The recent retreat of glaciers and ice sheets as a result of global warming exposes forefield soils that are rapidly colonized by microbes. These ecosystems are dominant in high-latitude carbon and nutrient cycles as microbial activity drives biogeochemical transformations within these newly exposed soils. Despite this, little is known about the response of these emerging ecosystems and associa...

the need to understand the nature of organic P in these soils. The organic P composition of semi-arid arable soils is largely unSoil organic P determination has traditionally been known, but such information is fundamental to understanding P dynamics in irrigated agriculture. We used solution 31P nuclear magnetic hampered by difficulties with the extraction, separation resonance (NMR) spectrosc...

organic horizons of old-growth Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] forests are colonized by ectomycorrhizal fungi, which can form large patches or mats. Respiration, N mineralization, chitinase activity, and amino sugar C and N turnover are higher in soils colonized by ectomycorrhizal mats. To test if microbial activity in mat soil is driven by decomposition of fungal biomass, we...

BACKGROUND Sale of organic foods is one of the fastest growing market segments within the global food industry. People often buy organic food because they believe organic farms produce more nutritious and better tasting food from healthier soils. Here we tested if there are significant differences in fruit and soil quality from 13 pairs of commercial organic and conventional strawberry agroecos...

Soil organic C content, a major source of system stability in agroecosystems, is controlled by many factors that have complex interactions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the major controls over soil organic carbon content, and to predict regional patterns of carbon in range and cultivated soils. We obtained pedon and climate data for 500 rangeland and 300 cultivated soils in the U.S...

This paper compared the effectiveness of four organic materials for decreasing the amounts of soil extractable Cr(VI) in Cr(VI)-contaminated soils using the DOWEX M4195 resin-extraction method. Organic matters were added into Cr(VI)-spiked soils [500 mg Cr(VI)(kgsoil)(-1)] in the form of sugarcane dregs compost (SCDC), cattle-dung compost (CDC), soybean meal (SBM) and rice bran (RB), in the amo...

The retention of nutrients in narrow, vegetated riparian buffer strips (VBS) is uncertain and underlying processes are poorly understood. Evidence suggests that buffer soils are poor at retaining dissolved nutrients, especially phosphorus (P), necessitating management actions if P retention is not to be compromised. We sampled 19 buffer strips and adjacent arable field soils. Differences in nut...

Two common manure storage practices are stockpiles and lagoons. The manure from stockpiles is applied to soils in solid form, while lagoon manure is applied as a liquid. Soil amendment with manure in any form introduces a significant amount of phosphorus (P) that exists in both organic and inorganic forms. However, little is known about P speciation in manure stored under different conditions, ...

Soil type and fertility level influence straw carbon dynamics in the agroecosystems. However, there is a limited understanding of the dynamic processes of straw-derived and soil-derived carbon and the influence of the addition of straw carbon on soil-derived organic carbon in different soils associated with different fertility levels. In this study, we applied the in-situ carborundum tube metho...

Due to its recalcitrance against microbial degradation, biochar is very stable in soil compared to other organic matter additions, making its application to soils a suitable approach for the build-up of soil organic carbon (SOC). The net effects of such biochar addition also depend on its interactions with existing organic matter in soils. A study was established to investigate how the status o...