Soil amendments can improve the sustainability of agricultural systems by building soil carbon and improving numerous other soil health indicators, including soil structure, water infiltration and retention, bulk density, nutrient availability, and microbial activity. This chapter covers some general considerations relevant to the use of soil amendments followed by a discussion of biosolids, an...

Bulk element concentrations of whole grain and element spatial distributions at the tissue level were investigated in wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain grown in Zn-enriched soil. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry were used for bulk analysis, whereas micro-proton-induced X-ray emission was used to resolve the two-dimensional l...

Unreasonably high irrigation levels and excessive nitrogen (N) supplementation are common occurrences in the North China Plain that affect winter wheat production. Therefore, a 6-yr-long stationary field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and N regimes on root development and their relationship with soil water and N use in different soil layers. Compared to the no...

Distribution of radionuclides in the soil samples, Infra-red stimulated luminescence dating techniques, electrical conductivity, pH measurements and grain size analysis of soils of the region between the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers (in the Upper Gangetic plain) have been studied. Soil characteristics are highly sensitive to climate changes and the degree of soil development indicated by higher thic...

Enhanced indoor radon levels are frequently found in the western part of the Swiss Jura mountains, a karst region. The activity in the limestone bedrock is low ( 20 Bq/kg). In the thin soil overburden the =Ra activity concentration is 2 to 3 times higher than in soil samples from the Swiss Plateau but on the average still below 100 Bq/kg. It is supposed that the radon problem in this region is ...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the biodegradation performance of phenol in a fixed biofilm developed in sand soil media. The parameters which had been studied and may influence the biodegradation were: a) the grain size of sand, b) the rate of flow, and c) the initial phenol loading. Laboratory scale of two columns with inner diameter of 5 cm was used. The first column was packed with fin...

Cover crop treatments and nitrogen (N) fertilization rates were investigated for their impact on sorghum grain quality attributes. Sorghum was planted in field plots treated with differing cover cropping systems and fertilization rates. The size (weight and diameter) and hardness of the kernels were influenced by both the cover crop and N rates. The protein content increased as the N rate incre...

Host suitability of commercial sunflower hybrids to Pratylenchus zeae was studied in the field and greenhouse. For comparison, one maize and one grain sorghum inbred line, both susceptible to P. zeae, were included in the greenhouse experiments. Pratylenchus zeae densities extracted from the roots of sunflower hybrids grown in naturally infested soil were low. In the first greenhouse experiment...