Relationships between the P status of surface and deep horizons of agricultural soils under various cropping systems and for different soil types: a case study in Belgium

Studies on the CO2 and N2O emission patterns of agricultural soils under different ploughing practices may provide an insight into the potential and magnitude of CO2 and N2O mitigation in highly managed farmland soils. In this study, field measurements of soil respiration and N2O flux with different ploughing depths were performed in the 2003–04 wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 2004 maize (Zea mays L.), and 2004–05 wheat seasons. Soil temperature and moisture were simultaneously measured. Results showed that, in each cropping season, the seasonal variation in soil respiration developed with a similar pattern for different treatments, which was primarily regulated by soil temperature. This work demonstrates that ploughing depth can influence long-term loss of carbon from soil, but this was contingent on preceding cropping types. Given the same preceding cropping practice, no significant difference in N2O emission was found among different ploughing depths in each cropping season.

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Ethnopedological Studies to Characterize Neosols at the Brazilian Semiarid Region

Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.5539/jas.v11n4p536 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 536

Author(s):

Jucirema Ferreira da Silva ◽

Jeane Cruz Portela ◽

Nildo da Silva Dias ◽

Cezar Augusto Medeiros Rebouças ◽

Francisco Ernesto Sobrinho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Analysis ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Close Relation ◽

Soil Types ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Brazilian Semiarid ◽

Soil Landscape ◽

Chemical Attributes ◽

Pasture Area ◽

Physical And Chemical

The ethnopedological approach to soil characterization presents great challenges, since the understanding of the systems occurs through the knowledge acquired by the man in his coexistence with agroecosystems. The aim of the present research was to characterize the agricultural soils through morphological, physical and chemical analysis, using ethnopedological studies in the ‘Santa Agostinha’ Settlement Project, Caraúbas-RN, Brazil. Five areas were defined for study in the soil/landscape relation: i) area with cashew cultivation; ii) area of pasture; iii) area of crops in consortium; iv) agroforestry; and v) preserved forest, used as the reference. Participatory workshops, exchanges and classifications (from the locals and formal) were carried out with the analysis of the morphological, physical and chemical attributes of the studied soils in the layers of 0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m. The results of the ethicist classification, based on the attributes evaluation were: Quartzarenic latosol NEOSOL (cashew area); Regolitic euthrofic NEOSOL (pasture area); Ortic quartzarenic fragiudult NEOSOL (intercropping area); typical quartzarenic ortic NEOSOL (agroforestry area and typical hydromorphic quartzarenic NEOSOL that presented a close relation with the emicist classification (from the local people). The observation of the different soil types in the landscape, due to the stratification of the environments, allowed the growers to identify characteristics associated with soil potentials and restrictions and, consequently, the correct management to be adopted. The experiences of local growers in the participatory workshops provided an exchange of popular and scientific knowledge, as well as new perspectives of coexistence with the semiarid.

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