A soil chronosequence in the semi-arid environment of Patagonia (Argentina)

Soil development with time was investigated on beach ridges with ages ranging from about 1380 to 6240 ¹⁴C-years BP at the eastern coast of central Patagonia. The main pedogenic processes are accumulation of organic matter and carbonate leaching and accumulation within the upper part of the soils. Soil formation is strongly influenced by incorporation of eolian sediments into the interstitial spaces between the gravel of which the beach ridges are composed. Different amounts of eolian material in the soils lead to differentiation into Leptosols (containing ≤ 10% fine earth in the upper 75 cm) and Regosols (containing > 10% fine earth). Soil depth functions and chronofunctions of organic carbon, calcium carbonate, pH, Ca:Zr, Mg:Zr, K:Zr, Na:Zr, Fe:Zr, Mn:Zr, and Si:Al (obtained from X-ray fluorescence analysis) were evaluated. To establish soil chronofunctions mean values of the horizon data of 0–10 cm below the desert pavement were used, which were weighted according to the horizon thicknesses. The depth function of pH shows a decrease towards the surface, indicating leaching of bases from the upper centimeters. Chronofunctions of pH show that within 6000 radiocarbon years of soil development pH drops from 7.0 to 6.6 in the Leptosols and from 8.1 to 7.5 in the Regosols. The higher pH of the Regosols is due to input of additional bases from the eolian sediments. Chronofunctions of Ca:Zr and K:Zr indicate progressive leaching of Ca and K in the Regosols, showing close relationships to time (R² = 0.972 and 0.995). Na leaching as indicated by decreasing Na:Zr ratios shows a strong correlation to time only in the Leptosols (R² = 0.999). Both, Leptosols and Regosols show close relationships to time for Fe:Zr (R² = 0.817 and 0.824), Mn:Zr (R² = 0.940 and 0.803), and Si:Al (0.971 and 0.977), indicating enrichment of Fe and Mn and leaching of Si. Leaching of mobile elements takes place on a higher level in the Regosols than in the Leptosols from the beginning of soil formation. Hence, a significant part of the eolian sediments must have been incorporated into the beach ridges very soon after their formation.     

Clay mineral evolution along a soil chronosequence in an Alpine proglacial area

As a consequence of global warming, additional areas will become ice-free and subject to weathering and soil formation. The most evident soil changes in the Alps will occur in proglacial areas where young soils will continuously develop due to glacier retreat. Little is known about the initial stages of weathering and soil formation, i.e. during the first decades of soil genesis. In this study, we investigated clay minerals formation during a time span 0-150 years in the proglacial area of Morteratsch (Swiss Alps). The soils developed on granitic till and were Lithic Leptosols.Mineralogical measurements of the clay (< 2 μm) and fine silt fraction (2-32 μm) were carried out using XRD (X-ray Diffraction) and DRIFT (Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform). Fast formation and transformation mechanisms were measured in the clay fraction. The decreasing proportion of trioctahedral phases with time confirmed active chemical weathering. Since the start of soil formation, smectite was actively formed. Some smectite (low charge) and vermiculite (high charge) was however already present in the parent material. Main source of smectite formation was biotite, hornblende and probably plagioclase. Furthermore, irregularly and regularly interstratified clay minerals (mica-HIV or mica-vermiculite) were formed immediately after the start of moraine exposure to weathering. In addition, hydroxy-interlayered smectite (HIS) as a transitory weathering product from mica to smectite was detected. Furthermore, since the start of soil evolution, kaolinite was progressively formed. In the silt fraction, only little changes could be detected; i.e. some formation of an interstratified mica-HIV or mica-vermiculite phase.The detected clay mineral formation and transformation mechanisms within this short time span confirmed the high reactivity of freshly exposed sediments, even in a cryic environment.     

贡嘎山海螺沟冰川退缩区土壤序列矿物组成变化

阐明土壤中矿物随时间变化的机制是理解矿物风化和土壤发育的基础。利用X射线衍射法对贡嘎山海螺沟冰川退缩区土壤矿物组成随成土作用时间变化进行了定量分析。结果表明,冰川退缩区成土母质的矿物组成同质性较高,以硅酸盐矿物为主(约90%),包括:斜长石(28.5%)、石英(24.5%)、黑云母、钾长石、普通辉石、角闪石、绿泥石、蛭石;并有少量碳酸盐矿物,如方解石(8%)、白云石(2.3%);以及磷酸盐矿物磷灰石(2.1%)。退缩区土壤的矿物组成总体呈新发育土壤特征,随着成土年龄的增加,方解石逐渐被风化成为草酸钙石,角闪石、黑云母、磷灰石和绿泥石含量逐渐降低,长英质矿物的相对含量有所增加。成土作用中矿物组成的变化受植被原生演替和土壤p H的影响,快速发育的植被导致土壤p H迅速降低,风化程度增强。     

Clay minerals in a soil chronosequence derived from basalt on Hainan Island, China and its implication for pedogenesis

A soil chronosequence consisting of six profiles formed on quartz tholeiite basalt ranging in age from 10,000 years to 1. 8 Million years (My) was studied here. Soil clays were identified using XRD diffractogram decomposition methods for samples obtained from the A and C horizons of profiles. The results showed that kaolinite minerals dominated in all the clay fractions. Gibbsite was prominent in the C horizons in the soils from older rocks. Clays in the A horizon of relatively young soils showed an initial stage of illite formation, followed by smectite mixed layer minerals (illite-smectites and then vermiculite-illite) and finally by vermiculite. The initial presence of illite is interesting as there is no magmatic micaceous or phyllosilicate phase in these basalts and the formation of illite we attribute to a secondary process, probably created by alkali transport by plant materials. The change in 2:1 clay mineralogy reflects the overall change in Si/Al ratios in the soils over longer periods of weathering. In all cases gibbsite is more abundant in the C horizons than the A horizons. The difference in gibbsite content between the A and C horizons we attribute to plant transport of siliceous phytolite material to the surface. Continued high rainfall over long periods of time removed the alkali faster than the plants could bring it to the surface, which led to continuous lowering of 2:1 minerals from younger to older in the soil chronosequence. Nevertheless a 2:1, silica-rich mineral persists in the clay assemblages although in very minor amounts.     

红壤稻田土壤理化及生物学性状的动态变化特征

Rice production plays a crucial role in the food supply of China and a better understanding of the changes in paddy soil fertility and the management effects is of practical importance for increasing rice productivity. In this study, field sampling in a typical red soil region of subtropical China, Jiangxi Province, was used to observe changes in the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields. After cultivation, clay (< 0.002 mm) content in the soil, which was 39% in the original uncultivated wasteland, decreased, to 17% in the 80-year paddy field, while silt (0.02--0.002 mm) content increased. Additionally, macroporosity increased and pore shapes became more homogeneous. Soil Ph generally increased. Soil organic C and total N content of the 0-10 cm layer increased from 4.58 and 0.39 g kg-1 to 19.6 and 1.62 g kg-1, respectively in the paddy fields after 30-year cultivation and then remained stable. Soil total P content increased from 0.5 to 1.3 g kg-1 after 3 years of rice cultivation, indicating that application of phosphate fertilizer could accelerate phosphorous accumulation in the soil. Total K content in the 0--10 cm soil layer for the 80-year paddy fields decreased by 28% compared to that of the uncultivated wasteland land. Total Fe and free Fe contents declined with years of cultivation. The bacterial population increased and urease activity noticeably intensified after years of cultivation. In this chronosequence it appeared that it took 30 years to increase soil fertility to a relatively constant value that was seen after 80 years of cultivation.     

Evaluation of coal combustion byproducts as soil liming materials: their influence on soil pH and enzyme activities

There is considerable interest in the use of coal combustion byproducts as soil liming materials in agricultural production, but there is concern that such use may be detrimental to the quality of agricultural soils. To evaluate these byproducts as liming materials and address issues related to soil quality, we compared the influence of different amounts of four combustion byproducts [fly ash and bed ash from a fluidized bed combustion furnace, lime-injected multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue] and CaCO₃ on soil pH and activities of urease, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and dehydrogenase in an acidic soil. Studies comparing the influence of the combustion byproducts and CaCO₃ on soil pH showed that on a weight basis of application, substantial differences were observed in the ability of these materials to influence soil pH but that such differences decreased markedly after the data were transformed to a CaCO₃ equivalent basis of application. Analysis of covariance for these transformed data indicated that whereas the liming abilities of fly ash and CaCO₃ were not significantly different when compared on the CaCO₃ equivalent basis, those of bed ash, multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue were less than that of CaCO₃. Studies comparing the influence of the byproducts and CaCO₃ on soil enzyme activities showed that the effect of these liming materials on the enzyme activities studied was largely due to their influence on soil pH. The relationships obtained between soil pH and enzyme activities in soil amended with the liming materials generally demonstrated the marked similarities in the influence of the combustion byproducts and CaCO₃ on these activities when observed within the domain of soil pH. These studies showed that the combustion byproducts tested functioned as soil liming materials in a manner similar to that of CaCO₃ and seemed to have little adverse effect on soil quality.     

Changes in soil chemical characteristics with different tillage practices in a semi-arid environment

We examined the effects of various tillage intensities: no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage with chisel plow (MT), conventional tillage with mouldboard plow (CT), and zone-tillage subsoiling with a paraplow (ZT) applied in alternate years in rotation with NT, on the topsoil profile distribution (0–30 cm) of pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), organic N and available nutrients on a semi-arid soil from Central Spain. The equivalent depth approach was used to compare SOC, N and nutrient stocks in the various tillage treatments. Measurements made at the end of 5 years showed that in the 0–30 cm depth, SOC and N had increased under NT and ZT compared with MT and CT. Most dramatic changes occurred within the 0–5 cm depth where plots under NT and ZT had respectively 7.0 Mg ha⁻¹ and 6.2 Mg ha⁻¹ more SOC and 0.5 Mg ha⁻¹ and 0.3 Mg ha⁻¹ more N than under MT or CT. No-tillage and ZT plots, however, exhibited strong vertical gradients of SOC and N with concentrations decreasing from 0–5 to 20–30 cm. In the 0–20 cm layer, higher concentrations of P and K under NT and ZT than under MT or CT were also found. Soil pH under NT and ZT was 0.3 units lower than under MT or CT at a depth of 0–5 cm. This acidifying effect was restricted at the surface layer and in the 20–30 cm interval, pH values under NT and ZT were higher than in MT and CT plots. These results suggest that in the soil studied, ZT in rotation with NT maintain most advantages associated with NT, and present a definite potential for use as a partial-width rotational tillage practice.     

Transformations and neoformations of clay in the cryogenic environment: examples from Transbaikalia (Siberia) and Patagonia (Argentina)

Permafrost desiccates and indurates soil horizons. During summer, the perennially frozen ground under the active thawed layer creates confined conditions, Whereas in winter the closed system between the permafrost and the freezing front migrating downwards leads to irreversible changes in the soil structure and to transformation and neoformation of minerals. Two examples were studied by field observation and laboratory analyses (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy and analytical electron microscopy). In Transbaikalia (southeastern Siberia) a Pleistocene cryogenic slope deposit on syenite contains detrital clays (chlorite, illite), but neoformed ferroan smectites dominate. In Patagonia, centimetre-sized silica concretions containing spongy and spheroidal opal occur in alluvium ascribed to cold Pleistocene periods. They seem to have formed from primary detrital smectite that was transformed to fibrous clay (sepiolite) then to acicular opal, and eventually to spheroidal opal. The neoformed opal contains 27% magnesium. These features occur systematically within fossil cryoturbations not related to present conditions. It appears that clay transformation and neoformation can happen at temperatures far lower than 0°C.     

Incidence of soil surface crust types in semi-arid Niger

Soil water availability is most essential in the Sahelian agriculture but is hampered by several factors. Surface crusts or crust-like surfaces, which are characteristic of most Sahelian soils, have been shown to decrease water infiltrability and increase runoff. Their type and structure are influenced by soil texture, vegetation cover, erosion and deposition effects of wind and water. A soil and terrain survey in semi-arid SW-Niger was carried out to explain the patterns of soil surface crusts and the deterioration of the land. The soil surface crusts were shown to depend also on specific terrain factors including land use type and intensity, and terrain type and position. Chemical and physical soil factors such as organic carbon, soil colour and texture occurring with specific crusts indicate soil degradation, especially in sloping terrain, which increases runoff and soil erosion. For sandy soils, surface tillage is required to break up the crusts. Higher surface organic matter is recommended to enhance water infiltration in soils.     

Changes in soil properties across a chronosequence of vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau of China

Soil fertility is important for vegetation growth and productivity. The relationship between vegetation and soil fertility is important for both scientific and practical reasons. However, the effects of soil fertility on vegetation development and succession are poorly documented on the Loess Plateau. In this study, we compared soil properties of the Yanhe Watershed in northern Shaanxi across five different land uses (shrubland, farmland, natural grassland, woodland and artificial grassland) and a chronosequence of soils undergoing restoration for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years. We found that revegetation had a positive effect on soil bulk density decrease, total porosity and capillary porosity increase in the surface soil layers but not in the subsurface layer. Additionally, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen and available potassium were greater at shrubland and woodland sites compared with other land uses. Total phosphorus and available phosphorus were greater at farmland sites. Results of the study indicate that revegetation on eroded soil can produce important increases in soil fertility on older plantations and in areas with natural succession.     

Nitrogen mineralization in a coarse soil of the semi-arid Pampas of Argentina

Use of the nitrogen balance sheet method as a fertilization strategy in the semi-arid Pampas of Argentina is restricted because of a lack of available information regarding nitrogen mineralization in its coarse soils. Our objective was to determine nitrogen mineralization during corn (Zea mays L.) and following wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growing cycles under contrasting tillage systems in a representative soil of the region. Mineralized nitrogen from decomposing residues was estimated using the litter bag method and mineralization from soil organic matter using a mass balance approach. Soil water content was higher under no-till during the corn growing season and no differences were detected for wheat during this period. Soil temperature was practically not affected by tillage system. Biomass and nitrogen absorption were higher under no-till than under disk till in corn (p ≤ 0.05), as were nitrogen mineralization from residues and organic matter (p ≤ 0.05). In wheat, no differences in biomass, nitrogen absorption and mineralization were detected between treatments. Mineralization during crop growing cycles accounted for 44.8–67.5% of the absorbed nitrogen. Differences in nitrogen mineralization between tillage systems resulted from the greater water availability under no-till than under disk till during the summer.     

土壤环境中微塑料的研究进展

微塑料是一类广泛存在于环境中的塑料颗粒,近年来,微塑料对环境的污染引起了国内外学者的广泛关注。关于微塑料对水环境造成的负面影响有较多报道,但微塑料在陆地环境特别是土壤中的存在和影响的系统性研究鲜有报道。本文从土壤微塑料的来源和分布、分析方法、对生态系统的影响、生态环境效应及管控措施等方面进行了系统综述,并针对今后土壤微塑料的研究提出了相关对策。主要包括以下几个方面:1)土壤微塑料的主要来源包括农用塑料薄膜残留、污泥的土地利用、有机肥施用、地表径流、污水灌溉和大气沉降; 2)总结了土壤中微塑料的分离、提取、鉴定及分析方法的优缺点,但目前仍没有标准化的检测和定量技术; 3)微塑料会影响土壤的结构和理化性质,对植物和动物的生长造成威胁,并改变微生物群落的多样性;4)微塑料表面可附着污染物,对环境造成物理和化学污染,可释放内源性有毒物质,并导致复合污染效应;5)微塑料污染的防控措施主要包括3个方面:研发生物降解塑料产品、从源头控制微塑料的输入以及加强世界各国合作。提出今后微塑料的研究应建立统一的定量分析标准方法,发展更准确的可追溯分析技术,加强对土壤中微塑料污染的科学研究。本研究不仅有助于了解微塑料在土壤中的环境行为,为进一步探索土壤微塑料提供思路,而且可为土壤中微塑料的生态风险评估及污染防治提供理论依据和参考。     

Sedimentological study of aeolian soil parent materials in the Río Sauce Grande basin, Buenos Aires province, Argentina

Sedimentological characteristics of aeolian soil parent materials in the Río Sauce Grande basin, southern Buenos Aires province, were analysed using grain-size distributions, transport mechanisms, dynamics of the sedimentary process and the nature of calcareous layers. Samples were collected from C horizon of 13 profiles distributed over all the piedmont areas and plains. Calcium carbonate in these materials is either inherited from the parent material or was redistributed by pedogenic processes. Their amounts in Ck horizons increase from the upper to the lower basin, and are inversely related to the thickness of soil parent material, to mean annual rainfall and to the calcrete depth.The cumulative grain-size plots show that the sediments were transported by both aeolian saltation and aeolian suspension. Most of them have coarser and more heterogeneous grain size distributions than typical loess of the northern hemisphere, indicating a larger and more fluctuating wind energy than is required for the formation of typical loess. Deposits in the upper and middle basins were deposited in two main aeolian episodes which can be related to the dry periods of the Late Pleistocene and the Late Holocene recorded in southern Buenos Aires province. In some thin profiles of the middle and lower basins, the large clay content of the calcic C horizon was probably inherited from one or more previous pedogenic events. There is a systematic increase of particle size towards the lower basin, which may be related to an increase of energy towards the lower basin or to the influence of littoral dune fields along much of the Atlantic coastal zone.     

Soil evolution over the Quaternary period in a semiarid climate (Segre river terraces,northeast Spain)

A macro- and micromorphologic study was done on the soils from a stepped sequence of seven dated fluvial terraces in the lower Segre river valley (Lleida, northeast Spain) under a present-day semiarid Mediterranean climate. The soils have evolved from the Holocene through the early Pleistocene, providing an excellent morphostratigraphic framework for evaluating time-dependent factors influencing soil formation in a dry and calcareous environment. Throughout the chronosequence, some properties are regularly age-related specially carbonatation in subsurface horizons. The carbonates occur mainly as micrite, and although microsparite and sparite also appear in the oldest soils, they are replaced by fine-grained calcite by dissolution–reprecipitation processes (micritization process), which is active at present. Some pedological paleofeatures as the presence of sparite and recarbonated argillans in oldest terrace can be interpreted as the reflex of climatic changes during the Quaternary. In spite of this climate variability, the soils display progressive and systematic patterns of carbonate accumulation: on the lowest terraces, the soils do not yet have secondary carbonates but in the beginning Late Pleistocene calcic horizons, with carbonate pendents, are developed; these pendents increase its thickness with age although pendent growth rates decreases from Late Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene. In the middle of the Late Pleistocene, calcic horizons evolved to petrocalcic horizons, which increase its thickness in the Middle and specially in Early Pleistocene. The presence of calcic and petrocalcic horizons is the primary basis for soil classification. This criterion is applicable not only to the soils of the lower Segre river basin, but also to many soils throughout the semiarid Mediterranean region.     

Aggregation of under canopy and bare soils in a Mediterranean environment affected by different fire intensities

Soil macroaggregation in relation to soil organic matter (SOM) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) content was studied, before and after experimental fires of different intensities, in two environments (under canopy and on bare soil). In 1995, two experimental fire treatments, based on the addition of different biomass amounts, were applied on a set of nine plots at the Permanent Field Station of La Concordia (Valencia, Spain). Three plots were burned with high intensity fire (T1), three with moderate intensity (T2) and three plots were left unburned to be used as control treatment (T3).     

Rotation and tillage effects on available soil water for winter wheat in a semi-arid environment

The recent adoption of conservation farming systems in the semi-arid Canadian prairies opens up the possibility of replacing the traditional fallow period with non-cereal crops (oilseeds, legumes). However, information on changes to soil water regimes by inclusion of these crops, especially in combination with zero tillage, is sparse. A study was initiated in 1984 on a sandy clay loam soil at Lethbridge, Alberta, to investigate the performance of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under conventional, minimum and zero tillage in monoculture and in 2-year rotations with fallow, canola (Brassica campestris L.) or lentils (Lens culinaris Medic.)/flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). Conventional tillage in the Lethbridge region is shallow cultivation (10 cm) with a wide-blade (sweep) cultivator. Continuous cropping greatly depleted soil water reserves, resulting in some crop failures. Averaged over 10 years, available water for establishment of winter wheat in fall was least after canola (45 mm), followed by continuous winter wheat (59 mm), lentils/flax (74 mm) and fallow (137 mm). In this semi-arid region, the effect of rotation on soil water was much greater than that of tillage. Zero tillage had relatively little impact on available water to 1.5 m depth. However, once the experiment had been established for 6–7 years, available water in the 0–15 cm depth under winter wheat in spring was greatest under zero tillage. Precipitation storage efficiency during the fallow year was generally unaffected by tillage system.     

Evaluation of urea ammonium polyphosphate (UAPP) II. Chemical environment in the soil surrounding banded UAPP

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was set up to determine whether NH₃ and/or NO₂‐N accumulates near banded UAPP. Soil was sampled concentrically at two distances (radii of .95 to 2.54 cm and 2.54 to 3.81 cm) surrounding a fertilizer band at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 days after application. Fertilizer materials used were UAPP (36–18–0 and 28–28–0) and an ammonium nitrate plus concentrated superphosphate mixture (AN + CSP) with each carrier being used at two ratios of N and P and two rates of each ratio.

Only treatments containing UAPP (36–18–0 at rates of 56+28+0 and 112+56+0 kg/ha) produced NO₂‐N in excess of 10 ppm during the sampling period. All rates and ratios of UAPP provided conditions necessary for free NH₃ accumulation, i.e., intermediate or higher levels of NH₄‐N in conjunction with high soil pH.     

Soil chemical and microbiological properties along a chronosequence of Caragana microphylla Lam. plantations in the Horqin sandy land of Northeast China

Caragana microphylla Lam., a leguminous shrub, is a dominant native plant species widely planted to stabilize the moving and semi-moving sand dunes in the semi-arid Horqin sandy land of Northeast China. The objective of this study was to determine how C. microphylla plantations affected the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of a sandy soil. Soil samples at the depths of 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm were collected from the C. microphylla plantations with an age sequence of 0, 5, 10, and 23 years. The results showed that shrub growth altered microclimate, increased litter input, and hence, improved soil water holding capacity, contents of total carbon, total N and microbial biomass C and N, electrical conductivity, and activities of urease, phosphomonoesterase, protease, dehydrogenase and polyphenol oxidase, and decreased soil bulk density. These trends increased with increasing plantation age but decreased with increasing soil depth. C. microphylla establishment could be an effective and applicable measure to restore vegetation and control desertification in the Horqin sandy land, and recommended for adoption in semi-arid sandy areas on a large scale.     

Aggregation in a surface layer of a hardsetting and crusting soil as influenced by the application of amendments and grass mulch in a South African semi-arid environment

Hardsetting and crusting are forms of soil structure degradation associated with the collapse of macroaggregates during wetting and are responsible for poor seedling emergence, crop establishment and yields of food crops especially in semi-arid environments. This study investigated the effects of applying of 3.0 t ha⁻¹ phosphogypsum, 1.0 t ha⁻¹ polymer gel, 3.0 t ha⁻¹ grass mulch and 5.0 t ha⁻¹ cattle manure to the topsoil (0–15 cm) of a soil with hardsetting and crusting behavior and observed changes on aggregation under field conditions for two consecutive seasons. There were significant improvements in soil aggregate properties in the amended soil over the control. Both aggregate size distribution and wet aggregate stability showed significant differences between the amendments in the two seasons. The mean weight diameters of aggregates were 4.23 mm (mulch), 3.31 mm (manure), 2.17 mm (polymer gel), 2.23 mm (phosphogypsum) and 1.36 mm (control). The aggregates (2–4 mm) from amended soil were consistently more stable than the control and were in the order polymer gel = manure > mulch > gypsum > control. Tensile strength and bulk density of aggregates, on the other hand, were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the unamended than amended soil.The application of soil amendments, especially mulch, significantly increased the soil water content over the two seasons and this was associated with lower soil penetration resistance in the latter. The reduced soil strength in the amended soils contributed to higher pegging, podding and grain yields of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean). This was confirmed by significantly higher correlations between soil aggregate characteristics, soil water, penetrometer resistance and growth and yield of bambara groundnut. The study concluded that significant improvements in soil aggregation can be obtained over a relatively short period and this can improve the yield of food crops.     

Distribution of two C cycle enzymes in soil aggregates of a prairie chronosequence

Knowledge of the cycling and compartmentalization of soil C that influence C storage may lead to the development of strategies to increase soil C storage potentials. The objective of this study was to use soil hydrolases and soil aggregate fractionation to explore the relationship between C cycling activity and soil aggregate structure. The prairie chronosequence soils were native prairie (NP) and agricultural (AG) and tallgrass prairies restored from agriculture in 1979 (RP-79) and 1993 (RP-93). Assays for -glucosidase (E.C. 3.2.1.21) and N-acetyl--glucosaminidase (NAGase, EC 3.2.1.30) activities were conducted on four aggregate size fractions (>2 mm, 1–2 mm, 250 m–1 mm, and 2–250 m) from each soil. There were significantly greater amounts of >2-mm aggregates in the RP-79 and RP-93 soils compared to the NP and AG soils due to rapid C accumulation from native plant establishment. Activities for both enzymes (g PNP g^–1 soil h^–1) were greatest in the microaggregate (2–250 m) compared to the macroaggregate (>2 mm) fraction; however, microaggregates are a small proportion of each soil (<12%) compared to the macroaggregates (75%). The RP soils have a hierarchical aggregate system with most of the enzyme activity in the largest aggregate fractions. The NP and AG soils show no hierarchical structure based on aggregate C accretion and significant C enzyme activity in smaller aggregates. The distribution of enzyme activity may play a role in the storage of C whereby the aggrading restored soils may be more susceptible to C loss during turnover of macroaggregates compared to the AG and NP soils with less macroaggregates.