrolysis conditions on biochar properties which, in turn, influence soil fertility and plant growth in two different soils were investigated. A pot experiment employing two types of eucalyptus wood derived biochar, i.e. low (350°C) and high (800°C)...
The soil shrinkage curve is used to relate the volume of soil as it dries with water content. The shape of shrinkage curve depends on the soil type and soil fabric. A shrinkage curve can consists of two to four phases. It is difficult to represent all types of shrinkage curves with a single continuous equation which uses explicit parameters. In this paper, a universal shrinkage curve equation with...
In many studies, possibilities are being explored to adjust farm management to increase or maintain soil organic matter (SOM) contents in agricultural soils. Some options may be conflicting with efficient nutrient (N and P) management, i.e. management aiming at maximum conversion of imported nutrients into exported products (milk and meat in the case of dairy farms). This study explored long term...
Dryland agriculture in Cabo Verde copes with steep slopes, inadequate practices, irregular intense rain, recurrent droughts, high runoff rates, severe soil erosion and declining fertility, leading to the inefficient use of rainwater. Maize and beans occupy >80% of the arable land in low-input, low-yielding subsistence farming. Three collaborative field trials were conducted in different agroecological...
Rice farmers in China need accurate maps of soil salinity to make rational decisions for management. Modern sensors such as the Geonics EM38 conductivity meter, which records the apparent electrical conductivity, ECa, allied to geostatistics to convert sparse punctual measurements into digital maps can provide them.We have explored the combination in reclaimed land in the Hangzhou Gulf of the Yangtze...
Aggregates provide physical microenvironments for microorganisms, the vital actors of soil systems, and thus play a major role as both, an arena and a product of soil carbon stabilization and dynamics. The surface of an aggregate is what enables exchange of the materials and air and water fluxes between aggregate exterior and interior regions. We made use of 3D images from X-ray CT of aggregates and...
This chronosequential study focusses on the vegetation succession, pedogenesis, carbon stocks and different carbon pools of post-agrogenic Calcisol–Solonetz complexes in the dry steppe zone of Russia. The sites were comparable in terms of climate, soil texture and land-use history, but differed in the duration of agricultural abandonment, covering 1, 7, 12, 17 and 42years of self-restoration. During...
Northern Canadian boreal forest is characterised by accumulation of a thick organic soil layer (paludification). Two types of paludification are recognised on the basis of topography and time since the last fire, viz., permanent paludification that dominates in natural depressions within the landscape, and reversible paludification that occurs on flat or sloping terrain over time following fire or...
The area cultivated using conservation tillage has recently increased in central Spain. However, soil compaction and water retention with conservation tillage still remains a genuine concern for landowners in this region because of its potential effect on the crop growth and yield. The aim of this research is to determine the short-term influences of four tillage treatments on soil physical properties...
Soil erosion and its spatial and temporal variabilities are rarely placed in the context of soil production and soil depth. This study examines the question of sustainable soil erosion and soil loss in a conservatively managed grassland catchment in South East Australia in what at first appears to be a catchment with a tolerable soil loss. Catchment erosion rates are determined using the environmental...
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