Developments in soil ecotoxicology started with observations on pesticide effects on soil invertebrates in the 1960s. To support the risk assessment of chemicals, in the 1980s and 1990s development of toxicity tests was the main issue, including single species tests and also more realistic test systems like model ecosystems and field tests focusing on structural and functional endpoints. In the...

A series of analyses were performed to provide chemical signatures for surface soils and to evaluate potential sources of fugitive dust in the Paso del Norte (PdN) region. Eighteen sites were selected for soil sampling based on an assessment of the soil types in the region and the main upwind source areas with a potential for wind erosion. Analyses of the soil samples provided chemical 'fingerp...

Understanding the microbial community structure of agricultural soils is important for better soil management in order to improve soil quality. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis has been popularly used in determining the microbial community structure in different ecosystems. The microbial community structure of paddy soil under long-term fertilizer treatments was investigated after 45 years usin...

sterilized soils are commonly used for the study of xenobiotic sorption and as an abiotic control in biodegradation experiments. they are also used for the chemical study of nitrogen and carbon cycle processes and the elimination of the biological factors. in this research the effects of different soil sterilization methods such as autoclaving, fumigating and exposure to ultraviolet and microwa...

Soil quality and health are terms describing similar concepts, but the latter appeals to farmers and crop consultants as part of a holistic approach to soil management. We regard soil health as the integration and optimization of the physical, biological and chemical aspects of soils for improved productivity in an economic and sustainable manner. This paper describes the process used for the s...

Citation: Preston CM, Simard M, Bergeron Y, Bernard GM and Wasylishen RE (2017) Charcoal in Organic Horizon and Surface Mineral Soil in a Boreal Forest Fire Chronosequence of Western Quebec: Stocks, Depth Distribution, Chemical Properties and a Synthesis of Related Studies. Front. Earth Sci. 5:98. doi: 10.3389/feart.2017.00098 Charcoal in Organic Horizon and Surface Mineral Soil in a Boreal For...

Chemical extractants used to measure labile soil metal must ideally select for and solubilise the labile fraction, with minimal solubilisation of non-labile metal. We assessed four extractants (0.43 M HNO3, 0.43 M CH3COOH, 0.05 M Na2H2EDTA and 1 M CaCl2) against these requirements. For soils contaminated by contrasting sources, we compared isotopically exchangeable Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb (EValue...

such ion-sink methods as feo coated strips, (pi), can adsorb and collect p from soil solution. ion sink methods function similar to plant-root surface, adsorbing available p ions from the p pool in the soil. the objective of this study was to compare pi test with olsen, ab-dtpa, bray 2 and mehlich 2 methods to estimate the availability of soil p in alfalfa (medicago sativa). available p was det...