Background: Organic agricultural pesticides are so stable in ecosystems and biosphere. These compounds affect soil conditions and agricultural products. The aim of this study was isolation of diazinon-degrading bacteria from Kerman pistachio orchards, Southeastern Iran. Methods: Diazinon-degrading bacteria were enriched in Bushnell-Hass medium. Identification and sequencing of prevalent degr...

The anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) may inhibit soil microorganisms and may occur in agricultural soil through the application of sewage sludge. For five microbial parameters (microbial biomass C and the potentials of iron reduction, ammonium oxidation, dehydrogenase activity, and arylsulfatase activity), we compared the effects of aqueous LAS and LAS-spiked sewage sludge...

In the recent years, agricultural soils have received more chemicals in various forms for higher yields. This may result in the accumulation of metals in soils which subsequently may be transferred into the agricultural crops. In the present investigation, nickel content of 58 composite soil samples and also agricultural crops, is studied. Ni in samples of soil and agricultural products were ex...

Soil degradation is widely considered to be a key factor undermining agricultural livelihoods in the developing world and contributing to rural out-migration. To date, however, few quantitative studies have examined the effects of soil characteristics on human migration or other social outcomes for potentially vulnerable households. This study takes advantage of a unique longitudinal survey dat...

This study was aimed to identify optimal indicators for microtopography-oriented soil quality assessment. Twenty-two soil physicochemical and biological parameters were investigated at 93 sampling points in five different microtopographic units in semiarid regions of the Loess Plateau, where the principal functions of eroded agriculture soils are related to productivity and anti-erosion ability...

Three techniques for treating fish ponds with agricultural limestone were evaluated in ponds with clayey soils in Brazil and in ponds with sandy soils in South Africa. Amounts of agricultural limestone equal to the lime requirement of bottom soils were applied by the following methods to each of three ponds: (1) direct application over the pond surface; (2) spread uniformly over the bottom of t...

Understanding the fates of soil hydrological processes and nitrogen (N) is essential for optimizing the water and N in a dryland crop system with the goal of obtaining a maximum yield. Few investigations have addressed the dynamics of dryland N and its association with the soil hydrological process in a freeze-thawing agricultural area. With the daily monitoring of soil water content and acquis...

Introduction Compost is a soil amendment produced through the metabolism of an organic substrate—a surface on which organisms grow—by aerobic (oxygen-requiring) microbes under controlled conditions. Composting is an ancient agricultural technology going back to biblical times that still has important applications in modern agriculture. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in compost ...