7 Soil structure is often said to be the key to soil productivity since a fertile soil, with desirable 8 soil structure and adequate moisture supply, constitutes a productive soil. Soil structure 9 influences soil water movement and retention, erosion, crusting, nutrient recycling, root 10 penetration and crop yield. The objective of this work is to study, humic acid (HA) 11 application on some...

Wildfires affecting forest ecosystems and post-fire silvicultural treatments may cause considerable changes in soil properties. The capacity of different microbial groups to recolonise soil after disturbances is crucial for proper soil functioning. The aim of this work was to investigate some microbial soil properties and enzyme activities in semiarid and dry Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis M.) f...

Soil water repellency (SWR) was studied in 64 surface soil samples from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), distributed over three different plant communities (natural and afforested Canarian pine forest, and high mountain legume scrub) and three types of soil parent materials (basaltic and salic rocks and basaltic tephra). Soils were studied for physicochemical properties (soil pH and salinity, ...

The effect of poultry waste application on physicochemical and biological properties of sandy clay loam soil was investigated on a 7m X 7m plot of land. Plot was divided into four portions and 7.5kg each of broiler, cockerel and layers waste was applied to plot A, B, and C in slurry form while plot D was used as control(no application) for eight weeks with two weeks interval. After the fourth a...

To explore rhizosphere effects, geographical differences and their effects on the bacterial community associated with the geoherb Fritillaria thunbergii, some physicochemical properties of soil samples (3 sampling sites × 2 habitats (rhizosphere and bulk soil)) were measured and the soil bacterial community detected by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Among the three regions,...

field study was conducted at five villages of Botswana namely, Tsabong, Tshane, Mathathane, Motlhabaneng and Tsetsejwe during the periods of June to August 1999 and June to August 2000. The objective of the study was to assess and compare the soil physicochemical properties of soils at the five villages and to study the effect of cultivation on some soil physical properties. Parameters measured...

The amendment of soil with biochar has been demonstrated to have an effect not only on the soil physicochemical properties, but also on soil microbial community composition and activity. Previous reports have demonstrated significant impacts on soil microbial community structure. These impacts are modulated not only by the biochar composition, but also on the soil’s physicochemical characterist...

This study evaluates the spatial heterogeneity of the soil chemical properties of surface soils across a 1 ha old-growth subtropical karst forest in southwest China.

Microbial functional diversity in four soils sampled in the vicinity of Wanda Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula, was determined using Biolog EcoPlates at 5°C and 25°C. Comparisons of the patterns of substrate utilization and the diversity index showed differences in community composition, reflecting the heterogeneous distribution of microorganisms in this environment. Differences in microbial divers...