Haplic Luvisol Research Articles

Comparison of the Effects of Different Crop Production Systems on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Microbial Activity under Winter Wheat

In many areas, organic crop production systems have been shown to contribute to maintaining good soil condition. The organic production system has been recommended as an alternative to conventional agriculture. However, in order to recommend this practice in new regions, it is necessary to obtain information about its effects and consequences in local environmental conditions. The research was completed during 2016–2018 in Osiny (Lublin region, Poland) on a field experiment established 26 years previously in a Haplic Luvisol soil. The research was aimed at comparing the effects of long-term use of tilled soil with organic (ORG) and conventional (CON) crop production systems with those in non-tilled soil under permanent grass (PRG) as a control. This comparison was done on the basis of changes in the values of soil properties as follows: Total porosity (TP), total organic matter (OM), particulate organic matter (POM), humic substances (HS), water-extractable carbon (WEC), microbial biomass carbon pool (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DH). Soil samples were collected from experimental fields (each treatment 1 ha) under winter wheat and permanent grass each year from 0–5, 5–10, 15–20 and 30–35 cm depths. Over the three year study period, it was found that permanent grass and the organic crop production system contributed to increased soil OM, POM, HS, WEC and MBC contents and DH activity compared to the CON system, especially in the top soil layer, 0–5 cm. To obtain a clearer picture of soil quality change our study examined for the first time the metabolic potential index (MPI) as a ratio of dehydrogenase activity to the soluble organic carbon content. The MPI values confirmed the increase of metabolism in ORG soil as a consequence of management practices compared with CON soil. The obtained correlations showed strong mutual relationships within properties of the heterogeneous soil complex. The results show the positive effects of the ORG management system causing soil condition improvement which is based on organic fertilization, enriching the soil with a large amount of plant residues in creating positive changes in the soil quality in contrast to the CON system.

The impact of soil nutritional conditions on sour cherry yield and seasonal dynamics of mineral nitrogen in root zone

The research aimed to study seasonal dynamics of content of Nmin (ammonium and nitrate forms of nitrogen) in the soil of a young sour cherry orchard as aff ected by nitrogen fertilizers. The experiment was conducted with 4-years old sour cherry trees of the ‘Turgenevka’ variety during the growing seasons of 2018 and 2019. The experimental orchard was situated at forest-steppe zone of the Central Russian Upland (Orel region) with loamy Haplic Luvisol. The treatments included: 1. Control (without fertilizers); 2. N30K40; 3. N60K80; 4. N90K120; 5. N120K160. Urea and potassium sulfate were used as fertilizers and were soil applied once a year at early spring. Soil samples were collected in soil layers from a depth of 0…20, 20…40 and 40…60 cm fi ve times during the growing seasons: in May, June, July, August and September. Without fertilizers, mineral nitrogen content varied within 3.1…31.7 mg/kg during both growing seasons. The fertilizer treatments resulted in essential rise of Nmin to 4.7…147.6 and 20.3…102.5 mg/kg in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons respectively. In both 2018 and 2019 the Nmin concentration in 0…60 cm soil layer was the highest in May…June, and decreased by 1.3-5 times in July…August. The fertilization by urea in N90 and N120 doses led to at essential increase of soil nitrogen content by 1.6-5 times compared with unfertilized soil in early summer. The movement of mineral nitrogen to the deeper soil layers was observed when applying of nitrogen fertilizers at the dose of N120. The greatest productivity of 4-years old ‘Turgenevka’ sour cherry trees was observed at N120K160 treatment (5.38 and 9.33 kg/tree in 2018 and 2019 respectively), but the increase in yield compared to the control was not statistically signifi cant.

Methodological aspects of using high-speed cameras to quantify soil splash phenomenon

Soil splash is the first step of water erosion. There are many methods for splash investigations however the use of high-speed cameras is becoming increasingly popular. This study describes the methodological aspects of using high-speed cameras and a PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) system to investigate the soil splash phenomenon. The purpose of the research was to examine the impact of image processing and the choice of settings for particle tracking software on the effectiveness of detecting and identifying splashed/ejected particles (with their flight trajectories). Experiments were carried out on moisturized Haplic Luvisol soil samples and the impact of single water-drop onto the surface was recorded by three calibrated Phantom Miro M310 high-speed cameras. Registered frames were subjected to image processing in Dantec DynamicStudio software, where the selection of the optimal set of parameters/settings was validated, in the context of maximum detection of the splashed particles. The resulted images provided the input data for the Volumetric 3D PTV module (DynamicStudio) to identify/track the ejected particles and then determine their trajectories. The study presents the use of different settings (variants) of tracking modules, enabling the most efficient identification and description of the particles’ trajectories (76%). The incomplete trajectories detected (excluding starting and landing fragments), were subjected to a reconstruction process based on mathematical extrapolation. The analyze of the registered images and reconstructed trajectories of splashed particles gave the possibility to determine the following parameters describing soil splash phenomenon: a) number of splashed particles, b) ejection angle (for each particle), c) ejection velocity, d) displacement range, e) altitude (the maximal height reached by the particle).

Impact of Effective Microorganisms (EM) Application on the Physical Condition of Haplic Luvisol

The study set out to determine changes in the soil air-water properties, the water-stable aggregate share and organic carbon content as effects of a five-year application of effective microorganisms (EM-A). The hypothesis that long-term applied EM-A biopreparations have a positive effect on the soil physical condition has not been confirmed. Haplic Luvisols originating from silt were studied in a field experiment after EM-A biopreparation treatment. The soil samples with the natural structure preserved intact were collected three times each year. The properties of the soil determined in the study were: particle density, total organic carbon content, bulk density, total porosity, air capacity, air permeability, soil moisture at sampling, field water capacity, available water content, unavailable water content, and water-stable aggregate content. The ratio of field water capacity and total porosity (FC/TP) was calculated. It was found that EM-A application primarily leads to a decrease in the content of organic carbon and water-stable aggregates. This was an adverse effect. Total organic carbon (TOC) and water-stable aggregates proved to be very sensitive indicators for assessing the soil physical condition. However, changes in soil compaction and air–water properties did not show significant deterioration. Our research addresses the data gaps about EM application to soil.

Effect of Biochar Application and Re-Application on Soil Bulk Density, Porosity, Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity, Water Content and Soil Water Availability in a Silty Loam Haplic Luvisol

Due to climate change the productive agricultural sectors have started to face various challenges, such as soil drought. Biochar is studied as a promising soil amendment. We studied the effect of a former biochar application (in 2014) and re-application (in 2018) on bulk density, porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water content and selected soil water constants at the experimental site in Dolná Malanta (Slovakia) in 2019. Biochar was applied and re-applied at the rates of 0, 10 and 20 t ha−1. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied annually at application levels N0, N1 and N2. In 2019, these levels were represented by the doses of 0, 108 and 162 kg N ha−1, respectively. We found that biochar applied at 20 t ha−1 without fertilizer significantly reduced bulk density by 12% and increased porosity by 12%. During the dry period, a relative increase in soil water content was observed at all biochar treatments—the largest after re-application of biochar at a dose of 20 t ha−1 at all fertilization levels. The biochar application also significantly increased plant available water. We suppose that change in the soil structure following a biochar amendment was one of the main reasons of our observations.

Usage of biochar for mitigation of CO2 emission and enhancement of CH4 consumption in forest and orchard Haplic Luvisol (Siltic) soils

It has been reported that biochar changes the properties of soil and has beneficial environmental and agrotechnical consequences, especially in degraded lands, including those affected by climate change. We added wood biochar (produced from fir sawdust by pyrolysis at 650 °C) to soil collected from a forest and an adjacent long-term cultivated orchard to test the short-term response of soil respiration and methanotrophy under moisture levels of 100% and 55% water holding capacity (WHC).In the controls of the respiration studies (without biochar), CO2 emission was generally higher under 55% than 100% WHC in both soils. Biochar application to the forest soil resulted in a significant reduction of the CO2 emission rate under both WHC levels. This is in contrast with the orchard soil, where the CO2 emission rate was not significantly changed (55% WHC) or even stimulated (100% WHC). Regardless of the moisture level, the CO2 emission and O2 consumption was higher in the forest soil than in orchard soil. In the controls of the methanotrophic study, only slight CH4 consumption was observed in both the tested water-content conditions. The biochar effect was dependent on the WHC level. Under 100% WHC, CH4 was completely consumed in both soils with different lag durations. However, under 55% WHC, methanotrophy was stimulated by biochar only in the orchard soil. We concluded that the short-term response of soil respiration and methanotrophy to biochar amendment is influenced by land use and strongly depends on soil moisture conditions. We showed the effectiveness of biochar addition as a method to limit CO2 emission in non-saturated forest soil, and to increase CH4 uptake in saturated soils, regardless of land use, which confirms its efficiency in reducing the greenhouse effect.

Taxonomic Classification and Suitability Evaluation of Selected Soils of Gboko for Yam and Cassava Production.

This study evaluated soil fertility status of Gboko-South in Gboko Local Government Area and their suitability for cassava and yam production. Auger point investigations were carried out at 100 m intervals along traverses spaced at 100 m apart. Three soil units were identified on the field based on soil colour, structure, textures, surface characteristics and topography. The results showed that the soil units were deep (102 – 141 cm) and well drained except unit I that was poorly drained. The soils were coarse-textured and slightly to moderately acidic in reaction with pH values which ranges from 5.38 – 6.50. They had low organic matter contents ranging from 0.20 to 0.95 % and high base saturation which ranged from 76 to 86 %. The soils were classified as Typic Epiaqualfs/Epigleyic Stagnosols, Arenic Haplustalfs/Eutric Luvisols, and Eutric Haplustept/Eutric Haplic Luvisols. Soils of unit I (Pedon I and II), unit II (Pedon III and IV) and unit III (Pedon V and VI) were evaluated to be moderately suitable for cassava and yam production.Keywords: Soil, Taxonomic classification, Suitability evaluation, Land suitability assessment, Yam and Cassava.

Laser-based 3D microscopic gauging of soil aggregate coating thickness and volume

In structured soils, clay-organic coatings are spatially distributed along macropore surfaces. Information on thickness and volume of coating material is essential for macropore-matrix mass exchange of water and solutes. However, their determination is difficult and fraught with uncertainty due to irregular shapes of macropore surfaces. The objective of this study was to test the use of a three-dimensional (3D) confocal laser scanning microscope for gauging soil macropore coatings. For this test, coating material was manually separated from the surface of intact soil clods (5 cm edge length) sampled from Bt horizons (with illuvial clay) of till-derived and loess-derived Haplic Luvisols. The resulting coating thicknesses ranged between approx. 0.1 and 0.5 mm and volumes between 0.057 and 2.9 mm3 with mean densities of 1.96 g cm−3 for loess-derived and 2.67 g cm−3 for till-derived coatings. The 3D laser microscopic method yielded data based on micro-topographic information. The key benefits of the 3D confocal laser scanning microscope are the information on the mm-scale spatial distribution of coating thickness and bulk density. These additional parameters of the clod surface or aggregate micro-topography can be useful for improved quantification of accessibility of sorption surfaces and for describing macropore-matrix mass transfer of reactive solutes.

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.

Comparative analysis of agrochemical, allelopathic and microbiological characteristics of the soil environment for Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. cultivated in Ukraine and two provinces of China

Objective – to evaluate agrochemical, allelopathic and microbiological characteristics of the soil environment for Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. plants cultivated in Ukraine and two provinces of China.
 Material and methods. The rhizosphere soil was sampled at 0–15 cm layer under A. arguta plants in the stage of fruit ripening in Ukraine (Kyiv city: North of Ukraine, Forest-Steppe zone, a temperate continental climate) and two provinces of China (Shandong: East China, a monsoon temperate zone; and Heilongjiang: Northeast China, continental monsoon climate). The concentrations of carbon, available forms of macro- and micronutrients, phenolic compounds in the soil samples were determined. pH and redox potential of soil were measured. Soil phytotoxicity was studied by direct bioassay method on cress (Lepidium sativum L.) root growth. Microbiological analyses of soil samples were conducted.
 Results. The dissimilarities in the concentrations of carbon, macro- and micronutrients in the examined soil samples were shown. The domination of reduction conditions (Eh < 400 mV) in the soils under A. аrguta points the deceleration in the humification processes, as well as the presence of the mobile forms of organic compounds with the allelopathic properties. The redox potential decreased with the increase of pH values. This reflects the intensifying of reduction processes. The soil phytotoxicity under A. аrguta reached 20–70% compared with the control. This is obviously due to the accumulation of phenolic compounds as well as iron and manganese. The relationship between pH, the phytotoxicity and the abundance of the main taxonomical and ecological trophic groups of microbiota in soils under A. аrguta was ascertained.
 Conclusions. Calcic Luvisols from the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv city, Ukraine) and Luvic Chernozems from Jiamusi (Heilongjiang province, China) were determined to be the most favorable for A. arguta cultivation. Salic Solonetz from Harbin (Heilongjiang province, China) and Haplic Luvisols from Linyi (Shandong province, China) had the least suitable soil conditions for A. arguta plants.

Simultaneous determination of wettability and shrinkage in an organic residue amended loamy topsoil

Abstract In agricultural land use, organic residues such as compost, digestate, and sewage sludge are discussed as costeffective soil conditioner that may improve the water holding capacity and crop available soil moisture. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of application of digestates with different compositions in maize, sugar beet and winter wheat, compost of shrub debris and sewage sludge on shrinkage behaviour and contact angle of till-derived loamy topsoil of a Haplic Luvisol under agricultural use. Novelty is the simultaneous determination of contact angle and shrinkage of soils amended with digestates composed of different composition in maize, sugar beet and winter wheat, compost of shrub debris and sewage sludge. The results suggest that the application of organic residues impacts the air capacity, while the contact angles remained in the subcritical range between > 0° and < 90°. The relationship between CA values and moisture ratios, ϑ, during proportional shrinkage was positive and linear (r2 of 0.98) and negative during residual- and zero-shrinkage (r2 of 0.93).

Brilliant Blue sorption characteristics of clay-organic aggregate coatings from Bt horizons

In structured soils, water and reactive solutes can move preferentially through larger inter-aggregate macropores (biopores and cracks) and smaller intra-aggregate pores. Especially clay-organic coating material is of major importance for the exchange of water and solutes between macro- and micropores and the soil matrix by affecting the reactive transport in a yet largely unknown way.The objective of this study was to compare the adsorption and desorption behaviour of clay-organic coatings from samples of till- (T-Bt) and loess- (L-Bt) derived Bt horizons of Haplic Luvisols with those of the soil matrix and a hillslope loam-derived Bsh (HL-Bsh) horizon of a forest Cambisol-Podzol (CM-PZ) without coatings.These coatings are characterized by qm-values of up to 1100 μmol cm−3 for clay contents of up to 330 g kg-1. The values are significantly higher than those of mixed samples without coatings (qm of 180 μmol cm−3 for clay content of 115 g kg-1). The results indicate two different adsorption mechanisms, i) sorption on siloxane surfaces of the alumosilicates (clay minerals) and ii) adsorption controlled by hydrophobic interaction with soil organic material which is possibly attached to clay-organic complexes.The great difference in sorption properties between coatings and matrix suggests that mean values obtained from analyzing mixed samples cannot be used to describe the retardation of dissolved reactive substances on the surfaces of biopores and larger cracks during preferential flow events.

Influence of organic fertilizers on potato yield and quality in different humidity years

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of organic fertilizers on the potato tubers yield and nutrient accumulation. Experiments were carried out at the Vokė Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in 2016–2018. The experiments were performed in stationary concrete cylindrical 24 lysimeters on sandy loam and loamy sand Haplic Luvisol, with a surface area of 1.75 m2 and a test soil layer of 1.35 cm. Fertilization with three randomized replications on each side of lysimeters were the following: 1) control (no fertilizer); 2) NPK organic fertilizers (Provita, phosphorite powder, potassium magnesia); 3) 40 t ha–1 sapropel; 4) 60 t ha–1 manure. The results of the experiments suggest that 40 t ha–1 sapropel and 60 t ha–1 manure fertilizers increase potato tuber yields in both soils (sandy loam soil and loamy sand soil). Inserted NPK fertilizers produced the highest yield (in 2017 and 2019) of a small fraction of potato tubers. The findings suggest that during the drier period, in 2019, the accumulation of all elements increased about 0.7–7 times in both soils. The starch content in the tubers was dependent mostly on the meteorological conditions.

Effect of organic residues on soil properties of loamy topsoil of haplic Luvisol in Northern Germany

Summary The application of organic residues should ensure a sufficient air capacity (AC) and plant available water capacity (AWC) to improve the soil aeration and water supply for plant roots, whereas the air permeability (ka) primarily depends on the number of functional and, therefore, connected pores. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of digestates derived from maize (Zea mays L.), sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in ratios of 100%, 80%, and 20%, respectively; compost of shrub debris; and sewage sludge on AC, AWC, and ka values, including the pore continuity indices (c2, c3) of a loamy Ap horizon of a haplic Luvisol. The results indicate that AC values increase from 0.142 of up to 0.191 cm3 cm−3, but pore continuities and AWC values decrease from 0.143 down to 0.111 cm3 cm−3, except for wheat-containing digestate (20w80b), which shows an opposite trend. The application of organic residues can compensate low AC values but not the AWC values. The wheat-containing digestate should be preferred for improving the water-holding capacity and, therefore, the water supply for plant roots.

Temporal variations of the hydraulic conductivity characteristic under conventional and conservation tillage

Conservation agriculture promotes as one of its three key principles the reduction of tillage intensity to minimize soil physical disturbances. The choice of tillage system alters hydraulic conductivity at (Ks) and near saturation. Drier regions of the hydraulic conductivity characteristic (HCC) may be affected as well. Temporal variations of the HCC along with water retention characteristics of tilled soils have come into the focus of researchers in recent years. It was shown that it may be preferable to account for such variations in soil water modelling.Here, the effects of a conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no tillage (NT) system on the HCC were investigated on an experimental field with a Haplic Luvisol in Eastern Germany throughout part of a winter wheat growing season. This included changes following agricultural management such as stubble breaking and seedbed preparation. Hood infiltrometer measurements were conducted in the field and transient evaporation experiments in the laboratory were performed on undisturbed soil cores to describe the HCC over a wide range of pressure heads (h) from saturation to −1000 cm (pF 3).On tilled plots, Ks and hydraulic conductivity at h = −2 cm (K−2 cm) were more variable with time than observed spatial variability. Overall, Ks was significantly (p < 0.05) higher under RT compared to NT while for CT they ranged in between. Correlation and multiple linear regression indicated a distinctly different soil structure between tilled and untilled treatments. While bulk density and macro-and mesoporosity could explain some variability in Ks and K−2 cm on CT and RT, it was meaningless for the untilled soil. A denser soil matrix on NT with few conducting macro-and biopores was attributed to those findings. Under tillage, the loosened soil matrix and decaying organic matter mixed into the topsoil likely govern water transport at and near saturation. Over the entire HCC, variability decreased with drier conditions on NT while this was less pronounced on tilled soil, especially RT, indicating that tillage may affect not only soil macroaggregates but also the soil matrix. In this specific case, variability of the HCC with time was shown to be large for tilled plots, and modeling of soil water may benefit from an explicit consideration of these changes. Contrasts in soil structure under tilled and untilled soil should also be reflected in the future development of pedotransfer functions for the prediction of (near-) saturated K. Different soil physical property predictors may be needed for a valid estimation.

Fluorescence imaging for mm-scale observation of macropore-matrix mass transfer: Calibration experiments

Macropores are important for gas, water, and heat movement in soils. Still, the transfer of water and solutes through the interface between macropore and matrix like the walls of biopores is less understood. For mass-exchange processes and water storage in soil aggregates, relatively small sizes and volumes limit the analysis of distributed interface properties including the permeability for water or air. Photo-based imaging techniques could perhaps be used to trace the movement of sorbing chemicals at such smaller scale similarly as for larger soil profiles. The objective was to test the suitability of Na-Fluorescein (i.e., fluorescein di sodium salt) for marking small-scaled flow and transport processes through surfaces of biopore walls and coated soil aggregates and for determining water and reactive solute mass exchange.Fluorescence imaging was carried out using fluorescence spectrometer (for aqueous solutions) and a uv/vis photo-based imaging technique for soil and intact biopore and aggregate surfaces of soil samples from the Bt-horizon of a haplic Luvisol. For calibration, a linear relation between fluorescence intensity and initial Na-Fluorescein concentrations could be used for aqueous solutions up to a concentration of 100 mg L−1 Na-Fluorescein. The fluorescence intensities of homogenized soil samples were used to determine the amount of sorbed dye at equilibrium.After calibration, the photo-based imaging technique allows determining mm-scale maps of dye concentrations at intact soil surfaces in both, the dissolved and sorbed fraction of the dye. Uncertainties are caused mainly by effects of fluorescent soil organic carbon that is heterogeneously distributed at biopore wall surfaces. The results suggest that sorption of the dye mostly occurs in the soil region next to the macropore surface. A few high concentration spots at greater distances could be an indication for rapid tracer movement along root channels suggesting occurrence of non-uniform flow and transport even at the scale of soil clods and aggregates.The method seems promising for a small-scale analysis of macropore-matrix exchange of reactive solutes.

Effects of Biochar and its Reapplication on Soil pH and Sorption Properties of Silt Loam Haplic Luvisol

Abstract In this paper we investigate the effects of biochar alone and its reapplication and combination with N-fertilizer (1) on the soil pH, and (2) sorption parameters. The soil samples were taken during growing period in 2018 from plots with different biochar (first application in 2014 – A, reapplication in 2018 – B) at application rates: 0 t.ha−1 (B0 control), 10 t.ha−1 (B10) and 20 t.ha−1 (B20) and different nitrogen fertilization: N0 (no nitrogen) and N40 (40 kg.ha−1). Our results showed that the first application of biochar at the rate of 20 t.ha−1 (B20A) without N-fertilizer significantly increased the values of soil pH in H2O, soil pH in KCl, the sum of base cations (SBC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to control (B0). Similar effects were observed also after reapplication of biochar (B10B). All investigated parameters in fertilized control treatment (B0N40) were worst and the first application, as well as the reapplication of biochar with N, caused significant increase of soil pH in H2O, soil pH in KCl, SBC, CEC, BS and decrease of hydrolytic acidity.

Effect of cattle slurry application techniques on N2O and NH3 emissions from a loamy soil

AbstractWe determined N2O fluxes from an unfertilized control (CON), from a treatment with mineral N‐fertilizer (MIN), from cattle slurry with banded surface application and subsequent incorporation (INC), and from slurry injection (INJ) to silage maize (Zea mays, L.) on a Haplic Luvisol in southwest Germany. In both years, amount of available N (total N fertilized + Nmin content before N application) was 210 kg N ha−1. In the slurry treatment of the 1st year, 140 kg N ha−1 were either injected or incorporated, whereas 30 kg N ha−1 were surface applied to avoid destruction of the maize plants. In the 2nd year, all fertilizers were applied with one single application. We calculated greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) on field level including direct N2O emissions (calculated from the measured flux rates), indirect N2O emissions (NH3 and induced N2O emission), net CH4 fluxes, fuel consumption and pre‐chain emissions from mineral fertilizer. NH3 losses were measured in the 2nd year using the Dräger‐Tube Method and estimated for both years. NH3 emission was highest in the treatment without incorporation. It generally contributed less than 5% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from silage maize cultivation. The mean area‐related N2O emission, determined with the closed chamber method was 2.8, 4.7, 4.4 and 13.8 kg N2O‐N ha−1 y−1 for CON, MIN, INC, and INJ, respectively. Yield‐related N2O emission showed the same trend. Across all treatments, direct N2O emission was the major contributor to GHG with an average of 79%. Trail hose application with immediate incorporation was found to be the optimum management practice for livestock farmers in our study region.

Impact of Biochar on Physicochemical Properties of Haplic Luvisol Soil under Different Land Use: A Plot Experiment

There is limited information regarding the effect of biochar (BioC) on improving the fertility of degraded soils (fallow and grassland), particularly with respect to changes with time. The objective of the study was to evaluate, in a three-year field experiment, the influence of BioC on the physicochemical properties of Haplic Luvisol. BioC, obtained via wood waste pyrolysis at 650 °C, was applied to the soil of subplots under fallow and grassland at rates of 0, 1, 2, and 3 kg·m−2. Soil samples were collected eight times, from 2013 to 2015. Physicochemical characterization was performed for soil and BioC by analyzing density, pH, surface charge, as well as ash and organic carbon content. BioC’s influence on the physicochemical properties of degraded soils was determined by analyzing the changes in pH, specific surface area, radius, and volume of the micropore. The addition of BioC affected analyzed soils to varying degrees. In the case of the fallow, a positive effect on changes in these parameters was observed, particularly at the highest biochar dose and for the last year of the experiment. However, for the grassland, in most cases we observed the opposite trend—for example, pH and specific surface area values decreased with increasing biochar dose. We believe that it is necessary to examine how BioC affects sorption properties of organic matter of fallow and grassland soils, as well as the BioC’s influence on humic acids of these soils as a function on BioC dose and function of time.

Soil influences on uptake and transfer of pharmaceuticals from sewage sludge amended soils to spinach

Sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, which may contain various contaminants including pharmaceuticals, is often used as a soil amendment. These contaminants may subsequently be taken up by plants. In the present study we examined uptake of select pharmaceuticals from sewage sludge applied to soils by spinach plants. Seven soils were amended with sewage sludge from two wastewater treatment plants (A and B). Concentrations of compounds in plant tissues (roots and leaves) of spinach planted 45 days in these soils under greenhouse conditions were evaluated after harvest. The largest bioaccumulation in the roots and leaves was observed for sertraline (bioaccumulation factors (BAF) of 3.3–37.9 and 1–13.4, respectively), tramadol (1.3–10.0 and 4.8–30.0), and carbamazepine (2.2–17.2 and 6.1–48.8) and its metabolite carbamazepine 10,11-epoxide (not-quantified to 7.3 and 9.3–96.7). Elevated bioaccumulation in spinach roots was also identified for telmisartan (3.0–20.3) and miconazole (4.3–15.1), and leaves for metoprolol acid (not-quantified to 24.3). BAF values resulting from application of sludge B were similar to or moderately higher than BAFs from sludge A. The BAF values of carbamazepine and carbamazepine 10,11-epoxide in all tissues were negatively correlated with soil cation exchange capacity (CEC). This negative correlation between BAF and CEC was also observed for tramadol (A-roots and B-leaves), citalopram (B-roots), and telmisartan (B-roots) or between BAF and clay content for metoprolol acid (A-leaves and B-roots), tramadol (B-roots and A-leaves) and venlafaxine (B-roots). However, in the case of some other compounds (i.e. sertraline, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, metoprolol), uptake and the subsequent translocation and transformation from 3 soils of a higher pH and base cation saturation (Stagnic Chernozem Siltic, Haplic Chernozem and Greyic Phaeozem) significantly differed from 4 soils with a lower pH and base cation saturation (Haplic Luvisol, Haplic Cambisol, Dystric Cambisol and Arenosol Epieutric). Such observations proved strong compound dependent influences of soil conditions on various compounds bioaccumulations in plants and necessity of studying these processes always in diverse soils.