The Corn an important role in agriculture, and can be used both human animal food, production of ethanol, medicines glue. However, is verified cultivation practices soil inappropriate management have led to deterioration. Thus, the importance vegetation cover incorporation organic matter these cultivated soils. objective this work was evaluate effect Carnauba bagana maintained on as mulch incor...

Deborah Lawrence. B.A. Harvard University. Ph.D. Duke University. Address: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, P. O. Box 400123, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4123, USA. e-mail: [email protected] David Foster. B.A. Connecticut College. M.S. and Ph.D. University of Minnesota. Address: Harvard Forest, Harvard University, P. O. Box 68, Petersham, Massachusetts 01366...

Physical changes caused by forest management practices can have a dramatic effect on the soil biota in a forest ecosystem. The effects of soil compaction associated with harvesting on earthworm populations and selected soil properties were measured in a hardwood (oak-hickory) forest in Missouri. Soils in this region of Missouri are characterized by a cherty residuum that is primarily of the Cla...

—Quantifying root biomass is critical to an estimation and understanding of ecosystem net primary production, biomass partitioning, and belowground competition. We compared 2 methods for determining root biomass: a new soil-coring technique and traditional excavation of quantitative pits. We conducted the study in an existing Joint Fire Sciences demonstration area in the central Great Basin. Th...

Grassland managements can affect carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage in grassland ecosystems with consequent feedbacks to climate change. We investigated the impacts of compound fertilization and clipping on grass biomass, plant and soil (0-20 cm depth) C, N storage, plant and soil C: N ratios, soil microbial activity and diversity, and C, N sequestration rates in grassland in situ in the Natio...

There were no signi®cant differences in the percent mortality and weight of earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) after 40 days in soil planted with Bt (NK4640Bt) or non-Bt corn or after 45 days in soil amended with biomass of Bt or non-Bt corn. The toxin was present in the guts and casts of earthworms in soil planted with Bt corn or amended with biomass of Bt corn, but it was cleared within 2±3 da...

The long term effect of biochar application on soil microbial biomass is not well understood. We measured soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) in a field experiment during a winter wheat growing season after four consecutive years of no (CK), 4.5 (B4.5) and 9.0 t biochar ha(-1) yr(-1) (B9.0) applied. For comparison, a treatment with wheat straw residue incorporation (SR) was a...

Accurate estimation of green aboveground biomass in arid and semiarid grassland is essential for a variety of studies, such as sustainable grassland management, fire risk assessment, climate change, and environmental degradation. A great need exists for the establishment of robust method for estimating green aboveground biomass in arid and semiarid grassland due to the influences of soil backgr...

Understory vegetation plays a vital role in regulating soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) characteristics due to differences in plant functional traits. Different understory vegetation types have been reported following aerial seeding. While aerial seeding is common in areas with serious soil erosion, few studies have been conducted to investigate changes in soil C and N cycling as affected by un...