Progressive and Regressive Soil Evolution Phases in the Anthropocene
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Effects of Erosion Control Practices on Nutrient Loss
Effects of Erosion Control Practices on Nutrient Loss George F. Czapar, University of Illinois John M. Laflen, Iowa State University Gregory F. McIsaac, University of Illinois Dennis P. McKenna, Illinois Department of Agriculture Elements of Soil Erosion Soil erosion by water is the detachment of soil particles by the direct action of raindrops and runoff water, and the transport of these particles by splash and very shallow flowing water to small channels or rills. Detachment of soil particles also occurs in these rills due to the force exerted by the flowing water. When rills join together and form larger channels, they may become gullies. These gullies can be either temporary (ephemeral) or permanent (classical). Non-erodible channels might be grassed waterways, or designed channels that limit flow conditions so that channel erosion does not occur. Gross erosion includes sheet, rill, gully and channel erosion, and is the first step in the process of sediment delivery. Because much eroded sediment is deposited in or near the field of origin, only a fraction of the total eroded soil from an area contributes to sediment yield from a watershed. Sediment delivery is affected by a number of factors including soil properties, proximity to the stream, man made structures-including sediment basins, fences, and culverts, channel density, basin characteristics, land use/land cover, and rainfall-runoff factors. Coarse- textured sediment and sediment from sheet and rill erosion are less likely to reach a stream than fine-grained sediment or sediment from channel erosion. In general, the larger the area, the lower the ratio of sediment yield at the watershed outlet or point of interest to gross erosion in the entire watershed, defined as the sediment delivery ratio (SDR). -
Depolymerization and Mineralization – Investigating N Availability by a Novel N Tracing Model
SOIL Discuss., doi:10.5194/soil-2016-11, 2016 Manuscript under review for journal SOIL Published: 3 March 2016 c Author(s) 2016. CC-BY 3.0 License. Depolymerization and mineralization – investigating N availability by a novel 15N tracing model Louise C. Andresen1, Anna-Karin Björsne1, Samuel Bodé2, Leif Klemedtsson1, Pascal Boeckx2 and Tobias Rütting1 5 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 405 30, Sweden 2Isotope Bioscience Laboratory, ISOFYS, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium Correspondence to: Louise C. Andresen ([email protected]) Abstract. Depolymerization of soil organic matter such as proteins and peptides into monomers (e.g. amino acids) is currently thought to be the rate limiting step for N availability in terrestrial N cycles. The mineralization of free amino acids 10 (FAA), liberated by depolymerization of peptides, is an important fraction of the total N mineralization. Accurate assessment of peptide depolymerization and FAA mineralization rates is important in order to gain a better understanding of the N cycle dynamics. Due to the short time span, soil disturbance and unnatural high FAA content during the first few hours after the labelling with the traditional 15N pool dilution experiments, analytical models might overestimate peptide depolymerization rate. In this paper, we present an extended numerical 15N tracing model Ntrace which incorporates the FAA pool and related 15 N processes in order to 1) provide a more robust and coherent estimation of production and mineralization rates of FAAs; 2) and 2) suggest an amino acid N use efficiency (NUEFAA) for soil microbes, which is a more realistic estimation of soil microbial NUE compared to the NUE estimated by analytical methods. -
Basic Soil Science W
Basic Soil Science W. Lee Daniels See http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-350/430-350_pdf.pdf for more information on basic soils! [email protected]; 540-231-7175 http://www.cses.vt.edu/revegetation/ Well weathered A Horizon -- Topsoil (red, clayey) soil from the Piedmont of Virginia. This soil has formed from B Horizon - Subsoil long term weathering of granite into soil like materials. C Horizon (deeper) Native Forest Soil Leaf litter and roots (> 5 T/Ac/year are “bio- processed” to form humus, which is the dark black material seen in this topsoil layer. In the process, nutrients and energy are released to plant uptake and the higher food chain. These are the “natural soil cycles” that we attempt to manage today. Soil Profiles Soil profiles are two-dimensional slices or exposures of soils like we can view from a road cut or a soil pit. Soil profiles reveal soil horizons, which are fundamental genetic layers, weathered into underlying parent materials, in response to leaching and organic matter decomposition. Fig. 1.12 -- Soils develop horizons due to the combined process of (1) organic matter deposition and decomposition and (2) illuviation of clays, oxides and other mobile compounds downward with the wetting front. In moist environments (e.g. Virginia) free salts (Cl and SO4 ) are leached completely out of the profile, but they accumulate in desert soils. Master Horizons O A • O horizon E • A horizon • E horizon B • B horizon • C horizon C • R horizon R Master Horizons • O horizon o predominantly organic matter (litter and humus) • A horizon o organic carbon accumulation, some removal of clay • E horizon o zone of maximum removal (loss of OC, Fe, Mn, Al, clay…) • B horizon o forms below O, A, and E horizons o zone of maximum accumulation (clay, Fe, Al, CaC03, salts…) o most developed part of subsoil (structure, texture, color) o < 50% rock structure or thin bedding from water deposition Master Horizons • C horizon o little or no pedogenic alteration o unconsolidated parent material or soft bedrock o < 50% soil structure • R horizon o hard, continuous bedrock A vs. -
Sediment Transport in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System: an Overview
Marine Geology 345 (2013) 3–17 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Marine Geology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/margeo Sediment transport in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System: An overview Patrick L. Barnard a,⁎, David H. Schoellhamer b,c, Bruce E. Jaffe a, Lester J. McKee d a U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA, USA b U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, Sacramento, CA, USA c University of California, Davis, USA d San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, CA, USA article info abstract Article history: The papers in this special issue feature state-of-the-art approaches to understanding the physical processes Received 29 March 2012 related to sediment transport and geomorphology of complex coastal–estuarine systems. Here we focus on Received in revised form 9 April 2013 the San Francisco Bay Coastal System, extending from the lower San Joaquin–Sacramento Delta, through the Accepted 13 April 2013 Bay, and along the adjacent outer Pacific Coast. San Francisco Bay is an urbanized estuary that is impacted by Available online 20 April 2013 numerous anthropogenic activities common to many large estuaries, including a mining legacy, channel dredging, aggregate mining, reservoirs, freshwater diversion, watershed modifications, urban run-off, ship traffic, exotic Keywords: sediment transport species introductions, land reclamation, and wetland restoration. The Golden Gate strait is the sole inlet 9 3 estuaries connecting the Bay to the Pacific Ocean, and serves as the conduit for a tidal flow of ~8 × 10 m /day, in addition circulation to the transport of mud, sand, biogenic material, nutrients, and pollutants. -
Agricultural Soil Compaction: Causes and Management
October 2010 Agdex 510-1 Agricultural Soil Compaction: Causes and Management oil compaction can be a serious and unnecessary soil aggregates, which has a negative affect on soil S form of soil degradation that can result in increased aggregate structure. soil erosion and decreased crop production. Soil compaction can have a number of negative effects on Compaction of soil is the compression of soil particles into soil quality and crop production including the following: a smaller volume, which reduces the size of pore space available for air and water. Most soils are composed of • causes soil pore spaces to become smaller about 50 per cent solids (sand, silt, clay and organic • reduces water infiltration rate into soil matter) and about 50 per cent pore spaces. • decreases the rate that water will penetrate into the soil root zone and subsoil • increases the potential for surface Compaction concerns water ponding, water runoff, surface soil waterlogging and soil erosion Soil compaction can impair water Soil compaction infiltration into soil, crop emergence, • reduces the ability of a soil to hold root penetration and crop nutrient and can be a serious water and air, which are necessary for water uptake, all of which result in form of soil plant root growth and function depressed crop yield. • reduces crop emergence as a result of soil crusting Human-induced compaction of degradation. • impedes root growth and limits the agricultural soil can be the result of using volume of soil explored by roots tillage equipment during soil cultivation or result from the heavy weight of field equipment. • limits soil exploration by roots and Compacted soils can also be the result of natural soil- decreases the ability of crops to take up nutrients and forming processes. -
Advanced Crop and Soil Science. a Blacksburg. Agricultural
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 098 289 CB 002 33$ AUTHOR Miller, Larry E. TITLE What Is Soil? Advanced Crop and Soil Science. A Course of Study. INSTITUTION Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg. Agricultural Education Program.; Virginia State Dept. of Education, Richmond. Agricultural Education Service. PUB DATE 74 NOTE 42p.; For related courses of study, see CE 002 333-337 and CE 003 222 EDRS PRICE MF-$0.75 HC-$1.85 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Agricultural Education; *Agronomy; Behavioral Objectives; Conservation (Environment); Course Content; Course Descriptions; *Curriculum Guides; Ecological Factors; Environmental Education; *Instructional Materials; Lesson Plans; Natural Resources; Post Sc-tondary Education; Secondary Education; *Soil Science IDENTIFIERS Virginia ABSTRACT The course of study represents the first of six modules in advanced crop and soil science and introduces the griculture student to the topic of soil management. Upon completing the two day lesson, the student vill be able to define "soil", list the soil forming agencies, define and use soil terminology, and discuss soil formation and what makes up the soil complex. Information and directions necessary to make soil profiles are included for the instructor's use. The course outline suggests teaching procedures, behavioral objectives, teaching aids and references, problems, a summary, and evaluation. Following the lesson plans, pages are coded for use as handouts and overhead transparencies. A materials source list for the complete soil module is included. (MW) Agdex 506 BEST COPY AVAILABLE LJ US DEPARTMENT OFmrAITM E nufAT ION t WE 1. F ARE MAT IONAI. ItiST ifuf I OF EDuCATiCiN :),t; tnArh, t 1.t PI-1, t+ h 4t t wt 44t F.,.."11 4. -
World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014 International Soil Classification System for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps
ISSN 0532-0488 WORLD SOIL RESOURCES REPORTS 106 World reference base for soil resources 2014 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps Update 2015 Cover photographs (left to right): Ekranic Technosol – Austria (©Erika Michéli) Reductaquic Cryosol – Russia (©Maria Gerasimova) Ferralic Nitisol – Australia (©Ben Harms) Pellic Vertisol – Bulgaria (©Erika Michéli) Albic Podzol – Czech Republic (©Erika Michéli) Hypercalcic Kastanozem – Mexico (©Carlos Cruz Gaistardo) Stagnic Luvisol – South Africa (©Márta Fuchs) Copies of FAO publications can be requested from: SALES AND MARKETING GROUP Information Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (+39) 06 57053360 Web site: http://www.fao.org WORLD SOIL World reference base RESOURCES REPORTS for soil resources 2014 106 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps Update 2015 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2015 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. -
The Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR)
The Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR) FIELD MANUAL FOR DETECTING AND ASSESSING PROPERTIES AND LIMITATIONS OF SOILS FOR CROPPING AND GRAZING Lothar Mueller, Uwe Schindler, Axel Behrendt, Frank Eulenstein & Ralf Dannowski Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF), Muencheberg, Germany with contributions of Sandro L. Schlindwein, University of St. Catarina, Florianopolis, Brasil T. Graham Shepherd, Nutri-Link, Palmerston North, New Zealand Elena Smolentseva, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry (ISSA), Novosibirsk, Russia Jutta Rogasik, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Braunschweig, Germany 1 Draft, Nov. 2007 The Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR) FIELD MANUAL FOR DETECTING AND ASSESSING PROPERTIES AND LIMITATIONS OF SOILS FOR CROPPING AND GRAZING Lothar Mueller, Uwe Schindler, Axel Behrendt, Frank Eulenstein & Ralf Dannowski Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e. V., Muencheberg, Germany with contributions of Sandro L. Schlindwein, University of St. Catarina, Florianopolis, Brasil T. Graham Shepherd, Nutri-Link, Palmerston North, New Zealand Elena Smolentseva, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry (ISSA), Novosibirsk, Russia Jutta Rogasik, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Braunschweig, Germany 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1. Objectives 4 2. Concept 5 3. Procedure and scoring tables 7 3.1. Field procedure 7 3.2. Scoring of basic indicators 10 3.2.0. What are basic indicators? 10 3.2.1. Soil substrate 12 3.2.2. Depth of A horizon or depth of humic soil 14 3.2.3. Topsoil structure 15 3.2.4. Subsoil compaction 17 3.2.5. Rooting depth and depth of biological activity 19 3.2.6. -
What Is Soil Erosion? Soil Erosion by Wind Or Water Is the Physical Wearing Away of the Soil Surface
Do you have a problem with: • Low yields • Time & expense to repair and gullies • Small rills and channels in your fields • Soil deposited at the base of slopes or along fence lines • Sediment in streams, lakes, and reservoirs Soil Erosion May be the Problem! Erosion from cropland What is soil erosion? Soil erosion by wind or water is the physical wearing away of the soil surface. Soil material and nutrients are removed in the process. Why be concerned? • Erosion reduces crop yields • Erosion removes topsoil, reduces soil organic matter, and destroys soil structure Signs of Erosion – Sediment entering river • Erosion decreases rooting depth • Erosion decreases the amount of water, air, and nutrients available to plants • Nutrients and sediment removed by water erosion cause water quality problems and fish kills • Blowing dust from wind erosion can affect human health and create public safety hazards • Increased production costs Erosion removes our richest soil. How much does it cost? • Technical assistance to assess and plan erosion control systems from NRCS is free • No till and mulch till may require special tillage equipment or planters if this equipment is not al- ready available • Vegetative barriers may cost $50-$100 per mile of barrier • Cover crops may cost between $10 and $40 per acre depending on the type of seed used Controlling Soil Erosion Signs of Erosion – Small rills and channels on the soil Dust clouds & “dirt devils” such as the one pictured surface are a sign of water erosion here are signs of wind erosion. How to Reduce Erosion: The key to reducing is erosion is to keep the soil covered as much as possible for both wind and water ero- sion concerns. -
IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCE to CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH SOIL MANAGEMENT Peningkatan Ketahanan Pertanian Terhadap Perubahan Iklim Melalui Pengelolaan Tanah
ImprovingJ. Litbang agricultural Pert. Vol. resilience 32 No. to2 Juniclimate 2013: change ....-.... .... (Fahmuddin Agus et al.) 147 IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH SOIL MANAGEMENT Peningkatan Ketahanan Pertanian terhadap Perubahan Iklim melalui Pengelolaan Tanah Fahmuddin Agus, Husnain, and Rahmah Dewi Yustika Indonesian Soil Research Institute Jalan Tentara Pelajar No. 12, Bogor 16114, Indonesia Phone. (0251) 8336757, Fax. (0251) 8321608 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Diterima: 29 Maret 2015; Direvisi: 7 Oktober 2015; Disetujui: 21 Oktober 2015 ABSTRACT musim hujan dan musim kemarau yang sulit diduga, dan penurunan atau kenaikan jumlah curah hujan merupakan kondisi yang tidak menguntungkan yang dapat memengaruhi pertumbuhan dan Climate change affects soil properties and hence crop growth. produksi tanaman. Beberapa pendekatan, baik secara tunggal atau Several soil management practices potentially reduce vulnerability kombinasi dari dua atau lebih tindakan, bisa dipilih untuk to unfavorable climate conditions. This paper reviews how climate beradaptasi dengan perubahan iklim. Ini termasuk olah tanah change affects soil properties and how should soil management be konservasi, konservasi tanah vegetatif dan mekanis, penggunaan tailored to increase adaptation capacity to extreme climatic mulsa, pemanenan air, pengelolaan hara, ameliorasi tanah, dan conditions. The main symptoms of climate change such as the manajemen biologi tanah. Pengelolaan bahan organik tanah sangat increase in the global atmospheric temperature, unpredictable sentral dalam praktik pengelolaan tanah karena bahan organik onset of the wet and dry seasons and excessive or substantial tanah berperan penting dalam meningkatkan kapasitas tanah decrease in rainfall are unfavorable conditions that affect crop memegang air, meningkatkan kapasitas infiltrasi dan perkolasi growth and production. -
A New Soil Quality Index (SQI) for Assessing Forest Soil Health
Soil Vital Signs: A New Soil Quality Index (SQI) for Assessing Forest Soil Health Michael C. Amacher, Katherine P. O’Neill, and Charles H. Perry May 2007 United States Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Paper Department Research Station RMRS-RP-65WWW of Agriculture Amacher, Michael C.; O’Neil, Katherine P.; Perry, Charles H. 2007. Soil vital signs: A new Soil Quality Index (SQI) for assessing forest soil health. Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-65WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 12 p. Abstract __________________________________________ The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program measures a number of chemical and physical properties of soils to address specific questions about forest soil quality or health. We developed a new index of forest soil health, the soil quality index (SQI), that integrates 19 measured physical and chemical properties of forest soils into a single number that serves as the soil’s “vital sign” of overall soil quality. Regional and soil depth differences in SQI values due to differences in soil properties were observed. The SQI is a new tool for establishing baselines and detecting forest health trends. Keywords: forest soil health, Forest Inventory and Analysis, soil indicator database, soil quality index The Authors Michael C. Amacher is a research soil scientist with the Forest and Woodland Program Area at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Logan, UT. He holds a B.S. and a M.S. in chemistry and a Ph.D. in soil chemistry, all from The Pennsylvania State University. He joined the Rocky Mountain Research Station in 1989. -
Soil Resilience and Sustainability of Semi-Arid and Humid Tropical Soils of India: a Commentary*
Agropedology 2016, 26 (01), 1-9 Soil Resilience and Sustainability of Semi-Arid and Humid Tropical Soils of India: A Commentary* M. Velayutham1* and D.K. Pal2 1Former Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), Nagpur, India; and Former Executive Director, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, India. 2Former Head, Division of Soil Resource Studies, NBSS&LUP, Nagpur, India and Visiting Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India. Introduction Historic non - resilient soil situation leading to abandoning of the site, due to man-made soil degradation has Soil is a dynamic and living natural resource, which been recorded as in the collapse of Harappan civilization of supports to produce goods and services of value to humans the Indo-Gangetic Plains. In present times we are witnessing but not necessarily with perpetual ability against the it in the shifting cultivation areas of North - East India, by the degradative processes. It is well known that soil formation is rapidity with which old sites are abandoned and new sites are a slow process, and a substantial amount of soil can form only chosen for cultivation. over a geologic timescale. Soil misuse and extreme climatic conditions can damage self-regulating capacity and give way A wealth of soil information has been developed by to regressive pedogenesis (Pal et al. 2013), and thus might the NARS, state government departments and ISRO. Pal lead to the soil to regress from higher to lower usefulness and et al. (2000), Bhattacharyya et al. (2013) have given a or drastically diminished productivity.