an agroecological zones (aez) map is an essential tool for agricultural planning. by integrating the key components of the agricultural environments, it offers a bird's-eye view of internal diversity, agricultural potential and constraints that decision-makers find easier to understand than a pile of single-theme maps. in this study, aez map of the karkheh river basin has been prepared usi...

abstract agriculture is the largest consumer of water resources in iran. one of the best options for increasing the irrigation efficiency and better application of precipitation in arid and semi-arid areas is employing of superabsorbent polymers to soil. polymers can absorb rain and irrigation water, decrease deep percolation and increase water use efficiency. in order to investigate the effect...

Desert ecosystems spanning moisture conditions from dry grasslands to barren hyper-arid landscapes are the largest terrestrial biome with more than 40% of the terrestrial landmass. Remote sensing data provide an efficient costeffective means to assess biophysical indicators of land degradation and desertification, providing that essential ecosystem properties can be monitored. We review the spe...

Hyper-arid deserts can be considered extreme environments with respect to their conditions of low humidity and low water activity. Traditionally we associate camels and cacti with the ability to survive in arid environments for extended periods without replenishing their water supply. Little is known about the diversity and ecology of prokaryotes in arid or hyper-arid regions. Using culturing a...

Expansive soils are often encountered in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid fields. Such kind of soils, generally including active clay minerals in low water content, enlarge in volume by absorbing the water through the surface and cause a great harm to the light structures such as channel coating, roads and airports. The expansive soils were encountered on the path of Ap...

Expansive soils are often encountered in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid fields. Such kind of soils, generally including active clay minerals in low water content, enlarge in volume by absorbing the water through the surface and cause a great harm to the light structures such as channel coating, roads and airports. The expansive soils were encountered on the path of Ap...

abstract earthworms are an important component of soil fauna, and play a crucial role in the improvement of soil properties. however, very little is known of the interactive influence of earthworms and organic materials on soil enzyme activities, particularly in arid and semi-arid soils. the low organic matter content and the significant role of earthworms in stimulating microbiological and bio...

[1] Surface soils hold the largest terrestrial organic carbon pool, although estimates of the world’s soil organic carbon storage remain controversial, largely due to spatial data gaps or insufficient data density. In this study, spatial distribution and storage of soil organic carbon in China are estimated using the published data from 34,411 soil profiles investigated during China’s second na...

Expansive soils are often encountered in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid fields. Such kind of soils, generally including active clay minerals in low water content, enlarge in volume by absorbing the water through the surface and cause a great harm to the light structures such as channel coating, roads and airports. The expansive soils were encountered on the path of Ap...

Aims Natural N abundance provides integrated information about nitrogen (N) input, transformation and output, indirectly reflecting N cycling traits within terrestrial ecosystems. However, relationships between natural N abundance and N cycling processes are poorly understood in China. Here, our primary objectives were to (i) examine the effects of grazing at varying levels of intensity on dN o...