One of the main European agricultural problems is the decline in soil fertility due to the reduction of the natural soil harmony. When natural soil composition is altered, few cultivated plants replace spontaneous populations of numerous species. Man becomes the only regulator of a new fragile equilibrium between the simplified biocenosis elements. Agronomic techniques (fertilisation, irrigatio...

Soil microorganisms have a primary catabolic role in the environment through degradation of plant and animal residues. The activities of microorganisms in soil are thus, essential to the global cycling of nutrients. As these pesticides are designed to be biologically active, their continuous use might affect soil microflora either by changing their properties or their numbers, which may lead to...

About NUTNET NUTNET is a network that aims to improve the management of soil fertility in Africa. It is a partnership of fifteen organisations from six African and two European countries: About Enhancing soil fertility in Africa: from field to policy-maker (NAGREF) from Greece. It is funded by the International Cooperation for Development (INCO) programme of the European Union, which links ongo...

Prescribed fire was used in two semiarid grasslands to reduce shrub cover, promote grass production, and reduce erosional loss that represents a potential non–point-source of sediment to degrade water quality. This study measured transported soil sediment, dynamics in soil surface microtopography, cover of the woody shrub, grass, and bare ground cover classes, and soil fertility measured by nit...

The ability of hyperspectral image (HSI) data to provide estimates of soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and soil fertility levels without requiring extensive field data collection was investigated. The relationships between HSI spectral reflectance signatures and soil properties were analyzed to evaluate the usefulness of HSI for quantifying within -field spatial variability. Bare soil images ...

For 5 yr we monitored the fertility of a volcanic-ash derived Inceptisol at a site in the humid tropics of Costa Rica. After forest felling and burning, we established four treatments in a randomized block design with six blocks: a sequence of monocultures (two crops of maize [Zea mays] followed by cassava [Manihot esculenta], then the tree species Cordia alliodora), successional vegetation, a ...

Leaf lifespan varies widely among plant species, from a few weeks to >40 years. This variation is associated with differences in plant form and function, and the distribution of species along resource gradients. Longer leaf lifespans increase the residence time of nutrients and are one mechanism by which plants conserve nutrients; consequently, leaf lifespan should increase within species with ...

a field study was undertaken with four farming systems (fs) such as; grasses and fodders, agro-forestry, agriculture (new farming systems) and shifting cultivation (old practice), to investigate the effect of land use on the soil properties, erosion and crop productivity on a loamy acidic alfisol. besides crops, the livestock were also kept and their dropping were incorporated in the respective...

amounts involved are much smaller. The amount of boron in the 7-ton potato crop (if determined) would have been about 0.2 pound. In the case of boron (and to a lesser degree the other micronutrients) if the soil contains excessive amounts, toxic quantities are absorbed by plants and growth is restricted. The need for a reasonable balance in amounts of available nutrients in the soil has been po...

If all resources are harnessed, and adequate measures taken to minimize soil degradation, sufficient food to feed the population in 2020 can be produced, and probably sufficient for a few billion more. These were the key conclusions from a Discussion Meeting held at the Royal Society in London in December 1996. The meeting entitled ‘Land resources: on the edge of the Malthusian precipice?’ atte...