Organic carbon (OC) sequestration in degraded semi-arid environments by improved soil management is assumed to contribute substantially to climate change mitigation. However, information about the soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential in steppe soils and their current saturation status remains unknown. In this study, we estimated the OC storage capacity of semi-arid grassland soils ...

The monitoring of soil salinity levels is necessary for the prevention and mitigation of land degradation in arid environments. To assess the potential of remote sensing in estimating and mapping soil salinity in the El-Tina Plain, Sinai, Egypt, two predictive models were constructed based on the measured soil electrical conductivity (ECe) and laboratory soil reflectance spectra resampled to La...

Crop yield in dry environments can be improved with complementary approaches including selecting for yield in the target environments, selecting for yield potential, and using indirect, trait- or genomic-based methods. This paper (i) outlines the achievements of direct selection for yield in improving drought adaptation, (ii) discusses the limitations of indirect approaches in the context of le...

The arid zones of the world are all characterized by a large deficit of rainfall in relation to the potential evapotranspiration. Their distribution around the world is governed by the interaction of global atmospheric circulation patterns, the distribution of land and sea, and local topography. Countries that have substantial areas with arid conditions belong to very different groups in terms ...

Abstract This paper presents a quantitative account of vegetation–environmental factor relationships in arid rangelands. Vegetation cover was recorded using Braun-Blanquet combined abundance-cover scale in each quadrat. Within each quadrat, one profile was dug and soil samples being taken at 0-20cm and 20-100cm depths. Under study physical-chemical characteristics included texture, lime, orga...

Soil nutrients are vital for plant growth and survival present a crucial role in terrestrial function productivity. However, little is known about the effect mechanism of groundwater table on soil an arid desert ecological system. This study investigated impacts depth concentrations organic carbon (C), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) at shallow depths (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.8, ...