The prevalence and practice of soil balancing among organic corn farmers

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Caroline Brock ◽  
Douglas Jackson-Smith ◽  
Subbu Kumarappan ◽  
Steve Culman ◽  
Douglas Doohan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Systematic Effect ◽  
Npk Fertilizers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Organic Farmers

Abstract The scientific community and most mainstream agriculturalists typically design fertilizer recommendations to provide a ‘sufficient level of available nutrients’ to meet the annual N, P and K requirements of common field crops. Soil balancing is another approach to managing soil fertility that focuses on the levels of Ca, Mg and K to achieve a desired base cation saturation ratio (BCSR). Soil balancing is believed to be practiced frequently by organic and other alternative farmers but is viewed skeptically by conventional agricultural scientists due to a lack of support for the idea in the published scientific literature. This study represents a pioneering effort to collect systematic data on the extent of soil balancing, how it is practiced and the types of outcomes reported by organic farmers. Our survey of over 850 farmers who grow certified organic corn in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that over half report using a soil-balancing approach based on BCSR. Their practice of soil balancing frequently includes more than management of base cations, but also uses a wide range of soil amendment products (such as purchased organic NPK fertilizers, micronutrients, microbial stimulants and soil inoculants) other than those applied specifically for cation balance. Farms that rely on vegetable and dairy production for most of their income, and Amish farmers who rely on horses for fieldwork, were more likely to report using a soil-balancing program. Self-described soil balancers perceived positive agronomic outcomes from the use of a BCSR program, including improvements in soil physical and biological properties and improved crop health and quality. Although farmers in our study report extensive use and positive perceived outcomes from soil-balancing methods, the scientific research literature has been unable to reproduce evidence that manipulating soil base cation levels has any systematic effect on crop yield. Future research could consider the interacting effects of BCSR with other field management practices to more closely approximate the actual practices of farmers.

Recent Trends and Advancement in Nanotechnology for Water and Wastewater Treatment

2016 ◽  
pp. 208-252
Author(s):  
Sushmita Banerjee ◽  
Ravindra Kumar Gautam ◽  
Pavan Kumar Gautam ◽  
Amita Jaiswal ◽  
Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inorganic Contaminants ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Water And Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Water And Wastewater ◽  
Significant Attention

Fast growing demand of fresh water due to increasing population and industrialization dictated research interests towards development of techniques that offers highly efficient and affordable methods of wastewater treatment. In recent decades water treatment using nano-technological based expertise have gained significant attention. Varieties of nanoparticles were synthesized and proficiently used in treatment of wide range of organic and inorganic contaminants from waste streams. This chapter encompasses recent development in nano-technological approach towards water and wastewater treatment. The authors tried to compile up to-date development, properties, application, and mechanisms of the nanoparticles used for decontamination purpose. This piece of work offer a well organized comprehensive assessment of the technology that delineates opportunities as well as its limitation in water management practices moreover few recommendations for future research are also proposed.

scholarly journals Mate choice in a polluted world: consequences for individuals, populations and communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1781) ◽  
pp. 20180055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Candolin ◽  
Bob B. M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Final Choice ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sensory Modalities

Pollution (e.g. by chemicals, noise, light, heat) is an insidious consequence of anthropogenic activity that affects environments worldwide. Exposure of wildlife to pollutants has the capacity to adversely affect animal communication and behaviour across a wide range of sensory modalities—by not only impacting the signalling environment, but also the way in which animals produce, perceive and interpret signals and cues. Such disturbances, particularly when it comes to sex, can drastically alter fitness. Here, we consider how pollutants disrupt communication and behaviour during mate choice, and the ecological and evolutionary changes such disturbances can engender. We explain how the different stages of mate choice can be affected by pollution, from encountering mates to the final choice, and how changes to these stages can influence individual fitness, population dynamics and community structure. We end with discussing how an understanding of these disturbances can help inform better conservation and management practices and highlight important considerations and avenues for future research. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation’.

scholarly journals Status of soil acidification in North America

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. S3-S13 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Fenn ◽  
T.G. Huntington ◽  
S.B. McLaughlin ◽  
C. Eagar ◽  
A. Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Forest Soils ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
San Bernardino Mountains ◽  
Wide Range

Forest soil acidification and depletion of nutrient cations have been reported for several forested regions in North America, predominantly in the eastern United States, including the northeast and in the central Appalachians, but also in parts of southeastern Canada and the southern U.S. Continuing regional inputs of nitrogen and sulfur are of concern because of leaching of base cations, increased availability of soil Al, and the accumulation and ultimate transmission of acidity from forest soils to streams. Losses of calcium from forest soils and forested watersheds have now been documented as a sensitive early indicator and a functionally significant response to acid deposition for a wide range of forest soils in North America. For red spruce, a clear link has been established between acidic deposition, alterations in calcium and aluminum supplies and increased sensitivity to winter injury. Cation depletion appears to contribute to sugar maple decline on some soils, specifically the high mortality rates observed in northern Pennsylvania over the last decade. While responses to liming have not been systematically examined in North America, in a study in Pennsylvania, restoring basic cations through liming increased basal area growth of sugar maple and levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and foliage. In the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California near the west coast, the pH of the A horizon has declined by at least 2 pH units (to pH 4.0–4.3) over the past 30 years, with no detrimental effects on bole growth; presumably, because of the Mediterranean climate, base cation pools are still high and not limiting for plant growth.

scholarly journals Industrial hemp and its potential

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARNAB BHOWMIK
Keyword(s):  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Hemp Fiber ◽  
Hemp Seed ◽  
Wide Range

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is an emerging high-value specialty crop that can be cultivated foreither fiber, seed, or cannabidiol (CBD). The demand for hemp and its products has been consistently onthe rise in the 21st century. The United States of America has reintroduced hemp and legalizedits production as an agricultural commodity through the 2018 Federal Farm Bill. Although thereis a renewed interest in the adoption of hemp due to the emerging market, its production in theUnited States remains limited partly because of unclear agronomic guidance and fertilizationrecommendations. This review article provides information on the current agronomic managementpractices that are available in the literature and identifies the future research needs for cultivating thismultipurpose crop to address the growing market demands. Hemp production could be beneficialif managed properly. Hemp fertilizer requirements vary in accordance with the type of hempgrown (seed, fiber, or CBD), soil, environmental conditions and requires a wide range of macro- andmicronutrients. Integrating management practices in hemp cultivation intended to build soil health ispromising since the hemp cropping system is suitable for crop rotation, cover cropping, and livestockintegration through animal waste applications. Hemp also has significant environmental benefitssince it has the potential to remediate contaminated soils through phytoremediation, convert highamounts of atmospheric CO2 to biomass through bio-sequestration, and hemp biomass for bioenergyproduction. This review identifies that most of the agronomic research in the past has been limitedto hemp fiber and, to some extent, hemp seed but not CBD hemp. With the increase in the globalmarkets for hemp products, more research needs to be conducted to provide agronomic guidelinesfor sustainable hemp production.

scholarly journals Find New RoadsTM? A Systematic Review on the Impacts of Off-Road Vehicle Activity on Soil, Vegetation, and Wildlife

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura W. Ploughe ◽  
Lauchlan H. Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vehicle Activity

The global use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) in natural environments has accelerated rapidly over the last few decades, resulting in significant social and environmental consequences. As the demand, use, and promotion of light-duty ORVs like all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, four-wheel drive trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) increases in remote wilderness, the landscape is becoming fragmented into disorganized and destructive networks of trails and roads. Substantial ecological impacts to a wide range of ecosystem structures and functions will likely result from ORV activity. Applying a global systematic review, we examine 105 publications about plant, soil, and wildlife responses to ORV traffic in different habitats to help guide the direction of future research, monitoring programs, and mitigation efforts. Most studies investigated impacts to animals, followed by soils, then vegetative responses. Soil studies primarily focused on physical impacts to the soil (i.e., compaction, erosion, rut depth), but some studies suggest that soil chemical and biological properties may also be impacted by ORV traffic. The literature on plant responses to ORV activities primarily explored vegetation loss, although impacts on the plant community were also investigated. Animal studies investigated impacts of ORV use on invertebrates, mammals, birds, and to a lesser extent reptiles/amphibians, including population-level, community-level, and behavioral responses. Overall, research on environmental impacts of ORV traffic is biased to coastal and desert ecosystems in the northern hemisphere (primarily in the US), often does not address mechanisms that may produce ecological impacts (e.g., intensity of vehicular disturbance and ecosystem- or species-specific sensitivity to ORV activities), and frequently focused on short-term responses. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that cause the different responses of soil, plant, and animals to ORVs over the long-term in a broad range of ecosystems to support real-time management and conservation efforts.

Base cation availability and leaching after nitrogen fertilisation of a eucalypt plantation

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Mitchell ◽  
P. J. Smethurst
Keyword(s):  
Soil Solution ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Solution Chemistry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Solution Chemistry ◽  
Cation Uptake ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
N Treatment

Increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser in eucalypt plantations is affecting base cation availability via changes in concentrations in soil solution and leaching. While low base cation availability will probably limit future productivity of some eucalypt plantations, the extent and temporal patterns of availability as affected by N fertilisation were unknown. After applying urea in a fertiliser experiment in a 9-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantation, soil solution chemistry was monitored for 13 months and maximum potential leaching estimated. The cumulative effects of earlier ammonium sulfate, urea, and superphosphate fertiliser applications had enhanced tree growth, base cation uptake, and probably leaching, but led to decreased pH and concentrations of exchangeable pools of Mg and K in surface soil (0–0.1 m). In soil solution before re-fertilisation, in the high N treatment, concentrations of K in soil solution were significantly lower, and of Ca significantly higher than the treatment that received no fertiliser. On many occasions during the 13-month period after this re-fertilisation event, increased concentrations of NH4, NO3, Ca, Mg, and K in soil solution were significant (0–0.6 m depth), and were consistently highest in the high fertiliser treatment at 0.3–0.6 m depth. We conclude that N fertilisation increased base cation availability during the study and probably for several subsequent years, but there was a risk that significant pools of N and base cations were leached off-site. Future research and modelling of base cation availability in plantations should consider these changes induced by N-fertiliser that increase availability for several years but lead to longer term decreases in availability.

Recent Trends and Advancement in Nanotechnology for Water and Wastewater Treatment

2017 ◽  
pp. 1745-1779
Author(s):  
Sushmita Banerjee ◽  
Ravindra Kumar Gautam ◽  
Pavan Kumar Gautam ◽  
Amita Jaiswal ◽  
Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inorganic Contaminants ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Water And Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Water And Wastewater ◽  
Significant Attention

Fast growing demand of fresh water due to increasing population and industrialization dictated research interests towards development of techniques that offers highly efficient and affordable methods of wastewater treatment. In recent decades water treatment using nano-technological based expertise have gained significant attention. Varieties of nanoparticles were synthesized and proficiently used in treatment of wide range of organic and inorganic contaminants from waste streams. This chapter encompasses recent development in nano-technological approach towards water and wastewater treatment. The authors tried to compile up to-date development, properties, application, and mechanisms of the nanoparticles used for decontamination purpose. This piece of work offer a well organized comprehensive assessment of the technology that delineates opportunities as well as its limitation in water management practices moreover few recommendations for future research are also proposed.

Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives

2000 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Heneman ◽  
Judith W. Tansky ◽  
S. Michael Camp
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firms ◽  
Organizational Growth ◽  
Research Perspectives

A qualitative assessment is used to identify and describe the “gaps” between concerns entrepreneurs have about human resource management issues in growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the topics emphasized in the research literature on human resource practices in SMEs. Survey data from 156 young entrepreneurs, focus group data from 173 CEO/founders of fast-growth entrepreneurial firms, and 129 research articles were reviewed. Results revealed gaps and omissions in the literature, Including the importance to entrepreneurs of developing high-potential employees that can perform multiple roles under various stages of organizational growth and the matching of people to the organizational culture. Recommended perspectives for future research are identified.

Making Better Fertiliser Decisions for Cropping Systems in Australia (BFDC): knowledge gaps and lessons learnt

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Conyers ◽  
M. J. Bell ◽  
N. S. Wilhelm ◽  
R. Bell ◽  
R. M. Norton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Critical Concentration ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Critical Values ◽  
National Database ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Critical Range ◽  
Wide Range

Soil testing remains a most valuable tool for assessing the fertiliser requirement of crops. The relationship between soil tests (generally taken from surface soil) and relative yield (RY) response to fertiliser is subject to the influence of environment (e.g. water, temperature) and management (e.g. cultivation, sowing date). As such, the degree of precision is often low when the soil test calibration is based on a wide range of independent experiments on many soil types over many years by many different operators. Hence, the 90% RY target used in soil test interpretation is best described by a critical range (critical concentration and confidence interval) for a given soil test rather than a single critical value. The present Better Fertiliser Decisions for Crops (BFDC) National Database, and the BFDC Interrogator that interacts with the database, provide a great advance over traditional formats and experiment-specific critical values because it allows the use of filters to refine the critical range for specific agronomic conditions. However, as searches become more specific (region, soil type) the quantity of data available to estimate a critical range becomes more vulnerable to data paucity, to outliers, and to clusters of localised experiments. Hence, appropriate training of the users of this database will ensure that the strengths and limitations of the BFDC National Database and BFDC Interrogator are properly understood. Additionally, the lack of standardised metadata for sites within the database makes it generally impossible to isolate the effects on critical values of the specific management or environmental factors listed earlier, which are therefore best determined by specific studies. Finally, the database is dominated (60%) by responses of wheat to nitrogen and phosphorus, meaning that relatively few studies are available for responses by pulses (other than narrow leaf lupins) or oilseeds (other than canola), especially for potassium and sulfur. Moreover, limited data are available for current cropping systems and varieties. However, the identification of these gaps can now be used to focus future research on the crops, nutrients, soils, regions, and management practices where data are lacking. The value of metadata and the need for standardised protocols for nutrition experiments were key lessons.

Test Apparatus for Powered Saw Chain Systems

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Otto ◽  
John P. Parmigiani
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Test Apparatus ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Design Constraint ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Battery Technology ◽  
Cutting System

The emergence of battery operated landscaping equipment has driven increased scrutiny of the energy usage of such devices. Energy consumption is a primary design constraint for these new yard tools due to the low energy density of current battery technology compared to gasoline. Consumer battery-powered electric chain saws are an example. In order to provide both portability and usability the system’s power use must be understood in detail. Power use associated with cutting, friction, vibration, chip removal, and parasitic loads are all relevant entities in cutting system design. Interface friction between the cutting chain and bar as well as increases in cutting force due to chain vibration are of particular interest. In this work, a test apparatus capable of determining the efficiency of cutting systems for use on chain saws is designed and constructed. Cutting power and frictional losses can be determined with the device under automated, user specified conditions. Operational parameters including chain velocity, feed velocity, and feed load may be used as feedback for device control. A universal mounting and drive system allows for testing with a wide range of off-the-shelf chains, bars, and drive sprockets. Input torque to the chain and reaction forces on the cutting media are recorded outputs which are used to analyze system efficiency. Preliminary work with the machine confirms trends found in existing research literature. Future research performed with the test apparatus will aid in new product design and enhance understanding of energy consumption in chainsaw cutting systems.

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