Low Organic Matter Content Soil Research Articles

Development of Integrated Fertilizer Management Strategies in Lentil for Higher Productivity in the South-Western Region of Bangladesh

Due to the lack of optimum fertilizer management in low organic matter content soil is one of the limiting factors to the lower yield and productivity of lentil in Bangladesh.To increase the yield and maintain the sustainability of lentil production in the highly intensive cropping areas of Bangladesh the development of integrated fertilizer management is urgent. An experiment was conducted at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jashore, Bangladesh during the rabi season of 2018-2019 to develop an integrated fertilizer management strategies for lentil in low organic matter content soil. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design where different fertilizer management techniques were allocated in the main-plots and different varieties were allocated in the sub-plots. There were five fertilizer management (FM) techniques such as FM1- Vermicompost 1t ha-1+ (inorganic P:K:S @ 23:6:10 kg ha-1) + 2% DAP foliar spray, FM2- Vermicompost 1t ha-1+(inorganic P:K:S @ 24:6:10 kg ha-1)+ 1% DAP foliar spray, FM3- (inorganic N:P:K:S @ 20:40:20:10 kg ha-1) and no DAP foliar spray, FM4- Vermicompost 1t ha-1+ (inorganic P: K: S @ 25:6:10 kg ha-1) and no DAP foliar spray, FM5- control and there were three varieties such as V1-BARI Masur-6, V2-BARI Masur-7 and V3-BARI Masur-8.
 The highest plant height (cm), plant density at harvest, leaf chlorophyll index, grain yield and the lowest days to 50% flowering and Stemphyliumblight disease score was observed from the treatment combination FM1V3 (vermicompost 1t ha-1+ (inorganic P:K:S @ 23:6:10 kg ha-1) + 2% DAP foliar spray with lentil variety BARI Masur-8). The next best treatment combinations were FM1V2 (vermicompost 1t ha-1 + (inorganic P:K:S @ 23:6:10 kg ha-1) + 2% DAP foliar spray with lentil variety BARI Masur-7) and FM1V1 (vermicompost 1t ha-1 + (inorganic P:K:S @ 23:6:10 kg ha-1) + 2% DAP foliar spray with lentil variety BARI Masur-6), respectively. Integrated fertilizer management technique such as vermicompost 1t ha-1+ inorganic P:K:S @ 23:6:10 kg ha-1 + 2% DAP foliar spray with variety BARI Masur-8 may be recommended to farmers for sustainable lentil production.

Migration of Naphthalene through Low Organic Content Sandy Soil Columns: Comparison of Unsaturated and Saturated Conditions

ABSTRACTThe transient transport of naphthalene through low organic matter content soil columns was investigated in different water-saturation and flow conditions. Some parameters were tested as flow rate, column height, and water saturation conditions. The soil was a clayed sandy soil from the Algerian coast near Boumerdes. The organic carbon content was 0.13% and the main mineral components were quartz (88%), clays minerals (7%) and calcite (3%). The height of the packing of the soil column (5.1 cm in diameter) varied from 15 to 40 cm. Simultaneous step injections of inert tracer (calcium chloride) and naphthalene at 10 mg L−1 were performed. Tracer and naphthalene breakthrough curves (BTCs) were measured continuously by conductimetry and UV – 220 nm, respectively. The BTCs were simulated using the classical mixing cells in series with exchange model (MCE). In unsaturated conditions the comparison of the mean residence time of tracer BTCs with the geometrical pore volume gave us access to average water saturation along the column as a function of height. The higher the soil bed was, the higher the mean water saturation. The comparison of naphthalene distribution coefficients (Kd) in different flow conditions with the theoretical value from the Karickhoff law showed that in saturated conditions the obtained value was close to the theoretical one. In unsaturated conditions, the measured naphthalene Kd's were much lower than the theoretical value and correlated to the water saturation.

Sorption of Cu and Zn in low organic matter-soils as influenced by soil properties and by the degree of soil weathering

Copper and Zn sorption and desorption, among other factors, depend on soil pH, but in soils with different degree of weathering the role of other soil properties (e.g., oxides content and the level of their crystallinity) has not been thoroughly examined. We conducted batch sorption and desorption tests using 21 low-organic C soils that belonged to the soil orders of Entisols, newly developed soils, Inceptisols, and Alfisols, the most weathered soils. Zinc sorption was lower than that of Cu, and its desorption faster, confirming that it is a highly mobile metal. Alfisols had the weaker affinity for metals, due to the lower soil pH typical of this soil order, but also due to the low reactivity colloids they contained. Correlation analyses showed that Fe oxides in Alfisols increased metal release from soils, while they decreased metal desorption from Entisols. We conclude that in low organic matter-content soils, where the protective role of organic colloids is not to be expected, high soil pH alone is not sufficient to protect against metal contamination, but the degree of soil weathering is also important, due to the dominant role of other mineral phases (here, Fe oxides).

Oxidação do enxofre elementar em solos tropicais

O uso de fertilizantes que contêm baixos teores de enxofre (S), em solos com baixos teores de matéria orgânica, pode resultar em limitação desse nutriente para as culturas. O uso do S-elementar como fertilizante, isoladamente ou associado a fórmulas comerciais, pode reduzir os custos de adubação em solos deficientes de S. Os objetivos deste estudo foram: a) verificar se, em dois solos tropicais, ocorre oxidação de S-elementar; b) avaliar se o período de incubação de seis dias sugerido por Janzen & Bettany (1987a) é adequado para estimar a oxidação do S-elementar e c) medir o efeito da oxidação do S-elementar sobre o pH do solo. Para isso, foi realizado um experimento com amostras de um ARGISSOLO VERMELHO AMARELO eutrófico abruptíco e de um LATOSSOLO VERMELHO DISTRÓFICO típico. As amostras dos dois solos foram incubadas com seis doses de enxofre (0, 1,5, 3,0, 6,0 9,0 e 12g de So kg-1 de solo) por períodos entre 0 e 70 dias. A incubação foi feita em estufa, a uma temperatura de 27o + 1o C. Ambos os solos tiveram capacidade para oxidar o S-elementar para S-sulfato, forma disponível à planta. No argissolo, o teor de S-sulfato resultante da oxidação do S-elementar foi 563mg dm-3 de solo, enquanto que, no latossolo, foi de 207mg dm-3 de solo, indicando capacidade diferenciada de ambos para oxidar o S-elementar. Em ambos os solos houve diminuição do pH, sendo mais acentuada para o argissolo. O período de incubação para avaliação da oxidação do S-elementar de seis dias sugerido por Janzen & Bettany (1987a) parece ser insuficiente.

What is Soil Organic Matter Worth?

The conservation and restoration of soil organic matter are often advocated because of the generally beneficial effects on soil attributes for plant growth and crop production. More recently, organic matter has become important as a terrestrial sink and store for C and N. We have attempted to derive a monetary value of soil organic matter for crop production and storage functions in three contrasting New Zealand soil orders (Gley, Melanic, and Granular Soils). Soil chemical and physical characteristics of real-life examples of three pairs of matched soils with low organic matter contents (after long-term continuous cropping for vegetables or maize) or high organic matter content (continuous pasture) were used as input data for a pasture (grass-clover) production model. The differences in pasture dry matter yields (non-irrigated) were calculated for three climate scenarios (wet, dry, and average years) and the yields converted to an equivalent weight and financial value of milk solids. We also estimated the hypothetical value of the C and N sequestered during the recovery phase of the low organic matter content soils assuming trading with C and N credits. For all three soil orders, and for the three climate scenarios, pasture dry matter yields were decreased in the soils with lower organic matter contents. The extra organic matter in the high C soils was estimated to be worth NZ$27 to NZ$150 ha(-1) yr(-1) in terms of increased milk solids production. The decreased yields from the previously cropped soils were predicted to persist for 36 to 125 yr, but with declining effect as organic matter gradually recovered, giving an accumulated loss in pastoral production worth around NZ$518 to NZ$1239 ha(-1). This was 42 to 73 times lower than the hypothetical value of the organic matter as a sequestering agent for C and N, which varied between NZ$22,963 to NZ$90,849 depending on the soil, region, discount rates, and values used for carbon and nitrogen credits.

In-season Soil Nitrate Testing as a Guide to Nitrogen Management for Annual Crops

In-season soil nitrate testing is most useful when there is reason to believe, based on field history, that N availability may be adequate. These reasons may include soil organic matter content, applied manure, compost, legumes in the rotation, or residual N fertilizer. Soil nitrate testing is not helpful when crops are grown on sandy, low organic matter content soils that are known from experience to be N deficient. Soil nitrate testing is useful for annual crops such as vegetables or corn for which supplemental N fertilization is a concern. Soil nitrate tests must be performed at critical crop growth stages, and the results must be obtained rapidly to make important decisions about the need for N fertilization. Soil nitrate-N (NO3-N) concentrations in the range of 25 to 30 mg·kg-1 (ppm) indicate sufficiency for most crops, but N fertilizer practice should be adjusted based on local extension recommendations.

A Study of the Use of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) for the Phytoremediation of Organic Contaminants in Soil

AbstractThis article presents the results of a study that was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to enhance the phytoremediation of three different types of chemical contaminants. The chemicals studied were trinitrotoluene (TNT), the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pyrene, and the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1248. Experiments were conducted using soils that contained high and low organic matter content. The results indicated that recoveries of pyrene and TNT from soil were highly dependent on the soil organic matter content, while the recovery of PCB was not. Significantly low levels of pyrene and TNT were recovered from all treatments in the soil with 6.3 percent organic matter content compared to recovery levels found in soil with 2.6 percent organic matter. The presence of alfalfa plants had a significant effect on the transformation of TNT and PCB in the low organic matter content soil only and had no effect on the fate of pyrene. In the low organic matter soil, only 15 percent and 17 percent of the initial TNT and PCB levels, respectively, were transformed in the unplanted control soils compared to 66 percent and 77 percent in the alfalfa planted pots. In both soil types, pyrene dissipation could not be attributed to the presence of alfalfa plants. Overall, it was concluded that under high soil organic matter conditions, adsorption and covalent binding to the soil organic matter appeared to be the dominant force of pyrene and TNT removal. The effectiveness of using alfalfa to enhance PCB and TNT transformations was more significant in the lower organic matter soil; thus phytoremediation had a greater effect in soils with lower organic matter content. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.