Invertebrates are an integral part of soils and are important in determining the suitability of soils for the sustainable production of healthy crops or trees. We discuss the importance of the soil invertebrate fauna in relation to terrestrial habitats and global biodiversity as we understand it We describe the role of the main invertebrate groups in soils, including earthwormsy termitesy sprin...

Understanding land use land cover change (LULCC) is a prerequisite for urban planning and environment management. For LULCC studies in urban/suburban environments, the abundance and spatial distributions of bare soil are essential due to its biophysically different properties when compared to anthropologic materials. Soil, however, is very difficult to be identified using remote sensing technol...

The grain size composition of topsoil characterizes the soil texture and other physical properties. The coarsening of topsoil grain size is a visible symbol of land degradation; thereby the change in topsoil grain size can be potentially used to monitor desertification using remote sensing. This study proposes a new index for detecting topsoil grain size composition through ground in situ soil ...

In most studies of fungal–bacterial communities in soils, single-value indices such as fumigation–extraction (FE) of microbe-derived organic carbon, measures of specific microbial cell chemical constituents, or activity-related measures have been used. These widely used single value indices, however, do not provide information on the physical structure of the filamentous fungal and bacterial co...

Soil disturbance patterns and associated changes in soil physical status were measured in a study that evaluated the implementation of three alternative management prescriptions in an upland hardwood stand in northern Alabama, USA. Management prescriptions applied in this study consisted of a clear-cut, strip cut, and deferment cut that were compared to a non-harvested control. Final tabulation...

Objective: Metal concentrations in 53 soil samples of Shahr-e-Babak were determined.  Methods: Assessment of enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index revealed higher degree of contamination of Cd, Pb, and Cu in soil samples. Moreover, results of metal fractionation study revealed high amount of Cd and Pb are associated in weakly bounds may lead to environmental risk of these metals.  Result...

objective: metal concentrations in 53 soil samples of shahr-e-babak were determined.  methods: assessment of enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index revealed higher degree of contamination of cd, pb, and cu in soil samples. moreover, results of metal fractionation study revealed high amount of cd and pb are associated in weakly bounds may lead to environmental risk of these metals.  result...

Soil quality and health are terms describing similar concepts, but the latter appeals to farmers and crop consultants as part of a holistic approach to soil management. We regard soil health as the integration and optimization of the physical, biological and chemical aspects of soils for improved productivity in an economic and sustainable manner. This paper describes the process used for the s...

An overview of the Geospatial Methodologies used in order to assess the Soil Erosion Risk by water. 1.2 The damages on Land are traduced in " Soil Erosion " , " Soil Degradation " and/or " Ecosystem Decline " .. Introduction The Soils constitute one of the most important of the world's natural resources. Life on earth is totally dependent on well management of soils (Agurgo, 1996). Into of the ...