Soil organic phosphorus (SOP) can greatly contribute to plantavailable P and P nutrition. The study was conducted to determine the effects of organic amendments on organic P fractions and microbiological activities in paddy soils. Samples were collected at the Changshu Agro-ecological Experiment Station in Tahu Lake Basin, China, from an experiment that has been performed from 1999 to 2004, on ...

Considerable information on copper (Cu) ecotoxicity as affected by biological species and abiotic properties of soils has been collected from the last decade in the present study. The information on bioavailability/ecotoxicity, species sensitivity and differences in laboratory and field ecotoxicity of Cu in different soils was collated and integrated to derive soil ecological criteria for Cu in...

The use of lead bullets and shot at shooting ranges is under increasing scrutiny as a potentially significant source of Pb pollution. This study assessed Pb contamination in the soils of two shooting ranges (TRR and MPR) in Florida. Soil samples were collected from the two ranges and analyzed for total Pb to determine Pb contamination. Selected spent bullets and berm soil samples were mineralog...

According to previous studies, acidic soils may receive larger quantities of 2,4dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP) than the concentrations indicated in the prevailing legislation for defining a soil as contaminated, without any important changes in their biochemical properties. In this study, we investigated whether neutral or slightly alkaline soils behave in the...

Introduction and background: Zeolite minerals are hydrated framework aluminosilicates common to altered volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks, and the soils derived from them [1]. The mineralogy, chemistry, textural context, and abundance of zeolites provides insight into chemical weathering, hydrothermal, and metamorphic processes on Earth, in a variety of climates and tectonic settings. Zeolites ...

Manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, is important for plant health. In plants, Mn serves as a cofactor in essential processes such as photosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Mn deficient plants exhibit decreased growth and yield and are more susceptible to pathogens and damage at freezing temperatures. Mn deficiency is most prominent on alkaline soils with approximately ...

Nitrogen is one of the most important limiting factors for plant growth. However, as ammonium is readily converted into ammonia (NH3) when soil pH rises above 8.0, this activity depletes the availability of ammonium (NH4(+)) in alkaline soils, consequently preventing the growth of most plant species. The perennial wild grass Puccinellia tenuiflora is one of a few plants able to grow in soils wi...

Three different types of compost, PM-5 (poultry manure compost), 338 (dairy cattle manure compost), and NVIRO-4 (alkaline-pH-stabilized dairy cattle manure compost), and irrigation water were inoculated with an avirulent strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium at 10(7) CFU g(-1) and 10(5) CFU ml(-1), respectively, to determine the persistence of salmonellae in soils containing these c...

The response of soil properties to vegetation types is still not well understood and the relationship between vegetation types and soil properties has not been quantified in highland grasslands. A field experiment was conducted in highland grassland of the Loess Plateau in China to study the distribution of soil properties under different vegetation. 22 plant communities totaling 17 species tha...

Phytoextraction of soil Cd and Zn may require reduction in soil pH in order to achieve high metal uptake. Reducing the pH of high metal soil, however, could negatively affect soil ecosystem function and health. The objectives of this study were to characterize the quantitative causal relationship between pH and soil biological activities in two Zn and Cd contaminated soils and to investigate th...