A field experiment was conducted to measure surface dissipation and volatilization of the herbicide triallate after application to bare soil using micrometeorological, chamber, and soil-loss methods. The volatilization rate was measured continuously for 6.5 days and the range in the daily peak values for the integrated horizontal flux method was from 32.4 (day 5) to 235.2 g ha(-1) d(-1) (day 1)...

Appropriate management of animal waste is essential for guaranteeing good water quality. A laboratory leaching study with intact soil columns was performed to investigate the risk of phosphorus (P) leaching from a clay loam and a loamy sand. The columns (0.2 m deep) were irrigated before and after application of pig slurry on the surface or after incorporation, or application of mineral P, each...

Aim of this work is looking for a correlation between footprint and soil penetration volume of treads in agricultural tires. Three tyres of different dimensions, fitted on the same tractor with different pressures and loads (N=not ballasted; Z=ballasted) were tested for defining the area of the single footprint shape (SF and SaF), of the multiple footprint shape (MF) and the volume of tyre in s...

Combining several soil fumigants to increase the broad spectrum of pest control is a common fumigation practice in current production agriculture. In this study, we investigated the effect of combined application of chloropicrin and methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) on their transformations and persistence in the environment. In aqueous solution, no direct reaction between MITC and chloropicrin occu...

Robust estimation of soil moisture using microwave remote sensing depends on extensive ground sampling for calibration and validation of the data. Soil surface sealing is a frequent phenomenon in dry environments. It modulates soil moisture close to the soil surface and, thus, has the potential to affect the retrieval of soil moisture from microwave remote sensing and the validation of these da...

Phosphorus application in excess of crop needs has increased the concentration of P in surface soil and runoff and led many states to develop P-based nutrient management strategies. However, insufficient data are available relating P in surface soil, surface runoff, and subsurface drainage to develop sound guidelines. Thus, we investigated P release from the surface (0-5 cm depth) of a Denbigh ...

Land-applied animal manure can be a major contributor of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. For surface-applied manures the time period prior to the first runoff is of greatest concern, because most enteric species initially exhibit rapid die-off rates. The objectives of this investigation were to follow the die-off of indicator organisms after manure application to a bar? soil surface and...

Herbicide use is increasing worldwide both in agriculture and private gardens. However, our knowledge of potential side-effects on non-target soil organisms, even on such eminent ones as earthworms, is still very scarce. In a greenhouse experiment, we assessed the impact of the most widely used glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup on two earthworm species with different feeding strategies. We dem...