A survey of 153 acid grasslands from the Atlantic biogeographic region of Europe indicates that chronic nitrogen deposition is changing plant species composition and soil and plant-tissue chemistry. Across the deposition gradient (2-44 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)) grass richness as a proportion of total species richness increased whereas forb richness decreased. Soil C:N ratio increased, but soil extrac...

Compost and mulch blankets have been widely used for slope stabilization and erosion control at construction sites; however, the majority of research on these erosion control blankets has failed to meet state or federal specifications for particle size distribution. The primary objective of this study was to determine how blending wood mulch with compost may affect its performance as an erosion...

In northern Japan, declines in soil nitrogen fertility have occurred in paddy–upland rotation systems with soybean cultivation. A six-year lysimeter experiment was conducted to evaluate the nitrogen budget in paddy–upland rotation (three-year for upland soybean, then three-year for flooded paddy rice) and to clarify the effect of preceding compost application (immature or mature compost over fo...

Chopped wheat straw, containing increasing amounts of added water was treated with a constant level of ammonia (3.3 percent of straw dry matter) as ammonium hydroxide, and stored for I to 60 days before determing in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVD MD), nitrogen content and fiber-bound nitrogen (ADF-N) versus free ammonia nitrogen (NH3N) of the treated sample. The overall improvement (e.g., ...

Soil animals are considered as important contributors to soil fertility However, there is paucity of such information for harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, the below ground faunal density and frequency have been studied in relation to physicochemical properties of soil in Thar desert. The selected soil systems were Vigna radiata--Cuminum cyminum, grassland, flower garden and Zizyphus maurit...

This study analyzed the relationship between nitrogen fertilization and the biological properties of soil contaminated with zinc. The influence of various concentrations of zinc and nitrogen on the microbiological and biochemical activity of soil was investigated. In a laboratory experiment, loamy sand with pHKCl 5.6 was contaminated with zinc (ZnCl2) and fertilized with urea as a source of nit...

INTRODUCTION: Soybean offers a variety of potential benefits to the production systems, diets, and incomes of smallholder producers. In addition to being a potentially profitable cash crop, the high protein content (about 40%) in soybean means it could also contribute to improved nutritional status of rural households. Finally, soybean also has potential agronomic benefit of rejuvenating soils ...

Concentrations of 22 elements in pinewood were compared with that in frass produced by insects representing the following taxa: Reticulitermes spp. (Rhinotermitidae), Zootermopsis nevadensis (Termopsidae), Incisitermes snyderi (Kalotermitidae), Hylotrupes spp. (Cerambycidae), Heterobostrychus spp. (Bostrichidae), Lyctus spp. (Bostrichidae), and representatives of the family Ptinidae (formerly A...

A microcosm-based approach was used to study impacts of plant and chemical factors on the bacterial community structure of an upland acidic grassland soil. Seven perennial plant species typical of both natural, unimproved (Nardus stricta, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca ovina and F. rubra) and fertilized, improved (Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens) grasslands were either left un...