The transfer of Pb from the soil to crops is a serious food hygiene security problem in China because of industrial, agricultural, and historical contamination. In this study, the characteristics of exogenous Pb transfer from 17 Chinese soils to a popular wheat variety (Xiaoyan 22) were investigated. In addition, bioaccumulation prediction models of Pb in grain were obtained based on soil prope...

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a group of carbon andenergy storage compounds that are accumulated during suboptimal growth by many bacteria, and intracellularly deposited in the form of inclusion bodies. Accumulation of PHAs is thought to be used by bacteria to increase survival and stress tolerance in changing environments, and in competitive settings where carbon and energy sources may be l...

Nitrogen is essential for the proper growth and development of all fi eld crops including corn. Without suffi cient N, both corn yields and silage quality can be impacted. Too much N can be a waste of money and leads to environmental losses. Producers and consultants asked if additional N was needed for corn following legume and/or grass sods in the rotation (fi rst year corn) and if the answer...

The growth and yield of crops in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world is driven by the amount of soil moisture available to the crop through rainfall and irrigation. Various methods have been developed for quantifying the soil moisture status of agricultural crops. Recent technological advances in remote sensing have shown that soil moisture can be measured with a variety of remote sensi...

What soils are best for grapes? The best grape soils are deep, well-drained loams, free from high concentrations of alkali, boron, or other toxic materials. Deeper soils produce the heaviest crops and are preferred for raisins, common wine grapes, and some varieties of table grapes. However, grapes are adapted to a wide variety of soil types and can be grown successfully on soils not suitable f...

Soil fungi are a critical component of agroecosystems and provide ecological services that impact the production of food and bioproducts. Effective management of fungal resources is essential to optimize the productivity and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we (i) highlight the functional groups of fungi that play key roles in agricultural ecosystems, (ii) examine the ...

Microbial communities drive biogeochemical cycles in agricultural areas by decomposing organic materials and converting essential nutrients. Organic amendments improve soil quality by increasing the load of essential nutrients and enhancing the productivity. Additionally, fresh water used for irrigation can affect soil quality of agricultural soils, mainly due to the presence of microbial conta...

Tropical Africa is affected by intense land-use change, particularly forest conversion to agricultural land. In this study, the stream discharge of four small headwater catchments located within an area of 6 km in western Kenya was examined for 2 years (2007 and 2008). The four catchments cover a degradation gradient ranging from intact forest to agricultural land under maize cultivation for 5,...

Soil is one of our most precious natural resources. Proper soil management is a key to sustainable agricultural production. Soil management involves six essential practices: proper amount and type of tillage, maintenance of soil organic matter, maintenance of a proper nutrient supply for plants, avoidance of soil contamination, maintenance of the correct soil acidity, and control of soil loss (...

Objective: The main purpose of this research is review of principles, concepts, problems and solutions of soil ethic. Methods: In this research by descriptive method and Delphi technique was used for identifying soil ethical concepts, soil ethical principles, problems and difficulties of soil ethics in Iran and al around the world and suggestions for improvement of soil ethics in Iran. The popu...