Restoring biological soil crusts (biocrusts) in degraded drylands can contribute to recovery of ecosystem functions that have global implications, including erosion resistance and nutrient cycling. To examine techniques for restoring biocrusts, we conducted a replicated, factorial experiment on recently abandoned road surfaces by applying biocrust inoculation (salvaged and stored dry for two ye...

Soil moisture state and variability control many hydrological and ecological processes as well as exchanges of energy and water between the land surface and the atmosphere. However, its state and variability are poorly understood at spatial scales larger than the fields (i.e. 1 km2) as well as the ability to extrapolate field scale to larger spatial scales. This study investigates soil moisture...

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) contributes to the formation and maintenance of soil aggregates, it is however remains unclear whether long-term intensive manure amendments alter soil aggregates stability and whether GRSP regulates these changes. Based on a three-decade long fertilization experiment in northeast China, this study examined the impact of long-term manure input on soil organi...

the appearance of sowbugs (hemilepistus shirazi schuttz) in the sedimentation basins of the artificial recharge of groundwater (arg) systems in the gareh bygone plain (gbp) in southern iran is considered an ecological breakthrough in desertification control. this study was performed at the kowsar floodwater spreading and aquifer management research, training and extension station in gbp, 200 km...

abstract one of the methods for improving soil physical quality of arid and semiarid regions is the application of cheap organic conditioners such as sewage sludge. this research was conducted in large pots (50 cm diameter, 25 cm height) to study the effects of tabriz petrochemical biological sludge at 4 rates (25, 50, 75 and 100 tons/ha) on organic carbon (oc), mean weight diameter (mwd) of ag...

Understanding the effects of soil intrinsic properties and extrinsic conditions on aggregate stability is essential for the development of effective soil and water conservation practices. Our objective was to evaluate the combined role of soil texture, aggregate size and application of a stabilizing agent on aggregate and structure stability indices (composite structure index [SI], the α and n ...

the rehabilitation of sandy desertified land in various dryland ecosystems by different management practices has a great potential to increase aggregate stability and improve soil quality. however, plants in general may have a different ability to sustain soil. the objective was to determine the effects of reclamation practices including haloxylon ammodendron and atriplex canescens plantation o...

This paper introduces a methodology for soil slope stability analysis based on optimization, limit equilibrium principles and method of slices. In this study, the slope stability analysis problem is transformed into a constrained nonlinear optimization problem. To solve that, a Self-Adaptive Genetic Algorithm (GA) is utilized. In this study, the slope stability safety factors are the objective ...

Beet vinasse (BV), a green manure constituted by Trifolium pratense L. uncomposted (TP) and composted with beet vinasse (at 1:1 rate, (TP+BV)1, and 2:1 rate, (TP+BV)2) at 10t organic matter ha(-1) rate were applied during a period of four years for purpose of restoration of a Xelloric Calciorthid located near Seville (Guadalquivir Valley, Andalusia, Spain). The effect on the plant cover, soil p...