Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) is an important component of the global soil carbon (C) pool, but its fate, persistence, and loss dynamics in contrasting soils and environments under planted field conditions are poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, a 13C-labelled biochar, as a surrogate material for PyC, produced from Eucalyptus saligna by slow pyrolysis (450°C; δ13C -36.7‰) was surface (0-10 ...

In this work TF values for Sr and Cs were measured for reference plants grown in lysimeters containing soils representative of large agricultural areas in Brazil: Ferralsol, Nitisol and Acrisol. These results were discussed in the light of pedological analyses and results from the follow sequential chemical extraction protocol: 1) slightly acidic phase containing readily bioavailable elements; ...

Low soil fertility and high weed infestation are the main culprits for the declining maize production inWestern Kenya. Technology packages to address these constraints exist, but their effectiveness is likely to be influenced by variability in soil types and farm management practices in the region. Trials were conducted during the 2008/2009 cropping seasons to investigate the nutrient use e...

The impact of microbiological commercial products (PHC Biopak, Rhizatech and ECO-T) on the occurrence of mycorrhizae and Fusarium in the rhizosphere of tissue culture banana (Gros Mitchel cv.) was assessed. Tissue cultured banana plantlets were inoculated with PHC Biopak (Bacillus), Rhizatech (mycorrhiza) and ECO-T (T. harzianum) under greenhouse conditions using a completely randomized design ...

The contribution of different adsorption processes to soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization and the consequences intensification land use on SOM are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed explore dissolved carbon (DOC) in soils as well desorption (OC) caused by phosphate addition. We conducted sorption experiments with DOC, (Na2HPO4), chloride (KCl) topsoil subsoil samples from...

Wetting and drying (W-D) cycles can induce important elemental migrations in soils. The main purpose of this work was to study the possible existence of soil chemical elemental migrations in samples submitted to repeated W-D cycles during evaluations of soil water retention curve (SWRC). The experimental measurements were carried out by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) for Ca(2+), Mg(2+) an...

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam] yields currently stand at 4.5 t ha-1 on smallholder farms in Uganda, despite the attainable yield (45-48 t ha-1) of NASPOT 11 cultivar comparable to the potential yield (45 t ha-1) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). On-farm field experiments were conducted for two seasons in the Mt Elgon High Farmlands and Lake Victoria Crescent agro-ecological zones in Uganda t...

ABSTRACT: Cultivation of soybean and off-season corn is advancing in areas under restricted edaphoclimatic conditions, such as petric plinthosols, which have significant proportions gravel are deficiency micro-nutrients copper (Cu) zinc (Zn). The effects Cu Zn concentrations on nutrition cultivated plinthosol unclear, it unknown whether the levels considered adequate for other soils sufficient ...