Soils

Week 8: Soils and Their Management (21 April 2016) This week topic is about soil, with three presenters; Richard Greene, Julia Jasonsmith and Craig Strong. Ricard start his presentation with Carbon in soil, while Julia was focused on contamination in soil, finally Craig discussed about dust observation in Australia. The first presenter talk about carbon sequestration and the capturing carbon using trees and how the Carbon concentration decreased from soils. He also explained about how carbon credit

The higher fertility of Terra preta soils originally attracted the attention of geographers, soil scientists and archaeologists, where in general tropical soils can be low in fertility (Glaser et al. 2003). The addition of char seems to be very effective and productive in humid tropical areas, where soils tend to be highly weathered and infertile. The major challenge of agriculture within these regions is the high rates of decomposition of soil organic matter (Zech et al. 1990). This is a consequence

Question 1 • Low CEC demonstrates that the soil would be a sandy Chromosol • Low pH (4.6), the optimum level between 4.8 and 7.8 (CaCl2). Low because of the white clover • Mg (%) is very high. It can lead to poor drainage which results in compaction and waterlogging limiting growth • Ca (%) is deficient and low in the soil analysis • S (%) and K (%) are marginal but in soil analysis Sulfate-S and K are low, therefore is recommended to add fertiliser to rise nutrient to optimum levels • Recommended

are all the leading causes of soil erosion, or wearing down of the earth’s soil (Wright & Boorse, 2011). Why are farmers over cultivating? Why is over grazing such a problem? Why is deforestation becoming a problem in the world? The answers are very simple. The solutions are even simpler. The first thing farmers do is cultivate, or till, the land to control the weeds and to bring oxygen to the soil (Wright & Boorse, 2011). The only problem, it leaves the soil unprotected from wind and water

Microbial analysis of soil, of top layer from selected sites of Area near Dahisar River Saika N. Esani University of Mumbai (Email – saikae@ymail.com) Abstract: soil samples were collected fortnightly from area near Dahisar River, A river in suburb of Mumbai. laboratory analysis started from July 2010 to September 2010. Total bacterial and fungal count were estimated by standard spread plate isolation. Isolated bacteria were subject to colony characterization and were estimated by their

environment, one of the most important elements that constitute it is soil. It contributes greatly to the sustenance of living components as well as influencing their distribution on the world’s surface. Being a habitat provider, soil also controls and regulates the circulation of water as chemical components present within the atmosphere (Nadimi & Farpoor, 2011). Some of the vital gases within the environment also rely on soil for their circulation. The include oxygen and carbon dioxide, which are

Soil erosion is a natural event that affects all land. In farming and other agriculture, soil erosion refers to the weathering away of topsoil by the natural forces such as wind, water or through acts associated with farming such as tilling. Soil erosion can be something that happens slowly over time or something that can happen in the blink of an eye causing severe land damage. This article shows the cause and effect of soil erosion on farm and agriculture land. Wind erosion occurs

Hypothesis The more silt soil contains gives a longer water holding capacity for the soil and the more clay it contains gives a shorter water holding capacity. Procedure I Take separate samples of humus and forest ground soil and place into cups. Using spray bottle filled with water, take a handful of soil into your hand and mist it with water. Squeeze the samples and try to form it into a ball or a ribbon and determine its texture. Afterwards, do the same test again and determine the consistence

2.3 Results and discussion 2.3.1 Physicochemical properties of soils Soil properties are shown in Table 2.1. These soils had a loamy texture with different contents of clay, sand and silt. pH values ranged from 4.45 to 7.73. TC was in the range of 1.6 to 8.37 % without significant amounts of TN and TS detected. TOC varied between 1.48 and 8.37% whilst DOC showed a wide range from 106 to 400 mg kg-1. CEC values ranged from 2.9 to 17.9 cmol kg-1. Concentrations of Fe oxide, Al oxide, and Mn oxide were

A soil ecosystem is composed of both living and non-living matter with a diversity of interactions (The Environmental Literacy Council, N.d.). This is a place where energy and matter are transformed and transported. Analyses that can be used to assess the functioning of land ecosystems is abiotic indicators, biological indicators, and atmospheric indicators. Abiotic indicators can include pH, moisture,and temperature. Soil temperature and moisture are important environmental factors that affect the