周原全新世土壤剖面木炭屑与野火活动的关系研究

研究陕西周原全新世黄土剖面磁化率曲线、总有机碳曲线、木炭屑曲线和野火活动及其与生态环境演变的关系结果表明,马兰黄土堆积时期气候干旱,在当时半荒漠草原上当地时常有自然野火发生;全新世大暖时期(85 0 0～310 0aB .P)气候湿润,生物成壤作用强度大,呈现森林或森林草原自然景观,野火活动极少发生;先周人迁居到周原地区(310 0aB .P)开始,人类用火及其放火烧荒开垦农田等活动,加之气候变得干旱,生物化学成壤作用减弱,致使生态环境发生重大变化,自然生态景观向半自然、半人工景观演替;15 0 0aB .P开始可耕种土地几乎开垦殆尽,生态景观完全被人工农田生态景观所代替;而近几百年来随着人口密度和聚落的增加,人类生活用火和垃圾随之加大,人类对土壤环境的干扰进一步增强     

土壤中拟除虫菊酯微生物降解研究

微生物降解是拟除虫菊酯类农药从土壤中消去的主要途径。本文介绍了拟除虫菊酯降解菌的分离鉴定、降解基因的克隆以及微生物降解机理研究的近期成果,综合介绍了拟除虫菊酯异构体选择降解的特征、原因以及可能产生的环境效应,重点分析了农药疏水性、土壤吸附、重金属、土壤养分及长期施肥、共存农药对土壤中拟除虫菊酯微生物降解的影响,最后对土壤微生物修复前景进行了展望。     

Land degradation and soil and water conservation in tropical highlands

Land degradation is not uniform, even in the same landscape, but nevertheless an overall consensus seems to grow on the fact that many areas are under way of rehabilitation. It is a debateable question whether the improving areas are improving because of interventions—or whether this has more to do with processes of innovation and adaptation. The international symposium ‘HighLand2006’ on land degradation and land rehabilitation, held in Mekelle (Ethiopia), from 21 to 25 September 2006, created a forum for those conducting research in East African Highlands as well as in similar regions around the globe to discuss findings. Tropical highlands (>1000 m a.s.l.) cover 4.5 million km² with an average population density of 33 inhabitants km⁻². Nearly all tropical highlands suffer from land degradation, especially medium to very high water erosion. Exchange of experiences during in-door sessions and excursions led to results which are condensed in this special issue. Studies presented tend to invalidate hypotheses on irreversibility of land degradation in tropical mountain areas. Circumstances are that in highly degraded environments, with high pressure on the land, no other alternatives are left open but to improve land husbandry; and that this is particularly successful in places where decision making processes at different levels in society give the highest priority to the implementation of soil and water conservation and other land rehabilitation, in situ and at catchment level.     

Soil degradation processes and their control in Hungary

Soil degradation is usually a complex process in which several features of soil deterioration can be recognized. Soil degradation may lead to the loss of land or soil; limitations to normal soil functions; decrease of soil fertility and ‘productive capacity’. The main soil degradation process are: (1) soil erosion by water and wind; (2) Development of extreme soil reaction (acidification; salinization/alkalization); (3) physical degradation (structural destruction; compaction; extreme moisture regime); (4) biological degradation; (5) unfavourable changes in the nutrient regime; (6) decrease of buffering capacity (leading to pollution, toxicity). Soil degradation is not an unavoidable consequence of intensive agriculture and social development. Most of the processes and their unfavourable consequences can be controlled, prevented, eliminated, or at least moderated. A rational strategy of efficient soil degradation control should be based on a system involving the following (consecutive) steps: (a) registration of facts and consequences; (b) analysis of reasons, processes, influencing factors and their mechanisms; (c) determination of the theoretical, real, rational and economic possibilities for control; (d) prediction of the potential impacts of these control alternatives; (e) elaboration and extension of technologies for the optimum alternatives. The present status of soil degradation processes in Hungary is briefly summarized in this paper and the possibilities for control are reviewed, with special regard to soil erosion, salinization/alkalization, acidification and physical degradation (compaction, structure destruction). Based on detailed and comprehensive information on soils (thematic maps of various scales; computerized geographical soil information system) the potential future development of various soil degradation processes is forecast and technologies are elaborated and recommended for use in Hungarian agriculture to prevent soil degradation.     

Remote sensing of soil degradation: Progress and perspective

Soils constitute one of the most critical natural resources and maintaining their health is vital for agricultural development and ecological sustainability, providing many essential ecosystem services. Driven by climatic variations and anthropogenic activities, soil degradation has become a global issue that seriously threatens the ecological environment and food security. Remote sensing (RS) technologies have been widely used to investigate soil degradation as it is highly efficient, time-saving, and broad-scope. This review encompasses recent advances and the state-of-the-art of ground, proximal, and novel RS techniques in soil degradation-related studies. We reviewed the RS-related indicators that could be used for monitoring soil degradation-related properties. The direct indicators (mineral composition, organic matter, surface roughness, and moisture content of soil) and indirect proxies (vegetation condition and land use/land cover change) for evaluating soil degradation were comprehensively summarized. The results suggest that these above indicators are effective for monitoring soil degradation, however, no indicators system has been established for soil degradation monitoring to date. We also discussed the RS's mechanisms, data, and methods for identifying specific soil degradation-related phenomena (e.g., soil erosion, salinization, desertification, and contamination). We investigated the potential relations between soil degradation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and also discussed the challenges and prospective use of RS for assessing soil degradation. To further advance and optimize technology, analysis and retrieval methods, we identify critical future research needs and directions: (1) multi-scale analysis of soil degradation; (2) availability of RS data; (3) soil degradation process modelling and prediction; (4) shared soil degradation dataset; (5) decision support systems; and (6) rehabilitation of degraded soil resource and the contribution of RS technology. Because it is difficult to monitor or measure all soil properties in the large scale, remotely sensed characterization of soil properties related to soil degradation is particularly important. Although it is not a silver bullet, RS provides unique benefits for soil degradation-related studies from regional to global scales.     

我国设施农业土壤质量退化特征与调控研究进展

设施土壤质量退化已成为制约现代设施农业可持续发展的瓶颈。了解设施土壤退化成因与特征,并采取适宜的调控措施,对于促进设施农业持续健康发展具有重要意义。本文综述了国内目前设施农业土壤次生盐渍化、酸化、微生物区系破坏、养分失调、有害物质积累等5个方面的退化特征与成因。简述了生物、农业、工程3类调控措施在改良设施土壤方面的应用研究进展。并且针对我国设施土壤质量研究中存在的关于探索形成原因和控制机理方面的研究少,原创性设施土壤改良与调控技术仍然十分缺乏,大尺度、长时间设施土壤质量演变的长期定位研究和动态监测工作十分滞后,有关设施土壤退化因素叠加效应与交互作用机理研究尚未涉及等问题,提出应将构建设施土壤质量标准体系,开展设施土壤质量退化演变机理以及拓展调控与改良技术,系统研究不同退化形式之间的相互作用,以及拓展新技术在设施农业土壤研究中的应用等4方面作为今后研究的重点。     

Assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands (Spain)

In the Canary Islands a number of factors, both natural and induced by human activity, act on the fragile ecosystems and agricultural land to cause increasing problems with desertification and progressive degradation of soil productivity. the results of an assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands, The processes, causes and impacts, are presented in this paper. Although several processes and factors contribute to soil degradation in the Canary Islands, two have been found to exert a greater qualitative influence: (a) accelerated erosion (water and aeolian); (b) salinization-sodification (natural and induced by agricultural use). Approximately 40 per cent of the Canary Islands' land is undergoing rapid erosion. the factors involved May, be grouped into: natural erosion—torrential rainfall, sparse vegetation, high soil erodibility, rugged relief; and erosion due to human activities—unsuitable management of arable soils on the steep slopes, overgrazing and deforestation. About 60 per cent of the surface of the archipelago, including areas given over to intensive agriculture, is affected by salinization.The main factors responsible are: natural—an arid climate and a regime of oceanic winds; and human activities—overexploitation of the aquifers, irrigation with water having a high salt and/or sodium content, intensive monoculture, and excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals.     

Holocene geomorphological processes and soil development as indicator for environmental change around Karakorum,Upper Orkhon Valley (Central Mongolia)

Mantles of silt- and sand-size particles, paleosols and fluvial deposits preserve valuable information on Holocene environmental change. These archives were used to reconstruct the landscape history in the upper Orkhon Valley close to the former capitals of the Uighurs (Kharbalgasin Tuur) and the Mongolian Empire (Karakorum) near the recent town of Kharkhorin, Central Mongolia. A holistic approach involving the use of high spatial resolution geomorphological mapping, sedimentological and geochemical analysis, palynology, and geochronology shows several phases of landscape activity and stability in the region. This includes phases of fluvial erosion, aeolian sedimentation, and soil formation. By using luminescence and radiocarbon dating, phases of landscape change, indicated by soil formation, occurred mainly at around 6.5–6 ka. Pollen data and a weakly humic horizon at around 1.0 ka probably indicate enhanced moisture supply in the region and a reduction of human activity between the time of the reigns of the Uighurs (8th–9th century AD) and the Mongols (1220–1388 AD). Since 3 ka, especially within the last two millennia of Historical Time (300 B.C.–present), a more intensified human occupation in the Upper Orkhon Valley occurred in this region. This included a more densely grazing of cattle to supply the growing population demands of the Uighurs and Mongols. This overgrazing caused an increase in erosion and the formation and deepening of fluvial gullies, together with soil deflation and subsequent deposition of aeolian sediments. Human activity, in addition to climate, has been dominant in driving landscape evolution of this region since the late Holocene.     

西藏"一江两河"地区土壤退化特征

西藏"一江两河"地区日趋严重的土壤退化是由其生态环境的脆弱性、地貌结构的特殊性,特别是人类影响和干预的广泛性、非合理性决定的。在阐述土壤退化类型、特征的基础上,就土壤退化的发生机制进行了综合分析。     

Carbon sequestration,vegetation dynamics and soil development in the Boreal Transition ecoregion of Saskatchewan during the Holocene

Boreal forest soils have the potential to sequester large amounts of carbon by accumulating charcoal from fire. Some suggest that sequestration rates could be large enough to account for some of the missing sink in the global CO₂ budget, but further data on soil charcoal pools are necessary to adequately develop boreal carbon budgets under a changing climate and fire regime. The primary objective of this study was to determine the amount of charred wood in surface mineral soil horizons (Ah) of the Boreal Transition of Saskatchewan, a fire-prone grassland forest ecotone region of western Canada. A second objective was to use the charcoal data to infer vegetation dynamics and the development of these Ah horizons as a function of parent material type, i.e. glacio-fluvial, glacio-lacustrine and glacial till. The latter objective served to provide information in regards to future vegetation shifts and ecosystem C budgets of Boreal Plain ecosystems under climatic warming. The carbon fraction measured as charcoal is an important component of organic matter in Ah horizons of Chernozemic soils in Saskatchewan and differs from the classical model of humus fractions in Chernozems which suggests that it is a system created from microbial degradation of root litter only. The carbon sequestered as charcoal within the whole ecoregion was estimated at 36.1 Tg, which is the lower limit of the global annual rate of charcoal accumulation in terrestrial environments estimated from experimental fires. Charcoal pools were consistently lower in the fluvial soils relative to the lacustrine and till soils. We suggest a model where dry conditions and low water availability prevailing under the coarser fluvial soils during the Holocene favoured the dominance of low productivity herbaceous vegetation that led to a high ash to charcoal production ratio from fire and to the development of relatively thick Ah horizons through below ground additions of organic matter from root decay. We propose that the more available water in lacustrine and till soils favoured the growth of trembling aspen which, through less frequent/intense fires relative to grasslands and incomplete burning of the woody material, led to high charcoal accumulation rates in soil. The development of thick Ah horizons in lacustrine soils likely occurred during a warm and dry period of the early Holocene (i.e. the hypsithermal) when herbaceous vegetation invaded forested land or during dry spells in the mid to late Holocene (e.g. the Medieval Warm Period) when opening of forest canopies occurred, thus augmenting light transmission to the forest floor and favouring the growth of herbaceous vegetation in the understory. Such events did not create deep Ah horizons in the tills soils as a consistent rock impediment near the surface limited the penetration of understory roots at greater depth. These results suggest that fluvial sites my be the first shifting to herbaceous vegetation in the future due to climatic warming, followed by till sites and then lacustrine sites.     

Surface and profile soil moisture spatio-temporal analysis during an excessive rainfall period in the Southern Great Plains,USA

In this work we analyze the temporal stability of soil moisture at the field and watershed scales in the Little Washita River Experimental Watershed (LWREW), as part of the remote sensing Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC07) during June 2007 in south-central Oklahoma. Temporal stability of surface and profile soil moisture data were investigated for 20 LWREW soil moisture measurement stations. In addition, daily surface and profile soil moisture measurements were obtained in four 800 m by 800 m fields (remote sensing footprint), including two rangeland sites and two winter wheat fields. The work aimed to analyze the temporal stability of soil moisture at the watershed and field scale and to identify stations within the watershed, as well as locations within each field, that were representative of the mean areal soil moisture content. We also determined the relationship between sites found to be temporally stable for surface soil moisture versus those determined stable for average profile soil moisture content. For the unusually wet experimental period, results at the watershed scale show that LWREW stations 133 and 134 provided stable underestimates, while stations 132 and 154 provided stable overestimates of the watershed mean at all depths. In addition, station 136 had very high non-zero temporal stability at the 25 cm and 45 cm depths indicating that it could be used as representative watershed site provided a constant offset value is used to acquire a watershed mean soil water content value. In general, the deeper depths exhibited higher soil moisture spatial variability, as indicated by the higher standard deviations. At the field scale, measured average profile soil moisture was higher in the winter wheat fields than the rangeland fields with the majority of the winter wheat depth intervals having high non-zero temporal stability. Field scale temporal stability analysis revealed that 4 of the 16 sampling sites in the rangeland fields and 3 of the 16 sampling sites in the winter wheat fields either under or overestimated the field means in the 0–5 and 0–60 cm depth intervals. Field sites considered temporally stable for the surface soil moisture were not stable for the profile soil moisture, except for the LW45 field where two sites were stable at both the surface and profile soil moisture. This finding is significant in terms of soil moisture ground-truth sampling for calibrating and validating airborne remotely sensed soil moisture products under extremely wet conditions. In addition, identification of temporally stable sites at the watershed and field scales in the LWREW provide insight in determining future measurement station locations and field scale ground sampling protocol, as well as providing data sets for hydrologic modeling.     

Properties,degradation risks and rehabilitation possibilities of heavy soils in Bulgaria

The objective of this study was to determine soil properties, limiting site deficiencies for agricultural production and degradation risks of some major soil groups of Bulgaria. Vertisols, Planosols, Chernozems and Luvisols were characterised based on soil analyses. Temporal waterlogging in combination with water erosion, soil compaction and chemical degradation limit the fertility of Vertisols and Planosols. Chernozems and Luvisols are partly compacted. To ensure soil productivity for coining generations and to protect soil and water resources, the evident soil degradation must be halted. Long‐term field studies of soil rehabilitation variants were conducted. Soil parameters and crop yield were the main indicators used to estimate soil quality. Pipe drainage in combination with subsoiling and the application of gypsum and limestone, respectively, are effective measures for site rehabilitation of degraded Vertisols and Planosols. Degraded Luvisols and Chernozems characterised by distinct and persistent subsoil compaction can be regenerated by subsoil loosening and following site‐adapted soil management practices.     

Pasture degradation impacts soil phosphorus storage via changes to aggregate-associated soil organic matter in highly weathered tropical soils

Maintaining the productivity of tropical pastures is a major challenge for the sustainable management of tropical landscapes around the globe. To address this issue, we examined linkages between soil organic matter (SOM), aggregation, and phosphorus (P) dynamics by comparing productive vs. degraded pastures in the deforested Amazon Basin of Colombia. Paired plots of productive (dominated by planted Brachiaria spp.) vs. degraded pasture were identified on nine farms in the Department of Caquetá and sampled during the rainy season of 2011. Aboveground pasture biomass production and nutrient content were measured. Surface soils (0–10 cm) were also fractionated by wet sieving, and C, ¹³C, N and P contents were analyzed for the bulk soil and various aggregate size classes. Productive pastures yielded more than double the aboveground biomass compared to degraded pastures (during a 35 day regrowth period following cutting), with over 60% higher N and P contents in this material. Similar trends were observed for the standing litter biomass and nutrient contents. Soil aggregate stability was found to differ between pasture types, with a mean weight diameter of 3590 vs. 3230 μm in productive vs. degraded pastures, respectively. Productive pastures were found to have 20% higher total soil C and N contents than degraded pastures. While there was no difference in total P content between pasture types, organic P was found to be nearly 40% higher in soils of productive vs. degraded pastures. Differences in total SOM between pasture types were largely explained by a higher C content in the large macroaggregate fraction (>2000 μm), and more specifically in the microaggregates (53–250 μm) occluded within this fraction. These findings confirm the role of microaggregates within macroaggregates as a preferential site for the physical stabilization of SOM, and furthermore, suggest that it may serve as a useful diagnostic fraction for evaluating management impacts on SOM in tropical pasture systems. Similar to trends observed for C and N, total P content was 25% higher in the microaggregates within large macroaggregates of productive vs. degraded pasture soils. This correspondence between C and total P contents in large macroaggregate fractions, along with elevated levels of organic P in productive pastures, suggests that this P is likely in an organic form and that there is a close link between soil structure, SOM dynamics and the maintenance of organic P in these soils. Given the potential relevance of organic P for efficient P cycling in these soils, our findings offer critical new insight for the management of SOM and aggregate-associated P pools in tropical pasture systems.     

黄河三角洲不同退化程度人工刺槐林土壤酶活性、养分和微生物相关性研究

由人为及自然多种因素的影响造成很多地区人工林地出现衰退现象。本研究选择黄河三角洲不同退化程度的刺槐人工林,对林地土壤酶、养分和微生物及其相关性进行了研究,探讨人工刺槐林退化的原因。结果表明:随着人工刺槐林退化程度加重,土壤脲酶、多酚氧化酶和过氧化物酶活性下降;过氧化氢酶活性则先上升,重度退化林地下降。脲酶与多酚氧化酶和过氧化物酶活性显著相关,过氧化物酶与多酚氧化酶活性显著相关,其他酶之间相关性不显著。土壤养分与土壤酶的变化趋势基本一致,随着林分退化程度加重,有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷含量均呈下降趋势;土壤pH、含盐量随着林分退化程度加重与土壤深度增加而上升,与土壤酶活性的变化趋势相反。土壤酶特别是脲酶活性与土壤养分显著正相关性,与土壤pH和含盐量呈显著负相关。不同退化程度的人工刺槐林地土壤细菌数量最多;真菌和放线菌与细菌变化趋势各不相同,随着退化程度的增加,细菌平均数量表现为未退化>轻度退化>中度退化>重度退化,真菌数量为轻度退化>未退化>中度退化>重度退化,放线菌数量为中度退化>轻度退化>未退化>重度退化。脲酶与细菌、真菌和放线菌数量显著相关,细菌与除过氧化氢酶外的土壤酶活性显著相关,其他酶活性与各类微生物数量相关性不显著。     

Manuring and rotation effects on soil organic carbon concentration for different aggregate size fractions on two soils in northeastern Ohio, USA

Soil carbon (C) sequestration is important to the mitigation of increasing atmospheric concentration of CO₂. This study was conducted to assess soil aggregation and C concentration under different management practices. The effects of crop rotation, manure application and tillage were investigated for 0–5 and 5–10 cm depths on two silt loam soils (fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Fragiudalfs and fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Fragiadalf) in Geauga and Stark Counties, respectively, in northeastern Ohio, USA. Wet sieve analysis and gravity fractionation techniques were used to separate samples in aggregate and particle size groups, respectively. In the Stark County farms water stable aggregate (WSA) is higher in wooded (W) controls (WSA = 94.8%) than in cultivated soils with poultry manure (PM, 78.7%) and with chemical fertilizers (CF, 79.0%). Manure applications did not increase aggregation compared to unmanured soils. The C concentrations (%) within aggregates (C_agg) are higher in W than in cultivated soils (W = 5.82, PM = 2.11, CF = 1.96). Soil C (%) is enriched in the clay (W = 9.87, PM = 4.17, CF = 4.21) compared to silt (4.26, 1.04 and 0.98, respectively) and sand (0.93, 0.14 and 0.32, respectively) fractions. In the Geauga County farm, continuous corn (CC) with conventional tillage has lower WSA (83.1%) than soils with rotations (R) (93.9%), dairy manure (DM) application (93.2%) and no-till (NT) (91.1%). The C concentrations within macroaggregates (C_agg) were higher in W soils (4.84%) than in cultivated soils (ranging from 2.65 to 1.75%). The C (%) is enriched in clay (W = 8.56, CC = 4.18, R = 5.17, DM = 5.73, NT = 4.67) compared to silt (W = 2.35, CC = 0.90, R = 0.96, DM = 1.57, NT = 1.06) and sand (W = 0.44, CC = 0.33, R = 0.13, DM = 0.41, NT = 0.18). Cultivation decreased C concentration whereas reduced tillage, rotation and manure enhanced C concentration in soil.     

三峡库区秭归县土壤退化综合评价

建立了土壤退化评价指标及其评价标准,并对三峡库区秭归县的土壤退化强度、类型与空间变化 进行了评价与分析。结果表明,秭归县土壤退化中紫色土、石灰土、黄棕壤和黄壤的退化较为严重。林荒地比耕地土壤退化严重。耕地中旱地比水田退化严重。秭归县土壤退化类型以薄层化、粗骨化、旱化和养分贫瘠化为主,其中养分贫瘠化又以缺K和缺P趋势明显。土壤退化因人们对土壤利用方式和强度的差异而存在着空间变异,秭归县位于长江两岸河谷地带的一些乡镇土壤养分退化较为严重,而远离此的高山区地带的一些乡镇土壤退化较轻。     

生物质改良剂对川西北地区高寒草地沙化土壤有机碳特征的影响

川西北高寒草原特殊的地理环境、气候条件以及过度人为放牧导致草地沙化问题突出。为了探讨不同生物质改良剂对高寒草地沙化土壤有机碳特征的影响,采用随机区组试验设计方法,设置3种生物质改良剂[秸秆类(JG)、菌渣类(JZ)、生物炭类(SWT)], 2个施用水平(6 t·hm?2和18 t·hm?2),以空白处理(CK)为对照,研究高寒草地沙化土壤总有机碳、活性有机碳和呼吸特征的变化。结果表明:1)施用生物质改良剂显著提高了土壤有机碳(TOC)、微生物量碳(MBC)和易氧化有机碳(EOC)含量,且提高效果随改良剂施用量的增加而增强。与CK相比,JG、JZ、SWT处理0～10 cm TOC含量分别平均提高60.66%、39.22%、34.99%,且JG处理显著高于JZ和SWT处理; MBC含量在0～10 cm则表现为JZJGSWTCK,且处理间差异达显著水平; EOC含量表现为JG处理最高,在0～10 cm、10～20 cm土层处分别比对照提高108.82%、79.26%。2)不同生物质改良剂处理中, EOC/TOC表现为JGJZSWTCK,MBC/TOC表现为JZJGSWTCK,且不同处理间差异显著。3)施用不同改良剂均显著提高了土壤呼吸速率,且随改良剂施用量的增加,土壤呼吸速率显著增加。与CK相比,施用6 t·hm?2的JG、JZ、SWT的土壤呼吸速率平均提高103.42%、86.31%、18.83%, JZ和JG处理的土壤呼吸速率显著高于SWT和CK处理。相关性分析表明,土壤水分与土壤呼吸速率呈显著正相关关系, TOC、MBC以及EOC与土壤呼吸速率呈极显著正相关关系。4)施入不同改良剂均显著提高了土壤呼吸总量、土壤微生物呼吸总量和净生态系统生产力(NEP值),均表现出较强的碳汇潜力, JG处理的NEP值较JZ和SWT处理分别显著提高56.45%和122.12%,且各处理间差异显著,说明秸秆改良剂具有较高的碳汇强度。该研究可为川西北藏区补充完善高寒草地沙化土壤制定科学有效的土壤碳调控管理措施提供依据。     

A preliminary watershed scale soil quality assessment in north central Iowa, USA

Soil quality assessment has been recognized as an important step toward understanding the long-term effects of conservation practices within agricultural watersheds. Our objective was to assess soil quality within the South Fork watershed of the Iowa River using various indicators and assessment approaches. Soil samples were collected during 2003 and 2004 from 29 areas of 32 ha (80 acres) each along two transects traversing the watershed. Soil pH, Mehlich III extractable P, K, Ca and Mg, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), and total N (TN) were measured. The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was used to compute a soil quality index (SQI), while soil loss, the soil tillage intensity rating (STIR), N-leaching potential, and soil conditioning index (SCI) were determined for each sampling area using the 2003 version of the Revised Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2). Overall, there were no soil fertility limitations within the watershed based on an average pH of 6.96 and extractable P and K levels of 36 and 162 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Soil loss, STIR, N-leaching, and SCI averaged 1.13 Mg ha⁻¹, 68, 3, and 0.4, respectively. The SMAF analysis indicated soils within the watershed were functioning at 87% of their full potential. The lowest indicator score was associated with TOC (0.60) because the average value was only 28.4 g kg⁻¹. The SCI and SQI indices were positively correlated although since it used measured data, the SMAF appears to provide more information about the effects of management practices within the watershed. Soils in upper landscape positions had lower TOC and C:N ratios indicating an increased risks for both erosion and for nitrate leaching. Management of soils on hilltops may be the most effective way to minimize N and P losses within the watershed.     

Effect of land degradation on soil microbial biomass in a hilly area of south Sumatra,Indonesia

We investigated the impact of land-use changes on the soil biomass at several soil sites in Indonesia under different types of land-use (primary forest, secondary forest, coffee plantation, traditional orchard, and deforested area), located within a small geographical area with similar parent material and climatic conditions. Various parameters of soil microbial biomass (biomass C, biomass N, content of anthrone-reactive carbohydrate carbon, and soil ergosterol content) were examined. Our results suggested that the removal of the natural plant cover did not cause any appreciable decrease in the amount of microbial biomass; on the contrary it led to a short-time increase in the amount of microbial biomass which may be due to the availability of readily decomposable dead roots and higher sensitivity to the decomposition of residual litter in recently deforested soils. However, the amount of microbial biomass tended to decrease in proportion to the duration of the land history in coffee plantation soils. This may be ascribed to the effect of the loss of available substrates associated with soil erosion in the long term. Lower ergosterol contents in recently deforested areas reflected a reduction in the amount of fungal biomass which may be due to the destruction of the hyphal network by the slash and burn practice. On the other hand, the higher soil ergosterol content at the sites under bush regrowth indicated that microbial biomass was able to recover rapidly with the occurrence of a new plant cover.     

史前关中盆地土壤剖面的黑碳与炭屑记录

参照OSL测年和考古与历史学断代,利用黄土—土壤剖面沉积物中炭屑和黑碳(焦炭和烟炱)记录,结合磁化率、有机碳等古环境指标,揭示过去12000年火灾历史演变过程。炭屑和黑碳浓度研究结果表明:全新世早期区域野火活动频繁发生,中期火灾很少,晚期本地火灾频率呈现增长态势。黑碳(烟炱和焦炭)和炭屑分析呈现不平行变化趋势,可能是生物质燃烧的物质排放方式和传输过程的区域差异引起。距今3500~2800年间,黑碳和炭屑颗粒浓度峰值与全新世短尺度恶化气候事件具有明显同步性;同期,先周人部落大规模土地开垦发展旱作农业活动加剧。黄土高原千年尺度火灾变化与季风气候变化之间的关系表明:全新世以来,野火频率变化取决于区域气候有效湿度和人类土地利用及其对气候变化的响应。