This research aims to investigate the effect of temperature changes on the compression index and collapse potential of the residual granitic soil that is widely encountered in Malaysia. An experimental study was conducted on the compacted soil using a modified temperaturecontrolled oedometer. Temperatures of 27, 40, and 60 oC were applied on two series of soil specimens with different values of...

degraded soils in northwest china are mostly nonproductive due to imbalanced nutrient and inadequate water supply. the effects of manure application at three different rates (7.5, 15.0, and 22.5 t ha–1) combined with chemical fertilizers on soil water and water-use efficiency in maize [compared with chemical fertilizers (control)], under semi-arid conditions in dark loessial soil and over a per...

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using the C-band European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to estimate surface soil roughness in a semiarid rangeland. Radar backscattering coefficients were extracted from a dry and a wet season SAR image and were compared with 47 in situ soil roughness measurements obtained in the rocky soils of the Walnut G...

In two glasshouse experiments, relations between sugarbeet root dry weight (y, expressed as a percentage of the maximum dry root weight), and preplanting populations of Heterodera schachtii (P(i)) were described by the equation y = 100(Z)(P(i)-T), in which Z = a constant slightly smaller than 1, and T = the tolerance limit (the value of P(i) below which damage was not measureable). T varied wit...

Using the Weather and Research Forecasting model we derive the first estimates for intraseasonal soil moisture-atmosphere coupling strength for the Australian summer climate using methodology adapted from the Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. We examine the variations in coupling strength by perturbing the background climate (dry versus wet year) and the model physics (planetary bound...

Continental Antarctic is perceived as a largely pristine environment, although certain localized regions (e.g., parts of the Ross Dependency Dry Valleys) are relatively heavy impacted by human activities. The procedures imposed on Antarctic field parties for the handling and disposal of both solid and liquid wastes are designed to minimise eutrofication and contamination (particularly by human ...

Dry density and water content are two important factors affecting the degree of soil compaction. Conventional methods such as the sand cone test and the plate load test are used to measure such properties for evaluating the degree of compaction and the stiffness of soil in the field. However, these tests are generally very time-consuming and are inherent with some errors depending on the operat...

Final soil manipulation before seed germination occurs during the planting operation. Contact force of depth‐gauge wheels adjacent to the seed opener potentially alters the environment for corn seed germination and early plant growth. A field experiment was conducted measuring seed spacing, spacing variability, seed depth, emergence rate, plant dry matter, final stand, crop growth stage, and ex...

The effects of calcium carbide waste on some groups of soil microorganisms and soil enzymes were studied using standard microbiological and biochemical techniques. Soil samples were collected from a vehicle maintenance area as well as from an adjacent farm land (control) during the dry and rainy seasons. The population of all the bacterial groups in the different seasons was affected adversely ...

A long-term experiment was carried out under field conditions in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the concentration of Ba in soil and in maize plants grown in a soil treated with sewage sludge for nine consecutive years. During 2005/2006, maize was used as test plants and the experimental design was in randomized complete blocks with four treatments and five replicates....