scholarly journals Long-Term Biosolids Applications to Overgrazed Rangelands Improve Soil Health

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1339
Author(s):  
Cassidy M. Buchanan ◽  
James A. Ippolito
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Health Indices ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biosolids Application

Overgrazed rangelands can lead to soil degradation, yet long-term land application of organic amendments (i.e., biosolids) may play a pivotal role in improving degraded rangelands in terms of soil health. However, the long-term effects on soil health properties in response to single or repeated, low to excessive biosolids applications, on semi-arid, overgrazed grasslands have not been quantified. Using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), soil physical, biological, chemical, nutrient, and overall soil health indices between biosolids applications (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 21, or 30 Mg ha−1) and application time (single: 1991, repeated: 2002) were determined. Results showed no significant changes in soil physical and nutrient health indices. However, the chemical soil health index was greater when biosolids were applied at rates <30 Mg ha−1 and within the single compared to repeated applications. The biological soil health index was positively affected by increasing biosolids application rates, was overall greater in the repeated as compared to the single application, and was maximized at 30 Mg ha−1. The overall soil health index was maximized at rates <30 Mg ha−1. When all indices were combined, and considering past plant community findings at this site, overall soil health appeared optimized at a biosolids application rate of ~10 Mg ha−1. The use of soil health tools can help determine a targeted organic amendment application rate to overgrazed rangelands so the material provides maximum benefits to soils, plants, animals, and the environment.

Influence of a One Time Biosolids Application on Elemental and Nutrient Concentrations on Mine Tailings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Ellen Harris ◽  
Wendy Christine Gardner ◽  
Thomas Pypker
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Fertilizer Treatment ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biosolids Application ◽  
Term Benefit ◽  
Storage Facilities

Mine tailings are nutrient deficient, contain no organic matter, and have high metal concentrations preventing the long term establishment of vegetation. The use of organic amendments, including biosolids, can help the revegetation of mine tailings by adding organic matter and nutrients but can increase metals in the receiving soil. There is also uncertainty if biosolids provide a long term benefit, or if the benefits diminish with time. To test this, a study was conducted on two tailings storage facilities, a sand and a silt loam, on a copper mine in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. In 1998, biosolids were applied at rates between 50 and 250 Mg ha-1 and compared to a control and fertilizer treatment. Plots were sampled in 2000 and 2015 for total and available nutrients and metals. This study showed that 17 years after a one-time biosolids application at different rates, the tailing storage facilities that received biosolids had higher carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and biomass compared to tailings that did not receive biosolids or received conventional fertilizer. Many elements such as C did not change from 2000 to 2015 in biosolids treated plots indicating a long-term benefit to the tailings. Additionally, biosolids did not result in increased concentrations of metals above the national regulatory limits for agriculture. This study suggests that a one-time biosolids application can provide a long-term benefit to tailings, while proper application rates can reduce the risks of metal exceedances.

Influence of long-term manure application on mineral composition of irrigated barley silage

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Miller ◽  
B. W. Beasley ◽  
C. F. Drury ◽  
F. J. Larney ◽  
X. Hao
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Composition ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Fertilizer Treatment ◽  
Manure Application ◽  
Feed Quality ◽  
Barley Silage

Miller, J. J., Beasley, B. W., Drury, C. F., Larney, F. and Hao, X. 2015. Influence of long-term manure application on mineral composition of irrigated barley silage. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 759–770. The long-term effect of land application of manure type (composted vs. stockpiled manure), bedding type (wood-chips vs. straw), and application rate on feed quality of barley silage as feed for beef cattle is unknown. We measured selected minerals [P, Ca, Ca:P ratio, Mg, K, K:(Ca+Mg) ratio, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu] of irrigated barley silage (Hordeum vulgare L.) on a clay loam soil after 4 (2002), 7 (2005) and 11 (2009) years of annual applications of composted (CM) or stockpiled (SM) feedlot manure with wood-chips (WD) or straw (ST) bedding at three application rates (13, 39, 77Mg ha−1 dry wt.). The treatments also included an unamended control and inorganic fertilizer treatment. Manure type generally had inconsistent or no significant (P≤0.05) effect on the concentrations of these minerals in barley silage. Most crop minerals were generally greater under ST than WD. The findings for P, K, Na, and K:(Ca+Mg) ratio generally supported our hypothesis of greater crop concentrations with greater application rate, but Ca and Mg decreased at higher rates. Overall, our findings suggest that bedding and application rate have more potential than manure type for managing the feed quality of barley silage.

scholarly journals Biochar remediation of soil: linking biochar production with function in heavy metal contaminated soils  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Taraqqi-A-Kamal ◽  
Christopher J. Atkinson ◽  
Aimal Khan ◽  
Kaikai Zhang ◽  
Peng Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Soil Remediation ◽  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Function ◽  
Soil Functionality ◽  
Insight Into

The focus of this study is on the soil physicochemical, biological, and microbiological processes altered by biochar application to heavy metal (HM) contaminated soils. The aim is to highlight agronomical and environmental issues by which the restorative capacity of biochar might be developed. Literature shows biochar can induce soil remediation, however, it is unclear how soil processes are linked mechanistically to biochar production and if these processes can be manipulated to enhance soil remediation. The literature often fails to contribute to an improved understanding of the mechanisms by which biochar alters soil function. It is clear that factors such as biochar feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, application rate, and soil type are determinants in biochar soil functionality. These factors are developed to enhance our insight into production routes and the benefits of biochar in HM soil remediation. Despite a large number of studies of biochar in soils, there is little understanding of long-term effects, this is particularly true with respect to the use and need for reapplication in soil remediation.  

scholarly journals Phosphorus leaching in sandy soils .II. Laboratory studies of the long-term effects of the phosphorus source

Soil Research ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Weaver ◽  
GSP Ritchie ◽  
GC Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Sequential Fractionation ◽  
Inorganic P ◽  
Coastal Superphosphate ◽  
Extractable P

Long-term phosphorus (P) losses and gains in sandy soils continuously fertilized with either ordinary superphosphate or coastal superphosphate (a granulated mixture of superphosphate, rock phosphate and elemental sulfur) or previously fertilized with superphosphate were investigated under leaching conditions in columns in the laboratory. The soils were subjected to 10 consecutive cycles designed to simulate the mediterranean weather conditions in the Harvey region of the Coastal Plain of Western Australia. Each cycle consisted of a wet phase during which the equivalent of 850 mm of rainfall was leached through the soil and a drier phase during which the soil was incubated in the presence of moisture equivalent to summer rainfall (150 mm). Dissolved inorganic P in the leachate was used as a measure of P loss. A sequential fractionation procedure (a resin extraction followed by 0.5 M sodium bicarbonate, 0.1 M sodium hydroxide and 0.1 M sulfuric acid extractions) and total inorganic and organic P were used to measure changes in P levels in the soils. Phosphorus losses from the previously fertilized soils decreased logarithmically with increasing number of cycles. Total inorganic P and resin-extractable P were able to explain >94% of the variation in P losses. Addition of either fertilizer increased the amount of P leached from the soil and 10-40% more P was leached by adding superphosphate rather than coastal superphosphate. The percentage of the cumulative P lost by leaching decreased with increasing application rate of both fertilizers when expressed as a percentage of the cumulative water plus citrate-soluble P added. Addition of either fertilizer increased the amount of acid-extractable P, but coastal superphosphate had a much greater effect than superphosphate. Leaching losses of P were influenced by fertilizer solubility in the short term (< 1 year). In the long term, however, the water plus citrate-insoluble P in the fertilizers also contributed to P losses by leaching.

Long-Term Effects of Land Application of Class B Biosolids on the Soil Microbial Populations, Pathogens, and Activity

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 402-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huruy Zerzghi ◽  
Charles P. Gerba ◽  
John P. Brooks ◽  
Ian L. Pepper
Keyword(s):  
Land Application ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Class B

scholarly journals Long-Term Biosolids Application on Land: Beneficial Recycling of Nutrients or Eutrophication of Agroecosystems?

Soil Systems ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Murray B. McBride
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Amended Soils ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Biosolids Application

The impact of repeated application of alkaline biosolids (sewage sludge) products over more than a decade on soil concentrations of nutrients and trace metals, and potential for uptake of these elements by crops was investigated by analyzing soils from farm fields near Oklahoma City. Total, extractable (by the Modified Morgan test), and water-soluble elements, including macronutrients and trace metals, were measured in biosolids-amended soils and, for comparison, in soils that had received little or no biosolids. Soil testing showed that the biosolids-amended soils had higher pH and contained greater concentrations of organic carbon, N, S, P, and Ca than the control soils. Soil extractable P concentrations in the biosolids-amended soils averaged at least 10 times the recommended upper limit for agricultural soils, with P in the amended soils more labile and soluble than the P in control soils. Several trace elements (most notably Zn, Cu, and Mo) had higher total and extractable concentrations in the amended soils compared to the controls. A radish plant assay revealed greater phytoavailability of Zn, P, Mo, and S (but not Cu) in the amended soils. The excess extractable and soluble P in these biosolids-amended soils has created a long-term source of slow-release P that may contribute to the eutrophication of adjacent surface waters and contamination of groundwater. While the beneficial effects of increased soil organic carbon on measures of “soil health” have been emphasized in past studies of long-term biosolids application, the present study reveals that these benefits may be offset by negative impacts on soils, crops, and the environment from excessive nutrient loading.

scholarly journals Simple Soil Tests for On-Site Evaluation of Soil Health in Orchards

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6009
Author(s):  
Esther O. Thomsen ◽  
Jennifer R. Reeve ◽  
Catherine M. Culumber ◽  
Diane G. Alston ◽  
Robert Newhall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Tests ◽  
Site Evaluation ◽  
Positive Correlations

Standard commercial soil tests typically quantify nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, and salinity. These factors alone are not sufficient to predict the long-term effects of management on soil health. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and use of simple physical, biological, and chemical soil health indicator tests that can be completed on-site. Analyses were conducted on soil samples collected from three experimental peach orchards located on the Utah State Horticultural Research Farm in Kaysville, Utah. All simple tests were correlated to comparable lab analyses using Pearson’s correlation. The highest positive correlations were found between Solvita® respiration, and microbial biomass (R = 0.88), followed by our modified slake test and microbial biomass (R = 0.83). Both Berlese funnel and pit count methods of estimating soil macro-organism diversity were fairly predictive of soil health. Overall, simple commercially available chemical tests were weak indicators of soil nutrient concentrations compared to laboratory tests. Modified slake tests, Solvita® respiration and soil organism biodiversity counts may be efficient and cost-effective tools for monitoring soil health on-site.

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