Soil Zone Research Articles

Comparative Performance of Zinc Sources on Productivity of Rice (Oryza sativa) in Zinc Stressed Soils of Cauvery Delta Zone

Rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation is a cornerstone of India's economy and food security, with the nation ranking second only to China in annual production. Despite considerable advancements in recent years, rice yields remain below their maximum potential. Enhancing rice productivity through precise and advanced mineral nutrition techniques offers a promising solution for overcoming nutrient deficiencies in soils and improving crop yields. Zinc, an essential micronutrient, plays a crucial role in enzyme activation, protein synthesis, and overall plant metabolism. However, zinc deficiency is a widespread issue in many agricultural soils, particularly affecting rice crops, leading to reduced growth and yield. Addressing this deficiency through the application of appropriate zinc formulations is vital for improving rice productivity in zinc-deficient soils. A pot experiment was carried out in department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamilnadu during kharif of 2023 and included four sources of zinc and four levels of zinc levels to study their comparative performances and improve the yield of rice. Growth characters viz., plant height, number of tillers hill-1, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, dry matter production, yield characters viz., no of panicles pot-1, no. of grains panicle-1, panicle length and test weight and grain and straw yield were recorded. The results indicated that the application of zinc lysinate at 5 kg ha-1, either individually or in combination, produced the highest growth and yield parameters, with grain (43.01 g pot-1) and straw (58.87 g pot-1) yields surpassing those of other treatments, demonstrating its potential to improve rice productivity in zinc-deficient soils.

Heavy metals impact environmental capacity of oasis soils in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dry zone

Heavy metals impact environmental capacity of oasis soils in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dry zone

Flooding increases plant-derived carbon accumulation in soils of aquatic-terrestrial ecotone

Soils in the aquatic-terrestrial zone undergo periodic flooding and act as significant carbon sinks. However, the mechanisms governing soil organic carbon (SOC) formation in these zones are not well understood. This study elucidates the effects of periodic flooding on SOC accumulation at the water level drawdown zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, using lignin phenols and amino sugars as indicators of plant- and microbial-derived carbon. Results showed that SOC content averaged at 7.52, 8.31, and 8.76 g kg−1 in 0–20 cm soils at low, intermediate, and high flooding levels, respectively, compared to 5.87 g kg−1 in control soils. Total lignin phenols and amino sugars averaged at 0.351, 0.377, 0.337 g kg−1 and 0.697, 0.718, 0.756 g kg−1 in 0–20 cm soils at high, intermediate, and low flooding levels, respectively, compared to 0.161 and 0.624 g kg−1 in control soils. Similar patterns were observed in 20–40 cm soils. Periodic flooding significantly enhanced the accumulation of plant-derived carbon and its contribution to SOC accumulation by decreasing lignin phenol oxidation, while microbial-derived carbon contribution remained unaffected. Ratios of cinnamyl to vanillyl (1.13 in flooded soils vs. 1.08 in control) and syringyl to vanillyl (0.20 in flooded soils vs. 0.17 in control) indicated that lignin phenols originated primarily from woody angiosperms and remained stable. Flooding also modified edaphic variables, such as clay mineral and particle feature, enhancing organic compound accumulation. Clay minerals, particularly chlorite and kaolinite, played more pivotal roles than illite in regulating SOC accumulation. These findings underscore the potential for managing flooding regimes as a strategy to enhance carbon sequestration and improve ecosystem resilience in aquatic-terrestrial zones.

Estimating root zone soil moisture using the SMAR model and regression method at a headwater catchment with complex terrain

Estimating root zone soil moisture using the SMAR model and regression method at a headwater catchment with complex terrain

Crop rotations and canola yields: Evidence from field‐level data in Western Canada

AbstractCanola (Brassica napus) acreage increased in Western Canada in recent years, leading to rotations with fewer break years between canola plantings. Field trials suggest that frequent plantings of canola reduce canola yields. However, there is considerable disagreement about the magnitude and persistence of these effects. We analyze the effect of rotational practices on canola yields in Saskatchewan using over 20 years of observational data, representing 61% of canola hectares in the province. We examine how the impact of rotations varies across time, soil zone, soil moisture conditions and the distribution of yields. We regress canola yields in Saskatchewan on the share of land that was planted with particular crops in previous years, using a battery of covariates and fixed effects to address potential bias in the model. After including these fixed effects, we cannot reject the hypothesis that there is no sample selection bias. We use an unconditional quantile estimator to investigate how rotations affect different deciles of the yield distribution. Our analysis confirms that crop rotations significantly influence canola yields, albeit more modest than field trials suggest. We find a 7.5% yield reduction when canola follows canola, compared to cereals, with this penalty persisting for 4 years but diminishing in magnitude with each additional year. The adverse effects of consecutive canola plantings are more pronounced in wetter regions and at lower yield deciles. Conversely, canola yields are higher when planted after pulse crops (as opposed to after cereal crops).

THE PROBLEM OF SOIL DEFLATION IN THE AGROLANDSCAPES OF VOLGOGRAD REGION ARID ZONE

Background. The climate is changing towards aridization and increasing on anthropogenic impact lead, among the other things, for example, a deflation, a loss of soil fertility and a desertification of agricultural landscapes, which negatively gives effect on their environmental sustainability and agricultural productivity. Purpose. It is needed to identify the influence and mechanism of influence of deflationary processes on the ecological balance of agricultural landscapes, and we need to solve some unresolved problems and ways to develop research on wind erosion of soils in the arid zone. Materials and methods. The methods of research of agricultural landscapes were used (methods of FGBNU VNIALMI, FGBNU "Rosinformagrotekh", State Scientific Institution VNIIZPE), which used generally accepted methods. Agricultural landscapes were built by using various agricultural technologies were studied as objects. Results. The revelation of those data proved that the stability of agricultural landscapes is high with direct sowing technology, where the level of deflation is 8%, while the classical agricultural technology it is 31%. The mechanism of soil and territory degradation in the conditions of Volgograd region under the influence of deflation and the level of decrease in arable land productivity, where the damage to agricultural production in the region was amounted to 27.6 billion rubles, have been established also. The influence of the entire complex of anthropogenic impacts on the properties and structure of soils included their erodibility, deflationary activity and, in general, on the formation of ecologically balanced agricultural landscapes which has been proven successfully. The promising areas of research have been identified also in this article. Conclusion. We proved that new experimental material on deflation in the zone of light chestnut soils has been obtained. Soil deflation was pronounced using classical agricultural technology. The need to develop a system of criteria for assessing the territories of the arid zone of the Russian Federation and methods for mapping territories.

Проблема впливу глобальної зміни клімату на розвиток аграрної галузі в Україні: історичний екскурс

The purpose of the work is to reveal specific issues of climate change, their impact on the development and management of agriculture in Ukraine, caused by intense warming: uneven distribution of precipitation; the increase in the number and intensity of extreme weather phenomena - droughts (droughts), dry spells, etc., as well as the scientific development of Ukrainian scientists in developing the problem. Methodology. The specified historical research is based on the use of general scientific principles of objectivity, systematicity, historicism, comprehensiveness. The subject-chronological and comparative-historical methods used by us are of great importance and their synthetic role in reflecting the progressive development of knowledge about climate change and finding ways to prevent negative effects on agricultural plants. The comparative-historical method contributed to the selection and characterization of the peculiarities of the accumulation of knowledge about extreme climatic phenomena, their development within the climatic zones of Ukraine. By analyzing the scientific work of scientists, the process of overcoming current problems, implementing new scientific developments into practice is traced. The scientific novelty consists in the generalization of the scientific achievements of scientific research institutions of Ukraine on the study of the nature of global climatic phenomena, their influence on the development of agricultural production in different soil and climatic zones of the country through the ways of overcoming crisis phenomena proposed by Ukrainian scientists. For the first time, the works of the outstanding scientist-agriculturalist A. O. Babich of the late 90s and early decades of the 20th century on the problem of global climate change became the object of a separate scientific study. Conclusions. In conclusion, we note that further global and regional climate warming can cause irreversible climate changes with a violation of the climatic balance, and the consequences of dangerous natural hydrometeorological phenomena can become catastrophic, which can lead to changes in the conditions of human life. As the analysis showed, droughts are exacerbated by high plowing of agricultural land, non-compliance with the soil protection system of land cultivation, weak development of moisture-saving technologies and drought-resistant crops and varieties. The industry of crop production is most affected by the adverse factors of drought, dry spells and dust storms, which are often characterized by unpredictability both in terms of their manifestations and the force of their impact on crops. In order to conduct agricultural production, there is a need to review the structure of sown areas by climatic zones of Ukraine, to include in the range of growing adapted to the phenomena of dehydration and prolonged overheating during the hot period and drought, the newest adapted varieties of plants. The efforts of agrarian science and production should be directed not to the exhaustion of natural forces, but to the neutralization and weakening of the effect of droughts and dry spells by a system of measures, including the results of the latest research in meteorology, agriculture and crop production.

PAH Contamination, Sources and Health Risks in Black Soil Region of Jilin Province, China.

Soils in the Black Soil Zone of northeast China are experiencing pollution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as the region undergoes urbanization. In this study, 119 topsoil samples were collected from the black soil agricultural area in Jilin Province, China to investigate the characteristics and spatial distribution of 16 PAHs. The total concentration of ∑16 PAHs in the agricultural soils ranged from 2.546 to 33.993 mg/kg, with a mean value of 9.99 mg/kg. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis indicated that vehicle exhaust and oil combustion were identified as the main contributors to traffic- and energy-related pollution. The inherited lifetime carcinogenicity risk (ILCR) was found to be relatively low, indicating a low potential risk in this region, with adults (1.34 × 10-5) exhibiting a higher risk than adolescents (8.62 × 10-6) and children (7.49 × 10-6). The highest values for intake, skin contact, and inhalation routes were observed in the adult group, suggesting that adult residents in certain areas may be at increased health risk. This study enhances our understanding of the pathways through which PAHs enter agricultural soils in Jilin Province and provides insights that could aid in addressing PAH pollution in black soil, ultimately contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices in the region.

Spatial analysis of oil palm growth and soil properties in a plantation in Nigeria

Relationships between spatially correlated soil properties and crop performance at field scale are vital when planning specific site management for sustainable crop production. This study investigated the correlations and relationships between some soil properties and oil palm trunk diameter at breast height at the Oil Palm Plantation, Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, southwest Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from 0 - 10 cm surface layer at eighty-one georeferenced points within the plantation to determine soil properties and oil palm trunk diameter at breast height. The soil properties and trunk diameter at breast height varied widely with particle density, soil pH, bulk density and field capacity showing least variability (CV < 12%), oil palm trunk diameter at breast height, soil organic matter, air capacity, soil texture, soil water content, permanent wilting point, total porosity, and available water showed moderate variability (12.0% < CV < 60.0%), while saturated hydraulic conductivity was highly variable (CV > 60%). Classical linear multiple regression showed that the sand, soil pH and bulk density could only explain 16% of the variability in DBH whereas the principal component regression analysis had explained about 72% of the variability in DBH. The minimum suitable sampling interval for spatially independent variables was 10 m (1 lag), while it was the sampling point (0 lag) for spatially dependent variables. The results could be used as baseline data for delineating soil and nutrient management zones (MZs) for the oil palm plantation and other crops in the study area.

Mathematical Modeling of Temperature Fields in Cultivation Structures

Purpose. The main purpose of the article is to develop a method for calculating thermal fields in greenhouse soil in the case of its artificial heating. Since the temperature regime in greenhouse soil has a significant impact on plant yields, it is very important, on the one hand, to ensure the required temperature in the soil, and on the other hand, to determine the energy-saving heating regime. Methodology. The method is based on the numerical integration of the heat transfer equation. A two-dimensional heat transfer equation was used to analyze and predict the unsteady process of soil heating in a greenhouse under artificial heating, and two finite-difference schemes were used to solve it. On the basis of the constructed numerical models, a computer program was developed to conduct a computational experiment. Findings. Effective computer models have been created to predict the unsteady formation of thermal zones in the greenhouse soil during its artificial heating. The results of numerical modeling are presented. Originality. Prognostic numerical models have been developed to analyze the dynamics of thermal fields formation in greenhouse soil during its artificial heating. On the basis of the developed numerical models, a set of application programs was created to conduct a computational experiment to determine the unsteady temperature field in greenhouse soil. The constructed numerical models belong to the class of «operational models», i.e., they are designed for the operational analysis of thermal fields in the soil. For the practical use of the developed numerical models, standard input information is required. Practical value. The constructed numerical models are a tool for analyzing the dynamics of soil heating and can be used in the development of energy-saving heating technology. These models can be used to determine the time of optimal soil heating in different zones (root system, soil surface) and to determine the rational location of heating elements, the time when the heating elements should be turned off, and the time when they should be turned on again. These models allow us to develop an energy-saving technology for heating the soil in a greenhouse.

Simulating water and salt changes in the root zone of salt-alkali fragrant pear and the selection of the optimal surface drip irrigation mode.

Faced with the increasingly serious problem of water scarcity, developing precise irrigation strategies for crops in saline alkali land can effectively reduce the negative effects of low water resource utilization. Using a model to simulate the dynamic changes in soil water and salt environment in the root zone of fragrant pear trees in saline alkali land, and verifying them from a production practice perspective with comprehensive benefits as the goal, can optimize the irrigation amount and irrigation technology elements of saline alkali fruit trees, broaden the comprehensive evaluation perspective of decision-makers, and have important significance for improving the yield and production efficiency of forestry and fruit industry in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. In this study, a two-year field experiment based on three irrigation levels (3000, 3750, and 4500 m3·ha-1) and four emitter discharge rates (1, 2, 3, and 4 L·h-1) was conducted in Xinjiang, China. The root zone soil water content (SWC) and soil salinity content (SSC) dynamics were simulated during the fertility period of fragrant pear using the numerical model HYDRUS-2D and field data. The results showed that the R2, root mean squared error (RMSE), and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) of the HYDRUS-2D simulated soil water content (SWC) (soil salinity content SSC) reached 0.89-0.97 (0.91-0.97), 0.02-0.16 cm3·cm-3 (0.22-1.54 g·kg-1), and 0.76-0.95 (0.68-0.96), respectively, indicating the strong performance of the model. A positive correlation was observed between the irrigation amount and soil infiltration depth. Moderately increasing irrigation amount could effectively leach soil salinity at a depth of 80-100 cm and maintain a water and salt environment in the main root zone of 0-80 cm, benefiting the growth and development of the main root system of fragrant pear, as well as the yield and quality of above-ground fruits. The irrigation amount and emitter discharge were optimized and quantified based on multi-objective optimization methods, normalization processing, and spatial analysis methods to maximize yield, fruit weight, soluble solids, and net profits. When the yield, fruit weight, soluble solids, and net profits simultaneously reached 90% of their maximum value, the irrigation amount and emitter discharge ranges were 4274-4297 m3·ha-1 and 3.79-3.88 L·h-1, respectively. Our study provides new insights into regulating soil water and salt environmental factors in the saline fragrant pear root zone and assessing the impact of soil water and salt management under precision irrigation strategies, and profoundly influences decision-making for irrigation of forest fruits in saline arid zones based on a production practice perspective.

Nonlinear burgers model for sliding zone soil subjected to cyclic seepage pressure and its applications to the deformation analysis of landslide

Nonlinear burgers model for sliding zone soil subjected to cyclic seepage pressure and its applications to the deformation analysis of landslide

Flash Drought Teleconnection With the Large‐Scale Climate Drivers in the Homogeneous Rainfall Regions of India

ABSTRACTFlash drought events can be characterised by the quick depletion of crop root zone soil moisture (rapid intensification) and hence can be termed as agricultural flash droughts. These events can have devastating impacts, such as increasing the risk of agricultural yield loss, heatwaves and increased wildfire risk, which further have cascading impacts on the socio‐economic conditions. The regional hotspots of flash droughts are analysed for winter, pre‐monsoon, monsoon and post‐monsoon seasons over India from 1981 to 2020. We assess the impact of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on the flash drought frequency (FDF: number of flash drought events). The causal connection of the FDF with the ENSO and IOD is analysed using the PCMCI (Peter and Clark's algorithm combined with the Momentary Conditional Independence) algorithm. The monsoon season (June–September) is found to be more prone to flash droughts with higher spatial/regional average values of total per pixel FDF during the 40‐year period over the Central Northeast (~54) and West Central (~41) regions. It is observed that the fraction of the total number of flash droughts during the El Niño years (38.8%) is higher as compared with that in La Niña years (25.7%). It is also found that the co‐occurrence of positive/negative IOD with the El Niño phase can alter the seasonal fraction of FDF over India, highlighting the high complexity in the ENSO–IOD interactions. The causal analysis shows that only the Southern Peninsula and West Central regions have significant direct and lagged causal links of average per pixel FDF with IOD. Whereas, similar (direct and lagged) causal connections are observed between the ENSO and IOD. This study reveals that flash droughts and their teleconnections vary greatly among the seasons and regions in India, limiting its accurate predictions and increasing the risk to agricultural communities.

Краткая характеристика новых селекционных образцов люцерны в условиях Подмосковья

It is important for Russian agriculture to ensure high sustainability and productivity of natural land and agricultural landscapes, provided that the advanced adaptation of agroecosystems and agricultural landscapes is ready for expected climate and environmental changes. So that the natural vegetation of the agricultural landscape, thanks to controlled, managed and transformed human activities, can be replaced by planting and cultural crops. An adaptive evolutionary-ecological approach to this problem is increasingly being used in scientific breeding science. For all climatic and soil zones of the Russian Federation and various places of plant growth (drylands, floodplain meadows, etc.), it is necessary to create new varieties that would differ in maturity, growth rate of the crop, and also, when used in the early phases of vegetation, could actively accumulate the necessary nutrients for the following alienations. Blue hybrid alfalfa is a legume perennial crop that can be used to produce various types of feed: hay, green pasture feed, grass cutting, herbal protein-vitamin flour, feed pellets and briquettes, haylage, silage and protein concentrate for all types of farm animals and poultry. Scientific studies with this crop were carried out in the Moscow region (Non-Chernozem zone of Russia) on heavy sod-podzolic soils (FNC "VIK named after V.R. Williams") in 2021–2022 in the field crop rotation of perennial alfalfa in three breeding nurseries. The purpose of the research was to obtain new source material and evaluate it. In addition, the identification and involvement in the further breeding process of new biotypes and individual numbers with good indicators of adaptability to the soil and climatic conditions of the Central Non-Chernozem zone of the Moscow region, early spring and friendly regrowth, productive and long-term use, with high productivity and good resistance to alfalfa root rot and other crop diseases. The article presents the research results obtained in the third breeding nursery, at pH = 4.3.

Кормопроизводство в крестьянско-фермерских хозяйствах Нечерноземной зоны: научное обеспечение

The soil, climate and plant resources of the forest zone of the Russian Federation are most favorable for intensive dairy and meat farming. The total area of agricultural land in the zone is about 43914 thousand hectares, including arable land 28669, hayfields 5692 and pastures 7701. With a total population of 61.5 million, there are 0.71 hectares of agricultural land per person. Such an amount of land resources makes it possible to fully provide the population, including the megacities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg with livestock and poultry products, to develop the export potential of the territories. To provide the population of the zone with food standards, it is necessary to produce more than 20 million tons of milk, 4.3 million tons of meat, 16 billion eggs. In solving this problem, an important role belongs to peasant farms, individual entrepreneurs and households of the population [1–5].

Modeling water balance components of conifer species using the Noah-MP model in an eastern Mediterranean ecosystem

Abstract. Few studies have investigated the performance of land surface models for semiarid Mediterranean forests. This study aims to parameterize and test the performance of the Noah-MP land surface model for an eastern Mediterranean ecosystem. To this end, we calibrated the model for root zone soil moisture and transpiration of two conifer species, Pinus brutia, and Cupressus sempervirens, in a plantation forest on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The study area has a long-term average annual rainfall of 315 mm. Observations from 4 sap flow and 48 soil moisture sensors, for the period from December 2020 to June 2022, were used for model parameterization. A local sensitivity analysis found that the surface infiltration (REFKDT), hydraulic conductivity (SATDK), and stomatal resistance (RSMIN) parameters had the highest impacts on the water balance components (soil evaporation, tree transpiration, surface runoff, and drainage). The model performed better during the wetter 9-month validation period (379 mm rain) than during the drier 10-month calibration period (175 mm rain). Average soil moisture in the top 60 cm of the soil profile was reasonably well captured for both species (daily Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency > 0.80 for validation). Among the three soil layers, the second layer (20–40 cm) showed better simulation performance during both periods and for both species. The model exhibited limitations with respect to simulating transpiration, particularly during the drier calibration period. The inclusion of a root distribution function in the model, along with the monitoring of soil moisture below the 60 cm soil depth in the field, could improve the accuracy of model simulations in such water-limited ecosystems.

Soils of the Baikal region: Mapping, use, transformation

The article gives a brief overview of the soil cartographic work carried out in the Baikal region. The paper contains one of the authors' map of agroecological zoning of soils of the Irkutsk region. A fragment of the legend is shown. Suitable and unsuitable districts for their use in agriculture have been identified. Various types of business activities are recommended. Also provided are maps of the use of land of the most developed part of the lands of the Baikal region in 1980 and 2023. In the Irkutsk-Cheremkhov plain with neighboring steppe areas, occupying 11% of the area of the region where the bulk of the farmland is located, relatively good natural and climatic conditions are noted. With the collapse of collective farms and state farms since the 1990s. More than 50% of former agricultural land was abandoned. A positive aspect of the "resetting" of the state system is the emergence of a reserve of agricultural land for use in the form of abandoned land with soils that have restored the level of fertility. The authors proposed a scale of qualitative assessment of the possibility of using land in agriculture, developed an assessment of the state of soil fertility, taking into account their regional characteristics.

Heterogeneity of Soil Properties within a Single Plot: A Case Study of Black Soils in the Dry Steppe Zone of Stavropol Krai, Russia

Heterogeneity of Soil Properties within a Single Plot: A Case Study of Black Soils in the Dry Steppe Zone of Stavropol Krai, Russia

Complex unit for sowing saxaul seeds on degraded soils in desert and semi-desert zones

Abstract The article is devoted to developing measures to combat soil erosion of lands susceptible to degradation and desertification. These measures are aimed at accelerating environmental management processes and improving ecology through the implementation of new promising technologies and technical means into agricultural production. A combined sowing unit was developed that in one pass prepares the soil for sowing and sows seeds. A unit for mechanical destruction of the seed dome was developed. A technological scheme for the process of sowing saxaul seeds was proposed. Technical specifications for the sowing unit were also developed.

Estimating maize root zone soil moisture by assimilating high spatiotemporal resolution optical and radar remote sensing into the WOFOST-HYDRUS coupled model

Estimating maize root zone soil moisture by assimilating high spatiotemporal resolution optical and radar remote sensing into the WOFOST-HYDRUS coupled model