A lack of fertile soil is already a serious problem due to its role in access to sufficient food and water, but more serious are the social situations that its deficit engenders: loss of food safety and public health, poverty, displacement, inequality, violence, and injustice as a result of famine. The loss and degradation of the soil resource means the loss of all terrestrial flora, and with it, that of the fauna that it feeds. It also means a terrible loss of biodiversity at the planetary level, a serious destruction of the food chain of which we are a part, as well as the reduction of its capacities of available water reserve and C capture to lessen climate change in the long term and with immediate effects. In this context, the protection of the soil resource and an interdisciplinary and innovative education and practice of sciences to raise citizens’ awareness of the importance of its preservation—with all the sciences collaborating as a team in a mediatized world—are keys to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and therefore, are the long-term goals and prioritized objectives of the International Decade of Soils of the IUSS, and they form the basis of its educational project.
{"title":"An Educational Gaze From the International Union of Soil Sciences","authors":"L. Reyes-Sánchez","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.12208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.12208","url":null,"abstract":"A lack of fertile soil is already a serious problem due to its role in access to sufficient food and water, but more serious are the social situations that its deficit engenders: loss of food safety and public health, poverty, displacement, inequality, violence, and injustice as a result of famine. The loss and degradation of the soil resource means the loss of all terrestrial flora, and with it, that of the fauna that it feeds. It also means a terrible loss of biodiversity at the planetary level, a serious destruction of the food chain of which we are a part, as well as the reduction of its capacities of available water reserve and C capture to lessen climate change in the long term and with immediate effects. In this context, the protection of the soil resource and an interdisciplinary and innovative education and practice of sciences to raise citizens’ awareness of the importance of its preservation—with all the sciences collaborating as a team in a mediatized world—are keys to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and therefore, are the long-term goals and prioritized objectives of the International Decade of Soils of the IUSS, and they form the basis of its educational project.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"16 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139383792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Al-Ismaily, A. Kacimov, Ahmed Al-Mayhai, Hamed S. Al-Busaidi, Daniel Blackburn, A. Al-Shukaili, A. Al‐Maktoumi
The inherent complexity of soil and its interactions with Earth’s diverse spheres, including the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere within the ecosphere, and anthroposphere, requires that soil science specialists and students develop not only a profound understanding of soil science, but also the ability to collaborate across various disciplines to address these complex challenges. Equipping students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to tackle the intricate and dynamic issues of the 21st century, spanning soil science, water sciences, hydropedology, geology, agronomy, geotechnical engineering, sedimentation, waste management, recycling, and environmental management, is of paramount importance. In response, innovative pedagogical approaches that integrate classroom learning from diverse soil science courses with practical skills and field-based competencies are needed. This paper suggests merging our own “Soil Skills” (SSK) pedagogical method with the “Soil Judging Contest” (SJC), a teaching approach supported by the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America since 1961. This integration aims to enhance the holistic, harmonized, interdisciplinary, and enthusiastic nature of soil science education. Both the SSK and SJC approaches received positive feedback from students and demonstrated significant improvements in academic performance. Our study begins with an in-depth exploration of the SSK contest, followed by an overview of the pertinent aspects of the SJC. Subsequently, we offer a comparative analysis of the complementarity of these two approaches. Finally, in the concluding remarks, we summarize the strengths of the implemented SSK and outline prospective applications. Our findings underscore the unique advantages of combining SSK and SJC approaches in delivering comprehensive, problem-based, and practical field-learning experiences. This combination approach closely aligns with applied scenarios that demand multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity perspectives, preparing students for their future professional careers, and enabling the practical application of their soil science knowledge in real-world contexts.
{"title":"The “Soil Skills” Pedagogical Approach Conjugated With Soil Judging Contests","authors":"S. Al-Ismaily, A. Kacimov, Ahmed Al-Mayhai, Hamed S. Al-Busaidi, Daniel Blackburn, A. Al-Shukaili, A. Al‐Maktoumi","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.12081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.12081","url":null,"abstract":"The inherent complexity of soil and its interactions with Earth’s diverse spheres, including the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere within the ecosphere, and anthroposphere, requires that soil science specialists and students develop not only a profound understanding of soil science, but also the ability to collaborate across various disciplines to address these complex challenges. Equipping students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to tackle the intricate and dynamic issues of the 21st century, spanning soil science, water sciences, hydropedology, geology, agronomy, geotechnical engineering, sedimentation, waste management, recycling, and environmental management, is of paramount importance. In response, innovative pedagogical approaches that integrate classroom learning from diverse soil science courses with practical skills and field-based competencies are needed. This paper suggests merging our own “Soil Skills” (SSK) pedagogical method with the “Soil Judging Contest” (SJC), a teaching approach supported by the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America since 1961. This integration aims to enhance the holistic, harmonized, interdisciplinary, and enthusiastic nature of soil science education. Both the SSK and SJC approaches received positive feedback from students and demonstrated significant improvements in academic performance. Our study begins with an in-depth exploration of the SSK contest, followed by an overview of the pertinent aspects of the SJC. Subsequently, we offer a comparative analysis of the complementarity of these two approaches. Finally, in the concluding remarks, we summarize the strengths of the implemented SSK and outline prospective applications. Our findings underscore the unique advantages of combining SSK and SJC approaches in delivering comprehensive, problem-based, and practical field-learning experiences. This combination approach closely aligns with applied scenarios that demand multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity perspectives, preparing students for their future professional careers, and enabling the practical application of their soil science knowledge in real-world contexts.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139212801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luis D. Olivares-Martinez, Alberto Gomez-Tagle, Jorge Mataix-Solera
The forest floor is a critical component in maintaining the life cycles of forest ecosystems. It normally includes organic soil horizons, known as duff and litter, which are prone to be rapidly consumed after flaming and smoldering fires. This work aims to understand the legacy effects of surface and ground fires on the infiltration capacity of a volcanic forest soil. We studied five sites with fires recorded in the last 20 years. All of them are located in pine-oak forests of the volcanic mountain region in central Mexico with a temperate climate and Andic soil properties. Tension-infiltration tests were carried out to determine hydraulic conductivity and the number of active macropores. After each test, cores were taken to evaluate in a laboratory setting, where soil water repellency at different moisture concentrations and the integrative dynamic repellency index were determined. Field-saturated hydraulic conductivity was moderately high in all sites, with mean values of 13 and 42 mm·h −1 for burned and control plots, respectively. A non-linear relationship was found between recurrence and type of fires with the concentration of active pores and several dynamic water repellency parameters. This work confirmed the presence of latent combustion in these temperate neotropical forests. The changes in soil water repellency and hydraulic conductivity detected do not necessarily imply an exceeded soil infiltration capacity. However, many of the fires in this region are associated with increasing agricultural activities, so further studies are needed to determine if higher fire frequencies could exceed the resilience capacity of the soils triggering land degradation.
{"title":"Ground Fire Legacy Effects on Water-Dynamics of Volcanic Tropical Soils","authors":"Luis D. Olivares-Martinez, Alberto Gomez-Tagle, Jorge Mataix-Solera","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11757","url":null,"abstract":"The forest floor is a critical component in maintaining the life cycles of forest ecosystems. It normally includes organic soil horizons, known as duff and litter, which are prone to be rapidly consumed after flaming and smoldering fires. This work aims to understand the legacy effects of surface and ground fires on the infiltration capacity of a volcanic forest soil. We studied five sites with fires recorded in the last 20 years. All of them are located in pine-oak forests of the volcanic mountain region in central Mexico with a temperate climate and Andic soil properties. Tension-infiltration tests were carried out to determine hydraulic conductivity and the number of active macropores. After each test, cores were taken to evaluate in a laboratory setting, where soil water repellency at different moisture concentrations and the integrative dynamic repellency index were determined. Field-saturated hydraulic conductivity was moderately high in all sites, with mean values of 13 and 42 mm·h −1 for burned and control plots, respectively. A non-linear relationship was found between recurrence and type of fires with the concentration of active pores and several dynamic water repellency parameters. This work confirmed the presence of latent combustion in these temperate neotropical forests. The changes in soil water repellency and hydraulic conductivity detected do not necessarily imply an exceeded soil infiltration capacity. However, many of the fires in this region are associated with increasing agricultural activities, so further studies are needed to determine if higher fire frequencies could exceed the resilience capacity of the soils triggering land degradation.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"49 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135405623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Moreno-Roso, B. Chávez-Vergara, E. Solleiro-Rebolledo, S. Quintero-Gradilla, A. Merino, M. Ruiz-Rojas
Prescribed burn is a tool that must imply low soil burn severity (SBS) levels; however, a wide range of soil impacts have been demonstrated because of the influence of very variable factors. The effects on biological, physical, and chemical soil properties are well reported in numerous studies; nonetheless, there are still questions about the effect of prescribed burns on soils at the micro-scale. As a result, an analysis of the link between micromorphological features and SBS does not currently exist. Thus, the main aim of the present study is to perform a micro-scale evaluation for complementing the SBS visual examination after prescribed burning in a managed pine forest in western Mexico. Morphometry and micromorphology analyses of mineral soil revealed that at low SBS levels, only the soil structure in the first centimeter is affected by prescribed burns. While at high SBS, the prescribed burn affected the first 2 cm, showing soil structure disturbance, ash filling porous, and soil aggregates getting reddish. Therefore, immediate actions have to be made by land managers after applying prescribed burns before the first rain to prevent post-fire surface soil erosion, particularly in bare soil patches where the burned aggregates are more susceptible to rain splash and runoff.
{"title":"Soil Burn Severities Evaluation Using Micromorphology and Morphometry Traits After a Prescribed Burn in a Managed Forest","authors":"S. Moreno-Roso, B. Chávez-Vergara, E. Solleiro-Rebolledo, S. Quintero-Gradilla, A. Merino, M. Ruiz-Rojas","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11488","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11488","url":null,"abstract":"Prescribed burn is a tool that must imply low soil burn severity (SBS) levels; however, a wide range of soil impacts have been demonstrated because of the influence of very variable factors. The effects on biological, physical, and chemical soil properties are well reported in numerous studies; nonetheless, there are still questions about the effect of prescribed burns on soils at the micro-scale. As a result, an analysis of the link between micromorphological features and SBS does not currently exist. Thus, the main aim of the present study is to perform a micro-scale evaluation for complementing the SBS visual examination after prescribed burning in a managed pine forest in western Mexico. Morphometry and micromorphology analyses of mineral soil revealed that at low SBS levels, only the soil structure in the first centimeter is affected by prescribed burns. While at high SBS, the prescribed burn affected the first 2 cm, showing soil structure disturbance, ash filling porous, and soil aggregates getting reddish. Therefore, immediate actions have to be made by land managers after applying prescribed burns before the first rain to prevent post-fire surface soil erosion, particularly in bare soil patches where the burned aggregates are more susceptible to rain splash and runoff.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"117 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136063338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Ramos, G. N. Nóbrega, T. O. Ferreira, X. L. Otero
Crab and soil samples were seasonally collected at four mangrove sites (Cacha Prego, CP; Ponta Grossa, PG; Ilha de Maré, IM; and Pitinga, PT) in Todos os Santos Bay, in NE Brazil. Total Cu levels in soils ranged from 2.5 to 89.4 mg kg−1, while in crab organs (muscles, hepatopancreas, and gills), Cu ranged from 20 to 1,320 mg kg−1, with the highest concentrations found in the Ilha de Maré population, where soils showed a clear Cu enrichment. Total Cu content did not explain the abnormally high Cu concentrations observed in crabs from Pitinga, where total content in soil was low. Geochemical partitioning indicated that most of the potentially bioavailable Cu was found in the oxidizable fractions, pyrite and organic matter. Pyrite oxidation during the dry season led to increased Cu bioavailability. This process was of relevance in soils of the Pitinga mangrove, where sulfide oxidation led to soil acidification and to an increase in Cu associated with the most labile fractions.
在巴西东北部托多斯桑托斯湾的四个红树林地点（CP的Cacha Prego、PG的Ponta Grossa、IM的Ilha de Maré和PT的Pitinga）季节性采集螃蟹和土壤样本。土壤中的总铜含量在2.5至89.4 mg kg−1之间，而螃蟹器官（肌肉、肝胰腺和鳃）中的铜含量在20至1320 mg kg−2之间，其中Ilha de Maré种群的铜浓度最高，那里的土壤显示出明显的铜富集。总铜含量并不能解释在土壤总含量较低的皮廷加螃蟹中观察到的异常高的铜浓度。地球化学分区表明，大部分潜在的生物可利用铜存在于可氧化部分、黄铁矿和有机物中。旱季的黄铁矿氧化导致铜的生物利用度增加。这一过程与Pitinga红树林的土壤有关，在那里，硫化物氧化导致土壤酸化，并导致与最不稳定组分相关的Cu增加。
{"title":"Impact of Seasonality on Copper Bioavailaility to Crabs (Ucides cordatus, Linnaeus, 1763) in Mangrove Soils of Todos os Santos Bay (Bahia, North Eastern Brazil)","authors":"M. Ramos, G. N. Nóbrega, T. O. Ferreira, X. L. Otero","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11737","url":null,"abstract":"Crab and soil samples were seasonally collected at four mangrove sites (Cacha Prego, CP; Ponta Grossa, PG; Ilha de Maré, IM; and Pitinga, PT) in Todos os Santos Bay, in NE Brazil. Total Cu levels in soils ranged from 2.5 to 89.4 mg kg−1, while in crab organs (muscles, hepatopancreas, and gills), Cu ranged from 20 to 1,320 mg kg−1, with the highest concentrations found in the Ilha de Maré population, where soils showed a clear Cu enrichment. Total Cu content did not explain the abnormally high Cu concentrations observed in crabs from Pitinga, where total content in soil was low. Geochemical partitioning indicated that most of the potentially bioavailable Cu was found in the oxidizable fractions, pyrite and organic matter. Pyrite oxidation during the dry season led to increased Cu bioavailability. This process was of relevance in soils of the Pitinga mangrove, where sulfide oxidation led to soil acidification and to an increase in Cu associated with the most labile fractions.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45449171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Marcos-Pérez, Virginia Sánchez-Navarro, R. Zornoza
There is a need to assess alternative cropping systems for climate change mitigation. Hence, we aimed to evaluate if cowpea, a legume crop with high climate adaptability and active rhizodeposition, can reduce GHG emissions when intercropped with melon, if different intercropping patterns can affect these soil GHG emissions, and elucidate if GHG emissions are related by soil and crop properties. We compared a cowpea and melon monocultures with different melon-cowpea intercropping patterns during two crop cycles. The different melon-cowpea intercropping patterns were: row intercropping 1:1 (melon:cowpea), row intercropping 2:1 (melon:cowpea) and mixed intercropping (alternate melon/cowpea plants within the same row), receiving 30% less fertilizers than monocrops. Results showed that CO2 emission rates were higher in the row 2:1 and row 1:1 intercropping systems compared to mixed intercropping, melon monocrop and cowpea monocrop, with the lowest emissions, likely due to the highest density of both plant species, which may stimulate microbial communities. Soil N2O emission rates were not affected by crop diversification, with very low values. Soil CO2 and N2O emissions were not correlated with environmental factors, soil properties or crop yield and quality, suggesting that crop management and plant density and growth were the main factors controlling GHG emissions. When the GHG emissions were expressed on a crop production basis, the lowest values were observed in mixed intercropping, owing to higher crop production. However, the 1:1 and 2:1 cowpea intercropping systems, with the lowest overall crop production, showed higher values of GHG emissions per unit of product, compared to cowpea monocrop. Thus, intercropping systems, and mostly mixed intercropping, have the potential to contribute to sustainable agriculture by increasing land productivity, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and decreasing GHG emissions per unit of product. These results highlight the importance of considering both agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions when designing and implementing intercropping systems.
{"title":"Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Intercropped Systems Between Melon and Cowpea","authors":"M. Marcos-Pérez, Virginia Sánchez-Navarro, R. Zornoza","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11368","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11368","url":null,"abstract":"There is a need to assess alternative cropping systems for climate change mitigation. Hence, we aimed to evaluate if cowpea, a legume crop with high climate adaptability and active rhizodeposition, can reduce GHG emissions when intercropped with melon, if different intercropping patterns can affect these soil GHG emissions, and elucidate if GHG emissions are related by soil and crop properties. We compared a cowpea and melon monocultures with different melon-cowpea intercropping patterns during two crop cycles. The different melon-cowpea intercropping patterns were: row intercropping 1:1 (melon:cowpea), row intercropping 2:1 (melon:cowpea) and mixed intercropping (alternate melon/cowpea plants within the same row), receiving 30% less fertilizers than monocrops. Results showed that CO2 emission rates were higher in the row 2:1 and row 1:1 intercropping systems compared to mixed intercropping, melon monocrop and cowpea monocrop, with the lowest emissions, likely due to the highest density of both plant species, which may stimulate microbial communities. Soil N2O emission rates were not affected by crop diversification, with very low values. Soil CO2 and N2O emissions were not correlated with environmental factors, soil properties or crop yield and quality, suggesting that crop management and plant density and growth were the main factors controlling GHG emissions. When the GHG emissions were expressed on a crop production basis, the lowest values were observed in mixed intercropping, owing to higher crop production. However, the 1:1 and 2:1 cowpea intercropping systems, with the lowest overall crop production, showed higher values of GHG emissions per unit of product, compared to cowpea monocrop. Thus, intercropping systems, and mostly mixed intercropping, have the potential to contribute to sustainable agriculture by increasing land productivity, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and decreasing GHG emissions per unit of product. These results highlight the importance of considering both agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions when designing and implementing intercropping systems.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42951191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. Fonseca, M. Castro, L. Alves, José Castro, T. de Figueiredo
Grazing and mechanical clearing are common techniques for vegetation management in open Mediterranean forests. Despite its recognized benefits in the prevention of high-intensity and severity forest fires, it is essential to consider its impacts on the physical and chemical soil properties. In an open mountain forest located in the NE of Portugal, soil samples were analyzed at depths 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm collected at two moments: before mechanical clearing, (Control) and after 18 months of extensive sheep grazing, in areas without grazing, only mechanical clearing (MC) and in areas with both mechanical clearing and grazing (MCG). The results indicate that vegetation cutting has induced a significant decrease in extractable potassium, and an increase in the soil organic matter and total nitrogen. The exchangeable bases and the exchangeable acidity did not undergo expressive changes, as indicated by the pH values and the cation exchangeable capacity. After grazing, extractable phosphorus and potassium, organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable bases, and cation exchangeable capacity have increased significantly in the topsoil (0–5 cm), reducing soil acidity. Regarding physical properties, only soil permeability has been negatively affected by grazing. Mediterranean mountain open forests management with the combination of vegetation clearing and extensive sheep grazing proved to be effective in reducing vegetable fuel availability and improving soil quality.
{"title":"Impacts of Extensive Sheep Grazing on Soil Physical and Chemical Quality in Open Mountain Forests, NE Portugal","authors":"F. Fonseca, M. Castro, L. Alves, José Castro, T. de Figueiredo","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11632","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11632","url":null,"abstract":"Grazing and mechanical clearing are common techniques for vegetation management in open Mediterranean forests. Despite its recognized benefits in the prevention of high-intensity and severity forest fires, it is essential to consider its impacts on the physical and chemical soil properties. In an open mountain forest located in the NE of Portugal, soil samples were analyzed at depths 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm collected at two moments: before mechanical clearing, (Control) and after 18 months of extensive sheep grazing, in areas without grazing, only mechanical clearing (MC) and in areas with both mechanical clearing and grazing (MCG). The results indicate that vegetation cutting has induced a significant decrease in extractable potassium, and an increase in the soil organic matter and total nitrogen. The exchangeable bases and the exchangeable acidity did not undergo expressive changes, as indicated by the pH values and the cation exchangeable capacity. After grazing, extractable phosphorus and potassium, organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable bases, and cation exchangeable capacity have increased significantly in the topsoil (0–5 cm), reducing soil acidity. Regarding physical properties, only soil permeability has been negatively affected by grazing. Mediterranean mountain open forests management with the combination of vegetation clearing and extensive sheep grazing proved to be effective in reducing vegetable fuel availability and improving soil quality.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43588036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrey Bondarovich, Patrick Illiger, Gerd Schmidt, Elena Ponkina, Aliya Nugumanova, Almasbek Maulit, Maxim Sutula
Temperate grasslands are called the breadbaskets of the world. Due to most continental climate conditions, humus-rich soils have been developed. These soils are very well suited for grain production. This is why extensive conversions from natural steppe to arable land have been implemented in this biome. The Kulunda Steppe, in Southwest Siberia and Central Asia, occupies large parts of the driest regions of the Eurasian Steppe Belt. It was one of the sites of the Virgin Land Campaign realized in the former Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. Intensive agricultural practices have caused significant soil degradation, mainly through humus loss and soil erosion. This results in the degradation of organic carbon, altering the physical and chemical structure of the chestnut soils and impacting their water storage capacity. Against the background of climatic changes, a further intensification of these processes and conditions is to be expected. To stabilize soil carbon and optimize moisture utilization, it is necessary to extensively introduce worldwide experiences in conservation cropping technologies (such as no-till, min-till, and direct seeding) in the area. This study aimed to determine the effects of different cropping systems on soil water storage and water availability. The study’s initial hypothesis was that the soil conservational cropping system has advantages against the traditional deep tillage (24 cm). This hypothesis was based on extensive global experience studying the effects of different agricultural management systems on soil-water balance. In 2013–2016, an experiment was conducted for the first time in the Kulunda steppe to instrumentally measure soil moisture and matrix potential at 30–60–120 cm depth under traditional and conservation technology using innovative meteorological and soil hydrological stations. Statistically significant advantages of no-till over deep tillage (24 cm) in terms of moisture retention were found, confirming the hypothesis of this study. Besides, this groundbreaking study reveals new possibilities for soil monitoring in the region. The acquired data are applicable for predictive models using remote sensing. Moreover, the results on the management effects for the soil water balance provide basic approaches to soil water monitoring, offering important data for evaluating model results and remote sensing products for the region.
{"title":"Effects of Agricultural Cropping Systems on Soil Water Capacity: The Case in Cross-Border Altai","authors":"Andrey Bondarovich, Patrick Illiger, Gerd Schmidt, Elena Ponkina, Aliya Nugumanova, Almasbek Maulit, Maxim Sutula","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11493","url":null,"abstract":"Temperate grasslands are called the breadbaskets of the world. Due to most continental climate conditions, humus-rich soils have been developed. These soils are very well suited for grain production. This is why extensive conversions from natural steppe to arable land have been implemented in this biome. The Kulunda Steppe, in Southwest Siberia and Central Asia, occupies large parts of the driest regions of the Eurasian Steppe Belt. It was one of the sites of the Virgin Land Campaign realized in the former Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. Intensive agricultural practices have caused significant soil degradation, mainly through humus loss and soil erosion. This results in the degradation of organic carbon, altering the physical and chemical structure of the chestnut soils and impacting their water storage capacity. Against the background of climatic changes, a further intensification of these processes and conditions is to be expected. To stabilize soil carbon and optimize moisture utilization, it is necessary to extensively introduce worldwide experiences in conservation cropping technologies (such as no-till, min-till, and direct seeding) in the area. This study aimed to determine the effects of different cropping systems on soil water storage and water availability. The study’s initial hypothesis was that the soil conservational cropping system has advantages against the traditional deep tillage (24 cm). This hypothesis was based on extensive global experience studying the effects of different agricultural management systems on soil-water balance. In 2013–2016, an experiment was conducted for the first time in the Kulunda steppe to instrumentally measure soil moisture and matrix potential at 30–60–120 cm depth under traditional and conservation technology using innovative meteorological and soil hydrological stations. Statistically significant advantages of no-till over deep tillage (24 cm) in terms of moisture retention were found, confirming the hypothesis of this study. Besides, this groundbreaking study reveals new possibilities for soil monitoring in the region. The acquired data are applicable for predictive models using remote sensing. Moreover, the results on the management effects for the soil water balance provide basic approaches to soil water monitoring, offering important data for evaluating model results and remote sensing products for the region.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135016518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. García-Carmona, F. García‐Orenes, V. Arcenegui, J. Mataix‐Solera
Although Mediterranean ecosystems are adapted to fire disturbances, soils are prone to degradation. Therefore, post-fire forest management is a critical step for ecosystem recovery: it can either reduce soil degradation or add a new disturbance. Post-fire management in Mediterranean burnt forests includes interventions with contrasting approaches, including the management of burnt trees, soil protection, or practices devoted to ecosystem restoration via the improvement of components or processes in the affected ecosystem. The consequences of forest management on soils are complex, thereby, in the context of the intensification of fire events and climate change, understanding the response of key soil components in managed ecosystems is critical for prioritizing soil conservation. One interesting component in the early post-fire stages is moss biocrust. The rapid colonization of biocrust-forming mosses in early successional stages post-disturbance stabilizes soils in their most vulnerable period. However, it is completely unknown further implications as active agents in the recovery and resilience of soils, in the transient stage before vascular vegetation regrowth. In combination with the biocrust, the response of soil microbial communities to forest management is crucial for evaluating the soil recovery progress, given their active role in fundamental ecosystem functions. The additive consequences of fires and forest management on biocrust emergence or microbial composition and functionality are usually neglected in the investigation of post-fire systems, although of major relevance to support strategies to preserve soils against functionality loss.
{"title":"The Recovery of Mediterranean Soils After Post-Fire Management: The Role of Biocrusts and Soil Microbial Communities","authors":"M. García-Carmona, F. García‐Orenes, V. Arcenegui, J. Mataix‐Solera","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11388","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11388","url":null,"abstract":"Although Mediterranean ecosystems are adapted to fire disturbances, soils are prone to degradation. Therefore, post-fire forest management is a critical step for ecosystem recovery: it can either reduce soil degradation or add a new disturbance. Post-fire management in Mediterranean burnt forests includes interventions with contrasting approaches, including the management of burnt trees, soil protection, or practices devoted to ecosystem restoration via the improvement of components or processes in the affected ecosystem. The consequences of forest management on soils are complex, thereby, in the context of the intensification of fire events and climate change, understanding the response of key soil components in managed ecosystems is critical for prioritizing soil conservation. One interesting component in the early post-fire stages is moss biocrust. The rapid colonization of biocrust-forming mosses in early successional stages post-disturbance stabilizes soils in their most vulnerable period. However, it is completely unknown further implications as active agents in the recovery and resilience of soils, in the transient stage before vascular vegetation regrowth. In combination with the biocrust, the response of soil microbial communities to forest management is crucial for evaluating the soil recovery progress, given their active role in fundamental ecosystem functions. The additive consequences of fires and forest management on biocrust emergence or microbial composition and functionality are usually neglected in the investigation of post-fire systems, although of major relevance to support strategies to preserve soils against functionality loss.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42682330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drought stress poses a serious danger to agricultural production. Recent studies have revealed that most of the chemical methods used in the mitigation of its effects on plant production pose a serious threat to humans and the environment. Therefore, the demand for ecologically friendly solutions to ensure the security of the world’s food supply has increased as a result. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) treatment may be advantageous in this situation. Enterobacter mori is a promising rhizobacteria in this regard. However, information on the genome analysis of E. mori linked to the rhizosphere soil of the sorghum plant has not been extensively studied. In this study, we present a genomic lens into functional attributes of E. mori AYS9 isolated from sorghum plants, as well as assess its drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials. Our results showed the drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials of the AYS9. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) results revealed that the genome yielded 4,852,175 bp sequence reads, an average read length of 151 bp, 1,845,357 bp genome size, 67 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and a G + C content of 55.5%. The functional genes identified in the genome were linked to processes including phosphate solubilization, iron transport, hormone regulation, nitrogen fixation, and resistance to oxidative and osmotic stress. Also, secondary metabolites supporting bacterial biocontrol properties against phytopathogens, and abiotic stress such as aerobactin-type non-ribosomal peptide siderophore, Stewartan-type ladderane, and Colicin type NRPS were discovered in the AYS9 genome. Our findings however establish that the intricate metabolic pathways mediated by the projected new genes in the bacterial genome may offer a genetic foundation for future understanding of rhizosphere biology and the diverse roles that these genes play in plant development and health.
{"title":"Genomic Assessment of Enterobacter mori AYS9: A Potential Plant Growth-Promoting Drought-Resistant Rhizobacteria","authors":"A. Fadiji, A. Ayangbenro, O. Babalola","doi":"10.3389/sjss.2023.11302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11302","url":null,"abstract":"Drought stress poses a serious danger to agricultural production. Recent studies have revealed that most of the chemical methods used in the mitigation of its effects on plant production pose a serious threat to humans and the environment. Therefore, the demand for ecologically friendly solutions to ensure the security of the world’s food supply has increased as a result. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) treatment may be advantageous in this situation. Enterobacter mori is a promising rhizobacteria in this regard. However, information on the genome analysis of E. mori linked to the rhizosphere soil of the sorghum plant has not been extensively studied. In this study, we present a genomic lens into functional attributes of E. mori AYS9 isolated from sorghum plants, as well as assess its drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials. Our results showed the drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials of the AYS9. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) results revealed that the genome yielded 4,852,175 bp sequence reads, an average read length of 151 bp, 1,845,357 bp genome size, 67 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and a G + C content of 55.5%. The functional genes identified in the genome were linked to processes including phosphate solubilization, iron transport, hormone regulation, nitrogen fixation, and resistance to oxidative and osmotic stress. Also, secondary metabolites supporting bacterial biocontrol properties against phytopathogens, and abiotic stress such as aerobactin-type non-ribosomal peptide siderophore, Stewartan-type ladderane, and Colicin type NRPS were discovered in the AYS9 genome. Our findings however establish that the intricate metabolic pathways mediated by the projected new genes in the bacterial genome may offer a genetic foundation for future understanding of rhizosphere biology and the diverse roles that these genes play in plant development and health.","PeriodicalId":43464,"journal":{"name":"Spanish Journal of Soil Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46398105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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