Soil loss through wind and water erosion is an ongoing problem in semiarid regions. A thin layer of top soil loss over a hectare of cropland could be corresponding to tons of productive soil loss per hectare. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of beef feedlot manure, tillage and legume grass mixtures on changes in soil quality and nutrient components. The study was init...

Loamy sand soils of the southeastern USA Coastal Plains often have poor physical properties because they contain cemented subsurface hard layers that restrict root development and yield. Their physical properties can be improved by adding amendments. Polyacrylamide (PAM) amendments and/or organic matter (OM) in the form of ground wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) stubble or pecan (Carya illinoensis)...

The objective of this work was to verify the effect of frequent sludge soil amendments on the soil’s activity and microbial biomass C. Results showed that the use of excessive sludge doses could be detrimental to the soil’s microflora.

In agro-ecosystems, fertilization practices are crucial for sustaining crop productivity. Here, based on a 50-year long-term experiment, we studied the influence of fertilization practices (inorganic and/or organic) and nitrogen (N) application rates on (i) soil physicochemical properties, (ii) microbial and earthworm communities and (iii) crop production. Our results showed that soil organic c...

Previous research has shown that population densities of plant-parasitic nematodes are reduced when a legume crop is grown in rotation with sugarcane. However, this effect is only temporary, as nematodes usually return to high densities within 12 months of planting sugarcane. This rapid resurgence suggests that natural enemies that normally keep plant-parasitic nematodes under control in natura...

The use of pesticides in modern agriculture is unavoidable because they are required to control weeds. Pesticides are poisonous; hence, they are dangerous if misused. Understanding the fate of pesticides will be useful to use them safely. Therefore, contaminations of water and soil resources could be avoided. The fates of pesticides in soils are influenced by their sorption, decomposition and m...

The environmental and health effects caused by nitrate contamination of aquatic systems are a serious problem throughout the world. A strategy proposed to address nitrate pollution is the restoration of wetlands. However, although natural wetlands often remove nitrate via high rates of denitrification, wetlands restored for water quality functions often fall below expectations. This may be in p...

The inorganic nitrogenous amendments calcium cyanamide (CC), ammonia water (AW), and a mixture of ammonium bicarbonate with lime (A+L) are popularly used as fumigants to control soil-borne disease in China. However, it is unclear which of these fumigants is more effective in controlling R. solanacearum. This present study compared the efficiencies of the three nitrogenous amendments listed abov...

The meals from many oilseed crops have potential for biofumigation due to their release of biocidal compounds such as isothiocyanates (ITCs). Various ITCs are known to inhibit numerous pathogens; however, much less is known about how the soil microbial community responds to the different types of ITCs released from oilseed meals (SMs). To simulate applying ITC-releasing SMs to soil, we amended ...