Oasis Soil Research Articles

Investigation of the thermomechanical characteristics of compressed earth bricks reinforced with cement and corn straw waste fibers

The earthen construction sector attracts worldwide attention, and earthen bricks are widely used. The construction industry has also progressed in its use of natural green resources such as plant fibers to design building materials that are both economically and ecologically sustainable. However, the valorization of plant waste in construction represents a crucial environmental challenge. The present study focuses on the development and characterization of a new, low-cost earth-based building material stabilized with cement and corn straw fibers in southeastern Morocco. Different earth bricks stabilized with different cement contents and corn straw fibers were developed. The physico-chemical characterization of the soils used in the design of the bricks was carried out, using physico-chemical, mineralogical and geotechnical characterization, including X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The first results reveal that the predominant minerals in oasis soils include ferrous clinochlore, muscovite, calcite and quartz, which are mainly composed of silt and sand. Then, the eligibility of these soils for compressed earth brick (CEB) construction was assessed, adhering to established guidelines for the identification of suitable soil types. In addition, the thermal properties of the bricks were determined, finding that the use of corn straw fibers improves the thermal performance of the bricks, and cement stabilization leads to an improvement in the bricks' mechanical properties.

Feature Selection and Regression Models for Multisource Data-Based Soil Salinity Prediction: A Case Study of Minqin Oasis in Arid China

(1) Monitoring salinized soil in saline–alkali land is essential, requiring regional-scale soil salinity inversion. This study aims to identify sensitive variables for predicting electrical conductivity (EC) in soil, focusing on effective feature selection methods. (2) The study systematically selects a feature subset from Sentinel-1 C SAR, Sentinel-2 MSI, and SRTM DEM data. Various feature selection methods (correlation analysis, LASSO, RFE, and GRA) are employed on 79 variables. Regression models using random forest regression (RF) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) algorithms are constructed and compared. (3) The results highlight the effectiveness of the RFE algorithm in reducing model complexity. The model incorporates significant environmental factors like soil moisture, topography, and soil texture, which play an important role in modeling. Combining the method with RF improved soil salinity prediction (R2 = 0.71, RMSE = 1.47, RPD = 1.84). Overall, salinization in Minqin oasis soils was evident, especially in the unutilized land at the edge of the oasis. (4) Integrating data from different sources to construct characterization variables overcomes the limitations of a single data source. Variable selection is an effective means to address the redundancy of variable information, providing insights into feature engineering and variable selection for soil salinity estimation in arid and semi-arid regions.

Soil Stoichiometry Characterization in the Oasis-desert Transition Zone of Linze, Zhangye

To investigate the changes in C, N, P, and K contents and ecological stoichiometry of desert oasis soils and to elucidate their ecological responses to environmental factors, 10 sample plots were selected in the Zhangye Linze desert oasis in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor, and surface soil samples were collected to determine the C, N, P and K contents of soils and to reveal the distribution characteristics of soil nutrient contents and stoichiometric ratios in different habitats and the correlation with other environmental factors. The results showed that:① the distribution of soil carbon was uneven and heterogeneous across sites (R=0.761, P=0.06). The highest mean value was 12.85 g·kg-1 in the oasis, followed by 8.65 g·kg-1 in the transition zone and 4.1 g·kg-1 in the desert. ② The content of total soil potassium did not vary significantly and was high among deserts, transition zones, and oases and low in saline areas. ③ The mean soil C:N value was 12.92, the mean C:P value was 11.69, and the mean N:P value was 0.9, all of which were lower than the global average soil content (13.33, 72.0, and 5.9) and the Chinese soil average (12, 52.7, and 3.9). ④ Soil water content was the most influential factor affecting C, N, P, K, and ecological stoichiometry characteristics of desert oasis soils, with a contribution of 86.9%, followed by soil pH and soil porosity, with contributions of 9.2% and 3.9%, respectively. The results of this study provide basic information for the restoration and conservation of desert and oasis ecosystems and establish a basis for future study of the biodiversity maintenance mechanism in the region and its correlation with the environment.

Effect of different soil amendments on irrigation and crop yields in the oases of southern Tunisia

In the oasis agro-system, salinization and hydromorphy are the principal degradation factors that negatively affect the soils. These two processes are the result of the rise of the water table caused by the overdose of irrigations. To counteract soil degradation and restore field productivity, the oasis farmers turn to use sandy and manure amendments. Therefore, three treatments (Control (C), sandy amendment (T1) and combined amendments composed by sand and manure (T2)) has been applied in Nefzaoua oasis to evaluate the effect of different amendments on oasis soil fertility, irrigation parameters, and barley yield. Results showed that T2 enhanced yield parameter (3,07 t/ha) compared to control treatment (1.85 t / ha) thanks to the improvement in the total nitrogen concentration (1.38 g kg -1), soil organic carbon (28.74 g kg- 1) and therefore C / N ratio (20.78) for T2 treatment at the level of the 0-20 cm layer. The results revealed that sand + manure combination (T2) enhanced the irrigation dose that can be effectively applied for the barley plants (19.61 mm) compared to the control treatment (15.49 mm) and T1 treatment (12.26 mm). In addition, the combined treatment T2 declined significantly the oasis soil bulk density leading to rise the porosity of the top layers (0-20 cm). Our results obtained confirmed the effectiveness of the combined amendment composed of sand and manure in improving the fertility and productivity of the amended oasis soil. Keywords: Soil amendments, irrigation, agro-system, soil degradation

Effect of different organic amendment on some properties of oasis soil (Saharan region of Touggourt - Algeria)

Local farmers combine several methods to manage soil organic matter: improve the quality and integrate other processes of managing the fertility of cultivated soils. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effects of different organic amendments (OA) on any physico-chemical properties of the soil such as: pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and organic matter (OM). The amendments are: palm compost and manure (CPM); palm compost and reed (CPR); palm compost and reed + manure (CPRM); ovine manure (Om) and unamended soil (Ctl). The choice of materials is based on the idea of valorizing palm groves waste (palms and reeds) with ovine manure. The trial is conducted on randomized complete block design where two levels of soil samples are taken two months apart: S0 (day zero), Sin (initial sampling before application of amendment) then, S1, S2 and S3 until the end of cropping cycle. Obtained results show that all different OA increase the pH and decrease the EC of the soil after two months of application (S1) compared to the value of the initial sampling (Sin), which demonstrates the very highly significant effect of time on both parameters in the surface horizon. For the OM an incessant increase during the assay period was noticed where Om and CPR have marked the highest values during the third sampling (S3). This proved that the prepared composts from oasian wastes have an effect in improving soil properties over time. From an economic point of view, CPR showed results of OM that are similar of Om, which is considered as the most used and expensive manure in the region. Keywords: Compost; Oasis; Organic amendment; Valorization; Wastes

Determination of the mechanical composition and salinity of the Bukhara Gijduvan district of the Bukhara region

In the article, the mechanical composition and type and level of salinity of meadow-alluvial soils of Gijduvan district of Bukhara region were determined. According to the obtained data, this type of soil is mostly non-saline, salinity is found in the layer below 1 meter. The mechanical composition is moderate in the driving layer, but heavy in the lower layers. In different soil-climatic conditions of our republic, including determining the general properties of irrigated soils of Gijduvon district of Bukhara region, determining the state of land reclamation, reducing the effects of degradation processes occurring in oasis soils, maintaining, increasing and protecting soil fertility, and carrying out research on effective use of land going is important. The reclamation condition of Bukhara oasis soils, their mechanical composition, their origin and causes of formation, the reclamation condition of meadow alluvial soils with different levels of salinity, the melioration condition of the soils of the meadow alluvial soils are noted to be better than that of other meadow alluvial soils. The change in the composition of the absorption complex of saline soils and the increase in the share of sodium and magnesium cations in it is due to the movement of salts in the Aral Sea with the help of the wind. It is necessary to take into account not only the mechanical composition of the soil, the level of salinity, but also the type and chemistry of salinity in salt washing. It is highlighted that special agrotechnical activities are carried out on these soils.

Soil macroporosity and water flow in the root zone of oases in hyper‐arid regions

AbstractThe characteristics of soil macropores and water infiltration are closely connected to the growth of plant roots and their root zone environment. However, it is unclear how the root zone environment of oasis farmlands regulates the development of soil macropores and water flow in hyper‐arid regions. The objective of this study was to investigate soil macropores and their effect on water flow under irrigated oasis farmlands using a combination of X‐ray computed tomography (CT) and dye tracer. It was hypothesized that the integration of CT and dye tracer could clearly reveal preferential flow through biopores and large pores of oasis soils. A helical medical CT scanner was used to quantify more information about soil macropores in the root zone, along with an in situ single‐ring dye infiltration experiment to reveal water flow in three different oasis farmlands (piedmont oasis farmland, marginal oasis farmland, and old oasis farmland). Soil macroporosity was 0.44% under crop rows, while soil macroporosity in the interrows was only 0.30% across the oasis farmlands. Biopores contributed 73% of the volume of the total macropores under crop rows. The stable infiltration rate in the interrows was 0.3 mm min−1, which was significantly (p < 0.05) less than that under crop rows (0.7 mm min−1). Water flow under crop rows were mainly transported in biopores and large pores. The contribution of macropores to preferential flow under crop rows was 4.8 times larger than interrows. The integration of CT and dye tracer was a more holistic technique, which adequately revealed that oases had preferential flow affected by biopores and large pores, resulting in higher solute and contaminant transport.Key Points Soil macropores and preferential flow affected by crop roots were investigated in hyper‐arid regions. The integration of CT and dye tracer adequately identified preferential flowpaths of oasis soils. Biopores were larger under crop rows than interrows. Preferential flow transported in biopores and large soil pores under crop rows.

Determination of Soil Characteristics and Degradation Using Geospatial Technologies in the Al Ahsa Oasis

Soil degradation associated with wind and water erosion and physical and chemical deterioration is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. This research identified soil characteristics and spatial distribution of soil degradation risks in the Al Ahsa Oasis. Several quantitative analytical approaches used geospatial techniques, namely, ArcGIS, Erdas Imagine10, and ENVI 5.3. Six selected remote sensing indices were used, i.e. the salinity index (SI), normalised difference salinity index (NDSI), brightness index (BI), normalised differential vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation soil salinity index (VSSI), and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) software. Field verification monitored the degradation of different types of soil. Samples were collected in May 2019 and processed using satellite images and mechanical and chemical laboratory analysis for 36 samples. The Universal Soil Loss Equation and climatic data were used to measure the annual soil loss rate in the Al Ahsa Oasis. Integration of these datasets resulted in a map of soil degradation values. The results show that the sampled oasis soils have degraded physically, chemically, and biologically. The average physical degradation was 9.93 g/cm3/year, the average biological degradation was 2.93%/year, and the average chemical degradation was 36.36 mmhos/cm.

Potentially Toxic Elements in Oasis Agricultural Soils Caused by High-Intensity Exploitation in the Piedmont Zone of the Tianshan Mountains, China

Considering the pollution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the soils of China, the present study analyzed the current state and influencing factors of PTEs in oasis soils using the model of absolute principal component score–multiple linear regression in the piedmont zone of the Tianshan Mountains. The possible non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of PTEs at current concentrations were also explored using a human-health risk-assessment model. The results suggested that the extent to which potentially toxic elements in the soils of different geographical units in the study area is affected by human activities varies considerably. The PTEs Cd and As in the soils of the Yili River Watershed were the most strongly influenced by human activities, reaching levels of 40% and 59%, respectively. However, in the Bortala River Watershed, Cu, Cd, and As were the most strongly influenced by human activities, reaching levels of 33%, 64%, and 76%, respectively. Geographical units with a high degree of economic development (e.g., the Yili River Watershed) had, in contrast, low levels of PTE pollution caused by human activities, which may be related to the regional economic development structure. The human health risk assessment showed that the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of PTEs are currently below the threshold. However, increasing the arsenic content to 1.78 times the current level in the Bortala River Watershed would lead to carcinogenic risk. For the Yili River Watershed, a 3.33-fold increase in the arsenic content above its current level would lead to a carcinogenic risk. This risk should be addressed, and targeted environmental-protection measures should be formulated. The present research results will provide important decision support for regional environmental protection.

Retraction Note to: Detection of oasis soil composition and analysis of environmental parameters based on hyperspectral image and GIS

Retraction Note to: Detection of oasis soil composition and analysis of environmental parameters based on hyperspectral image and GIS

Retraction Note: Oasis soil composition based on high-resolution image and plant landscape design of park

Retraction Note: Oasis soil composition based on high-resolution image and plant landscape design of park

Retraction Note: Artificial intelligence system–based oasis soil water quality measurement and network marketing behavior analysis

Groundwater is the only source of water for the development of oasis agriculture. However, due to the lack of scientific groundwater management and excessive exploitation, there are also varying degrees of problems in irrigation technology and crop planting structures, which have caused the oasis’s groundwater level to decline year by year, water quality deterioration, soil salinization, desertification, and vegetation degradation. With serious consequences, these problems continue to threaten the ecological protection and agricultural development of the oasis. This article focuses on the hydrological and ecological problems of oasis caused by over-exploitation of groundwater resources. Taking oasis as the research goal of this paper, combined with the ecological idea of “coordinating the development and utilization of water resources and ecological environment protection to achieve sustainable development”, this paper studies the data mining technology from the perspective of data mining, and focuses on the application and popularization of neural network in the marketing evaluation of the telecommunications industry. This article will introduce the development status and application fields of data mining technology and neural network technology, discuss the current status and future development trends of marketing plan evaluation methods in China’s electronic communications industry, and explore the current domestic telecommunications industry’s use of manual statistics and evaluation of marketing policies The author will use data mining, artificial intelligence, complex network analysis and other research methods to break through the boundaries of traditional user trend research. Based on various index data in corporate marketing and feedback data after marketing, the evaluation model based on BP algorithm is further developed, and the telecom marketing evaluation model makes up for the shortcomings of manual analysis.

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in typical oasis soil of north-western China and the bacterial community response

Oases environments in oases to be sensitive to anthropogenic activity because of ecological fragility. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution resulting from anthropogenic activity leads to ecological degradation in oases. To examine the impact of anthropogenic activity on the oasis ecological environment, the present study focused on the spatial distribution and source apportionment of soil PAHs and bacterial community responses in typical oases in Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the soil PAH level were higher in the city centres of Urumqi (9–6340 μg kg−1), Aksu (8–957 μg kg−1) and Korla (8–1103 μg kg−1) and lower in the centres of Hotan city (11–268 μg kg−1) and Qira county (7–163 μg kg−1). Source apportionment suggested that gasoline emissions, diesel emissions, vehicle emissions, coal combustion, coke processing and biomass burning were the sources of soil PAHs. The integrated lifetime cancer risks of soil PAH exceeding the guideline safety values (10−6) recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency. The ingestion and dermal exposure pathways caused the greatest health risk (contribution ≤82%). Additionally, in the soil with low PAH concentrations, the richness and evenness of the soil bacterial community were great, and the molecular ecological network (MEN) structure was complex. Among populations, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria (relative abundance ≥17%) are the main dominant species in the bacterial communities and the keystone species in the MEN.

Retraction Note to: Evaluation of oasis soil water quality and B2C shopping user experience optimization based on Markov chain

Retraction Note to: Evaluation of oasis soil water quality and B2C shopping user experience optimization based on Markov chain

Global Landscape of Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in the Soils of Oasis Ecosystems in Southern Tunisia

The oasis soils of Tunisia face several climatic and soil constraints. Trying to have cultures that are profitable and beneficial in terms of soil C and N sequestration in such environments is already a challenge. To conduct this, we tested under identical conditions four types of occupation in sub-plots adjacent to the crops; barley alone, alfalfa alone, intercropping barley/alfalfa, and a control fallow in a saline gypseous desert soil poor in organic matter. Field experimentation was carried out in the oasis of Degache, which is very representative of other Tunisian oases. The stocks of C and N of the plot were calculated from the start in September 2019 before the installation of the different crops. After 21 months, the control plot shows a decrease of −41% in its stock of C and −25% in its stock N. However, the best result is that of the barley/alfalfa intercropping with an increase of +126.46% in the C stock and +178.67% in the N stock. After almost two years of experience, the beneficial effect of the intercropping system in the oasis is clear. These results are very motivating and seem to be a solution to the rapid decline in soil organic stocks.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Oasis soil composition based on high-resolution image and plant landscape design of park

In desert area, the precipitation is less and the evaporation is fast. Groundwater is the main source of oasis development. The balance of oasis environment depends on the rational use of groundwater. Sustainable utilization of water resources and effective irrigation to prevent soil salinization, desertification, and vegetation degradation caused by improper irrigation are directly related to the sustainable development of oasis. In this paper, we take the largest desert oasis as an example. Based on a large number of historical data and high-resolution images, field investigation, sampling, and laboratory analysis were carried out to study the salinization characteristics of oasis soil components. We will analyze the changes of soil salinization and irrigation water quality in the past 50 years of oasis development and provide information about oasis water resources, which will provide scientific basis for management and policy-making and for similar research in other oases. This paper also studies the Wetland Park, which is a combination of environmental benefits, aesthetic value, and social value of the theme park, is an important place for tourism, leisure, entertainment, and popular science education. In the wetland, the beautification of plant landscape directly affects the overall landscape quality of the park. At present, the research on urban wetland plant landscape construction mainly focuses on qualitative suggestions based on subjective evaluation. This study puts forward quantitative suggestions based on the subjective evaluation of establishing relevant system with objective factors as indicators. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the management of urban wetland park before and after maintenance. In this paper, through the study of high-resolution image, it is applied to oasis soil composition research and park plant landscape design and then to promoting the sustainable development of oasis and plant landscape.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Artificial intelligence system–based oasis soil water quality measurement and network marketing behavior analysis

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Artificial intelligence system–based oasis soil water quality measurement and network marketing behavior analysis

Response of soil enzyme activity and soil bacterial community to PCB dissipation across different soils

Soils are a repository for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A pot incubation experiment was performed with four soils (black soil, paddy soil, oasis soil, and fluvo-aquic soil) treated with Aroclor 1242 to achieve PCB concentrations of 5 mg kg−1. The soil enzyme activities of protease, phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, and laccase were determined by spectrophotometry. The soil bacterial communities were investigated using Illumina sequencing analysis. The results showed that the characteristics of the test soils varied among the soil types. The fluvo-aquic soil had the greatest PCB dissipation rate (86.41%), followed by the oasis (79.31%), paddy (56.09%), and black (50.65%) soils. The soil pH, cation exchange capacity, soil organic matter content, and particle diameter played significant roles in PCB dissipation from soils. The soil type had a greater influence than PCB contamination on the soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities (alpha diversity, community structure, and composition). Among the four soils, the bacterial communities of the fluvo-aquic soil were the most susceptible to PCB contamination. However, the bacterial communities of the black soil were not changed by PCB contamination.

Simulated soil organic carbon stocks in northern China’s cropland under different climate change scenarios

The accumulation and dynamic stock of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural land are highly sensitive to changes in climate. However, there is uncertainty about how the global SOC cycle will respond to future climate change. In order to assess changes in SOC storage, basing on the historical weather data and field observations (1951–2018), the study used the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model to simulate future SOC storage in an arid oasis under three representational concentration paths (RCPs): RCP2.6, low-end path; RCP4.5, middle stable path; and RCP8.5, high-end path) for the period from 2018 to 2086. Farmland soil in the Yanqi Basin in northern China was divided into grid units using ArcGIS, and then kriging interpolation was used to extract the mean value of the 200 grid units to calculate regional changes in SOC storage. The model indicated that more than 92.75 % of the measured results accurately simulated the SOC storage in Yanqi Basin cropland. The measured SOC storage in the Yanqi Basin was 1.32 Tg C in 2018. The range of SOC density was 653.27–5527.04 kg C/hm2 under the historical climate scenario, and 1863.99–4581.16 kg C/hm2, 2372.74–6910.15 kg C/hm2, and 623.656–5431.95 kg C/hm2 under the RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5 scenarios, respectively. The simulation results show that, compared with the SOC stock in 2018, the SOC stocks in the oasis area in the future will show a rapid decline under the historical climate scenario (7.6 % decrease) as well as in the RCP 2.6 (3% decrease), RCP 4.5 (9.17 % decrease), and RCP 8.5 (16 % decrease) scenarios. These results indicate that organic carbon outputs and density will decrease faster under high emissions and more slowly under low emissions. This study provides supporting data and a scientific basis for increasing soil organic carbon in cropland and for the management of oasis soil to mitigate the effects of future climate change.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Detection of oasis soil composition and analysis of environmental parameters based on hyperspectral image and GIS

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Detection of oasis soil composition and analysis of environmental parameters based on hyperspectral image and GIS