(1) It becomes increasingly evident that continued root growth with the establishment of new root-soil contacts is necessary for the normal entrance of both water and mineral nutrients into the root. This concept emphasizes the ecological importance of factors tending either to impede or favor the spread and permeation of roots in the soil. (2) The characteristics of soils with respect to (1) a...

The evolution of soil structure after a forest fire was studied on two zones representatives of a typical Mediterranean Pine forest. These zones were in opposite slope orientation but with similar topographical and pedological characteristics. Changes in soil macro-aggregation and water stable micro-aggregation were monitored seasonally during a year after the fire. The water erosion patterns w...

Explosives are a common soil contaminant at a range of sites, including explosives manufacturing plants and areas associated with landmine detonations. As many explosives are toxic and may cause adverse environmental effects, a large body of research has targeted the remediation of explosives residues in soil. Studies in this area have largely involved spiking 'pristine' soils using explosives ...

Evaluation of flow and transport processes in a watershed-scale requires that the watershed be divided into homogenous spatial units referred to as hydrologically similar units (HSUs). Although a few discretization schemes are already in use, a universally acceptable method of obtaining HSUs is yet to emerge. In this study, we developed a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to classify the saturated h...

although the application of biodegradative genetically engineered micro organisms (gems) for bioremediation is very promising, the risks of their release should be assessed before their introduction into the environment. lux-marked ralstonia eutropha h850lr (formerly alcaligenes eutrophus h850lr) was introduced into sterile and non-sterile soil microcosms at matric potentials ?2.11, ?30, ?750, ...

background diazinon is one of the most widely used organophosphrous pesticides in the world may affect animals and human. objectives this study was done to assess whether pseudomonas plecoglossicida can grow on diazinon as the sole carbon metabolic source in laboratory and agricultural soil. materials and methods serial dilutions of pure and commercial diazinon in minimal salt medium were made ...

A highly efficient soil-burrowing dung beetle possesses an intricate outer contour curve on its foreleg end-tooth. This study was carried out based on evidence that this special outer contour curve has the potential of reducing soil penetration resistance and could enhance soil-burrowing efficiency. A toothed wheel is a typical agricultural implement for soil imprinting, to increase its working...

[1] A single-column chemistry and climate model has been used to study the impact of deforestation in the Amazon Basin on atmospheric chemistry. Over deforested areas, daytime ozone deposition generally decreases strongly except when surface wetness decreases through reduced precipitation, whereas nocturnal soil deposition increases. The isoprene and soil nitric oxide emissions decrease althoug...

Himalaya is a vast and diverse mountain system. Agro forestry land use covering (20%) of geographical area of Indian Himalayas is distributed as patches in the matrix of forest covering (52%) area. Forest based treecrop livestock integrated farming is the predominant traditional land use in central Himalayas.1 Hill agriculture appears to be key threat to soil biodiversity and ecosystem service ...

Thorium concentrations at Kirtland Air Force Base training sites in Albuquerque, NM, have been previously described; however, the mechanisms of thorium migration were not fully understood. This work describes the processes affecting thorium mobility in this semiarid soil, which has implications for future remedial action. Aqueous extraction and filtration experiments have demonstrated the collo...