Shrinkage potential and pore shrinkage capacity of differently developed volcanic ash soils under pastures in southern Chile

The drying process of volcanic ash soils often results in the formation of shrinkage cracks with consequences for their physical properties (i.e., decrease of water retention capacity) and land use management. This study presents the soil water characteristics and shrinkage behaviour (shrinkage phases in terms of void and moisture ratio), the shrinkage potential (COLE index), and the pore shrinkage capacity (PSI) for 5 and 20 cm depth of a Haplic Arenosol (tephric) and two Silandic Andosols under pasture management along a soil gradient from the Andean mountains to the coastal range in southern Chile. The main focus of the presented study is on the effect of soil development in conjunction with the weathering of volcanic ash soils on the shrinkage properties. The water retention and shrinkage curves were continuously determined for undisturbed soil samples (100 cm³) during a drying process under laboratory conditions. In addition, the shrinkage curve data were modelled to distinguish different shrinkage zones. The results suggest that the investigated soil properties vary depending on soil development. The more developed Andosols had higher total porosities (up to 70 cm³ cm^?3) than the less developed Arenosol. The shrinkage behaviour of the Haplic Arenosol showed a wide structural shrinkage phase, whereas the Silandic Andosols revealed a more pronounced proportional shrinkage phase, which is related to the pore size distribution. In addition, wide and narrow coarse pores of the Haplic Arenosol and medium and fine pores of the Silandic Andosols determine the shrinkage potential (COLE) and the pore shrinkage capacity, respectively. The finer‐grained and organic matter‐rich Andosols indicate a higher COLE index (> 0.03–0.09) compared to the Arenosol (≤ 0.03). The pore shrinkage index (PSI) of the total pores (TP) varied significantly (P < 0.05) with values of 0.042–0.149 in 5 cm depth and 0.04–0.091 in 20 cm depth of sites 1–3, respectively.In summary, the shrinkage potential and pore shrinkage capacity are positively correlated to the organic carbon content and decrease with increasing dry bulk density. The study points out a higher risk of soil degradation due to irreversible drying processes for the more clayey and allophane containing Andosols than the Arenosol.     

Impact of biochars on swell–shrinkage behavior,mechanical strength,and surface cracking of clayey soil

Swell–shrinkage, cracking and stickiness of expansive clayey soils usually lead to their low yield. Improvement of these poor soil physical properties is a key goal for enhancing the crop productivity of expansive clayey soils. This article presents results of a study on the impact of three biochars produced from wheat straw (SB), woodchips (WCB), and wastewater sludge (WSB) on the swell–shrinkage behavior, mechanical strength, and surface cracking of a clayey soil. The soil was treated with biochars at the rate of 0, 20, 40, and 60 g biochar kg^?1 soil, respectively; and incubated for 180 d in glasshouse. Application of biochars decreased significantly (p < 0.01) the coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) of the soil, the effect of SB being most prominent. The tensile strength (TS) of the clayey soil was originally 937 kPa, which decreased to 458 kPa, 495 kPa and 659 kPa for 6% SB‐, WCB‐, and WSB‐amended soils, respectively. Shear strength tests indicated that biochars significantly reduced cohesion (c) and increased internal friction angle (θ). Biochar significantly reduced the formation of soil surface cracks, surface area, and length of the cracks. The surface area density of cracks in the 6% biochar‐amended soils decreased by 14% for SB, 17% for WCB, and 19% for WSB, respectively, compared with control. The results suggest that biochar can be used as a soil amendment for improving the poor physical properties of the clayey soil, particularly in terms of reduction in swell–shrinkage, tensile strength and surface area density of cracking.     

生物炭、秸秆和有机肥对砂姜黑土改性效果的对比研究

砂姜黑土是广泛分布于我国黄淮海平原、具有多种障碍因子的典型中低产土壤。本研究通过小麦和玉米轮作盆栽试验,研究了生物炭、秸秆和有机肥3种有机物料对砂姜黑土性质的改良效果。结果表明:添加秸秆能显著提高土壤微生物生物量碳(MBC)和可溶性有机碳(DOC)含量,减小土壤线性延展系数(COLE);添加生物炭对砂姜黑土MBC和DOC影响不显著,但显著减小土壤COLE。对土壤磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)含量的分析发现,添加秸秆显著提高了小麦灌浆期和玉米抽雄期土壤总磷脂脂肪酸、细菌、真菌、放线菌和腐生真菌的含量,而添加生物炭和有机肥对土壤总磷脂脂肪酸、细菌、真菌、放线菌、腐生真菌和真菌/细菌影响不显著。综上,生产实践中3种有机物料添加应根据各地砂姜黑土主要障碍因子不同而灵活选择。     

Shrinkage and Atterberg limits in relation to other properties of principal soil types in Israel

Soil samples collected from 32 sites across Israel representing major types were analyzed for their pedological characteristics and mechanical properties. Correlative relationships between shrinkage (measured by the coefficient of linear extensibility, COLE), Atterberg limits (liquid and plastic) and the physical and chemical properties were established and indicate possibilities of estimating mechanical properties from known pedological data. Strong correlations were noted between mechanical properties and the pedological characteristics reflecting clay mineralogy and texture, e.g. cation-exchange capacity, specific surface area, hygroscopic moisture and clay content. These relationships are useful inasmuch as clay mineralogy is usually evident from soil classification. Sodicity and salinity, common in dry soils of semi-arid regions, may introduce complicating factors such as raising or lowering Atterberg limits, respectively. Shrinkage is similarly affected being accentuated at high-sodium, low-salt levels and reduced in highly saline-sodic soils. Organic matter was correlated with liquid and plastic limits, but no relationship with shrinkage was noted. Calcium carbonate also had little influence on Atterberg limits.The relationships presented may serve as first approximations. Mechanical properties of the soil groups illustrate the range of values encountered among regions with differing environmental conditions.     

Shrinkage behaviour of transiently- and constantly-loaded soils and its consequences for soil moisture release

Soils under loaded conditions may have different shrinkage behaviour from that of load‐free soils. In this study, we applied two kinds of mechanical stress (σ) on repacked homogeneous soil samples: transient and constant stresses, simulating the traffic load during tillage and the overburden pressure, respectively. Three transient stresses were applied on the soil surface with 150, 400 and 1400 kPa, while the constant stresses ranged from 1.8, 3.8, 5.5, to 7.3 kPa. We hypothesized that the two stresses play different roles in soil shrinkage behaviour as depicted by void ratio (e) and moisture ratio (?), as compared with load‐free soil. Thus, our aim was to build up the relationship between e, ? and σ. For a swelling soil, total pores can be divided into rigid and non‐rigid components according to their swelling and shrinkage capacity relative to soil moisture. The non‐rigid pores compacted by the transient stress can be regained in the subsequent wetting at load‐free conditions, whereas the compacted rigid pores do not recover. The reduction in rigid pores does not alter the soil pore shrinkage capacity. The shrinkage curves of transiently‐loaded soils are therefore parallel to each other with an identical coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) and the same shrinkage slope, although their structural shrinkage phase narrows with an increase of stress. However, the constant stress compresses non‐rigid pores readily through suppressing their swelling capacity during wetting as well as compacting rigid pores. If the change of rigid pores is negligible, the shrinkage curves of constantly‐loaded soils converge at the zero shrinkage or the dry‐end point with the load‐free soil shrinkage. If the reductions of rigid and non‐rigid pores are both considered, the soil shrinkage combines the part of parallel shrinkage derived from the reduced rigid pores and the intersected shrinkage resulted from the altered non‐rigid pores. On the basis of different shrinkage behaviours resulting from the two mechanical stresses, we propose numerical formulae to illustrate a series of curves for the e‐?‐σ relationship. The different changes in rigid and non‐rigid pores cause soil water release differently.     

Fine earth soil bulk density at 0.2 m depth from Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) soil 2018

Soil Bulk Density (BD) is an extremely important variable because it is an important site characterization parameter, and it is highly relevant for policy development because it is mandatory for calculating soil nutrient stocks. BD can influence soil chemical properties, land-use planning and agronomic management. The 2018 Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) saw the unprecedented collection of BD core analysis in a subset of the locations in Europe and the United Kingdom where soil physical and chemical properties were analysed in the 2009 and the 2015 sampling campaigns. Here, we integrated the LUCAS 2018 BD sampling campaign with the mass fraction of coarse fragments previously determined in LUCAS 2009–2015 in order to provide a dataset of the volume fraction of coarse fragments and the BD of the fine earth and improve soil organic carbon (SOC) stock estimation accuracy for topsoil. BD data sampled at 0–10 and 10–20 cm were averaged to harmonize the BD with the mass fraction of coarse fragments measured in 2009, 2012 and 2015. Samples were from cropland, grassland and woodland soils, which accounted for 41%, 21% and 30%, respectively, of the total number of selected sites (n = 6059); ‘bareland’, and ‘shrubland’ accounted for 3% of the sites each, whereas ‘artificial land’ accounted for <1%. Only six samples were classified as ‘wetland’. The dataset was produced assuming the mass density of the coarse fraction to be constant across all LUCAS soil samples. We also estimated the SOC stocks associated with LUCAS 2018 BD and SOC content measurements and showed that correcting the BD by the coarse mass fraction instead of the coarse volume fraction generates SOC stock underestimation. We found the highest deviations in woodlands and shrublands. We showed that, when SOC stock is computed with coarse mass fraction, the error compared with the computation by volume may vary depending on the SOC and coarse mass fraction. This may imply a SOC stock underestimation for European soils. This dataset fits into the big framework of LUCAS soil properties monitoring and contributes both to soil awareness and soil research and assessments, which are two important objectives of the Soil Strategy and the European Soil Observatory (EUSO).     

A method of capability evaluation for upland soils

Utilizing the data and materials accumulated in the project “Observations on Soil Fertility Changes” organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and executed by 16 Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Stations throughout Japan, an attempt was made to derive a prediction equation for soil loss due to erosion.

Five Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Stations provided us with rainfall records from which monthly rainfalls by three intensity grades, under 2 mm/10 min (LE2R), 2-4 mm 10 min (MEDRi) and over 4 mm/10 min (GT4R), were read. Multiple regression of log-transformed soil loss upon these rainfall data gave the following regression equation

Log soil loss = -0.783 0.0185**GT4R+0.00597**LE2R -0.00763**MEDR for which multiple correlation coefficient (R) was 0.74. The units of measurement were kg are for soil loss mm/month for LE2R, MEDR, and GT4R.

In order to account for the contribution of slope and soil factors to soil loss, Hayashi's theory of quantification No. I was applied after coding the relevant data. R of log-transformed soil loss on GT4R, MEDR, LE2R, slope, bulk density (BD), and texture (TEXT), reached 0.80. GT4R had the highest partial correlation coefficient, followed successively by MEDR, slope, and LE2R. Bulk density (BD) and texture (TEXT) were taken from among the data available to represent characters relevant to erosion, but they had onlv low partial correlations with soil loss in this Particular study.

The method developed in this study appears to be promising only if properly collected data are available. Conditions that should be satisfied in the planning of experiments for the purpose derivation of a prediction equation have been put forward.     

Soil Shrinkage Characteristics as Affected by Solution Composition and Mineral Contents

Soil-shrinkage characteristics affect fluid transport and soil mechanical properties, with broad implications for environmental flows, crop production, and civil engineering designs. We quantified mild-saline-solutions effects on soil shrinkage curves and developed pedotransfer functions to predict curve parameters. Seven soil and soil mixes were equilibrated with solutions of 0.5-to-8 dS m^?1 and 0-to-20 sodium adsorption ratios (SAR). Saturated paste rods were dried; water contents and isotropic shrinkage measured. Texture affected shape-forming factors when clay and smectite contents were >260 and 140 g kg^?1, respectively. Solutions ≥2 dS m^?1 affected the coefficient of linear extensibility for smectitic soils containing clay ≥300 g kg^?1. Solution SAR affected only the highest clay content (530 g kg^?1) and mixed mineralogy soils. However, the solution salinity levels were not high enough to affect shape factors of the shrinkage curves. Pedotransfer functions successfully described soil shrinkage with root-mean-squared-errors 1 to 4 magnitudes lower than the highest measured values.     

Spatial and temporal assessment of linear erosion in catchments under sloping lands of northern Laos

Linear erosion (LE), including rilling and gullying, has been identified as the major problem for sustainable agriculture in steepland areas. It causes severe environmental, economic, and social impacts. This issue is even more crucial in those areas undergoing rapid changes in land use, as for example northern Laos, and may dramatically affect soil conservation. Despite an increasing interest in the sloping lands of tropical areas, field evaluations of LE are still infrequent. Furthermore, the controlling environmental factors of topography, land use, climate and soils at the catchment level are seldom analysed. Our main objective was to quantify the spatial and temporal variations of LE at the catchment level and at a yearly basis. The study was conducted in a 0.62 km² watershed of Laos (Luang Prabang province) representative of the slash and burn systems of sloping lands. Linear erosion was monitored from 2001 to 2003 within 9 sub-catchments of differing surface areas, topographic characteristics and land use. The length, depth and width of the linear erosion features were recorded every 5-m from their headcuts to their outlets in order to estimate the total catchment LE. 52 linear features, mainly rills, were formed or developed within the study area with a mean erosion rate of 1.3 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1}. LE rates ranged between 0.1 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1} in 2003 to 2.4 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1} in 2001. LE features mostly occurred within croplands where erosion rates reached 18 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1}. In 2001 and 2002 there was a significant correlation between LE and the proportion of the catchment area under crops (r = 0.88 and r = 0.69, respectively). However this was not the case in 2003 when few rills developed. In 2002 only, LE correlated well with the catchment surface area, the mean slope gradient and the sub-catchment perimeter confirming the non-constancy of LE landscape relation under varying rainstorm conditions. A linear regression model for LE prediction at the catchment level, generated from 2001 data, was able to explain 78% of LE variance for the 9 sub-catchments. However, this model was unable to predict accurately LE for 2002 and 2003 (ME > 5 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1}). This method for quantifying the linear erosion at the catchment level and some of its controlling factors can also be used for prediction over larger areas since topography and land use data, closely correlated with LE, are easily accessible.     

Relationship between granitic soil particle-size distribution and shrinkage properties based on multifractal method

The mechanical properties of granitic residual soils vary with depth due to changes in soil type and heterogeneity caused by weathering. The purpose of this study was to relate the spatial variation of particle-size distribution (PSD) of granitic soils with soil shrinkage parameters using multifractal theory. The heterogeneity of PSD and pedogenic processes were depicted in detail by multifractal dimensions. The PSD generally increased with the increase of profile depth in accordance with the variation of single fractal dimension (D) ranging from 2.45 to 2.65. The shrinkage limit was greatly influenced by the multifractal dimension parameters, including information dimension (D₁) and capacity dimension (D₀) (Adjusted R²=0.998, P < 0.01), and the maximum linear extensibility (κ_v) was determined by spectral width (△α) and bulk density, with the latter explaining 89% of the total variance of κ_v (P < 0.01). Soil shrinkage characteristic curve was fitted by the modified logistic model (R² > 0.97, root sum of squares < 0.1), and the water variation corresponding to the maximum change rate of linear extensibility was determined by the silt content (R²=0.81, P < 0.01). Overall, the shrinkage of granitic soils was primarily influenced by PSD and soil compactness.     

Simple Modification of the Clod Method for Determining Bulk Density of Very Gravelly Soils

Abstract

The accuracy of the clod method in determining fine‐earth bulk density in very gravelly soils can be affected by the difficulty of fine‐earth separation from both coarse fragments and the coating substance. A modification of the paraffin‐coated clod method is presented that accurately determines fine‐earth bulk density of very gravelly soils. The modification involves washing the paraffin‐coated clod in boiling water to separate paraffin from gravel and hardened soil aggregates. Samples were analyzed with an existing gravel correction method, herein referred to as the hand removal method (HRM), and the proposed modification, which is named the gravel washing method (GWM). Bulk density means for HRM and GWM were 1.29 and 1.41 g cm^?3, respectively. This trend of higher bulk densities for GWM was consistent across pedons sampled in the study and was attributed to its ability to completely remove wax from gravels and hardened soil aggregates, effectively separating the fine‐earth fraction.     

Succession of bacterial community and methanotrophy during lake shrinkage

Purpose

The shrinkage of vast inland lakes affects microbially mediated soil biogeochemical processes, which are critical for maintaining ecosystem sustainability, such as microbial diversity and a balanced CH₄ budget. Here we aimed to elucidate shifts in the bacterial community and methanotrophy during the shrinkage of a saline lake.

Materials and methods

Sediments and soils along a gradient transecting a saline lake, saline riparian land, and grassland were collected. The succession of microbial communities was characterized by high-throughput sequencing of the V4-V5 region of 16S rRNA genes coupled to non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), linear discriminant effect size (LEfSe), community assembly, and co-occurrence network analyses. We further incubated these samples under a 10% CH₄ (v/v) atmospheric condition to determine the response of methane oxidation potentials and of methanotrophs to lake shrinkage by using pmoA-based qPCR and amplicon sequencing.

Results and discussion

LEfSe and NMDS analyses showed significant differences in bacterial communities among 3 stages of lake shrinkage. The microbial taxa with the highest increase were phylogenetically affiliated with unclassified Rhizobiales, Panacagrimonas, and Pseudomonas in saline and grassland soils when compared with sediments. Microbial community assembly was largely determined by deterministic rather than stochastic processes (NTI?>?2). The drastic increase of Methylocystis-like (type II) methanotrophs was observed during lake shrinkage, while type I methanotrophs showed a decreasing trend. However, upon consuming high-concentration methane of about 10%, type I methanotrophs dominated methane-oxidizing communities in lake sediment (Methylomonas), riparian saline soil (Methylomicrobium), and grassland soil (Methylobacter). Structural equation model identified soil pH, C/N ratio, and soil texture as key factors affecting methane oxidation rates and the methanotrophic community.

Conclusions

Lake shrinkage showed profound impacts on the overall bacterial communities and methane oxidizers. Soil physico-chemical properties likely shaped the bacterial community and phylogenetically distinct methanotrophs during lake shrinkage.

     

Dynamic modelling for linear erosion initiation and development under climate and land-use changes in northern Laos

Linear erosion (LE) induced either by piping or overland flow is one of the most active factors in the evolution of soils. During single storm events LE may remove enormous amounts of soil material from the uplands to the bottomlands and has thus become a broad challenge for food supply, food security, and human health. Recent and rapid changes in land-use and climate patterns in the sloping lands of tropical areas may dramatically increase LE. Our main objective was to investigate to what extent one could use direct flow velocity estimations from dynamic models for predicting LE initiation and development at the event level. The second objective was to estimate the impact of expected land-use and climate changes on LE. The study was conducted in the 0.62 km² watershed of northern Laos presented inChaplot et al. (2005). Field observations of the formation and the development of LE features throughout 2001 were compared to flow velocity estimations from an existing surface water routing algorithm developed at Utrecht University ([De Roo, A.P.J., Wesseling, C.G. and Ritsema, C.J. 1996. LISEM: a single event physically based hydrologic and soil erosion model for drainage basins. I: theory, input and output. hydrological processes 10 (8): 1107–1117.]). In 2001, two main rainfall events were responsible for the formation or development of 14 linear features with a total length of 972 m and an erosion rate of 3.5 Mg ha^{− 1}. The water routing algorithm was calibrated using the water and the sediment hydrographs observed at the watershed outlet during the first rainfall event. Assuming realistic estimations of flow velocity in hillslopes, a threshold of 0.062 m s^{− 1} for linear erosion estimated over 10-m cells was defined. This threshold, validated using the remaining rainfall event, accurately predicted the length (mean error of estimate of less than 15%) and location of LE features. Using this simulation tool, an increase of the percentage of land under cultivation from 9% to 100% resulted in 600% increase in linear erosion. The tested scenarios of climate changes had less impact on linear erosion.     

Ripening reduces the shrinkage of processed dredged material

Purpose

The utilization of dredged material in dike construction as a substitute for traditionally used materials is considered as an option to preserve natural resources such as marsh sediments. As a prerequisite for this application, the equivalency with respect to soil physical and mechanical properties of the materials must be assessed. Previous investigations have shown pronounced differences in shrinkage behavior and desiccation cracking between sediments and dredged material. The key objective of the study was to assess whether shrinkage of processed dredged material can be reduced by further processing, i.e., dewatering, which can be referred to as ripening.

Materials and methods

To compare the shrinkage behavior of the materials, three different methods of different scales were applied. Small-scale methods conducted were the standard procedure for the determination of the shrinkage limit and the determination of the coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE_rod). Large-scale shrink-swell experiments were carried out in a specially constructed test system with 90 l capacity for a period of up to 385 days. Here the materials were ripened, i.e., air-dried, until shrinkage almost ceased, and a rewetting-air-drying cycle was conducted. Shrinkage and swelling were determined during the processes by measuring the changes in volume. On the ripened materials, COLE_rod was determined.

Results and discussion

The experiments show that the shrinkage behavior of processed dredged material can be ameliorated by ripening. COLE_rod of the ripened materials were about 20–80% lower than COLE_rod of the un-ripened materials. The large-scale shrink-swell experiments showed that shrinkage in the second drying cycle amounted to less volume than in the first drying cycle and that shrinkage behavior in contrast to the first drying cycle, where pronounced proportional shrinkage was observed, was dominated by structural and residual shrinkage in this cycle.

Conclusions

Ripening of processed dredged material is considered a useful pre-treatment option to ameliorate the shrink-swell behavior of processed dredged material and to obtain a better functional equivalency with traditionally used dike construction materials such as fine-grained marsh sediments.

     

A simplified parametric model to describe the magnitude and geometry of soil shrinkage

Assessing the magnitude and geometry of soil shrinkage is indispensable for sound use and management of swelling and shrinking soils for agriculture and engineering. We have explored a simplified parametric model for the soil shrinkage characteristic curve, which is a measure for the magnitude of soil shrinkage, and tested it against experimental data for a Vertisol and a Lixisol under sugar cane in the Havana province, Cuba. We then applied the model to determine soil consistency limits, including the shrinkage, plastic and structural limits, using the model's third and fourth derivative. We further demonstrated how the model can be used to assess the geometry of shrinkage in terms of the relative crack area and the relative surface subsidence. Excellent matches were obtained between the observations and the fitted model. The shrinkage and structural limits corresponded to distinct changes in the soil shrinkage characteristic curve and were as such considered to be correctly estimated. The accuracy of the estimated plastic limit could, however, not been verified, since data were lacking. Linear regressions with R² > 0.88 were established relating the shrinkage and plastic limits to the soil's COLE index and the cation exchange capacity. The model could be easily applied to determine the crack area and the surface subsidence. We finally demonstrated how a geometry factor r_s plays a crucial role in determining the shrinkage geometry, particularly for r_s values ranging from 1 to 3.     

Linear Regression Models to Estimate Exchangeable Sodium Percentage and Bulk Density of Salt Affected Soils in Sahl El-Hossinia,El-Sharkia Governorate,Egypt

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to develop a Linear Regression Model for the prediction of soil bulk density based on organic matter content (OM) and textural fractions (% sand, silt and clay) as well as the soil exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) based on soil sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in some salt affected soils of Sahl El-Hossinia, El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. For this purpose, 160 samples were randomly taken from top of the surface soil (0–30 cm) from different locations and samples were subjected to various analyzes. XLSTAT Version 2016.02.27444 software was used to build and test conceptual and empirical models. The statistical results of the study indicated that to predict soil bulk density (BD) based on organic matter content and textural fractions the Multiple linear regression model BD = 1.817–0.730 × OM – 0.002 × Clay – 0.001 × Silt with R² = 0.794. On the other hand, to predict soil ESP based on SAR the linear regression model ESP = 5.577 + 0.851 × SAR with R² = 0.773. A Linear Regression Model for prediction of BD and ESP of Sahl El-Hossinia, El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, can be used with high prediction.     

Heavy metal accumulation and mobility in a soil profile depend on the organic waste type applied

Purpose

While organic waste amendments can initially improve soil physicochemical properties, including nutritional benefits to plants and increased microorganism activity, long-term application of excessive amounts of organic wastes can cause accumulation of heavy metals (HMs). Thus, the current study examined the accumulation of HMs in agricultural soil profiles following organic waste application.

Materials and methods

Three common organic sludge, including municipal sewage sludge (MSS), industrial sewage sludge (ISS), and leather sludge (LS), were applied annually to an agricultural soil under field conditions over 7 years (1994–2000) at a rate of 25 and 50 t ha^?1 year^?1. Subsequently, when organic sludge amendments were ceased, the experimental plots were cultivated without any treatments for another 12 years (2001–2012) and the changes in HM concentrations along the soil depth profile were monitored together with soil pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dehydrogenase activity (DHA).

Results and discussion

Significant increases in Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations were observed down to a depth of 80 cm in soils treated with ISS and LS, where sludge application also increased the levels of Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn and their movement down the soil profile. However, with the exception of Cu, no significant changes in HM concentrations were observed following treatment with MSS. At a depth of 80 cm, soils which had received 25 and 50 t ha^?1 LS showed, respectively, 4 and 14 times higher Cr levels than the control soil.

Conclusions

Organic sludge induced changes in soil pH and soil DOC concentration which were the key factors influencing HM movement and accumulation following organic sludge treatment.

     

Effects of climate factors and soil properties on soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry across the Huang–Huai–Hai River Basin,China

Purpose

Soil nutrients, elemental stoichiometry, and their associated environmental control play important roles in nutrient cycling. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry, especially potassium and its associative elemental stoichiometry with other nutrients under different land uses in terrestrial ecosystems; (2) to discuss the impacts of climate factors, soil texture, and soil physicochemical properties; and (3) to identify the key factors on soil nutrient levels and elemental stoichiometry.

Materials and methods

Soil data, including pH, bulk density (BD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), volumetric water content (VMC), clay, silt and sand contents, total carbon (TC), nitrogen (TN), phosphorous (TP) and potassium (TK), available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), potassium (AK), and soil organic matter (SOM) under different land-use types, were collected, and their elemental stoichiometry ratios were calculated. Climate data including temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, and evapotranspiration were collected. The least significant difference test and one-way analysis of variance were applied to investigate the variability of soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry among land-use types; the ordinary least squares method and the general linear model were used to illustrate the correlations between soil nutrients, elemental stoichiometry, and soil properties or climate factors and to identify the key influencing factors.

Results and discussion

Woodlands had the highest SOM, TN, AN, and AK contents, followed by grasslands, croplands, and shrublands, while the TP and TK contents only varied slightly among land-use types. SOM, TN, AN, N/P, and N/K were strongly negatively correlated to soil pH (p <?0.05) and were strongly positively correlated to soil CEC (p <?0.05). For soil texture, only C/N was moderately negatively correlated to silt content but moderately positively correlated to sand content (p <?0.05). For climate factors, SOM, TN, AN, N/P, and N/K were significantly negatively correlated to evapotranspiration and temperature (p <?0.05), and the correlations were usually moderate. Soil pH explained most of the total variation in soil nutrients, and climate factors explained 5.64–28.16% of soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry (except for AP (0.0%) and TK (68.35%)).

Conclusions

The results suggest that climate factors and soil properties both affect soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry, and soil properties generally contribute more than climate factors to soil nutrient levels. The findings will help to improve our knowledge of nutrient flux responses to climate change while also assisting in developing management measures related to soil nutrients under conditions of climate change.

     

Soil Quality Indicators Response to Land Use and Soil Management Systems in Northern Ethiopia's Catchment

Assessment of soil quality (SQ) indicators that detect soil degradation in different land use and soil management systems (LUSMS) is desirable to achieve sustainable management strategies. The LUSMS identified for evaluation included natural forest (LS1), plantation of protected area (LS2), grazed land (LS3), teff (Eragrostis tef)‐faba bean (Vicia faba) rotation (LS4), teff‐wheat (Triticum vulgare)/barley (Hordeum vulgare) rotation (LS5), teff mono‐cropping (LS6), maize (Zea mays) mono‐cropping (LS7), and uncultivated marginal land (LS8). The SQ indicators were significantly influenced (p ≤ 0·05) by the LUSMS. The first four principal components with eigenvalue > 1 explain about 88% of the SQ variability across the LUSMS. The final principal component chosen indicators that mainly influence SQ variability were organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, total phosphorus, silt, bulk density, and iron. In this study, a higher SQ was found in LS1 followed by LS2, whereas a seriously degraded SQ was observed in LS8 followed by LS6. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.