Adoption of Soil Health Improvement Strategies by Australian Farmers: II. Impediments and Incentives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, J. McL.; Cattle, S. R.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Many farmers remain hesitant to implement structured management plans and strategies tailored to address soil health, irrespective of mounting scientific evidence for the credibility of certain soil health indicators, an increase in the reporting of program benefits and progress in communicating these benefits. Hence, the purpose of this…

Managing soils for long-term productivity

PubMed Central

Syers, J. K.

1997-01-01

Meeting the goal of long-term agricultural productivity requires that soil degradation be halted and reversed. Soil fertility decline is a key factor in soil degradation and is probably the major cause of declining crop yields. There is evidence that the contribution of declining soil fertility to soil degradation has been underestimated.
Sensitivity to soil degradation is implicit in the assessment of the sustainability of land management practices, with wide recognition of the fact that soils vary in their ability to resist change and recover subsequent to stress. The concept of resilience in relation to sustainability requires further elaboration and evaluation.
In the context of soil degradation, a decline in soil fertility is primarily interpreted as the depletion of organic matter and plant nutrients. Despite a higher turnover rate of organic matter in the tropics there is no intrinsic difference between the organic matter content of soils from tropical and temperate regions. The level of organic matter in a soil is closely related to the above and below ground inputs. In the absence of adequate organic material inputs and where cultivation is continuous, soil organic matter declines progressively. Maintaining the quantity and quality of soil organic matter should be a guiding principle in developing management practices.
Soil microbial biomass serves as an important reservoir of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S), and regulates the cycling of organic matter and nutrients. Because of its high turnover rate, microbial biomass reacts quickly to changes in management and is a sensitive indicator for monitoring and predicting changes in soil organic matter. Modelling techniques have been reasonably successful in predicting changes in soil organic matter with different organic material inputs, but there is little information from the tropics.
Nutrient depletion through harvested crop components and residue removal, and by leaching and soil

Study of microarthopod communities to assess soil quality in different managed vineyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnarli, E.; Goggioli, D.; Tarchi, F.; Guidi, S.; Nannelli, R.; Vignozzi, N.; Valboa, G.; Lottero, M. R.; Corino, L.; Simoni, S.

2015-01-01

Land use influences the abundance and diversity of soil arthropods. The evaluation of the impact of different management strategies on soil quality is increasingly requested. The determination of communities' structures of edaphic fauna can represent an efficient tool. In this study, in some vineyards in Piedmont (Italy), the effects of two different management systems, organic and integrated pest management (IPM), on soil biota were evaluated. As microarthropods living in soil surface are an important component of soil ecosystem interacting with all the other system components, a multi disciplinary approach was adopted by characterizing also some soil physical and chemical characteristics (soil texture, soil pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, calcium carbonate). Soil samplings were carried out on Winter 2011 and Spring 2012. All specimens were counted and determined up to the order level. The biological quality of the soil was defined through the determination of ecological indices, such as QBS-ar, species richness and indices of Shannon-Weaver, Pielou, Margalef and Simpson. The mesofauna abundance was affected by both the type of management and the soil texture. The analysis of microarthropod communities by QBS-ar showed higher values in organic than in IPM managed vineyards; in particular, the values registered in organic vineyards were similar to those characteristic of preserved soils.

Comparing organic versus conventional soil management on soil respiration.

PubMed

Mátyás, Bence; Chiluisa Andrade, Maritza Elizabeth; Yandun Chida, Nora Carmen; Taipe Velasco, Carina Maribel; Gavilanes Morales, Denisse Estefania; Miño Montero, Gisella Nicole; Ramirez Cando, Lenin Javier; Lizano Acevedo, Ronnie Xavier

2018-01-01

Soil management has great potential to affect soil respiration. In this study, we investigated the effects of organic versus conventional soil management on soil respiration.  We measured the main soil physical-chemical properties from conventional and organic managed soil in Ecuador. Soil respiration was determined using alkaline absorption according to Witkamp.  Soil properties such as organic matter, nitrogen, and humidity, were comparable between conventional and organic soils in the present study, and in a further analysis there was no statically significant correlation with soil respiration. Therefore, even though organic farmers tend to apply more organic material to their fields, but this did not result in a significantly higher CO2 production in their soils in the present study.

Comparing organic versus conventional soil management on soil respiration

PubMed Central

Mátyás, Bence; Chiluisa Andrade, Maritza Elizabeth; Yandun Chida, Nora Carmen; Taipe Velasco, Carina Maribel; Gavilanes Morales, Denisse Estefania; Miño Montero, Gisella Nicole; Ramirez Cando, Lenin Javier; Lizano Acevedo, Ronnie Xavier

2018-01-01

Soil management has great potential to affect soil respiration. In this study, we investigated the effects of organic versus conventional soil management on soil respiration.  We measured the main soil physical-chemical properties from conventional and organic managed soil in Ecuador. Soil respiration was determined using alkaline absorption according to Witkamp.  Soil properties such as organic matter, nitrogen, and humidity, were comparable between conventional and organic soils in the present study, and in a further analysis there was no statically significant correlation with soil respiration. Therefore, even though organic farmers tend to apply more organic material to their fields, but this did not result in a significantly higher CO2 production in their soils in the present study. PMID:29623193

Soil quality evaluation using Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) in Brazilian oxisols with contrasting texture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To ensure current land use strategies and management practices are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable, tools and techniques for assessing and quantifying changes in soil quality/health (SQ) need to be developed through rigorous research and potential use by consultants, and othe...

Soil erosion measurements by means of experimental plots to determine best land management strategies in vineyards and olive orchards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerdà, Artemi; Keesstra, Saskia; Jordan, Antonio; Brevik, Erik; Nova, Agata; Prosdocimi, Massimo; Azorín-Molina, César; Yazdanpanah, Najme; Mahmoodabadi, Majid; Pereira, Paulo; Burguet, María

2016-04-01

In order to design sustainable land management there is a need to have accurate information on the impact this land management strategies have on water and sediment dynamics. This is especially important when a proper management is designed to reduce the soil losses due to the complex interaction of mechanisms that interact within the soil erosion process. Soil erosion is an non-linear process, both spatially and temporally, and as a consequence of that only well-monitored and accurate measurements can give insights in the processes and how these processes can be influenced by management to reduce soil losses (Cerdà, 2007; Ligonja and Shrestha, 2015; Nanko et al., 2015; Seutloali and Beckedahl, 2015). This is necessary at different scales: pedon, slope, and watershed because the governing processes differ at different scale (Keesstra, 2007; Jordán and Martínez Zavala, 2008; Borrelli et al., 2015). Soil erosion plots can give information about the temporal and spatial variability of soil losses. We present here a strategy developed by the Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group from the University of Valencia to assess the soil erosion rates in Eastern Spain. In 2002 the Soil Erosion Experimental Station in El Teularet-Sierra de Enguera was installed, to assess soil losses in rainfed agriculture orchards, and 73 plots of 1, 2, 4, 16 and 48 m2 were installed. In 2005 6 plots of 300 m2 were installed in the nearby Montesa soil erosion station to assess soil losses in citrus orchards. In 2011 16 plots of 2 m2 where installed in Les Alcusses to determine soil losses in olive orchards, and in 2015 8 plots in Celler del Roure vineyard to assess the impact of land management in vineyards and 8 plots in the El Teularet to study the impact of straw mulch on soil erosion rates. All erosion stations are located in several kilometres distance from each other. This research which we developed since 2002 is complementary to previous research where we used rainfall

Effects of Management on Soil Carbon Pools in California Rangeland Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silver, W. L.; Ryals, R.; Lewis, D. J.; Creque, J.; Wacker, M.; Larson, S.

2008-12-01

Rangeland ecosystems managed for livestock production represent the largest land-use footprint globally, covering more than one-quarter of the world's land surface (Asner et al. 2004). In California, rangelands cover an estimated 17 million hectares or approximately 40% of the land area (FRAP 2003). These ecosystems have considerable potential to sequester carbon (C) in soil and offset greenhouse gas emissions through changes in land management practices. Climate policies and C markets may provide incentives for rangeland managers to pursue strategies that optimize soil C storage, yet we lack a thorough understanding of the effects of management on soil C pools in rangelands over time and space. We sampled soil C pools on rangelands in a 260 km2 region of Marin and Sonoma counties to determine if patterns in soil C storage exist with management. Replicate soil samples were collected from 35 fields that spanned the dominant soil orders, plant communities, and management practices in the region while controlling for slope and bioclimatic zone (n = 1050). Management practices included organic amendments, intensive (dairy) and extensive (other) grazing practices, and subsoiling. Soil C pools ranged from approximately 50 to 140 Mg C ha-1 to 1 m depth, with a mean of 99 ± 22 (sd) Mg C ha-1. Differences among sites were due primarily to C concentrations, which exhibited a much larger coefficient of variation than bulk density at all depths. There were no statistically significant differences among the dominant soil orders. Subsoiling appeared to significantly increase soil C content in the top 50 cm, even though subsoiling had only occurred for the first time the previous Nov. Organic amendments also appeared to greatly increase soil C pools, and was the dominant factor that distinguished soil C pools in intensive and extensive land uses. Our results indicate that management has the potential to significantly increase soil C pools. Future research will determine the

Revaluating US Land Ownership and Management in Order to Effectively Combat Soil Degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drohan, Patrick

2017-04-01

Land privatization has resulted throughout history in: a variety of governance types; wealth imbalances; fluctuating degrees of food production; industrialization; and the privatization of intellectual ideas/property. USA government strategies to combat soil degradation have in large been reactive and driven by land privatization and the entrepreneurial nature of the US economy, especially agriculture. This has led to boom and bust cycles of agriculture and soil resilience. Further straining the capability to combat soil degradation are weaknesses in land management legislation due to separation of federal and state law and unfunded mandates. Last, the sheer size of the United States may be its greatest weakness in effectively developing a coherent national soil degradation policy. The recent failure of the European Soil Directive emphasizes the continual struggle between land privatization, food production, and the generation of wealth. We suggest several new strategies to combat USA soil degradation based on existing and new land management schemes, which have the potential to more effectively buffer the unpredictable future of increasing population and climate change.

Soil Management for Hardwood Production

Treesearch

W. M. Broadfoot; B. G. Blackmon; J. B. Baker

1971-01-01

Soil management is the key to successful hardwood management because soil properties are probably the most important determinants of forest productivity. Because of the lack of soil uniformity, however, many foresters have become frustrated with attempts to relate soil to satisfactory growth. Since soil scientists have been unable to predict site quality for trees in...

Adaptive management for soil ecosystem services.

PubMed

Birgé, Hannah E; Bevans, Rebecca A; Allen, Craig R; Angeler, David G; Baer, Sara G; Wall, Diana H

2016-12-01

Ecosystem services provided by soil include regulation of the atmosphere and climate, primary (including agricultural) production, waste processing, decomposition, nutrient conservation, water purification, erosion control, medical resources, pest control, and disease mitigation. The simultaneous production of these multiple services arises from complex interactions among diverse aboveground and belowground communities across multiple scales. When a system is mismanaged, non-linear and persistent losses in ecosystem services can arise. Adaptive management is an approach to management designed to reduce uncertainty as management proceeds. By developing alternative hypotheses, testing these hypotheses and adjusting management in response to outcomes, managers can probe dynamic mechanistic relationships among aboveground and belowground soil system components. In doing so, soil ecosystem services can be preserved and critical ecological thresholds avoided. Here, we present an adaptive management framework designed to reduce uncertainty surrounding the soil system, even when soil ecosystem services production is not the explicit management objective, so that managers can reach their management goals without undermining soil multifunctionality or contributing to an irreversible loss of soil ecosystem services. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Adaptive management for soil ecosystem services

USGS Publications Warehouse

Birge, Hannah E.; Bevans, Rebecca A.; Allen, Craig R.; Angeler, David G.; Baer, Sara G.; Wall, Diana H.

2016-01-01

Ecosystem services provided by soil include regulation of the atmosphere and climate, primary (including agricultural) production, waste processing, decomposition, nutrient conservation, water purification, erosion control, medical resources, pest control, and disease mitigation. The simultaneous production of these multiple services arises from complex interactions among diverse aboveground and belowground communities across multiple scales. When a system is mismanaged, non-linear and persistent losses in ecosystem services can arise. Adaptive management is an approach to management designed to reduce uncertainty as management proceeds. By developing alternative hypotheses, testing these hypotheses and adjusting management in response to outcomes, managers can probe dynamic mechanistic relationships among aboveground and belowground soil system components. In doing so, soil ecosystem services can be preserved and critical ecological thresholds avoided. Here, we present an adaptive management framework designed to reduce uncertainty surrounding the soil system, even when soil ecosystem services production is not the explicit management objective, so that managers can reach their management goals without undermining soil multifunctionality or contributing to an irreversible loss of soil ecosystem services.

Cumulative effects of fuel management on the soils of eastern U.S

Treesearch

Mac A. Callaham; D. Andrew Scott; Joseph J. O’Brien; John A. Stanturf

2012-01-01

Fuel management treatments in the Eastern United States encompass diverse activities that have a range of potential impacts on the soils within watersheds of managed forests and grasslands. In industrial or production forests, the predominant fuel management strategies are intensive site preparation (bedding, roller chopping, and burning slash), use of herbicides, and...

Effect of soil type and soil management on soil physical, chemical and biological properties in commercial organic olive orchards in Southern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Jose Alfonso; Auxiliadora Soriano, Maria; Montes-Borrego, Miguel; Navas, Juan Antonio; Landa, Blanca B.

2014-05-01

One of the objectives of organic agriculture is to maintain and improve soil quality, while simultaneously producing an adequate yield. A key element in organic olive production is soil management, which properly implemented can optimize the use of rainfall water enhancing infiltration rates and controlling competition for soil water by weeds. There are different soil management strategies: eg. weed mowing (M), green manure with surface tillage in spring (T), or combination with animal grazing among the trees (G). That variability in soil management combined with the large variability in soil types on which organic olive trees are grown in Southern Spain, difficult the evaluation of the impact of different soil management on soil properties, and yield as well as its interpretation in terms of improvement of soil quality. This communications presents the results and analysis of soil physical, chemical and biological properties on 58 soils in Southern Spain during 2005 and 2006, and analyzed and evaluated in different studies since them. Those 58 soils were sampled in 46 certified commercial organic olive orchards with four soil types as well as 12 undisturbed areas with natural vegetation near the olive orchards. The four soil types considered were Eutric Regosol (RGeu, n= 16), Eutric Cambisol (CMeu, n=16), Calcaric Regosol (RGca, n=13 soils sampled) and Calcic Cambisol (CMcc), and the soil management systems (SMS) include were 10 light tillage (LT), 16 sheep grazing (G), 10 tillage (T), 10 mechanical mowing (M), and 12 undisturbed areas covered by natural vegetation (NV-C and NV-S). Our results indicate that soil management had a significant effect on olive yield as well as on key soil properties. Among these soil properties are physical ones, such as infiltration rate or bulk density, chemical ones, especially organic carbon concentration, and biological ones such as soil microbial respiration and bacterial community composition. Superimpose to that soil

How agricultural management shapes soil microbial communities: patterns emerging from genetic and genomic studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, Amanda; Grandy, A. Stuart

2016-04-01

Agriculture is a predominant land use and thus a large influence on global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) balances, climate, and human health. If we are to produce food, fiber, and fuel sustainably we must maximize agricultural yield while minimizing negative environmental consequences, goals towards which we have made great strides through agronomic advances. However, most agronomic strategies have been designed with a view of soil as a black box, largely ignoring the way management is mediated by soil biota. Because soil microbes play a central role in many of the processes that deliver nutrients to crops and support their health and productivity, agricultural management strategies targeted to exploit or support microbial activity should deliver additional benefits. To do this we must determine how microbial community structure and function are shaped by agricultural practices, but until recently our characterizations of soil microbial communities in agricultural soils have been largely limited to broad taxonomic classes due to methodological constraints. With advances in high-throughput genetic and genomic sequencing techniques, better taxonomic resolution now enables us to determine how agricultural management affects specific microbes and, in turn, nutrient cycling outcomes. Here we unite findings from published research that includes genetic or genomic data about microbial community structure (e.g. 454, Illumina, clone libraries, qPCR) in soils under agricultural management regimes that differ in type and extent of tillage, cropping selections and rotations, inclusion of cover crops, organic amendments, and/or synthetic fertilizer application. We delineate patterns linking agricultural management to microbial diversity, biomass, C- and N-content, and abundance of microbial taxa; furthermore, where available, we compare patterns in microbial communities to patterns in soil extracellular enzyme activities, catabolic profiles, inorganic nitrogen pools, and nitrogen

Precision control of soil N cycling via soil functional zone management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing the soil nitrogen (N) cycle is a major component of agricultural sustainability. Soil functional zone management (SFZM), a novel framework of agroecosystem management, may improve soil N management compared with conventional and no-tillage approaches by focusing on the timing and location (...

A proposal for soil cover and management factor (C) for RUSLE in vineyards with different soil management across Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, José Alfonso; Biddoccu, Marcella; Guzman, Gema; Bauer, Thomas; Strauss, Peter; Winter, Silvia; Zaller, Johann; Cavallo, Eugenio

2017-04-01

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation RUSLE (Dabney et al., 2012) is commonly used to estimate rates of soil erosion caused by rainfall and its associated overland flow on cropland and many other disturbed and undisturbed lands. Several studies have been focused on the evaluation of erosion risk in vineyards across Europe, which has four countries, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, among the world's top ten vine growers. Other European countries, such as Romania, Greece, Austria, Serbia and Hungary, also have significant surface devoted to vineyards (FAO, 2014). However, literature shows a wide variability among C factors from different sources (Auerswald and Schwab, 1999; Kouli et al., 2009; Novara et al., 2011; Pacheco et al., 2014; Rodrigo Comino et al., 2016) that complicates their interpretation and use outside the area where they were developed. Gómez et al. (2016) presented a simplified erosion prediction model based on RUSLE, ORUSCAL, to demonstrate the possibility to calibrate RUSLE for a broad range of management conditions in vineyards with limited datasets. This approach have already been pursued successfully in olives (Gómez et al. 2003, Vanwalleghem et al., 2011). This communication reports the results of an evaluation of the calibration strategies and model predictions of ORUSCAL using a long-term experiment dataset (Bidoccu et al., 2016) in a vineyard in Northern Italy, and its implementation to develop soil cover and management factors (C) in three different soil, climate and management conditions across Europe: Southern Spain, Northern Italy and Austria. The communication, furthermore, explores and discusses of the application of the ORUSCAL model to additional vineyards areas in France and Romania in the context of the Vinedivers project (www.vinedivers.eu). Keywords: vineyard, erosion, soil management, RUSLE, model. References Auerswald K., Schwab, S. 1999. Erosion risk (C factor) of different viticultural practices. Vitic. Enol. Sci.54

Anaerobic soil disinfestation and soil borne pest management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD; also referred to as Biological Soil Disinfestation (BSD)) is a pre-plant soil treatment method developed to control plant disease and manage yield decline in many crop production systems. The practice involves induction of anaerobic soil conditions by increasing m...

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE SUPPLIES OF BIOENERGY FEEDSTOCK AND ENHANCED SOIL QUALITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Douglas L. Karlen; David J. Muth, Jr.

2012-09-01

Agriculture can simultaneously address global food, feed, fiber, and energy challenges provided our soil, water, and air resources are not compromised in doing so. As we embark on the 19th Triennial Conference of the International Soil and Tillage Research Organization (ISTRO), I am pleased to proclaim that our members are well poised to lead these endeavors because of our comprehensive understanding of soil, water, agricultural and bio-systems engineering processes. The concept of landscape management, as an approach for integrating multiple bioenergy feedstock sources, including biomass residuals, into current crop production systems, is used as the focal point to show howmore » these ever-increasing global challenges can be met in a sustainable manner. Starting with the 2005 Billion Ton Study (BTS) goals, research and technology transfer activities leading to the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Revised Billion Ton Study (BT2) and development of a residue management tool to guide sustainable crop residue harvest will be reviewed. Multi-location USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP) team research and on-going partnerships between public and private sector groups will be shared to show the development of landscape management strategies that can simultaneously address the multiple factors that must be balanced to meet the global challenges. Effective landscape management strategies recognize the importance of nature’s diversity and strive to emulate those conditions to sustain multiple critical ecosystem services. To illustrate those services, the soil quality impact of harvesting crop residues are presented to show how careful, comprehensive monitoring of soil, water and air resources must be an integral part of sustainable bioenergy feedstock production systems. Preliminary analyses suggest that to sustain soil resources within the U.S. Corn Belt, corn (Zea mays L.) stover should not be harvested if average

The effects of plant nutritional strategy on soil microbial denitrification activity through rhizosphere primary metabolites.

PubMed

Guyonnet, Julien P; Vautrin, Florian; Meiffren, Guillaume; Labois, Clément; Cantarel, Amélie A M; Michalet, Serge; Comte, Gilles; Haichar, Feth El Zahar

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine (i) whether plant nutritional strategy affects the composition of primary metabolites exuded into the rhizosphere and (ii) the impact of exuded metabolites on denitrification activity in soil. We answered this question by analysing primary metabolite content extracted from the root-adhering soil (RAS) and the roots of three grasses representing different nutrient management strategies: conservative (Festuca paniculata), intermediate (Bromus erectus) and exploitative (Dactylis glomerata). We also investigated the impact of primary metabolites on soil microbial denitrification enzyme activity without carbon addition, comparing for each plant RAS and bulk soils. Our data show that plant nutritional strategy impacts on primary metabolite composition of root extracts or RAS. Further we show, for the first time, that RAS-extracted primary metabolites are probably better indicators to explain plant nutrient strategy than root-extracted ones. In addition, our results show that some primary metabolites present in the RAS were well correlated with soil microbial denitrification activity with positive relationships found between denitrification and the presence of some organic acids and negative ones with the presence of xylose. We demonstrated that the analysis of primary metabolites extracted from the RAS is probably more pertinent to evaluate the impact of plant on soil microbial community functioning. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Soil sampling strategies: evaluation of different approaches.

PubMed

de Zorzi, Paolo; Barbizzi, Sabrina; Belli, Maria; Mufato, Renzo; Sartori, Giuseppe; Stocchero, Giulia

2008-11-01

The National Environmental Protection Agency of Italy (APAT) performed a soil sampling intercomparison, inviting 14 regional agencies to test their own soil sampling strategies. The intercomparison was carried out at a reference site, previously characterised for metal mass fraction distribution. A wide range of sampling strategies, in terms of sampling patterns, type and number of samples collected, were used to assess the mean mass fraction values of some selected elements. The different strategies led in general to acceptable bias values (D) less than 2sigma, calculated according to ISO 13258. Sampling on arable land was relatively easy, with comparable results between different sampling strategies.

Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil

PubMed Central

Cherubin, Maurício R.; Karlen, Douglas L.; Cerri, Carlos E. P.; Franco, André L. C.; Tormena, Cássio A.; Davies, Christian A.; Cerri, Carlos C.

2016-01-01

, physical and biological processes within the soil. Our SQ evaluations also suggest that current approaches for expanding Brazilian sugarcane production by converting degraded pasture land to cropland can be a sustainable strategy for meeting increasing biofuel demand. However, management practices that alleviate negative impacts on soil physical and biological indicators must be prioritized within sugarcane producing areas to prevent unintentional SQ degradation over time. PMID:26938642

Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil.

PubMed

Cherubin, Maurício R; Karlen, Douglas L; Cerri, Carlos E P; Franco, André L C; Tormena, Cássio A; Davies, Christian A; Cerri, Carlos C

2016-01-01

, physical and biological processes within the soil. Our SQ evaluations also suggest that current approaches for expanding Brazilian sugarcane production by converting degraded pasture land to cropland can be a sustainable strategy for meeting increasing biofuel demand. However, management practices that alleviate negative impacts on soil physical and biological indicators must be prioritized within sugarcane producing areas to prevent unintentional SQ degradation over time.

Improving Soil Seed Bank Management.

PubMed

Haring, Steven C; Flessner, Michael L

2018-05-08

Problems associated with simplified weed management motivate efforts for diversification. Integrated weed management uses fundamentals of weed biology and applied ecology to provide a framework for diversified weed management programs; the soil seed bank comprises a necessary part of this framework. By targeting seeds, growers can inhibit the propagule pressure on which annual weeds depend for agricultural invasion. Some current management practices affect weed seed banks, such as crop rotation and tillage, but these tools are often used without specific intention to manage weed seeds. Difficulties quantifying the weed seed bank, understanding seed bank phenology, and linking seed banks to emerged weed communities challenge existing soil seed bank management practices. Improved seed bank quantification methods could include DNA profiling of the soil seed bank, mark and recapture, or 3D LIDAR mapping. Successful and sustainable soil seed bank management must constrain functionally diverse and changing weed communities. Harvest weed seed controls represent a step forward, but over-reliance on this singular technique could make it short-lived. Researchers must explore tools inspired by other pest management disciplines, such as gene drives or habitat modification for predatory organisms. Future weed seed bank management will combine multiple complementary practices that enhance diverse agroecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Case study of microarthropod communities to assess soil quality in different managed vineyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnarli, E.; Goggioli, D.; Tarchi, F.; Guidi, S.; Nannelli, R.; Vignozzi, N.; Valboa, G.; Lottero, M. R.; Corino, L.; Simoni, S.

2015-07-01

Land use influences the abundance and diversity of soil arthropods. The evaluation of the impact of different management strategies on soil quality is increasingly sought, and the determination of community structures of edaphic fauna can represent an efficient tool. In the area of Langhe (Piedmont, Italy), eight vineyards characterized for physical and chemical properties (soil texture, soil pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, calcium carbonate) were selected. We evaluated the effect of two types of crop management, organic and integrated pest management (IPM), on abundance and biodiversity of microarthropods living at the soil surface. Soil sampling was carried out in winter 2011 and spring 2012. All specimens were counted and determined up to the order level. The biodiversity analysis was performed using ecological indexes (taxa richness, dominance, Shannon-Wiener, Buzas and Gibson's evenness, Margalef, equitability, Berger-Parker), and the biological soil quality was assessed with the BSQ-ar index. The mesofauna abundance was affected by both the type of management and sampling time. On the whole, a higher abundance was in organic vineyards (N = 1981) than in IPM ones (N = 1062). The analysis performed by ecological indexes showed quite a high level of biodiversity in this environment, particularly in May 2012. Furthermore, the BSQ-ar values registered were similar to those obtained in preserved soils.

Does management intensity in inter rows effect soil physical properties in Austrian and Romanian vineyards?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Thomas; Strauss, Peter; Stiper, Katrin; Klipa, Vladimir; Popescu, Daniela; Winter, Silvia; Zaller, Johann G.

2016-04-01

Successful viticulture is mainly influenced by soil and climate. The availability of water during the growing season highly influences wine quality and quantity. To protect soil from being eroded most of the winegrowers keep the inter row zones of the vineyards green. Greening also helps to provide water-stress to the grapes for harvesting high quality wines. However, these greening strategies concerning the intensity of inter row management differ from farm to farm and are mainly based on personal experience of the winegrowers. However to what extent different inter row management practices affect soil physical properties are not clearly understood yet. To measure possible effects of inter row management in vineyards on soil physical parameters we selected paired vineyards with different inter row management in Austria and Romania. In total more than 7000 soil analysis were conducted for saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water retention, water stable aggregates, total organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, potassium, phosphorous, soil texture, bulk density and water infiltration. The comparison between high intensity management with at least one soil disturbance per year, medium intensity with one soil disturbance every second inter row per year and low intensity management with no soil disturbance since at least 5 years indicates that investigated soil physical properties did not improve for the upper soil layer (3-8cm). This is in contrast to general perceptions of improved soil physical properties due to low intensity of inter row management, i.e. permanent vegetated inter rows. This may be attributed to long term and high frequency mechanical stress by agricultural machinery in inter rows.

Soil Carbon Storage in Christmas Tree Farms: Maximizing Ecosystem Management and Sustainability for Carbon Sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, S. K.; Shaw, R.; Langley, A.

2008-12-01

Management of agroecosystems for the purpose of manipulating soil carbon stocks could be a viable approach for countering rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, while maximizing sustainability of the agroforestry industry. We investigated the carbon storage potential of Christmas tree farms in the southern Appalachian mountains as a potential model for the impacts of land management on soil carbon. We quantified soil carbon stocks across a gradient of cultivation duration and herbicide management. We compared soil carbon in farms to that in adjacent pastures and native forests that represent a control group to account for variability in other soil-forming factors. We partitioned tree farm soil carbon into fractions delineated by stability, an important determinant of long-term sequestration potential. Soil carbon stocks in the intermediate pool are significantly greater in the tree farms under cultivation for longer periods of time than in the younger tree farms. This pool can be quite large, yet has the ability to repond to biological environmental changes on the centennial time scale. Pasture soil carbon was significantly greater than both forest and tree farm soil carbon, which were not different from each other. These data can help inform land management and soil carbon sequestration strategies.

Agroforestry management in vineyards: effects on soil microbial communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montagne, Virginie; Nowak, Virginie; Guilland, Charles; Gontier, Laure; Dufourcq, Thierry; Guenser, Josépha; Grimaldi, Juliette; Bourgade, Emilie; Ranjard, Lionel

2017-04-01

Some vineyard practices (tillage, chemical weeding or pest management) are generally known to impact the environment with particular negative effects on the diversity and the abundance of soil microorganisms, and cause water and soil pollutions. In an agro-ecological context, innovative cropping systems have been developed to improve ecosystem services. Among them, agroforestry offers strategies of sustainable land management practices. It consists in intercropping trees with annual/perennial/fodder crop on the same plot but it is weakly referenced with grapevine. The present study assesses the effects of intercropped and neighbouring trees on the soil of three agroforestry vineyards, in south-western France regions. More precisely soils of the different plots were sampled and the impact of the distance to the tree or to the neighbouring trees (forest) on soil microbial community has been considered. Indigenous soil microbial communities were characterized by a metagenomic approach that consisted in extracting the molecular microbial biomass, then in calculating the soil fungi/bacteria ratio - obtained by qPCR - and then in characterizing the soil microbial diversity - through Illumina sequencing of 16S and 18S regions. Our results showed a significant difference between the soil of agroforestry vineyards and the soil sampled in the neighbouring forest in terms of microbial abundance and diversity. However, only structure and composition of bacterial community seem to be influenced by the implanted trees in the vine plots. In addition, the comparison of microbial co-occurrence networks between vine and forest plots as well as inside vine plots according to distance to the tree allow revealing a more sensitive impact of agroforestry practices. Altogether, the results we obtained build up the first references for concerning the soil of agroforestry vineyards which will be interpreted in terms of soil quality, functioning and sustainability.

SUPERFUND SOILS DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

This paper describes the Superfund Soil Data Management System (DMS), a PC-based data system being developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its effort to manage and evaluate treatment and performance data for contaminated soil, sludge, and debris. his system...

Soil Management Effects on Gas Fluxes from an Organic Soil Agricultural System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennewein, S. P.; Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Singh, M.; Daroub, S. H.; McCray, M.

2015-12-01

The role of soil management on gas flux isn't well understood for Histosols of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of southern Florida. The region is responsible for roughly half of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) production in the USA along with supplying winter vegetable crops to the eastern USA. Future productivity in the EAA is jeopardized by soil subsidence resulting from oxidation of organic matter. Establishing the role of tillage, water-table depth, nitrogen fertilizer, and soil depth on gas flux will help determine how effective various managements are on conserving soil. Ongoing lysimeter and field studies examined effects of management practices (water-table, tillage, and nitrogen fertilizer), and soil depth on, gas emission and microbial biomass. The trials were set in Belle Glade, FL, on Lauderhill muck (Lithic Haplosaprists). Results to be presented include soil microbial biomass and soil gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) flux. This study provides insight into management effectiveness and agriculture sustainability on shallow muck soils of the EAA and will help farmers mitigate problems associated with soil subsidence and seasonally high water-tables.

Land management on soil physical properties and maize (Zea mays L. var. BIMA) growth (An adaptation strategy of climate change)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaki, M. K.; Komariah; Pujiasmanto, B.; Noda, K.

2018-03-01

Water deficit is a problem on rainfed maize production but can be solved by proper land management. The objective of the study to determine the soil physical properties and maize yield affected by land management to adapt to drought. The experimental design was a randomized complete block using 5 treatments with 4 repetitions, including: (i) Control (KO), (ii) Rice Straw Mulched (MC), (iii) Compost Fertilizer (CF), (iv) In-Organic Fertilizer (AF), (v) Legume Cover crop (CC). Soil physical and maize growth properties namely soil moisture, soil texture, soil bulk density, plant height, biomass, and yield were investigated. The results showed that composting land increased soil water availability and provided nutrient to crops and thus increase soil physical properties, maize growth and yield. Although inorganic fertilizer also increased plant growth and yield, but it did not improve soil physical properties.

Effects of long-term soil and crop management on soil hydraulic properties for claypan soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Regional and national soil maps have been developed along with associated soil property databases to assist users in making land management decisions based on soil characteristics. These soil properties include average values from soil characterization for each soil series. In reality, these propert...

How to engage undergraduate students in Soil Science: some strategies to enhance their motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zornoza, Raúl; Lozano-García, Beatriz; Acosta, Jose A.; Martínez-Martínez, Silvia; Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Faz, Angel

2017-04-01

Teaching soil science can be a challenge in those degrees where students are not familiar with the soil system and do not understand the importance of soil science for their future career. This is the case of students of Biology, Agronomy or Environmental Science, who normally consider soil as a mere substrate for vegetation development, with no interest about how soil determines productivity and quality of terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, students lack of initial motivation to study Soil Science, and just attend lectures and practical lessons as mandatory procedure to get the degree. To engage undergraduate students from Biology, Agronomy and Environmental Sciences in Soil Science, we developed a strategy to enhance their motivation by means of making them participants of the selection of the soils and analyses used for their training. By means of dichotomous keys, students, grouped in pairs, first select the main purpose of their study from different options (land productivity, soil biodiversity, soil fertility, effectiveness of restoration, effect of land use, effect of management, etc). Once objective is decided, we give them some information about sampling strategies, so that they select how soil sampling is going to be performed, and the number of samples to be taken. In terms of the initial objective, they also decide from a given list the properties they should measure. In a practical basis, from the list of selected properties to be measured, professors decide the ones they can really develop in terms of timing, resources and space demand. After that, they are aware about the fact that they have an experimental design developed by them to achieve the goal they meant. Under this perspective, their motivation is enhanced since students are the ones deciding what to study in terms of their personal and professional interests, so that learning is more effective. The negative aspect of this strategy is that it involves many hours of tutorials for the professor

Role of soil microbial processes in integrated pest management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Francis, A.J.

1987-01-01

Soil microorganisms play a significant role in the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles in nature and are critical to the functioning of ecosystems. Microorganisms affect plant growth directly by regulating the availability of plant nutrients in soil, or indirectly by affecting the population dynamics of plant pathogens in soil. Any adverse effect on soil microorganisms or on the microbial processes will affect the soil fertility, availability of plant nutrients and the overall biogeochemical cycling of elements in nature. Soil microorganisms are responsible for the degradation and detoxification of pesticides; they control many insect pests, nematodes, and other plant pathogenicmore » microorganisms by parasitism, competition, production of antibiotics and other toxic substances. Also, they regulate the availability of major and minor nutrients as well as essential elements. The long-term effects of continuous and, in some instances, excessive application of pesticides on soil fertility is not fully understood. Although much information is available on the integrated pest management (IPM) system, we have very little understanding of the extent of soil microbial processes which modulate the overall effectiveness of various strategies employed in IPM. The purpose of this paper is to review briefly the key microbial processes and their relationship to the IPM system.« less

Assessment and management of soil microbial community structure for disease suppression.

PubMed

Mazzola, Mark

2004-01-01

Identification of the biological properties contributing to the function of suppressive soils is a necessary first step to the management of such systems for use in the control of soilborne diseases. The development and application of molecular methods for the characterization and monitoring of soil microbial properties will enable a more rapid and detailed assessment of the biological nature of soil suppressiveness. Although suppressive soils have provided a wealth of microbial resources that have subsequently been applied for the biological control of soilborne plant pathogens, the full functional capabilities of the phenomena have not been realized in production agricultural ecosystems. Cultural practices, such as the application of soil amendments, have the capacity to enhance disease suppression, though the biological modes of action may vary from that initially resident to the soil. Plants have a distinct impact on characteristics and activity of resident soil microbial communities, and therefore play an important role in determining the development of the disease-suppressive state. Likewise, plant genotype will modulate these same biological communities, and should be considered when developing strategies to exploit the potential of such a natural disease control system. Implementation of consistently effective practices to manage this resource in an economically and environmentally feasible manner will require more detailed investigation of these biologically complex systems and refinement of currently available methodologies.

Effects of Long-term Soil and Crop Management on Soil Hydraulic Properties for Claypan Soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Regional and national soil maps and associated databases of soil properties have been developed to help land managers make decisions based on soil characteristics. Hydrologic modelers also utilize soil hydraulic properties provided in these databases, in which soil characterization is based on avera...

Soil type-depending effect of paddy management: composition and distribution of soil organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbanski, Livia; Kölbl, Angelika; Lehndorff, Eva; Houtermans, Miriam; Schad, Peter; Zhang, Gang-Lin; Rahayu Utami, Sri; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid

2016-04-01

Paddy soil management is assumed to promote soil organic matter accumulation and specifically lignin caused by the resistance of the aromatic lignin structure against biodegradation under anaerobic conditions during inundation of paddy fields. The present study investigates the effect of paddy soil management on soil organic matter composition compared to agricultural soils which are not used for rice production (non-paddy soils). A variety of major soil types, were chosen in Indonesia (Java), including Alisol, Andosol and Vertisol sites (humid tropical climate of Java, Indonesia) and in China Alisol sites (humid subtropical climate, Nanjing). This soils are typically used for rice cultivation and represent a large range of soil properties to be expected in Asian paddy fields. All topsoils were analysed for their soil organic matter composition by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and lignin-derived phenols by CuO oxidation method. The soil organic matter composition, revealed by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, was similar for the above named different parent soil types (non-paddy soils) and was also not affected by the specific paddy soil management. The contribution of lignin-related carbon groups to total SOM was similar in the investigated paddy and non-paddy soils. A significant proportion of the total aromatic carbon in some paddy and non-paddy soils was attributed to the application of charcoal as a common management practise. The extraction of lignin-derived phenols revealed low VSC (vanillyl, syringyl, cinnamyl) values for all investigated soils, being typical for agricultural soils. An inherent accumulation of lignin-derived phenols due to paddy management was not found. Lignin-derived phenols seem to be soil type-dependent, shown by different VSC concentrations between the parent soil types. The specific paddy management only affects the lignin-derived phenols in Andosol-derived paddy soils which are characterized by

Influence of different floor management strategies of the vineyard on the natural yeast population associated with grape berries.

PubMed

Cordero-Bueso, Gustavo; Arroyo, Teresa; Serrano, Ana; Valero, Eva

2011-07-15

Some oenological practices, such as the massive utilisation of commercial yeast and the consequent colonisation of wineries, can contribute to reducing the native yeast biodiversity. In this context, the vineyard could be a reservoir of autochthonous yeasts of oenological interest. Thus, the evaluation of the influence of different agricultural parameters on the biodiversity of yeast population in the vineyard is necessary. This work shows the results of the influence of some floor management strategies of the vineyard in the natural yeast population associated with the grape-berries. With this objective, a three year sampling plan was designed in the Shiraz vineyards of the Madrid region using three floor management strategies: bare soil by tillage, bare soil maintained with herbicides and soil maintained with cover crop. The results of this study have shown that bare soil by tillage could be a sustainable alternative for managing the soil, due to the reduced use of agrochemicals and the resulting high yeasts biodiversity. Nevertheless, the presence of herbicides in the vineyard has a minor impact on the diversity of grape associated yeast communities, and this could have increased the yeast populations. Hence, from the fermentative yeasts' (like Saccharomyces) point of view, in hot and arid environments where soils may be affected by the tillage management, the best option could be the maintenance of the bare soil with the use of herbicides. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant cropping systems in the United States. Part 7: Effects of weed management strategy (grower practices versus academic recommendations) on the weed soil seedbank over 6 years.

PubMed

Gibson, David J; Young, Bryan G; Owen, Micheal D K; Gage, Karla L; Matthews, Joseph L; Jordan, David L; Shaw, David R; Weller, Stephen C; Wilson, Robert G

2016-04-01

Shifts in weed species composition and richness resulting from near-exclusive reliance on herbicides in glyphosate-resistant (GR) cropping systems has necessitated the implementation of alternative weed management tactics to reduce selection pressures of herbicides. We contrasted the response of the weed soil seedbank to effects of weed management strategy, comparing grower practices with academic recommendations for best management practices (BMPs) over 6 years and across five weed hardiness zones in the US Midwest at sites subject to GR cropping systems. Total weed population density and species richness varied according to cropping system, location and prior year's crop, but less so to weed management strategy. The seedbank population density for 11 of the 14 most frequent weed species was affected by weed management strategy either alone or in an interaction with hardiness zone or year, or both. In only 29% of comparisons was weed population density lower following academic recommendations, and this depended upon prior crop and cropping system. The population density of high-risk weed species was reduced by academic recommendations, but only in two of six years and under continuous GR maize. Overall, the weed population density was decreasing in field halves subject to the BMPs in the academic recommendations relative to grower practices. The soil seedbank is slow to respond to academic recommendations to mitigate glyphosate-resistant weeds, but represents a biological legacy that growers need to keep in mind even when management practices reduce emerged field weed population densities. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mycorrhizal strategies for nitrogen acquisition have divergent effects on soil carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wurzburger, N.; Brookshire, J.

2016-12-01

Most land plants acquire nitrogen (N) through associations with mycorrhizal fungi, but these symbioses employ contrasting strategies for N acquisition, which may lead to different stocks of soil carbon (C). Here we experimentally test the hypothesis that contrasting strategies for N acquisition by arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) plants drive divergent patterns in soil decomposer activity and C loss. By employing a simple mesocosm system where we grew AM and ECM trees in 13C- and 15N-enriched organic matter, we quantified loss rates of soil C, uptake of N and net contributions of new plant C to soil. We found that AM trees promoted greater soil C loss relative to ECM trees and key mechanisms of N acquisition explained this pattern. AM trees were less dependent on biomass C to acquire N than ECM trees, and N uptake was correlated with soil C loss for AM, but not ECM trees. Further, while new plant C inputs stimulated soil C loss in both symbioses, we detected plant C inputs more frequently and measured higher rates of decomposer activity in soils colonized by AM relative to ECM trees. Together, our findings suggest that contrasting strategies of N acquisition by AM and ECM, including differences in stimulating decomposition, explain mycorrhizal effects on soil C. Our study provides experimental demonstration of the key mechanisms by which mycorrhizal strategies may give rise to broad patterns in soil C across terrestrial ecosystems.

Sustainable Soil Management: Its perception and the need for policy intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basch, Gottlieb; Kassam, Amir; González-Sánchez, Emilio

2017-04-01

As stated in the strategic objectives of the Global Soil Partnership "healthy soils and sustainable soil management are the precondition for human well-being and economic welfare and therefore play the key role for sustainable development". Although the functional properties of a healthy soil are well understood, in practice it is easily overlooked what is necessary to achieve and sustain healthy agricultural soils. This contribution intends: to discuss the concept of sustainable soil management in agricultural production with regard to soil health, and to highlight its importance in the achievement of both Sustainable Development Goals and the 4 per mille objectives, as well as for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In Europe, soil and the need for its conservation and stewardship gained visibility at the beginning of this century during the discussions related to the Soil Thematic Strategy. This higher level of awareness concerning the status of Europe's soils led to the introduction of soil conservation standards into the cross-compliance mechanism within the 1st Pillar of CAP. These standards were applied through the definition of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) which are compulsory for all farmers receiving direct payments, and in the last CAP reform in 2014, through the introduction of additional Greening Measures in Pilar 1. Despite these measures and the claim of some writers that they already contributed to significantly reducing soil erosion, the EC Joint Research Centre still reports water erosion in Europe amounting to almost one billion tonnes annually. Regarding soil conservation, soil carbon stocks or the provision of additional ecosystem services, measures called for in GAEC 4 (Minimum soil cover), in GAEC 5 (Minimum land management reflecting site specific conditions to limit soil erosion), and in GAEC 6 (Maintenance of soil organic matter level through appropriate practices, …), give the impression that a lot is being

Seeing about soil — management lessons from a simple model for renewable resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lichtenegger, Klaus; Schappacher, Wilhelm

2014-02-01

Employing an effective cellular automata model, we investigate and analyze the build-up and erosion of soil. Depending on the strategy employed for handling agricultural production, in many cases we find a critical dependence on the prescribed production target, with a sharp transition between stable production and complete breakdown of the system. Strategies which are particularly well-suited for mimicking real-world management approaches can produce almost cyclic behavior, which can also either lead to sustainable production or to breakdown. While designed to describe the dynamics of soil evolution, this model is quite general and may also be useful as a model for other renewable resources and may even be employed in other disciplines like psychology.

Assessing different agricultural managements with the use of soil quality indices in a Mediteranean calcareous soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morugán-Coronado, Alicia; García-Orenes, Fuensanta; Mataix-Solera, Jorge; Arcenegui, Vicky; Cerdà, Artemi

2013-04-01

Soil erosion is a major problem in the Mediterranean region due to the arid conditions and torrential rainfalls, which contribute to the degradation of agricultural land. New strategies must be developed to reduce soil losses and recover or maintain soil functionality in order to achieve a sustainable agriculture. An experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of different agricultural management on soil properties and soil quality. Ten different treatments (contact herbicide, systemic herbicide, ploughing, Oat mulch non-plough, Oats mulch plough, leguminous plant, straw rice mulch, chipped pruned branches, residual-herbicide and agro geo-textile, and three control plots including no tillage or control and long agricultural abandonment (shrub on marls and shrub on limestone) were established in 'El Teularet experimental station' located in the Sierra de Enguera (Valencia, Spain). The soil is a Typic Xerorthent developed over Cretaceous marls in an old agricultural terrace. The agricultural management can modify the soil equilibrium and affect its quality. In this work two soil quality indices (models) developed by Zornoza et al. (2007) are used to evaluate the effects of the different agricultural management along 4 years. The models were developed studying different soil properties in undisturbed forest soils in SE Spain, and the relationships between soil parameters were established using multiple linear regressions. Model 1, that explained 92% of the variance in soil organic carbon (SOC) showed that the SOC can be calculated by the linear combination of 6 physical, chemical and biochemical properties (acid phosphatase, water holding capacity (WHC), electrical conductivity (EC), available phosphorus (P), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and aggregate stability (AS). Model 2 explains 89% of the SOC variance, which can be calculated by means of 7 chemical and biochemical properties (urease, phosphatase, and ß-glucosidase activities, pH, EC, P and CEC). We use the

Impact of crop residue management on crop production and soil chemistry after seven years of crop rotation in temperate climate, loamy soils.

PubMed

Hiel, Marie-Pierre; Barbieux, Sophie; Pierreux, Jérôme; Olivier, Claire; Lobet, Guillaume; Roisin, Christian; Garré, Sarah; Colinet, Gilles; Bodson, Bernard; Dumont, Benjamin

2018-01-01

Society is increasingly demanding a more sustainable management of agro-ecosystems in a context of climate change and an ever growing global population. The fate of crop residues is one of the important management aspects under debate, since it represents an unneglectable quantity of organic matter which can be kept in or removed from the agro-ecosystem. The topic of residue management is not new, but the need for global conclusion on the impact of crop residue management on the agro-ecosystem linked to local pedo-climatic conditions has become apparent with an increasing amount of studies showing a diversity of conclusions. This study specifically focusses on temperate climate and loamy soil using a seven-year data set. Between 2008 and 2016, we compared four contrasting residue management strategies differing in the amount of crop residues returned to the soil (incorporation vs. exportation of residues) and in the type of tillage (reduced tillage (10 cm depth) vs. conventional tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth)) in a field experiment. We assessed the impact of the crop residue management on crop production (three crops-winter wheat, faba bean and maize-cultivated over six cropping seasons), soil organic carbon content, nitrate ([Formula: see text]), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) soil content and uptake by the crops. The main differences came primarily from the tillage practice and less from the restitution or removal of residues. All years and crops combined, conventional tillage resulted in a yield advantage of 3.4% as compared to reduced tillage, which can be partly explained by a lower germination rate observed under reduced tillage, especially during drier years. On average, only small differences were observed for total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil, but reduced tillage resulted in a very clear stratification of TOC and also of P and K content as compared to conventional tillage. We observed no effect of residue management on the [Formula: see

Optimal pumping strategies for managing shallow, poorquality groundwater, western San Joaquin Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barlow, P.; Wagner, B.; Belitz, K.

1995-01-01

Continued agricultural productivity in the western San Joaquin Valley, California, is threatened by the presence of shallow, poor-quality groundwater that can cause soil salinization. We evaluate the management alternative of using groundwater pumping to control the altitude of the water table and provide irrigation water requirements. A transient, three-dimensional, groundwater flow model was linked with nonlinear optimization to simulate management alternatives for the groundwater flow system. Optimal pumping strategies have been determined that substantially reduce the area subject to a shallow water table and bare-soil evaporation (that is, areas with a water table within 2.1 m of land surface) and the rate of drainflow to on-farm drainage systems. Optimal pumping strategies are constrained by the existing distribution of wells between the semiconfined and confined zones of the aquifer, by the distribution of sediment types (and associated hydraulic conductivities) in the western valley, and by the historical distribution of pumping throughout the western valley.

The soil management assessment framework: A potential soil health assessment tool

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was developed in the 1990s utilizing Systems Engineering and Ecology experiences with scoring functions to normalize disparate soil physical, chemical, and biological indicator data representing critical properties and processes associated with soil qu...

Soil management practices under organic farming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aly, Adel; Chami Ziad, Al; Hamdy, Atef

2015-04-01

Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes. Soil building practices such as crop rotations, intercropping, symbiotic associations, cover crops, organic fertilizers and minimum tillage are central to organic practices. Those practices encourage soil formation and structure and creating more stable systems. In farm nutrient and energy cycling is increased and the retentive abilities of the soil for nutrients and water are enhanced. Such management techniques also play an important role in soil erosion control. The length of time that the soil is exposed to erosive forces is decreased, soil biodiversity is increased, and nutrient losses are reduced, helping to maintain and enhance soil productivity. Organic farming as systematized and certifiable approach for agriculture, there is no surprise that it faces some challenges among both farmers and public sector. This can be clearly demonstrated particularly in the absence of the essential conditions needed to implement successfully the soil management practices like green manure and composting to improve soil fertility including crop rotation, cover cropping and reduced tillage. Those issues beside others will be fully discussed highlighting their beneficial impact on the environmental soil characteristics. Keywords: soil fertility, organic matter, plant nutrition

Soil-moisture sensors and irrigation management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This agricultural irrigation seminar will cover the major classes of soil-moisture sensors; their advantages and disadvantages; installing and reading soil-moisture sensors; and using their data for irrigation management. The soil water sensor classes include the resistance sensors (gypsum blocks, g...

Legacy effects of grassland management on soil carbon to depth.

PubMed

Ward, Susan E; Smart, Simon M; Quirk, Helen; Tallowin, Jerry R B; Mortimer, Simon R; Shiel, Robert S; Wilby, Andrew; Bardgett, Richard D

2016-08-01

The importance of managing land to optimize carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation is widely recognized, with grasslands being identified as having the potential to sequester additional carbon. However, most soil carbon inventories only consider surface soils, and most large-scale surveys group ecosystems into broad habitats without considering management intensity. Consequently, little is known about the quantity of deep soil carbon and its sensitivity to management. From a nationwide survey of grassland soils to 1 m depth, we show that carbon in grassland soils is vulnerable to management and that these management effects can be detected to considerable depth down the soil profile, albeit at decreasing significance with depth. Carbon concentrations in soil decreased as management intensity increased, but greatest soil carbon stocks (accounting for bulk density differences), were at intermediate levels of management. Our study also highlights the considerable amounts of carbon in subsurface soil below 30 cm, which is missed by standard carbon inventories. We estimate grassland soil carbon in Great Britain to be 2097 Tg C to a depth of 1 m, with ~60% of this carbon being below 30 cm. Total stocks of soil carbon (t ha(-1) ) to 1 m depth were 10.7% greater at intermediate relative to intensive management, which equates to 10.1 t ha(-1) in surface soils (0-30 cm), and 13.7 t ha(-1) in soils from 30 to 100 cm depth. Our findings highlight the existence of substantial carbon stocks at depth in grassland soils that are sensitive to management. This is of high relevance globally, given the extent of land cover and large stocks of carbon held in temperate managed grasslands. Our findings have implications for the future management of grasslands for carbon storage and climate mitigation, and for global carbon models which do not currently account for changes in soil carbon to depth with management. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ecological value of soil carbon management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Management of soil carbon is critical to the climate change debate, as well as to the long-term productivity and ecosystem resilience of the biosphere. Soil organic carbon is a key ecosystem property that indicates inherent productivity of land, controls soil biological functioning and diversity, r...

Effect of management and soil moisture regimes on wetland soils total carbon and nitrogen in Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamiri, Hellen; Kreye, Christine; Becker, Mathias

2013-04-01

Wetland soils play an important role as storage compartments for water, carbon and nutrients. These soils implies various conditions, depending on the water regimes that affect several important microbial and physical-chemical processes which in turn influence the transformation of organic and inorganic components of nitrogen, carbon, soil acidity and other nutrients. Particularly, soil carbon and nitrogen play an important role in determining the productivity of a soil whereas management practices could determine the rate and magnitude of nutrient turnover. A study was carried out in a floodplain wetland planted with rice in North-west Tanzania- East Africa to determine the effects of different management practices and soil water regimes on paddy soil organic carbon and nitrogen. Four management treatments were compared: (i) control (non weeded plots); (ii) weeded plots; (iii) N fertilized plots, and (iv) non-cropped (non weeded plots). Two soil moisture regimes included soil under field capacity (rainfed conditions) and continuous water logging compared side-by-side. Soil were sampled at the start and end of the rice cropping seasons from the two fields differentiated by moisture regimes during the wet season 2012. The soils differed in the total organic carbon and nitrogen between the treatments. Soil management including weeding and fertilization is seen to affect soil carbon and nitrogen regardless of the soil moisture conditions. Particularly, the padddy soils were higher in the total organic carbon under continuous water logged field. These findings are preliminary and a more complete understanding of the relationships between management and soil moisture on the temporal changes of soil properties is required before making informed decisions on future wetland soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Keywords: Management, nitrogen, paddy soil, total carbon, Tanzania,

The rangeland management and soil health connection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil health is defined as the capacity of soil to function and provide ecosystem services to society. The importance of managing for the improvement and maintenance of soil health transcends political boundaries, generations, societies and languages. The challenge of communicating soil health conc...

Managing soil nitrogen to restore annual grass-infested plant communities: Effective strategy or incomplete framework?

Treesearch

J. J. James; R. E. Drenovsky; T. A. Monaco; M. J. Rinella

2011-01-01

Theoretical and empirical work has established a positive relationship between resource availability and habitat invasibility. For nonnative invasive annual grasses, similar to other invasive species, invader success has been tied most often to increased nitrogen (N) availability. These observations have led to the logical assumption that managing soils for low N...

Impact of crop residue management on crop production and soil chemistry after seven years of crop rotation in temperate climate, loamy soils

PubMed Central

Hiel, Marie-Pierre; Barbieux, Sophie; Pierreux, Jérôme; Olivier, Claire; Lobet, Guillaume; Roisin, Christian; Garré, Sarah; Colinet, Gilles; Bodson, Bernard

2018-01-01

Society is increasingly demanding a more sustainable management of agro-ecosystems in a context of climate change and an ever growing global population. The fate of crop residues is one of the important management aspects under debate, since it represents an unneglectable quantity of organic matter which can be kept in or removed from the agro-ecosystem. The topic of residue management is not new, but the need for global conclusion on the impact of crop residue management on the agro-ecosystem linked to local pedo-climatic conditions has become apparent with an increasing amount of studies showing a diversity of conclusions. This study specifically focusses on temperate climate and loamy soil using a seven-year data set. Between 2008 and 2016, we compared four contrasting residue management strategies differing in the amount of crop residues returned to the soil (incorporation vs. exportation of residues) and in the type of tillage (reduced tillage (10 cm depth) vs. conventional tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth)) in a field experiment. We assessed the impact of the crop residue management on crop production (three crops—winter wheat, faba bean and maize—cultivated over six cropping seasons), soil organic carbon content, nitrate (\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document} }{}${\\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}$\\end{document}NO3−), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) soil content and uptake by the crops. The main differences came primarily from the tillage practice and less from the restitution or removal of residues. All years and crops combined, conventional tillage resulted in a yield advantage of 3.4% as compared to reduced tillage, which can be partly explained by a lower germination rate observed under reduced tillage, especially during drier years. On average, only small

Soil Contamination and Remediation Strategies. Current research and future challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petruzzelli, G.

2012-04-01

Soil contamination: the heritage of industrial development Contamination is only a part of a whole set of soil degradation processes, but it is one of paramount importance since soil pollution greatly influences the quality of water, food and human health. Soil contamination has been identified as an important issue for action in the European strategy for soil protection, it has been estimated that 3.5 million of sites are potentially contaminated in Europe. Contaminated soils have been essentially discovered in industrial sites landfills and energy production plants, but accumulation of heavy metals and organic compounds can be found also in agricultural land . Remediation strategies. from incineration to bioremediation The assessment of soil contamination is followed by remedial action. The remediation of contaminated soils started using consolidates technologies (incineration inertization etc.) previously employed in waste treatment,. This has contributed to consider a contaminated soil as an hazardous waste. This rough approximation was unfortunately transferred in many legislations and on this basis soil knowledge have been used only marginally in the clean up procedures. For many years soil quality has been identified by a value of concentration of a contaminant and excavation and landfill disposal of soil has been largely used. In the last years the knowledge of remediation technology has rapidly grown, at present many treatment processes appear to be really feasible at field scale, and soil remediation is now based on risk assessment procedures. Innovative technologies, largely dependent on soil properties, such as in situ chemical oxidation, electroremediation, bioventing, soil vapor extraction etc. have been successfully applied. Hazardous organic compounds are commonly treated by biological technologies, biorememdiation and phytoremediation, being the last partially applied also for metals. Technologies selection is no longer exclusively based on

Management matters: Testing a mitigation strategy of nitrous oxide emissions on managed grassland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Kathrin; Hörtnagl, Lukas; Eugster, Werner; Koller, Patrick; Käslin, Florian; Merbold, Lutz

2017-04-01

The magnitude of greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange between managed grasslands and the atmosphere depends besides climate predominantly on management practices. While natural or extensively managed grasslands are known to function as GHG sinks, intensively managed grasslands are characterized by substantial nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions diminishing their sink function. One potential N2O mitigation strategy is to reduce the required amount of nitrogen (N) fertilizer input by using biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) via legumes. However, the effect of legumes on nitrous oxide emissions is still not fully understood. In this study we quantify net GHG fluxes from two differently managed grassland parcels (mitigation, control) and relate our results to productivity (yields). In addition, we aim at revealing the influence of various driver variables on N2O exchange. Our experimental setup consisted of an eddy covariance tower that measured the net exchange of the three major anthropogenic GHGs, nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Both grassland parcels can be covered with this tower due to two prevailing wind directions. GHG flux measurements were accompanied by measurements of commonly known driver variables such as water filled pore space, soil temperature, soil oxygen concentrations and mineral N to disentangle the soil meteorological influence of N2O fluxes from human drivers. Following organic fertilizer application, we measured elevated N2O emissions (>1 nmol m-2 s-1) at the control parcel and unchanged N2O emissions at the treatment parcel. Net annual fluxes were 54% and 50% lower at the experimental parcel in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Annual yields did not significantly differ between parcels, but were slightly lower at the experimental parcel compared to the control parcel. Significantly lower nitrous oxide fluxes under experimental management indicate that nitrous oxide emissions can be effectively reduced at very low costs with a clover

[Effects of intensive management on soil C and N pools and soil enzyme activities in Moso bamboo plantations.

PubMed

Yang, Meng; Li, Yong Fu; Li, Yong Chun; Xiao, Yong Heng; Yue, Tian; Jiang, Pei Kun; Zhou, Guo Mo; Liu, Juan

2016-11-18

In order to elucidate the effects of intensive management on soil carbon pool, nitrogen pool, enzyme activities in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) plantations, we collected soil samples from the soil surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (20-40 cm) layers in the adjacent Moso bamboo plantations with extensive and intensive managements in Sankou Township, Lin'an City, Zhejiang Province. We determined different forms of C, N and soil invertase, urease, catalase and acid phosphatase activities. The results showed that long-term intensive management of Moso bamboo plantations significantly decreased the content and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC), with the SOC storage in the soil surface and subsurface layers decreased by 13.2% and 18.0%, respectively. After 15 years' intensive management of Masoo bamboo plantations, the contents of soil water soluble carbon (WSOC), hot water soluble carbon (HWSOC), microbial carbon (MBC) and readily oxidizable carbon (ROC) were significantly decreased in the soil surface and subsurface layers. The soil N storage in the soil surface and subsurface layers in intensively managed Moso bamboo plantations increased by 50.8% and 36.6%, respectively. Intensive management significantly increased the contents of nitrate-N (NO 3 - -N) and ammonium-N (NH 4 + -N), but decreased the contents of water-soluble nitrogen (WSON) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN). After 15 years' intensive management of Masoo bamboo plantations, the soil invertase, urease, catalase and acid phosphatase activities in the soil surface layer were significantly decreased, the soil acid phosphatase activity in the soil subsurface layer were significantly decreased, and other enzyme activities in the soil subsurface layer did not change. In conclusion, long-term intensive management led to a significant decline of soil organic carbon storage, soil labile carbon and microbial activity in Moso bamboo plantations. Therefore, we should consider the use of organic

Human capital strategy: talent management.

PubMed

Nagra, Michael

2011-01-01

Large organizations, including the US Army Medical Department and the Army Nurse Corps, are people-based organizations. Consequently, effective and efficient management of the human capital within these organizations is a strategic goal for the leadership. Over time, the Department of Defense has used many different systems and strategies to manage people throughout their service life-cycle. The current system in use is called Human Capital Management. In the near future, the Army's human capital will be managed based on skills, knowledge, and behaviors through various measurement tools. This article elaborates the human capital management strategy within the Army Nurse Corps, which identifies, develops, and implements key talent management strategies under the umbrella of the Corps' human capital goals. The talent management strategy solutions are aligned under the Nurse Corps business strategy captured by the 2008 Army Nurse Corps Campaign Plan, and are implemented within the context of the culture and core values of the organization.

Slope stability effects of fuel management strategies – inferences from Monte Carlo simulations

Treesearch

R. M. Rice; R. R. Ziemer; S. C. Hankin

1982-01-01

A simple Monte Carlo simulation evaluated the effect of several fire management strategies on soil slip erosion and wildfires. The current condition was compared to (1) a very intensive fuelbreak system without prescribed fires, and (2) prescribed fire at four time intervals with (a) current fuelbreaks and (b) intensive fuel-breaks. The intensive fuelbreak system...

From Process Understanding Via Soil Functions to Sustainable Soil Management - A Systemic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollschlaeger, U.; Bartke, S.; Bartkowski, B.; Daedlow, K.; Helming, K.; Kogel-Knabner, I.; Lang, B.; Rabot, E.; Russell, D.; Stößel, B.; Weller, U.; Wiesmeier, M.; Rabot, E.; Vogel, H. J.

2017-12-01

Fertile soils are central resources for the production of biomass and the provision of food and energy. A growing world population and latest climate targets lead to an increasing demand for both, food and bio-energy, which requires preserving and improving the long-term productivity of soils as a bio-economic resource. At the same time, other soil functions and ecosystem services need to be maintained: filter for clean water, carbon sequestration, provision and recycling of nutrients, and habitat for biological activity. All these soil functions result from the interaction of a multitude of physical, chemical and biological processes that are not yet sufficiently understood. In addition, we lack understanding about the interplay between the socio-economic system and the soil system and how soil functions benefit human wellbeing. Hence, a solid and integrated assessment of soil quality requires the consideration of the ensemble of soil functions and its relation to soil management to finally be able to develop site-specific options for sustainable soil management. We present an integrated modeling approach that investigates the influence of soil management on the ensemble of soil functions. It is based on the mechanistic relationships between soil functional attributes, each explained by a network of interacting processes as derived from scientific evidence. As the evidence base required for feeding the model is for the most part stored in the existing scientific literature, another central component of our work is to set up a public "knowledge-portal" providing the infrastructure for a community effort towards a comprehensive knowledge base on soil processes as a basis for model developments. The connection to the socio-economic system is established using the Drivers-Pressures-Impacts-States-Responses (DPSIR) framework where our improved understanding about soil ecosystem processes is linked to ecosystem services and resource efficiency via the soil functions.

Assessing the dynamics of the upper soil layer relative to soil management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatfield, J.; Wacha, K.; Dold, C.

2017-12-01

The upper layer of the soil is the critical interface between the soil and the atmosphere and is the most dynamic in response to management practices. One of the soil properties most reflective to changes in management is the stability of the aggregates because this property controls infiltration of water and exchange of gases. An aggregation model has been developed based on the factors that control how aggregates form and the forces which degrade aggregates. One of the major factors for this model is the storage of carbon into the soil and the interaction with the soil biological component. To increase soil biology requires a stable microclimate that provides food, water, shelter, and oxygen which in turn facilitates the incorporation of organic material into forms that can be combined with soil particles to create stable aggregates. The processes that increase aggregate size and stability are directly linked the continual functioning of the biological component which in turn changes the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Soil aggregates begin to degrade as soon as there is no longer a supply of organic material into the soil. These processes can range from removal of organic material and excessive tillage. To increase aggregation of the upper soil layer requires a continual supply of organic material and the biological activity that incorporates organic material into substances that create a stable aggregate. Soils that exhibit stable soil aggregates at the surface have a prolonged infiltration rate with less runoff and a gas exchange that ensures adequate oxygen for maximum biological activity. Quantifying the dynamics of the soil surface layer provides a quantitative understanding of how management practices affect aggregate stability.

Soil and solid poultry waste nutrient management and water quality.

PubMed

Chapman, S L

1996-07-01

Concerns about the impacts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogens on surface and ground water quality has forced the poultry industry to implement voluntary waste management guidelines for use by growers. In some states, animal waste guidelines are being enforced by regulatory agencies. Strategies that growers may use to properly dispose of poultry waste include: 1) local land application as a fertilizer; 2) offsite marketing for use as a fertilizer or soil amendment, feed additive, or energy source; and 3) chemical additives that will immobilize nitrogen and phosphorus in the manure or litter. If properly followed, these and other innovative strategies should be adequate to protect surface and ground water quality without adversely affecting the economics of poultry production.

Ecosystem-scale plant hydraulic strategies inferred from remotely-sensed soil moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassiouni, M.; Good, S. P.; Higgins, C. W.

2017-12-01

Characterizing plant hydraulic strategies at the ecosystem scale is important to improve estimates of evapotranspiration and to understand ecosystem productivity and resilience. However, quantifying plant hydraulic traits beyond the species level is a challenge. The probability density function of soil moisture observations provides key information about the soil moisture states at which evapotranspiration is reduced by water stress. Here, an inverse Bayesian approach is applied to a standard bucket model of soil column hydrology forced with stochastic precipitation inputs. Through this approach, we are able to determine the soil moisture thresholds at which stomata are open or closed that are most consistent with observed soil moisture probability density functions. This research utilizes remotely-sensed soil moisture data to explore global patterns of ecosystem-scale plant hydraulic strategies. Results are complementary to literature values of measured hydraulic traits of various species in different climates and previous estimates of ecosystem-scale plant isohydricity. The presented approach provides a novel relation between plant physiological behavior and soil-water dynamics.

Assessing agricultural management effects on structure related soil hydraulic properties by tension infiltrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, G.; Loiskandl, W.; Kaul, H.-P.

2009-04-01

different intensities including conventional tillage with a mouldboard plough, reduced tillage with a chisel plough and no-tillage. The results showed that the plant-based management measure of cover cropping had only minor influence on near-saturated hydraulic conductivity (kh) and flow weighted mean pore radius (λm). Substantial over-winter changes were found with a significant increase in kh and a reduction in the pore radius. A spatial trend in soil texture along the cover cropped slope resulted in a higher kh at lower pressure heads at the summit with higher fractions of coarse particles, while kh tended to be highest at the toeslope towards saturation. Cover crop management accounted for a maximum of 9.7% of the total variability in kh, with a decreasing impact towards the unsaturated range. A substantial difference to bare soil in the cover cropped treatments could be identified in relation to a stabilization of macro-pores over winter. The different tillage treatments had a substantial impact on near-saturated kh and pore radius. Although conventional tillage showed the highest values in kh and λm, settling of the soil after the ploughing event tended to reduce differences over time compared to the other tillage methods. The long-term no-tillage (10 years) however had the lowest values of kh at all measurement dates. The high contents of silt and fine sand probably resulted in soil densification that was not counterbalanced sufficiently by biological structure forming agents. The study could show that soil structure related hydraulic properties are subject to a substantial seasonal variability. A comprehensive assessment of agricultural measures such as tillage or cover cropping requires an estimate of these temporal dynamics and their interaction with the management strategies. Particularly for plant-based management measures such as cover cropping, which represent a less intense intervention in the structural states of the soil compared to tillage, this was

Study on the Strategies for the Soil and Water Resource Con-servation of Slopeland in Taiwan in Response to the Extreme Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wen-Cheng

2014-05-01

Global climate change results in extreme weather, especially ex-treme precipitation in Taiwan. Though the total amount of precipi-tation remains unchanged, the frequency of rainfall return period increases which affects slopeland and causes sediment disaster. In Taiwan, slopeland occupies about 73% of national territory. Under harsh environmental stress, soil and water conservation of slope-land becomes more important. In response to the trends of global-ization impacts of climate change, long term strategic planning be-comes more necessary. This study reviewed international practices and decision making process about soil and water conservation of slopeland; and conducted the compilation and analysis of water and soil conservation related research projects in Taiwan within the past five years. It is necessary for Taiwan to design timely adaptive strategies about conducting the all-inclusive conservation of na-tional territory, management and business operation of watershed based on the existing regulation with the effects of extreme weather induced by climate change and the changes of social-economic en-vironments. In order to realize the policy vision of "Under the premise of multiple uses, operating the sustainable business and management of the water and soil resources in the watershed through territorial planning in response to the climate and so-cial-economic environment change". This study concluded the future tasks for soil and water con-servation: 1.Design and timely amend strategies for soil and wand water conservation in response to extreme weather. 2. Strengthen the planning and operating of the land management and integrated conservation of the water and soil resources of key watershed. 3. Manage and operate the prevention of debris flow disaster and large-scale landslide. 4. Formulate polices, related regulations and assessment indicators of soil and water conservation. 5. Maintain the biodiversity of the slopeland and reduce the ecological footprint

A New Platform for Managing Soil Carbon and Soil Health

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loisel, Julie; Malhotra, Avni; Phillips, Claire

International Soil Carbon Network Workshop; Stanford, California, 27 February to 3 March 2017. Here, workshop participants recognized the need to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities for linking SOM-C science and the societal mandate to manage soils and ecosystems for productivity and carbon sequestration in future decades. Lastly, we outlined a path to gain support for the ISCN vision of a collective soil data platform from stakeholders and partners through engagement in coming years.

A New Platform for Managing Soil Carbon and Soil Health

DOE PAGES

Loisel, Julie; Malhotra, Avni; Phillips, Claire

2017-08-25

International Soil Carbon Network Workshop; Stanford, California, 27 February to 3 March 2017. Here, workshop participants recognized the need to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities for linking SOM-C science and the societal mandate to manage soils and ecosystems for productivity and carbon sequestration in future decades. Lastly, we outlined a path to gain support for the ISCN vision of a collective soil data platform from stakeholders and partners through engagement in coming years.

Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies.

PubMed

Cloyd, Raymond A

2015-04-09

Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems.

Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies

PubMed Central

Cloyd, Raymond A.

2015-01-01

Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems. PMID:26463188

Analyzing ecological restoration strategies for water and soil conservation

PubMed Central

Mota da Silva, Jonathan; Silva, Marx Leandro Naves; Guimarães, João Luis Bittencourt; Sousa Júnior, Wilson Cabral; Figueiredo, Ricardo de Oliveira; da Rocha, Humberto Ribeiro

2018-01-01

The choice of areas for nature conservation involves the attempt to maximize the benefits, whether by carrying out an economic activity or by the provision of Ecosystem Services. Studies are needed to improve the understanding of the effect of the extent and position along the watershed of restored areas on soil and water conservation. This study aimed to understand how different restoration strategies might reflect in soil conservation and sediment retention. Using InVEST tool, sediment transport was simulated in a small 12 km2 watershed (Posses River, in Southeast Brazil), where one of first Brazilian Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) projects is being carried out, comparing different hypothetical restoration strategies. With 25% of restoration, sediment export decreased by 78% for riparian restoration, and 27% for the steepest slopes restoration. On the other hand, the decrease in soil loss was lower for riparian restoration, with a 16% decrease, while the steepest slopes restoration reduced it by 21%. This mismatch between the reduction of sediment export and soil loss was explained by the fact that forest not only reduces soil loss locally but also traps sediment arriving from the upper parts of the watershed. While the first mechanism is important to provide soil stability, decreasing the risk of landslip, and to maintain agricultural productivity, the second can improve water quality and decrease the risk of silting, with positive effects on the water reservoirs at the outlet of the watershed. This suggests that Riparian and the Steepest Slopes restoration strategies are complementary in the sense of preventing sediments from reaching the water bodies as well as protecting them at their origin (with the reduction of erosion), so it will be advisable to consider the two types of restoration. PMID:29425214

Analyzing ecological restoration strategies for water and soil conservation.

PubMed

Saad, Sandra Isay; Mota da Silva, Jonathan; Silva, Marx Leandro Naves; Guimarães, João Luis Bittencourt; Sousa Júnior, Wilson Cabral; Figueiredo, Ricardo de Oliveira; Rocha, Humberto Ribeiro da

2018-01-01

The choice of areas for nature conservation involves the attempt to maximize the benefits, whether by carrying out an economic activity or by the provision of Ecosystem Services. Studies are needed to improve the understanding of the effect of the extent and position along the watershed of restored areas on soil and water conservation. This study aimed to understand how different restoration strategies might reflect in soil conservation and sediment retention. Using InVEST tool, sediment transport was simulated in a small 12 km2 watershed (Posses River, in Southeast Brazil), where one of first Brazilian Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) projects is being carried out, comparing different hypothetical restoration strategies. With 25% of restoration, sediment export decreased by 78% for riparian restoration, and 27% for the steepest slopes restoration. On the other hand, the decrease in soil loss was lower for riparian restoration, with a 16% decrease, while the steepest slopes restoration reduced it by 21%. This mismatch between the reduction of sediment export and soil loss was explained by the fact that forest not only reduces soil loss locally but also traps sediment arriving from the upper parts of the watershed. While the first mechanism is important to provide soil stability, decreasing the risk of landslip, and to maintain agricultural productivity, the second can improve water quality and decrease the risk of silting, with positive effects on the water reservoirs at the outlet of the watershed. This suggests that Riparian and the Steepest Slopes restoration strategies are complementary in the sense of preventing sediments from reaching the water bodies as well as protecting them at their origin (with the reduction of erosion), so it will be advisable to consider the two types of restoration.

Management strategies for fibromyalgia

PubMed Central

Le Marshall, Kim Francis; Littlejohn, Geoffrey Owen

2011-01-01

Clinical question What are the effective, evidence-based strategies available for the management of fibromyalgia? Conclusion There are a number of management strategies available with robust evidence to support their use in clinical practice. Definition Fibromyalgia is a complex pain syndrome characterized by widespread, chronic muscular pain and tenderness, disordered sleep, emotional distress, cognitive disturbance, and fatigue. Its prevalence is estimated to be 3%–5% in the population and higher yet in patients with comorbid rheumatic diseases. Level of evidence Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Search sources PubMed, Cochrane Library, manual search Consumer summary Key messages for patients and clinicians are: There are many effective pharmacological management strategies available for fibromyalgia.A nonpharmacological, multicomponent approach utilizing education, aerobic exercise, psychological therapy, and other strategies is also effective for fibromyalgia.Despite the significant and, at times, disabling physical and psychological symptoms, fibromyalgia can be a manageable condition with a potentially good outcome. PMID:27790003

Soil carbon fractions and biological activity based indices can be used to study the impact of land management and ecological successions

DOE PAGES

de Moraes Sa, Joao Carlos; Potma Goncalves, Daniel Ruiz; Ferreira, Lucimara Aparecida; ...

2017-08-31

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong indicator of soil health. Development of efficient soil quality indicators is crucial to better understand the impact of land management strategies on the recovery of degraded ecosystems. We hypothesized that SOC fractions and biological attributes can compose strong soil quality indicators to assess an ecosystem recovery following disturbance. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the use of soil biological activity and SOC fractions to study the impact of different land use systems and ecological successions in ecosystem recovery. We selected six land use systems: tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cultivation; pastureland; reforestedmore » land with Eucalyptus sp.; and natural ecological successions with 10, 20 and 35 years of vegetation regeneration, respectively. We collected disturbed and undisturbed soil samples in triplicate at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm depth intervals. Several fractionation approaches were used to determine SOC pools: hot water extractable organic carbon, permanganate oxidized organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, mineral associated organic carbon and total SOC. The activity of the enzyme arylsulfatase was used to represent soil biological attributes. We calculated three indices to represent the soil quality: carbon management index, soil resilience index and biological activity index. Our results suggest that the SOC fractions and the enzyme activity followed the increase of vegetation complexity of the ecological succession stages. The labile SOC pool, in addition to enzyme activity, was the most sensitive variable to assess land use changes. The biomass-C input was considered to be the main reason of SOC increase, and the gains of labile SOC fractions were directly related to the increase of SOC stocks. Both, biological and carbon management indices were efficient tools to characterize the impact of studied management systems. Also, we found that assessment of deeper soil

Soil carbon fractions and biological activity based indices can be used to study the impact of land management and ecological successions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

de Moraes Sa, Joao Carlos; Potma Goncalves, Daniel Ruiz; Ferreira, Lucimara Aparecida

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong indicator of soil health. Development of efficient soil quality indicators is crucial to better understand the impact of land management strategies on the recovery of degraded ecosystems. We hypothesized that SOC fractions and biological attributes can compose strong soil quality indicators to assess an ecosystem recovery following disturbance. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the use of soil biological activity and SOC fractions to study the impact of different land use systems and ecological successions in ecosystem recovery. We selected six land use systems: tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cultivation; pastureland; reforestedmore » land with Eucalyptus sp.; and natural ecological successions with 10, 20 and 35 years of vegetation regeneration, respectively. We collected disturbed and undisturbed soil samples in triplicate at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm depth intervals. Several fractionation approaches were used to determine SOC pools: hot water extractable organic carbon, permanganate oxidized organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, mineral associated organic carbon and total SOC. The activity of the enzyme arylsulfatase was used to represent soil biological attributes. We calculated three indices to represent the soil quality: carbon management index, soil resilience index and biological activity index. Our results suggest that the SOC fractions and the enzyme activity followed the increase of vegetation complexity of the ecological succession stages. The labile SOC pool, in addition to enzyme activity, was the most sensitive variable to assess land use changes. The biomass-C input was considered to be the main reason of SOC increase, and the gains of labile SOC fractions were directly related to the increase of SOC stocks. Both, biological and carbon management indices were efficient tools to characterize the impact of studied management systems. Also, we found that assessment of deeper soil

Phytoremediation strategies for soils contaminated with heavy metals: Modifications and future perspectives.

PubMed

Sarwar, Nadeem; Imran, Muhammad; Shaheen, Muhammad Rashid; Ishaque, Wajid; Kamran, Muhammad Asif; Matloob, Amar; Rehim, Abdur; Hussain, Saddam

2017-03-01

Presence of heavy metals in agricultural soils is of major environmental concern and a great threat to life on the earth. A number of human health risks are associated with heavy metals regarding their entry into food chain. Various physical, chemical and biological techniques are being used to remove heavy metals and metalloids from soils. Among them, phytoremediation is a good strategy to harvest heavy metals from soils and have been proven as an effective and economical technique. In present review, we discussed various sources and harmful effects of some important heavy metals and metalloids, traditional phytoremediation strategies, mechanisms involved in phytoremediation of these metals, limitations and some recent advances in phytoremediation approaches. Since traditional phytoremediation approach poses some limitations regarding their applications at large scale, so there is a dire need to modify this strategy using modern chemical, biological and genetic engineering tools. In view of above, the present manuscript brings both traditional and advanced phytoremediation techniques together in order to compare, understand and apply these strategies effectively to exclude heavy metals from soil keeping in view the economics and effectiveness of phytoremediation strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil management practice in Croatian vineyard affect CO2 fluxes and soil degradation in trafficking zones. First results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogunovic, Igor; Bilandzija, Darija; Andabaka, Zeljko; Stupic, Domagoj; Cacic, Marija; Brezinscak, Luka; Maletic, Edi; Pereira, Paulo; Kisic, Ivica

2017-04-01

Vineyards represent one of the most degradation prone types of intensively managed land on Earth. Steep slopes encourage grape producers to adopt environmental friendly soil management like mulching or continuous no-tillage. In this context, producers have concerns about efficient fertilisation practices and water competitions between vine and grasses in continuous no-tillage inter rows. Vineyards in semi-humid areas like Continental Croatia mostly not suffer from water deficit during growth. Nevertheless, lack of research of different soil management practices open dilemma about soil compaction concerns in intensively trafficked soils in vineyard of semi-humid areas. Soil compaction, determined by bulk density (BD), soil water content (SWC) and CO2 fluxes from trafficked inter row positions were recorded in 2016 in an experiment in which four different soil management systems were compared in a vineyard raised on a silty clay loam soil, near Zagreb, Croatia: No-tillage (NT) system, continuous tillage (CT) and yearly inversed grass covered (INV-GC) and tillage managed (INV-T) inter rows are subjected to intensive traffic. Grape yield and must quality of grape variety Chardonnay was also monitored. Tractor traffic increased the soil BD at 0-10 and 10-20 cm, but especially at the 0-10 cm depth. CT treatment record lowest compaction at 0-10 cm because of tillage. Soil water content showed better conservation possibilities of INV-GC in drier period. In wet period SWC possibilities are similar between treatments. The results of soil compaction under different management indicate that vineyard soil differently response to traffic intensity and impact on microfauna activity and CO2 emissions. INV-GC and NT managed soils record lower CO2 fluxes from vineyard soil compared to CT and INV-T treatments. Management treatments did not statistically influenced on grape yields. Several years of investigation is needed to confirm the overall impact of different management

Effects of golf course management on subsurface soil properties in Iowa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streeter, Matthew T.; Schilling, Keith E.

2018-05-01

Currently, in the USA and especially in the Midwest region, urban expansion is developing turfgrass landscapes surrounding commercial sites, homes, and recreational areas on soils that have been agriculturally managed for decades. Often, golf courses are at the forefront of conversations concerning anthropogenic environmental impacts as they account for some of the most intensively managed soils in the world. Iowa golf courses provide an ideal location to evaluate whether golf course management is affecting the quality of soils at depth. Our study evaluated how soil properties relating to soil health and resiliency varied with depth at golf courses across Iowa and interpreted relationships of these properties to current golf course management, previous land use, and inherent soil properties. Systematic variation in soil properties including sand content, NO3, and soil organic matter (SOM) were observed with depth at six Iowa golf courses among three landform regions. Variability in sand content was identified between the 20 and 50 cm depth classes at all courses, where sand content decreased by as much as 37 %. Highest concentrations of SOM and NO3 were found in the shallowest soils, whereas total C and P variability was not related to golf course management. Sand content and NO3 were found to be directly related to golf course management, particularly at shallow depths. The effects of golf course management dissipated with depth and deeper soil variations were primarily due to natural geologic conditions. The two abovementioned soil properties were very noticeably altered by golf course management and may directly impact crop productivity, soil health, and water quality, and while NO3 may be altered relatively quickly in soil through natural processes, particle size of the soil may not be altered without extensive mitigation. Iowa golf courses continue to be developed in areas of land use change from historically native prairies and more recently agriculture to

Soil Functional Zone Management: A Vehicle for Enhancing Production and Soil Ecosystem Services in Row-Crop Agroecosystems.

PubMed

Williams, Alwyn; Kane, Daniel A; Ewing, Patrick M; Atwood, Lesley W; Jilling, Andrea; Li, Meng; Lou, Yi; Davis, Adam S; Grandy, A Stuart; Huerd, Sheri C; Hunter, Mitchell C; Koide, Roger T; Mortensen, David A; Smith, Richard G; Snapp, Sieglinde S; Spokas, Kurt A; Yannarell, Anthony C; Jordan, Nicholas R

2016-01-01

There is increasing global demand for food, bioenergy feedstocks and a wide variety of bio-based products. In response, agriculture has advanced production, but is increasingly depleting soil regulating and supporting ecosystem services. New production systems have emerged, such as no-tillage, that can enhance soil services but may limit yields. Moving forward, agricultural systems must reduce trade-offs between production and soil services. Soil functional zone management (SFZM) is a novel strategy for developing sustainable production systems that attempts to integrate the benefits of conventional, intensive agriculture, and no-tillage. SFZM creates distinct functional zones within crop row and inter-row spaces. By incorporating decimeter-scale spatial and temporal heterogeneity, SFZM attempts to foster greater soil biodiversity and integrate complementary soil processes at the sub-field level. Such integration maximizes soil services by creating zones of 'active turnover', optimized for crop growth and yield (provisioning services); and adjacent zones of 'soil building', that promote soil structure development, carbon storage, and moisture regulation (regulating and supporting services). These zones allow SFZM to secure existing agricultural productivity while avoiding or minimizing trade-offs with soil ecosystem services. Moreover, the specific properties of SFZM may enable sustainable increases in provisioning services via temporal intensification (expanding the portion of the year during which harvestable crops are grown). We present a conceptual model of 'virtuous cycles', illustrating how increases in crop yields within SFZM systems could create self-reinforcing feedback processes with desirable effects, including mitigation of trade-offs between yield maximization and soil ecosystem services. Through the creation of functionally distinct but interacting zones, SFZM may provide a vehicle for optimizing the delivery of multiple goods and services in

Soil Functional Zone Management: A Vehicle for Enhancing Production and Soil Ecosystem Services in Row-Crop Agroecosystems

PubMed Central

Williams, Alwyn; Kane, Daniel A.; Ewing, Patrick M.; Atwood, Lesley W.; Jilling, Andrea; Li, Meng; Lou, Yi; Davis, Adam S.; Grandy, A. Stuart; Huerd, Sheri C.; Hunter, Mitchell C.; Koide, Roger T.; Mortensen, David A.; Smith, Richard G.; Snapp, Sieglinde S.; Spokas, Kurt A.; Yannarell, Anthony C.; Jordan, Nicholas R.

2016-01-01

There is increasing global demand for food, bioenergy feedstocks and a wide variety of bio-based products. In response, agriculture has advanced production, but is increasingly depleting soil regulating and supporting ecosystem services. New production systems have emerged, such as no-tillage, that can enhance soil services but may limit yields. Moving forward, agricultural systems must reduce trade-offs between production and soil services. Soil functional zone management (SFZM) is a novel strategy for developing sustainable production systems that attempts to integrate the benefits of conventional, intensive agriculture, and no-tillage. SFZM creates distinct functional zones within crop row and inter-row spaces. By incorporating decimeter-scale spatial and temporal heterogeneity, SFZM attempts to foster greater soil biodiversity and integrate complementary soil processes at the sub-field level. Such integration maximizes soil services by creating zones of ‘active turnover’, optimized for crop growth and yield (provisioning services); and adjacent zones of ‘soil building’, that promote soil structure development, carbon storage, and moisture regulation (regulating and supporting services). These zones allow SFZM to secure existing agricultural productivity while avoiding or minimizing trade-offs with soil ecosystem services. Moreover, the specific properties of SFZM may enable sustainable increases in provisioning services via temporal intensification (expanding the portion of the year during which harvestable crops are grown). We present a conceptual model of ‘virtuous cycles’, illustrating how increases in crop yields within SFZM systems could create self-reinforcing feedback processes with desirable effects, including mitigation of trade-offs between yield maximization and soil ecosystem services. Through the creation of functionally distinct but interacting zones, SFZM may provide a vehicle for optimizing the delivery of multiple goods and services

Resource Legacies of Organic and Conventional Management Differentiate Soil Microbial Carbon Use

PubMed Central

Arcand, Melissa M.; Levy-Booth, David J.; Helgason, Bobbi L.

2017-01-01

Long-term contrasts in agricultural management can shift soil resource availability with potential consequences to microbial carbon (C) use efficiency (CUE) and the fate of C in soils. Isothermal calorimetry was combined with 13C-labeled glucose stable isotope probing (SIP) of 16S rRNA genes to test the hypothesis that organically managed soils would support microbial communities with greater thermodynamic efficiency compared to conventional soils due to a legacy of lower resource availability and a resultant shift toward communities supportive of more oligotrophic taxa. Resource availability was greater in conventionally managed soils, with 3.5 times higher available phosphorus, 5% more nitrate, and 36% more dissolved organic C. The two management systems harbored distinct glucose-utilizing populations of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, with a higher Proteobacteria:Actinobacteria ratio (2.4 vs. 0.7) in conventional soils. Organically managed soils also harbored notable activity of Firmicutes. Thermodynamic efficiency indices were similar between soils, indicating that glucose was metabolized at similar energetic cost. However, differentially abundant glucose utilizers in organically managed soils were positively correlated with soil organic matter (SOM) priming and negatively correlated to soil nutrient and carbon availability, respiration, and heat production. These correlation patterns were strongly reversed in the conventionally managed soils indicating clear differentiation of microbial functioning related to soil resource availability. Fresh C addition caused proportionally more priming of SOM decomposition (57 vs. 51%) in organically managed soils likely due to mineralization of organic nutrients to satisfy microbial demands during glucose utilization in these more resource deprived soils. The additional heat released from SOM oxidation may explain the similar community level thermodynamic efficiencies between management systems. Restoring fertility to

Demand management and case management: a conservation strategy.

PubMed

Bryant, C D R Anna K

2007-01-01

This article reviews the history and development of managed competition, and explores the possibilities of a new demand management strategy in the context of nurse case management to offer less costly, higher quality care for a greater number of patients. The article examines the history and principles of healthcare demand management, its implementation in the hospital and clinical practices of nurse case managers, and its impacts in reducing costs while maintaining care levels. The article develops and analyzes the conflicts and common ground between demand management and case management. First, demand-side strategies can be effective in reducing costs while maintaining quality of nursing care; second, nurse case managers should employ patient education, self-care, and staffing solutions to manage demand. Nurse case managers must apply demand management principles carefully. Their goal is not to restrict care, but to maintain the highest levels of care possible within the limits of their practice's resources and staffing. Two critical themes emerge: (1) demand management is a potential alternative to market-driven managed competition and (2) nursing case management can affect an effective form of demand management. However, the long-term implications of these nursing case management strategies on healthcare staffing need further exploration.

Tools to support maintenance strategies under soft soil conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, J. W. M.; van Meerten, J. J.; Woning, M. P.; Eijbersen, M. J.; Huber, M.

2015-11-01

Costs for maintenance of infrastructure in municipalities with soft soil underground conditions, are estimated to be almost 40 % higher than in others. As a result, these municipalities meet financial problems that cause overdue maintenance. In some cases municipalities are even afraid to be unable to offer a minimum service level in future. In common, traditional practice, roads and sewerage systems have been constructed in trenches that consist of sandy material that replaces the upper meters of the soft soil. Under influence of its weight, this causes accelerated settlements of the construction. A number of alternative constructions have been developed, e.g. using light-weight materials to limit settlement velocity. In order to limit future maintenance costs, improvement of maintenance strategies is desired. Tools have been and will be developed to support municipalities in improving their maintenance strategies and save money by doing that. A model (BALANS) that weighs the attractiveness of alternative solutions under different soil, environmental and economic circumstances, will be presented.

Strategies for soil-based precision agriculture in cotton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neely, Haly L.; Morgan, Cristine L. S.; Stanislav, Scott; Rouze, Gregory; Shi, Yeyin; Thomasson, J. Alex; Valasek, John; Olsenholler, Jeff

2016-05-01

The goal of precision agriculture is to increase crop yield while maximizing the use efficiency of farm resources. In this application, UAV-based systems are presenting agricultural researchers with an opportunity to study crop response to environmental and management factors in real-time without disturbing the crop. The spatial variability soil properties, which drive crop yield and quality, cannot be changed and thus keen agronomic choices with soil variability in mind have the potential to increase profits. Additionally, measuring crop stress over time and in response to management and environmental conditions may enable agronomists and plant breeders to make more informed decisions about variety selection than the traditional end-of-season yield and quality measurements. In a previous study, seed-cotton yield was measured over 4 years and compared with soil variability as mapped by a proximal soil sensor. It was found that soil properties had a significant effect on seed-cotton yield and the effect was not consistent across years due to different precipitation conditions. However, when seed-cotton yield was compared to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), as measured using a multispectral camera from a UAV, predictions improved. Further improvement was seen when soil-only pixels were removed from the analysis. On-going studies are using UAV-based data to uncover the thresholds for stress and yield potential. Long-term goals of this research include detecting stress before yield is reduced and selecting better adapted varieties.

Influence of management history and landscape variables on soil organic carbon and soil redistribution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Venteris, E.R.; McCarty, G.W.; Ritchie, J.C.; Gish, T.

2004-01-01

Controlled studies to investigate the interaction between crop growth, soil properties, hydrology, and management practices are common in agronomy. These sites (much as with real world farmland) often have complex management histories and topographic variability that must be considered. In 1993 an interdisiplinary study was started for a 20-ha site in Beltsville, MD. Soil cores (271) were collected in 1999 in a 30-m grid (with 5-m nesting) and analyzed as part of the site characterization. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and 137Cesium (137Cs) were measured. Analysis of aerial photography from 1992 and of farm management records revealed that part of the site had been maintained as a swine pasture and the other portion as cropped land. Soil properties, particularly soil redistribution and SOC, show large differences in mean values between the two areas. Mass C is 0.8 kg m -2 greater in the pasture area than in the cropped portion. The pasture area is primarily a deposition site, whereas the crop area is dominated by erosion. Management influence is suggested, but topographic variability confounds interpretation. Soil organic carbon is spatially structured, with a regionalized variable of 120 m. 137Cs activity lacks spatial structure, suggesting disturbance of the profile by animal activity and past structures such as swine shelters and roads. Neither SOC nor 137Cs were strongly correlated to terrain parameters, crop yields, or a seasonal soil moisture index predicted from crop yields. SOC and 137Cs were weakly correlated (r2 ???0.2, F-test P-value 0.001), suggesting that soil transport controls, in part, SOC distribution. The study illustrates the importance of past site history when interpreting the landscape distribution of soil properties, especially those strongly influenced by human activity. Confounding variables, complex soil hydrology, and incomplete documentation of land use history make definitive interpretations of the processes behind the spatial distributions

Fault Management Design Strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, John C.; Johnson, Stephen B.

2014-01-01

Development of dependable systems relies on the ability of the system to determine and respond to off-nominal system behavior. Specification and development of these fault management capabilities must be done in a structured and principled manner to improve our understanding of these systems, and to make significant gains in dependability (safety, reliability and availability). Prior work has described a fundamental taxonomy and theory of System Health Management (SHM), and of its operational subset, Fault Management (FM). This conceptual foundation provides a basis to develop framework to design and implement FM design strategies that protect mission objectives and account for system design limitations. Selection of an SHM strategy has implications for the functions required to perform the strategy, and it places constraints on the set of possible design solutions. The framework developed in this paper provides a rigorous and principled approach to classifying SHM strategies, as well as methods for determination and implementation of SHM strategies. An illustrative example is used to describe the application of the framework and the resulting benefits to system and FM design and dependability.

Blood management issues using blood management strategies.

PubMed

Stulberg, Bernard N; Zadzilka, Jayson D

2007-06-01

Blood management strategies is a term used to address a coordinated approach to the management of blood loss in the perioperative period for total joint arthroplasty. The premise of any blood management strategy is that each patient, surgeon, and operative intervention experiences different risks of requiring transfusion, that those risks can be identified, and that a plan can be implemented to address them. A surgeon's decision to transfuse should be based on physiologic assessment of the patient's response to anemia and not on an arbitrary number ("transfusion trigger"). Intervention strategies can be applied preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively. Patient-specific planning allows for the appropriate use of patient, hospital, and system resources, ensuring that the consequences of anemia are minimized and that the patient's recovery process is optimized.

Microbially supported phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils: strategies and applications.

PubMed

Phieler, René; Voit, Annekatrin; Kothe, Erika

2014-01-01

Heavy metal contamination of soil as a result of, for example, mining operations, evokes worldwide concern. The use of selected metal-accumulating plants to clean up heavy metal contaminated sites represents a sustainable and inexpensive method for remediation approaches and, at the same time, avoids destruction of soil function. Within this scenario, phytoremediation is the use of plants (directly or indirectly) to reduce the risks of contaminants in soil to the environment and human health. Microbially assisted bioremediation strategies, such as phytoextraction or phytostabilization, may increase the beneficial aspects and can be viewed as potentially useful methods for application in remediation of low and heterogeneously contaminated soil. The plant-microbe interactions in phytoremediation strategies include mutually beneficial symbiotic associations such as mycorrhiza, plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), or endophytic bacteria that are discussed with respect to their impact on phytoremediation approaches.

Assessing the dynamics of the upper soil layer relative to soil management practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The upper layer of the soil is the critical interface between the soil and the atmosphere and is the most dynamic in response to management practices. One of the soil properties is the stability of the aggregates because this property controls infiltration of water and exchange of gases. An aggregat...

An overview of soil water sensors for salinity & irrigation management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigation water management has to do with the appropriate application of water to soils, in terms of amounts, rates, and timing to satisfy crop water demands while protecting the soil and water resources from degradation. Accurate irrigation management is even more important in salt affected soils ...

Precision agriculture and soil and water management in cranberry production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent research on soil and water management of cranberry farms is presented in a special issue in Canadian Journal of Soil Science. The special issue (“Precision Agriculture and Soil Water Management in Cranberry Production”) consists of ten articles that include field, laboratory, and modeling stu...

MY SIRR: Minimalist agro-hYdrological model for Sustainable IRRigation management-Soil moisture and crop dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albano, Raffaele; Manfreda, Salvatore; Celano, Giuseppe

The paper introduces a minimalist water-driven crop model for sustainable irrigation management using an eco-hydrological approach. Such model, called MY SIRR, uses a relatively small number of parameters and attempts to balance simplicity, accuracy, and robustness. MY SIRR is a quantitative tool to assess water requirements and agricultural production across different climates, soil types, crops, and irrigation strategies. The MY SIRR source code is published under copyleft license. The FOSS approach could lower the financial barriers of smallholders, especially in developing countries, in the utilization of tools for better decision-making on the strategies for short- and long-term water resource management.

Responses of soil respiration to soil management changes in an agropastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia, China.

PubMed

Xue, Haili; Tang, Haiping

2018-01-01

Studying the responses of soil respiration ( R s ) to soil management changes is critical for enhancing our understanding of the global carbon cycle and has practical implications for grassland management. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) quantify daily and seasonal patterns of R s , (2) evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on R s , and (3) detect the effects of soil management changes on R s . We hypothesized that (1) most of daily and seasonal variation in R s could be explained by soil temperature ( T s ) and soil water content ( S w ), (2) soil management changes could significantly affect R s , and (3) soil management changes affected R s via the significant change in abiotic and biotic factors. In situ R s values were monitored in an agropastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia, China, during the growing seasons in 2009 (August to October) and 2010 (May to October). The soil management changes sequences included free grazing grassland (FG), cropland (CL), grazing enclosure grassland (GE), and abandoned cultivated grassland (AC). During the growing season in 2010, cumulative R s for FG, CL, GE, and AC averaged 265.97, 344.74, 236.70, and 226.42 gC m -2  year -1 , respectively. The T s and S w significantly influenced R s and explained 66%-86% of the variability in daily R s . Monthly mean temperature and precipitation explained 78%-96% of the variability in monthly R s . The results clearly showed that R s was increased by 29% with the conversion of FG to CL and decreased by 35% and 11% with the conversion of CL to AC and FG to GE. The factors impacting the change in R s under different soil management changes sequences varied. Our results confirm the tested hypotheses. The increase in Q 1 0 and litter biomass induced by conversion of FG to GE could lead to increased R s if the climate warming. We suggest that after proper natural restoration period, grasslands should be utilized properly to decrease R s .

7 CFR 205.203 - Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice... Requirements § 205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard. (a) The producer must..., and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion. (b) The producer must manage crop...

7 CFR 205.203 - Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice... Requirements § 205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard. (a) The producer must..., and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion. (b) The producer must manage crop...

7 CFR 205.203 - Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice... Requirements § 205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard. (a) The producer must..., and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion. (b) The producer must manage crop...

7 CFR 205.203 - Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice... Requirements § 205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard. (a) The producer must..., and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion. (b) The producer must manage crop...

Soil geohazard mapping for improved asset management of UK local roads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pritchard, O. G.; Hallett, S. H.; Farewell, T. S.

2015-09-01

Unclassified roads comprise 60 % of the road network in the United Kingdom (UK). The resilience of this locally important network is declining. It is considered by the Institution of Civil Engineers to be "at risk" and is ranked 26th in the world. Many factors contribute to the degradation and ultimate failure of particular road sections. However, several UK local authorities have identified that in drought conditions, road sections founded upon shrink-swell susceptible clay soils undergo significant deterioration compared with sections on non-susceptible soils. This arises from the local road network having little, if any, structural foundations. Consequently, droughts in East Anglia have resulted in millions of pounds of damage, leading authorities to seek emergency governmental funding. This paper assesses the use of soil-related geohazard assessments in providing soil-informed maintenance strategies for the asset management of the locally important road network of the UK. A case study draws upon the UK administrative county of Lincolnshire, where road assessment data have been analysed against mapped clay-subsidence risk. This reveals a statistically significant relationship between road condition and susceptible clay soils. Furthermore, incorporation of UKCP09 future climate projections within the geohazard models has highlighted roads likely to be at future risk of clay-related subsidence.

Soil geohazard mapping for improved asset management of UK local roads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pritchard, O. G.; Hallett, S. H.; Farewell, T. S.

2015-05-01

Unclassified roads comprise 60% of the road network in the United Kingdom (UK). The resilience of this locally important network is declining. It is considered by the Institution of Civil Engineers to be "at risk" and is ranked 26th in the world. Many factors contribute to the degradation and ultimate failure of particular road sections. However, several UK local authorities have identified that in drought conditions, road sections founded upon shrink/swell susceptible clay soils undergo significant deterioration compared with sections on non-susceptible soils. This arises from the local road network having little, if any structural foundations. Consequently, droughts in East Anglia have resulted in millions of pounds of damage, leading authorities to seek emergency governmental funding. This paper assesses the use of soil-related geohazard assessments in providing soil-informed maintenance strategies for the asset management of the locally important road network of the UK. A case study draws upon the UK administrative county of Lincolnshire, where road assessment data have been analysed against mapped clay-subsidence risk. This reveals a statistically significant relationship between road condition and susceptible clay soils. Furthermore, incorporation of UKCP09 future climate projections within the geohazard models has highlighted roads likely to be at future risk of clay-related subsidence.

Soil management challenges in response to climatic change

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agriculture has tremendous potential to help solve global food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy challenges and respond to changing climatic conditions provided we do not compromise our soil, water and air resources. This presentation will examine soil management, defined by the Soil Science Society of Am...

[Changes in soil organic carbon and soil microbial functional diversity of Carya cathayensis plantations under intensive managements].

PubMed

Wu, Jia-Sen; Qian, Jin-Fang; Tong, Zhi-Peng; Huang, Jian-Qin; Zhao, Ke-Li

2014-09-01

The change characteristics of soil organic carbon and microbial function diversity in Chinese hickory Carya cathayensis stands with different intensive-management durations (5, 10, 15 and 20 years) were studied. The results showed that soil total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) decreased significantly, while the stability of soil C pool increased significantly after the conversion from evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest to intensively-managed forest (IMF). TOC, MBC and WSOC in the hickory forest soil decreased by 28.4%, 34.1% and 53.3% with 5-year intensive management, and by 38.6%, 48.9% and 64.1% with 20-year intensive management, respectively. The proportions of carboxyl C, phenolic C and aromatic C in the hickory forest soil all increased significantly, and the aromaticity of soil organic C increased by 23.0%. Soil microbial functional diversity decreased greatly af- ter intensive management of Chinese hickory forest. Significant differences in average well color development (AWCD) were found between the 0- and 5-year treatments and the 10-, 15- and 20- year treatments. The microbial diversity indexes (H) and evenness indexes (E) in the 0- and 5-year treatments were much greater than in the 10- and 20-year treatments. Correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations among soil TOC, WSOC, MBC, AWCD, H and E.

Modelling the Impact of Soil Management on Soil Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, H. J.; Weller, U.; Rabot, E.; Stößel, B.; Lang, B.; Wiesmeier, M.; Urbanski, L.; Wollschläger, U.

2017-12-01

Due to an increasing soil loss and an increasing demand for food and energy there is an enormous pressure on soils as the central resource for agricultural production. Besides the importance of soils for biomass production there are other essential soil functions, i.e. filter and buffer for water, carbon sequestration, provision and recycling of nutrients, and habitat for biological activity. All these functions have a direct feed back to biogeochemical cycles and climate. To render agricultural production efficient and sustainable we need to develop model tools that are capable to predict quantitatively the impact of a multitude of management measures on these soil functions. These functions are considered as emergent properties produced by soils as complex systems. The major challenge is to handle the multitude of physical, chemical and biological processes interacting in a non-linear manner. A large number of validated models for specific soil processes are available. However, it is not possible to simulate soil functions by coupling all the relevant processes at the detailed (i.e. molecular) level where they are well understood. A new systems perspective is required to evaluate the ensemble of soil functions and their sensitivity to external forcing. Another challenge is that soils are spatially heterogeneous systems by nature. Soil processes are highly dependent on the local soil properties and, hence, any model to predict soil functions needs to account for the site-specific conditions. For upscaling towards regional scales the spatial distribution of functional soil types need to be taken into account. We propose a new systemic model approach based on a thorough analysis of the interactions between physical, chemical and biological processes considering their site-specific characteristics. It is demonstrated for the example of soil compaction and the recovery of soil structure, water capacity and carbon stocks as a result of plant growth and biological

Soil ecology and agricultural technology; An integrated approach towards improved soil management for sustainable farming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulleman, Mirjam; Pérès, Guénola; Crittenden, Stephen; Heddadj, Djilali; Sukkel, Wijnand

2014-05-01

Intensive arable food production systems are in need of smart solutions that combine ecological knowledge and farm technology to maximize yields while protecting natural resources. The huge diversity of soil organisms and their interactions is of crucial importance for soil functions and ecosystem services, such as organic matter incorporation and break down, nutrient mineralization, soil structure formation, water regulation and disease and pest control. Soil management decisions that take into account the soil biodiversity and associated functions are thus essential to (i) maintain soil productivity in the long term, (ii) reduce the dependency on external inputs and non-renewables such as fossil fuels, and (iii) make agroecosystems more resilient against biotic and abiotic stresses. Organic farming systems and reduced tillage systems are two approaches that aim to increase soil biodiversity and general soil quality, through improved management of organic matter but differ in their emphasis on the use of chemical inputs for crop protection or soil disturbance, respectively. In North-western Europe experience with and knowledge of reduced tillage systems is still scarce, both in conventional and organic farming. Our study targeted both conventional and organic farming and aimed at 1) documenting reduced tillage practices within different agroecological contexts in NW Europe; 2) evaluating the effects of reduced tillage systems on soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem services; 3) increase understanding of agroecological factors that determine trade-offs between different ecosystem services. Earthworm species and nematode taxa were selected as indicator organisms to be studied for their known response to soil management and effects on soil functions. Additionally, soil organic matter, physical soil parameters and processes, and crop yields have been measured across multiple sites. Data have been collected over several cropping seasons in long term field experiments

Sustainable agriculture, soil management and erosion from prehistoric times to 2100

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanwalleghem, Tom; Gómez, Jose Alfonso; Infante Amate, Juan; González Molina, Manuel; Fernández, David Soto; Guzmán, Gema; Vanderlinden, Karl; Laguna, Ana; Giráldez, Juan Vicente

2015-04-01

The rational use of soil requires the selection of management practices to take profit of the beneficial functions of plant growth, water and nutrient storage, and pollutants removal by filtering and decomposition without altering its properties. However, the first evidence of important and widespread erosion peaks can generally be found with the arrival of the first farmers all over the world. In areas with a long land-use history such as the Mediterranean, clear signs indicating the advanced degradation status of the landscape, such as heavily truncated soils, are visible throughout. Soil conservation practices are then aimed at reducing erosion to geological rates, in equilibrium with long-term soil formation rates, while maximizing agricultural production. The adoption of such practices in most areas of the world are as old as the earliest soil erosion episodes themselves. This work firstly reviews historical evidence linking soil management and soil erosion intensity, with examples from N Europe and the Mediterranean. In particular, work by the authors in olive orchards will be presented that shows how significant variations in soil erosion rates between could be linked to the historical soil management. The potential of historical documents for calibrating a soil erosion model is shown as the model, in this case RUSLE-based and combining tillage and water erosion, adequately represents the measured erosion rate dynamics. Secondly, results from present-day, long-term farm experiments in the EU are reviewed to evaluate the effect of different soil management practices on physical soil properties, such as bulk density, penetration resistance, aggregate stability, runoff coefficient or sediment yield. Finally, we reflect upon model and field data that indicate how future global climate change is expected to affect soil management and erosion and how the examples used above hold clues about sustainable historical management practices that can be used successfully

Soil Respiration in Semiarid Temperate Grasslands under Various Land Management

PubMed Central

Hou, Xiangyang; Schellenberg, Michael P.

2016-01-01

Soil respiration, a major component of the global carbon cycle, is significantly influenced by land management practices. Grasslands are potentially a major sink for carbon, but can also be a source. Here, we investigated the potential effect of land management (grazing, clipping, and ungrazed enclosures) on soil respiration in the semiarid grassland of northern China. Our results showed the mean soil respiration was significantly higher under enclosures (2.17μmol.m−2.s−1) and clipping (2.06μmol.m−2.s−1) than under grazing (1.65μmol.m−2.s−1) over the three growing seasons. The high rates of soil respiration under enclosure and clipping were associated with the higher belowground net primary productivity (BNPP). Our analyses indicated that soil respiration was primarily related to BNPP under grazing, to soil water content under clipping. Using structural equation models, we found that soil water content, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and BNPP regulated soil respiration, with soil water content as the predominant factor. Our findings highlight that management-induced changes in abiotic (soil temperature and soil water content) and biotic (ANPP and BNPP) factors regulate soil respiration in the semiarid temperate grassland of northern China. PMID:26808376

Soil management and green water in sloping rainfed vineyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

José Marqués Pérez, María; Ruíz-Colmenero, Marta; García-Díaz, Andrés; Bienes Allas, Ramón

2017-04-01

Improved crop production in areas with restricted water availability is of particular interest. Farmers need to maximize the water use efficiency when the possibilities of further extension of irrigation are limited and water is becoming scarce and expensive. Water in rainfed crops depends on rainfall depth and soil characteristics such as texture and structure, water holding capacity, previous moisture, infiltration, soil surface conditions, steepness and slope length. Land management practices can be used to maximise water availability. In previous studies the unwillingness of farmers to change their practices towards more sustainable use was mainly due to the worry about water competition. This work is aimed at understanding the influence of management practices in the water partitioning of this land use. This study was conducted in a sloping vineyard in the centre of Spain. A rain gauge recorded rainfall depth and intensity in the area. Three different soil management practices were considered: 1) traditional tillage, 2) permanent cover and 3) mowed cover of cereals, both sown in the strips between vines. Two moisture sensors were buried at 10 and 35 cm depths. Three replicates per management practice were performed. It is expected that the lack of tillage increase the potential for litter to protect the soil surface against raindrop impact and to contribute to increasing soil organic carbon, and the corresponding increase in infiltration and water holding capacity. The analysis of two years of daily records of rainfall, runoff and soil moisture are intended to establish any influence of management practices on the partitioning of water. Particularly, the so-called "green water" was estimated, i.e. the fraction of rainfall that infiltrates into the soil and will be further available to plants. Soil characteristics such as texture, structure, moisture, infiltration were established. In addition simulated rainfalls carried out in summer and winter over bounded

An Underground Revolution: Biodiversity and Soil Ecological Engineering for Agricultural Sustainability.

PubMed

Bender, S Franz; Wagg, Cameron; van der Heijden, Marcel G A

2016-06-01

Soil organisms are an integral component of ecosystems, but their activities receive little recognition in agricultural management strategies. Here we synthesize the potential of soil organisms to enhance ecosystem service delivery and demonstrate that soil biodiversity promotes multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (i.e., ecosystem multifunctionality). We apply the concept of ecological intensification to soils and we develop strategies for targeted exploitation of soil biological traits. We compile promising approaches to enhance agricultural sustainability through the promotion of soil biodiversity and targeted management of soil community composition. We present soil ecological engineering as a concept to generate human land-use systems, which can serve immediate human needs while minimizing environmental impacts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technical assistance development soil management policy in Croatia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spruyt, Eva; Helsen, Stefan; Hambach, Patrick; Cuyvers, Lars

2014-05-01

As from the first of July 2013, Croatia became a EU member country and therefore has to comply with all the EU-rules (the "acquis") as defined in the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993. One of the aspects of this acquis is the protection and conservation of the soil and groundwater and the remediation of contaminated sites that cause human and environmental risks. On behalf of the Department of Environment, Nature and Energy of the Flemish government together with the Public Waste Agency of Flanders(OVAM), ECOREM was assigned to carry out this study. The scope of this study therefore focuses on the aspect of soil management that can be divided into two main policies, beïng the policy for the prevention of soil contamination from new activities(1) and the policy for the management and remediation of historical soil contamination from local sources like industrial sites(2). To form a soil management policy, Croatia must start from the legal obligations enforced by the European Union. One of the European Directives regulating the monitoring and protection of soil and groundwater is the new Industrial Emission Directive ('IED' - 2010/78/EU) from the 24th of November 2010. Whereas the framework of the Directive is larger than contamination of soil , the focus of this study was limited to soil contamination only. In order to comply with the existing EU policy contributing to soil protection, the regulations in the IED, the Croatian government needs to adapt existing legislations or apply new regulations regarding soil monitoring for the industrial activities. Also other EU Directives enforce actions contributing to soil protection. Therefore, a questionnaire with different sorts of questions was sent to the different stakeholders (environmental institutes, agencies, ministries,…). The results were interpreted and allowed Ecorem, being the environmental consultant, to evaluate the gaps in the environmental and soil management policy. This study gives advice on how

Impact of set-aside management on soil mesofauna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landi, Silvia; d'Errico, Giada; Mazza, Giuseppe; Mocali, Stefano; Bazzoffi, Paolo; Roversi, Pio Federico

2014-05-01

To contrast the biodiversity decline, the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014-2020 responds to urgent environmental challenges and provides some new greening attempts as pastures, rotations, orchard grasses, ecological set-aside and organic farming. This study, supported by the Italian National Project MONACO (MIPAAF), aims to provide preliminary indications about the ecological impact of set-aside on soil biodiversity. Soil invertebrates, mainly nematodes and microarthropods, are excellent candidates to study the human activity impacts on the environment. Indeed, invertebrates are abundant, relatively easy to sample, and they can quickly respond to soil disturbance. Nematode assemblages offer several advantages for assessing the quality of terrestrial ecosystems because of their permeable cuticle through which they are in direct contact with solvents in the soil capillary water. Moreover, nematodes have high diversity and represent a trophically heterogeneous group. The Maturity Index (MI), based on the nematode fauna, represents a gauge of the conditions of the soil ecosystem. Edaphic microarthropods play an important role in the soil system in organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling. They show morphological characters that reveal adaptation to soil environments, such as reduction or loss of pigmentation and visual apparatus, streamlined body form with appendages reduction, reduction or loss of flying, jumping or running adaptations, thinner cuticle for reduced water-retention capacity. The "Qualità Biologica del Suolo" (QBS) index, namely "Biological Quality of Soil", is based on the types of edaphic microarthropods to assess soil biological quality. Three different set-aside managements were compared with a conventional annual crop in three Italian sites (Caorle, VE; Fagna, FI; Metaponto, MT). After five years the biological quality of soils using MI and QBS was evaluated. Regarding nematodes, the family richness and the biological quality

Phytostabilization—Management Strategy for Stabilizing Trace Elements in Contaminated Soils

PubMed Central

Vaverková, Magdalena D.; Baryła, Anna

2017-01-01

Contamination of soil by copper (Cu) has become a serious problem throughout the world, causing the reduction of agricultural yield and harmful effects on human health by entering the food chain. A glasshouse pot experiment was designed to evaluate the potential use of halloysite as an immobilizing agent in the aided phytostabilization of Cu-contaminated soil, using Festuca rubra L. The content of Cu in plants, i.e., total and extracted by 0.01 M CaCl2, was determined using the method of spectrophotometry. Cu content in the tested parts of F. rubra differed significantly when halloysite was applied to the soil, as well as with increasing concentrations of Cu. The addition of halloysite significantly increased plant biomass. Cu accumulated in the roots, thereby reducing its toxicity to the aerial parts of the plant. The obtained values of bioconcentration and translocation factors observed for halloysite treatment indicate the effectiveness of using F. rubra in phytostabilization techniques. PMID:28841169

Development of adaptation strategies of marshland water management to regional climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bormann, Helge; Frank, Ahlhorn; Luise, Giani; Kirsten, Klaassen; Thomas, Klenke

2010-05-01

Since many centuries, low lying areas at the German North Sea coast are intensively managed by water boards and dike boards. Sophisticated water management systems have been developed in order to keep the water out of the low lying areas in wet periods, while in some regions additional water is needed in dry periods for agricultural and ecological purposes. For example in the Wesermarsch region, a water management system has been developed in historical times, draining the landscape in winter time by means of channels, ditches, gates, sluices and pumping stations. In contrast, in summer time water is conducted from Weser River into the Wesermarsch region to serve watering of animals, fencing grazing areas and ensuring a continuous flow in the marsh watercourses. Doing so, maintaining soil fertility is guaranteed for agriculture as well as protection against floods, sustaining river ecology and traditional livestock farming. Due to climate variability and river engineering, the water management of the Wesermarsch already runs into problems because watering in summer cannot be assured any longer in sufficient water quality. During high tides, salt water from the North Sea is flowing upstream into the Weser estuary, generating brackish conditions in the lower Weser River. In addition, soil subsidence and soil mineralization of marsh and peat soils as well as the sea level rise increase the necessary pumping frequency and the emerging energy costs. The expected future climate change will further aggravate those problems and require an adaptation of the current management system. This presentation introduces the concept behind and preliminary results of an integrative and participatory project, aiming at the development of a new water management strategy adapted to the regional climate change likely to occur until year 2050. In close cooperation with a number of regional stakeholders and based on the priorities with respect to the future development of the region

Effect of Integrated Water-Nutrient Management Strategies on Soil Erosion Mediated Nutrient Loss and Crop Productivity in Cabo Verde Drylands

PubMed Central

Baptista, Isaurinda; Ritsema, Coen; Geissen, Violette

2015-01-01

Soil erosion, runoff and related nutrient losses are a big risk for soil fertility in Cabo Verde drylands. In 2012, field trials were conducted in two agro-ecological zones to evaluate the effects of selected techniques of soil-water management combined with organic amendments (T1: compost/manure + soil surfactant; T2: compost/animal or green manure + pigeon-pea hedges + soil surfactant; T3: compost/animal or green manure + mulch + pigeon-pea hedges) on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses in eroded soil and runoff and on crop yields. Three treatments and one control (traditional practice) were tested in field plots at three sites with a local maize variety and two types of beans. Runoff and eroded soil were collected after each erosive rain, quantified, and analysed for NO3-N and PO4-P concentrations. In all treatments runoff had higher concentrations of NO3-N (2.20-4.83 mg L-1) than of PO4-P (0.02-0.07 mg L-1), and the eroded soil had higher content of PO4-P (5.27-18.8 mg g-1) than of NO3-N (1.30-8.51 mg g-1). The control had significantly higher losses of both NO3-N (5.4, 4.4 and 19 kg ha-1) and PO4-P (0.2, 0.1 and 0.4 kg ha-1) than the other treatments. T3 reduced soil loss, runoff and nutrient losses to nearly a 100% while T1 and T2 reduced those losses from 43 to 88%. The losses of NO3-N and PO4-P were highly correlated with the amounts of runoff and eroded soil. Nutrient losses from the applied amendments were low (5.7% maximum), but the losses in the control could indicate long-term nutrient depletion in the soil (19 and 0.4 kg ha-1 of NO3-N and PO4-P, respectively). T1-T3 did not consistently increase crop yield or biomass in all three sites, but T1 increased both crop yield and biomass. We conclude that T3 (combining crop-residue mulch with organic amendment and runoff hedges) is the best treatment for steep slope areas but, the pigeon-pea hedges need to be managed for higher maize yield. T1 (combining organic amendment with soil surfactant) could be a

Effect of Integrated Water-Nutrient Management Strategies on Soil Erosion Mediated Nutrient Loss and Crop Productivity in Cabo Verde Drylands.

PubMed

Baptista, Isaurinda; Ritsema, Coen; Geissen, Violette

2015-01-01

Soil erosion, runoff and related nutrient losses are a big risk for soil fertility in Cabo Verde drylands. In 2012, field trials were conducted in two agro-ecological zones to evaluate the effects of selected techniques of soil-water management combined with organic amendments (T1: compost/manure + soil surfactant; T2: compost/animal or green manure + pigeon-pea hedges + soil surfactant; T3: compost/animal or green manure + mulch + pigeon-pea hedges) on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses in eroded soil and runoff and on crop yields. Three treatments and one control (traditional practice) were tested in field plots at three sites with a local maize variety and two types of beans. Runoff and eroded soil were collected after each erosive rain, quantified, and analysed for NO3-N and PO4-P concentrations. In all treatments runoff had higher concentrations of NO3-N (2.20-4.83 mg L-1) than of PO4-P (0.02-0.07 mg L-1), and the eroded soil had higher content of PO4-P (5.27-18.8 mg g-1) than of NO3-N (1.30-8.51 mg g-1). The control had significantly higher losses of both NO3-N (5.4, 4.4 and 19 kg ha-1) and PO4-P (0.2, 0.1 and 0.4 kg ha-1) than the other treatments. T3 reduced soil loss, runoff and nutrient losses to nearly a 100% while T1 and T2 reduced those losses from 43 to 88%. The losses of NO3-N and PO4-P were highly correlated with the amounts of runoff and eroded soil. Nutrient losses from the applied amendments were low (5.7% maximum), but the losses in the control could indicate long-term nutrient depletion in the soil (19 and 0.4 kg ha-1 of NO3-N and PO4-P, respectively). T1-T3 did not consistently increase crop yield or biomass in all three sites, but T1 increased both crop yield and biomass. We conclude that T3 (combining crop-residue mulch with organic amendment and runoff hedges) is the best treatment for steep slope areas but, the pigeon-pea hedges need to be managed for higher maize yield. T1 (combining organic amendment with soil surfactant) could be a

Medical equipment management strategies.

PubMed

Wang, Binseng; Furst, Emanuel; Cohen, Ted; Keil, Ode R; Ridgway, Malcolm; Stiefel, Robert

2006-01-01

Clinical engineering professionals need to continually review and improve their management strategies in order to keep up with improvements in equipment technology, as well as with increasing expectations of health care organizations. In the last 20 years, management strategies have evolved from the initial obsession with electrical safety to flexible criteria that fit the individual institution's needs. Few hospitals, however, are taking full advantage of the paradigm shift offered by the evolution of joint Commission standards. The focus should be on risks caused by equipment failure, rather than on equipment with highest maintenance demands. Furthermore, it is not enough to consider risks posed by individual pieces of equipment to individual patients. It is critical to anticipate the impact of an equipment failure on larger groups of patients, especially when dealing with one of a kind, sophisticated pieces of equipment that are required to provide timely and accurate diagnoses for immediate therapeutic decisions or surgical interventions. A strategy for incorporating multiple criteria to formulate appropriate management strategies is provided in this article.

Using soil water sensors to improve irrigation management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigation water management has to do with the appropriate application of water to soils, in terms of amounts, rates, and timing to satisfy crop water demands while protecting the soil and water resources from degradation. In this regard, sensors can be used to monitor the soil water status; and som...

Delineating site-specific irrigation management units for managing soil salinity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crop yield varies within fields due to nonuniformity of a number of factors including climate, pests, disease, management, topography, and soil. Conventional farming manages a field uniformly; as a result, conventional farming tends to wastes resources and money, and tends to detrimentally impact t...

Soil Organic Carbon dynamics in agricultural soils of Veneto Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bampa, F. B.; Morari, F. M.; Hiederer, R. H.; Toth, G. T.; Giandon, P. G.; Vinci, I. V.; Montanarella, L. M.; Nocita, M.

2012-04-01

One of the eight soil threats expressed in the European Commission's Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (COM (2006)231 final) it's the decline in Soil Organic Matter (SOM). His preservation is recognized as with the objective to ensure that the soils of Europe remain healthy and capable of supporting human activities and ecosystems. One of the key goals of the strategy is to maintain and improve Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) levels. As climate change is identified as a common element in many of the soil threats, the European Commission (EC) intends to assess the actual contribution of the soil protection to climate change mitigation and the effects of climate change on the possible depletion of SOM. A substantial proportion of European land is occupied by agriculture, and consequently plays a crucial role in maintaining natural resources. Organic carbon preservation and sequestration in the EU's agricultural soils could have some potential to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly linked to preventing certain land use changes and maintaining SOC stocks. The objective of this study is to assess the SOC dynamics in agricultural soils (cropland and grassland) at regional scale, focusing on changes due to land use. A sub-objective would be the evaluation of the most used land management practices and their effect on SOC content. This assessment aims to determine the geographical distribution of the potential GHG mitigation options, focusing on hot spots in the EU, where mitigation actions would be particularly efficient and is linked with the on-going work in the JRC SOIL Action. The pilot area is Veneto Region. The data available are coming from different sources, timing and involve different variables as: soil texture, climate, soil disturbance, managements and nutrients. The first source of data is the LUCAS project (Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame statistical Survey). Started in 2001, the LUCAS project aims to monitor changes in land cover/use and

Long-term impact of farm management and crops on soil microorganisms assessed by combined DGGE and PLFA analyses

PubMed Central

Stagnari, Fabio; Perpetuini, Giorgia; Tofalo, Rosanna; Campanelli, Gabriele; Leteo, Fabrizio; Della Vella, Umberto; Schirone, Maria; Suzzi, Giovanna; Pisante, Michele

2014-01-01

In the present study, long-term organic and conventional managements were compared at the experimental field of Monsampolo del Tronto (Marche region, Italy) with the aim of investigating soil chemical fertility and microbial community structure. A polyphasic approach, combining soil fertility indicators with microbiological analyses (plate counts, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE] and phospholipid fatty acid analysis [PLFA]) was applied. Organic matter, N as well as some important macro and micronutrients (K, P, Mg, Mn, Cu, and Zn) for crop growth, were more available under organic management. Bacterial counts were higher in organic management. A significant influence of management system and management x crop interaction was observed for total mesophilic bacteria, nitrogen fixing bacteria and actinobacteria. Interestingly, cultivable fungi were not detected in all analyzed samples. PLFA biomass was higher in the organic and Gram positive bacteria dominated the microbial community in both systems. Even if fungal biomass was higher in organic management, fungal PCR-DGGE fingerprinting revealed that the two systems were very similar in terms of fungal species suggesting that 10 years were not enough to establish a new dynamic equilibrium among ecosystem components. A better knowledge of soil biota and in particular of fungal community structure will be useful for the development of sustainable management strategies. PMID:25540640

Volcanic Ash Soils: Sustainable Soil Management Practices, With Examples of Harvest Effects and Root Disease Trends

Treesearch

Mike Curran; Pat Green; Doug Maynard

2007-01-01

Sustainability protocols recognize forest soil disturbance as an important issue at national and international levels. At regional levels continual monitoring and testing of standards, practices, and effects are necessary for successful implementation of sustainable soil management. Volcanic ash-cap soils are affected by soil disturbance and changes to soil properties...

Strategies to improve reference databases for soil microbiomes

DOE PAGES

Choi, Jinlyung; Yang, Fan; Stepanauskas, Ramunas; ...

2016-12-09

A database of curated genomes is needed to better assess soil microbial communities and their processes associated with differing land management and environmental impacts. Interpreting soil metagenomic datasets with existing sequence databases is challenging because these datasets are biased towards medical and biotechnology research and can result in misleading annotations. We have curated a database of 928 genomes of soil-associated organisms (888 bacteria, 34 archaea, and 6 fungi). Using this database as a representation of the current state of knowledge of soil microbes that are well-characterized, we evaluated its composition and compared it to broader microbial databases, specifically NCBI’s RefSeq,more » as well as 3,035 publicly available soil amplicon datasets. These comparisons identified phyla and functions that are enriched in soils as well as those that may be underrepresented in RefSoil. For example, RefSoil was observed to have increased representation of Firmicutes despite its low abundance in soil environments and also lacked representation of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, which are abundant in soils. Our comparison of RefSoil to soil amplicon datasets allowed us to identify targets that if cultured or sequenced would significantly increase the biodiversity represented within RefSoil. To demonstrate the opportunities to access these underrepresented targets, we employed single cell genomics in a pilot experiment to recover 14 genomes from the "most wanted" list, which improved RefSoil's representation of EMP sequences by 7% by abundance. This effort demonstrates the value of RefSoil in the guidance of future research efforts and the capability of single cell genomics as a practical means to fill the existing genomic data gaps.« less

Strategies to improve reference databases for soil microbiomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Jinlyung; Yang, Fan; Stepanauskas, Ramunas

A database of curated genomes is needed to better assess soil microbial communities and their processes associated with differing land management and environmental impacts. Interpreting soil metagenomic datasets with existing sequence databases is challenging because these datasets are biased towards medical and biotechnology research and can result in misleading annotations. We have curated a database of 928 genomes of soil-associated organisms (888 bacteria, 34 archaea, and 6 fungi). Using this database as a representation of the current state of knowledge of soil microbes that are well-characterized, we evaluated its composition and compared it to broader microbial databases, specifically NCBI’s RefSeq,more » as well as 3,035 publicly available soil amplicon datasets. These comparisons identified phyla and functions that are enriched in soils as well as those that may be underrepresented in RefSoil. For example, RefSoil was observed to have increased representation of Firmicutes despite its low abundance in soil environments and also lacked representation of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, which are abundant in soils. Our comparison of RefSoil to soil amplicon datasets allowed us to identify targets that if cultured or sequenced would significantly increase the biodiversity represented within RefSoil. To demonstrate the opportunities to access these underrepresented targets, we employed single cell genomics in a pilot experiment to recover 14 genomes from the "most wanted" list, which improved RefSoil's representation of EMP sequences by 7% by abundance. This effort demonstrates the value of RefSoil in the guidance of future research efforts and the capability of single cell genomics as a practical means to fill the existing genomic data gaps.« less

Healthy sand : a farmers initiative on soil protection and ecosystem service management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smit, Annemieke; Verzandvoort, Simone; Kuikman, Peter; Stuka, Jason; Morari, Francesco; Rienks, Willem; Stokkers, Jan; Hesselink, Bertus; Lever, Henk

2015-04-01

In a small region in the Netherlands a group of dairy farmers (cooperated in a foundation HOE Duurzaam) cooperates with the drinking water company and together aim for a more healthy soil. They farm a sandy soil, which is in most of the parcels low in organic matter. The local farmers perceive loss of soil fertility and blame loss of soil organic matter for that. All farmers expect that increasing the soil organic matter content will retain more nitrates in the soil, leading to a reduction in nitrate leaching and a higher nutrient availability for the crops, forage and grass and probably low urgency for grassland renewal. The drinking water company in the area also has high expectations that a higher SOM content does relate to higher quality of the (drinking) water and lower costs to clean and filter the water to meet drinking water quality requirements. Most farmers in the area face suboptimal moisture conditions and thrive for increasing the soil organic matter content and improving the soil structure as key factors to relieve, soil moisture problems both in dry (drought) and wet (flooding) periods. A better water holding capacity of the soil provides benefits for the regional water board as this reduces leaching and run-off. The case study, which is part of the Recare-project, at first glance deals with soil management and technology to improve soil quality. However, the casus in fact deals with social innovation. The real challenge to this group of neighbours, farmers within a small region, and to science is how to combine knowledge and experience on soil management for increasing the content of soil organic matter and how to recognize the ecosystem services that are provided by the adapted and more 'healthy' soils. And also how to formalize relations between costs and benefits of measures taken in the field and how these could be financially rewarded from an agreed and acceptable financial awarding scheme based on payments for securing soil carbon stocks and

Soil nutrient concentration and distribution at riverbanks undergoing different land management practices: Implications for riverbank management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, X. H.; Chang, S.; Yuan, L. Y.

2017-08-01

Riverbanks are important boundaries for the nutrient cycling between lands and freshwaters. This research aimed to explore effects of different land management methods on the soil nutrient concentration and distribution at riverbanks. Soils from the reed-covered riverbanks of middle Yangtze River were studied, including the soils respectively undergoing systematic agriculture (gathering young tender shoots, reaping reed straws, and burning residual straws), fires and no disturbances. Results showed that the agricultural activities sharply decreased the contents of soil organic matter (SOM), N, P and K in subsurface soils but less decreased the surface SOM, N and K contents, whereas phosphorus were evidently decreased at both surface and subsurface layers. In contrast, the single application of fires caused a marked increase of SOM, N, P and K contents in both surface and subsurface soils but had little impacts on soil nutrient distributions. Soils under all the three conditions showed a relative increase of soil nutrients at riverbank foot. This comparative study indicated that the different or even contrary effects of riverbank management practices on soil nutrient statuses should be carefully taken into account when assessing the ecological effects of management practices.

Effects of management, soil attributes and region on soil microbial communities in vineyards (Napa, California, USA)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil microorganisms play an important role in soil health. However, little is known about the relationship between soil microbial community composition and diversity and commercially significant aspects of soil health. The purpose of this study is to: (1) assess the impact of management practices on...

Education on sustainable soil management for the masses? The Soil4Life MOOC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maroulis, Jerry; Demie, Moore; Riksen, Michel; Ritsema, Coen

2017-04-01

Although soil is one of our most important natural resources and the foundation for all life on Earth it remains one of the most neglected of our resources. We, in soil science know this, but what do we do to reach more people more quickly? MOOCs, 'Massive Open Online Courses', are a vehicle for offering learning to virtually unlimited audiences at little cost to the student. Could MOOCs be the format for introducing more people worldwide to the importance of soil and sustainable soil management? MOOCs have their limitations and critics. However, depending on your goals, expectations and resources, they are a means for getting information to a much broader population than is possible through conventional educational formats. Wageningen University (WU) agreed and approved the development of a MOOC on sustainable soil management entitled Soil4Life. This presentation reviews the format and results of Soil4Life, concluding with some observations and reflections about this approach to soil science education. The Soil4Life MOOC introduces the role of soil in life on earth, soil degradation, and socio-economic issues related to generating action for long-term sustainability of the many soil-related ecosystem services. The objectives of Soil4Life are to raise awareness about the many important aspects of soil and sustainable soil management, and to allow the educational materials we produced to be available for use by others. The process of creating the Soil4Life MOOC involved 18 academic staff across all WU soil-related groups plus a vital team of education and technical staff. This number of people posed various challenges. However, with clear guidelines, lots of encouragement and technical support, Soil4Life was started in late 2015 and launched on the edx platform in May 2016. Just over 5000 students from 161 countries enrolled in the first offer of the Soil4Life MOOC - a modest number for MOOCs, but not bad for soil science. The targeted audience was initially high

[Effect of ground mulch managements on soil bacterial community structure and diversity in the non-irrigated apple orchard in Weibei Loess Plateau].

PubMed

Chen, Yuexing; Wen, Xiaoxia; Sun, Yulin; Zhang, Junli; Lin, Xiaoli; Liao, Yuncheng

2015-07-04

We studied the changes in soil bacterial communities induced by ground mulch managements at different apple growth periods. We adopted the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with PCR-amplified 16S rRNA fragments to determine soil bacterial community structure and diversity. Soil bacterial community structure with different ground mulch managements were significantly different. Both the mulch management strategies and apple growth periods affected the predominant groups and their abundance in soil bacterial communities. Grass mulch and cornstalk mulch treatments had higher bacterial diversity and richness than the control at young fruit period and fruit expanding period, whereas film mulch treatment had no significant difference compared with the control. During mature period, bacterial diversity in the control reached its maximum, which may be ascribed to the rapid growth and reproduction of the r-selection bacteria. The clustering and detrended correspondence analysis revealed that differences in soil bacterial communities were closely correlated to apple growth periods and ground mulch managements. Soil samples from the grass mulch and cornstalk mulch treatments clustered together while those mulched with plastic film treatment were similar to the control. The most abundant phylum in soil bacterial community was Proteobacteria followed by Bacteroidetes. Some other phyla were also detected, such as Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi. Mulching with plant (Grass/Cornstalk) had great effects on soil bacterial community structure and enhanced the diversity while film mulch management had no significant effects.

Managing human resources for successful strategy execution.

PubMed

Arnold, Edwin

2010-01-01

Managers face difficult challenges when they implement organizational strategies to achieve important goals. Execution of strategy has become more dependent upon the effective management of human resources. This article suggests how people can be managed more effectively to facilitate the execution of strategies and improve organizational performance.

Soil and land management in a circular economy.

PubMed

Breure, A M; Lijzen, J P A; Maring, L

2018-05-15

This article elaborates the role of soil and land management in a circular economy. The circular economy is highly dependent on the functioning of soils and land for the production of food and other biomass; the storage, filtration and transformation of many substances including water, carbon, and nitrogen; the provision of fresh mineral resources and fossil fuels; and the use of their functions as the platform for nature and human activities. Resource demand is increasing as a result of the growing human population. In addition to the shrinking availability of resources resulting from their unsustainable use in the past, our planet's diminishing potential for resource production, due to a range of reasons, is leading to resource scarcity, especially in the case of depletable resources. As an economic system that focuses on maximizing the reuse of resources and products and minimizing their depreciation, the circular economy greatly influences, and depends on, soil and land management. The concise management of the resources, land and soil is thus necessary, to make a circular economy successful. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Innovative Soil Management Practices (SMP) Assessment in Europe and China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barão, Lúcia

2017-04-01

The growing world population poses a major challenge to global agricultural food and feed production through the pressure to increase agricultural outputs either by increasing the land area dedicated to agriculture or by productivity increases. Whether in developed or developing regions, agricultural intensification based on conventional approaches has resulted in severe environmental impacts and innovative soil management practices are needed to halter ongoing soil degradation and promote sustainable land management capable to produce more from less. The iSQAPER project - Interactive Soil Quality Assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Resilience - aims to develop a Soil Quality app (SQAPP) linking soil and agricultural management practices to soil quality indicators. This easy friendly tool will provide a direct and convenient way to advise farmers and other suitable actors in this area, regarding the best management practices to be adopted in very specific and local conditions. In this particular study from iSQAPER, we aimed to identify the most promising innovative soil management practices (SMP) currently used and its geographical distribution along different pedo-climatic regions in Europe (Boreal, Atlantic, Mediterranean Temperate, Mediterranean Semi-Arid, Southern Sub-Continental and Northern Sub-Continental) and China (Middle Temperate, Warm temperate and Central Asia Tropical). So far we have identified 155 farms where innovative SMP's are used, distributed along 4 study site regions located in China (Qiyang, Suining, Zhifanggou and Gongzhuling) and 10 study site regions located in Europe (The Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Estonia) and covering the major pedo-climatic regions. From this identification we concluded that the most used innovative SMP's in the study site regions in Europe are Manuring & Composting (14%), Min-till (14%), Crop rotation (12

Soil Management in Hardwood Plantations

Treesearch

B. G. Blackmon

1978-01-01

Several soil management techniques--fertilization, deep plowing, cover cropping, summer fallowing, Irrigation, and cultivation--can benefit hardwood plantations. The applicability of the treatments to plantations of cottonwood, sweetgum, sycamore, green ash, yellow-poplar, and oaks depends largely on site conditions.

What's your strategy for managing knowledge?

PubMed

Hansen, M T; Nohria, N; Tierney, T

1999-01-01

The rise of the computer and the increasing importance of intellectual assets have compelled executives to examine the knowledge underlying their businesses and how it is used. Because knowledge management as a conscious practice is so young, however, executives have lacked models to use as guides. To help fill that gap, the authors recently studied knowledge management practices at management consulting firms, health care providers, and computer manufacturers. They found two very different knowledge management strategies in place. In companies that sell relatively standardized products that fill common needs, knowledge is carefully codified and stored in databases, where it can be accessed and used--over and over again--by anyone in the organization. The authors call this the codification strategy. In companies that provide highly customized solutions to unique problems, knowledge is shared mainly through person-to-person contacts; the chief purpose of computers is to help people communicate. They call this the personalization strategy. A company's choice of knowledge management strategy is not arbitrary--it must be driven by the company's competitive strategy. Emphasizing the wrong approach or trying to pursue both can quickly undermine a business. The authors warn that knowledge management should not be isolated in a functional department like HR or IT. They emphasize that the benefits are greatest--to both the company and its customers--when a CEO and other general managers actively choose one of the approaches as a primary strategy.

A methodological approach for deriving regional crop rotations as basis for the assessment of the impact of agricultural strategies using soil erosion as example.

PubMed

Lorenz, Marco; Fürst, Christine; Thiel, Enrico

2013-09-01

Regarding increasing pressures by global societal and climate change, the assessment of the impact of land use and land management practices on land degradation and the related decrease in sustainable provision of ecosystem services gains increasing interest. Existing approaches to assess agricultural practices focus on the assessment of single crops or statistical data because spatially explicit information on practically applied crop rotations is mostly not available. This provokes considerable uncertainties in crop production models as regional specifics have to be neglected or cannot be considered in an appropriate way. In a case study in Saxony, we developed an approach to (i) derive representative regional crop rotations by combining different data sources and expert knowledge. This includes the integration of innovative crop sequences related to bio-energy production or organic farming and different soil tillage, soil management and soil protection techniques. Furthermore, (ii) we developed a regionalization approach for transferring crop rotations and related soil management strategies on the basis of statistical data and spatially explicit data taken from so called field blocks. These field blocks are the smallest spatial entity for which agricultural practices must be reported to apply for agricultural funding within the frame of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) program. The information was finally integrated into the spatial decision support tool GISCAME to assess and visualize in spatially explicit manner the impact of alternative agricultural land use strategies on soil erosion risk and ecosystem services provision. Objective of this paper is to present the approach how to create spatially explicit information on agricultural management practices for a study area around Dresden, the capital of the German Federal State Saxony. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biological and biochemical soil quality indicators for agricultural management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bongiorno, Giulia

2017-04-01

Soil quality is defined as the capacity of a soil to perform multiple functions. Agricultural soils can, in principle, sustain a wide range of functions. However, negative pressure exerted by natural and anthropogenic soil threats such as soil erosion, soil organic matter losses and soil compaction have the potential to permanently damage soil quality. Soil chemical, physical and biological parameters can be used as indicators of soil quality. The specific objective of this study is to assess the suitability of novel soil parameters as soil quality indicators. We focus on biological/biochemical parameters, due to the unique role of soil biota in soil functions and to their high sensitivity to disturbances. The novel indicators are assessed in ten European long-term field experiments (LTEs) with different agricultural land use (arable and permanent crops), management regimes and pedo-climatic characteristics. The contrasts in agricultural management are represented by conventional/reduced tillage, organic/mineral fertilization and organic matter addition/no organic matter addition. We measured two different pools of labile organic carbon (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC)), and determined DOC quality through its fractionation in hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds. In addition, total nematode abundance has been assessed with qPCR. These parameters will be related to soil functions which have been measured with a minimum data set of indicators for soil quality (including TOC, macronutrients, and soil respiration). As a preliminary analysis, the Sensitivity Index (SI) for a given LTE was calculated for DOC and POXC according to Bolinder et al., 1999 as the ratio of the soil attribute under modified practices (e.g. reduced tillage) compared to the conventional practices (e.g. conventional tillage). The overall effect of the sustainable management on the indicators has been derived by calculating an average SI for those LTEs

Trait-based characterisation of soil exploitation strategies of banana, weeds and cover plant species

PubMed Central

Tardy, Florence; Damour, Gaëlle; Dorel, Marc; Moreau, Delphine

2017-01-01

Cover plants can be introduced in cropping systems to provide agroecosystem services, including weed control via competition for resources. There is currently no consensus on how to identify the best cover plant species, while trait-based approaches are promising for screening plant species due to their agroecosystem service provision potential. This study was carried out to characterize soil exploitation strategies of cover plant species in banana agroecosystems using a trait-based approach, and in turn identify cover plant species with a high weed control potential via competition for soil resources in banana cropping systems. A field experiment was conducted on 17 cover plant species, two weed species and two banana cultivars grown individually. Four functional traits were measured. Two of them (i.e., the size of the zone explored by roots and the root impact density) were used to characterize root system soil exploration patterns. Two other traits (i.e., specific root length and root diameter) were used to characterize resource acquisition within the soil zone explored by the roots. All studied traits exhibited marked variations among species. The findings suggested a trade-off between the abilities of species to develop a limited number of large diameter roots exploring a large soil zone versus many thin roots exploring a smaller soil zone. Three soil-resource exploitation strategies were identified among species: (i) with large diameter roots that explore a large soil zone; (ii) with small diameter roots and a high specific length that explore a smaller soil zone; and (iii) with a high total root-impact density and an intermediate specific root length that explore the uppermost soil layers. Interestingly, in our panel of species, no correlations with regard to belowground and aboveground strategies were noted: species with an acquisitive belowground strategy could display an acquisitive or a conservative aboveground strategy. The findings of this study

Trait-based characterisation of soil exploitation strategies of banana, weeds and cover plant species.

PubMed

Tardy, Florence; Damour, Gaëlle; Dorel, Marc; Moreau, Delphine

2017-01-01

Cover plants can be introduced in cropping systems to provide agroecosystem services, including weed control via competition for resources. There is currently no consensus on how to identify the best cover plant species, while trait-based approaches are promising for screening plant species due to their agroecosystem service provision potential. This study was carried out to characterize soil exploitation strategies of cover plant species in banana agroecosystems using a trait-based approach, and in turn identify cover plant species with a high weed control potential via competition for soil resources in banana cropping systems. A field experiment was conducted on 17 cover plant species, two weed species and two banana cultivars grown individually. Four functional traits were measured. Two of them (i.e., the size of the zone explored by roots and the root impact density) were used to characterize root system soil exploration patterns. Two other traits (i.e., specific root length and root diameter) were used to characterize resource acquisition within the soil zone explored by the roots. All studied traits exhibited marked variations among species. The findings suggested a trade-off between the abilities of species to develop a limited number of large diameter roots exploring a large soil zone versus many thin roots exploring a smaller soil zone. Three soil-resource exploitation strategies were identified among species: (i) with large diameter roots that explore a large soil zone; (ii) with small diameter roots and a high specific length that explore a smaller soil zone; and (iii) with a high total root-impact density and an intermediate specific root length that explore the uppermost soil layers. Interestingly, in our panel of species, no correlations with regard to belowground and aboveground strategies were noted: species with an acquisitive belowground strategy could display an acquisitive or a conservative aboveground strategy. The findings of this study

Correlations between soil respiration and soil properties in sugarcane areas under green and slash-and-burn management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigo Panosso, Alan; Milori, Débora M. B. P.; Marques Júnior, José; Martin-Neto, Ladislau; La Scala, Newton, Jr.

2010-05-01

Soil management causes changes in soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that consequently affect its CO2 emission. In this work we studied soil respiration (FCO2) in areas with sugarcane production in southern Brazil under two different sugarcane management systems: green (G), consisting of mechanized harvesting that produces a large amount of crop residues left on the soil surface, and slash-and-burn (SB), in which the residues are burned before manual harvest, leaving no residues on the soil surface. The study was conducted after the harvest period in two side-by-side grids installed in adjacent areas, having 20 measurement points each. The objective of this work was to determinate whether soil physical and chemical properties within each plot were useful in order to explain the spatial variability of FCO2, supposedly influence by each management system. Most of the soil physical properties studied showed no significant differences between management systems, but on the other hand most of the chemical properties differed significantly when SB and G areas were compared. Total FCO2 was 31% higher in the SB plot (729 g CO2 m-2) when compared to the G plot (557 g CO2 m-2) throughout the 70-day period after harvest studied. This seems to be related to the sensitivity of FCO2 to precipitation events, as respiration in this plot increased significantly with increases in soil moisture. Despite temporal variability showed to be positively related to soil moisture, inside each management system there was a negative correlation (p<0.01) between the spatial changes of FCO2 and soil moisture (MS), R= -0.56 and -0.59 for G and SB respectively. There was no spatial correlation between FCO2 and soil organic matter in each management system, however, the humification index (Hum) of organic matter was negatively linear correlated with FCO2 in SB (R= -0.53, p<0.05) while positively linear correlated in G area (R=0.42, p<0.10). The multiple regression model analysis

Cross-Site Soil Microbial Communities under Tillage Regimes: Fungistasis and Microbial Biomarkers

PubMed Central

Yrjälä, Kim; Alakukku, Laura; Palojärvi, Ansa

2012-01-01

The exploitation of soil ecosystem services by agricultural management strategies requires knowledge of microbial communities in different management regimes. Crop cover by no-till management protects the soil surface, reducing the risk of erosion and nutrient leaching, but might increase straw residue-borne and soilborne plant-pathogenic fungi. A cross-site study of soil microbial communities and Fusarium fungistasis was conducted on six long-term agricultural fields with no-till and moldboard-plowed treatments. Microbial communities were studied at the topsoil surface (0 to 5 cm) and bottom (10 to 20 cm) by general bacterial and actinobacterial terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses. Fusarium culmorum soil fungistasis describing soil receptivity to plant-pathogenic fungi was explored by using the surface layer method. Soil depth had a significant impact on general bacterial as well as actinobacterial communities and PLFA profiles in no-till treatment, with a clear spatial distinction of communities (P < 0.05), whereas the depth-related separation of microbial communities was not observed in plowed fields. The fungal biomass was higher in no-till surface soil than in plowed soil (P < 0.07). Soil total microbial biomass and fungal biomass correlated with fungistasis (P < 0.02 for the sum of PLFAs; P < 0.001 for PLFA 18:2ω6). Our cross-site study demonstrated that agricultural management strategies can have a major impact on soil microbial community structures, indicating that it is possible to influence the soil processes with management decisions. The interactions between plant-pathogenic fungi and soil microbial communities are multifaceted, and a high level of fungistasis could be linked to the high microbial biomass in soil but not to the specific management strategy. PMID:22983972

Soil mapping and processes modelling for sustainable land management: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Paulo; Brevik, Eric; Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam; Miller, Bradley; Smetanova, Anna; Depellegrin, Daniel; Misiune, Ieva; Novara, Agata; Cerda, Artemi

2017-04-01

Soil maps and models are fundamental for a correct and sustainable land management (Pereira et al., 2017). They are an important in the assessment of the territory and implementation of sustainable measures in urban areas, agriculture, forests, ecosystem services, among others. Soil maps represent an important basis for the evaluation and restoration of degraded areas, an important issue for our society, as consequence of climate change and the increasing pressure of humans on the ecosystems (Brevik et al. 2016; Depellegrin et al., 2016). The understanding of soil spatial variability and the phenomena that influence this dynamic is crucial to the implementation of sustainable practices that prevent degradation, and decrease the economic costs of soil restoration. In this context, soil maps and models are important to identify areas affected by degradation and optimize the resources available to restore them. Overall, soil data alone or integrated with data from other sciences, is an important part of sustainable land management. This information is extremely important land managers and decision maker's implements sustainable land management policies. The objective of this work is to present a review about the advantages of soil mapping and process modeling for sustainable land management. References Brevik, E., Calzolari, C., Miller, B., Pereira, P., Kabala, C., Baumgarten, A., Jordán, A. (2016) Historical perspectives and future needs in soil mapping, classification and pedological modelling, Geoderma, 264, Part B, 256-274. Depellegrin, D.A., Pereira, P., Misiune, I., Egarter-Vigl, L. (2016) Mapping Ecosystem Services in Lithuania. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 23, 441-455. Pereira, P., Brevik, E., Munoz-Rojas, M., Miller, B., Smetanova, A., Depellegrin, D., Misiune, I., Novara, A., Cerda, A. (2017) Soil mapping and process modelling for sustainable land management. In: Pereira, P., Brevik, E., Munoz-Rojas, M., Miller, B

Soil carbon sequestration and forest management: challenges and opportunities

Treesearch

Coeli M. Hoover

2003-01-01

The subject of the effects of forest management activities on soil carbon is a difficult one to address, but ongoing discussions of carbon sequestration as an emissions offset and the emergence of carbon-credit-trading systems necessitate that we broaden and deepen our understanding of the response of forest-soil carbon pools to forest management. There have been...

A virtual, interactive and dynamic excursion in Google Earth on soil management and conservation (AgroGeovid)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanwalleghem, Tom; Giráldez, Juan Vicente

2013-04-01

Many courses on natural resources require hands-on practical knowledge and experience that students traditionally could only acquire by expensive and time-consuming field excursions. New technologies and social media however provide an interesting alternative to train students and help them improve their practical knowledge. AgroGeovid is a virtual excursion, based on Google Earth, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter that is aimed at agricultural engineering students, but equally useful for any student interested in soil management and conservation, e.g. geography, geology and environmental resources. Agrogeovid provides the framework for teachers and students to upload geotagged photos, comments and discussions. After the initial startup phase, where the teacher uploaded material on e.g. soil erosion phenomena, soil conservation structures and different soil management strategies under different agronomic systems, students contributed with their own material gathered throughout the academic year. All students decided to contribute via Facebook, in stead of Twitter, which was not known to most of them. The final result was a visual and dynamic tool which students could use to train and perfect skills adopted in the classroom using case-studies and examples from their immediate environment.

Time management strategies for research productivity.

PubMed

Chase, Jo-Ana D; Topp, Robert; Smith, Carol E; Cohen, Marlene Z; Fahrenwald, Nancy; Zerwic, Julie J; Benefield, Lazelle E; Anderson, Cindy M; Conn, Vicki S

2013-02-01

Researchers function in a complex environment and carry multiple role responsibilities. This environment is prone to various distractions that can derail productivity and decrease efficiency. Effective time management allows researchers to maintain focus on their work, contributing to research productivity. Thus, improving time management skills is essential to developing and sustaining a successful program of research. This article presents time management strategies addressing behaviors surrounding time assessment, planning, and monitoring. Herein, the Western Journal of Nursing Research editorial board recommends strategies to enhance time management, including setting realistic goals, prioritizing, and optimizing planning. Involving a team, problem-solving barriers, and early management of potential distractions can facilitate maintaining focus on a research program. Continually evaluating the effectiveness of time management strategies allows researchers to identify areas of improvement and recognize progress.

The office of strategy management.

PubMed

Kaplan, Robert S; Norton, David P

2005-10-01

There is a disconnect in most companies between strategy formulation and strategy execution. On average, 95% of a company's employees are unaware of, or do not understand, its strategy. If employees are unaware of the strategy, they surely cannot help the organization implement it effectively. It doesn't have to be like this. For the past 15 years, the authors have studied companies that achieved performance breakthroughs by adopting the Balanced Scorecard and its associated tools to help them better communicate strategy to their employees and to guide and monitor the execution of that strategy. Some companies, of course, have achieved better, longer-lasting improvements than others. The organizations that have managed to sustain their strategic focus have typically established a new corporate-level unit to oversee all activities related to strategy: an office of strategy management (OS M). The OSM, in effect, acts as the CEO's chief of staff. It coordinates an array of tasks: communicating corporate strategy; ensuring that enterprise-level plans are translated into the plans of the various units and departments; executing strategic initiatives to deliver on the grand design; aligning employees' plans for competency development with strategic objectives; and testing and adapting the strategy to stay abreast of the competition. The OSM does not do all the work, but it facilitates the processes so that strategy is executed in an integrated fashion across the enterprise. Although the companies that Kaplan and Norton studied use the Balanced Scorecard as the framework for their strategy management systems, the authors say the lessons of the OSM are applicable even to companies that do not use it.

The Integrated Soil Erosion Risk Management Model of Central Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, M. A.; Stoetter, J.; Sartohadi, J.; Christanto, N.

2009-04-01

Many types of soil erosion modeling have been developed worldwide; each of models has its own advantage and assumption based on the originated area. Ironically, in the tropical countries where the rainfall intensity is higher than other area, the soil erosion problem gain less attention. As in Indonesia, due the inadequate supporting data and method to dealing with, the soil erosion management appears to be least prior in the policy decision. Hence, there is increasing necessity towards the initiation and integration of risk management model in the soil erosion, to prevent further land degradation problem in Indonesia. The main research objective is to generate a model which can analyze the dynamic system of soil erosion problem. This model will comprehensively consider four main aspects within the dynamic system analysis, i.e.: soil erosion rate modeling, the tolerable soil erosion rate, total soil erosion cost, and soil erosion management measures. The generating model will involve some sub-software i.e. the PC Raster to maintain the soil erosion modeling, Powersim Constructor Ver. 2.5 as the tool to analyze the dynamic system and Python Ver. 2.6.1 to build the main Graphical User Interface model. The first step addressed in this research is figuring the most appropriate soil erosion model to be applied in Indonesia based on landscape, climate, and data availability condition. This appropriate model must have the simplicity aspect in input data but still deal with the process based analysis. By using the soil erosion model result, the total soil erosion cost will be calculated both on-site and off-site effect. The total soil erosion cost will be stated in Rupiah (Indonesian currency) and Dollar. That total result is then used as one of input parameters for the tolerable soil erosion rate. Subsequently, the tolerable soil erosion rate decides whether the soil erosion rate has exceeded the allowed value or not. If the soil erosion rate has bigger value than the

Soil and Crop management: Lessons from the laboratory biosphere 2002-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverstone, S.; Nelson, M.; Alling, A.; Allen, J.

During the years 2002 and 2003, three closed system experiments were carried out in the "Laboratory Biosphere" facility located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The program involved experimentation with "Hoyt" Soy Beans, USU Apogee Wheat and TU-82-155 sweet potato using a 5.37 m2 soil planting bed which was 30 cm deep. The soil texture, 40% clay, 31% sand and 28% silt (a clay loam), was collected from an organic farm in New Mexico to avoid chemical residues. Soil management practices involved minimal tillage, mulching and returning crop residues to the soil after each experiment. Between experiment #2 and #3, the top 15 cm of the soil was amended using a mix of peat moss, green sand, humates and pumice to improve soil texture, lower soil pH and increase nutrient availability. Soil analyses for all three experiments are presented to show how the soils have changed with time and how the changes relate to crop selection and rotation, soil selection and management, water management and pest control. The experience and information gained from these experiments are being applied to the future design of the Mars On Earth facility.

Soil management effect on soil quality indicators in vineyards of the Appellation of Origin "Montilla-Moriles" in southern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzmán, Gema; Cabezas, José Manuel; Bauer, Thomas; Strauss, Peter; Winter, Silvia; Zaller, Johann; Gómez, José Alfonso

2017-04-01

The effect soil management on several indicators frequently used in the assessment of soil quality it is not always reflected unambiguously when measured at the field although it is normally assumed that this relation is straightforward. Within the European project VineDivers (www.vinedivers.eu), sixteen commercial vineyards belonging to the Appellation of Origin "Montilla-Moriles" (Córdoba) and covering a wide range of textural classes were selected. These farms were classified 'a priori' under two soil management categories: temporal cover crop and bare soil during the whole year. In each of the vineyards one representative inter-row was selected in order to characterise different physical, chemical and biological parameters to evaluate some aspects related to soil quality. Results indicate that the studied indicators respond clearly to soil textural class and vegetation cover biomass. However, there was no clear difference in above-ground biomass of the two management categories (Guzmán et al., 2016). These results suggest that the interpretation and extrapolation of the indicators evaluated should incorporate complementary information to characterise small variations of soil management intensity among vineyards that are apparently managed under the same management category. The communication presents this analysis based on the number and type of soil disturbance events of all vineyards. The high variability found among vineyards under the same management highlights the relevance of measuring these soil parameters used as quality indicators, instead of extrapolating from other vineyards or agricultural systems, and interpreting them according to baseline levels. References: Guzmán G., Cabezas J.M., Gómez J.A. 2016. Evaluación preliminar del efecto del manejo del suelo en indicadores que determinan su calidad en viñedos de la Denominación de Origen Montilla Moriles. II Jornadas de Viticultura SECH. Madrid.

Soil health: The concept, its role, and strategies for monitoring

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil health is not a new concept as evidenced by writings by both Greek and Roman philosophers who were aware of the importance of soil health to agricultural prosperity. Most recently, the concept has been recognized as a tool to help evaluate the effects of various agricultural and land management...

Soil moisture monitoring for crop management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, Dale

2015-07-01

The 'Risk management through soil moisture monitoring' project has demonstrated the capability of current technology to remotely monitor and communicate real time soil moisture data. The project investigated whether capacitance probes would assist making informed pre- and in-crop decisions. Crop potential and cropping inputs are increasingly being subject to greater instability and uncertainty due to seasonal variability. In a targeted survey of those who received regular correspondence from the Department of Primary Industries it was found that i) 50% of the audience found the information generated relevant for them and less than 10% indicted with was not relevant; ii) 85% have improved their knowledge/ability to assess soil moisture compared to prior to the project, with the most used indicator of soil moisture still being rain fall records; and iii) 100% have indicated they will continue to use some form of the technology to monitor soil moisture levels in the future. It is hoped that continued access to this information will assist informed input decisions. This will minimise inputs in low decile years with a low soil moisture base and maximise yield potential in more favourable conditions based on soil moisture and positive seasonal forecasts

New soil water sensors for irrigation management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Effective irrigation management is key to obtaining the most crop production per unit of water applied and increasing production in the face of competing demands on water resources. Management methods have included calculating crop water needs based on weather station measurements, calculating soil ...

Long term management practices influenced soil aggregation and carbon dynamics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil aggregation protects soil organic C (SOC) against rapid decomposition, improves soil quality, and reduces soil erosion potential. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of long-term (21 yrs.) management practices on SOC, water stable aggregate (WSA), and aggregate-associated ...

Evaluating the impact of field-scale management strategies on sediment transport to the watershed outlet.

PubMed

Sommerlot, Andrew R; Pouyan Nejadhashemi, A; Woznicki, Sean A; Prohaska, Michael D

2013-10-15

Non-point source pollution from agricultural lands is a significant contributor of sediment pollution in United States lakes and streams. Therefore, quantifying the impact of individual field management strategies at the watershed-scale provides valuable information to watershed managers and conservation agencies to enhance decision-making. In this study, four methods employing some of the most cited models in field and watershed scale analysis were compared to find a practical yet accurate method for evaluating field management strategies at the watershed outlet. The models used in this study including field-scale model (the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 - RUSLE2), spatially explicit overland sediment delivery models (SEDMOD), and a watershed-scale model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool - SWAT). These models were used to develop four modeling strategies (methods) for the River Raisin watershed: Method 1) predefined field-scale subbasin and reach layers were used in SWAT model; Method 2) subbasin-scale sediment delivery ratio was employed; Method 3) results obtained from the field-scale RUSLE2 model were incorporated as point source inputs to the SWAT watershed model; and Method 4) a hybrid solution combining analyses from the RUSLE2, SEDMOD, and SWAT models. Method 4 was selected as the most accurate among the studied methods. In addition, the effectiveness of six best management practices (BMPs) in terms of the water quality improvement and associated cost were assessed. Economic analysis was performed using Method 4, and producer requested prices for BMPs were compared with prices defined by the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). On a per unit area basis, producers requested higher prices than EQIP in four out of six BMP categories. Meanwhile, the true cost of sediment reduction at the field and watershed scales was greater than EQIP in five of six BMP categories according to producer requested prices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All

Remote Sensing of Soils for Environmental Assessment and Management.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeGloria, Stephen D.; Irons, James R.; West, Larry T.

2014-01-01

The next generation of imaging systems integrated with complex analytical methods will revolutionize the way we inventory and manage soil resources across a wide range of scientific disciplines and application domains. This special issue highlights those systems and methods for the direct benefit of environmental professionals and students who employ imaging and geospatial information for improved understanding, management, and monitoring of soil resources.

Study of microarthropod communities to assess soil quality in different managed vineyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnarli, Elena; Vignozzi, Nadia; Valboa, Giuseppe; Bouneb, Mabrouk; Corino, Lorenzo; Goggioli, Donatella; Guidi, Silvia; Lottero, Mariarosa; Tarchi, Franca; Simoni, Sauro

2014-05-01

Land use type influences the abundance and diversity of soil arthropods. The evaluation of the effects of different crop managements on soil quality is commonly requested; it can be pursued by means of the determination of communities' structure of edaphic fauna. The development and application of biological indices may represent an efficient mean to assess soil quality. We evaluated the effect of crop managements (organic and Integrated Pest Management-IPM) in some vineyards in Piedmont (Italy) on soil biota in relation to some physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. The study was performed in eleven sites, including seven organic and four IPM managed vineyards located in the Costigliole d'Asti area. Samplings were carried out during the winter 2011 and the spring 2012. Soil samples were collected using a cylindrical soil core sampler (3cm diameter x 30cm height): each sample was a cylindrical soil core which was equally subdivided to study arthropod communities at different depth ranges. Additional samples were collected and analyzed for the following soil physical and chemical properties: texture (sedigraph method), pH (1:2.5 soil/water), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (NT) and calcium carbonate (dry combustion by CN analyzer). The extraction of microarthropods was performed using the selector Berlese-Tullgren. All specimens were counted and determined up to the order level. The influence of soil properties and of agronomic practices on the abundance of mesofauna was evaluated by multivariate analysis (MANOVA). The biological soil quality was also defined through the determination of biotic indices such as the qualitative and quantitative QBSar (Quality Biological Soil - arthropods), and biodiversity indices such as species richness and indices of Shannon-Wiener (H') and Simpson (D). Overall, more than four thousands arthropods were collected and the highest abundance was in biological management with about 2:1 ratio (biological vs

Introduction to Soil Fumigant Management Plans

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Soil fumigant pesticide labels require users to prepare a site-specific fumigation management plan (FMP) before the application begins. EPA has developed templates that outline the elements required by the labels.

Distribution of tetraether lipids in agricultural soils - differentiation between paddy and upland management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller-Niggemann, C.; Utami, S. R.; Marxen, A.; Mangelsdorf, K.; Bauersachs, T.; Schwark, L.

2015-10-01

Insufficient knowledge of the composition and variation of isoprenoid and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in agricultural soils exists, despite of the potential effect of different management types (e.g. soil/water and redox conditions, cultivated plants) on GDGT distribution. Here, we determined the influence of different soil management types on the GDGT composition in paddy (flooded) and adjacent upland (non-flooded) soils, and if available also forest, bushland and marsh soils. To compare the local effects on GDGT distribution patterns, we collected comparable soil samples in various locations from tropical (Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines) and subtropical (China and Italy) sites. We found that differences in the distribution of isoprenoid GDGTs (iGDGTs) as well as of branched GDGTs (brGDGTs) are predominantly controlled by management type and only secondarily by climatic exposition. In general upland soil had higher crenarchaeol contents than paddy soil, which on the contrary was more enriched in GDGT-0. The GDGT-0 / crenarchaeol ratio was 3-27 times higher in paddy soil and indicates the enhanced presence of methanogenic archaea, which were additionally linked to the number of rice cultivation cycles per year (higher number of cycles was coupled with an increase in the ratio). The TEX86 values were 1.3 times higher in upland, bushland and forest soils than in paddy soils. In all soils brGDGT predominated over iGDGTs, with the relative abundance of brGDGTs increasing from subtropical to tropical soils. Higher BIT values in paddy soils compared to upland soils together with higher BIT values in soil from subtropical climates indicate effects on the amounts of brGDGT through differences in management as well as climatic zones. In acidic soil CBT values correlated well with soil pH. In neutral to alkaline soils, however, no apparent correlation but an offset between paddy and upland managed soils was detected, which may suggest that soil

Evaluating anaerobic soil disinfestation and other biological soil management methods for open-field tomato production in Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), amending the soil with composted poultry litter (CPL) and molasses (M), has been shown to be a potential alternative to chemical soil fumigation for tomato production, however, optimization of ASD and the use of other biologically-based soil management practices ...

Soil quality indicator responses to row crop, grazed pasture, and agroforestry buffer management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incorporation of trees and establishment of grass buffers within agroecosystems are management practices shown to enhance soil quality. Soil enzyme activities and water stable aggregates (WSA) have been identified as sensitive soil quality indicators to evaluate early responses to soil management. ...

The survival strategy of the soil microbial biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brookes, Philip; Kemmitt, Sarah; Dungait, Jennifer; Xu, Jianming

2014-05-01

The soil microbial biomass (biomass) is defined as the sum of the masses of all soil microorganisms > 5000 µm3 (e.g. fungi, bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, actinomycetes and algae). Typically comprising about 1 to 3 % of total soil organic matter (SOM), the biomass might be though to live in a highly substrate-rich environment. However, the SOM is, normally, only exceedingly slowly available to the biomass. However the biomass can survive for months or even years on this meagre energy source. Not surprisingly, therefore, the biomass exhibits many features typical of a dormant or resting population. These include a very low rate of basal and specific respiration, a slow rate of cell division (about once every six months on average) and slow turnover rate. These are clearly adaptations to existing in an environment where substrate availability is very low. Yet, paradoxically, the biomass, in soils worldwide, has an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration (around 10 to 12 µmol ATP g-1 biomass C), and an Adenylate Energy Charge (AEC = [(ATP) + (0.5 ADP)]/[(ATP)+(ADP) + (AMP)]) which are typical of microorganisms growing exponentially in a chemostat. This sets us several questions. Firstly, under the condition of extremely limited substrate availability in soil, why does the biomass not mainly exist as spores, becoming active, by increasing both its ATP concentration and AEC, when substrate (plant and animal residues) becomes available? We surmise that a spore strategy may put organisms at a competitive disadvantage, compared to others which are prepared to invest energy, maintaining high ATP and ATP, to take advantage of a 'food event' as soon as it becomes available. Secondly, since SOM is available (although only very slowly) to the biomass, why have some groups not evolved the ability to mineralize it faster, obtain more energy, and so gain a competitive advantage? We believe that the reason why organisms do not use this strategy is, simply, that they cannot. Our

Assessment of Water and Nitrate-N deep percolation fluxes in soil as affected by irrigation and nutrient management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsehaye, Habte; Ceglie, Francesco; Mimiola, Giancarlo; dragonetti, giovanna; Lamaddalena, Nicola; Coppola, Antonio

2015-04-01

Many farming practices can result in contamination of groundwater, due to the downward migration of fertilizers and pesticides through the soil profile. The detrimental effects of this contamination are not limited to deterioration of chemical and physical properties of soils and waters, but also constitute a real risk to human and ecosystem health. Groundwater contamination may come from a very large array of chemicals. Nevertheless, on a global scale the main cause of pollution is a high nitrate concentration in the aquifer water. Nitrate concentrations of groundwater have constantly increased during the last decades, and the widespread use of commercial N fertilizers has been implicated as the main causative factor. It is often claimed that nutrient management in organic farming is more environmentally sustainable than its conventional counterpart. It is commonly presumed that organic agriculture causes only minimal environmental pollution. There is scientific evidence that organic management may enhance some soil physical and biological properties. In particular, soil fertility management strategies can affect soil properties and the related hydrological processes. It is thus crucial to quantify and predict management effects on soil properties in order to evaluate the effects of soil type, natural processes such as decomposition of organic matter, irrigation applications and preferential flow on the deep percolation fluxes of water and nitrates to the groundwater. In this study, we measured the water fluxes and the quality of water percolating below the root zone, underlying organic agriculture systems in greenhouse. Specifically, the aim was to examine the effects of application time and type of organic matter in the soil on the nitrate-N deep percolation fluxes under the following three organic soil fertility strategies in greenhouse tomato experiment: i. Organic input Substitution (which will be hereafter denoted SUBST) is represented as typical

Impact of Ca-amendments and soil management in physical properties linked to soil-water relationship in degraded Ultisols from South-Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariscal-Sancho, I.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, P.; León, P.; Gómez-Paccard, C.; Benito, M.; Espejo, R.

2012-04-01

Cañamerós raña formation in western Spain was cleared for cropping in 1940´s. Its highly weathered acidic soils (Ultisols) were deeply affected by tillage. The soil organic matter (SOM) content and specially the particulate organic matter (POM), a labile fraction, were drastically reduced, and most of their chemical and physical soil properties related to its quality were negatively affected. The extraction of Ca through the harvest and the release of Al retained in organic-Al complexes resulted in a lower Ca/Al ratio which increased the Al toxicity. These effects led to a drastic yield reduction and the abandon of many degraded fields after 20-70 years of unsustainable managements. On these degraded soils we studied the effect of different soil management strategies (no-till with wild pasture (WP) and no-till with an improved pasture (IP)), and amendment applications (sugar foam waste (SF), and SF + Phosphogypsum (PH) versus control (C)). One of the objectives of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of these practices to recover soil quality parameters, especially those related to soil-water relationship. A Split-plot experiment was established in a degraded field. We evaluated the changes in superficial infiltration, bulk density, and content of water-stable aggregates per 100 g of soil before the Ca-amendment applications and pasture establishments, and after 4.5 years. We also measured the changes in SOM and POM contents which are closely related with the previous parameters. The Ca applications reduced Al toxicity, improved the pasture yield and increased organic matter inputs to soil. The results showed a significant increase of POM in all treatment compared with the POM content at the beginning of this experiment. However the "SOM minus POM" which could be classified as recalcitrant organic matter did not show significant increments. The increase of POM had a positive effect on the content of water-stable aggregates per 100 g of soil and the water

Soil and geography are more important determinants of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal communities than management practices in Swiss agricultural soils.

PubMed

Jansa, Jan; Erb, Angela; Oberholzer, Hans-Rudolf; Smilauer, Petr; Egli, Simon

2014-04-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous soil fungi, forming mutualistic symbiosis with a majority of terrestrial plant species. They are abundant in nearly all soils, less diverse than soil prokaryotes and other intensively studied soil organisms and thus are promising candidates for universal indicators of land management legacies and soil quality degradation. However, insufficient data on how the composition of indigenous AMF varies along soil and landscape gradients have hampered the definition of baselines and effect thresholds to date. Here, indigenous AMF communities in 154 agricultural soils collected across Switzerland were profiled by quantitative real-time PCR with taxon-specific markers for six widespread AMF species. To identify the key determinants of AMF community composition, the profiles were related to soil properties, land management and site geography. Our results indicate a number of well-supported dependencies between abundances of certain AMF taxa and soil properties such as pH, soil fertility and texture, and a surprising lack of effect of available soil phosphorus on the AMF community profiles. Site geography, especially the altitude and large geographical distance, strongly affected AMF communities. Unexpected was the apparent lack of a strong land management effect on the AMF communities as compared to the other predictors, which could be due to the rarity of highly intensive and unsustainable land management in Swiss agriculture. In spite of the extensive coverage of large geographical and soil gradients, we did not identify any taxon suitable as an indicator of land use among the six taxa we studied. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Restoring and Enhancing Productivity of Degraded Tephra-Derived Soils

Treesearch

Chuck Bulmer; Jim Archuleta; Mike Curran

2007-01-01

Soil restoration (sometimes termed enhancement) is an important strategy for sustaining the productivity of managed forest landscapes. Tephra-derived soils have unique physical and chemical characteristics that affect their response to disturbance and restoration. A variety of factors reduce forest productivity on degraded soils. Site-specific information on soil...

Book review: Principals of soil conservation and management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation and sustainable management of soil are essential features of humankind’s reverence for Nature. As well they should be, given the essential ecosystem services that soil imparts to our world, such as producing food, moderating climate, storing and cycling water and nutrients, purifying w...

Selecting habitat management strategies on refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schroeder, Richard L.; King, Wayne J.; Cornely, John E.

1998-01-01

This report is a joint effort of the Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to provide National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) managers guidance on the selection and evaluation of habitat management strategies to meet stated objectives. The FWS recently completed a handbook on writing refuge management goals and objectives (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996a). the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) lands be managed according to approved Comprehensive Conservation Plans to guide management decisions and devise strategies for achieving refuge unit purposes and meeting the NWRS mission. It is expected that over the next several years most refuges will develop new or revised refuge goals and objectives for directing their habitat management strategies. This paper outlines the steps we recommend in selecting and evaluating habitat management strategies to meet specific refuge habitat objectives. We selected two examples to illustrate the process. Although each refuge is unique and will require specific information and solutions, these two examples can be used as guidance when selecting and evaluating habitat management strategies for other refuge resources: Example 1. Management of floodplain woods habitat for forest interior birds. The biological recourse of concern is the quality and quantity of floodplain woods habitat for eastern forest interior birds in the Cypress Creek NWR (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996b). Example 2. Management of habitat for biodiversity: Historical landscape proportions. The biological resource of concern is the change in diversity associated with man-induced changes in the distribution and abundance of habitat types at the Minnesota Valley NWR (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996c).

Comparison of EDTA-enhanced phytoextraction and phytostabilisation strategies with Lolium perenne on a heavy metal contaminated soil.

PubMed

Lambrechts, Thomas; Gustot, Quentin; Couder, Eléonore; Houben, David; Iserentant, Anne; Lutts, Stanley

2011-11-01

Phytoremediation is a promising and cost-effective strategy to manage heavy metal polluted sites. In this experiment, we compared simultaneously phytoextraction and phytostabilisation techniques on a Cd and Zn contaminated soil, through monitoring of plant accumulation and leaching. Lolium perenne plants were cultivated for 2 months under controlled environmental conditions in a 27.6 dm(3)-pot experiment allowing the collect of leachates. The heavy metal phytoextraction was promoted by adding Na-EDTA (0.5 g kg(-1) of soil) in watering solution. Phytostabilisation was assessed by mixing soil with steel shots (1%) before L. perenne sowing. Presence of plants exacerbated heavy metal leaching, by improving soil hydraulic conductivity. Use of EDTA for phytoextraction led to higher concentration of heavy metal in shoots. However, this higher heavy metal extraction was insufficient to satisfactory reduce the heavy metal content in soil, and led to important heavy metal leaching induced by EDTA. On the other hand, addition of steel shots efficiently decreased both Cd and Zn mobility, according to 0.01 M CaCl(2) extraction, and leaching. However, improvement of growth conditions by steel shots led to higher heavy metal mass in shoot tissues. Therefore, soil heavy metal mobility and plant metal uptake are not systematically positively correlated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Best management practices: Managing cropping systems for soil protection and bioenergy production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interest in renewable alternatives to fossil fuels has increased. Crop residue such as corn stover or wheat straw can be used for bioenergy including a substitution for natural gas or coal. Harvesting crop residue needs to be managed to protect the soil and future soil productivity. The amount of bi...

Homosexuality in Turkey: strategies for managing heterosexism.

PubMed

Bakacak, Ayça Gelgeç; Oktem, Pinar

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to identify the strategies used by young homosexuals to manage their sexual minority status in Turkey. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 self-identified homosexual university students. The data on the strategies employed by homosexuals suggested a categorization of these strategies into four interrelated areas: strategies employed in the process of self-acceptance; strategies to manage sexual stigma and prejudice; strategies specific to the coming-out process; and the strategies used while openly expressing their sexual identities.

Evaluating management-induced soil salinization in golf courses in semi-arid landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, J.; Udeigwe, T. K.; Weindorf, D. C.; Kandakji, T.; Gautam, P.; Mahmoud, M. M. A.

2015-01-01

Site-specific information on land management practices are often desired to make better assertions of their environmental impacts. A study was conducted in Lubbock, TX, in the Southern High Plains of the United States, an area characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions, to (1) examine the potential management-induced alteration in soil salinity indicators in golf course facilities and (2) develop predictive relationships for a more rapid soil salinity examination within these urban landscape soils using findings from portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Soil samples were collected from the managed (well irrigated) and non-managed (non irrigated) areas of seven golf course facilities at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths, and analyzed for a suite of chemical properties. Among the extractable cations, sodium (Na) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed zones of all the golf facilities. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), parameters often used in characterizing soil salinity and sodicity, were in most part significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed areas. Water quality report collected over a 22-year period (1991-2013, all years not available) indicated a gradual increase in pH, EC, SAR, total alkalinity, and extractable ions, thus, supporting the former findings. Findings from the PXRF suggested possible differences in chemical species and sources that contribute to salinity between the managed and non-managed zones. PXRF quantified Cl and S, and to a lesser extent Ca, individually and collectively explained 23-85% of the variability associated with soil salinity at these facilities.

Evaluating management-induced soil salinization in golf courses in semi-arid landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, J.; Udeigwe, T. K.; Weindorf, D. C.; Kandakji, T.; Gautam, P.; Mahmoud, M. A.

2015-04-01

Site-specific information on land management practices are often desired to make better assessments of their environmental impacts. A study was conducted in Lubbock, Texas, in the Southern High Plains of the United States, an area characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions, to (1) examine the potential management-induced alterations in soil salinity indicators in golf course facilities and (2) develop predictive relationships for a more rapid soil salinity examination within these urban landscape soils using findings from a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Soil samples were collected from managed (well irrigated) and non-managed (non-irrigated) areas of seven golf course facilities at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths and analyzed for a suite of chemical properties. Among the extractable cations, sodium (Na) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed zones of all the golf facilities. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), parameters often used in characterizing soil salinity and sodicity, were for the most part significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed areas. Water quality reports collected over a 22-year period (1991-2013, all years not available) indicated a gradual increase in pH, EC, SAR, total alkalinity, and extractable ions, thus supporting the former findings. Findings from the PXRF suggested possible differences in chemical species and sources that contribute to salinity between the managed and non-managed zones. PXRF-quantified Cl and S, and to a lesser extent Ca, individually and collectively explained 23-85% of the variability associated with soil salinity at these facilities.

On the role of soil fauna in providing soil functions - a meta study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Birgit; Russell, David J.; Vogel, Hans-Jörg; Wollschläger, Ute

2017-04-01

Fertile soils are fundamental for the production of biomass and therefore for the provision of goods such as food or fuel. However, soils are threatened by e.g. land degradation, but once lost their functionality cannot simply be replaced as soils are complex systems developed over long time periods. Thus, to develop strategies for sustainable soil use and management, we need a comprehensive functional understanding of soil systems. To this end, the interdisciplinary research program "Soil as a Natural Resource for the Bio-Economy - BonaRes" was launched by the German Federal Government in 2015. One part of this program is the development of a Knowledge Centre for soil functions and services. As part of the Knowledge Centre, we focus on the identification and quantification of biological drivers of soil functions. Based on a systematic review of existing literature, we assess the importance of different soil faunal groups for the soil functions and processes most relevant to agricultural production (i.e. decomposition, mineralization, soil structuring. Additionally, we investigate direct impacts of soil fauna on soil properties (e.g. aggregation, pore volume). As site specific conditions such as climate, soil type or management practices affect soil fauna and their performance, these responses must also be taken into account. In the end, our findings will be used in the development of modeling tools aiming to predict the impacts of different management measures on soil ecosystem services and functions.

Modelling the effect of agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon stocks: does soil erosion matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadeu, Elisabet; Van Wesemael, Bas; Van Oost, Kristof

2014-05-01

Over the last decades, an increasing number of studies have been conducted to assess the effect of soil management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. At regional scales, biogeochemical models such as CENTURY or Roth-C have been commonly applied. These models simulate SOC dynamics at the profile level (point basis) over long temporal scales but do not consider the continuous lateral transfer of sediment that takes place along geomorphic toposequences. As a consequence, the impact of soil redistribution on carbon fluxes is very seldom taken into account when evaluating changes in SOC stocks due to agricultural management practices on the short and long-term. To address this gap, we assessed the role of soil erosion by water and tillage on SOC stocks under different agricultural management practices in the Walloon region of Belgium. The SPEROS-C model was run for a 100-year period combining three typical crop rotations (using winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet and maize) with three tillage scenarios (conventional tillage, reduced tillage and reduced tillage in combination with additional crop residues). The results showed that including soil erosion by water in the simulations led to a general decrease in SOC stocks relative to a baseline scenario (where no erosion took place). The SOC lost from these arable soils was mainly exported to adjacent sites and to the river system by lateral fluxes, with magnitudes differing between crop rotations and in all cases lower under conservation tillage practices than under conventional tillage. Although tillage erosion plays an important role in carbon redistribution within fields, lateral fluxes induced by water erosion led to a higher spatial and in-depth heterogeneity of SOC stocks with potential effects on the soil water holding capacity and crop yields. This indicates that studies assessing the effect of agricultural management practices on SOC stocks and other soil properties over the landscape should

An adaptive management process for forest soil conservation.

Treesearch

Michael P. Curran; Douglas G. Maynard; Ronald L. Heninger; Thomas A. Terry; Steven W. Howes; Douglas M. Stone; Thomas Niemann; Richard E. Miller; Robert F. Powers

2005-01-01

Soil disturbance guidelines should be based on comparable disturbance categories adapted to specific local soil conditions, validated by monitoring and research. Guidelines, standards, and practices should be continually improved based on an adaptive management process, which is presented in this paper. Core components of this process include: reliable monitoring...

Incorporating soil health management practices into viable potato cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil health is critical to agricultural sustainability, environmental quality, and ecosystem function, but is generally degraded through intensive potato production. Soil and crop management practices beneficial to soil health, such as crop rotations, cover crops and green manures, organic amendment...

Excavated Soils Management Plan for AOCs 44 and 52, Fort Devens

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-01

I FORT DEVENS AOCs 44 AND 52 I I I FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN DATA ITEM A009I I U 20070424310 I CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 I U.S. ARMY...obselete FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR AOCs 44 AND 52 FORT DEVENS Prepared for. U.S. Army Enviromnental Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland...BLANK 3 I I I I I I I I I I FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR AOCs 44 AND 52 FORT DEVENS TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Section Title Page No. 1.0

Feasibility Study on UAV-assisted Construction Surplus Soil Tracking Control and Management Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jieh Haur, Chen; Kuo, Lin Sheng; Fu, Chen Ping; Li Hsu, Yeh; Da Heng, Chen

2018-01-01

Construction surplus soil tracking management has been the key management issue in Taiwan since 1991. This is mainly due to the construction surplus soils were often regarded as disposable waste and were disposed openly without any supervision, leading to environmental pollution. Even though the surplus soils were gradually being viewed as reusable resources, some unscrupulous enterprises still dump them freely for their own convenience. In order to dispose these surplus soils, site offices are required to confirm with the soil treatment plant regarding the approximate soil volume for hauling vehicle dispatch. However, the excavated soil volume will transform from bank volume to loose volume upon excavation, which may differ by a certain speculative coefficient (1.3), depending on the excavation site and geological condition. For managing and tracking the construction surplus soils, local government authorities frequently performed on-site spot check, but the lack of rapid assessment tools for soil volume estimation increased the evaluation difficulty for on-site inspectors. This study adopted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in construction surplus soil tracking and rapidly acquired site photography and point cloud data, the excavated soil volume can be determined promptly after post-processing and interpretation, providing references to future surplus soil tracking management.

Production and feeding strategies for phosphorus management on dairy farms.

PubMed

Rotz, C A; Sharpley, A N; Satter, L D; Gburek, W J; Sanderson, M A

2002-11-01

Long-term accumulation of soil phosphorus (P) is becoming a concern on some watersheds heavily populated with animal feeding facilities, including dairy farms. Management changes in crop production and feeding may help reduce the accumulation of excess P, but farm profitability must be maintained or improved to assure adoption of such changes. Whole-farm simulation was used to evaluate the long-term effects of changes in feeding, cropping, and other production strategies on P loading and the economics of 100-cow and 800-cow dairy farms in southeastern New York. Simulated farms maintained a long-term P balance if the following occurred: 1) animals were fed to meet recommended minimum amounts of dietary P, 2) the cropping strategy and land base supplied all of the forage needed, 3) all animals were fed a high forage diet, and 4) replacement heifers were produced on the farm to utilize more forage. The most easily implemented change was to reduce the supplemental mineral P fed to that required to meet current NRC recommended amounts, and this provided an annual increase in farm profit of about $22/cow. Intensifying the use of grassland and improving grazing practices increased profit along with a small reduction in excess P. Conversion from dairy production to heifer raising or expansion from 100 cows to a 250-cow "state-of-the-art" confinement facility (with a 70% increase in land area) were also profitable options. These options provided a long-term P balance for the farm as long as the production and use of forage was maximized and minimum dietary P amounts were those recommended by the NRC. Thus, management changes can be made to prevent the long-term accumulation of soil P on dairy farms while improving farm profitability.

Potentials for Soil Enzyme as Indicators of Ecological Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senwo, Z. N.; Manu, A.; Coleman, T. L.

1997-01-01

Activity measurements of selected soil enzymes (cellulase, glucosidase, amidohydrolase, phosphatase, arylsulfatase) involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycling in the biosphere, hold potential as early and sensitive indicators of soil ecological stress and restoration, These measurements are advantageous because the procedures are simple, rapid, and reproducible over time. Enzyme activities are sensitive to short-term changes in soil and kind-use management. Enzyme activities have also been observed to be closely related to soil organic matter proposed as an index of soil quality.

Managing Conflict: 50 Strategies for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmonson, Stacey; Combs, Julie; Harris, Sandra

2008-01-01

This book offers 50 easy-to-read strategies for managing conflicts in your school involving students, parents, and teachers. Individually, these strategies provide specific insights into conflict resolution, reduction, and management. As a whole, the 50 strategies provide a comprehensive method to lead constructive change in your school. With…

A conceptual water balance model to explore the impact of different soil management on water availability for vineyards under contrasting environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Jose Alfonso; Guzman, Gema; Lorite, Ignacio

2016-04-01

interface for the user, the model uses process-based methodologies to describe the key processes controlling water balance in rainfed or irrigated vines, such as runoff, deep percolation, cover crop growth, soil evaporation and vine and cover crop transpiration. This is possible using a complete model programmed in Fortran and executed from Excel as a DLL. This communication presents a preliminary version of the model, as well as an evaluation of different scenarios of soil management impact on soil water balance in vines of different typologies under different soil and climate conditions. Keywords: vines, cover crop, soil management, water balance References Abazi, U., Lorite, I.J., Cárceles, B., Martínez Raya, A., Durán, V.H., Francia, J.R., Gómez, J.A. 2012. WABOL: A conceptual water balance model for analyzing rainfall water use in olive orchards under different soil and cover crop management strategies. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 91: 35-48. Gómez, J.A., Llewellyn, C., Basch, G, Sutton, P.B., Dyson, J.S., Jones, C.A. 2011. The effects of cover crops and conventional tillage on soil and runoff loss in vineyards and olive groves in several Mediterranean countries. Soil Use and Management 27: 502 - 514

Impact of land management on soil structure and soil hydraulic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodesova, Radka; Jirku, Veronika; Nikodem, Antonin; Muhlhanselova, Marcela; Zigova, Anna

2010-05-01

Study is focused on a comparison of a soil structure and soil hydraulic properties within soil profiles of a same soil type under different land management. Study was performed in Haplic Luvisol in Hnevceves the Czech Republic. Two soil profiles, which were in close distance from each other, were chosen: 1. under the conventional tillage, 2. under the permanent (30 years) grass cover. Soil sampling and field experiments were carried out immediately after the harvest of winter barley in 2008. The micromorphological images were used to evaluate the soil structure of all Ap, Bt1, Bt2 and C diagnostic horizons. The hydraulic properties of the diagnostic horizons were studied in the laboratory using multistep outflow experiments performed on the undisturbed 100-cm3 soil samples. A tension disc infiltrometer (with a disc radius of 10 cm) and minidisc tension infiltrometers (with a disc radius of 2.2 cm) were used to measure cumulative water infiltration under unsaturated conditions created using a pressure head of -2 cm. Measurements were performed at a depths of 5, 45, 75 and 110 cm, which corresponded to the Ap, Bt1, Bt2 and C horizons of studied Haplic Luvisol at both locations. The Guelph permeameter was used to measure cumulative water flux under surface ponding conditions. The depth of the drilled well was 10, 50, 80 and 115 cm, the well radius was 3 cm, and the well ponding depth was 5 cm. Both tests were used to evaluate hydraulic conductivity (K for h=-2cm, and Ks) values. Results showed, that while properties in the Bt2 and C horizons of both soil profiles were relatively similar, properties in the Ap and Bt1 horizons were different. The fraction of gravitational pores (which may cause preferential flow) in the Ap and Bt1 horizons of the soil profile under the convectional tillage was large than those in the Ap and Bt1 horizons of the soil profile under the permanent grass. This influenced for instance the Ks values measured using the Guelph permeametr. The Ks

Local soil classification and crop suitability: Implications for the historical land use and soil management in Monti di Trapani (Sicily)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Vila, Margarita; Corselli, Rocco; Bonet, María Teresa; Lopapa, Giuseppe; Pillitteri, Valentina; Fereres, Elias

2017-04-01

In the past, the lack of technologies (e.g. synthetic fertilizers) to overcome biophysical limitations has played a central role in land use planning. Thus, landscape management and agronomic practices are reactions to local knowledge and perceptions on natural resources, particularly soil. In the framework of the European research project MEMOLA (FP7), the role of local farmers knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical land use through the spatial distribution of crops and the various management practices have been assessed in three different areas of Monti di Trapani region (Sicily). The identification of the soil classification systems of farmers and the criteria on which it is based, linked to the evaluation of the farmers' ability to identify and map the different soil types, was a key step. Nevertheless, beyond the comparison of the ethnopedological classification approach versus standard soil classification systems, the study also aims at understanding local soil management and land use decisions. The applied methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining soil science methods and participatory appraisal tools, particularly: i) semi-structured interviews; ii) soil sampling and analysis; iii) discussion groups; and iv) a workshop with local edafologists and agronomists. A rich local glossary of terms associated with the soil conditions and an own soil classification system have been identified in the region. Also, a detailed soil map, including process of soil degradation and soil capability, has been generated. This traditional soil knowledge has conditioned the management and the spatial distribution of the crops, and therefore the configuration of the landscape, until the 1990s. Acknowledgements This work has been funded by the European Union project MEMOLA (Grant agreement no: 613265).

High resolution digital soil mapping as a future instrument for developing sustainable landuse strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gries, Philipp; Funke, Lisa-Marie; Baumann, Frank; Schmidt, Karsten; Behrens, Thorsten; Scholten, Thomas

2016-04-01

Climate change, increase in population and intensification of land use pose a great challenge for sustainable handling of soils. Intelligent landuse systems are able to minimize and/or avoid soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. A successful application of such systems requires area-wide soil information with high resolution. Containing three consecutive steps, the project INE-2-H („innovative sustainable landuse") at the University of Tuebingen is about creating high-resolution soil information using Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) techniques to develop sustainable landuse strategies. Input data includes soil data from fieldwork (texture and carbon content), the official digital soil and geological map (1:50.000) as well as a wide selection of local, complex and combined terrain parameters. First, soil maps have been created using the DSM approach and Random Forest (RF). Due to high resolution (10x10 m pixels), those maps show a more detailed spatial variability of soil information compared to the official maps used. Root mean square errors (RMSE) of the modelled maps vary from 2.11 % to 6.87 % and the coefficients of determination (R²) go from 0.42 to 0.68. Second, soil erosion potentials have been estimated according to the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Long-term average annual soil loss ranges from 0.56 to 24.23 [t/ha/a]. Third, combining high-resolution erosion potentials with expert-knowledge of local farmers will result in a landuse system adapted to local conditions. This system will include sustainable strategies reducing soil erosion and conserving soil fertility.

Nitrogen and water management strategies to reduce nitrate leaching under irrigated maize

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schepers, J. S.; Varvel, G. E.; Watts, D. G.

1995-12-01

Cropping systems that fail to integrate nitrogen (N) water management are frequently associated with elevated concentrations of nitrate-N in soil and groundwater. Examples of poorly integrated management practices are abundant, especially where irrigation is used to minimize the effects of drought and N fertilizer is inexpensive. Two maize fields under improved water and N management practices at the Nebraska Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA) project were compared with an adjacent field under conventional furrow irrigation that followed management guidelines mandated by the local Natural Resources District. Surge-flow furrow irrigation with laser grading and a runoff-water recovery system reduced water application by 45-69% compared to conventional furrow irrigation over the three years of this study. Center-pivot sprinkler irrigation reduced water application by 60-72% compared to conventional furrow irrigation. Uniformity of water application was improved with the surge-flow and sprinkler irrigation systems, which made it reasonable to consider adding fertilizer N in the water (fertigation) to meet crop needs. The spoon-feeding strategy, based on chlorophyll meter readings to schedule fertigation, saved 168 kg ha t1¯ N the first year and 105 kg ha -1 N the second year without reducing yields. Near total reliance of fertigation to meet crop N needs resulted in a 15% yield reduction the second year because spatial variability in soil N status made it difficult to collect representative chlorophyll meter data. Plot studies showed chlorophyll meter readings and yields were consistently higher for maize following soybean than where maize was grown in monoculture.

Ecosystem services driven by the diversity of soil biota - understanding and management in agriculture - The Biodiversa SoilMan-Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potthoff, Martin; Pérès, Guénola; Taylor, Astrid; Schrader, Stefan; Landa, Blanca; Nicolai, Annegret; Sandor, Mignon; Öptik, Maarja; Gema, Guzmán; Bergmann, Holger; Cluzeau, Daniel; Banse, Martin; Bengtsson, Jan; Guernion, Muriel; Zaller, Johann; Roslin, Tomas; Scheu, Stefan; Gómez Calero, José Alfonso

2017-04-01

Soil biota diversity is ensuring primary production in terrestrial ecosystems and agricultural productivity. Water and nutrient cycling, soil formation and aggregation, decomposition and carbon sequestration as well as control of pest organisms are important functions in soil that are driven by biota and biota interactions. In agricultural systems these functions support and regulate ecosystem services directed to agricultural production and agricultural sustainability. A main goal of future cropping systems will be to maintain or raise agricultural productivity while keeping production sustainable in spite of increasing food demands and ongoing soil degradation caused by inappropriate soil management practices. Farm based tools that farmers use to engineer soils for plant production depend as soil management factors on decisions by farmers, which are triggered by regional traditions, knowledge and also by agriculture policies as a governance impact. However, biological impacts on soil fertility and soil health are often neglected or overseen when planning and shaping soil management in annual cropping systems or perennial systems like vineyards. In order to get progress in conservation farming and in agricultural sustainability not only knowledge creation is in need, but also a clash of perspectives has to be overcome within the societies (generals public, farmers associations, NGOs) The talk will present the conception of the recently startet SoilMan-project and summaries selected results from current and recent European research projects.

Exploiting Co-Benefits of Increased Rice Production and Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emission through Optimized Crop and Soil Management.

PubMed

An, Ning; Fan, Mingsheng; Zhang, Fusuo; Christie, Peter; Yang, Jianchang; Huang, Jianliang; Guo, Shiwei; Shi, Xiaojun; Tang, Qiyuan; Peng, Jianwei; Zhong, Xuhua; Sun, Yixiang; Lv, Shihua; Jiang, Rongfeng; Dobermann, Achim

2015-01-01

Meeting the future food security challenge without further sacrificing environmental integrity requires transformative changes in managing the key biophysical determinants of increasing agronomic productivity and reducing the environmental footprint. Here, we focus on Chinese rice production and quantitatively address this concern by conducting 403 on-farm trials across diverse rice farming systems. Inherent soil productivity, management practices and rice farming type resulted in confounded and interactive effects on yield, yield gaps and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (N2O, CH4 and CO2-equivalent) with both trade-offs and compensating effects. Advances in nitrogen, water and crop management (Best Management Practices-BMPs) helped closing existing yield gaps and resulted in a substantial reduction in CO2-equivalent emission of rice farming despite a tradeoff of increase N2O emission. However, inherent soil properties limited rice yields to a larger extent than previously known. Cultivating inherently better soil also led to lower GHG intensity (GHG emissions per unit yield). Neither adopting BMPs only nor improving soils with low or moderate productivity alone can adequately address the challenge of substantially increasing rice production while reducing the environmental footprint. A combination of both represents the most efficient strategy to harness the combined-benefits of enhanced production and mitigating climate change. Extrapolating from our farm data, this strategy could increase rice production in China by 18%, which would meet the demand for direct human consumption of rice by 2030. It would also reduce fertilizer nitrogen consumption by 22% and decrease CO2-equivalent emissions during the rice growing period by 7% compared with current farming practice continues. Benefits vary by rice-based cropping systems. Single rice systems have the largest food provision benefits due to its wider yield gap and total cultivated area, whereas double-rice system

Exploiting Co-Benefits of Increased Rice Production and Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emission through Optimized Crop and Soil Management

PubMed Central

An, Ning; Fan, Mingsheng; Zhang, Fusuo; Christie, Peter; Yang, Jianchang; Huang, Jianliang; Guo, Shiwei; Shi, Xiaojun; Tang, Qiyuan; Peng, Jianwei; Zhong, Xuhua; Sun, Yixiang; Lv, Shihua; Jiang, Rongfeng; Dobermann, Achim

2015-01-01

Meeting the future food security challenge without further sacrificing environmental integrity requires transformative changes in managing the key biophysical determinants of increasing agronomic productivity and reducing the environmental footprint. Here, we focus on Chinese rice production and quantitatively address this concern by conducting 403 on-farm trials across diverse rice farming systems. Inherent soil productivity, management practices and rice farming type resulted in confounded and interactive effects on yield, yield gaps and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (N2O, CH4 and CO2-equivalent) with both trade-offs and compensating effects. Advances in nitrogen, water and crop management (Best Management Practices—BMPs) helped closing existing yield gaps and resulted in a substantial reduction in CO2-equivalent emission of rice farming despite a tradeoff of increase N2O emission. However, inherent soil properties limited rice yields to a larger extent than previously known. Cultivating inherently better soil also led to lower GHG intensity (GHG emissions per unit yield). Neither adopting BMPs only nor improving soils with low or moderate productivity alone can adequately address the challenge of substantially increasing rice production while reducing the environmental footprint. A combination of both represents the most efficient strategy to harness the combined-benefits of enhanced production and mitigating climate change. Extrapolating from our farm data, this strategy could increase rice production in China by 18%, which would meet the demand for direct human consumption of rice by 2030. It would also reduce fertilizer nitrogen consumption by 22% and decrease CO2-equivalent emissions during the rice growing period by 7% compared with current farming practice continues. Benefits vary by rice-based cropping systems. Single rice systems have the largest food provision benefits due to its wider yield gap and total cultivated area, whereas double-rice system

Effects of Applied Land Use Strategies on Farmland Soils in the Southwestern Siberian Kulunda-Steppe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grunwald, Lars-Christian; Illiger, Patrick; Stephan, Eckart; Frühauf, Manfred

2014-05-01

The Kulunda steppe in southwestern Siberia is one of the most intensely used agricultural regions in the world. The study area of the KULUNDA project is the Kulunda steppe, which is a part of the conversion region created during the so called "virgin land campaign" in the soviet era. Nowadays it is characterized by widespread soil degradation. Despite the fact that agriculture is the basis of existence, land use practice is maladjusted to the local conditions. The widespread soil degradation and accordingly the decreased soil humus content have negative effects on crop yields in this region. With respect to climate change, the current study analyses the cause effect relationship between land use practice and soil properties. In particular, different methods of soil cultivation will be tested and for each of the cases the soil humus content, soil water, soil solute balance will be measured and compared. In addition, the possibilities of soil carbon sequestration capacity will be analyzed. Furthermore, the study aims to achieve properly adapted sustainable cropping systems to stabilize the yields and to increase the productivity of plant production per spatial unit in this high vulnerable dry farming region. In 2012 the long term field trials started at three test farms in different steppe biomes, containing different soil types from chernozems to kastanozems. Each of them is characterized by a negative water balance. Successfully running cropping models, such as crop rotation, tilling intensity, plant protection and nutrition strategies from south Canadian steppe regions were adapted to regional agronomic needs. The traditional Russian cultivation system will be compared with two modern systems, including no-tillage methods on specially randomized test plots. Additionally, these plots are equipped with soil moisture monitoring systems to analyze the soil water content in different depths under the different cropping methods. The expected results will not only deepen

Soil carbon under perennial pastures; benchmarking the influence of pasture age and management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orgill, Susan E.; Spoljaric, Nancy; Kelly, Georgina

2015-07-01

This paper reports baseline soil carbon stocks from a field survey of 19 sites; 8 pairs/triplet in the Monaro region of New South Wales. Site comparisons were selected by the Monaro Farming Systems group to demonstrate the influence of land management on soil carbon, and included: nutrient management, liming, pasture age and cropping history. Soil carbon stocks varied with parent material and with land management. The fertilised (phosphorus) native perennial pasture had a greater stock of soil carbon compared with the unfertilised site; 46.8 vs 40.4 Mg.C.ha to 0.50 m. However, the introduced perennial pasture which had been limed had a lower stock of soil carbon compared with the unlimed site; 62.8 vs 66.7 Mg.C.ha to 0.50 m. There was a greater stock of soil carbon under two of the three younger (<10 yr old) perennial pastures compared with older (>35 yr old) pastures. Cropped sites did not have lower soil carbon stocks at all sites; however, this survey was conducted after three years of above average annual rainfall and most sites had been cropped for less than three years. At all sites more than 20% of the total carbon stock to 0.50 m was in the 0.30 to 0.50 m soil layer highlighting the importance of considering this soil layer when investigating the implications of land management on soil carbon. Our baseline data indicates that nutrient management may increase soil carbon under perennial pastures and highlights the importance of perennial pastures for soil carbon sequestration regardless of age.

Environmental factors and health information technology management strategy.

PubMed

Menachemi, Nir; Shin, Dong Yeong; Ford, Eric W; Yu, Feliciano

2011-01-01

: Previous studies have provided theoretical and empirical evidence that environmental forces influence hospital strategy. : Rooted in resource dependence theory and the information uncertainty perspective, this study examined the relationship between environmental market characteristics and hospitals' selection of a health information technology (HIT) management strategy. : A cross-sectional design is used to analyze secondary data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics Database, and the Area Resource File. Univariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses are used. : Overall, 3,221 hospitals were studied, of which 60.9% pursed a single-vendor HIT management strategy, 28.9% pursued a best-of-suite strategy, and 10.2% used a best-of-breed strategy. Multivariate analyses controlling for hospital characteristics found that measures of environmental factors representing munificence, dynamism, and/or complexity were systematically associated with various hospital HIT management strategy use. Specifically, the number of generalist physicians per capita was positively associated with the single-vendor strategy (B = -5.64, p = .10). Hospitals in urban markets were more likely to pursue the best-of-suite strategy (B = 0.622, p < .001). Dynamism, measured as the number of managed care contracts for a given hospital, was negatively associated with the single-vendor strategy (B = 0.004, p = .049). Lastly, complexity, measured as market competition, was positively associated with the best-of-breed strategy (B = 0.623, p = .042). : By and large, environmental factors are associated with hospital HIT management strategies in mostly theoretically supported ways. Hospital leaders and policy makers interested in influencing the adoption of hospital HIT should consider how market conditions influence HIT management decisions as part of programs to promote meaningful use.

Wildfire mitigation strategies affect soil enzyme activity and soil organic carbon in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests

Treesearch

R.E.J. Boerner; T.A. Waldrop; V.B. Shelburne

2006-01-01

We quantified the effects of three wildfire hazard reduction treatments (prescribed fire, thinning from below, and the combination of fire and thinning), and passive management (control) on mineral soil organic C, and enzyme activity in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests on the Piedmont of South Carolina. Soil organic C was reduced by thinning,...

Erosion of soil organic carbon: implications for carbon sequestration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Oost, Kristof; Van Hemelryck, Hendrik; Harden, Jennifer W.; McPherson, B.J.; Sundquist, E.T.

2009-01-01

Agricultural activities have substantially increased rates of soil erosion and deposition, and these processes have a significant impact on carbon (C) mineralization and burial. Here, we present a synthesis of erosion effects on carbon dynamics and discuss the implications of soil erosion for carbon sequestration strategies. We demonstrate that for a range of data-based parameters from the literature, soil erosion results in increased C storage onto land, an effect that is heterogeneous on the landscape and is variable on various timescales. We argue that the magnitude of the erosion term and soil carbon residence time, both strongly influenced by soil management, largely control the strength of the erosion-induced sink. In order to evaluate fully the effects of soil management strategies that promote carbon sequestration, a full carbon account must be made that considers the impact of erosion-enhanced disequilibrium between carbon inputs and decomposition, including effects on net primary productivity and decomposition rates.

Development of Strategies for Sustainable Irrigation Water Management in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeyliger, Anatoly; Ermolaeva, Olga

2013-04-01

During 1960 - 1990 years irrigated areas in Russia have increased rapidly, helping to boost agricultural output. Although the impressive achievements of irrigation in this period its large experience indicates problems and failures of irrigation water management. In addition to large water use and low irrigation water efficiency, environmental concerns (excessive water depletion, water quality reduction, water logging, soil degradation) are usually considered like the most significant problem of the irrigation sector. Despite of considerable shrinking of irrigated areas in Russia and decreasing of water withdrawal for irrigation purposes during two last decades a degradation of environment as well as degradation of soil and water resources in irrigated areas was prolonged and will probably continue if current irrigation practices are maintained. Nowadays, in different regions of Russia there are societal demand to restore agricultural irrigation in Russia as answer to challenges from climate pattern changes and degradation of land & water resources. In the respect of these demands there is a need to develop strategies for sustainability of agricultural irrigation in Russia that should be based on three main societal objectives: costeffective use of water in irrigated agriculture at farm level, and satisfactory preserving the natural environment. Therefore sustainable irrigation water management is not only an objective at farm level but also an overall goal at the local and regional as well. A way to achieve sustainability in irrigation water management is to solve the local conflicts arising from the interactions between water use at irrigation areas and surrounding environment. Thus should be based on the development of irrigation framework program including on the irrigation water management issues, policies & decisions making at federal and regional levels should be based on the indicators of environment & irrigation water efficiency monitoring promoting the

Surfactant seed coating - a strategy to improve turfgrass establishment on water repellent soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Turfgrass managers can experience poor seeding success when trying to establish golf course greens and sports fields on water repellent soils. Nonionic soil surfactant formulations based on ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO/PO) block copolymers are commonly used to treat water repellent soils. Rece...

The hidden impact of forest management on the decomposition of soil organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schöning, Ingo; Schrumpf, Marion

2017-04-01

Decomposition in soils is a key ecosystem function. Extracellular enzymes mediate the decomposition of soil organic matter and the mineralization of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and phosphorus (P). Forest management is assumed to affect decomposition processes through tree species selection, thinning and harvesting. In this study, we assessed the impact of forest management on the magnitude of soil enzymatic activities and soil respiration using the silvicultural management intensity indicator (SMI) introduced by Schall & Ammer (2013). We collected mineral soil samples (0-10 cm) from 150 forest plots in three different German regions (Schorfheide-Chorin, Hainich-Dün, Schwäbische Alb) and determined basic properties such as pH, soil texture, soil C and N contents. An aliquot of each soil sample was used to determine potential activities of enzymes involved in the C, N, P and S cycle (ß-glucosidase, N-actyl-glucosaminidase, phosphatase, sulfatase). Another aliquot was incubated (20 ̊C, 60% WHC) for 14 days and the evolving CO2 was determined. The main drivers of potential enzymatic activities and soil respiration were the site conditions such as clay contents and pH values. The effects of forest management were much lower but still significant. This shows that forest management has an impact on decomposition which is only detectable with high number of replicates.

Germination of Blue Wildrye in Biochar Treated Mining Impacted Soils

EPA Science Inventory

Stabilization of mine sites with vegetation is an important management strategy to reduce metal movement off-site. Plant growth, however, is often hampered by poor soil conditions. Biochar is a novel soil amendment that may improve soil health conditions and improve plant growt...

Effect of land management on soil properties in flood irrigated citrus orchards in Eastern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morugán-Coronado, A.; García-Orenes, F.; Cerdà, A.

2015-01-01

Agricultural land management greatly affects soil properties. Microbial soil communities are the most sensitive and rapid indicators of perturbations in land use and soil enzyme activities are sensitive biological indicators of the effects of soil management practices. Citrus orchards frequently have degraded soils and this paper evaluates how land management in citrus orchards can improve soil quality. A field experiment was performed in an orchard of orange trees (Citrus Sinensis) in the Alcoleja Experimental Station (Eastern Spain) with clay-loam agricultural soils to assess the long-term effects of herbicides with inorganic fertilizers (H), intensive ploughing and inorganic fertilizers (P) and organic farming (O) on the soil microbial properties, and to study the relationship between them. Nine soil samples were taken from each agricultural management plot. In all the samples the basal soil respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon, water holding capacity, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity, pH, texture, macronutrients (Na, Ca and Mg), micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu), calcium carbonate equivalent, calcium carbonate content of limestone and enzimatic activities (urease, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) were determined. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial properties, which were highly associated with soil organic matter content. The management practices including herbicides and intensive ploughing had similar results on microbial soil properties. O management contributed to an increase in the soil biology quality, aggregate stability and organic matter content.

How do soil quality indicators (SOC and nutrients) change with long-term different crop residue management?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiegel, Heide; Lehtinen, Taru; Dersch, Georg; Baumgarten, Andreas

2016-04-01

site specific effects of crop residue management on nutrient contents for the fertilisation strategy. Lehtinen, T., Schlatter, N., Baumgarten, A., Bechini, L., Krüger, J., Grignani, C., Zavattaro, L., Costamagna, C., Spiegel, H. 2014. Effect of crop residue incorporation on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in European agricultural soils. Soil Use and Management, 30, 524-538. DOI: 10.1111/sum.12151.

Grassland Management and Conversion into Grassland: Effects on Soil Carbon

DOE Data Explorer

Conant, Richard T. [Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorada State University, Fort Collins, CO (USA); Paustian, Keith [Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorada State University, Fort Collins, CO (USA); Elliott, Edward T. [Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorada State University, Fort Collins, CO (USA)

2003-01-01

Grasslands are heavily relied upon for food and forage production. A key component for sustaining production in grassland ecosystems is the maintenance of soil organic matter (SOM), which can be strongly influenced by management. Many management techniques intended to increase forage production may potentially increase SOM, thus sequestering atmospheric carbon (C). Further, conversion from either cultivation or native vegetation into grassland could also sequester atmospheric carbon. We reviewed studies examining the influence of improved grassland management practices and conversion into grasslands on soil C worldwide to assess the potential for C sequestration. Results from 115 studies containing over 300 data points were analyzed. Management improvements included fertilization (39%), improved grazing management (24%), conversion from cultivation (15%) and native vegetation (15%), sowing of legumes (4%) and grasses (2%), earthworm introduction (1%), and irrigation (1%). Soil C content and concentration increased with improved management in 74% of the studies, and mean soil C increased with all types of improvement. Carbon sequestration rates were highest during the first 40 y after treatments began and tended to be greatest in the top 10 cm of soil. Impacts were greater in woodland and grassland biomes than in forest, desert, rain forest, or shrubland biomes. Conversion from cultivation, the introduction of earthworms, and irrigation resulted in the largest increases. Rates of C sequestration by type of improvement ranged from 0.11 to 3.04 Mg C · ha^–1 y^–1, with a mean of 0.54 Mg C · ha ^–1 · y^–1, and were highly influenced by biome type and climate. We conclude that grasslands can act as a significant carbon sink with the implementation of improved management.

Soil Management Plan for the Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2005-03-02

This Soil Management Plan applies to all activities conducted under the auspices of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) that involve soil disturbance and potential management of waste soil. The plan was prepared under the direction of the Y-12 Environmental Compliance Department of the Environment, Safety, and Health Division. Soil disturbances related to maintenance activities, utility and building construction projects, or demolition projects fall within the purview of the plan. This Soil Management Plan represents an integrated, visually oriented, planning and information resource tool for decision making involving excavation or disturbance of soilmore » at Y-12. This Soil Management Plan addresses three primary elements. (1) Regulatory and programmatic requirements for management of soil based on the location of a soil disturbance project and/or the regulatory classification of any contaminants that may be present (Chap. 2). Five general regulatory or programmatic classifications of soil are recognized to be potentially present at Y-12; soil may fall under one or more these classifications: (a) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) pursuant to the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Federal Facilities Agreement; (b) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); (c) RCRA 3004(u) solid waste managements units pursuant to the RCRA Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments Act of 1984 permit for the ORR; (d) Toxic Substances and Control Act-regulated soil containing polychlorinated biphenyls; and (e) Radiologically contaminated soil regulated under the Atomic Energy Act review process. (2) Information for project planners on current and future planned remedial actions (RAs), as prescribed by CERCLA decision documents (including the scope of the actions and remedial goals), land use controls implemented to support or maintain RAs, RCRA post-closure regulatory requirements

Long-term citrus organic farming strategy results in soil organic matter recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novara, Agata; Pereira, Paulo; Barone, Ettore; Giménez Morera, Antonio; Keesstra, Saskia; Gristina, Luciano; Jordán, Antonio; Parras-Alcantara, Luis; Cerdà, Artemi

2017-04-01

ABSTRACT Soils play a key role in the Earth System (Keesstra et al., 2012; Brevick et al., 2015). Soils are a key resource for the human societies (Mol and Keesstra, 2012) and they are relevant to achieve the sustainability such as the United Nations Goals highlight (Keesstra et al., 2016). Agriculture soils, especially those under conventional tillage, are prone to organic matter mineralization, soil erosion, compaction and increase of greenhouse gases emission (Novara et al., 2011; Bruun et al., 2015; de Moraes et al., 2015; Choudhury et al., 2016; del Mar et al., 2016). The adoption of organic farming and sustainable management practices may provide a sustainable crop productivity, and in the meanwhile mitigate the negative impact of agriculture on ecosystem services benefits (Laudicina et al., 2015; Parras-Alcantara et al., 2015; 2016). The aim of this study was to examine, under field conditions, the long-term changes of soil organic matter under organic farming management in citrus orchards in Mediterranean environment and evaluate the ecosystem service on C sequestration in terms of economic benefits. The research was carried out at the Alcoleja Experimental Station located in the Cànyoles river watershed in the Eastern Spain on 45year old citrus plantation. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) content was monitored for 20 years at 6 different soil depth. The profitability of citrus plantation was estimated under conventional and organic management. Results showed that SOM in the 0-30 cm soil depth was the double after 20 years of organic farming management, ranging from 0.8 g kg-1 in 1995 to 1.5 g kg-1 in 2006. The highest SOM increase was in the top soil layer (368% of SOM increase in comparison to the initial SOM content) and decreased with soil depth. The effect of organic farming was relevant after 5 years since land management change, indicating that in Mediterranean environment the duration of long term studies should be higher than five years and proper policy

Vegetation management with fire modifies peatland soil thermal regime.

PubMed

Brown, Lee E; Palmer, Sheila M; Johnston, Kerrylyn; Holden, Joseph

2015-05-01

Vegetation removal with fire can alter the thermal regime of the land surface, leading to significant changes in biogeochemistry (e.g. carbon cycling) and soil hydrology. In the UK, large expanses of carbon-rich upland environments are managed to encourage increased abundance of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) by rotational burning of shrub vegetation. To date, though, there has not been any consideration of whether prescribed vegetation burning on peatlands modifies the thermal regime of the soil mass in the years after fire. In this study thermal regime was monitored across 12 burned peatland soil plots over an 18-month period, with the aim of (i) quantifying thermal dynamics between burned plots of different ages (from <2 to 15 + years post burning), and (ii) developing statistical models to determine the magnitude of thermal change caused by vegetation management. Compared to plots burned 15 + years previously, plots recently burned (<2-4 years) showed higher mean, maximum and range of soil temperatures, and lower minima. Statistical models (generalised least square regression) were developed to predict daily mean and maximum soil temperature in plots burned 15 + years prior to the study. These models were then applied to predict temperatures of plots burned 2, 4 and 7 years previously, with significant deviations from predicted temperatures illustrating the magnitude of burn management effects. Temperatures measured in soil plots burned <2 years previously showed significant statistical disturbances from model predictions, reaching +6.2 °C for daily mean temperatures and +19.6 °C for daily maxima. Soil temperatures in plots burnt 7 years previously were most similar to plots burned 15 + years ago indicating the potential for soil temperatures to recover as vegetation regrows. Our findings that prescribed peatland vegetation burning alters soil thermal regime should provide an impetus for further research to understand the consequences of thermal regime

Simulation of Soil Wetting Patterns in Drip and Subsurface Irrigation. Effects in Design and Irrigation Management Variables.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Sinobas, L.; Gil-Rodríguez, M.; Sánchez, R.; Losada, A.; Castañón, G.; Juana, L.; Laguna, F. V.; Benítez, J.

2010-05-01

Conventional drip irrigation is considered one of the most efficient irrigation systems. Alternatively to traditional surface drip irrigation systems (DI), laterals are deployed underneath the soil surface, as in subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), leading to a higher potential efficiency, which is of especial interest in places where water is a limited source. The design and management of DI and SDI systems involve selection of an appropriate combination of emitter discharge rate and spacing between emitters and the inlet pressure and irrigation time for any given set of soil, crop, and climatic conditions, as well as understanding the wetted zone pattern around the emitter. Likewise, water distribution is affected by soil hydraulic properties, initial water content, emitter discharge, irrigation frequency, evapotranspiration and root characteristics. However, complexity arousing of soil water properties and soil profile characteristics means that these are often not properly considered in the design and management of those systems. A better understanding of the infiltration process around the discharge point source should contribute to increase water use efficiency and thus to reduce the risk of environmental impact of irrigation. In this regard, numerical models have been proved to be a powerful tool to analyze the evolution of the wetting pattern during the distribution and redistribution processes, in order to explore irrigation management strategies, to set up the duration of irrigation, and finally to optimize water use efficiency. Also, irrigation design variables such as emitter spacing and discharge could also be assessed. In this study the suitability of the HYDRUS-2D to simulate infiltration process around an emitter during irrigation of a loamy soil with drip and SDI laterals has been addressed. The model was then applied in order to evaluate the main dimensions of the wetted soil volume surrounding the emitter during irrigation. Irrigation uniformity

Moist-soil seed abundance in managed wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kross, J.; Kaminski, R.M.; Reinecke, K.J.; Penny, E.J.; Pearse, A.T.

2008-01-01

Managed moist-soil units support early succession herbaceous vegetation that produces seeds, tubers, and other plant parts used by waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV), USA. We conducted a stratified multi-stage sample survey on state and federal lands in the MAV of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri during autumns 2002?2004 to generate a contemporary estimate of combined dry mass of seeds and tubers (herein seed abundance) in managed moist-soil units for use by the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture (LMVJV) of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. We also examined variation in mean seed abundance among moist-soil units in 2003 and 2004 in relation to management intensity (active or passive), soil pH and nutrient levels, proportional occurrence of plant life-forms (e.g., grass, flatsedge, and forb; vine; woody plants), and unit area. Estimates of mean seed abundance were similar in 2002 (X over bar = 537.1 kg/ha, SE = 100.1) and 2004 (X over bar = 555.2 kg/ha, SE = 105.2) but 35?40% less in 2003 (X over bar = 396.8 kg/ha, SE = 116.1). Averaged over years, seed abundance was 496.3 kg/ha (SE = 62.0; CV = 12.5%). Multiple regression analysis indicated seed abundance varied among moist-soil units inversely with proportional occurrence of woody vegetation and unit area and was greater in actively than passively managed units (R2adj = 0.37). Species of early succession grasses occurred more frequently in actively than passively managed units (P < 0.09), whereas mid- and late-succession plants occurred more often in passively managed units (P < 0.02). We recommend the LMVJV consider 556 kg/ha as a measure of seed abundance for use in estimating carrying capacity in managed moist-soil units on public lands in the MAV. We recommend active management of moist-soil units to achieve maximum potential seed production and further research to determine recovery rates of seeds of various sizes from core samples and the relationship between

Soil Water Holding Capacity Mitigates Downside Risk and Volatility in US Rainfed Maize: Time to Invest in Soil Organic Matter?

PubMed Central

Williams, Alwyn; Hunter, Mitchell C.; Kammerer, Melanie; Kane, Daniel A.; Jordan, Nicholas R.; Mortensen, David A.; Smith, Richard G.; Snapp, Sieglinde

2016-01-01

Yield stability is fundamental to global food security in the face of climate change, and better strategies are needed for buffering crop yields against increased weather variability. Regional- scale analyses of yield stability can support robust inferences about buffering strategies for widely-grown staple crops, but have not been accomplished. We present a novel analytical approach, synthesizing 2000–2014 data on weather and soil factors to quantify their impact on county-level maize yield stability in four US states that vary widely in these factors (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania). Yield stability is quantified as both ‘downside risk’ (minimum yield potential, MYP) and ‘volatility’ (temporal yield variability). We show that excessive heat and drought decreased mean yields and yield stability, while higher precipitation increased stability. Soil water holding capacity strongly affected yield volatility in all four states, either directly (Minnesota and Pennsylvania) or indirectly, via its effects on MYP (Illinois and Michigan). We infer that factors contributing to soil water holding capacity can help buffer maize yields against variable weather. Given that soil water holding capacity responds (within limits) to agronomic management, our analysis highlights broadly relevant management strategies for buffering crop yields against climate variability, and informs region-specific strategies. PMID:27560666

Strategies for Managing a Multigenerational Workforce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iden, Ronald

The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflexive journal. Member checking was completed to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of participants' responses. A modified van Kaam method enabled separation of themes following the coding of data. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) required multigenerational managerial skills, (b) generational cohort differences, (c) most effective multigenerational management strategies, and (d) least effective multigenerational management strategies. Findings from this study may contribute to social change through better understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of the primary generations in the workforce, and, in turn, improve community relationships.

Impact of postfire management on soil respiration and C concentration in a managed hemiboreal forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köster, Kajar; Seglinš, Katrin; Parro, Kristi; Metslaid, Marek

2017-04-01

Fire is the main natural disturbance in boreal forests and it is expected that its frequency will increase as a result of climate change. Fire is the primary process which organizes the physical and biological attributes of the boreal biome and influences energy flows and biogeochemical cycles, particularly the carbon (C) cycle. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of forest fire and time since forest fire on soil respiration and soil C concentrations in scenarios where the area was managed or was not managed after fire disturbance. This study was carried out in two permanent research areas in northwestern Estonia (hemiboreal forest zone) that were damaged by fire: Vihterpalu (59o13' N 23o49' E) and Nõva (59o10' N 23o45' E). Fire occurred in Vihterpalu in year 1992 (550 ha burned), when the forest was 52 years old, and in Nõva in year 2008 (800 ha burned), when the forest was 70 years old. Before the fire disturbance both sites were covered with planted or sown Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests originally regenerated after heavy fires in 1940 (Nõva) and 1951 (Vihterpalu). In all areas we are dealing with stand replacing fires where all (or almost all) of the stand was destroyed by fire. In both study areas three different types of sample areas were set up: 1) control areas (CO), that are unburned and no management activities carried out; 2) burned and cleared (BC) with salvage logging, areas in which all dead and live trees were harvested from the plot after fire; 3) burned and uncleared areas (BU), areas without management in which both dead and live trees were left on the plots after fire disturbance. On every area three measuring transects (40 m long) were established where soil respiration (g CO2 m-2h-1) was measured on five collars, and five soil samples (0.5 m long and 0.05 m in diameter) were taken to estimate soil C (kg m-2) content. In our study, highest soil respiration values were recorded in control (CO) areas, which are not

Modeled effects of soil acidification on long-term ecological and economic outcomes for managed forests in the Adirondack region (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Caputo, Jesse PhD.; Beier, Colin M.; Sullivan, Timothy J.; Lawrence, Gregory B.

2016-01-01

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is among the most ecologically and economically important tree species in North America, and its growth and regeneration is often the focus of silvicultural practices in northern hardwood forests. A key stressor for sugar maple (SM) is acid rain, which depletes base cations from poorly-buffered forest soils and has been associated with much lower SM vigor, growth, and recruitment. However, the potential interactions between forest management and soil acidification – and their implications for the sustainability of SM and its economic and cultural benefits – have not been investigated. In this study, we simulated the development of 50 extant SM stands in the western Adirondack region of NY (USA) for 100 years under different soil chemical conditions and silvicultural prescriptions. We found that interactions between management prescription and soil base saturation will strongly shape the ability to maintain SM in managed forests. Below 12% base saturation, SM did not regenerate sufficiently after harvest and was replaced mainly by red maple (Acer rubrum) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Loss of SM on acid-impaired sites was predicted regardless of whether the shelterwood or diameter-limit prescriptions were used. On soils with sufficient base saturation, models predicted that SM will regenerate after harvest and be sustained for future rotations. We then estimated how these different post-harvest outcomes, mediated by acid impairment of forest soils, would affect the potential monetary value of ecosystem services provided by SM forests. Model simulations indicated that a management strategy focused on syrup production – although not feasible across the vast areas where acid impairment has occurred – may generate the greatest economic return. Although pollution from acid rain is declining, its long-term legacy in forest soils will shape future options for sustainable forestry and ecosystem stewardship in the northern

Experimental evidence that mycorrhizal nitrogen strategies affect soil carbon

Treesearch

Nina Wurzburger; E. N. Jack Brookshire

2017-01-01

Most land plants acquire nitrogen (N) through associations with arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, but these symbionts employ contrasting strategies for N acquisition, which may lead to different stocks of soil carbon (C). We experimentally test this hypothesis with a mesocosm system where AM and ECM tree seedling roots, or their hyphae only, could access...

Impact of the post fire management in some soil chemical properties. First results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francos, Marcos; Pereira, Paulo; Alcañiz, Meritxell; Úbeda, Xavi

2016-04-01

Post-fire management after severe wildfires has impact on soil properties. In Mediterranean environments management of fire affected areas is a common practice. This intervention may change soil chemical properties of the soil such as major cations. The aim of this work is to study the impact of different types of forest management in soil extractable calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium after a severe wildfire. The study area is located in Ódena (Catalonia, Spain). The wildfire occurred at July 27th of 2015 and burned 1235 ha. After the fire an experimental plot was designed 9 plots with 2x2 meters (4 square meters). The different managements were: a) clear-cuted area and wood removed, b) no treatment); and c) clear-cutted. The results of the first sampling showed significant differences among all treatments in extractable calcium, sodium and potassium. The amount of these extractable elements was high in clear-cutted treatment in comparison to the others. No differences were identified in extractable magnesium. Overall, in the immediate period after the fire, burned area management, changed the studied soil properties. We are currently studying the evolution of this soil properties in these plots with the time

Agricultural management impact on physical and chemical functions of European peat soils.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piayda, Arndt; Tiemeyer, Bärbel; Dettmann, Ullrich; Bechtold, Michel; Buschmann, Christoph

2017-04-01

Peat soils offer numerous functions from the global to the local scale: they constitute the biggest terrestrial carbon storage on the globe, form important nutrient filters for catchments and provide hydrological buffer capacities for local ecosystems. Peat soils represent a large share of soils suitable for agriculture in temperate and boreal Europe, pressurized by increasing demands for production. Cultivated peat soils, however, show extreme mineralization rates of the organic substance and turn into hotspots for green house gas emissions, are highly vulnerable to land surface subsidence, soil and water quality deterioration and thus crop failure. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of past agricultural management on soil physical and chemical functions of peat soils in six European countries. We conducted standardized soil mapping, soil physical/chemical analysis, ground water table monitoring and farm business surveys across 7 to 10 sites in Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. The results show a strong impact of past agricultural management on peat soil functions across Europe. Peat soil under intensive arable land use consistently offer lowest bearing capacities in the upper 10 cm compared to extensive and intensive grassland use, which is a major limiting factor for successful agricultural practice on peat soils. The difference can be explained by root mat stabilization solely, since soil compaction in the upper 25cm is highest under arable land use. A strong decrease of available water capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity is consequently observed under arable land use, further intensifying hydrological problems like ponding, drought stress and reductions of hydrological buffer capacities frequently present on cultivated peat soils. Soil carbon stocks clearly decrease with increasing land use intensity, showing highest carbon stocks on extensive grassland. This is supported by the degree of decomposition, which

Surface features of soil particles of three types of soils under different land use strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matveeva, Nataliy; Kotelnikova, Anna; Rogova, Olga; Proskurnin, Mikhail

2017-04-01

surface area and PZC. The results suggested considerable differences between sorption features of both soils and fractions under different land use strategies.

Effects of long-term soil management on the mutual interaction among soil organic matter, microbial activity and aggregates in vineyard

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vineyard management practices to enhance soil conservation principally focus on increasing carbon (C) input, whereas mitigating impacts of disturbance through reduced tillage has been rarely considered. Furthermore, information is lacking on the effects of soil management practices adopted in the un...

Mapping forest soil organic matter on New Jersey's coastal plain

Treesearch

Brian J. Clough; Edwin J. Green; Richard B. Lathrop

2012-01-01

Managing forest soil organic matter (SOM) stocks is a vital strategy for reducing the impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. However, the SOM pool is highly variable, and developing accurate estimates to guide management decisions has remained a difficult task. We present the results of a spatial model designed to map soil organic matter for all forested...

Irrigation management strategies to improve Water Use Efficiency of potatoes crop in Central Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazouani, Hiba; Provenzano, Giuseppe; Rallo, Giovanni; Mguidiche, Amel; Douh, Boutheina; Boujelben, Abdelhamid

2015-04-01

In Tunisia, the expansion of irrigated area and the semiarid climate make it compulsory to adopt strategies of water management to increase water use efficiency. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), providing the application of high frequency small irrigation volumes below the soil surface have been increasingly used to enhance irrigation efficiency. At the same time, deficit irrigation (DI) has shown successful results with a large number of crop in various countries. However, for some crops like potatoes, DI is difficult to manage due to the rapid effect of water stress on tuber yield. Irrigation frequency is a key factor to schedule subsurface drip irrigation because, even maintaining the total seasonal volume, soil wetting patterns can result different during the growth period, with consequence on crop yield. Despite the need to enhance water use efficiency, only a few studies related to deficit irrigation of horticultural crops have been made in Tunisia. Objective of the paper was to assess the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies on water use efficiency of potatoes crop irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation in a semiarid area of central Tunisia. After validation, Hydrus-2D model was used to simulate soil water status in the root zone, to evaluate actual crop evapotranspiration and then to estimate indirectly water use efficiency (IWUE), defined as the ratio between crop yield and total amount of water supplied with irrigation. Field experiments, were carried out in Central Tunisia (10° 33' 47.0" E, 35° 58' 8.1° N, 19 m a.s.l) on a potatoes crop planted in a sandy loam soil, during the growing season 2014, from January 15 (plantation of tubers) to May 6 (harvesting). Soil water status was monitored in two plots (T1 and T2) maintained under the same management, but different irrigation volumes, provided by a SDI system. In particular, irrigation was scheduled according to the average water content measured in the root zone, with a total of 8

Stakeholder perceptions of soil managements in the Canyoles watershed. A Bayesian Belief Network approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burguet Marimón, Maria; Quinn, Claire; Stringer, Lindsay; Cerdà, Artemi

2017-04-01

not fight against these problems as, on the one hand, they do not realize that non-sustainable soil erosion rates reduce soil fertility, and, on the other hand, there are several cultural issues that guide them towards bare soil as they find this as a tidy way to keep their properties. However, more research needs to be done on the BBN approach in order to be able to have a holistic approach regarding the vision of the farmers concerning the use of the different soil conservation strategies. Acknowledgements. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 603498 (RECARE project). References Cain, J. 2001. Planning improvements in natural resources management: Guidelines for using Bayesian networks to support the planning and management of development programmes in the water sector and beyond. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK. Marques, M. J., R. Bienes, J. Cuadrado, M. Ruiz-Colmenero, C. Barbero-Sierra, and A. Velasco. 2015. Analysing Perceptions Attitudes and Responses of Winegrowers about Sustainable Land Management in Central Spain. Land Degradation and Development 26 (5): 458-467. doi:10.1002/ldr.2355. Tengberg, A., F. Radstake, K. Zhang, and B. Dunn. 2016. Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management in the Western People's Republic of China: Evaluation of a 10-Year Partnership. Land Degradation and Development 27 (2): 134-144. doi:10.1002/ldr.2270. Teshome, A., J. de Graaff, C. Ritsema, and M. Kassie. 2016. Farmers' Perceptions about the Influence of Land Quality, Land Fragmentation and Tenure Systems on Sustainable Land Management in the North Western Ethiopian Highlands. Land Degradation and Development 27 (4): 884-898. doi:10.1002/ldr.2298.

Agricultural management explains historic changes in regional soil carbon stocks

PubMed Central

van Wesemael, Bas; Paustian, Keith; Meersmans, Jeroen; Goidts, Esther; Barancikova, Gabriela; Easter, Mark

2010-01-01

Agriculture is considered to be among the economic sectors having the greatest greenhouse gas mitigation potential, largely via soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, it remains a challenge to accurately quantify SOC stock changes at regional to national scales. SOC stock changes resulting from SOC inventory systems are only available for a few countries and the trends vary widely between studies. Process-based models can provide insight in the drivers of SOC changes, but accurate input data are currently not available at these spatial scales. Here we use measurements from a soil inventory dating from the 1960s and resampled in 2006 covering the major soil types and agricultural regions in Belgium together with region-specific land use and management data and a process-based model. The largest decreases in SOC stocks occurred in poorly drained grassland soils (clays and floodplain soils), consistent with drainage improvements since 1960. Large increases in SOC in well drained grassland soils appear to be a legacy effect of widespread conversion of cropland to grassland before 1960. SOC in cropland increased only in sandy lowland soils, driven by increasing manure additions. Modeled land use and management impacts accounted for more than 70% of the variation in observed SOC changes, and no bias could be demonstrated. There was no significant effect of climate trends since 1960 on observed SOC changes. SOC monitoring networks are being established in many countries. Our results demonstrate that detailed and long-term land management data are crucial to explain the observed SOC changes for such networks. PMID:20679194

Using soil quality indicators for monitoring sustainable forest management

Treesearch

James A. Burger; Garland Gray; D. Andrew Scott

2010-01-01

Most private and public forest land owners and managers are compelled to manage their forests sustainably, which means management that is economically viable,environmentally sound, and socially acceptable. To meet this mandate, the USDA Forest Service protects the productivity of our nation’s forest soils by monitoring and evaluating management activities to ensure...

Alterations of hydraulic soil properties influenced by land-use changes and agricultural management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weninger, Thomas; Kreiselmeier, Janis; Chandrasekhar, Parvathy; Jülich, Stefan; Schwärzel, Kai; Schwen, Andreas

2016-04-01

Estimation and modeling of soil water movement and the hydrologic balance of soils requires sound knowledge about hydraulic soil properties (HSP). The soil water characteristics, the hydraulic conductivity function and the pore size distribution (PSD) are commonly used instruments for the mathematical representation of HSP. Recent research highlighted the temporal variability of these functions caused by meteorological or land-use influences. State of the art modeling software for the continuous simulation of soil water movement uses a stationary approach for the HSP which means that their time dependent alterations and the subsequent effects on soil water balance is not considered. Mathematical approaches to describe the evolution of PSD are nevertheless known, but there is a lack of sound data basis for parameter estimation. Based on extensive field and laboratory measurements at 5 locations along a climatic gradient across Austria and Germany, this study will quantify short-term changes in HSP, detect driving forces and introduce a method to predict the effects of soil and land management actions on the soil water balance. Amongst several soil properties, field-saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities will be determined using a hood infiltration experiments in the field as well as by evaporation and dewpoint potentiometer method in the lab. All measurements will be carried out multiple times over a span of 2 years which will allow a detailed monitoring of changes in HSP. Experimental sites where we expect significant inter-seasonal changes will be equipped with sensors for soil moisture and matric potential. The choice of experimental field sites follows the intention to involve especially the effects of tillage operations, different cultivation strategies, microclimatically effective structures and land-use changes. The international project enables the coverage of a broad range of soil types as well as climate conditions and hence will have broad

Distribution of tetraether lipids in agricultural soils - differentiation between paddy and upland management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller-Niggemann, Cornelia; Rahayu Utami, Sri; Marxen, Anika; Mangelsdorf, Kai; Bauersachs, Thorsten; Schwark, Lorenz

2016-03-01

Rice paddies constitute almost a fifth of global cropland and provide more than half of the world's population with staple food. At the same time, they are a major source of methane and therewith significantly contribute to the current warming of Earth's atmosphere. Despite their apparent importance in the cycling of carbon and other elements, however, the microorganisms thriving in rice paddies are insufficiently characterized with respect to their biomolecules. Hardly any information exists on human-induced alteration of biomolecules from natural microbial communities in paddy soils through varying management types (affecting, e.g., soil or water redox conditions, cultivated plants). Here, we determined the influence of different land use types on the distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), which serve as molecular indicators for microbial community structures, in rice paddy (periodically flooded) and adjacent upland (non-flooded) soils and, for further comparison, forest, bushland and marsh soils. To differentiate local effects on GDGT distribution patterns, we collected soil samples in locations from tropical (Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines) and subtropical (China and Italy) sites. We found that differences in the distribution of isoprenoid GDGTs (iGDGTs) as well as of branched GDGTs (brGDGTs) are predominantly controlled by management type and only secondarily by climatic exposition. In general, upland soil had higher crenarchaeol contents than paddy soil, which by contrast was more enriched in GDGT-0. The GDGT-0 / crenarchaeol ratio, indicating the enhanced presence of methanogenic archaea, was 3-27 times higher in paddy soils compared to other soils and increased with the number of rice cultivation cycles per year. The index of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbons (TEX86) values were 1.3 times higher in upland, bushland and forest soils than in paddy soils, potentially due to differences in soil temperature. In all soils br

Controls and dynamics of biochar decay and soil microbial abundance, carbon use efficiency during long-term biochar-amended soil incubations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biochar addition to soil has been proposed as a management strategy to sequester a recalcitrant form of carbon (C). However, there is growing evidence that biochar can be degraded by soil microbes and modify their abundance, community composition and activity. Yet we lack an understanding of how mic...

Soil-covered strategy for ecological restoration alters the bacterial community structure and predictive energy metabolic functions in mine tailings profiles.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Sun, Qingye; Zhan, Jing; Yang, Yang; Wang, Dan

2017-03-01

Native soil amendment has been widely used to stabilize mine tailings and speed up the development of soil biogeochemical functions before revegetation; however, it remains poorly understood about the response of microbial communities to ecological restoration of mine tailings with soil-covered strategy. In this study, microbial communities along a 60-cm profile were investigated in mine tailings during ecological restoration of two revegetation strategies (directly revegetation and native soil covered) with different plant species. The mine tailings were covered by native soils as thick as 40 cm for more than 10 years, and the total nitrogen, total organic carbon, water content, and heavy metal (Fe, Cu, and Zn) contents in the 0-40 cm intervals of profiles were changed. In addition, increased microbial diversity and changed microbial community structure were also found in the 10-40 cm intervals of profiles in soil-covered area. Soil-covered strategy rather than plant species and soil depth was the main factor influencing the bacterial community, which explained the largest portion (29.96%) of the observed variation. Compared directly to revegetation, soil-covered strategy exhibited the higher relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria and the lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. PICRUSt analysis further demonstrated that soil-covered caused energy metabolic functional changes in carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism. Given all these, the soil-covered strategy may be used to fast-track the establishment of native microbial communities and is conducive to the rehabilitation of biogeochemical processes for establishing native plant species.

Proceedings of the California Forest Soils Council Conference on Forest Soils Biology and Forest Management

Treesearch

Robert F. Powers; Donald L. Hauxwell; Gary M. Nakamura

2000-01-01

Biotic properties of forest soil are the linkages connecting forest vegetation with an inert rooting medium to create a dynamic, functioning ecosystem. But despite the significance of these properties, managers have little awareness of the biotic world beneath their feet. Much of our working knowledge of soil biology seems anchored in myth and misunderstanding. To...

[Eco-value level classification and ecosystem management strategy of broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain].

PubMed

Zheng, Jingming; Jiang, Fengqi; Zeng, Dehui

2003-06-01

To realize the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, we should explicitly clarify the types and differences of the ecosystem services provided by different ecosystems under different conditions, with rethinking about the value of forest ecosystems; then solid management strategies and measurements will be enacted and applied to achieve the objects. The broad-leaved Korean pine forest (BLKPF) in Changbai Mountain is a unique and important forest type in China, owing to its many important ecosystem services such as preventing soil erosion, regulating climates, nutrient cycling, providing wood and non-timber forest products, etc. This paper is a preliminary study on the management strategy of BLKPF on the basis of analyzing the characters of the ecosystems and the relative importance of services they provided in this region. Based on the latest research of ecosystem services of BLKPF in Changbai Mountain, an idea of eco-value level (EVL) was introduced, and accordingly, management strategies were summarized by adopting the advanced theories in ecosystem management science and by analyzing field survey data. EVL means the relative amount of the value of ecosystem services provided by certain ecosystem, which can indicate the difference between services in given objects. The EVL classification of BLKPF implies the relative amount of the eco-value of different ecosystems including virgin forest, secondary forest, forest with human disturbance, and man-made forest in the clear-cutting sites. Analytical Hierarchical Processing method was used to formulate the equation for EVL index. Eight factors, namely, slope, soil depth, stability of soil maternal material, coverage of above-ground canopy, species diversity, regeneration rate of the stand, life span of dominant tree species, and intensity of human disturbance were chosen to build the formula. These factors belonged to three aspects affecting ecosystem services including the physical environment, community, and

Extreme soil erosion rates in citrus slope plantations and control strategies. A literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerdà, Artemi; Ángel González Peñaloza, Félix; Pereira, Paulo; Reyes Ruiz Gallardo, José; García Orenes, Fuensanta; Burguet, María

2013-04-01

Soil Erosion is a natural process that shapes the Earth. Due to the impact of agriculture, soil erosion rates increase, landforms show gullies and rills, and soils are depleted. In the Mediterranean, wheat, olive and vineyards were the main agriculture products, but new plantations are being found in sloping terrain due to the drip-irrigation. This new strategy results in the removal of the traditional terraces in order to make suitable for mechanization the agriculture plantation. Citrus is a clear example of the impact of the new chemical agriculture with a high investment in herbicides, pesticides, mechanisation, land levelling and drip computer controlled irrigation systems. The new plantation of citrus orchards is found in the Mediterranean, but also in California, Florida, China and Brazil. Chile, Argentina, and South Africa are other producers that are moving to an industrial production of citrus. This paper shows how the citrus plantations are found as one of the most aggressive plantation due to the increase in soil erosion, and how we can apply successful control strategies. The research into the high erosion rates of citrus orchard built on the slopes are mainly found in China (Wu et al., 1997; Xu et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2011; Wu et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2011; Lü et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2012) and in the Mediterranean (Cerdà and Jurgensen, 2008; 2009; Cerdà et al., 2009a; 2009b; Cerdà et al., 2011; 2012) Most of the research done devoted to the measurements of the soil losses but also some research is done related to the soil properties (Lu et al., 1997; Lü et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2012) and the impact of cover crops to reduce the soil losses (Lavigne et al., 2012; Le Bellec et al., 2012) and the use of residues such as dried citrus peel in order to reduce the soil losses. There are 116 million tonnes of citrus produced yearly, and this affects a large surface of the best land. The citrus orchards are moving from flood irrigated to drip

Disease management as a performance improvement strategy.

PubMed

McClatchey, S

2001-11-01

Disease management is a strategy of organizing care and services for a patient population across the continuum. It is characterized by a population database, interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration, and evidence-based clinical information. The effectiveness of a disease management program has been measured by a combination of clinical, financial, and quality of life outcomes. In early 1997, driven by a strategic planning process that established three Centers of Excellence (COE), we implemented disease management as the foundation for a new approach to performance improvement utilizing five key strategies. The five implementation strategies are outlined, in addition to a review of the key elements in outcome achievement.

Agricultural management and labile carbon additions affect soil microbial community structure and interact with carbon and nitrogen cycling.

PubMed

Berthrong, Sean T; Buckley, Daniel H; Drinkwater, Laurie E

2013-07-01

We investigated how conversion from conventional agriculture to organic management affected the structure and biogeochemical function of soil microbial communities. We hypothesized the following. (1) Changing agricultural management practices will alter soil microbial community structure driven by increasing microbial diversity in organic management. (2) Organically managed soil microbial communities will mineralize more N and will also mineralize more N in response to substrate addition than conventionally managed soil communities. (3) Microbial communities under organic management will be more efficient and respire less added C. Soils from organically and conventionally managed agroecosystems were incubated with and without glucose ((13)C) additions at constant soil moisture. We extracted soil genomic DNA before and after incubation for TRFLP community fingerprinting of soil bacteria and fungi. We measured soil C and N pools before and after incubation, and we tracked total C respired and N mineralized at several points during the incubation. Twenty years of organic management altered soil bacterial and fungal community structure compared to continuous conventional management with the bacterial differences caused primarily by a large increase in diversity. Organically managed soils mineralized twice as much NO3 (-) as conventionally managed ones (44 vs. 23 μg N/g soil, respectively) and increased mineralization when labile C was added. There was no difference in respiration, but organically managed soils had larger pools of C suggesting greater efficiency in terms of respiration per unit soil C. These results indicate that the organic management induced a change in community composition resulting in a more diverse community with enhanced activity towards labile substrates and greater capacity to mineralize N.

Optimal Soil Eh, pH, and Water Management for Simultaneously Minimizing Arsenic and Cadmium Concentrations in Rice Grains.

PubMed

Honma, Toshimitsu; Ohba, Hirotomo; Kaneko-Kadokura, Ayako; Makino, Tomoyuki; Nakamura, Ken; Katou, Hidetaka

2016-04-19

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in rice grains are a human health concern. We conducted field experiments to investigate optimal conditions of Eh and pH in soil for simultaneously decreasing As and Cd accumulation in rice. Water managements in the experiments, which included continuous flooding and intermittent irrigation with different intervals after midseason drainage, exerted striking effects on the dissolved As and Cd concentrations in soil through changes in Eh, pH, and dissolved Fe(II) concentrations in the soil. Intermittent irrigation with three-day flooding and five-day drainage was found to be effective for simultaneously decreasing the accumulation of As and Cd in grain. The grain As and Cd concentrations were, respectively, linearly related to the average dissolved As and Cd concentrations during the 3 weeks after heading. We propose a new indicator for expressing the degree to which a decrease in the dissolved As or Cd concentration is compromised by the increase in the other. For minimizing the trade-off relationship between As and Cd in rice grains in the field investigated, water management strategies should target the realization of optimal soil Eh of -73 mV and pH of 6.2 during the 3 weeks after heading.

Glomalin and soil aggregation under six management systems in the Northern Great Plains, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The soil environment is linked to aboveground management including plant species composition, grazing intensity, lev-els of soil disturbance, residue management, and the length of time of a living plant is growing. Soil samples were col-lected under rangeland [native grass, rotational grazing (NGRG)...

[Key microbial processes in nitrous oxide emissions of agricultural soil and mitigation strategies].

PubMed

Zhu, Yong-Guan; Wang, Xiao-Hui; Yang, Xiao-Ru; Xu, Hui-Juan; Jia, Yan

2014-02-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful atmospheric greenhouse gas, which does not only have a strong influence on the global climate change but also depletes the ozone layer and induces the enhancement of ultraviolet radiation to ground surface, so numerous researches have been focused on global climate change and ecological environmental change. Soil is the foremost source of N2O emissions to the atmosphere, and approximately two-thirds of these emissions are generally attributed to microbiological processes including bacterial and fungal denitrification and nitrification processes, largely as a result of the application of nitrogenous fertilizers. Here the available knowledge concerning the research progress in N2O production in agricultural soils was reviewed, including denitrification, nitrification, nitrifier denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, and the abiotic (including soil pH, organic and inorganic nitrogen, organic matter, soil humidity and temperature) and biotic factors that have direct and indirect effects on N2O fluxes from agricultural soils were also summarized. In addition, the strategies for mitigating N2O emissions and the future research direction were proposed. Therefore, these studies are expected to provide valuable and scientific evidence for the study on mitigation strategies for the emission of greenhouse gases, adjustment of nitrogen transformation processes and enhancement of nitrogen use efficiency.

Hill slope and erosional controls on soil organic geochemistry in intensely managed landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filley, T. R.; Hou, T.; Hughes, M.; Tong, Y.; Papanicolaou, T.; Wacha, K.; Abban, B. K.; Boys, J.; Wilson, C. G.

2015-12-01

Like many regions of North America, the last 100 years of agriculture in the glaciated upper Midwest has lead to a major redistribution of soil carbon and nitrogen on the landscape. Through the natural coevolution of geomorphic, pedogenic, and ecological processes in the critical zone or by punctual changes in these processes as a result of intensive management, landscapes established characteristic hierarchies of physicochemical controls on organic matter stability. In the Intensively-Managed Landscapes - Critical Zone Observatory (IML-CZO) in Iowa and Illinois these processes are being studied with a combination of surface soil geochemical surveys and simulated rainfall/erosion experiments to document how the organic geochemistry of hill slopes, under land management ranging from row crop to restored prairie, are currently evolving, and how they evolved during early management and pre settlement. Using a combination of soil analyses including elemental, stable isotope, textural, and soil biopolymers (lignin and cutin/suberin fatty acids (SFA)) we investigated the spatial patterns of static surface soil properties and time course rainfall-erosional experiments along the same slopes to gain insight into soil carbon and biopolymer enrichment patterns in east-central Iowa within the Clear Creek Watershed. Both lignin and substituted fatty acid concentration and their molecular ratios highlighted differences in C3/C4 (soy/corn) management activities in surface soils while over 40 years of prairie restoration dramatically altered surface soil profiles. For example, a general pattern in static baseline samples was an enrichment of 15N in soils down slope and an opposite pattern of accumulation/loss of lignin and SFA in topographic highs and lows. Transport of soil particles, associated biopolymers, and elemental and isotope signatures, exhibited distinct patterns based upon both position of the hill slope and directionality of flow with respect to rill/gully direction

The integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aldridge, Cameron L.; Berg, Ken; Boyd, Chad S.; Boyte, Stephen P.; Bradford, John B.; Brunson, Ed; Cissel, John H.; Conway, Courtney J.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Clark, Patrick; Coates, Peter S.; Crist, Michele R.; Davis, Dawn M.; DeCrappeo, Nicole; Deibert, Patricia A.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Evers, Louisa B.; Finch, Deborah M.; Finn, Sean P.; Germino, Matthew J.; Glenn, Nancy F.; Gucker, Corey; Hall, John A.; Hanser, Steven E.; Havlina, Douglas W.; Heinrichs, Julie; Heller, Matt; Homer, Collin G.; Hunter, Molly E.; Jacobs, Ruth W.; Karl, Jason W.; Kearney, Richard; Kemp, Susan K; Kilkenny, Francis F.; Knick, Steven T.; Launchbaugh, Karen; Manier, Daniel J.; Mayer, Kenneth E.; Meyer, Susan E.; Monroe, Adrian; MontBlanc, Eugénie; Newingham, Beth A.; Pellant, Michael L.; Phillips, Susan L.; Pilliod, David S.; Ricca, Mark A.; Richardson, Bryce A.; Rose, Jeffrey A.; Shaw, Nancy; Sheley, Roger L.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; Wiechman , Lief A.; Wylie, Bruce K.

2016-01-01

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet current management challenges. The tasks and actions identified in the Strategy address several broad topics related to management of the sagebrush ecosystem. This science plan is organized around these topics and specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration, sagebrush and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and climate and weather.

Interactive effects of agricultural management and topography on soil carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ladoni, M.; Kravchenko, S.; Munoz, J.; Erickson, M.

2012-12-01

Proper agricultural management scenarios such as no-tillage, cover cropping, agroforestry, have demonstrated potential to increase the amount of carbon sequestered in soil and to mitigate atmospheric carbon levels. The knowledge about positive effects of cover cropping comes mostly from small uniform experimental plots, but whether these positive effects will exists in large scale fields with diverse topography and what would be the magnitude of these effects on a field scale remains to be seen. Our objective is to compare performance of different agricultural managements including those with cover crops in their influences on SOC across diverse topographical landscape in large agricultural fields. The three studied agricultural practices are Conventionally tilled and fertilized management without cover crops (T1), Low-input management with reduced chemical inputs (T3) and Organic (T4) management, the latter two have rye and red clover cover crops as part of their rotations. Within each field 1- 4 transects with three topographical positions of "depression", "slope" and "summit" were identified. The first soil sampling was done in spring 2010 and the second set of soil samples were collected from topographical positions during growing season of 2011. Samples were analyzed for total SOC and also particulate organic carbon (POC) content to show the changes in active pools of SOC. The results showed that topography has a significant influence in performance of cover crops. Agricultural managements with cover crops increased the POC in soil and the magnitude of this increase was different across space. Cover crops built the highest POC in depressions followed by summit and then slope. The conventional agricultural management increased POC in depression but decreased it on slopes. Low-input agricultural management when coupled with cover cropping has a potential to produce the highest increase in active pools of SOC across topographically diverse fields. The ratio of

Distinct soil bacterial communities revealed under a diversely managed agroecosystem

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Land-use change and management are normally enacted to manipulate environments to improve conditions that relate to production, remediation, and accommodation. However, soil microbial community complexity after manipulations is still difficult to quantify. In this study, replicate soil samples we...

Geochemical characterization of elements in Vitis vinifera cv. Negroamaro grape berries grown under different soil managements.

PubMed

Pepi, Salvatore; Coletta, Antonio; Crupi, Pasquale; Leis, Marilena; Russo, Sabrina; Sansone, Luigi; Tassinari, Renzo; Chicca, Milvia; Vaccaro, Carmela

2016-04-01

The present geochemical study concerns the impact of viticultural practices in the chemical composition of the grape cultivar "Negroamaro" in Apulia, a southern Italian region renowned for its quality wine. Three types of soil management (SM), two cover cropping with different mixtures, and a soil tillage were considered. For each SM, the vines were irrigated according to two irrigation levels. Chemical composition of soil and of berries of Vitis vinifera cultivar "Negroamaro" were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and multivariate statistics (linear discrimination analysis). In detail, we investigated major and trace elements behavior in the soil according to irrigation levels, the related index of bioaccumulation (BA) and the relationship between trace element concentration and soil management in "Negroamaro" grapes. The results indicate that soil management affects the mobility of major and trace elements. A specific assimilation of these elements in grapes from vines grown under different soil management was confirmed by BA. Multivariate statistics allowed to associate the vines to the type of soil management. This geochemical characterization of elements could be useful to develop fingerprints of vines of the cultivar "Negroamaro" according to soil management and geographical origin.

Long-term effects of grazing management and buffer strips on soil erosion from pastures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High grazing pressure can lead to soil erosion in pastures by compacting soil and increasing runoff and sediment delivery to waterways. Limited information exists on the effects of grazing management and best management practices (BMPs), such as buffer strips, on soil erosion from pastures. The obje...

Soil Respiration at Dominant Patch Types within a Managed Northern Wisconsin Landscape

Treesearch

Eug& #233; nie Euskirchen; Jiquan Chen; Eric J. Gustafson; Siyan Ma; Siyan Ma

2003-01-01

Soil respiration (SR), a substantial component of the forest carbon budget, has been studied extensively at the ecosystem, regional, continental, and global scales, but little progress has been made toward understanding SR over managed forest landscapes. Soil respiration is often influenced by soil temperature (Ts), soil moisture (Ms...

Soil respiration at dominant patch types within a managed northern Wisconsin landscape

Treesearch

Eugenie S. Euskirchen; Jiquan Chen; Eric J. Gustafson; Siyan Ma

2003-01-01

Soil respiration (SR), a substantial component of the forest carbon budget, has been studied extensively at the ecosystem, regional, continental, and global scales, but little progress has been made toward understanding SR over managed forest landscapes. Soil respiration is often influenced by soil temperature (Ts), soil moisture (Ms...

Soil and Land Resources Information System (SLISYS-Tarim) for Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othmanli, Hussein; Zhao, Chengyi; Stahr, Karl

2017-04-01

data. The simulated cotton yield varied according to field management, soil type and salinity level, where soil salinity was the main limiting factor. Furthermore, the calibrated and validated EPIC model was run under several scenarios of climate conditions and land management practices to estimate the effect of climate change on cotton production and sustainability of agriculture systems in the basin. The application of SLISYS-Tarim showed that this database can be a suitable framework for storage and retrieval of soil and terrain data at various scales. The simulation with the EPIC model can assess the impact of climate change and management strategies. Therefore, SLISYS-Tarim can be a good tool for regional planning and serve the decision support system on regional and national scale.

Novel Strategies for the Removal of Toxic Metals from Soils and Waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roundhill, D. Max

2004-02-01

This article surveys the toxicities of mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, cadmium, and the actinides. Strategies for the removal of these metals include surfactants, aqueous biphasic systems, and liquid membranes. For soils, both in situ stabilization and detection are discussed. For extraction from soils, electrokinetic extraction, phytoremediation, and bioremediation methods are critically evaluated. This article provides an educator with the resources to set up a series of lectures on inorganic aspects of environmental chemistry.

DETERMINANTS OF NETWORK OUTCOMES: THE IMPACT OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES.

PubMed

Ysa, Tamyko; Sierra, Vicenta; Esteve, Marc

2014-09-01

The literature on network management is extensive. However, it generally explores network structures, neglecting the impact of management strategies. In this article we assess the effect of management strategies on network outcomes, providing empirical evidence from 119 urban revitalization networks. We go beyond current work by testing a path model for the determinants of network outcomes and considering the interactions between the constructs: management strategies, trust, complexity, and facilitative leadership. Our results suggest that management strategies have a strong effect on network outcomes and that they enhance the level of trust. We also found that facilitative leadership has a positive impact on network management as well as on trust in the network. Our findings also show that complexity has a negative impact on trust. A key finding of our research is that managers may wield more influence on network dynamics than previously theorized.

An integrated soil-crop system model for water and nitrogen management in North China

PubMed Central

Liang, Hao; Hu, Kelin; Batchelor, William D.; Qi, Zhiming; Li, Baoguo

2016-01-01

An integrated model WHCNS (soil Water Heat Carbon Nitrogen Simulator) was developed to assess water and nitrogen (N) management in North China. It included five main modules: soil water, soil temperature, soil carbon (C), soil N, and crop growth. The model integrated some features of several widely used crop and soil models, and some modifications were made in order to apply the WHCNS model under the complex conditions of intensive cropping systems in North China. The WHCNS model was evaluated using an open access dataset from the European International Conference on Modeling Soil Water and N Dynamics. WHCNS gave better estimations of soil water and N dynamics, dry matter accumulation and N uptake than 14 other models. The model was tested against data from four experimental sites in North China under various soil, crop, climate, and management practices. Simulated soil water content, soil nitrate concentrations, crop dry matter, leaf area index and grain yields all agreed well with measured values. This study indicates that the WHCNS model can be used to analyze and evaluate the effects of various field management practices on crop yield, fate of N, and water and N use efficiencies in North China. PMID:27181364

Soil mapping and process modeling for sustainable land use management: a brief historical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Pereira, Paulo; Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam; Miller, Bradley A.; Cerdà, Artemi; Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Lozano-García, Beatriz

2017-04-01

Basic soil management goes back to the earliest days of agricultural practices, approximately 9,000 BCE. Through time humans developed soil management techniques of ever increasing complexity, including plows, contour tillage, terracing, and irrigation. Spatial soil patterns were being recognized as early as 3,000 BCE, but the first soil maps didn't appear until the 1700s and the first soil models finally arrived in the 1880s (Brevik et al., in press). The beginning of the 20th century saw an increase in standardization in many soil science methods and wide-spread soil mapping in many parts of the world, particularly in developed countries. However, the classification systems used, mapping scale, and national coverage varied considerably from country to country. Major advances were made in pedologic modeling starting in the 1940s, and in erosion modeling starting in the 1950s. In the 1970s and 1980s advances in computing power, remote and proximal sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and statistics and spatial statistics among other numerical techniques significantly enhanced our ability to map and model soils (Brevik et al., 2016). These types of advances positioned soil science to make meaningful contributions to sustainable land use management as we moved into the 21st century. References Brevik, E., Pereira, P., Muñoz-Rojas, M., Miller, B., Cerda, A., Parras-Alcantara, L., Lozano-Garcia, B. Historical perspectives on soil mapping and process modelling for sustainable land use management. In: Pereira, P., Brevik, E., Muñoz-Rojas, M., Miller, B. (eds) Soil mapping and process modelling for sustainable land use management (In press). Brevik, E., Calzolari, C., Miller, B., Pereira, P., Kabala, C., Baumgarten, A., Jordán, A. 2016. Historical perspectives and future needs in soil mapping, classification and pedological modelling, Geoderma, 264, Part B, 256-274.

Long-Term Soil Experiments: A Key to Managing Earth's Rapidly Changing Critical Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter, D., Jr.

2014-12-01

In a few decades, managers of Earth's Critical Zones (biota, humans, land, and water) will be challenged to double food and fiber production and diminish adverse effects of management on the wider environment. To meet these challenges, an array of scientific approaches is being used to increase understanding of Critical Zone functioning and evolution, and one amongst these approaches needs to be long-term soil field studies to move us beyond black boxing the belowground Critical Zone, i.e., to further understanding of processes driving changes in the soil environment. Long-term soil experiments (LTSEs) provide direct observations of soil change and functioning across time scales of decades, data critical for biological, biogeochemical, and environmental assessments of sustainability; for predictions of soil fertility, productivity, and soil-environment interactions; and for developing models at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Unfortunately, LTSEs globally are not in a good state, and they take years to mature, are vulnerable to loss, and even today remain to be fully inventoried. Of the 250 LTSEs in a web-based network, results demonstrate that soils and belowground Critical Zones are highly dynamic and responsive to human management. The objective of this study is to review the contemporary state of LTSEs and consider how they contribute to three open questions: (1) can soils sustain a doubling of food production in the coming decades without further impinging on the wider environment, (2) how do soils interact with the global C cycle, and (3) how can soil management establish greater control over nutrient cycling. While LTSEs produce significant data and perspectives for all three questions, there is on-going need and opportunity for reviews of the long-term soil-research base, for establishment of an efficiently run network of LTSEs aimed at sustainability and improving management control over C and nutrient cycling, and for research teams that

Soil Fungal Resources in Annual Cropping Systems and Their Potential for Management

PubMed Central

Esmaeili Taheri, Ahmad; Bainard, Luke D.; Yang, Chao; Navarro-Borrell, Adriana; Hamel, Chantal

2014-01-01

Soil fungi are a critical component of agroecosystems and provide ecological services that impact the production of food and bioproducts. Effective management of fungal resources is essential to optimize the productivity and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we (i) highlight the functional groups of fungi that play key roles in agricultural ecosystems, (ii) examine the influence of agronomic practices on these fungi, and (iii) propose ways to improve the management and contribution of soil fungi to annual cropping systems. Many of these key soil fungal organisms (i.e., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and fungal root endophytes) interact directly with plants and are determinants of the efficiency of agroecosystems. In turn, plants largely control rhizosphere fungi through the production of carbon and energy rich compounds and of bioactive phytochemicals, making them a powerful tool for the management of soil fungal diversity in agriculture. The use of crop rotations and selection of optimal plant genotypes can be used to improve soil biodiversity and promote beneficial soil fungi. In addition, other agronomic practices (e.g., no-till, microbial inoculants, and biochemical amendments) can be used to enhance the effect of beneficial fungi and increase the health and productivity of cultivated soils. PMID:25247177

Spatio-temporal dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with glomalin-related soil protein and soil enzymes in different managed semiarid steppes.

PubMed

Wang, Qi; Bao, Yuying; Liu, Xiaowei; Du, Guoxin

2014-10-01

Temporal and spatial patterns of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and glomalin and soil enzyme activities were investigated in different managed semiarid steppes located in Inner Mongolia, North China. Soils were sampled in a depth up to 30 cm from non-grazed, overgrazed, and naturally restored steppes from June to September. Roots of Leymus chinense (Trin.) Tzvel. and Stipagrandis P. Smirn. were also collected over the same period. Results showed that overgrazing significantly decreased the total mycorrhizal colonization of S. grandis; total colonization of L. chinensis roots was not significantly different in the three managed steppes. Nineteen AMF species belonging to six genera were isolated. Funneliformis and Glomus were dominant genera in all three steppes. Spore density and species richness were mainly influenced by an interaction between plant growth stage and management system (P < 0.001). Spore densities were higher in 0-10-cm soil depth. AMF species richness was significantly positively correlated with soil acid phosphatase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and two Bradford-reactive soil protein (BRSP) fractions (P < 0.01). It is concluded that the dynamics of AMF have highly temporal and spatial patterns that are related to soil glomalin and phosphatase activity in different managed semiarid steppes. Based on these observations, AMF communities could be useful indicators for evaluating soil quality and function of semiarid grassland ecosystems.

iSOIL: Interactions between soil related sciences - Linking geophysics, soil science and digital soil mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, Peter; Werban, Ulrike; Sauer, Uta

2010-05-01

High-resolution soil property maps are one major prerequisite for the specific protection of soil functions and restoration of degraded soils as well as sustainable land use, water and environmental management. To generate such maps the combination of digital soil mapping approaches and remote as well as proximal soil sensing techniques is most promising. However, a feasible and reliable combination of these technologies for the investigation of large areas (e.g. catchments and landscapes) and the assessment of soil degradation threats is missing. Furthermore, there is insufficient dissemination of knowledge on digital soil mapping and proximal soil sensing in the scientific community, to relevant authorities as well as prospective users. As one consequence there is inadequate standardization of techniques. At the poster we present the EU collaborative project iSOIL within the 7th framework program of the European Commission. iSOIL focuses on improving fast and reliable mapping methods of soil properties, soil functions and soil degradation risks. This requires the improvement and integration of advanced soil sampling approaches, geophysical and spectroscopic measuring techniques, as well as pedometric and pedophysical approaches. The focus of the iSOIL project is to develop new and to improve existing strategies and innovative methods for generating accurate, high resolution soil property maps. At the same time the developments will reduce costs compared to traditional soil mapping. ISOIL tackles the challenges by the integration of three major components: (i)high resolution, non-destructive geophysical (e.g. Electromagnetic Induction EMI; Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR; magnetics, seismics) and spectroscopic (e.g., Near Surface Infrared, NIR) methods, (ii)Concepts of Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) and pedometrics as well as (iii)optimized soil sampling with respect to profound soil scientific and (geo)statistical strategies. A special focus of iSOIL lies on the

Linking soil systems to societal value systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helming, Katharina; Daedlow, Katrin; Techen, Anja; Kaiser, David Brian

2017-04-01

Sustainable management of soils is needed to avoid soil degradation and to maintain soil functions. This requires the assessment of how human activities drive soil management, how soil management affect soil functions and soil degradation, which trade-offs occur and how they compromise sustainable development targets. In the frame of the German research programme "Soils as a sustainable resource for the bio-economy - BonaRes", we developed an enhanced approach of the DPSIR (driver-pressure-state-impact-response) cycle which helps to assess these interrelations. Because not all soil functions can be maximized simultaneously in space and time and trade-offs are inevitable, it depends on the societal value system to decide which management practices and respective soil functional performances are valued sustainably. We analysed the applicability of three valuation concepts being prominent in research about social-ecological systems, namely resource efficiency, ecosystem services, and ethics and equity. The concept of resource efficiency is based in the life-cycle thinking and is often applied at the level of the farming systems and in the context of bio-economy strategies. It covers the use of natural (water, energy, nutrients, land) and economic resources. At the landscape level, the concept of ecosystem services is prominent. Here, the contribution of soils to the provisioning, regulating and cultural services of the natural ecosystems is considered. Ethical considerations include the intrinsic values of nature as well as issues of local and global equity between different societal groups, generations, and localities. The three concepts cover different problem dimensions and complexity levels of soil management and decision making. Alone, none of them are capable to discover complex questions of sustainable soil management and development. Rather, the exact spatial and temporal framing of the sustainability problem at stake determines which combination of the value

Characterization of soil spatial variability for site-specific management using soil electrical conductivity and other remotely sensed data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bang, Jisu

Field-scale characterization of soil spatial variability using remote sensing technology has potential for achieving the successful implementation of site-specific management (SSM). The objectives of this study were to: (i) examine the spatial relationships between apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC a) and soil chemical and physical properties to determine if EC a could be useful to characterize soil properties related to crop productivity in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont of North Carolina; (ii) evaluate the effects of in-situ soil moisture variation on ECa mapping as a basis for characterization of soil spatial variability and as a data layer in cluster analysis as a means of delineating sampling zones; (iii) evaluate clustering approaches using different variable sets for management zone delineation to characterize spatial variability in soil nutrient levels and crop yields. Studies were conducted in two fields in the Piedmont and three fields in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Spatial measurements of ECa via electromagnetic induction (EMI) were compared with soil chemical parameters (extractable P, K, and micronutrients; pH, cation exchange capacity [CEC], humic matter or soil organic matter; and physical parameters (percentage sand, silt, and clay; and plant-available water [PAW] content; bulk density; cone index; saturated hydraulic conductivity [Ksat] in one of the coastal plain fields) using correlation analysis across fields. We also collected ECa measurements in one coastal plain field on four days with significantly different naturally occurring soil moisture conditions measured in five increments to 0.75 m using profiling time-domain reflectometry probes to evaluate the temporal variability of ECa associated with changes in in-situ soil moisture content. Nonhierarchical k-means cluster analysis using sensor-based field attributes including vertical ECa, near-infrared (NIR) radiance of bare-soil from an aerial color infrared (CIR) image

Spatial strategies for managing visitor impacts in National Parks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leung, Y.-F.; Marion, J.L.

1999-01-01

Resource and social impacts caused by recreationists and tourists have become a management concern in national parks and equivalent protected areas. The need to contain visitor impacts within acceptable limits has prompted park and protected area managers to implement a wide variety of strategies and actions, many of which are spatial in nature. This paper classifies and illustrates the basic spatial strategies for managing visitor impacts in parks and protected areas. A typology of four spatial strategies was proposed based on the recreation and park management literature. Spatial segregation is a common strategy for shielding sensitive resources from visitor impacts or for separating potentially conflicting types of use. Two forms of spatial segregation are zoning and closure. A spatial containment strategy is intended to minimize the aggregate extent of visitor impacts by confining use to limited designated or established Iocations. In contrast, a spatial dispersal strategy seeks to spread visitor use, reducing the frequency of use to levels that avoid or minimize permanent resource impacts or visitor crowding and conflict. Finally, a spatial configuration strategy minimizes impacting visitor behavior though the judicious spatial arrangement of facilities. These four spatial strategics can be implemented separately or in combination at varying spatial scales within a single park. A survey of national park managers provides an empirical example of the diversity of implemented spatial strategies in managing visitor impacts. Spatial segregation is frequently applied in the form of camping restrictions or closures to protect sensitive natural or cultural resources and to separate incompatible visitor activities. Spatial containment is the most widely applied strategy for minimizing the areal extent of resource impacts. Spatial dispersal is commonly applied to reduce visitor crowding or conflicts in popular destination areas but is less frequently applied or

Modeling as a tool for management of saline soils and irrigation waters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Optimal management of saline soils and irrigation waters requires consideration of many interrelated factors including, climate, water applications and timing, water flow, plant water uptake, soil chemical reactions, plant response to salinity and solution composition, soil hydraulic properties and ...

A review on soil carbon accumulation due to the management change of major Brazilian agricultural activities.

PubMed

La Scala, N; De Figueiredo, E B; Panosso, A R

2012-08-01

Agricultural areas deal with enormous CO2 intake fluxes offering an opportunity for greenhouse effect mitigation. In this work we studied the potential of soil carbon sequestration due to the management conversion in major agricultural activities in Brazil. Data from several studies indicate that in soybean/maize, and related rotation systems, a significant soil carbon sequestration was observed over the year of conversion from conventional to no-till practices, with a mean rate of 0.41 Mg C ha(-1) year(-1). The same effect was observed in sugarcane fields, but with a much higher accumulation of carbon in soil stocks, when sugarcane fields are converted from burned to mechanised based harvest, where large amounts of sugarcane residues remain on the soil surface (1.8 Mg C ha(-1) year(-1)). The higher sequestration potential of sugarcane crops, when compared to the others, has a direct relation to the primary production of this crop. Nevertheless, much of this mitigation potential of soil carbon accumulation in sugarcane fields is lost once areas are reformed, or intensive tillage is applied. Pasture lands have shown soil carbon depletion once natural areas are converted to livestock use, while integration of those areas with agriculture use has shown an improvement in soil carbon stocks. Those works have shown that the main crop systems of Brazil have a huge mitigation potential, especially in soil carbon form, being an opportunity for future mitigation strategies.

DETERMINANTS OF NETWORK OUTCOMES: THE IMPACT OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

PubMed Central

YSA, TAMYKO; SIERRA, VICENTA; ESTEVE, MARC

2014-01-01

The literature on network management is extensive. However, it generally explores network structures, neglecting the impact of management strategies. In this article we assess the effect of management strategies on network outcomes, providing empirical evidence from 119 urban revitalization networks. We go beyond current work by testing a path model for the determinants of network outcomes and considering the interactions between the constructs: management strategies, trust, complexity, and facilitative leadership. Our results suggest that management strategies have a strong effect on network outcomes and that they enhance the level of trust. We also found that facilitative leadership has a positive impact on network management as well as on trust in the network. Our findings also show that complexity has a negative impact on trust. A key finding of our research is that managers may wield more influence on network dynamics than previously theorized. PMID:25520529

In-Soil and Down-Hole Soil Water Sensors: Characteristics for Irrigation Management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The past use of soil water sensors for irrigation management was variously hampered by high cost, onerous regulations in the case of the neutron probe (NP), difficulty of installation or maintenance, and poor accuracy. Although many sensors are now available, questions of their utility still abound....

Degradation of soil fertility can cancel pollination benefits in sunflower.

PubMed

Tamburini, Giovanni; Berti, Antonio; Morari, Francesco; Marini, Lorenzo

2016-02-01

Pollination and soil fertility are important ecosystem services to agriculture but their relative roles and potential interactions are poorly understood. We explored the combined effects of pollination and soil fertility in sunflower using soils from a trial characterized by different long-term input management in order to recreate plausible levels of soil fertility. Pollinator exclusion was used as a proxy for a highly eroded pollination service. Pollination benefits to yield depended on soil fertility, i.e., insect pollination enhanced seed set and yield only under higher soil fertility indicating that limited nutrient availability may constrain pollination benefits. Our study provides evidence for interactions between above- and belowground ecosystem services, highlighting the crucial role of soil fertility in supporting agricultural production not only directly, but also indirectly through pollination. Management strategies aimed at enhancing pollination services might fail in increasing yield in landscapes characterized by high soil service degradation. Comprehensive knowledge about service interactions is therefore essential for the correct management of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.

Strategies for sustainable management of renewable resources during environmental change.

PubMed

Lindkvist, Emilie; Ekeberg, Örjan; Norberg, Jon

2017-03-15

As a consequence of global environmental change, management strategies that can deal with unexpected change in resource dynamics are becoming increasingly important. In this paper we undertake a novel approach to studying resource growth problems using a computational form of adaptive management to find optimal strategies for prevalent natural resource management dilemmas. We scrutinize adaptive management, or learning-by-doing, to better understand how to simultaneously manage and learn about a system when its dynamics are unknown. We study important trade-offs in decision-making with respect to choosing optimal actions (harvest efforts) for sustainable management during change. This is operationalized through an artificially intelligent model where we analyze how different trends and fluctuations in growth rates of a renewable resource affect the performance of different management strategies. Our results show that the optimal strategy for managing resources with declining growth is capable of managing resources with fluctuating or increasing growth at a negligible cost, creating in a management strategy that is both efficient and robust towards future unknown changes. To obtain this strategy, adaptive management should strive for: high learning rates to new knowledge, high valuation of future outcomes and modest exploration around what is perceived as the optimal action. © 2017 The Author(s).

Soil management shapes ecosystem service provision and trade-offs in agricultural landscapes.

PubMed

Tamburini, Giovanni; De Simone, Serena; Sigura, Maurizia; Boscutti, Francesco; Marini, Lorenzo

2016-08-31

Agroecosystems are principally managed to maximize food provisioning even if they receive a large array of supporting and regulating ecosystem services (ESs). Hence, comprehensive studies investigating the effects of local management and landscape composition on the provision of and trade-offs between multiple ESs are urgently needed. We explored the effects of conservation tillage, nitrogen fertilization and landscape composition on six ESs (crop production, disease control, soil fertility, water quality regulation, weed and pest control) in winter cereals. Conservation tillage enhanced soil fertility and pest control, decreased water quality regulation and weed control, without affecting crop production and disease control. Fertilization only influenced crop production by increasing grain yield. Landscape intensification reduced the provision of disease and pest control. We also found tillage and landscape composition to interactively affect water quality regulation and weed control. Under N fertilization, conventional tillage resulted in more trade-offs between ESs than conservation tillage. Our results demonstrate that soil management and landscape composition affect the provision of several ESs and that soil management potentially shapes the trade-offs between them. © 2016 The Author(s).

Immobilizer-assisted management of metal-contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production.

PubMed

Kim, Kwon-Rae; Kim, Jeong-Gyu; Park, Jeong-Sik; Kim, Min-Suk; Owens, Gary; Youn, Gyu-Hoon; Lee, Jin-Su

2012-07-15

Production of food crops on metal contaminated agricultural soils is of concern because consumers are potentially exposed to hazardous metals via dietary intake of such crops or crop derived products. Therefore, the current study was conducted to develop management protocols for crop cultivation to allow safer food production. Metal uptake, as influenced by pH change-induced immobilizing agents (dolomite, steel slag, and agricultural lime) and sorption agents (zeolite and compost), was monitored in three common plants representative of leafy (Chinese cabbage), root (spring onion) and fruit (red pepper) vegetables, in a field experiment. The efficiency of the immobilizing agents was assessed by their ability to decrease the phytoavailability of metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn). The fruit vegetable (red pepper) showed the least accumulation of Cd (0.16-0.29 mgkg(-1) DW) and Pb (0.2-0.9 mgkg(-1) DW) in edible parts regardless of treatment, indicating selection of low metal accumulating crops was a reasonable strategy for safer food production. However, safer food production was more likely to be achievable by combining crop selection with immobilizing agent amendment of soils. Among the immobilizing agents, pH change-induced immobilizers were more effective than sorption agents, showing decreases in Cd and Pb concentrations in each plant well below standard limits. The efficiency of pH change-induced immobilizers was also comparable to reductions obtained by 'clean soil cover' where the total metal concentrations of the plow layer was reduced via capping the surface with uncontaminated soil, implying that pH change-induced immobilizers can be practically applied to metal contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forest Management Effects on Surface Soil Carbon and Nitrogen

Treesearch

Jennifer D. Knoepp; Wayne T. Swank

1997-01-01

Changes in surface soil C and N can result from forest management practices and may provide an index of impacts on long-term site productivity. Soil C and N were measured over time for five water- sheds in the southern Appalachians: two aggrading hardwood forests, one south- and one north-facing, undisturbed since the 1920s;a white pine (PinussfrobusL.) plantation...

Modeled effects of soil acidification on long-term ecological and economic outcomes for managed forests in the Adirondack region (USA).

PubMed

Caputo, Jesse; Beier, Colin M; Sullivan, Timothy J; Lawrence, Gregory B

2016-09-15

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is among the most ecologically and economically important tree species in North America, and its growth and regeneration is often the focus of silvicultural practices in northern hardwood forests. A key stressor for sugar maple (SM) is acid rain, which depletes base cations from poorly-buffered forest soils and has been associated with much lower SM vigor, growth, and recruitment. However, the potential interactions between forest management and soil acidification - and their implications for the sustainability of SM and its economic and cultural benefits - have not been investigated. In this study, we simulated the development of 50 extant SM stands in the western Adirondack region of NY (USA) for 100years under different soil chemical conditions and silvicultural prescriptions. We found that interactions between management prescription and soil base saturation will strongly shape the ability to maintain SM in managed forests. Below 12% base saturation, SM did not regenerate sufficiently after harvest and was replaced mainly by red maple (Acer rubrum) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Loss of SM on acid-impaired sites was predicted regardless of whether the shelterwood or diameter-limit prescriptions were used. On soils with sufficient base saturation, models predicted that SM will regenerate after harvest and be sustained for future rotations. We then estimated how these different post-harvest outcomes, mediated by acid impairment of forest soils, would affect the potential monetary value of ecosystem services provided by SM forests. Model simulations indicated that a management strategy focused on syrup production - although not feasible across the vast areas where acid impairment has occurred - may generate the greatest economic return. Although pollution from acid rain is declining, its long-term legacy in forest soils will shape future options for sustainable forestry and ecosystem stewardship in the northern hardwood

Adaptive Management as an Effective Strategy: Interdisciplinary Perceptions for Natural Resources Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreiss, Lindsay M.; Hessenauer, Jan-Michael; Nathan, Lucas R.; O'Connor, Kelly M.; Liberati, Marjorie R.; Kloster, Danielle P.; Barclay, Janet R.; Vokoun, Jason C.; Morzillo, Anita T.

2017-02-01

Adaptive management is a well-established approach to managing natural resources, but there is little evidence demonstrating effectiveness of adaptive management over traditional management techniques. Peer-reviewed literature attempts to draw conclusions about adaptive management effectiveness using social perceptions, but those studies are largely restricted to employees of US federal organizations. To gain a more comprehensive insight into perceived adaptive management effectiveness, this study aimed to broaden the suite of disciplines, professional affiliations, and geographic backgrounds represented by both practitioners and scholars. A questionnaire contained a series of questions concerning factors that lead to or inhibit effective management, followed by another set of questions focused on adaptive management. Using a continuum representing strategies of both adaptive management and traditional management, respondents selected those strategies that they perceived as being effective. Overall, characteristics (i.e., strategies, stakeholders, and barriers) identified by respondents as contributing to effective management closely aligned with adaptive management. Responses were correlated to the type of adaptive management experience rather than an individual's discipline, occupational, or regional affiliation. In particular, perceptions of characteristics contributing to adaptive management effectiveness varied between respondents who identified as adaptive management scholars (i.e., no implementation experience) and adaptive management practitioners. Together, these results supported two concepts that make adaptive management effective: practitioners emphasized adaptive management's value as a long-term approach and scholars noted the importance of stakeholder involvement. Even so, more communication between practitioners and scholars regarding adaptive management effectiveness could promote interdisciplinary learning and problem solving for improved

Adaptive Management as an Effective Strategy: Interdisciplinary Perceptions for Natural Resources Management.

PubMed

Dreiss, Lindsay M; Hessenauer, Jan-Michael; Nathan, Lucas R; O'Connor, Kelly M; Liberati, Marjorie R; Kloster, Danielle P; Barclay, Janet R; Vokoun, Jason C; Morzillo, Anita T

2017-02-01

Adaptive management is a well-established approach to managing natural resources, but there is little evidence demonstrating effectiveness of adaptive management over traditional management techniques. Peer-reviewed literature attempts to draw conclusions about adaptive management effectiveness using social perceptions, but those studies are largely restricted to employees of US federal organizations. To gain a more comprehensive insight into perceived adaptive management effectiveness, this study aimed to broaden the suite of disciplines, professional affiliations, and geographic backgrounds represented by both practitioners and scholars. A questionnaire contained a series of questions concerning factors that lead to or inhibit effective management, followed by another set of questions focused on adaptive management. Using a continuum representing strategies of both adaptive management and traditional management, respondents selected those strategies that they perceived as being effective. Overall, characteristics (i.e., strategies, stakeholders, and barriers) identified by respondents as contributing to effective management closely aligned with adaptive management. Responses were correlated to the type of adaptive management experience rather than an individual's discipline, occupational, or regional affiliation. In particular, perceptions of characteristics contributing to adaptive management effectiveness varied between respondents who identified as adaptive management scholars (i.e., no implementation experience) and adaptive management practitioners. Together, these results supported two concepts that make adaptive management effective: practitioners emphasized adaptive management's value as a long-term approach and scholars noted the importance of stakeholder involvement. Even so, more communication between practitioners and scholars regarding adaptive management effectiveness could promote interdisciplinary learning and problem solving for improved

Relationship-Driven Classroom Management: Strategies That Promote Student Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitto, John M.

This book combines information about resiliency, classroom management, and discipline into a user-friendly discussion suitable for all teachers. The material covers both preventive strategies and reactive strategies. The chapters of part 1, "Reinventive Strategies," are: (1) "Relationship-Driven Classroom Management and Resilience"; (2)…

Information Technology Management Strategies to Implement Knowledge Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGee, Mary Jane Christy

2017-01-01

More than 38% of the U.S. public workforce will likely retire by 2030, which may result in a labor shortage. Business leaders may adopt strategies to mitigate knowledge loss within their organizations by capturing knowledge in a knowledge management system (KMS). The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that information…

Soil phosphatase and urease activities impacted by cropping systems and water management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil enzymes can play an important role in nutrient availability to plants. Consequently, soil enzyme measurements can provide useful information on soil fertility for crop production. We examined the impact of cropping system and water management on phosphatase, urease, and microbial biomass C in s...

A Brownfields strategy for the Toronto Port Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ibbotson, B.G.; Benson, B.A.

The Port Area of Toronto consists of several hundred acres, much of it created by filling near-shore sections of the Inner Harbour. The quality of the fill materials and the industrial activities that have taken place in the Port Area have resulted in soil and/or ground water quality conditions at many locations that do not meet current regulatory criteria and guidelines. As the administrator of properties representing more than 400 acres in the Port Area, the City of Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) has a leadership role in the redevelopment of the Port Area. To date, a few TEDCO sitesmore » have always been restored and redeveloped on an individual basis, with little attention paid to ground water issues. To move forward on other redevelopment initiatives and to attract capital, it is necessary to increase the certainty with respect to regulatory requirements, the distribution of liabilities, and those parts of decision-making processes that consider soil and ground water issues. To address these needs, TEDCO has designed an overall soil and ground water management strategy that can be applied to its properties in the Port Area. The resulting strategy consists of four interrelated parts: an area-wide initiative to monitor ground water characteristics and assess ecological conditions; a collection of three protocols for managing individual sites; an information management system; and direction on the administration of the strategy. Together, the four parts provide a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to managing soil and ground water on TEDCO properties. The use of a multi-party agreement to formalize the strategy and specify roles and responsibilities of TEDCO, the municipality, and the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy is recommended.« less

A nanoremediation strategy for the recovery of an As-polluted soil.

PubMed

Gil-Díaz, M; Diez-Pascual, S; González, A; Alonso, J; Rodríguez-Valdés, E; Gallego, J R; Lobo, M C

2016-04-01

The present study investigates the impact of the nanoremediation treatment on soil recovery as evaluated by the development of barley plants. Highly As-polluted brownfield soil was treated with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) commercial suspension at two doses (1% and 10%). Barley plants were cultivated in treated and untreated soils in a growth chamber, and the As, Fe, and nutrients uptake were determined. The efficacy of As immobilization was evaluated according to the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) as well as using a sequential extraction procedure. The application of nZVI reduced the amount of As in the more available fractions and increased the amount of As in the residual fraction. The best immobilization results were obtained for the highest dose of nZVI (10%). In turn, the lower availability of As in nZVI-treated soils, particularly at the dose of 10%, stimulated the development of the barley plants and decreased the As uptake. Neither an important increase of available Fe nor negative impact on soil physico-chemical and biological properties were observed. Thus, our results show that the use of nZVI could be an adequate strategy to recover the land use in As polluted soils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do fibromyalgia patients use active pain management strategies? A cohort study.

PubMed

Gauffin, Jarno; Hankama, Tiina; Hannonen, Pekka; Kautiainen, Hannu; Pohjolainen, Timo; Haanpää, Maija

2013-05-01

The aim of this study was to examine the types of pain management strategies used by patients with fibromyalgia. A total of 158 patients with primary fibromyalgia attended a clinical visit to confirm the diagnosis. They completed 3 questionnaires: (i) a self-made questionnaire, (ii) Beck Depression Inventory IA (BDI IA), and (iii) Finnish version of Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. The self-made questionnaire included questions about: intensity of current pain; general well-being; pain management strategies, including pain medications; efficacy of the pain management methods; current health problems other than fibromyalgia. The pain management strategies were subcategorized (e.g., physical exercise, massage and heat treatment). The strategies were also divided into active and passive types. The most frequently reported pain management strategies were physical exercise (54%), physical therapy (32%) and cold treatment (27%). The use of active pain management strategies, BDI IA < 10 points and age were independent predictors of the reported pain management efficacy. Patients who used active pain management strategies reported better efficacy with the BDI IA score ≥ 10 points. Active pain management strategies are most efficacious for fibromyalgia patients, regardless of the severity of fibromyalgia or optional comorbid depression.

Time management strategies in nursing practice.

PubMed

Waterworth, Susan

2003-09-01

With the increasing emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness in health care, how a nurse manages her time is an important consideration. Whilst time management is recognized as an important component of work performance and professional nursing practice, the reality of this process in nursing practice has been subject to scant empirical investigation. To explore how nurses organize and manage their time. A qualitative study was carried out, incorporating narratives (22 nurses), focus groups (24 nurses) and semi-structured interviews (22 nurses). In my role as practitioner researcher I undertook observation and had informal conversations, which provided further data. Study sites were five health care organizations in the United Kingdom during 1995-1999. Time management is complex, with nurses using a range of time management strategies and a repertoire of actions. Two of these strategies, namely routinization and prioritizing, are discussed, including their implications for understanding time management by nurses in clinical practice. Ignoring the influence of 'others', the team and the organization perpetuates a rather individualistic and self-critical perspective of time management. This may lead to a failure to address problems in the organizing of work, and the co-ordinating of care involving other health care workers.

Deployment strategies of managed lanes on arterials.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-02-01

This report investigates issues related to planning, financing, deployment, and operation of managed : lanes on arterials. In this report, a strategy for managed lanes refers to a combination of the managed : lane type, the design and implementation,...

Shared strategies for β-lactam catabolism in the soil microbiome.

PubMed

Crofts, Terence S; Wang, Bin; Spivak, Aaron; Gianoulis, Tara A; Forsberg, Kevin J; Gibson, Molly K; Johnsky, Lauren A; Broomall, Stacey M; Rosenzweig, C Nicole; Skowronski, Evan W; Gibbons, Henry S; Sommer, Morten O A; Dantas, Gautam

2018-06-01

The soil microbiome can produce, resist, or degrade antibiotics and even catabolize them. While resistance genes are widely distributed in the soil, there is a dearth of knowledge concerning antibiotic catabolism. Here we describe a pathway for penicillin catabolism in four isolates. Genomic and transcriptomic sequencing revealed β-lactamase, amidase, and phenylacetic acid catabolon upregulation. Knocking out part of the phenylacetic acid catabolon or an apparent penicillin utilization operon (put) resulted in loss of penicillin catabolism in one isolate. A hydrolase from the put operon was found to degrade in vitro benzylpenicilloic acid, the β-lactamase penicillin product. To test the generality of this strategy, an Escherichia coli strain was engineered to co-express a β-lactamase and a penicillin amidase or the put operon, enabling it to grow using penicillin or benzylpenicilloic acid, respectively. Elucidation of additional pathways may allow bioremediation of antibiotic-contaminated soils and discovery of antibiotic-remodeling enzymes with industrial utility.

Geostatistical approach for management of soil nutrients with special emphasis on different forms of potassium considering their spatial variation in intensive cropping system of West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Sourov; Santra, Priyabrata; Majumdar, Kaushik; Ghosh, Debjani; Das, Indranil; Sanyal, S K

2015-04-01

indicates reserve native K exploitation under intensive cultivation. These maps highlight the necessity of estimating the other soil K fractions as well for better understanding of soil K supplying capacity and K fertilization strategy rather than the current recommendations, based on the plant-available K alone. In conclusion, the present study revealed that the variability of nutrient distribution was a consequence of complex interactions between the cropping system, nutrient application rates, and the native soil characteristics, and such interactions could be utilized to develop the nutrient management strategies for intensive small-holder system.

Significant alteration of soil bacterial communities and organic carbon decomposition by different long-term fertilization management conditions of extremely low-productivity arable soil in South China.

PubMed

Xun, Weibing; Zhao, Jun; Xue, Chao; Zhang, Guishan; Ran, Wei; Wang, Boren; Shen, Qirong; Zhang, Ruifu

2016-06-01

Different fertilization managements of red soil, a kind of Ferralic Cambisol, strongly affected the soil properties and associated microbial communities. The association of the soil microbial community and functionality with long-term fertilization management in the unique low-productivity red soil ecosystem is important for both soil microbial ecology and agricultural production. Here, 454 pyrosequencing analysis of 16S recombinant ribonucleic acid genes and GeoChip4-NimbleGen-based functional gene analysis were used to study the soil bacterial community composition and functional genes involved in soil organic carbon degradation. Long-term nitrogen-containing chemical fertilization-induced soil acidification and fertility decline and significantly altered the soil bacterial community, whereas long-term organic fertilization and fallow management improved the soil quality and maintained the bacterial diversity. Short-term quicklime remediation of the acidified soils did not change the bacterial communities. Organic fertilization and fallow management supported eutrophic ecosystems, in which copiotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher intensity of labile-C-degrading genes. However, long-term nitrogen-containing chemical fertilization treatments supported oligotrophic ecosystems, in which oligotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher intensity of recalcitrant-C-degrading genes but a lower intensity of labile-C-degrading genes. Quicklime application increased the relative abundance of copiotrophic taxa and crop production, although these effects were utterly inadequate. This study provides insights into the interaction of soil bacterial communities, soil functionality and long-term fertilization management in the red soil ecosystem; these insights are important for improving the fertility of unique low-productivity red soil. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Spatial variation in soil properties and diffuse losses between and within grassland fields with similar short-term management.

PubMed

Peukert, S; Griffith, B A; Murray, P J; Macleod, C J A; Brazier, R E

2016-07-01

One of the major challenges for agriculture is to understand the effects of agricultural practices on soil properties and diffuse pollution, to support practical farm-scale land management. Three conventionally managed grassland fields with similar short-term management, but different ploughing histories, were studied on a long-term research platform: the North Wyke Farm Platform. The aims were to (i) quantify the between-field and within-field spatial variation in soil properties by geostatistical analysis, (ii) understand the effects of soil condition (in terms of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon contents) on the quality of discharge water and (iii) establish robust baseline data before the implementation of various grassland management scenarios. Although the fields sampled had experienced the same land use and similar management for at least 6 years, there were differences in their mean soil properties. They showed different patterns of soil spatial variation and different rates of diffuse nutrient losses to water. The oldest permanent pasture field had the largest soil macronutrient concentrations and the greatest diffuse nutrient losses. We show that management histories affect soil properties and diffuse losses. Potential gains in herbage yield or benefits in water quality might be achieved by characterizing every field or by area-specific management within fields (a form of precision agriculture for grasslands). Permanent pasture per se cannot be considered a mitigation measure for diffuse pollution. The between- and within-field soil spatial variation emphasizes the importance of baseline characterization and will enable the reliable identification of any effects of future management change on the Farm Platform. Quantification of soil and water quality in grassland fields with contrasting management histories.Considerable spatial variation in soil properties and diffuse losses between and within fields.Contrasting management histories within and between

Strategies to use phytoextraction in very acidic soil contaminated by heavy metals.

PubMed

Pedron, F; Petruzzelli, G; Barbafieri, M; Tassi, E

2009-05-01

In microcosm experiments, the use of inorganic and organic amendments has been studied as potential agents to reduce heavy metal bioavailability in an acidic soil highly contaminated by Cu, Zn and Ni, that has to be remediated by phytoremediation. The concentrations of heavy metals in the original soil (O-Soil) produced phytotoxic effects with a strong reduction in biomass yield that hinder the utilization of this technology. To overcome phytotoxicity the use of three immobilizing agents was evaluated. The results obtained showed that all the strategies decreased the mobile fractions of heavy metals in soil and increased the metal removal efficiency. In the case of Brassica juncea the best results for Zn and Ni were obtained after zeolites addition (Z-Soil) with an increase of about 6 times with respect to the value found in the O-Soil. In the case of Cu, the more efficient treatment was Ca(OH)(2) addition (Ca-Soil). The B. juncea plants accumulated Cu amounts 8 times greater than in the O-Soil. For this metal, relevant results were obtained also with compost, that increased the amount of Cu in the plants of 7 times with respect to the O-Soil. Similar results were obtained with Helianthus annuus the highest Zn and Ni accumulation was detected in the Z-Soil and compost-treated soils (C-Soil), with an increase of nearly 11 times with respect to the accumulation in the O-Soil. In the case of Cu the highest increase of total uptake was found in the C-Soil: 28 times higher than in the O-Soil. Total accumulation in Poa annua plants showed the highest removal efficiency in the Z-Soil for all metals. The values obtained increased of 4, 11 and 12 times for Cu, Zn and Ni, respectively.

Influence of management practices on microbial nitrogen cyclers in agricultural soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Orenes, Fuensanta; Morugán-Coronado, Alicia; McMillan, Mary; Pereg, Lily

2016-04-01

Agricultural land management has great influences on soil properties, in particular on microbial communities, due to their sensitivity to the perturbations of the soils. This is even more relevant in Mediterranean agricultural areas under semi-arid conditions. The Mediterranean belt is suffering from an intense degradation of its soils due to the millennia of intense land use and due to unsustainable management practices. As a consequence this area is suffering from a depletion of N content. In this work we investigated the effect of several traditional agricultural management practices on specific functional groups related to the nitrogen cycle in the soil. A field experiment was performed with orchard orange trees (citrus sinesis) in Eastern Spain to assess the long-term effects of ploughing with inorganic fertilization (PI) and ecological practices (EP) (chipped pruned branches and weeds as well as manure from sheep and goats) on microbes that can undertake nitrogen fixation and denitrification. Nine samples of soil were taken from every treatment, near the drip irrigation point and in a zone without the influence of drip irrigation (between trees row), and total DNA extracted. DNA samples were stored at minus-20°C to be analysed by qPCR. Microbial populations involved in the N biochemical cycle were analysed by targeted amplification of key functional biomarker genes: the abundance of nifH (nitrogen fixation), nirS, nirK and nosZ (denitrification) detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR) has shown significant differences between treatments with higher abundance of all four genes in soils from ecological agricultural treatments. This may indicate that the ecological treatment created conditions that are more suitable for N cyclers in the soil and a better fertility and quality status of these soils.

Impacts of soil conditioners and water table management on phosphorus loss in tile drainage from a clay loam soil.

PubMed

Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Zheng, Z M; Welacky, T W; Reynolds, W D

2015-03-01

Adoption of waste-derived soil conditioners and refined water management can improve soil physical quality and crop productivity of fine-textured soils. However, the impacts of these practices on water quality must be assessed to ensure environmental sustainability. We conducted a study to determine phosphorus (P) loss in tile drainage as affected by two types of soil conditioners (yard waste compost and swine manure compost) and water table management (free drainage and controlled drainage with subirrigation) in a clay loam soil under corn-soybean rotation in a 4-yr period from 1999 to 2003. Tile drainage flows were monitored and sampled on a year-round continuous basis using on-site auto-sampling systems. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved reactive P (DRP), particulate P (PP), and total P (TP). Substantially greater concentrations and losses of DRP, PP, and TP occurred with swine manure compost than with control and yard waste compost regardless of water table management. Compared with free drainage, controlled drainage with subirrigation was an effective way to reduce annual and cumulative losses of DRP, PP, and TP in tile drainage through reductions in flow volume and P concentration with control and yard waste compost but not with swine manure compost. Both DRP and TP concentrations in tile drainage were well above the water quality guideline for P, affirming that subsurface loss of P from fine-textured soils can be one critical source for freshwater eutrophication. Swine manure compost applied as a soil conditioner must be optimized by taking water quality impacts into consideration. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

The Changing Career Strategies of Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Tony; Davies, Goronwy

1999-01-01

Faced with reduced employment security, managers are redefining careers to include work/personal life balance. Changes in any area can cause revision of career strategies. Depending on how they define careers, managers recognize career development as an individual, not an organizational, responsibility. (SK)

Corn Yield and Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission under Different Fertilizer and Soil Management: A Three-Year Field Experiment in Middle Tennessee.

PubMed

Deng, Qi; Hui, Dafeng; Wang, Junming; Iwuozo, Stephen; Yu, Chih-Li; Jima, Tigist; Smart, David; Reddy, Chandra; Dennis, Sam

2015-01-01

A three-year field experiment was conducted to examine the responses of corn yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission to various management practices in middle Tennessee. The management practices include no-tillage + regular applications of urea ammonium nitrate (NT-URAN); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + denitrification inhibitor (NT-inhibitor); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + biochar (NT-biochar); no-tillage + 20% applications of URAN + chicken litter (NT-litter), no-tillage + split applications of URAN (NT-split); and conventional tillage + regular applications of URAN as a control (CT-URAN). Fertilizer equivalent to 217 kg N ha(-1) was applied to each of the experimental plots. Results showed that no-tillage (NT-URAN) significantly increased corn yield by 28% over the conventional tillage (CT-URAN) due to soil water conservation. The management practices significantly altered soil N2O emission, with the highest in the CT-URAN (0.48 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) and the lowest in the NT-inhibitor (0.20 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) and NT-biochar (0.16 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) treatments. Significant exponential relationships between soil N2O emission and water filled pore space were revealed in all treatments. However, variations in soil N2O emission among the treatments were positively correlated with the moisture sensitivity of soil N2O emission that likely reflects an interactive effect between soil properties and WFPS. Our results indicated that improved fertilizer and soil management have the potential to maintain highly productive corn yield while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Corn Yield and Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission under Different Fertilizer and Soil Management: A Three-Year Field Experiment in Middle Tennessee

PubMed Central

Deng, Qi; Hui, Dafeng; Wang, Junming; Iwuozo, Stephen; Yu, Chih-Li; Jima, Tigist; Smart, David; Reddy, Chandra; Dennis, Sam

2015-01-01

Background A three-year field experiment was conducted to examine the responses of corn yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission to various management practices in middle Tennessee. Methodology/Principal Findings The management practices include no-tillage + regular applications of urea ammonium nitrate (NT-URAN); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + denitrification inhibitor (NT-inhibitor); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + biochar (NT-biochar); no-tillage + 20% applications of URAN + chicken litter (NT-litter), no-tillage + split applications of URAN (NT-split); and conventional tillage + regular applications of URAN as a control (CT-URAN). Fertilizer equivalent to 217 kg N ha-1 was applied to each of the experimental plots. Results showed that no-tillage (NT-URAN) significantly increased corn yield by 28% over the conventional tillage (CT-URAN) due to soil water conservation. The management practices significantly altered soil N2O emission, with the highest in the CT-URAN (0.48 mg N2O m-2 h-1) and the lowest in the NT-inhibitor (0.20 mg N2O m-2 h-1) and NT-biochar (0.16 mg N2O m-2 h-1) treatments. Significant exponential relationships between soil N2O emission and water filled pore space were revealed in all treatments. However, variations in soil N2O emission among the treatments were positively correlated with the moisture sensitivity of soil N2O emission that likely reflects an interactive effect between soil properties and WFPS. Conclusion/Significance Our results indicated that improved fertilizer and soil management have the potential to maintain highly productive corn yield while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. PMID:25923716

Effects of conventional and no-tillage soil management and compost and sludge amendment on soil CO2 fluxes and microbial activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Gil, Juan Carlos; Haller, Isabel; Soler-Rovira, Pedro; Polo, Alfredo

2010-05-01

Soil management exerts a significant influence on the dynamic of soil organic matter, which is a key issue to enhance soil quality and its ecological functions, but also affects to greenhouse gas emissions and C sequestration processes. The objective of the present research was to determine the influence of soil management (conventional deep-tillage and no-tillage) and the application of two different organic amendment -thermally-dry sewage sludge (TSL) and municipal waste compost (MWC)- on soil CO2 fluxes and microbial activities in a long-term field experiment under semi-arid conditions. Both organic amendments were applied at a rate of 30 t ha-1 prior to sowing a barley crop. The experiment was conducted on an agricultural soil (Calcic Luvisol) from the experimental farm "La Higueruela" (Santa Olalla, Toledo). Unamended soils were used as control in both conventional and no-tillage management. During the course of the experiment, soil CO2 fluxes, microbial biomass C (MBC) and enzyme activities involved in the biogeochemical cycles of C, N and P were monitored during 12 months. The results obtained during the experiment for soil CO2 fluxes showed a great seasonal fluctuation due to semi-arid climate conditions. Overall, conventional deep-tillage soils exhibited higher CO2 fluxes, which was particularly larger during the first hours after deep-tillage was performed, and smaller MBC content and significantly lower dehydrogenase, beta-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease and BAA protease activities than no-tillage soils. Both MWC and TSL amendments provoked a significant increase of CO2 fluxes in both conventional and no-tillage soils, which was larger in TSL amended soils and particularly in no-tillage soils. The application of these organic amendments also enhanced MBC content and the overall enzyme activities in amended soils, which indicate a global revitalization of soil microbial metabolism in response to the fresh input of organic compounds that are energy

Effects of 10-Year Management Regimes on the Soil Seed Bank in Saline-Alkaline Grassland

PubMed Central

Ma, Hongyuan; Yang, Haoyu; Liang, Zhengwei; Ooi, Mark K. J.

2015-01-01

Background Management regimes for vegetation restoration of degraded grasslands can significantly affect the process of ecological succession. However, few studies have focused on variation in the soil seed bank during vegetation restoration under different management regimes, especially in saline-alkaline grassland habitats. Our aim was to provide insights into the ecological effects of grassland management regimes on soil seed bank composition and vegetation establishment in mown, fenced, transplanted and natural grassland sites, all dominated by the perennial rhizomatous grass Leymus chinensis. Methodology We studied species composition and diversity in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation in differently managed grasslands in Northeast China. An NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) was used to evaluate the relationship between species composition, soil seed banks, aboveground vegetation and soil properties. Principal Findings Fenced and mown grassland sites had high density and species richness in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation. The Transplanted treatment exhibited the highest vegetation growth and seed production of the target species L. chinensis. Seeds of L. chinensis in the soil occurred only in transplanted and natural grassland. Based on the NMDS analysis, the number of species in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation were significantly related to soil Na+, Cl-, RSC (residual sodium carbonate), alkalinity, ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) and AP (available phosphorus). Conclusions Soil seed bank composition and diversity in the saline-alkaline grassland were significantly affected by the management regimes implemented, and were also significantly related to the aboveground vegetation and several soil properties. Based on vegetative growth, reproductive output and maintenance of soil seed bank, the transplanting was identified as the most effective method for relatively rapid restoration of the target

Effects of 10-year management regimes on the soil seed bank in saline-alkaline grassland.

PubMed

Ma, Hongyuan; Yang, Haoyu; Liang, Zhengwei; Ooi, Mark K J

2015-01-01

Management regimes for vegetation restoration of degraded grasslands can significantly affect the process of ecological succession. However, few studies have focused on variation in the soil seed bank during vegetation restoration under different management regimes, especially in saline-alkaline grassland habitats. Our aim was to provide insights into the ecological effects of grassland management regimes on soil seed bank composition and vegetation establishment in mown, fenced, transplanted and natural grassland sites, all dominated by the perennial rhizomatous grass Leymus chinensis. We studied species composition and diversity in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation in differently managed grasslands in Northeast China. An NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) was used to evaluate the relationship between species composition, soil seed banks, aboveground vegetation and soil properties. Fenced and mown grassland sites had high density and species richness in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation. The Transplanted treatment exhibited the highest vegetation growth and seed production of the target species L. chinensis. Seeds of L. chinensis in the soil occurred only in transplanted and natural grassland. Based on the NMDS analysis, the number of species in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation were significantly related to soil Na+, Cl-, RSC (residual sodium carbonate), alkalinity, ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) and AP (available phosphorus). Soil seed bank composition and diversity in the saline-alkaline grassland were significantly affected by the management regimes implemented, and were also significantly related to the aboveground vegetation and several soil properties. Based on vegetative growth, reproductive output and maintenance of soil seed bank, the transplanting was identified as the most effective method for relatively rapid restoration of the target species L. chinensis. This approach could be

Effectiveness of alternative management strategies in meeting conservation objectives

Treesearch

Richards S. Holthausen; Carolyn Hull Sieg

2007-01-01

This chapter evaluates how well various management strategies meet a variety of conservation objectives, summarizes their effectiveness in meeting objectives for rare or little-known (RLK) species, and proposes ways to combine strategies to meet overall conservation objectives. We address two broad categories of management strategies. Species approaches result in...

Dual-Bioaugmentation Strategy To Enhance Remediation of Cocontaminated Soil

PubMed Central

Roane, T. M.; Josephson, K. L.; Pepper, I. L.

2001-01-01

Although metals are thought to inhibit the ability of microorganisms to degrade organic pollutants, several microbial mechanisms of resistance to metal are known to exist. This study examined the potential of cadmium-resistant microorganisms to reduce soluble cadmium levels to enhance degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under conditions of cocontamination. Four cadmium-resistant soil microorganisms were examined in this study. Resistant up to a cadmium concentration of 275 μg ml−1, these isolates represented the common soil genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. Isolates Pseudomonas sp. strain H1 and Bacillus sp. strain H9 had a plasmid-dependent intracellular mechanism of cadmium detoxification, reducing soluble cadmium levels by 36%. Isolates Arthrobacter strain D9 and Pseudomonas strain I1a both produced an extracellular polymer layer that bound and reduced soluble cadmium levels by 22 and 11%, respectively. Although none of the cadmium-resistant isolates could degrade 2,4-D, results of dual-bioaugmentation studies conducted with both pure culture and laboratory soil microcosms showed that each of four cadmium-resistant isolates supported the degradation of 500-μg ml−1 2,4-D by the cadmium-sensitive 2,4-D degrader Ralstonia eutropha JMP134. Degradation occurred in the presence of up to 24 μg of cadmium ml−1 in pure culture and up to 60 μg of cadmium g−1 in amended soil microcosms. In a pilot field study conducted with 5-gallon soil bioreactors, the dual-bioaugmentation strategy was again evaluated. Here, the cadmium-resistant isolate Pseudomonas strain H1 enhanced degradation of 2,4-D in reactors inoculated with R. eutropha JMP134 in the presence of 60 μg of cadmium g−1. Overall, dual bioaugmentation appears to be a viable approach in the remediation of cocontaminated soils. PMID:11425743

Using Multispectral and Elevation Data to Predict Soil Properties for a Better Management of Fertilizers at Field Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drouin, Ariane; Michaud, Aubert; Sylvain, Jean-Daniel; N'Dayegamiye, Adrien; Gasser, Marc-Olivier; Nolin, Michel; Perron, Isabelle; Grenon, Lucie; Beaudin, Isabelle; Desjardins, Jacques; Côté, Noémi

2013-04-01

This project aims at developing and validating an operational integrated management and localized approach at field scale using remote sensing data. It is realized in order to support the competitiveness of agricultural businesses, to ensure soil productivity in the long term and prevent diffuse contamination of surface waters. Our intention is to help agrienvironmental advisors and farmers in the consideration of spatial variability of soil properties in the management of fields. The proposed approach of soil properties recognition is based on the combination of elevation data and multispectral satellite imagery (Landsat) within statistical models. The method is based on the use of the largest possible number of satellite images to cover the widest range of soil moisture variability. Several spectral indices are calculated for each image (normalized brightness index, soil color index, organic matter index, etc.). The assignation of soils is based on a calibration procedure making use of the spatial soil database available in Canada. It includes soil profile point data associated to a database containing the information collected in the field. Three soil properties are predicted and mapped: A horizon texture, B horizon texture and drainage class. All the spectral indices, elevation data and soil data are combined in a discriminant analysis that produces discriminant functions. These are then used to produce maps of soil properties. In addition, from mapping soil properties, management zones are delineated within the field. The delineation of management zones with relatively similar soil properties is created to enable farmers to manage their fertilizers by taking greater account of their soils. This localized or precision management aims to adjust the application of fertilizer according to the real needs of soils and to reduce costs for farmers and the exports of nutrients to the stream. Mapping of soil properties will be validated in three agricultural regions in

An instrument design and sample strategy for measuring soil respiration in the coastal temperate rain forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nay, S. M.; D'Amore, D. V.

2009-12-01

The coastal temperate rainforest (CTR) along the northwest coast of North America is a large and complex mosaic of forests and wetlands located on an undulating terrain ranging from sea level to thousands of meters in elevation. This biome stores a dynamic portion of the total carbon stock of North America. The fate of the terrestrial carbon stock is of concern due to the potential for mobilization and export of this store to both the atmosphere as carbon respiration flux and ocean as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon flux. Soil respiration is the largest export vector in the system and must be accurately measured to gain any comprehensive understanding of how carbon moves though this system. Suitable monitoring tools capable of measuring carbon fluxes at small spatial scales are essential for our understanding of carbon dynamics at larger spatial scales within this complex assemblage of ecosystems. We have adapted instrumentation and developed a sampling strategy for optimizing replication of soil respiration measurements to quantify differences among spatially complex landscape units of the CTR. We start with the design of the instrument to ease the technological, ergonomic and financial barriers that technicians encounter in monitoring the efflux of CO2 from the soil. Our sampling strategy optimizes the physical efforts of the field work and manages for the high variation of flux measurements encountered in this difficult environment of rough terrain, dense vegetation and wet climate. Our soil respirometer incorporates an infra-red gas analyzer (LiCor Inc. LI-820) and an 8300 cm3 soil respiration chamber; the device is durable, lightweight, easy to operate and can be built for under $5000 per unit. The modest unit price allows for a multiple unit fleet to be deployed and operated in an intensive field monitoring campaign. We use a large 346 cm2 collar to accommodate as much micro spatial variation as feasible and to facilitate repeated measures for tracking

Strategies in disability management. Corporate disability management programs implemented at the work site.

PubMed

Kalina, C M

1999-10-30

Managers are challenged to demonstrate all programs as economically essential to the business, generating an appreciable return on investment. Further challenge exists to blend and integrate clinical and business objectives in program development. Disability management programs must be viewed as economically essential to the financial success of the business to assure management support for clinical interventions and return-to-work strategies essential for a successful program. This paper discusses a disability management program integrating clinical and business goals and objectives in return-to-work strategies to effect positive clinical, social-cultural, and business results. Clinical, educational, social, and economic challenges in the development, implementation, and continued management of a disability program at a large corporation with multiple global work sites are defined. Continued discussion addresses the effective clinical interventions and educational strategies utilized successfully within the workplace environment in response to each defined challenge. A multiple disciplinary team approach, clinical and business outcome measures, and quality assurance indicators are discussed as major program components. This article discusses a successful program approach focusing on business process and methodology. These parameters are used to link resources to strategy, developing a product for implementing and managing a program demonstrating economic value added through effective clinical medical case management.

Climate change, variability and extreme events : risk assessment and management strategies in a Peach cultivated area in Italy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfieri, Silvia Maria; De Lorenzi, Francesca; Basile, Angelo; Bonfante, Antonello; Missere, Daniele; Menenti, Massimo

2014-05-01

thermal hazard and vulnerability in sensitive phenological stages. Cultivar-specific yield response functions to water availability were used to assess the reduction of yield for a determinate management option. Downscaled climate scenarios have been used to calculate indicators of soil water availability and thermal times and to evaluate the variability of crop phenology in combination with critical temperatures. Two climate scenarios were considered: reference (1961-90) and future (2021-2050) climate, the former from climatic statistics on observed variables, and the latter from statistical downscaling of general circulation models (AOGCM). Management options were defined by combinations of irrigation strategies (optimal, rainfed and deficit) with use of alternate varieties. As regards hydrologic conditions, risk assessment has been done at landscape scale in all soil units within each study area. The mechanistic model SWAP (Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant model) of water flow in the soil-plant-atmosphere system was used to describe the hydrological conditions in response to climate and irrigation. Different farm management options were evaluated. In a moderate water shortage scenario, deficit irrigation was an effective strategy to cope with climate change risks. In a severe water shortage scenario, the study showed the potentiality of intra-specific biodiversity to reduce risk of yield losses, although costs should be evaluated against the benefits of each specific management option. The work was carried out within the Italian national project AGROSCENARI funded by the Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forest Policies (MIPAAF, D.M. 8608/7303/2008)

Use of 137Cs measurements to estimate changes in soil erosion rates associated with changes in soil management practices on cultivated land.

PubMed

Schuller, P; Walling, D E; Sepúlveda, A; Trumper, R E; Rouanet, J L; Pino, I; Castillo, A

2004-05-01

Intensification of agricultural production in south-central Chile since the 1970s has caused problems of increased soil erosion and associated soil degradation. These problems have prompted a shift from conventional tillage to no-till management practices. Faced with the need to establish the impact of this shift in soil management on rates of soil loss, the use of caesium-137 (137Cs) measurements has been explored. A novel procedure for using measurements of the 137Cs depth distribution to estimate rates of soil loss at a sampling point under the original conventional tillage and after the shift to no-till management has been developed. This procedure has been successfully applied to a study site at Buenos Aires farm near Carahue in the 9th region of Chile. The results obtained indicate that the shift from conventional tillage to no-till management has caused net rates of soil loss to decrease to about 40% of those existing under conventional tillage. This assessment of the impact of introducing no-till management at the study site must, however, be seen as provisional, since only a limited number of sampling points were used. A simplified procedure aimed at documenting the reduction in erosion rates at additional sampling points, based solely on measurements of the 137Cs inventory of bulk cores and the 137Cs activity in the upper part of the soil has been developed and successfully tested at the study site. Previous application of 137Cs measurements to estimate erosion rates has been limited to estimation of medium-term erosion rates during the period extending from the beginning of fallout receipt to the time of sampling. The procedures described in this paper, which permits estimation of the change in erosion rates associated with a shift in land management practices, must be seen as representing a novel application of 137Cs measurements in soil erosion investigations.

Strategies to address management challenges in larger intensive care units.

PubMed

Matlakala, M C; Bezuidenhout, M C; Botha, A D H

2015-10-01

To illustrate the need for and suggest strategies that will enhance sustainable management of a large intensive care unit (ICU). The challenges faced by intensive care nursing in South Africa are well documented. However, there appear to be no strategies available to assist nurses to manage large ICUs or for ICU managers to deal with problems as they arise. Data sources to illustrate the need for strategies were challenges described by ICU managers in the management of large ICUs. A purposive sample of managers was included in individual interviews during compilation of evidence regarding the challenges experienced in the management of large ICUs. The challenges were presented at the Critical Care Society of Southern Africa Congress held on 28 August to 2 September 2012 in Sun City North-West province, South Africa. Five strategies are suggested for the challenges identified: divide the units into sections; develop a highly skilled and effective nursing workforce to ensure delivery of quality nursing care; create a culture to retain an effective ICU nursing team; manage assets; and determine the needs of ICU nurses. ICUs need measures to drive the desired strategies into actions to continuously improve the management of the unit. Future research should be aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the strategies identified. This research highlights issues relating to large ICUs and the strategies will assist ICU managers to deal with problems related to large unit sizes, shortage of trained ICU nurses, use of agency nurses, shortage of equipment and supplies and stressors in the ICU. The article will make a contribution to the body of nursing literature on management of ICUs. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Brush management effects on soil carbon sequestration in sagebrush-dominated rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scientific information regarding soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in western rangelands, especially those with a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) component and in lower rainfall areas (<350 mm), remains a major knowledge gap in understanding the effects of land management. We sampled soils from two...

Soils are sensitive reactors - do we need a paradigm change towards a more sustainable soil use?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Rainer; Holthusen, Dörthe

2015-04-01

The aim of the lecture is to clarify the effect of soil management and the consequences of physical degradation on processes like soil aggregation and changes in the accessibility and functionality of structured soils. If due to soil management strategies the internal soil strength will be exceeded by external stresses applied not only the available pore space is reduced while the solid mass is increased but especially the pore continuity and the accessibility of exchange places for nutrients or heavy metals are altered. In addition, the root distribution in soils becomes not only reduced but also unevenly distributed which again hinders the possibility to evenly uptake plant available water and nutrient out of the pores. The applied stresses also create an anisotropic arrangement of the pores and their functions and also result in a more pronounced lateral mass transport by surface runoff including soil erosion by water and wind. Thus, also the water balance on all scales (from the pedon to the catchment) shows an increased water loss by evaporation and surface water while the groundwater recharge and the transpiration rates are reduced. If we analyze the scale dependency of nutrient adsorption and desorption phenomena it has to be stated, that the accessibility of exchange places within soil aggregates are the better the more structured and the more rigid these aggregates are, while with increasing mechanical stress applied aggregates are deformed and as a consequences they become less porous with a severe differentiation between the outer and the inner part of the aggregate volume. On the bulk soil scale, we can analyze the platy structure as a visible hint for anthropogenic soil degradation which affects amongst others also the ion exchange processes. Furthermore an uneven aeration within such degraded soils results in a very pronounced anoxia on all scales (from the aggregate to the hectare scale) which can be quantified not only by corresponding measurements

Soil tillage conservation and its effect on erosion control, water management and carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, T.; Gus, P.; Bogdan, I.; Moraru, P.; Pop, A.; Clapa, D.; Pop, L.

2009-04-01

The energetic function of the soil expressed through the potential energy accumulated through humus, the biogeochemical function (the circuit of the nutrient elements) are significantly influenced by its hydrophysical function and especially by the state of the bedding- consolidation, soil capacity of retaining an optimal quantity of water, and then its gradual disponibility for plant consumption. The understanding of soil functions and management including nutrient production, stocking, filtering and transforming minerals, water , organic matter, gas circuit and furnishing breeding material, all make the basis of human activity, Earth's past, present and especially future. The minimum tillage soil systems - paraplow, chisel or rotary grape - are polyvalent alternatives for basic preparation, germination bed preparation and sowing, for fields and crops with moderate loose requirements being optimized technologies for: soil natural fertility activation and rationalization, reduction of erosion, increasing the accumulation capacity for water and realization of sowing in the optimal period. By continuously applying for 10 years the minimum tillage system in a crop rotation: corn - soy-bean - wheat - potato / rape, an improvement in physical, hydro-physical and biological properties of soil was observed, together with the rebuilt of structure and increase of water permeability of soil. The minimum tillage systems ensure an adequate aerial-hydrical regime for the biological activity intensity and for the nutrients solubility equilibrium. The vegetal material remaining at the soil surface or superficially incorporated has its contribution to intensifying the biological activity, being an important resource of organic matter. The minimum tillage systems rebuild the soil structure, improving the global drainage of soil which allows a rapid infiltration of water in soil. The result is a more productive soil, better protected against wind and water erosion and needing less

Soil bioindicators as a usefull tools for land management and spatial planning processes: a case-study of prioritization of contaminated soil remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grand, Cécile; Pauget, Benjamin; Villenave, Cécile; Le Guédard, Marina; Piron, Denis; Nau, Jean-François; Pérès, Guénola

2017-04-01

When setting up new land management, contaminated site remediation or soil use change are sometimes necessary to ensure soil quality and the restoration of the ecosystem services. The biological characterization of the soil can be used as complementary information to chemical data in order to better define the conditions for operating. Then, in the context of urban areas, elements on the soil biological quality can be taken into consideration to guide the land development. To assess this "biological state of soil health", some biological tools, called bioindicators, could provide comprehensive information to understand and predict the functioning of the soil ecosystem. In this context, a city of 200 thousand inhabitants has decided to integrate soil bioindicators in their soil diagnostic for their soil urban management. This city had to elaborate a spatial soil management in urban areas which presented soil contamination linked to a complex industrial history associated with bad uses of gardens not always safe for the environment. The project will lead to establish a Natural Urban Park (PNU) in order to develop recreational and leisure activities in a quality environment. In order to complete the knowledge of soil contamination and to assess the transfer of contaminants to the terrestrial ecosystem, a biological characterization of soils located in different areas was carried out using six bioindicators: bioindicators of accumulation which allowed to evaluate the transfers of soil contaminants towards the first 2 steps of a trophic chain (plants and soil fauna, e.g. snails), bioindicators of effects (Omega 3 index was used to assess the effects of soil contamination and to measure their impact on plants), bioindicators of soil functioning (measurement of microbial biomass, nematodes and earthworm community) ; the interest of these last bioindicators is that they also act on the functioning of ecosystems as on the dynamics of organic matter (mineralization) but also

Vineyard soil bacterial diversity and composition revealed by 16S rRNA genes: Differentiation by vineyard management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Here, we demonstrate how vineyard management practices influence shifts in soil resources, which in turn affects shifts in soil-borne bacterial communities. The objective is to determine the hierarchical effects of management practices, soil attributes and location factors on the structure of soil-b...

Assessing Fishers' Support of Striped Bass Management Strategies.

PubMed

Murphy, Robert D; Scyphers, Steven B; Grabowski, Jonathan H

2015-01-01

Incorporating the perspectives and insights of stakeholders is an essential component of ecosystem-based fisheries management, such that policy strategies should account for the diverse interests of various groups of anglers to enhance their efficacy. Here we assessed fishing stakeholders' perceptions on the management of Atlantic striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and receptiveness to potential future regulations using an online survey of recreational and commercial fishers in Massachusetts and Connecticut (USA). Our results indicate that most fishers harbored adequate to positive perceptions of current striped bass management policies when asked to grade their state's management regime. Yet, subtle differences in perceptions existed between recreational and commercial fishers, as well as across individuals with differing levels of fishing experience, resource dependency, and tournament participation. Recreational fishers in both states were generally supportive or neutral towards potential management actions including slot limits (71%) and mandated circle hooks to reduce mortality of released fish (74%), but less supportive of reduced recreational bag limits (51%). Although commercial anglers were typically less supportive of management changes than their recreational counterparts, the majority were still supportive of slot limits (54%) and mandated use of circle hooks (56%). Our study suggests that both recreational and commercial fishers are generally supportive of additional management strategies aimed at sustaining healthy striped bass populations and agree on a variety of strategies. However, both stakeholder groups were less supportive of harvest reductions, which is the most direct measure of reducing mortality available to fisheries managers. By revealing factors that influence stakeholders' support or willingness to comply with management strategies, studies such as ours can help managers identify potential stakeholder support for or conflicts that may

Soil water sensing: Implications of sensor capabilities for variable rate irrigation management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigation scheduling using soil water sensors aims at maintaining the soil water content in the crop root zone above a lower limit defined by the management allowed depletion (MAD) for that soil and crop, but not so wet that too much water is lost to deep percolation, evaporation and runoff or that...

COMPACT: The role of soil management in mitigating catchment flood risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattison, Ian; Coates, Victoria; Frost, Matthew; Demirci, Emrah

2017-04-01

This paper reports a new NERC funded research project which addresses the impact of agricultural soil compaction on surface runoff and catchment scale flood risk. The intensification of agriculture, through increasing the number of animals in pasture, and the use of larger, heavier machinery for arable farming, over the past 50 years or so is hypothesised to have had an impact on the severity and frequency of flooding. These land management practices cause soil compaction, which reduces the rate of rainfall infiltration and the volume of water that can be stored within the sub-surface. This results in more rainfall being partitioned into the faster surface runoff pathway into rivers and potentially causing flooding downstream. However, the level of soil compaction is highly heterogeneous over space and time. This is because different animals i.e. cattle, sheep and horses, exert different loads on the soil and are kept at different densities. Furthermore, farm animals are known to exhibit behaviour whereby certain parts of the field are moved over more frequently than others. The same is the case in arable farming practices, whereby ploughing forms tramlines or wheelings, which are more compacted. Different forms of management practice ranging from zero-tillage to conventional cultivation exert different pressures on the soil at different times of year. However, very little is known about this variability of soil compaction levels at the sub-field level and land under different management practices. This research aims to quantify this sub-field variation in compaction severity and depths through using novel Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Animal tracking GPS technology. Combining these with more conventional soil property tests, including bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity and using a penetrometer will allow relationships with frequency of load to be developed over different spatial and temporal scales. Furthermore, X-Ray CT scanning will reveal the

The effect of organic amendments on microbial nitrogen cycling in orchard soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil microorganisms have the potential to dramatically alter the nitrogen (N) availability in agricultural systems. It is unclear whether manipulation of microbes to enhance soil N availability and increase agricultural efficiency is possible. Ideally, a management strategy would maximize the amount...

Water withdrawal in deep soil layers: a key strategy to cope with drought in tropical eucalypt plantations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christina, M.; Laclau, J.; Nouvellon, Y.; Duursma, R. A.; Stape, J. L.; Lambais, G. R.; Le Maire, G.

2013-12-01

Little is known about the role of very deep roots to supply the water requirements of tropical forests. Clonal Eucalyptus plantations managed in short rotation on very deep Ferralsols are simple forest ecosystems (only 1 plant genotype growing on a relatively homogeneous soil) likely to provide an insight into tree water use strategies in tropical forests. Fine roots have been observed down to a depth of 6 m at age 1 year in Brazilian eucalypt plantations. However, the contribution of water stored in very deep soil layers to stand evapotranspiration over tree growth has been poorly quantified. An eco-physiological model, MAESPA, has been used to simulate half-hourly stand water balance over the first three years of growth in a clonal Eucalyptus grandis plantation in southern Brazil (Eucflux project, State of São Paulo). The water balance model in MAESPA is an equilibrium-type model between soil and leaf water potentials for individual trees aboveground, and at the stand scale belowground. The dynamics of the vertical fine root distribution have been taken into account empirically from linear interpolations between successive measurements. The simulations were compared to time series of soil water contents measured every meter down to 10m deep and to daily latent heat fluxes measured by eddy covariance. Simulations of volumetric soil water contents matched satisfactorily with measurements (RMSE = 0.01) over the three-year period. Good agreement was also observed between simulated and measured latent heat fluxes. In the rainy season, more than 75 % of tree transpiration was supplied by water withdrawn in the upper 1 m of soil, but water uptake progressed to deeper soil layers during dry periods, down to a depth of 6 m, 12 m and 15 m the first, second and third year after planting, respectively. During the second growing season, 15% of water was withdrawn below a depth of 6 m, and 5% below 10m. Most of the soil down to 12m deep was dried out the second year after

Microbiological and faunal soil attributes of coffee cultivation under different management systems in Brazil.

PubMed

Lammel, D R; Azevedo, L C B; Paula, A M; Armas, R D; Baretta, D; Cardoso, E J B N

2015-11-01

Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world and different plantation management systems have been applied to improve sustainability and soil quality. Little is known about the environmental effects of these different management systems, therefore, the goal of this study was to use soil biological parameters as indicators of changes. Soils from plantations in Southeastern Brazil with conventional (CC), organic (OC) and integrated management systems containing intercropping of Brachiaria decumbens (IB) or Arachis pintoi (IA) were sampled. Total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), microbial activity (C-CO2), metabolic quotient (qCO2), the enzymes dehydrogenase, urease, acid phosphatase and arylsulphatase, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization and number of spores and soil fauna were evaluated. The greatest difference between the management systems was seen in soil organic matter content. The largest quantity of TOC was found in the OC, and the smallest was found in IA. TOC content influenced soil biological parameters. The use of all combined attributes was necessary to distinguish the four systems. Each management presented distinct faunal structure, and the data obtained with the trap method was more reliable than the TSBF (Tropical Soils) method. A canonic correlation analysis showed that Isopoda was correlated with TOC and the most abundant order with OC. Isoptera was the most abundant faunal order in IA and correlated with MBC. Overall, OC had higher values for most of the biological measurements and higher populations of Oligochaeta and Isopoda, corroborating with the concept that the OC is a more sustainable system.

Wind erosion reduces soil organic carbon sequestration falsely indicating ineffective management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chappell, Adrian; Baldock, Jeffrey A.

2016-09-01

Improved management of agricultural land has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce atmospheric CO2 via soil carbon sequestration. However, SOC stocks are reduced by soil erosion which is commonly omitted from calculations of crop production, C cycling, C sequestration and C accounting. We used fields from the wind eroded dryland cropping region of Western Australia to demonstrate the global implications for C sequestration and C accounting of omitting soil erosion. For the fields we previously estimated mean net (1950s-1990) soil erosion of 1.2 ± 1.0 t ha-1 y-1. The mean net (1990-2013) soil erosion increased by nearly four times to 4.4 ± 2.1 t ha-1 y-1. Conservation agriculture has evidently not reduced wind erosion in this region. The mean net (1990-2013) SOC erosion was up to 0.2 t C ha-1 y-1 across all sampled fields and similar to measured sequestration rates in the region (up to 0.5 t C ha-1 y-1; 10 years) for many management practices recommended for building SOC stocks. The minimum detectable change (MDC; 10 years) of SOC without erosion was up to 0.2 t C ha-1 y-1 whilst the MDC of SOC with erosion was up to 0.4 t C ha-1 y-1. These results illustrate the generally applicable outcome: (i) if SOC erosion is equal to (or greater than) the increase in SOC due to management practices, the change will not be detectable (or a loss will be evident); (ii) without including soil erosion in SOC sequestration calculations, the monitoring of SOC stocks will lead to, at best the inability to detect change and, at worst the false impression that management practices have failed to store SOC. Furthermore, continued omission of soil erosion in crop production, C accounting and C sequestration will most likely undermine confidence in policy designed to encourage adoption of C farming and the attendant benefits for soil stewardship and food security.

Soil Fertility Evaluation and Land Management of Dryland Farming at Tegallalang Sub-District, Gianyar Regency, Bali, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sardiana, I. K.; Susila, D.; Supadma, A. A.; Saifulloh, M.

2017-12-01

The landuse of Tegallalang Subdistrict is dominated by dryland farming. The practice of cultivation on agricultural dryland that ignores the carrying capacity of the environment can lead to land degradation that makes the land vulnerable to the deterioration of soil fertility. Soil fertility evaluation and land management of dryland farming in Tegallalang Sub-district, Gianyar Regency were aimed at (1) identifying the soil fertility and it’s respective limiting factors, (2) mapping the soil fertility using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and (3) developing land management for dryland farming in Tegallalang Sub-district. This research implementing explora-tory method which followed by laboratory analysis. Soil samples were taken on each homogene-ous land units which developed by overlay of slope, soil type, and land use maps. The following soil fertility were measured, such as CEC, base saturation, P2O5, K- Total and C-Organic. The values of soil fertility were mapping using QGIS 2.18.7 and refer to land management evaluation. The results showed that the soil fertility in the research area considered high, and low level. The High soil fertility presents on land units at the flat to undulating slope with different land management systems (fertilizer, without fertilizer, soil tillage and without soil tillage). The low soil fertility includes land units that present on steep slope, and without land managements. The limiting factors of soil fertility were texture, C-Organic, CEC, P2O5, and K- total. It was recommended to applying organic fertilizer, Phonska, and dolomite on the farming area.

Clinicians in management: a qualitative study of managers' use of influence strategies in hospitals.

PubMed

Spehar, Ivan; Frich, Jan C; Kjekshus, Lars Erik

2014-06-13

Combining a professional and managerial role can be challenging for doctors and nurses. We aimed to explore influence strategies used by doctors and nurses who are managers in hospitals with a model of unitary and profession neutral management at all levels. We did a study based on data from interviews and observations of 30 managers with a clinical background in Norwegian hospitals. Managers with a nursing background argued that medical doctors could more easily gain support for their views. Nurses reported deliberately not disclosing their professional background, and could use a doctor as their agent to achieve a strategic advantage. Doctors believed that they had to use their power as experts to influence peers. Doctors attempted to be medical role models, while nurses spoke of being a role model in more general terms. Managers who were not able to influence the system directly found informal workarounds. We did not identify horizontal strategies in the observations and accounts given by the managers in our study. Managers' professional background may be both a resource and constraint, and also determine the influence strategies they use. Professional roles and influence strategies should be a theme in leadership development programs for health professionals.

Diversity and feeding strategies of soil microfauna along elevation gradients in Himalayan cold deserts

PubMed Central

Háněl, Ladislav; Řeháková, Klára; Doležal, Jiří

2017-01-01

High-elevation cold deserts in Tibet and Himalaya are one of the most extreme environments. One consequence is that the diversity of macrofauna in this environment is often limited, and soil microorganisms have a more influential role in governing key surface and subsurface bioprocesses. High-elevation soil microfauna represent important components of cold ecosystems and dominant consumers of microbial communities. Still little is known about their diversity and distribution on the edge of their reproductive and metabolic abilities. In this study, we disentangle the impact of elevation and soil chemistry on diversity and distribution of rotifers, nematodes and tardigrades and their most frequent feeding strategies (microbial filter-feeders, bacterivores, fungivores, root-fungal feeders, omnivores) along two contrasting altitudinal gradients in Indian NW Himalaya (Zanskar transect from 3805 to 4714 m a.s.l.) and southwestern Tibet (Tso Moriri transect from 4477 to 6176 m a.s.l.), using a combination of multivariate analysis, variation partitioning and generalized additive models. Zanskar transect had higher precipitation, soil moisture, organic matter and available nutrients than dry Tso Moriri transect. In total, 40 species of nematodes, 19 rotifers and 1 tardigrade were discovered. Species richness and total abundance of rotifers and nematodes showed mid-elevation peaks in both investigated transects. The optimum for rotifers was found at higher elevation than for nematodes. Diversity and distribution of soil microfauna was best explained by soil nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter. More fertile soils hosted more diverse and abundant faunal communities. In Tso Moriri, bacterivores represented 60% of all nematodes, fungivores 35%, root-fungal feeders 1% and omnivores 3%. For Zanskar the respective proportions were 21%, 13%, 56% and 9%. Elevational optima of different feeding strategies occurred in Zanskar in one elevation zone (4400–4500 m), while in Tso

Engaging Watershed Stakeholders for Cost-Effective Environmental Management Planning with "Watershed Manager"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jeffery R.; Smith, Craig M.; Roe, Josh D.; Leatherman, John C.; Wilson, Robert M.

2012-01-01

"Watershed Manager" is a spreadsheet-based model that is used in extension education programs for learning about and selecting cost-effective watershed management practices to reduce soil, nitrogen, and phosphorus losses from cropland. It can facilitate Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) stakeholder groups' development…

Soil carbon fractions under maize-wheat system: effect of tillage and nutrient management.