Combined Effects of Wildfire and Vegetation Cover Type on Volcanic Soil (Functions and Properties) in a Mediterranean Region: Comparison of Two Soil Quality Indices

Mediterranean regions are the most impacted by fire in Europe. The effects of fire on soil greatly vary according to several factors such as vegetation cover type, but they are scarcely studied. Therefore, this research aimed at evaluating the combined impacts of fire and vegetation on single soil characteristics and on the overall soil quality and functionality through two soil quality indices, simple additive (SQI) and a weighted function (SQIFUNCT). In order to reach the aims, burnt and unburnt soils were collected under different vegetation cover types (herbs and shrubs, black locust, pine and holm oak) within the Vesuvius National Park. The soils were analyzed for the main abiotic (water and organic matter content, total C, N, Ca, K, Cu and Pb concentrations, C/N ratio) and biotic (microbial and fungal biomasses, basal respiration, β-glucosidase activity) characteristics. On the basis of the investigated soil characteristics, several soil functions (water retention, nutrient supply, contamination content, microorganism habitat and activities), and the soil quality indices were calculated. The results showed that the impact of fire on soil quality and functionality was mediated by the vegetation cover type. In fact, fire occurrence led to a decrease in water and C/N ratio under herbs, a decrease in C concentration under holm oak and a decrease in Cu and Pb concentrations under pine. Although the soil characteristics showed significant changes according to vegetation cover types and fire occurrence, both the additive and weighted function soil quality indices did not significantly vary according to both fire occurrence and the vegetation cover type. Among the different vegetation cover types, pine was the most impacted one.

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The Impact of Soil Erosion on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Characteristics and Potentially Toxic Element Contents in a Sloping Vineyard in Tállya, Ne Hungary

Journal of Environmental Geography ◽

10.2478/jengeo-2021-0005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1-2) ◽

pp. 47-57

Author(s):

Samdandorj Manaljav ◽

Andrea Farsang ◽

Károly Barta ◽

Zalán Tobak ◽

Szabolcs Juhász ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Soil Characteristics ◽

Coarse Fraction ◽

Toxic Element ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Carbonate Content ◽

Potentially Toxic Element ◽

The Impact

Abstract Soil erosion is a main problem in sloping vineyards, which can dramatically affect soil quality and fertility. The present study aimed to evaluate the spatial patterns of selected physico-chemical soil characteristics and the soil’s potentially toxic element (PTE) contents in the context of erosion. The study was conducted in a 0.4 ha vineyard plot on a steep slope in Tállya, part of the wine-growing region of Tokaj-Hegyalja (Hungary). A total of 20 topsoil samples (0-10 cm) were collected and analysed for PTEs (B, Co, Ba, Sr, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu), soil pH (deionized water and KCl solution), particle-size distribution, soil organic matter (SOM), (nitrate+nitrite)-N, P2O5, and carbonate content. Among the selected PTEs, only Cu (125±27 mg/kg) exceeds the Hungarian standards set for soils and sediments (75 mg/kg) due to the long-term use of Cu-based pesticides in the vineyard. Examined PTEs are negatively correlated with the sand content of the topsoil, except for Mn, while the significant positive relationship with the clay content shows the role of clay in retaining PTEs in soil. SOM seems to play a minor role in binding PTEs, as Cu is the only element for which a significant correlation with the SOM content can be detected. The spatial distribution maps prepared by inverse distance weighting (IDW) and lognormal kriging (LK) methods show higher PTE contents at the summit and the shoulder of the hillslope and lower contents at the backslope and the footslope zones. The low slope gradients (0-5 degree) and the high contents of the coarse fraction (> 35%) likely protect the soil at the summit and the hillslope’s shoulder from excessive erosion-induced losses. While the reraising PTE contents at the toeslope are likely due to the deposition of fine soil particles (silt and clay). The highest SOM contents at the summit and the toeslope areas, and increased contents of the coarse fraction at the backslope, confirm the effects of soil erosion on the spatial distribution patterns of main soil quality indicators. Overall, the LK outperformed the IDW method in predicting the soil parameters in unsampled areas.

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Assessment of the soil quality as a complex of productive and environmental soil function potentials

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/39/2009-swr ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (No. 3) ◽

pp. 113-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. Novák ◽

J. Vopravil ◽

J. Lagová

Keyword(s):

Soil Quality ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Soil Characteristics ◽

Land Evaluation ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Soil Function ◽

Czech Land ◽

Productive Potential ◽

Productive Function ◽

Environmental Functions

Soil quality is a measure of the ability of soil to carry out particular ecological and plant productive functions. It reflects the combination of chemical, physical, and biological properties. Some of the soil properties are relatively more important than the others and unchangeable. Others can be significantly changed by human activity. Nowadays, three groups of soil functions are usually defined: soil utility function (productive function, infrastructure area, source of materials); functions of soil in the environment (non-productive functions such as: water infiltration and water retention, transport of matter, buffering and sanitary functions); soil cultural function (history of nature and humans). The cultural function is, from our point of view, different from the others. The complex assessment of the soil quality is the topic of this paper and includes both the productive and environmental functions. The productive function (productive potential) of Czech soils has been long studied and is ± known. It is expressed by means of a one-hundred-point scale in the Czech Land Evaluation System. Its point values depend on different soil and local characteristics together with the natural conditions and their influence on the plant production. A similar principle was used for the assessment of the non-productive soil functions. The importance of the individual soil characteristics is defined. The values of the environmental soil function potentials are determined from the common soil characteristics and are compared with the values of the soil productive potential. Total soil quality can be then expressed as the average or as the sum of the points for all individual functions. Some selected function can be preferred by increasing its value coefficient for a specific land use area (for example, an area for obtaining underground water). Three texturally different forms of Chernozem (middle textured, clayic, arenic) which correspond to the Main Soil Units of the Czech Land Evaluation System are given as an example of the assessment. The evaluation of the total soil quality would then involve not only the agricultural and locality determined financial values but also an assessment of all environmental functions of the soil.

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Urban Fire Severity and Vegetation Dynamics in Southern California

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13010019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 19

Author(s):

Lauren E. H. Mathews ◽

Alicia M. Kinoshita

Keyword(s):

Vegetation Cover ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Fire Severity ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Burn Severity ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Riparian Areas ◽

The Impact

A combination of satellite image indices and in-field observations was used to investigate the impact of fuel conditions, fire behavior, and vegetation regrowth patterns, altered by invasive riparian vegetation. Satellite image metrics, differenced normalized burn severity (dNBR) and differenced normalized difference vegetation index (dNDVI), were approximated for non-native, riparian, or upland vegetation for traditional timeframes (0-, 1-, and 3-years) after eleven urban fires across a spectrum of invasive vegetation cover. Larger burn severity and loss of green canopy (NDVI) was detected for riparian areas compared to the uplands. The presence of invasive vegetation affected the distribution of burn severity and canopy loss detected within each fire. Fires with native vegetation cover had a higher severity and resulted in larger immediate loss of canopy than fires with substantial amounts of non-native vegetation. The lower burn severity observed 1–3 years after the fires with non-native vegetation suggests a rapid regrowth of non-native grasses, resulting in a smaller measured canopy loss relative to native vegetation immediately after fire. This observed fire pattern favors the life cycle and perpetuation of many opportunistic grasses within urban riparian areas. This research builds upon our current knowledge of wildfire recovery processes and highlights the unique challenges of remotely assessing vegetation biophysical status within urban Mediterranean riverine systems.

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Effect of Tillage Systems on Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Quality in a Purple Paddy Soil

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.183-185.1190 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 183-185 ◽

pp. 1190-1194

Author(s):

Jun Ke Zhang ◽

Qing Ju Hao ◽

Chang Sheng Jiang ◽

Yan Wu

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Paddy Soil ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Purple Soil ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Field Station ◽

No Till ◽

The Impact

The impact of conservation tillage practices on carbon sequestration has been of great interest in recent years. This experiment analyzed the organic carbon status of soils sampled at depth increments from 0 to 60 cm after 20 years in a purple paddy soil. The tillage experiment was established in the Key Field Station for Monitoring of Eco-Environment of Purple Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, located in the farm of Southwest University (30°26′N, 106°26′E), Chongqing. In this paper, five tillage treatments including conventional tillage with rice only system (DP), conventional tillage with rotation of rice and rape system (SL), no-till and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LM), no-till and plain culture with rotation of rice and rape system (XM) and tillage and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LF) were selected as research objectives to measure SOC storage and stratification ratio of SOC (CSR). The SOC storage under different tillage systems was calculated based on an equivalent soil mass. The CSR can be used as an indicator of soil quality because surface organic matter is essential to erosion control, water infiltration, and the conservation of nutrients. Results showed that in soil under no-till SOC was concentrated near the surface, while in tilled soil SOC decreased equably with the increase of soil depth. The difference of SOC contents between the five tillage systems was the largest in the top soil and the lowest in the bottom soil. The order of SOC storage was LM (158.52 Mg C•ha-1) >DP (106.74 Mg C•ha-1) >XM (100.11 Mg C•ha-1) >LF (93.11 Mg C•ha-1) >SL (88.59 Mg C•ha-1), LM treatment was significantly higher than the other treatments. The CSR of 0-10/50-60 cm was 2.65, 2.70 and 2.14 under LM, XM and LF treatments, while 1.54 and 1.92 under DP and SL treatments. We considered CSR>2 indicate an improvement in soil quality produced by changing from tillage to no-tillage, as well as changing from plane to ridge. Overall, long-term LM treatment is a valid strategy for increasing SOC storage and improving soil quality in a purple paddy soil in Southwest China.

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Participatory soil quality assessment: The case of smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr04021 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 793 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Teklu Erkossa ◽

Karl Stahr ◽

Thomas Gaiser

Keyword(s):

Quality Assessment ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Crop Production ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Soil Management ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Yield Data ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Soil Quality Assessment

The study was conducted at Caffee Doonsa (08°88′N, 39°08′E; 2400 m asl), a small watershed in the central highlands of Ethiopia, in order to identify farmers’ goals of soil management and the indicators they use in selecting soils for a certain function, and to categorise the soils in different quality groups with respect to the major functions. Thirty-six male farmers of different age and wealth groups participated in a Participatory Rural Appraisal technique. They listed and prioritised 12 soil functions in the area and itemised the soil quality indicators (characteristics). Based on the indicators, the soils in the watershed were classified into 3 soil quality (SQ) groups (Abolse, Kooticha, and Carii). The SQ groups have been evaluated and ranked for the major soil functions. For crop production, Abolse was graded best, followed by Kooticha and Carii, respectively. The grain and straw yield data of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) taken from the SQ groups confirmed the farmers claim, in that Abolse gave the highest grain yield (4573 kg/ha), followed by 4411 and 3657 kg/ha for Kooticha and Carii, respectively. Local insights should be included in systematic soil quality assessment, and in planning and implementation of various soil management interventions.

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Impact of ecological and conventional arable management systems on chemical and biological soil quality indices in Nicaragua

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/s0038-0717(01)00089-x ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 33 (12-13) ◽

pp. 1591-1597 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Xiomara Castillo ◽

Rainer Georg Joergensen

Keyword(s):

Soil Quality ◽

Management Systems ◽

Quality Indices

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Soil Type Modifies the Impacts of Warming and Snow Exclusion on Carbon and Nutrient Losses

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1139295/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie M. Juice ◽

Paul G. Schaberg ◽

Alexandra M. Kosiba ◽

Carl E. Waite ◽

Gary J. Hawley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Soil Type ◽

Soil Characteristics ◽

Nutrient Loss ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

N Losses ◽

Total N ◽

The Impact

Abstract The varied and wide-reaching impacts of climate change are occurring across heterogeneous landscapes. Despite the known importance of soils in mediating biogeochemical nutrient cycling, there is little experimental evidence of how soil characteristics may shape ecosystem response to climate change. Our objective was to clarify how soil characteristics modify the impact of climate changes on carbon and nutrient leaching losses in temperate forests. We therefore conducted a field-based mesocosm experiment with replicated warming and snow exclusion treatments on two soils in large (2.4 m diameter), in-field forest sapling mesocosms. We found that nutrient loss responses to warming and snow exclusion treatments frequently varied substantially by soil type. Indeed, in some cases, soil type nullified the impact of a climate treatment. For example, warming and snow exclusion increased nitrogen (N) losses on fine soils by up to four times versus controls, but these treatments had no impact on coarse soils. Generally, the coarse textured soil, with its lower soil-water holding capacity, had higher nutrient losses (e.g., 12-17 times more total N loss from coarse than fine soils), except in the case of phosphate, which had consistently higher losses (23-58%) from the finer textured soil. Furthermore, the mitigation of nutrient loss by increasing tree biomass varied by soil type and nutrient. Our results suggest that potentially large biogeochemical responses to climate change are strongly mediated by soil characteristics, providing further evidence of the need to consider soil properties in Earth system models for improving nutrient cycling and climate projections.

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