We evaluated the effect of phosphorus application rates from various sources and in the presence or absence of filter cake on soil phosphorus, plant phosphorus, changes in acid phosphatase activity, and sugarcane productivity grown in Eutrophic Red Ultisol. Three P sources were used (triple superphosphate, Araxa rock phosphate, and Bayovar rock phosphate) and four application rates (0, 90, 180,...

Environmental conditions influence patterns of local-scale plant productivity and species richness. We sampled soils and plant communities at a topographicallydiverse, mid-successional old field site in Kansas to better understand the abiotic factors underlying a natural plant productivity gradient. We related soil texture, pH, percent nitrogen and carbon, and soil moisture to elevation, plant ...

In this paper we explore the incentives of low income agricultural producers to adopt soil carbon sequestration, focusing particularly on the impact of risk. A dynamic optimization model of the farm level decision to adopt conservation is then presented, where farmers’ optimize over the expected utility of profits from agricultural and carbon sequestration activities. Carbon sequestration adopt...

Buildings structures and surfaces are explicitly being used to grow plants, and these "urban plantings" are generally designed for aesthetic value. Urban plantings also have the potential to contribute significant "ecological values" by increasing urban habitat for animals such as arthropods and by increasing plant productivity. In this study, we evaluated how the provision of these additional ...

Agricultural productivity levels depend on the adoption of (improved) agricultural technologies, among other aspects. However, the use of improved technologies in Mozambique is still very limited. Data from the National Agricultural Survey of 2012, known as Inquérito Agrícola Integrado, show that less than 3% of smallholder farmers used inorganic fertilizers, 6% used pesticides, 9% used improve...

It is well established that agricultural practices alter the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities. However, the impact of changing soil microbial communities on the functioning of the agroecosystems is still poorly understood. Earlier work showed that soil tillage drastically altered microbial community composition. Here we tested, using an experimental grassland (Lolium, Tri...

The chernozem has high productivity, most of which is located in Northeast of China. Considering the restrictions of land use and terrain and meteorological conditions, soil erosion and degradation often result in lower agricultural output than expected. Land consolidation is served to consolidate parcels and to enlarge holdings as well as included provisions such as irrigation, drainage infras...

Carbon sequestration is a major ecosystem service provided by tropical forests. Especially in light of global climate change, understanding the drivers of forest productivity is of critical importance. Although abiotic conditions (e.g., precipitation) are known to influence forest productivity, ecological theory predicts that biodiversity may also have independent effects on productivity. We es...

Desertification, one of the most severe types of land degradation in the world, is of great importance because it is occurring, to some degree, on approximately 40% of the global land area and is affecting more than 1 billion people. In this study, we used a space-for-time method to quantify the impact of five different desertification regimes (potential (PD), light (LD), moderate (MD), severe ...

The productivity of a pasture soil (caatinga) located in the region of São João do Cariri, PB, Brazil was evaluated based an the following microbiological parameters: biomass (measured by fumigation-incubation method), activity (estimated from basal respiration and cellulose decomposition rate), qCO2, and Cmic : Corg ratio. This analysis demonstrated that livestock management in the 'caatinga' ...