The addition of organic residues to soil is an option to control some soil-borne diseases. Benzaldehyde and powders of kudzu (Pueraria lobata), velvetbean (Mucuna deeringiana), and pine-bark (Pinus elliottii and P. taeda) added to soil could reduce certain soilborne diseases. This study evaluated the effects of benzaldehyde and the dried powders of kudzu, velvetbean, and pine-bark as soil amend...

Endogeic earthworm activities can strongly influence soil structure. Although soil microorganisms are thought to be central to earthworm-facilitated aggregate formation, how and where within the soil matrix earthworm-facilitated influences on soil microbial communities are manifested is poorly defined. In this study we used 16S rRNA gene-based terminal restriction fragment polymorphism (T-RFLP)...

*Correspondence: María L. Cayuela, CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain e-mail: [email protected] In spite of the numerous studies reporting a decrease in soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions after biochar amendment, there is still a lack of understanding of the processes involved. Hence the subject remains controversial, with a number of studies showing no cha...

a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Pedology Soil genesis Soil history Soil taxonomy Soil science in the USA The formation and classification of soils have been a key area of research in the soil science discipline. Major breakthroughs have been brought about since the mid 1800s and it has evolved from conceptual frameworks, to descriptive studies to more quantitative approaches. Some 50 years ago ...

The interactive influence of furrow surface seal formation and surge irrigation (intermittent flow) on furrow infiltration into a Portneuf silt loam soil was measured with a recirculating infiltrometer. When the formation of a surface seal was prevented by a layer of cheesecloth laid on the furrow perimeter, flow interruption increased furrow bed bulk density by 100 kg/m 3 and decreased infiltr...

Soil sites have a profound effect on ground motion during earthquakes due to their low wave speeds, layered structure, and nonlinear constitutive relationship. Measurements of nonlinear soil response under natural conditions are critical to understanding soil behavior during earthquakes. Currently, quantitative measurements of nonlinear soil response are derived from laboratory experiments on s...

The impact of ‘non-rainfall’ water on soil is important in arid zones. In that environment, the amount of dew can exceed that of rainfall, or even be the sole source of liquid water for plants. However, since plants cover only a small fraction of the desert surface, such assessments apply only to a small proportion of the area. In the absence of fog, dew formation and direct water vapor adsorpt...

Recent studies on the speciation of Zn in contaminated soils confirmed the formation of Zn-layered double hydroxide (LDH) and Zn-phyllosilicate phases. However, no information on the kinetics of the formation of those phases under field conditions is currently available. In the present study, the transformation of Zn in a field soil artificially contaminated with ZnO containing filter dust from...