Growing cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in an agroforestry system generates a productive use of the land, preserves the best conditions for physical, chemical and biological properties of tropical soils, and plays an important role in improving cacao production and fertility of degraded tropical soils. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of two long term agroforestry systems of cacao ma...

A former agrichemical dealership in western Nebraska was suspected of having contaminated soil. Our objective was to characterize and remediate the contaminated site by a combined chemical-biological approach. This was accomplished by creating contour maps of the on-site contamination, placing the top 60 cm of contaminated soil in windrows and mixing with a mechanical high-speed mixer. Homogeni...

There is currently a significant need to improve our understanding of the factors that control a number of critical soil processes by integrating physical, chemical and biological measurements on soils at microscopic scales to help produce 3D maps of the related properties. Because of technological limitations, most chemical and biological measurements can be carried out only on exposed soil su...

Methyl iodide (MeI) is a promising alternative to the phased-out fumigant methyl bromide (MeBr); however, there are concerns about its environmental fate following soil fumigation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of various environmental factors on the rate of MeI degradation in soil. The chemical was added to soil at 48.6 mg kg(-1) and incubated under different ...

With the rising awareness of the adverse effects of chemical pesticides, people are looking for organically grown vegetables. Consumers are increasingly choosing organic foods due to the perception that they are healthier than those conventionally grown. Vegetable crops are vulnerable to a range of pathogenic organisms that reduce yield by killing the plant or damaging the product, thus making ...

Soils used for vegetable production in Florida are sandy, have low organic matter content and fertility, and can support the growth of soil-borne pathogens. Some growers choose to apply compost as an antagonistic suppression approach to combat soil-borne disease effects on crop yields or to increase organic matter and improve soil fertility. The objective of this on-farm study was to determine ...

Rapid industrialization in the 1960s caused heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) to severely pollute soil in Japan. The Agricultural Land Soil Pollution Prevention Law was enacted in 1970 to cope with the heavy metal pollution. Cd, in particular, has been recognized as one of the most detrimental elements in Japan because of the so-called “itai-itai” disease caused through Cd uptake. Recently, the...

The superficial strata of ground have been perennially exposed to the action of natural agents such as heat, cold and water. However, grazing agent was not different from them when soils were investigated from temperate rangelands of Kashmir and caused the soil compaction, soil structure degradation and loss of soil organic C and C/N ratio. Soils from three grazing intensities were investigated...