Soil Quality Analysis Research Articles

The analysis of soil quality in terms of agri-environmental indicators

The analysis of soil quality in terms of agri-environmental indicators

Soil Quality Analysis of Brackishwater Shrimp Farming in Coastal Areas of Takalar Regency - Indonesia

<p class="1"><span lang="EN-GB">The study aims to find out condition of soil quality in brackishwater ponds in Mangara Bombang Sub-district, Takalar Regency where the center for brackishwater farming development is built. Soil quality sampling used as the main requirements for brackishwater shrimp farming parameter consist of soil texture, pH, organic matter, nutrients and pyrite content. Supporting soil quality parameters in brackishwater shrimp farming are pH<sub>FOX</sub>, KTK, Cation (K, Ca, Na, and Mg), TSA, TAA, and redox. Sampling is then analyzed in laboratory to find out condition of soil parameters in brackishwater areas, Mangara Bombang coastal areas.<strong> </strong>Calculation of soil quality including pH<sub>FOX</sub>, KTK, Cation (K, Ca, Na, and Mg), TSA, TAA, and redox aims to find out eligibility for brackishwater shrimp farming. The findings indicate that in general, brackishwater soil quality in Mangara Bombang coastal areas, Takalar Regency is at the eligible limits, or the soil is capable of promoting brackishwater shrimp farming. <strong></strong></span></p>

Estoque de carbono e atividade microbiana em sistema de plantio direto consolidado no Sul do Brasil

The analysis of soil quality is an important tool to evaluate ecosystems, and to plan and adopt practices of sustainable agricultural management. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the carbon stocks and microbial activity under different management practices in a long-term experiment with disturbed and undisturbed soil samples. The experiment is installed in a Ultisol, in a no tillage system for 11 years with variable inputs of crop residues during winter (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 Mg ha-1) and in the summer with crop rotation (corn/soybeans or beans). The soil organic carbon stocks (SOC), and the coefficients of humification (k1) and decomposition (k2) of the soil organic matter were determined. The microbial basal respiration (CO2-C) in disturbed and undisturbed soil samples, and the levels of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and metabolic quotient (qCO2) were also quantified. The SOC ranged from 21.3 to 27.3 Mg ha-1 , whereas the addition of less than 6 Mg ha-1 of crop above ground maintained the SOC below the original condition (24.4 Mg ha-1). The k1 and k2 values were higher than those found in the literature for the same soil. The MBC exhibited higher value to inputs of 8 Mg ha-1 of residues, whereas the qCO , although it was significant higher value for the lowest supply of residue. The CO2-C was not significantly different between disturbed and undisturbed samples in each treatment. However, significant differences between treatments were showed in the undisturbed samples. While our results of microbial activity showed that the use of undisturbed samples can be used for this determination, more studies are needed to improve this technique.

중금속 오염 농경지 토양의 토양질 평가에 관한 연구

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural field has been a critical issue in worldwide. For this reason, remediation technologies for heavy metal polluted soil are applied especially near at the abandoned metal mine. Soil quality analysis is also an important factor for proper management in heavy metal polluted agricultural field. In this study, scoring function was utilized to evaluate soil quality in heavy metal polluted agricultural field. Among other soil properties, bulk density, soil pH, EC, -N, -N, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were determined for minimum data set (MDS) with principal component analysis. Result showed that both upland and paddy soil contaminated with heavy metal were not suitable for crop growth except scoring of soil pH for paddy soil and CEC for upland soil. This result might indicate that chemical stabilization technology with chemical amendment could be adapted for remediation method for heavy metal polluted agiclutural field not only for heavy metal immobilization but also enhancement of soil condition for crop growth.

Quality of Soils on Reclaimed Land from a Coal Mining Area

Paper provides the results of research to determine the optimum technique of soil quality analysis in reclaimed land areas. The method involves topsoil stripping and mixed replacement techniques. The soils are sampled in different years after placement. Soil properties were analyzed. The data comes from the Wu-yang mine, Shanxi Province, China. Research has resulted in four conclusions: i) by topsoil stripping, soil fertility is nearly the same as the original soil, soil nutrients are higher in the tilth layer than in the bottom soil, and there is an upward tendency. ii) by mixed pushing, soil fertility is low and heterogeneous and needs to improve fertility. iii) changes of soil heavy metal concentrations are affected by dust and sewage and have little connection with reclaimed techniques and years after reclamation. iv) reclamation by topsoil stripping is better in the plain areas. Paper discusses how to choose the best reclamation technique and decide on the recovery time of land fertility.

Magnetic, geo-electric, and groundwater and soil quality analysis over a landfill from a lead smelter, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract A detailed ground magnetic survey, geoelectric vertical electric sounding (VES), and groundwater and soil quality analysis were conducted in the area of the abandoned landfill of the Awadallah lead (Pb) smelter, northeastern Cairo, Egypt. The integration between the applied techniques located successfully the buried solid waste, demarcated the groundwater and its possible contamination, and determined the lead level in soil. Magnetic survey comprised 50 magnetic profiles each 190 m length. Vertical derivatives, wavelength filters, and continuation filters characterized the eastern and central parts of the landfill by high intense magnetic anomalies reflecting metal and lead wastes, whereas the western part was characterized by low intense anomalies indicating change in the landfill composition to non-magnetized material. The geoelectric survey comprised 16 VES with a maximum AB/2 of 100 m. The inverted data demarcated effectively the groundwater aquifer with depth ranged from 11 to 18 m and true resistivities ranged from 96 to 118 Ω·m. The second layer (Holocene-Q3) of semi-permeable silty and sandy clay cap (true resistivities 29 ~ 51 Ω·m and thickness 9–17 m) constituted a considerable role in limiting the possible contamination from the landfill. The analyzed groundwater parameters pH, E h , TDS, SEC, and DO indicated a good water quality with homogenous aquifer characteristics, whereas the lead concentration in groundwater (0.033–0.036 mg/L) was slightly exceeding the safe limits identified by the U.S. EPA (≤ 0.015 mg/L). Lead in soil samples revealed elevated concentrations (3130 mg/L/kg at VES-3) around the Awadallah smelter, whereas a gradual decrease in concentrations was recorded in the northwestern direction.

The Detection of Soil Parameters by Portable near Infrared Spectrometer

Soil test is the key-point for formulated fertilization. The traditional chemical analysis methods for estimating soil nutritional parameters were time-consuming. The present aims to use portable acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer to measure soil parameters, thus provide basis for field analysis of soil quality. A total of 231 soil samples were collected, Partial least squares (PLS) was used to construct the calibration model between the NIR spectra and the reference values measure by standard chemical methods, including organic matter, pH, ammonium nitrogen, nitric nitrogen, and total kalium content. Results showed that the prediction of organic matter and pH had high correlation (R=0.8745, R=0.8594, respectively), the prediction of ammonium nitrogen and total kalium content were acceptable (SEP%=23.2595%, 10.1516%), and the calibration model for nitric nitrogen had the worst performance. The present study indicated that portable AOTF-NIR spectrometer could be used to measure the nutrient parameters of soil.

Distribution, enrichment and principal component analysis for possible sources of naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides in the agricultural soil of Punjab state, India

Enrichment factor (EF) of elements including geo-accumulation indices for soil quality and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to identify the contributions of the origin of sources in the studied area. Results of (40)K, (137)Cs, (238)U and (232)Th including their decay series isotopes in the agricultural soil of Mansa and Bathinda districts in the state of Punjab were presented and discussed. The measured mean radioactivity concentrations for (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K in the agricultural soil of the studied area differed from nationwide average crustal abundances by 51, 17 and 43 %, respectively. The sequence of the EFs of radionuclides in soil from the greatest to the least was found to be (238)U > (40)K > (226)Ra > (137)Cs > (232)Th > (228)Ra. Even though the enrichment of naturally occurring radionuclides was found to be higher, they remained to be in I(geo) class of '0', indicating that the soil is uncontaminated with respect to these radionuclides. Among non-metals, N showed the highest EF and belonged to I(geo) class of '2', indicating that soil is moderately contaminated due to intrusion of fertiliser. The resulting data set of elemental contents in soil was also interpreted by PCA, which facilitates identification of the different groups of correlated elements. The levels of the (40)K, (238)U and (232)Th radionuclides showed a significant positive correlation with each other, suggesting a similar origin of their geochemical sources and identical behaviour during transport in the soil system.

A five-year assessment of corn stover harvest in central Iowa, USA

Sustainable feedstock harvest strategies are needed to ensure bioenergy production does not irreversibly degrade soil resources. The objective for this study was to document corn ( Zea mays L.) grain and stover fraction yields, plant nutrient removal and replacement costs, feedstock quality, soil-test changes, and soil quality indicator response to four stover harvest strategies for continuous corn and a corn–soybean [ Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] rotation. The treatments included collecting (1) all standing plant material above a stubble height of 10 cm (whole plant), (2) the upper-half by height (ear shank upward), (3) the lower-half by height (from the 10 cm stubble height to just below the earshank), or (4) no removal. Collectable biomass from Treatment 2 averaged 3.9 (±0.8) Mg ha −1 for continuous corn (2005 through 2009), and 4.8 (±0.4) Mg ha −1 for the rotated corn (2005, 2007, and 2009). Compared to harvesting only the grain, collecting stover increased the average N–P–K removal by 29, 3 and 34 kg ha −1 for continuous corn and 42, 3, and 34 kg ha −1 for rotated corn, respectively. Harvesting the lower-half of the corn plant (Treatment 3) required two passes, resulted in frequent plugging of the combine, and provided a feedstock with low quality for conversion to biofuel. Therefore, Treatment 3 was replaced by a “cobs-only” harvest starting in 2009. Structural sugars glucan and xylan accounted for up to 60% of the chemical composition, while galactan, arabinan, and mannose constituted less than 5% of the harvest fractions collected from 2005 through 2008. Soil-test data from samples collected after the first harvest (2005) revealed low to very low plant-available P and K levels which reduced soybean yield in 2006 after harvesting the whole-plant in 2005. Average continuous corn yields were 21% lower than rotated yields with no significant differences due to stover harvest. Rotated corn yields in 2009 showed some significant differences, presumably because soil-test P was again in the low range. A soil quality analysis using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) with six indicators showed that soils at the continuous corn and rotated sites were functioning at an average of 93 and 83% of their inherent potential, respectively. With good crop management practices, including routine soil-testing, adequate fertilization, maintenance of soil organic matter, sustained soil structure, and prevention of wind, water or tillage erosion, a portion of the corn stover being produced in central Iowa, USA can be harvested in a sustainable manner.

A Spatial Database of Cropping System and its Characteristics to Aid Climate Change Impact Assessment Studies

Cropping system study is not only useful to understand the overall sustainability of agricultural system, but also it helps in generating many important parameters which are useful in climate change impact assessment. Considering its importance, Space Applications Centre, took up a project for mapping and characterizing major cropping systems of Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The study area included the five states of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. There were two aspects of the study. The first aspect included state and district level cropping system mapping using multi-date remote sensing (IRS-AWiFS and Radarsat ScanSAR) data. The second part was to characterize the cropping system using moderate spatial resolution multi-date remote sensing data (SPOT VGT NDVI) and ground survey. The remote sensing data was used to compute three cropping system performance indices (Multiple Cropping Index, Area Diversity Index and Cultivated Land Utilization Index). Ground survey was conducted using questionnaires filled up by 1,000 farmers selected from 103 villages based on the cropping systems map. Apart from ground survey, soil and water sampling and quality analysis were carried out to understand the effect of different cropping systems and their management practices. The results showed that, rice-wheat was the major cropping system of the IGP, followed by Rice-Fallow-Fallow and Maize-Wheat. Other major cropping systems of IGP included Sugarcane based, Pearl millet-Wheat, Rice-Fallow-Rice, Cotton-Wheat. The ground survey could identify 77 cropping systems, out of which 38 are rice-based systems. Out of these 77 cropping systems, there were 5 single crop systems, occupying 6.5% coverage (of all cropping system area), 56 double crop systems with 72.7% coverage, and 16 triple crop systems with 20.8% coverage. The cropping system performance analysis showed that the crop diversity was found to be highest in Haryana, while the cropping intensity was highest in Punjab state.

Using NDVI and soil quality analysis to assess influence of agronomic management on within-plot spatial variability and factors limiting production

Crop growth and yield are the result of the efficiency of the chosen agricultural management system within the boundaries of the agro-ecological environment. Linking spatial variability in crop performance to differences in soil attributes could identify the limiting factors driving the system, since patterns of crop performance will follow the spatial variability of the underlying limiting soil attributes. The Greenseeker handheld NDVI sensor was used to determine the within-plot spatial variability of crop performance in the different management treatments of a long-term (started 1991) tillage and residue management trial. Soil quality was measured spatially in the same plots. Under zero tillage with residue removal, soil quality and crop performance followed micro-topography with higher values where elevation was lower. Under zero tillage with residue retention soil quality was high throughout the field, ensuring uniform crop growth and under conventional tillage, soil quality was intermediate. Crop performance followed the same pattern as soil moisture and the related attributes infiltration, soil structure and organic matter. Thus soil moisture is the main limiting factor of the system and it is essential for the sustainability of any management practice developed for the subtropical highlands that soil water capture and storage are optimal. Zero tillage with residue retention is therefore the practice that will result in the most sustainable management and the most stable yields for this target area.

Assessing the effects of air-drying and rewetting pre-treatment on soil microbial biomass, basal respiration, metabolic quotient and soluble carbon under Mediterranean conditions

Soil biochemical properties are useful indicators of soil quality as they are very sensitive to disturbance. Sample storage or pre-treatments could affect the results in these assays, which are normally determined on fresh samples, kept cold or frozen. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of air-drying or incubation of rewetted air-dried soil samples on microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal soil respiration (BSR), qCO 2 and water soluble carbon (WSC), in soils from different locations, with different degradation status and sampling seasons, and (ii) assess if air-drying or incubation of rewetted air-dried soil samples is an accurate sample storage and pre-treatment procedure for these soil properties in soil quality evaluations under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Our results showed that air-drying does not have the same effects on MBC, BSR, qCO 2 and WSC depending on the geographical situation and sampling date. It seems that the warmest and driest place and season show less variation when using air-dried soil samples, with values representative of those obtained under field-moist conditions. Short incubations (4, 8 and 12 days at 23 °C) provoked a general decrease in all properties, probably due to labile organic compounds depletion. Hence, air-dried soils can be used as part of soil quality analysis to estimate these biochemical properties in summer time in the semiarid region of South-East Spain, because they have not suffered severe affections. Moreover, MBC could also be determined using air-dried soil in the driest zones during all year. In contrast, estimations with incubated soil samples are not, in any case, representative of field-moist soil values.

Fine-scale analysis of soil quality for various land uses and landforms in central Honduras

AbstractA key element of sustainable land management is maintenance of soil quality. We designed this study to compare the impact of land use and landform on soil quality attributes that vary at the plot level, or fine scale, using a framework that can be applied in many settings. The research site for this case study was a small catchment in the hillsides of central Honduras where farmers manage a variety of land uses. Fourteen biological, physical, and chemical attributes that affect the ability of a soil to perform key functions related to supporting plant growth were measured and scored. Samples from 20 sites represented different combinations of landform and land use. Quantitative analysis revealed that land use had a greater influence on soil quality than did landform. Soil organic carbon, texture, A horizon thickness, pH, structure, and bulk density accounted for the greatest differences among landform and land use units. Using weighted and additive combinations of the scored attributes to approximate soil quality functions, irrigated agriculture was judged to be the least sustainable land use, and coffee groves and forest patches were the most sustainable. The final soil quality values were sensitive to the weights and attributes chosen for a given function, and additional testing and evaluation were recommended.

Dynamics of soil acidification: an economic analysis

This paper studies the dynamic aspects related to the problem of acidification. It shows how accumulation of acidification in ecosystems can be studied in economic modelling by incorporating dynamic aspects of soil acidification. In contrast to the often applied critical loads approach which only focuses on the final state of a soil, the dynamic approach applied in this study gives information about the temporal development of the quality of a soil. Using an economic optimal control model containing these dynamic aspects the paper compares abatement policies based on static critical loads to abatement policies based on a dynamic analysis. It shows that soil dynamics play an essential role in identifying optimal policies. Based on numerical simulations cost-effective abatement strategies for combined reduction of sulphur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) are determined. It is also shown that abatement cost savings may be realised when intertemporal cost efficiency is taken into account. The results indicate that current European policies which are based on a critical loads approach instead of dynamic analysis of soil quality, are non-optimal from both an ecological and an economic point of view.

An assessment of the soil resources of Africa in relation to productivity

Africa, with a total land mass of about 30.7 million km 2 and a population exceeding 746 million persons, has generally lagged behind in agricultural development. Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) is the poorest developing region, with 29 out of 34 countries being some of the poorest in the world. The purpose of this study is to develop a Soil Taxonomy map, based on the FAO Soil Map of the World, which together with other data, is used to make continent-level assessments of land productivity and sustainability. Prime land occupies about 9.6% of Africa and the lands with high potential occupy an area of about 6.7%. The medium- and low-potential lands, which together occupy 28.3% of the area have major constraints for low-input agriculture. Resource-poor farmers who live on these lands have high risks and, generally, the probability of agriculture failure is high to very high. The remaining about 55% of the land consists of deserts or other lands with major constraints even for low-input agriculture. The desert margins have nomadic grazing which with increasing animal population is stressing the environment. A soil quality analysis and an evaluation of sustainable production, based only on biophysical considerations, suggest the need for major investments to enhance the productivity of the soil resources of this continent.

Geophagy of Holstein Hybrid Cattle in the Northern Andes, Venezuela

During the course of a Quaternary stratigraphic reconnaissance of the northern Venezuelan Andes, W. C. Mahaney and M. Bezada observed Holstein hybrid cattle consuming reddish-brown soil formed in residual regolith from bedrock outcrops (Figure 1). In all cases, the source sites of the eaten soils were located above 3,000 m a.s.l. in the Venezuelan paramo. While there are a number of such sites, only one was sampled to characterize mineral composition, particle size, and geochemistry, in order to determine whether analysis of soil quality would point to an explanation for the geophagic behavior of these cattle. While turf destruction by cattle in the Andes is documented (Perez, 1993), the actual mining of soil by cattle to offset nutritional/dietary deficiencies or to obtain a pharmaceutical benefit is reported here for the first time.