Woodchip biochar with or without synthetic fertilizers affects soil properties and available phosphorus in two alkaline, Chernozemic soils

Fertility enhancement with biochar application is well documented for tropical acidic soils; however, benefits of biochar coapplied with synthetic fertilizers (SFs) on soil fertility are not well documented, particularly for alkaline chernozems. We examined the short-term interactive effects of woodchip biochar amendment with fertilizers on selected soil properties, available phosphorus (P), and P fractions of two alkaline Chernozems from Manitoba. Treatments were (1) urea and monoammonium phosphate fertilizers, (2) biochar at 10 g kg−1, (3) biochar at 20 g kg−1, (4) biochar at 10 g kg−1with fertilizers, (5) biochar at 20 g kg−1with fertilizers, and (6) a control. Treated soils were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and Olsen P concentration biweekly, and for P fractions, cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon (OC), and wet aggregate stability after 70 d of incubation. Biochar amendment without fertilizers significantly increased soil pH and CEC but had no effect on EC, while coapplication with fertilizers significantly increased Olsen P and labile P concentrations. When coapplied with fertilizers, biochar did not significantly increase soil pH relative to the control. Results suggest that biochar improved soil properties and available P in alkaline Chernozems, and the beneficial effects were enhanced when coapplied with SFs.

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Land Uses, Altitude and Texture Effects on Soil Parameters. A Comparative Study in Two Districts of Nagaland, Northeast India

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11020171 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 171

Author(s):

Gaurav Mishra ◽

Rosa Francaviglia

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Texture ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Land Uses ◽

Management Options ◽

Available N ◽

P Content ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Soc Stocks

Northeast (NE) India is a typical tropical ecosystem with a luxuriant forest vegetation cover, but nowadays forests are under stress due to exploitation and land use changes, which are known to affect soil health and productivity. However, due to a scarcity of data, the influence of land uses and altitude on soil properties of this peculiar ecosystem is poorly quantified. This study presents the changes in soil properties in two districts of Nagaland (Mon and Zunheboto) in relation to land uses (forest, plantation, jhum and fallow jhum), altitude (<500 m, 500–1000 m, >1000 m) and soil texture (coarse, medium, fine). For this, a random soil sampling was performed in both the districts. Results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and available potassium (K) were significantly influenced by land uses in the Mon district, while in Zunheboto a significant difference was observed in available phosphorus (P) content. SOC stocks showed an increasing trend with elevation in both districts. The influence of altitude on P was significant and the maximum concentration was at lower elevations (<500 m). In Mon, soil texture significantly affected SOC stocks and the available N and P content. The variability in soil properties due to land uses, altitudinal gradients and textural classes can be better managed with the help of management options, which are still needed for this ecosystem.

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Improvement of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Soil Properties by Growing Different Green Crops

The Agriculturists ◽

10.3329/agric.v12i2.21729 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 34-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ashim Kumar Saha ◽

Apu Biswas ◽

Abdul Qayyum Khan ◽

Md. Mohashin Farazi ◽

Md. Habibur Rahman

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Total Nitrogen ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Soil Health ◽

Critical Value ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Organic Carbon Content

Long-term tea cultivation has led to degradation of the soil. Old tea soils require rehabilitation for restoring soil health. Soil rehabilitation by growing different green crops can break the chain of monoculture of tea. An experiment was conducted at The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Farm during 2008-2011 to find out the efficiency of different green crops on the improvement of soil properties. Four green crops such as Guatemala, Citronella, Mimosa and Calopogonium were grown to develop the nutritional value of the degraded tea soil. Soil samples were collected and analyzed before and at the end of experiment. Soil pH was increased in all four green crops treated plots with the highest increase in Citronella treated plots (from 4.1 to 4.5). Highest content of organic carbon (1.19%) and total nitrogen (0.119%) were found in Mimosa and Calopogonium treated plots, respectively. Concentration of available phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in all green crops treated plots were above the critical values, while available potassium content was above the critical value in Guatemala, Citronella and Mimosa treated plots. Changes in soil pH and available potassium were significant, while changes in organic carbon content, total nitrogen and available calcium were insignificant. Changes in available phosphorus and magnesium were significant. The Agriculturists 2014; 12(2) 34-38

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Higher temperatures and lower annual rainfall do not restrict, directly or indirectly, the mycorrhizal colonization of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under rainfed conditions

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0241794 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0241794

Author(s):

Maroua Jerbi ◽

Sonia Labidi ◽

Anissa Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui ◽

Hatem Chaar ◽

Faysal Ben Jeddi

Keyword(s):

Hordeum Vulgare ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Root Colonization ◽

Partial Least Square ◽

Least Square ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Chemical Soil ◽

Climatic Characteristics

Whereas the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant growth improvement has been well described in agroecosystems, little is known about the effect of environmental factors on AMF root colonization status of barley, the fourth most important cereal crop all over the world. In order to understand the influence of environmental factors, such as climatic and soil physico-chemical properties, on the spontaneous mycorrhizal ability of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), a field investigation was conducted in 31 different sites in sub-humid, upper and middle semi-arid areas of Northern Tunisia. Mycorrhizal root colonization of H. vulgare varied considerably among sites. Principal component analysis showed that barley mycorrhization is influenced by both climatic and edaphic factors. A partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that 39% (R²) of the total variation in AMF mycorrhizal rate of barley roots was mainly explained by chemical soil properties and climatic characteristics. Whereas barley root mycorrhizal rates were inversely correlated with soil organic nitrogen (ON), available phosphorus amounts (P), altitude (Z), average annual rainfall (AAR), they were directly correlated with soil pH and temperature. Our results indicated that AMF root colonization of barley was strongly related to climatic characteristics than chemical soil properties. The current study highlights the importance of the PLS-SEM to understand the interactions between climate, soil properties and AMF symbiosis of barley in field conditions.

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Adsorption of Copper in Soil and its Dependence on Physical and Chemical Properties

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis ◽

10.11118/actaun201866010219 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 219-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vítězslav Vlček ◽

Miroslav Pohanka

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Total Content ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

Soil Reaction ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Copper Adsorption ◽

Phosphorus And Potassium ◽

Physical And Chemical

Soil samples (n = 11) were collected in the chernozem areas of the Czech Republic (the Central Europe) from the topsoil and used as representative samples. All sampling areas have been used for agricultural purposes (arable soil) and they were selected as typical representatives of agricultural soil. These samples represented the soil with same genesis (to reduction differencies between soil types) but with different soil properties (physical and chemical). Complete chemical and physical analyses were made for confirmation of copper adsorption on solid phase: we analysed the particle size distribution, content of oxidizable carbon (Cox), the cation exchange capacity (CEC), supply of exchange calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus and potassium, soil reaction and the total supply of Fe, Al, Mn, Ca, Mg, K, P and N. The strongest simple correlation between analysed soil properties and copper concentration had content of available magnesium (r = 0.44) and available phosphorus (r = −0.51). In the case of multiple correlations (i. e. collective influence of multiple soil properties) had the strongest influence combination of clay, soil reaction, total content of phosphorus, available magnesium and available phosphorus. The main influence of phosphorus and magnesium is evident. We suppose that copper and phosphorus enter into specific complex. Influence of these five soil properties can explain 92.7 % (r = 0.927) changes in the content of copper changes in the experiment.

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Relationship between Wetland Plant Communities and Environmental Factors in the Tumen River Basin in Northeast China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11061559 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1559 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaojun Zheng ◽

Jing Fu ◽

Noelikanto Ramamonjisoa ◽

Weihong Zhu ◽

Chunguang He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

River Basin ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Northeast China ◽

Floristic Composition ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Wetland Plant ◽

Tumen River ◽

Wetland Plant Communities

Understanding what controls wetland vegetation community composition is vital to conservation and biodiversity management. This study investigates the factors that affect wetland plant communities and distribution in the Tumen River Basin, Northeast China, an internationally important wetland for biodiversity conservation. We recorded floristic composition of herbaceous plants, soil properties, and microclimatic variables in 177, 1 × 1 m2 quadrats at 45 sites, located upstream (26), midstream (12), and downstream (7) of the Basin. We used TWINSPAN to define vegetation communities and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to examine the relationships between environmental and biological factors within the wetland plant communities. We recorded 100 plant species from 93 genera and 40 families in the upstream, 100 plant species from 57 genera and 31 families in the midstream, and 85 plant species from 76 genera and 38 families in the downstream. Higher species richness was recorded upstream of the River Basin. The plant communities and distribution were influenced by elevation, soil properties (total potassium, pH, and available phosphorus), and microclimate variables (surface temperature, precipitation, average temperature, sunshine hours, and relative humidity). More than any other factor, according to our results, elevation strongly influenced the structure of wetland plant communities. These findings support prevailing models describing the distribution of wetland plants along environmental gradients. The determination of the relationship between soil and plants is a useful way to better understand the ecosystem condition and can help manage the wetland ecosystem.

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Soil Nutrients Effects on the Performance of Durum Wheat Inoculated with Entomopathogenic Fungi

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10040589 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 589

Author(s):

Adrián González-Guzmán ◽

Daniel Sacristán ◽

Antonio Rafael Sánchez-Rodríguez ◽

Vidal Barrón ◽

José Torrent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Soil Available Phosphorus ◽

Mutualistic Relationship ◽

Fungal Inoculation

Entomopathogenic fungi (EFs) are widely used as biological control agents. However, some strains of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum can also promote plant growth and increase nutrient uptake. We examined the effects of soil properties on the performance of Triticum durum inoculated by seed dressing with these EFs and grown on 12 agricultural soils. The plants were supplied with all nutrients except P and Zn (essential for yield and the grain quality of wheat). Fungal inoculation increased the grain yield and harvest index significantly with B. bassiana (17% and 14%, respectively) but not with M. brunneum (6% and 6%, respectively). The increase in grain yield was positively and moderately correlated with the soil available phosphorus (POlsen) in plants inoculated with B. bassiana and with the soil content in poorly crystalline Fe oxides with M. brunneum. In addition, the increase in aerial dry matter resulting from inoculation with B. bassiana was negatively correlated with soil available Zn. Furthermore, the observed increase in grain yields due to fungal inoculation resulted in P and Zn grain dilution (grain nutrient concentrations decrease). Inoculation with B. bassiana increased grain Zn uptake and the proportion of Zn in grain relative to that in aerial dry matter. Success in the mutualistic relationship between EF and wheat plants depends on the fungal strain and soil properties.

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IMPACT OF AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS ON SOIL EROSION PROCESSES AND SOIL PROPERTIES ON HILLY LANDSCAPE IN WESTERN LITHUANIA

Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management ◽

10.3846/16486897.2015.1054289 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 60-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gintaras JARAŠIŪNAS ◽

Irena KINDERIENĖ

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Soil Texture ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

The Impact

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different land use systems on soil erosion rates, surface evolution processes and physico-chemical properties on a moraine hilly topography in Lithuania. The soil of the experimental site is Bathihypogleyi – Eutric Albeluvisols (abe–gld–w) whose texture is a sandy loam. After a 27-year use of different land conservation systems, three critical slope segments (slightly eroded, active erosion and accumulation) were formed. Soil physical properties of the soil texture and particle sizes distribution were examined. Chemical properties analysed for were soil ph, available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N). We estimated the variation in thickness of the soil Ap horizon and soil physico-chemical properties prone to a sustained erosion process. During the study period (2010–2012) water erosion occurred under the grain– grass and grass–grain crop rotations, at rates of 1.38 and 0.11 m3 ha–1 yr–1, respectively. Soil exhumed due to erosion from elevated positions accumulated in the slope bottom. As a result, topographic transfiguration of hills and changes in soil properties occurred. However, the accumulation segments of slopes had significantly higher silt/clay ratios and SOC content. In the active erosion segments a lighter soil texture and lower soil ph were recorded. Only long-term grassland completely stopped soil erosion effects; therefore geomorphologic change and degradation of hills was estimated there as minimal.

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Variation of soil organic carbon, stable isotopes, and soil quality indicators across an erosion–deposition catena in a historical Spanish olive orchard

SOIL ◽

10.5194/soil-6-179-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 179-194

Author(s):

José A. Gómez ◽

Gema Guzmán ◽

Arsenio Toloza ◽

Christian Resch ◽

Roberto García-Ruíz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Δ13c And Δ15n ◽

Olive Orchard ◽

Erosion Area ◽

Deposition Processes ◽

Δ15n And Δ13c

Abstract. This study compares the distribution of bulk soil organic carbon (SOC), its fractions (unprotected and physically, chemically, and biochemically protected), available phosphorus (Pavail), organic nitrogen (Norg), and stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) signatures at four soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm) between a nearby open forest reference area and a historical olive orchard (established in 1856) located in southern Spain. In addition, these soil properties, as well as water stable aggregates (Wsagg), were contrasted at eroding and deposition areas within the olive orchard, previously determined using 137Cs. SOC stock in the olive orchard (about 40 t C ha−1) was only 25 % of that in the forested area (about 160 t C ha−1) in the upper 40 cm of soil, and the reduction was especially severe in the unprotected organic carbon. The reference and the orchard soils also showed significant differences in the δ13C and δ15N signals, likely due to the different vegetation composition and N dynamics in both areas. Soil properties along a catena, from erosion to deposition areas within the old olive orchard, showed large differences. Soil Corg, Pavail and Norg content, and δ15N at the deposition were significantly higher than those of the erosion area, defining two distinct areas with a different soil quality status. These overall results indicate that the proper understanding of Corg content and soil quality in olive orchards requires the consideration of the spatial variability induced by erosion–deposition processes for a convenient appraisal at the farm scale.

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The Cumulative Effect of Various Tillage Systems and Stubble Management on the Biological and Chemical Properties of Soil in Winter Wheat Monoculture

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11091726 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1726

Author(s):

Karol Kotwica ◽

Barbara Breza-Boruta ◽

Justyna Bauza-Kaszewska ◽

Piotr Kanarek ◽

Iwona Jaskulska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Mineral Nitrogen ◽

Residue Management ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Organic Carbon Content ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Manure Application ◽

Wide Range ◽

Number Of Microorganisms

Agricultural practices, including tillage systems and postharvest residue management, strongly affect a wide range of soil properties. Depending on the degree of soil inversion, both negative and beneficial changes of its structure, chemical composition, and biological activity may occur as a result of these treatments. The three-year experiment was carried out on the soil under winter wheat (cv. Arktis) monoculture. The effect of various tillage systems and stubble management on the soil environment’s biological and chemical features was investigated. The total number of microorganisms (TNM); bacteria (B); actinobacteria(A); fungi (F); soil respiratory activity (SR); pH in 1 M KCl (pH); organic carbon content (OC); content of available phosphorus (Pa); potassium (Ka); magnesium (Mg); and content of total nitrogen (TN) and mineral nitrogen forms were determined in soil samples. It was shown that manure application was the factor with the greatest influence on soil properties. The manure fertilization resulted in a higher number of microorganisms in arable soil. Conventional tillage procedures combined with manure application increased the amounts of available forms of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and mineral nitrogen. Introduction of the chopped straw in the field enhanced the beneficial effect of manure on soil properties.

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