Agricultural & Environmental Letters最新文献

The crystallinity index (CI) is an important parameter in evaluating cotton fiber quality. Due to its ease and speed in measuring CIs from X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, the Segal method is popularly used. In this study, we assessed the Segal method for monitoring the crystallinity evolution in developing cotton (Gossypium L.) fibers between 20 and 60 days post anthesis (DPAs) by comparing Segal CIs with those obtained from a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-based method and other XRD-based methods. The Segal method estimated higher CIs than other methods, especially for shorter DPAs. The Segal method suggested a rapid evolution of crystallinity in the early developmental stage, whereas other methods suggested a gradual increase in crystallinity. The calculation of diffraction patterns for cellulose Iβ crystallites with different sizes showed very little effect of the crystallite size on the Segal CIs for developing cotton fibers studied.

Over the last two decades, soil science research has undergone rapid expansion. Understanding public interest in soil science is vital for evaluating dissemination efforts and situating it in the broader environmental discourse. Analyzing Google Trends search data from 2004 to 2023, this study investigates spikes in search volume index (SVI) for soil-related searches and potential influences. Significant spikes in SVI between 2019–2020 and 2021–2022 were observed for a number of soil characteristics and soil conservation searches. Similar spikes were observed for possible influences such as the documentary “Kiss the ground,” and SVI related to climate change and carbon sequestration. Notably, SVI for “sustainable development goals” aligned with similar patterns in SVI for “soil health,” indicating a possible link between soil interest and the United Nations’ sustainability goals. This study underscores the seemingly rising interest in soil science, possibly linked with dissemination events, and broader environmental concerns and policies.

Maintaining the editorial standards of a scientific journal is the primary task of the journal editors. Their task is made much easier with the help of colleagues who are invited to review manuscripts. Through their critical comments and helpful suggestions, these volunteer reviewers have done much to maintain and further the quality of research reported in Agricultural & Environmental Letters. The members of the Agricultural & Environmental Letters Editorial Board express their appreciation to the following individuals who reviewed manuscripts in 2023. Many of the reviewers listed below reviewed more than one paper. We extend our apologies and thanks to those reviewers whose names have been inadvertently omitted from this list.

Anapalli, Saseendran

Ansari, Jamshid

Armstrong, Shalamar

Asci, Serhat

Bhandari, Ammar

Buda, Anthony

Castellano, Michael

Chatterjee, Amitava

Chen, Chang-Er

Chiluwal, Anuj

Choi, Woo-Jung

Christianson, Laura

Cihacek, Larry

Crespo, Cecilia

Culman, Steven

Daigh, Aaron

Dey, Shuvashis

Dhakal, Madhav

Douzals, Jean Paul

Duquette, Cameron

Duzy, Leah

Fernández Jorquera, Francisco José

Galagedara, Lakshman

Ghatrehsamani, Shirin

Haruna, Samuel

He, Jinxi

He, Yangbo

Hopkins, Bryan

Jha, Gaurav

Joshi, Deepak R.

Joshi, Vijaya

Kharel, Tulsi

Knappenberger, Thorsten

Kolka, Randy

Kral-O'Brien, Katherine

Kronenberg, Raelin

Kumar, Chandan

Li, Sheng

Licht, Mark

Locke, Anna

Malone, Lindsay

Marx, Adam

McGuire, Andrew

Millar, David

Moore, Matt

Mowrer, Jake

Nam, Sunghyun

O'Brien, Peter

Pease, Lindsay

Provin, Tony

Ranville, Michelle

Ricart, Sandra

Roper, Wayne

Rosinger, Christoph

Ruark, Matthew

Rui, Yichao

Sanford, Gregg

Sassenrath, Gretchen

Sawadgo, Wendiam

Schlossberg, Maxim

Schneider, S. K.

Severino Da Silva, Liliane

Singh, Arshdeep

Singh, Hardeep

Slaughter, Lindsey C.

Smith, William

Sun, Luyi

Swenson, Rebecca

Villarreal, R.

Wade, Jordon

Wherley, Benjamin

White, Charles

White, Paul

Wooliver, Rachel

Worosz, Michelle

Young, Joseph

Zhang, Hailin

Soil nutrient concentrations are often expressed as parts per million (ppm) in soil test reports. For incorporation into nutrient management decisions, ppm-based concentrations have to be converted into pounds per acre, and a conversion factor (multiplier) of 2.0 is typically recommended universally to do so. However, this conversion factor stems from an assumed value of bulk density (ρ_b) corresponding to silt loam soil and is invariant to any deviation beyond assumed ρ_b. Here, we quantify and evaluate the potential ramifications of assuming a constant ρ_b value on calculating soil nitrogen credits. A true dynamic conversion factor that is sensitive to variation in ρ_b ranges between 1.28 and 2.68 for soils across US cropland. Failure to account for this dynamic conversion factor was shown to result in an underestimation of soil N credits by up to 40%. In addition to spatial variation, management-induced changes in ρ_b are also important to incorporate into the conversion factor.

Understanding the long-term effects of manure applications on the soil microbial component in semiarid climates will be key to sustain essential processes that affect their productivity and soil health. In this paper, soil health indicators encompassed both selected chemical and biological indicators. From 2004 to 2009, solid dairy manure treatments were applied to plots at cumulative rates of 0, 134, and 237 dry Mg ha⁻¹ (34–56 dry Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in a randomized complete block with three replicates. Soil samples were taken from each manure rate in the spring of 2020 at 0–15 and 15–30 cm. Eleven years after manure applications ceased, many of the soil chemical and biological indicators were different between the manure and control treatments. In general, soil organic carbon and biological indicators were significantly greater in the 134 and 237 Mg ha⁻¹ treatments as compared to the 0 Mg ha⁻¹ treatment.

A changing climate offers new opportunities to expand agriculture in northern latitudes, and understanding forest-to-agriculture land conversion impacts is critical to ensure soil sustainability. Using the Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) framework, we identified a minimum suite of indicators with little collinearity to reliably predict soil impacts during the conversion of boreal forest to agriculture and a time since conversion gradient (forest, <10 years, >10 and <50 years, and >50 years since conversion). We sampled paired forest and agricultural sites and used multiple linear regression to assess 16 indicators and found four- and six-indicator models predicted the CASH score with varying but reasonable accuracy depending on conversion class. Organic matter, water aggregate stability, and pH were consistent predictors across all classes, as well as one or more micronutrients. The CASH framework appears to be more suitable for agricultural soils and as time since conversion proceeds.