scholarly journals Studies into Fungal Decay of Wood in Ground Contact—Part 2: Development of a Dose–Response Model to Predict Decay Rate

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 698
Author(s):  
Brendan Nicholas Marais ◽  
Philip Bester van Niekerk ◽  
Christian Brischke

In this article a dose–response model was developed to describe the effect of soil temperature, soil moisture content, and soil water-holding capacity, on the decay of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) wood specimens exposed to soil contact. The developed dose–response model represents a step forward in incorporating soil-level variables into the prediction of wood decay over time. This builds upon prior models such as those developed within the TimberLife software package, but also aligns with similar modeling methodology employed for wood exposed above ground. The model was developed from laboratory data generated from terrestrial microcosm trials which used test specimens of standard dimension, incubated in a range of soil conditions and temperatures, for a maximum period of 16 weeks. Wood mass loss was used as a metric for wood decay. The dose aspect of the developed function modelled wood mass loss in two facets; soil temperature against wood mass loss, and soil water-holding capacity and soil moisture content against wood mass loss. In combination, the two functions describe the wood mass loss as a function of a total daily exposure dose, accumulated over the exposure period. The model was deemed conservative, delivering an overprediction of wood decay, or underprediction of wood service-life, when validated on a similar, but independent dataset (R2 = 0.65). Future works will develop similar models for outdoor, field-trial datasets as a basis for service-life prediction of wooden elements used in soil contact.

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
L. Tužinský

The paper describes the regime and dynamics of the soil moisture content of sandy soils in Záhorská lowland during different growing seasons. Research plots are situated near Kamenný mlyn, approximately 3 km from Plavecký Štvrtok and 8 km southward from the town of Malacky. Changes in the soil moisture content are described by soil moisture constants (MCC, PDA, WP) and its relation to atmospheric precipitation and to the character of undergrowth is shown. The low water-holding capacity of sandy soils and their high drainage together with dense root system do not allow the sufficient saturation of soil during the growing season. The low wilting point value (2%) leads to the consumption of all available water in the soil. The most frequent is the semiarid interval of soil moisture (PDA –WP) with reduced availability of water to plants (> pF 3.1). The arid interval (< WP) occurrence on hot summer days results in a decrease in transpiration and assimilation intensity of plants, their physiological weakening and premature fall of assimilation organs. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-74
Author(s):  
Paardensha Ivy Chinir ◽  
Manoj Dutta ◽  
Rizongba Kichu ◽  
Sewak Ram

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of forest litter and its time of incorporation on soil physical properties. The study showed that plots with forest litter incorporated at 45 DBS (Days Before Sowing) had significantly higher soil moisture content as compared to those incorporated at 30 DBS after 30 and 60 DAS. However, the difference in the time of incorporation had no significant effect on soil moisture content at 90 DAS. At 30 DAS, application of forest litter @ 6 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1 significantly increased the soil moisture content at a rate of 4.11 and 11.42 per cent, respectively over control. At 60 DAS, application of forest litter @ 3 t ha-1, 6 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1 significantly increased the soil moisture content at the rate of 15.05, 17.26 and 25.65 per cent, respectively over control. At 90 DAS, a trend was noticed which showed that soil moisture content significantly increased at a progressive rate with each increase in the dose of forest litter application. At 90 DAS, the addition of forest litter @ 3 t ha-1, 6 t ha-1and 9 t ha-1 increased the soil moisture content @ 10.16, 17.84 and 22.20 per cent, respectively over control. The plots with forest litter incorporated at 45 DBS had significantly higher hydraulic conductivity, per cent aggregates and mean weight diameter as compared to those incorporated at 30 DBS. However, the difference in the time of incorporation i.e., at 30 and 45 DBS had no significant effect on bulk density, particle density and water holding capacity. Incorporation of forest litter @ 3 t ha-1, 6 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1 significantly decreased the bulk density at the rate of 3.67, 8.65 and 14.14 per cent; while particle density increased at the rate of 2.59, 3.42 and 6.61 per cent, respectively when compared to control. The addition of forest litter @ 3 t ha-1, 6 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1 resulted in a significant increase in water holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity at a rate of 3.72, 4.65 and 6.77 per cent and 24.13, 32.30 and 41.73 per cent, respectively over control. Further, the application of forest litter @ 3t ha-1, 6 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1 significantly increased the per cent aggregate and mean weight diameter of the soil @ 1.77, 3.49 and 6.58 per cent 17.31, 26.28 and 41.35 per cent, respectively over control. The study revealed that incorporating 9 t ha-1 of forest litter at 45 DBS had the most beneficial effect on soil physical properties.


1980 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. O. Othieno

SUMMARYSoil moisture content and plant water status of young clonal tea plants were affected differently by five different types of mulches (black plastic, stone chippings and three types of grass) when compared with a control without mulch. During prolonged droughts, soil moisture content was generally highest under Napier grass and black plastic but any type of mulch was better than no mulch in conserving moisture to 90 cm depth. Tensiometer data at the onset of rains after an unusual prolonged dry season suggest that the infiltration was fastest under grass mulches. After four years of continuous application grass mulches had significantly most effect on water holding capacity, but induced shallow rooting systems, which made the mulched tea more susceptible to drought.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuanne Braúlio Hennig ◽  
Paulo Roger Lopes Alves ◽  
Felipe Ogliari Bandeira ◽  
Liziara da Costa Cabrera ◽  
Jonas Simon Dugatto ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the effect of temperature on the toxicity of fipronil toward earthworms (Eisenia andrei) in two Brazilian soils (Entisol and Oxisol) with contrasting textures. In the case of Entisol, the influence of the soil moisture content on the toxicity was also investigated. Earthworms were exposed for 56 days to soils spiked with increasing concentrations of fipronil under scenarios with different combinations of temperature (20, 25 and 27 ºC) and soil moisture content (60 and 30% of water holding capacity (WHC) for Entisol and 60% WHC for Oxisol). The number of juveniles produced was taken as the endpoint and a risk assessment was performed based on the hazard quotient (HQ). In Entisol, at 60% WHC the fipronil toxicity decreased at 27 ºC compared with the other temperatures tested (EC50 = 52.58, 48.48 and 110 mg kg-1 for 20, 25 and 27 ºC, respectively). In the case of Oxisol at 60% WHC, the fipronil toxicity increased at 27 ºC compared with other temperatures (EC50 = 277.57, 312.87 and 39.89 mg kg-1 at 20, 25 and 27 ºC, respectively). An increase in fipronil toxicity was also observed with a decrease in soil moisture content in Entisol at 27 ºC (EC50 = 27.95 and 110 mg kg-1 for 30% and 60% WHC, respectively). The risk of fipronil was only significant at 27 ºC in Entisol and Oxisol with water contents of 30% and 60% WHC, respectively, revealing that higher temperatures can increase the risk of fipronil toxicity toward earthworms. The results reported herein show that soil properties associated with climatic shifts could enhance the ecotoxicological effects and risk of fipronil for earthworms, depending on the type of soil.


2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1090-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia I. Seneviratne ◽  
Randal D. Koster ◽  
Zhichang Guo ◽  
Paul A. Dirmeyer ◽  
Eva Kowalczyk ◽  
...  

Abstract Soil moisture memory is a key aspect of land–atmosphere interaction and has major implications for seasonal forecasting. Because of a severe lack of soil moisture observations on most continents, existing analyses of global-scale soil moisture memory have relied previously on atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) experiments, with derived conclusions that are probably model dependent. The present study is the first survey examining and contrasting global-scale (near) monthly soil moisture memory characteristics across a broad range of AGCMs. The investigated simulations, performed with eight different AGCMs, were generated as part of the Global Land–Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. Overall, the AGCMs present relatively similar global patterns of soil moisture memory. Outliers are generally characterized by anomalous water-holding capacity or biases in radiation forcing. Water-holding capacity is highly variable among the analyzed AGCMs and is the main factor responsible for intermodel differences in soil moisture memory. Therefore, further studies on this topic should focus on the accurate characterization of this parameter for present AGCMs. Despite the range in the AGCMs’ behavior, the average soil moisture memory characteristics of the models appear realistic when compared to available in situ soil moisture observations. An analysis of the processes controlling soil moisture memory in the AGCMs demonstrates that it is mostly controlled by two effects: evaporation’s sensitivity to soil moisture, which increases with decreasing soil moisture content, and runoff’s sensitivity to soil moisture, which increases with increasing soil moisture content. Soil moisture memory is highest in regions of medium soil moisture content, where both effects are small.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Run-chun LI ◽  
Xiu-zhi ZHANG ◽  
Li-hua WANG ◽  
Xin-yan LV ◽  
Yuan GAO

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aslanidou ◽  
P. Smiris

This  study deals with the soil moisture distribution and its effect on the  potential growth and    adaptation of the over-story species in north-east Chalkidiki. These  species are: Quercus    dalechampii Ten, Quercus  conferta Kit, Quercus  pubescens Willd, Castanea  sativa Mill, Fagus    moesiaca Maly-Domin and also Taxus baccata L. in mixed stands  with Fagus moesiaca.    Samples of soil, 1-2 kg per 20cm depth, were taken and the moisture content  of each sample    was measured in order to determine soil moisture distribution and its  contribution to the growth    of the forest species. The most important results are: i) available water  is influenced by the soil    depth. During the summer, at a soil depth of 10 cm a significant  restriction was observed. ii) the    large duration of the dry period in the deep soil layers has less adverse  effect on stands growth than in the case of the soil surface layers, due to the fact that the root system mainly spreads out    at a soil depth of 40 cm iii) in the beginning of the growing season, the  soil moisture content is    greater than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm, in beech and mixed beech-yew  stands, is 10-15 % in    the Q. pubescens  stands and it's more than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm in Q. dalechampii    stands.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehman S. Eon ◽  
Charles M. Bachmann

AbstractThe advent of remote sensing from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has opened the door to more affordable and effective methods of imaging and mapping of surface geophysical properties with many important applications in areas such as coastal zone management, ecology, agriculture, and defense. We describe a study to validate and improve soil moisture content retrieval and mapping from hyperspectral imagery collected by a UAS system. Our approach uses a recently developed model known as the multilayer radiative transfer model of soil reflectance (MARMIT). MARMIT partitions contributions due to water and the sediment surface into equivalent but separate layers and describes these layers using an equivalent slab model formalism. The model water layer thickness along with the fraction of wet surface become parameters that must be optimized in a calibration step, with extinction due to water absorption being applied in the model based on equivalent water layer thickness, while transmission and reflection coefficients follow the Fresnel formalism. In this work, we evaluate the model in both field settings, using UAS hyperspectral imagery, and laboratory settings, using hyperspectral spectra obtained with a goniometer. Sediment samples obtained from four different field sites representing disparate environmental settings comprised the laboratory analysis while field validation used hyperspectral UAS imagery and coordinated ground truth obtained on a barrier island shore during field campaigns in 2018 and 2019. Analysis of the most significant wavelengths for retrieval indicate a number of different wavelengths in the short-wave infra-red (SWIR) that provide accurate fits to measured soil moisture content in the laboratory with normalized root mean square error (NRMSE)< 0.145, while independent evaluation from sequestered test data from the hyperspectral UAS imagery obtained during the field campaign obtained an average NRMSE = 0.169 and median NRMSE = 0.152 in a bootstrap analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1562
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Ge ◽  
Jianli Ding ◽  
Xiuliang Jin ◽  
Jingzhe Wang ◽  
Xiangyue Chen ◽  
...  

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based hyperspectral remote sensing is an important monitoring technology for the soil moisture content (SMC) of agroecological systems in arid regions. This technology develops precision farming and agricultural informatization. However, hyperspectral data are generally used in data mining. In this study, UAV-based hyperspectral imaging data with a resolution o 4 cm and totaling 70 soil samples (0–10 cm) were collected from farmland (2.5 × 104 m2) near Fukang City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Four estimation strategies were tested: the original image (strategy I), first- and second-order derivative methods (strategy II), the fractional-order derivative (FOD) technique (strategy III), and the optimal fractional order combined with the optimal multiband indices (strategy IV). These strategies were based on the eXtreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost) algorithm, with the aim of building the best estimation model for agricultural SMC in arid regions. The results demonstrated that FOD technology could effectively mine information (with an absolute maximum correlation coefficient of 0.768). By comparison, strategy IV yielded the best estimates out of the methods tested (R2val = 0.921, RMSEP = 1.943, and RPD = 2.736) for the SMC. The model derived from the order of 0.4 within strategy IV worked relatively well among the different derivative methods (strategy I, II, and III). In conclusion, the combination of FOD technology and the optimal multiband indices generated a highly accurate model within the XGBoost algorithm for SMC estimation. This research provided a promising data mining approach for UAV-based hyperspectral imaging data.


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