Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been applied for the determination of nutrients in the green house soil samples. We determined appropriate spectral signatures of vital nutrients and calibrated the method to measure the nutrients in a naturally fertilized plot, cultivated with tomato and cucumber plants. From the calibration curves we predicted the concentrations of important nut...

Introduct ion .................................................................................................................................... 3 1 1 Carbon Cycling in Forested Wetland So i l s .................................................................................. .3 12 Carbon Fluxes Inputs .............................................................................................

The impact of tree litter on soil chemistry leachate and sulfurous substrates of mine soils from former Jeziórko sulfur mine was investigated. Composites were used: soil substrate (less contaminated at mean 5090 mg kg-1 S or high contaminated at 42,500 mg kg-1 S) + birch or pine litter and control substrate (no litter). The composites were rinsed with distilled water over 12 weeks. In the obtai...

Field trials contribute practical information towards the development of phytoremediation strategies that cannot be provided by laboratory tests. We conducted field experiments utilizing the Cd hyperaccumulator plant Solanum nigrum L., on farmland contaminated with 1.91 mg kg(-1) Cd in the soil. Our study showed that S. nigrum has a relatively high biomass. Planting density had a significant ef...

It is well known that there is a spectrum of pores in a soil profile. The conventional use of a single lumped value of soil hydraulic conductivity to describe a spectrum of hydraulically active pores may have unintentionally impeded the development of field-scale chemical transport theoryand perhaps indirectly hindered the development ofmanagement protocols for chemical application andwaste dis...

Resting cell assay and soil microcosms were set up to investigate the biodegradation capability and metabolic intermediate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by a rhizobial strain Sinorhizobium meliloti. Biodegradation was observed immediately after 2,4,4'-TCB was supplied as a sole source of carbon and energy in liquid cultures. After 6 days, the percent biodegradation of 2,4,4'-TCB was 77.4%...

Extraction of soil organic matter (SOM) fractions has been a longstanding approach to elucidating the pivotal roles of SOM in soil processes. Several types of extraction procedures are commonly used, and all provide partial information on SOM function. This report and accompanying papers summarize the information regarding SOM functions in real-world issues that has been gained through physical...

Soil particle density (rs) is not routinely measured and is assumed to range between 2.60 and 2.70Mgm or to be a constant (2.65Mgm) when estimating essential properties such as porosity, and volumetric water and air relations. Values of rs for the same soil may, however, differ significantly from the standard range due to managementinduced changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations.Weq...