Pesticide use in agriculture can cause undesirable effects to the natural environment as well as to humans. A field trial to determine residues of 2,4-D and paraquat in the ricefield soil and surface water of the drainage canals in the Kerian district of Perak, Malaysia, was conducted during 2006/2007. Analyses of 2,4-D and paraquat in the soil and water samples were carried out using a high pe...

Organism succession during ecosystem development has been researched for aboveground plant communities, however, the associated patterns of change in below-ground microbial communities are less described. In 2008, a study was initiated along a developmental sand-dune soil chronosequence bordering northern Lake Michigan near Wilderness Park (WP). It was hypothesized that soil bacterial communiti...

Predicting soil phosphorus (P) needs and P fertilizer requirements is important for plant nutrition and reducing environmental risk. The P requirement (PR) can be calculated from three components: the current status of soil P (P0), soil P buffer coefficient (PBC), and the soil P critical level (PCL). The PBC and PCL can be predicted from soil clay content using linear-plateau models. The PR, PB...

Predicting the impact of land cover and climate change on hydrologic responses using modeling tools are essential in understanding the movement and pattern of hydrologic processes within the watershed. The paper provided potential implications of land conversions and climate change scenarios on the hydrologic processes of Muleta watershed using soil and water assessment tool model. Model inputs...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) change can be a major impact of land use change (LUC) associated with biofuel feedstock production. By collecting and analyzing data from worldwide field observations of major LUCs from cropland, grassland, and forest to lands producing biofuel crops (i.e. corn, switchgrass, Miscanthus, poplar, and willow), we were able to estimate SOC response ratios and sequestration...

the calculation of rts amounts to measuring a relationship between inputs and outputs in a production structure. there are many methods to measure rts in the primal space or the dual space. one of the main approaches is using the multiplier on the convexity constraint. but returns to scale measurements in dea models are affected by the presence of regulatory constraints. these additional constr...