scholarly journals The Role of Organic Fertilizers in Transition to Sustainable Agriculture in the MENA Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Avery
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Semi Arid

Organic fertilizers can serve as an element of transitions to sustainable low-input agriculture in semi-arid regions of the MENA region. They play a key role in supporting soil biota and soil fertility. Yield improvements, availability and relatively low costs make organic fertilizers an attractive alternative for farmers. In semi-arid regions, important considerations are improved soil quality, which in turn affects soil water retention, while better root development helps crops resist heat and water stress. Organic fertilizers thus support climate adaptation and regional food security. Soil quality is crucial for carbon sequestration, at the same time that increased nutrient retention reduces impacts of agricultural runoff on groundwater and water bodies. Factors that impede the generalised use of organic fertilizers include lack of expertise, subsidy structures, constraints of the wider food and agricultural systems, and difficulties in transitioning from conventional agriculture. Such obstacles are aggravated in countries affected by security issues, financial volatility or restrictions in access to market. Against the background of both general and local constraints, the chapter examines possible pathways to benefit from organic fertilizers, in particular synergies with other sustainable agricultural practices, as well as improved access to expertise.

Interactions between agricultural mulching plastic debris and pesticides

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Beriot ◽  
Paul Zomer ◽  
Raul Zornoza ◽  
Violette Geissen Geissen
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Soil Organisms ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Sorption Behaviour ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Plastic Mulching ◽  
Safe Approach ◽  
Active Substances ◽  
Semi Arid

<div> <p>In semi-arid regions, the use of plastic mulch and pesticides in conventional agriculture is nearly ubiquitous. The use of plastics and pesticides lead both to the release of residues in the soils. The degradation of plastic and pesticide residues in the soil have been previously studied, but not together despite the fact that pesticides may be sorbed to plastics and that the sorption may change the degradation rate. In fact, the sorption of pesticides on Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) has been previously  studied, but no data is available for other plastics such as Pro-oxidant Additive Containing (PAC) plastics or “biodegradable” (Bio) plastics. The aim of this research was to measure the sorption pattern of active substances from 38 pesticides on LDPE, PAC and Bio plastic mulches and to compare the decay of the active substances in the presence and absence of plastic debris. For this purpose, 38 active substances from 17 insecticides, 15 fungicides and 6 herbicides commonly applied with plastic mulching in South-east Spain were incubated at 35°C for 15 days with a 3×3 cm² square of plastic mulch (LDPE, PAC and Bio). The QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe) approach was adapted to extract the pesticides. The sorption behaviour depended on both, the pesticide and the plastic mulch type. On average, the sorption percentage was ~23% on LDPE and PAC, and ~50% on Bio. The decay of active substances in the presence of plastic was, on average, 30% lower than the decay of active substances in solution alone. Therefore, efficacy, transport, degradability and/or eco-toxicity of active substances from pesticides may be affected by sorption on plastics. Additionally the sorption of pesticides on plastic debris may affect the plastic degradability due to the toxicity of pesticides to some soil organisms.</p> </div><p> </p>

Development of vegetation based soil quality indices for mineralized terrane in arid and semi-arid regions

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.W. Blecker ◽  
L.L. Stillings ◽  
M.C. Amacher ◽  
J.A. Ippolito ◽  
N.M. DeCrappeo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals A laboratory comparison of the interactions between three plastic mulch types and 38 active substances found in pesticides

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Beriot ◽  
Paul Zomer ◽  
Raul Zornoza ◽  
Violette Geissen
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Sorption Behavior ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Plastic Mulching ◽  
Safe Approach ◽  
Active Substances ◽  
Semi Arid

Background In semi-arid regions, the use of plastic mulch and pesticides in conventional agriculture is nearly ubiquitous. Although the sorption of pesticides on Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) has been previously studied, no data are available for other plastics such as Pro-oxidant Additive Containing (PAC) plastics or “biodegradable” (Bio) plastics. The aim of this research was to measure the sorption pattern of active substances from pesticides on LDPE, PAC and Bio plastic mulches and to compare the decay of the active substances in the presence and absence of plastic debris. Methods For this purpose, 38 active substances from 17 insecticides, 15 fungicides and six herbicides commonly applied with plastic mulching in South-east Spain were incubated with a 3 × 3 cm2 piece of plastic mulch (LDPE, PAC and Bio). The incubation was done in a solution of 10% acetonitrile and 90% distilled water at 35 °C for 15 days in the dark. The Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe approach was adapted to extract the pesticides. Results The sorption behavior depended on both the pesticide and the plastic mulch type. On average, the sorption percentage was ~23% on LDPE and PAC and ~50% on Bio. The decay of active substances in the presence of plastic was ~30% lesser than the decay of active substances in solution alone. This study is the first attempt at assessing the behavior of a diversity of plastic mulches and pesticides to further define research needs.

scholarly journals Development of a Spatial Model for Soil Quality Assessment under Arid and Semi-Arid Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2893
Author(s):  
Mohamed S. Shokr ◽  
Mostafa. A. Abdellatif ◽  
Ahmed A. El Baroudy ◽  
Abdelrazek Elnashar ◽  
Esmat F. Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Spatial Model ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Land Capability ◽  
Quality Class ◽  
Egyptian Desert ◽  
Semi Arid

Food security has become a global concern for humanity with rapid population growth, requiring a sustainable assessment of natural resources. Soil is one of the most important sources that can help to bridge the food demand gap to achieve food security if well assessed and managed. The aim of this study was to determine the soil quality index (SQI) for El Fayoum depression in the Western Egyptian Desert using spatial modeling for soil physical, chemical, and biological properties based on the MEDALUS methodology. For this purpose, a spatial model was developed to evaluate the soil quality of the El Fayoum depression in the Western Egyptian Desert. The integration between Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Sentinel-2 satellite image was used to produce landforms and digital soil mapping for the study area. Results showed that the study area located under six classes of soil quality, e.g., very high-quality class represents an area of 387.12 km2 (22.7%), high-quality class occupies 441.72 km2 (25.87%), the moderate-quality class represents 208.57 km2 (12.21%), slightly moderate-quality class represents 231.10 km2 (13.5%), as well as, a low-quality class covering an area of 233 km2 (13.60%), and very low-quality class occupies about 206 km2 (12%). The Agricultural Land Evaluation System for arid and semi-arid regions (ALESarid) was used to estimate land capability. Land capability classes were non-agriculture class (C6), poor (C4), fair (C3), and good (C2) with an area 231.87 km2 (13.50%), 291.94 km2 (17%), 767.39 km2 (44.94%), and 416.07 km2 (24.4%), respectively. Land capability along with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) used for validation of the proposed model of soil quality. The spatially-explicit soil quality index (SQI) shows a strong significant positive correlation with the land capability and a positive correlation with NDVI at R2 0.86 (p < 0.001) and 0.18 (p < 0.05), respectively. In arid regions, the strategy outlined here can easily be re-applied in similar environments, allowing decision-makers and regional governments to use the quantitative results achieved to ensure sustainable development.

BIODIVERSITY OF HALOPHYTES IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS CASE OF ZAHREZ GHARBI AND ZAHREZ CHERGUI (ZAAFRANE-DJELFA) IN ALGERIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Senni Rachida ◽  
De Belair Gerard ◽  
Abdelkrim Hacene
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Semi Arid

Water Resources Management in the Semi-Arid Central Valley of California

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
J. J. Vasconcelos
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Ground Water Resource ◽  
Semi Arid

Hater resource managers in semi-arid regions are faced with some unique problems. The wide variations in precipitation and stream flows in semi-arid regions increase man's dependence on the ground water resource for an ample and reliable supply of water. Proper management of the ground water resource is absolutely essential to the economic well being of semi-arid regions. Historians have discovered the remains of vanished advanced civilizations based on irrigated agriculture which were ignorant of the importance of proper ground water resource management. In the United States a great deal of effort is presently being expended in the study and control of toxic discharges to the ground water resource. What many public policy makers fail to understand is that the potential loss to society resulting from the mineralization of the ground water resource is potentially much greater than the loss caused by toxic wastes discharges, particularly in developing countries. Appropriations for ground water resource management studies in developed countries such as the United States are presently much less than those for toxic wastes management and should be increased. It is the reponsibility of the water resource professional to emphasize to public policy makers the importance of ground water resource management. Applications of ground water resource management models in the semi-arid Central Valley of California are presented. The results demonstrate the need for proper ground water resource management practices in semi-arid regions and the use of ground water management models as a valuable tool for the water resource manager.

scholarly journals Mulching as water-saving technique in dryland agriculture: review article

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abdul Kader ◽  
Ashutus Singha ◽  
Mili Amena Begum ◽  
Arif Jewel ◽  
Ferdous Hossain Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Dryland Agriculture ◽  
Crop Cultivation ◽  
Agricultural Water Resources ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract Agricultural water resources have been limited over the years due to global warming and irregular rainfall in the arid and semi-arid regions. To mitigate the water stress in agriculture, mulching has a crucial impact as a water-saving technique in rain-fed crop cultivation. It is important mainly for preserving soil moisture, relegating soil temperature, and limiting soil evaporation, which affects the crop yield. Mulching has many strategic effects on soil ecosystem, crop growth, and climate. Mulch insulates the soil, helping to provide a buffer from cold and hot temperatures that have a crucial activity in creating beautiful and protected landscapes. This study has accumulated a series of information about both organic and plastic mulch materials and its applicability on crop cultivation. Moreover, future research potentials of mulching with modeling were discussed to quantify water loss in agriculture.

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