We report the design of a silicon chip dedicated to the in-situ monitoring of soil nitrogen cycle in wheat crop. Our study shows that ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) microsensors are suitable for quick on-site or long-term analysis of nutrients measured directly in soil as opposed to soil extracts analysis. Our pH-ISFET recorded soil pH for six months with results in good accordan...

abstract soil invertebrate and their spatial pattern are affected strongly by environmental factors. spatial variability of soil properties is one of the most important reasons of the macrofauna variability. this study was conducted to investigate the spatial variability of soil properties and soil macrofauna biomass in the riparian forest landscape of karkhe river. soil macro fauna were sample...

Miller, Richard E.; Hazard, John; Howes, Steven. 2001. Precision, accuracy, and efficiency of four tools for measuring soil bulk density or strength. Res. Pap. PNWRP-532. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 16 p. Monitoring soil compaction is time consuming. A desire for speed and lower costs, however, must be balanced with the appro...

Robust estimation of soil moisture using microwave remote sensing depends on extensive ground sampling for calibration and validation of the data. Soil surface sealing is a frequent phenomenon in dry environments. It modulates soil moisture close to the soil surface and, thus, has the potential to affect the retrieval of soil moisture from microwave remote sensing and the validation of these da...

Black soils (Mollisols) of northeast China are highly productive and agriculturally important for food production. Ammonia-oxidizing microbes play an important role in N cycling in the black soils. However, the information related to the composition and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microbes in the black soils has not yet been addressed. In this study, we used the amoA gene to quantify the ...

Moraea pallida (yellow tulp) poisoning is economically the most important intoxication of livestock in South Africa. Poisoning varies according to locality, climatic conditions and growth stage of the plant. The primary objective of this study was to determine the concentration of the toxic principle, epoxyscillirosidine, in yellow tulp leaves and to ascertain the variability of epoxyscillirosi...

Almost one-quarter of the world's population is infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH). We conducted a study to determine the prevalence and location of STH-Ascaris, Trichuris, and hookworm spp.-egg contamination in soil within rural household plots in Kenya. Field staff collected soil samples from July to September 2014 from the house entrance and the latrine entrance of households in ...

Soil sampling for the purpose of fertility assessment is normally confined to the plough layer with little or no attention to the rooting pattern of the crop in question or the availability of subsoil nutrients. However, there is little doubt that a thorough understanding of the development and activity of plant roots in their soil environment is essential to a balanced soil fertility research ...

Evaluations of vapor intrusion pathways of chemical contaminants often include soil gas measurements to assess the potential for indoor inhalation. No longer just a screening tool, soil gas measurements are requiring a level of quality and defensibility which should be incorporated in soil gas analytical protocols. While both EPA Compendium Method TO-15 and EPA SW-846 Method 8260B are routinely...

Distribution of Xiphinema americanum and four Meloidogyne spp, was studied in a vineyard over a 13-mo. period. The X. arnericanum population was concd in the upper 60-cm of undisturbed soil in the vine row, whereas the Meloidogyne species were distributed both in and between rows and to greater depths, similar to the distribution of the root system. Samples for assessment of X. americanum densi...