Analyzing rainwater chemistry at the continental GAW station Nagpur

lkj & bl 'kks/k i= esa 1981 ls 1996 rd dh vof/k esa ukxiqj esa gqbZ o"kkZ ds ikuh esa jklk;fud rRoksa dh miyC/krk dk v/;;u fd;k x;k gSA bl v/;;u ls ;g irk pyk gS fd ukxiqj esa o"kkZ _rq esa ckj&ckj xtZ ds lkFk vkus okys rwQkuksa ds dkj.k o"kkZ ds ikuh esa Na+ vkSj Cl- ds lkanz.kksa esa leqnz dk izHkko de gSA ;gk¡ ij ekulwu _rq ds vkxeu ls igys ds eghuksa esa vkSj iwjh ekulwu _rq ds nkSjku NO3& esa cgqr vf/kd lkanzrk fjdkWMZ dh xbZ gSA ekulwu _rq ds nkSjku K+ dks NksM+dj o"kkZ ds ikuh ds lHkh ?kVdksa dh vxLr rd lkanzrk de gksrh tkrh gSA rFkkfi] flracj esa lHkh ?kVdksa dh lkanzrk esa o`f} ikbZ xbZ gSA Cl- vkSj Na+ ds fu{ksi.k eku rVh; dsanzksa dh rqyuk esa dkQh de ik, x, gSaA SO4&2 ds fu{ksi.k ekuksa dh rqyuk ;w- ,l- ,l- vkj- ds dqN Hkkxksa esa ik, x, ekuksa ls dh tk ldrh gSA o"kkZ ds ikuh ds fofHkUu ?kVdksa ds chp vuqikrksa dk v/;;u djus vkSj leqnz ds ikuh ds vuqikrksa ds lkFk mudh rqyuk djus ls irk pyk gS fd ukxiqj esa o"kkZ ds ikuh esa Na+ dh vf/kdrk dk dkj.k leqnz ds ikuh ds vykok vU; lzksr Hkh gSaA pH ekuksa esa cgqr vf/kd fofHkUurk ikbZ xbZ gSA ekulwu esa] twu ds ]ckn pH de gksrk tkrk gS vkSj flracj rd cgqr de gks tkrk gSA bldk dkj.k o"kkZ ds ikuh }kjk ewy dSVk;uksa dk i`Fkd djuk ekuk tk ldrk gSA vizSy vkSj ebZ ds lcls rst xehZ ds eghuksa esa pH dh vf/kd ek=k dk dkj.k okrkoj.k esa /kwy d.kksa dh ek=k] ftlesa eq[;r% ewy dSVk;u gksrs gSa] dks ekuk tk ldrk gSA ekulwu _rq ds izR;sd ekg ds pH ds v/;;u ls irk pyk gS fd twu vkSj tqykbZ esa o"kkZ dk Lo:i lokZf/kd ekSfyd gS tcfd vxLr vkSj flracj esa ukxiqj esa vEyh; o"kkZ dh dqN ?kVuk,¡ ns[kh xbZ gSaA tc ekpZ vkSj fnlcaj ds nks eghuksa esa pH dk eku 5-0 ls uhps fxj tkrk gS rc vEyh; o"kkZ dh leL;k cgqr vf/kd fodV gksrh gSA ekulwu iwoZ _rq ds nkSjku mPp lapkydrk ekuksa dk dkj.k bl vof/k esa okrkoj.k esa /kwy d.kksa dh vf/kd lkanzrk dks ekuk tk ldrk gSA ?kVdksa vkSj o"kkZ ds chp ds :Ik esa foijhr laca/k ik;k x;k gSA In this paper rainwater chemistry of Nagpur for the period 1981-1996, has been studied. The analysis reveals that at Nagpur rain water there is less marine influence on the concentrations of Na+ and Cl-. Pre-monsoon months, as well as the season as a whole, record higher NO3- concentration which could be attributed to frequent thunderstorm activities in this season. During monsoon months, concentration of all the constituents of rainwater, except K+, goes on decreasing till August. However, in September increase in concentration is observed for all the constituents. Deposition values of Cl- and Na+ are found to be quite low in comparison to that at coastal stations. SO4-2 deposition value is comparable to the values reported in some parts of USSR. Study of ratios between various constituents and a comparison with sea water ratios reveals that rainwater at Nagpur gets enriched in terms of Na+ from other sources besides sea water. pH values exhibited large variation. In monsoon, June onwards pH goes on decreasing and lowest value is obtained in September. This could be attributed to the preferential removal of basic cations by rainwater. In the peak summer of April and May higher values of pH could be attributed to the abundant prevalence of dust particles in the atmosphere chiefly consisting of basic cations. pH of individual months of monsoon season reveals that in June and July rainfall is predominantly basic in nature while in August and September some instances of acid rain has been observed at Nagpur. Acid rain problem seems to be more acute in the month of March and December when pH in these two months falls below 5.0. High conductivity values during pre-monsoon season could be attributed to higher dust concentrations in the atmosphere during this period. An inverse relationship of form Y = AR-B has been found between the constituents and rainfall.

Determination of soil fertility constraints in two paddy soils of the western highland zone of Cameroon

Information on soil fertility status and variability are essential in understanding the potential of soils and their management interventions in agriculture. The present study aimed at examining the soil quality or fertility of two paddy soils with different productivity in the Western Highland Zone of Cameroon. Twelve soil samples were collected in each of both study location at a standard depth of 0-30 cm and analyzed to find soil texture, Organic Carbon (OC), basic cations (Calcium Ca, Magnesium Mg, Potassium K and Sodium Na), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), soil pH, phosphorus (P), and Total Nitrogen (TN). Most measured soil characteristics showed different degrees of variability in soil nutrients ranging from low to very high in both soils. Both soils were acidic (pH <5.5), consistently deficient in total nitrogen, phosphorus, basic cations, and had high OC and CEC. Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis were used to identify appropriate soil quality indicators. P and Na in Koutaba and P, Mg, and CEC in Santchou constituted minimum data set (MDS) and accounted for 94% and 100% of the quality variation among soils. A Soil Quality Index (SQI) was developed base on the MSD method, Santchou and Koutaba received SQI of 0.48 and 0.73. The paddy soils of Koutaba were more fertile than those of Santchou. The low level of P and Mg were considered to be the major constraints limiting the productivity in both locations. These results suggest that, the management of inherent soil properties is based on-site specific situations.

Soil Acidity, Organic Carbon and Basic Cations as Affected by Nanoparticle of Volcanic Ash and Biofertilizer in Inceptisols

Nanoparticle has been used in agricultural practices such as soil ameliorant. Nanoparticle of volcanic ash and biofertilizer were applied to improve some soil characteristics of Inceptisols. The objective of this research was to optimize the benefit of nanoparticle of volcanic ash and biofertilizer in reducing soil acidity, increasing organic carbon content, and increasing basic cations of Inceptisols. Volcanic ash was obtained from the eruption of Mt. Merapi in Central Java. Nanoparticle was grinded in Nanotechnology and Graphene Research Center, Universitas Padjadjaran. Phosphate solubilizing fungi was used as biofertilizer, isolated in Soil Microbiology Laboratory, Universitas Padjadjaran. A two factors randomized experimental design was used in this research. Nanoparticle of volcanic ash was used as first factor (four levels: 0%, 2%, 4% and 6% of soil weight percentages). Biofertilizer was used as second factor (two levels: 0 and 10 g.kg-1). These two treatments were combined and mixed evenly and incubated for three months in field condition. Every month during those three months a few soil samples were taken to analyze the change of soil characteristics. The results showed that the treatments increased organic carbon content and potassium basic cation but had no effect to soil acidity.

Performance of ‘Galia’ melon grown under different soil cation ratios

The northeast region of Brazil stands out in the production and export of melon. In this region, where this crop is mostly grown, part of the soil is of limestone origin, as is the irrigation water used. Over successive cultivations, these conditions can lead to soil alkalinization due to the accumulation of basic cations of the exchange complex, such as Ca, Mg, K and Na, in soils that are already rich in bases, thus influencing nutrient availability and, consequently, crop yield. On this basis, this study was developed to identify the cation ratios (K:Mg:Ca) of the soil that best correlate with attributes indicative of ‘Gália’ melon production. Two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years (2017 and 2018), in a randomized-block design with five treatments and five replicates. Treatments consisted of the following cation ratios (K:Mg:Ca) for experiment I, whose soil had a K content of 0.40 cmolc dm-3: T1 (1:3:34), T2 (1:3:21), T3 (1:3:9), T4 (1:0.8:9) and T5 (1:11:34); and experiment II, where the soil had 0.56 cmolc dm-3 of K: T1 (1:1.6:29.8), T2 (1:1.4:13.3), T3 (1:1.4:8.5), T4 (1:0.5:8.5) and T5 (1:4.8:29.8). The following traits were evaluated: chemical analyses of the soil during the flowering phase and at the end of the cycle, nutrient concentration in the diagnostic leaf during the fruiting phase, total yield, marketable yield, average total weight, average marketable weight, total number of fruits and number of marketable fruits per plant. The cation ratios influenced the average total and marketable fruit weights only in experiment I, but not yield. Therefore, when associated with irrigation water from the Açu sandstone aquifer and fertigation, the high absolute K and medium to high Mg contents are sufficient to meet the K and Mg nutrient requirements, dispensing with correction of the cation ratio.

Chemical properties of long-term irrigated Fluvisols of the Beli Drim river valley in the Klina region (Serbia)

The impact of long-term (> 100 yr) irrigation on soil chemical properties was studied on eight plots in the Beli Drim river valley in Kosovo and Metohija near Klina, Serbia. For these studies, soil samples from shallow profiles were collected from only one or two depth zones of the Ah horizon; and from moderately deep and deep profiles, from two to three depth zones for the purpose of comparing irrigated field and non-irrigated meadow lands. Water from the Beli Drim River and surface gravity systems (irrigation furrows or border strip irrigation) were used for irrigation. Chemical variables included determination of pH-H2O, content of CaCO3, content of humus, hydrolytic acidity, sum of basic cations, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation. On irrigated soils, the results of chemical analysis showed on average a small increase in pH-H2O (0.07 pH units), as well as a significant decrease in humus content (2.00-4.75%), sum of basic cations (4.98-12.98%) and cation exchange capacity (12.8%) compared to the non-irrigated land of the study area. Long-term irrigation had no effect on hydrolytic acidity and base saturation in the Ah horizon of the investigated lands. Namely, the mentioned variations in the chemical properties of the investigated soils show that slight processes of reduction in the humus content and reduction of the content of base cations occured. Data on the chemical properties of the investigated soils indicate that the destructive processes of reduction in the humus content and leaching of base cations must be controlled in order to achieve a stable sustainable system of high productivity and prevent their further deterioration.

Physico-chemical evaluation of soil resources in different regions of Taza – Taounate, Morocco

<p>The area studied Taza-Taounate is a vast mountain range in north-central Morocco, characterized by a variation in bio-geographical factors that encourage a vibrant and diversified vegetation cover with a remarkable rate of endemism compared to Moroccan flora. Our work involves the physicochemical analysis of soils at seven stations in the study area. Three surface soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected and analyzed for physical and chemical parameters using standard laboratory techniques at each station.</p><p>The results showed the clay fraction's dominance in S2 and S3 and the silt fraction in stations S1, S4, S5, S6, and S7. The studied soils have low levels of organic carbon (0.97% to 2.29%), high levels of CaCO₃(10.1% to 24.9%), and neutral and slightly alkaline pH (7.01to 7.81). The most dominant element in all stations is calcium exchangeable, with values ranging from 51.52 to 74.91 cmol+/kg. The other exchangeable basic cations (Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) have relatively low levels. CEC values vary between 36.12 and 81.13 cmol+/kg, indicating that our soil type is heavy to organic.</p>

Potential of Biochar to Alternate Soil Properties and Crop Yields 3 and 4 Years after the Application

Several studies have reported that biochar can improve soil properties which are linked with higher crop yields and this effect is long-term. This paper aimed to study the effects of biochar (0, 10 and 20 t ha−1) and its combinations with N-fertilization (zero, first and second level of N-fertilization) after 3 and 4 years of its application on improving soil characteristics of loamy Haplic Luvisol and crop yields (Dolná Malanta, Slovakia). The results indicated an increase in soil pH (+7%), improvement in sorption properties (hydrolytic acidity decreased by 11%, sum of basic cations and base saturation increased by 20% and 5%, respectively) and soil organic carbon rose by 27% with increasing biochar rate in the soil. N-fertilization applied to biochar treatments was a stabilizing moment in C sequestration even in the case of its labile forms. Overall, humus stability and quality were not significantly changed, however in biochar treatments without N-fertilization, the humus stability and quality decreased 3 and 4 years after biochar application. Yield parameters differed with relation to climate conditions during both vegetation crop seasons, however the combination of 20 t ha−1 of biochar with the first and second level of N-fertilization had the highest potential to increase the grain yield.

Aggregate Stability in Soils of Twelve Argo-ecological Zones of Bangladesh Based on Organic Carbon and Basic Cations

Soil aggregate is one of the vital indicators of soil health that depends on organic carbon (OC), texture and basic cations. A total of 206 soil samples were collected from 12 agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Bangladesh to study the effects of organic carbon (OC), basic cations (Ca, Mg, K and Na) and different sized soil particles on soil aggregate stability. Soil samples were analyzed for bulk density, pH, OC, texture, basic cations and water stable soil aggregates (WSA) following standard protocols. Data revealed that OC positively increased WSA, while monovalent basic cations Na+ and K+ showed negative effects. Water stable soil aggregates and C stock of 0.25 mm sized soil fraction were found higher than that of larger sized soil fractions of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mm. The roles of divalent basic cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ on WSA were found to be indistinct and need to be studied further. Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2019) 23(2) : 27-36