One hundred thirty soil samples from agricultural fields and animal-inhabited areas were examined for the presence of Listeria. The microorganism was identified in 23 (17.7%) samples. L. monocytogenes was detected in 7 samples (5.4%), L. ivanovii in 2 (1.5%), L. innocua in 10 (7.7%) and L. welshimeri in 4 samples (3.1%). Prevalence of Listeria in soil from agricultural fields (17.5%) did not di...

1. This document is Fact Sheet SL-29, one of a series of fact sheets of the Soil and Water Science Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Date first printed: April 1990. Reviewed: April 1998, September 2003. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. R.B. Brown, professor emeritus, Soil and Water...

Historically, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) evolved under seasonally-flooded conditions that predominately supported sawgrass and other wetland vegetation. Over several thousand years, Histosol “muck” soils were deposited as organic matter accumulated above the limestone (calcium carbonate) bedrock. In the early 1900s, these soils were drained. Declining water table levels coupled with...

Soil serves as a reservoir for Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, fungi that produce carcinogenic aflatoxins in agricultural commodities. Populations in soil are genetically diverse and individual genotypes show a clustered distribution pattern within fields. Surveys over large geographic regions suggest that climate and crop composition influence species density and aflatoxin-producing pot...

BACKGROUND: While recognizing the economic obstacles that currently block widespread use, many concerned with improving agricultural productivity and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are focusing on fertilizer as a remedy for declining soil quality and stagnant yields. Some have suggested that SSA needs to increase fertilizer use from 9 to at least 30 kg/ha during the next decade. Othe...

Agricultural soils of selected regions of Southwestern Karnataka, Peninsular India, were subjected to systematic mineralogical characterization along with the study of soil physical properties. Physical properties such as soil texture and micro porosity were studied using particle size analyses and positron annihilation lifetime analysis (PALS) technique, respectively. The latter was used to an...

a U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, Illinois, USA b U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, Alabama, USA c Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA d Department of Crop Sciences, University of...

Degradation and sorption of imidacloprid in dissimilar surface and subsurface soils Jennifer C. Anhalt a , Thomas B. Moorman b & William C. Koskinen c a Department of Microbiology , Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa, USA b United States Department of Agriculture , Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Tilth Laboratory , Ames, Iowa, USA c United States Department of Agriculture , Agricul...

Synthesis and quantification of disciplinary knowledge at the whole system level, via the process models of agricultural systems, are critical to achieving improved and dynamic management and production systems that address the environmental concerns and global issues of the 21st century. Soil physicists have made significant contributions in this area in the past, and are uniquely capable of m...

Agricultural productivity levels depend on the adoption of (improved) agricultural technologies, among other aspects. However, the use of improved technologies in Mozambique is still very limited. Data from the National Agricultural Survey of 2012, known as Inquérito Agrícola Integrado, show that less than 3% of smallholder farmers used inorganic fertilizers, 6% used pesticides, 9% used improve...