ORGANIC SOIL Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Ensuring acceptance of dedicated biomass feedstocks by landowners, agricultural communities, environmental and public interest groups, requires that the environmental benefits, concerns, and risks associated with their production be... more

Ensuring acceptance of dedicated biomass feedstocks by landowners, agricultural communities, environmental and public interest groups, requires that the environmental benefits, concerns, and risks associated with their production be quantified. Establishment and management measures to benefit soil and water quality are being identified by ongoing research. Field studies are showing that nutrients are retained within the rooting zone of dedicated feedstocks, subsurface herbicide transport does not occur, and off-site chemical transport is minimal compared with traditional agricultural crops. The amounts and timing of fertilizer application were critical to minimizing off- site transport of nutrients. Maintaining soil cover decreased runoff, sediment losses, and nutrient transport compared with traditional agricultural crops. Conversion of traditional croplands to biomass and no-till crop production improved soil quality and soil carbon storage. Subsurface nutrient losses were less fr...

The influence of four pesticides (atrazine, carbaryl, glyphosate and paraquat) on the catalytic behaviour of invertase, either free, immobilized on inorganic and organic soil colloids or in soils, was investigated. Invertase was... more

The influence of four pesticides (atrazine, carbaryl, glyphosate and paraquat) on the catalytic behaviour of invertase, either free, immobilized on inorganic and organic soil colloids or in soils, was investigated. Invertase was immobilized on a clean clay (montmorillonite), an organic compound (tannic acid), and on synthetic organo-mineral [Al(OH)x-tannate and Al(OH)x-tannate-montmorillonite] complexes. Soils with different physico-chemical properties were utilized. The effects

Boreal forest carbon (C) storage and sequestration is a critical element for global C management and is largely disturbance driven. The disturbance regime can be natural or anthropogenic with varying intensity and frequency that differ... more

Boreal forest carbon (C) storage and sequestration is a critical element for global C management and is largely disturbance driven. The disturbance regime can be natural or anthropogenic with varying intensity and frequency that differ temporally and spatially the boreal forest. The objective of this review was to synthesize the literature on C dynamics of North American boreal forests after most common disturbances, stand replacing wildfire and clearcut logging. Forest ecosystem C is stored in four major pools: live biomass, dead biomass, organic soil horizons, and mineral soil. Carbon cycling among these pools is inter-related and largely determined by disturbance type and time since disturbance. Following a stand replacing disturbance, (1) live biomass increases rapidly leading to the maximal biomass stage, then stabilizes or slightly declines at old-growth or gap dynamics stage at which late-successional tree species dominate the stand; (2) dead woody material carbon generally follows a U-shaped pattern during succession; (3) forest floor carbon increases throughout stand development; and (4) mineral soil carbon appears to be more or less stable throughout stand development. Wildfire and harvesting differ in many ways, fire being more of a chemical and harvesting a mechanical disturbance. Fire consumes forest floor and small live vegetation and foliage, whereas logging removes large stems. Overall, the effects of the two disturbances on C dynamics in boreal forest are poorly understood. There is also a scarcity of literature dealing with C dynamics of plant coarse and fine roots, understory vegetation, small-sized and buried dead material, forest floor, and mineral soil.

Changes in grassland management intended to increase productivity can lead to sequestration of substantial amounts of atmospheric C in soils. Management-intensive grazing (MiG) can increase forage production in mesic pastures, but... more

Changes in grassland management intended to increase productivity can lead to sequestration of substantial amounts of atmospheric C in soils. Management-intensive grazing (MiG) can increase forage production in mesic pastures, but potential impacts on soil C have not been evaluated. We sampled four pastures (to 50 cm depth) in Virginia, USA, under MiG and neighboring pastures that were extensively grazed or

In this study, effect of different sand content on compaction properties of organic soil was investigated. Organic soil used in the study was taken from Sakarya region, Turkey. Compaction test was carried out with standard 2.5 kg hammer.... more

In this study, effect of different sand content on compaction properties of organic soil was investigated. Organic soil used in the study was taken from Sakarya region, Turkey. Compaction test was carried out with standard 2.5 kg hammer. Five different sand content was used that are 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. Test results showed that sand content has an important effect on both dry density and optimum moisture content. When the sand content incresed in the organic soil optimum moisture content reduced and the maximum dry density increased.

Organic soils represent a substantial pool of carbon in Denmark. The need for carbon stock assessment calls for more rapid and effective mapping methods to be developed. The aim of this study was to compare traditional soil mapping with... more

Organic soils represent a substantial pool of carbon in Denmark. The need for carbon stock assessment calls for more rapid and effective mapping methods to be developed. The aim of this study was to compare traditional soil mapping with maps produced from the results of a mobile VIS/NIR system and to evaluate the ability to estimate TOC and map the area of organic soils. The Veris mobile VIS/NIR spectroscopy system was compared to traditional manual sampling. The system is developed for in-situ near surface measurements of soil carbon content. It measures diffuse reflectance in the 350 nm-2200 nm region. The system consists of two spectrophotometers mounted on a toolbar and pulled by a tractor. Optical measurements are made through a sapphire window at the bottom of the shank. The shank was pulled at a depth of 5-7 cm at a speed of 4-5 km/hr. 20-25 spectra per second with 8 nm resolution were acquired by the spectrometers. Measurements were made on 10-12 m spaced transects. The syst...

The effects of wood-ash fertilisation on tree stands, soil characteristics and ground vegetation were studied on a drained pine mire in Finland (64°51′N, 26°04′E, 62 m a.s.l.). The original site type was a treeless, mesotrophic Sphagnum... more

The effects of wood-ash fertilisation on tree stands, soil characteristics and ground vegetation were studied on a drained pine mire in Finland (64°51′N, 26°04′E, 62 m a.s.l.). The original site type was a treeless, mesotrophic Sphagnum papillosum fen. The site was drained in 1933 and the wood-ash fertilisation experiment was started in 1947. The treatments were: (i) unfertilised, (ii) wood-ash 8 t ha−1, and (iii) wood-ash 16 t ha−1.Drainage and ash application had radical and long-lasting consequences on the biological activity on the site and the vegetation compartments studied. The understorey vegetation had been profoundly affected by the ash with almost complete transformation of the species and other life forms. Even 50 years after the ash treatment the changes in vegetation/site type and the tree stand were clearly visible. On the unfertilised plot, the biomass of ground vegetation consisted mostly of mosses and dwarf shrubs, but on the ash-treated plots it consisted mostly of herbs and grasses typical of upland forests.Ash treatment had promoted stem volume growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) substantially and for a long time. The total wood production on the ash plots during 1947–1994 was 13 and 17 times over that of the control plot. Unfertilised pine trees suffered from P and K deficiency throughout the study period. The concentrations of some plant nutrients (P, K) decreased during the past years on Ash8. No nutrient shortage afflicting the tree stand was observed on Ash16 during the study period.Ash application has also led to increased concentration of nutrients in the peat. A sizeable proportion of the mineral nutrients applied were still in the 0–20 cm peat layer. On the ash-treated plots the amount of soil nitrogen (0–20 cm) was 18 and 29 times and the amount of soil phosphorus 9 and 13 times over the amount bound by the tree stand and the ground vegetation (Ash8 and Ash16, respectively). The stock of potassium was generally small in the surface peat—only 60–90% of the amount of potassium bound in the tree stand and the ground vegetation.It was concluded that wood-ash had powerfully influenced the biological processes in surface peat. The decomposition of cellulose was significantly accelerated by both ash treatments. Ash fertilisation also increased the emissions of CO2. The intensified decomposition rate in the litter, vegetation and peat explained to a large extent the accelerated growth of the Scots pine stands studied.

Boreal forest carbon (C) storage and sequestration is a critical element for global C management and is largely disturbance driven. The disturbance regime can be natural or anthropogenic with varying intensity and frequency that differ... more

Boreal forest carbon (C) storage and sequestration is a critical element for global C management and is largely disturbance driven. The disturbance regime can be natural or anthropogenic with varying intensity and frequency that differ temporally and spatially the boreal forest. The objective of this review was to synthesize the literature on C dynamics of North American boreal forests after most common disturbances, stand replacing wildfire and clearcut logging. Forest ecosystem C is stored in four major pools: live biomass, dead biomass, organic soil horizons, and mineral soil. Carbon cycling among these pools is inter-related and largely determined by disturbance type and time since disturbance. Following a stand replacing disturbance, (1) live biomass increases rapidly leading to the maximal biomass stage, then stabilizes or slightly declines at old-growth or gap dynamics stage at which late-successional tree species dominate the stand; (2) dead woody material carbon generally follows a U-shaped pattern during succession; (3) forest floor carbon increases throughout stand development; and (4) mineral soil carbon appears to be more or less stable throughout stand development. Wildfire and harvesting differ in many ways, fire being more of a chemical and harvesting a mechanical disturbance. Fire consumes forest floor and small live vegetation and foliage, whereas logging removes large stems. Overall, the effects of the two disturbances on C dynamics in boreal forest are poorly understood. There is also a scarcity of literature dealing with C dynamics of plant coarse and fine roots, understory vegetation, small-sized and buried dead material, forest floor, and mineral soil.

Plants acquire phosphorus from soil solution as phosphate anion. It is the least mobile element in plant and soil contrary to other macronutrients. It precipitates in soil as orthophosphate or is absorbed by Fe and Al oxides through... more

Plants acquire phosphorus from soil solution as phosphate anion. It is the least mobile element in plant and soil contrary to other macronutrients. It precipitates in soil as orthophosphate or is absorbed by Fe and Al oxides through legend exchange. Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria play role in phosphorus nutrition by enhancing its availability to plants through release from inorganic and organic soil P pools by solubilization and mineralization. Principal mechanism in soil for mineral phosphate solubilization is lowering of soil pH by microbial production of organic acids and mineralization of organic P by acid phosphatase. Use of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria as inoculants increases P uptake. These bacteria also increase prospects of using phosphatic rocks in crop production. Greater efficiency of P solubilizing bacteria has been shown through co-inoculation with other beneficial bacteria and mycorrhiza. This article incorporates the recent developments on microbial P solubiliz...

Effectivity of Inhana Rational Farming (IRF) Technology developed by an Indian Scientist, Dr. P. Das Biswas as an effective and economic organic package of practice was evaluated at Farmers’ field in the red laterite zone of West Bengal... more

Effectivity of Inhana Rational Farming (IRF) Technology developed by an Indian Scientist, Dr. P. Das Biswas as an
effective and economic organic package of practice was evaluated at Farmers’ field in the red laterite zone of West
Bengal taking tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) as the test crop. The experiment was laid down as per randomized
block design (RBD) with 7 treatments replicated 4 times. The treatments included local farming practice with chemical
inputs and IRF technology with varying dose of compost. Yield under IRF Package (compost @ 4 ton/ bigha and
10 rounds spraying of solutions for plant management under IRF) was 19.8 percent higher than that of chemical
practice. Post harvest analysis of soil samples indicated an increasing trend of soil fertility especially in terms of soil
microbial population, in the Novcom compost treated plots as compared to ones receiving chemical treatment. Also
higher crop response was obtained from the organic plots as compared to the plots under chemical treatment which
might be due to better soil-plant nutrient dynamics under organic management. The study indicated that activation of
soil system and plant physiology under comprehensive organic management i.e. quality compost application and
effective plant management, can enable better crop performance at a lower economics as compared to conventional
chemical practice.

In this study, interface frictional resistance between organic soil and some of construction material was investigated. Construction materials used in this work are concrete, metal, and wood. Interface friction angle were determined for... more

In this study, interface frictional resistance between organic soil and some of construction material was investigated. Construction materials used in this work are concrete, metal, and wood. Interface friction angle were determined for three different water contents values of organic soil dry, 25%, 50%, and 75% respectively. Different face roughnesses were tested for different water content. All tests were carried out using direct shear test device. Three different normal forces were used and shear stress at 10% strain rate was taken as maximum shear stress. Test results showed that water content of the organic soil, material type, and surface roughness should be considered while selecting interface friction angle between organic soil and construction materials.