Maneb is a broad spectrum fungicide, often reported as a carcinogenic, teratogenic and neurodegenerative agent. Thus, the occurrence of maneb at non-targeted sites is a cause of concern. The present study investigates adsorption– desorption behaviour of maneb in the agricultural soils to know its fate, mobility and availability in the soil. The sorption study was carried out by batch equilibrat...

OBJECTIVE To study the impacts of abundance of woodlice, termites, and mites on some functional aspects of soil in order to elucidate the specific role of soil fauna in improving soil fertility in desert. METHODS Fauna-rich sites were selected as experimental sites and adjacent areas were taken as control. Soil samples were collected from both sites. Soil respiration was measured at both site...

Nitrate immobilization into organic matter is thought to require catalysis by the enzymes of soil microorganisms. However, recent studies suggest that nitrate added to soil is immobilized rapidly and this process may include abiotic pathways. We amended living and sterilized soil with 15N-labeled nitrate and nitrite to investigate biotic and abiotic immobilization. We report rapid transformatio...

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key indicator of agricultural productivity and overall soil health. Currently, dryland cropping systems of the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) span a large gradient in mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP). These climatic drivers are major determinants of surface SOM dynamics and storage characteristics. Future climate change projections through 20...

In a country like Iran, where soil organic matter is less than 1% and in most cases even less than 0.5 %, Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a permanent and inexpensive source of organic matter. Various experiments have indicated that applications of compost improve plant health, yield and nutritional quality. However, the quality of the compost determines the growth and the development of plants. ...

The influence of two organic amendments consisting of an urban waste compost (SUW) and a commercial amendment from olive mill wastes (OW) was assessed on the sorption properties and leaching of the ionizable herbicide imazaquin on four soils with different physicochemical characteristics. A loamy sand soil (CR), a loam soil (P44), a silt loam soil (AL), and a clay soil (TM), with low-medium org...

Developing the concept of soil quality may help identify the soil and crop management practices required for environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable agriculture. Objectives of this paper are (1) to review current efforts to define soil quality, (2) to discuss factors and processes which influence soil quality, (3) to identify, soil and crop management practices that affect proce...

Developing spectral models of soil properties is an important frontier in remote sensing and soil science. Several studies have focused on modeling soil properties such as total pools of soil organic matter and carbon in bare soils. We extended this effort to model soil parameters in areas densely covered with coastal vegetation. Moreover, we investigated soil properties indicative of soil func...

Cryogenic Curie-point pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been applied to investigate the chemical composition of organic matter present in soils. Two soil fulvic acid fractions, a so-called soil polysaccharide fraction and polymaleic acid were analyzed. The soil polysaccharide fraction contains almost exclusively polysaccharides with major building blocks glucose, mannose and ga...

The aim of this review is to examine the hypothesis that organic matter decreases the adsorption of radiocaesium on clay minerals. The factors that determine radiocaesium mobility and bioavailability in soil are briefly outlined to show why a relationship between soil organic matter content and enhanced Cs bioavailability is paradoxical. In all the investigations reviewed the ionic compositions...