Erosion has been reported as one of the top degradation processes that negatively affect agricultural soils. The study objective was to identify hydropedological factors controlling soil water ...dynamics in erosion-affected hillslope vineyard soils. The hydropedological study was conducted at identically-managed Jastrebarsko (location I), and Jazbina (II) and (III) sites with Stagnosol soils. Soil Hydraulic Properties (SHP) were estimated on intact soil cores using Evaporation and WP4C methods; soil hydraulic functions were fitted using HYPROP-FIT software. For Apg and Bg/Btg horizons, uni- and bimodal soil hydraulic models could be well fitted to data; although, the bimodal model performed better in particular cases where data indicated non-uniform pore size distribution. With these SHP estimations, a one-year (2020) water flow scenario was simulated using HYDRUS-1D to compare water balance results obtained with uni- and bimodal hydraulic functions. Simulation results revealed relatively similar flux distribution at each hillslope position between the water balance components infiltration, surface runoff, and drainage. However, at the bottom profile at Jastrebarsko, bimodality of the hydraulic functions led to increased drainage. Soil water storage was reduced, and the vertical movement increased due to modified soil water retention curve shapes. Adequate parameterization of SHP is required to capture the hydropedological response of heterogenous erosion-affected soil systems.
Nitrate leaching through soil layers to groundwater may cause significant degradation of natural resources. The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) of the ...similar soil type with same management on various locations; (ii) to determine annual water dynamics; and (iii) to estimate the impact of subsoil horizon properties on nitrate leaching. The final goal was to compare the influence of different SHPs and layering on water dynamics and nitrate leaching. The study was conducted in central Croatia (Zagreb), at four locations on Calcaric Phaeozem, Calcaric Regosol, and Calcaric Fluvic Phaeozem soil types. Soil hydraulic parameters were estimated using the HYPROP system and HYPROP-FIT software. Water dynamics and nitrate leaching were evaluated using HYDRUS 2D/3D during a period of 365 days. The amount of water in the soil under saturated conditions varied from 0.422 to 0.535 cm3 cm−3 while the hydraulic conductivity varied from 3 cm day−1 to 990.9 cm day−1. Even though all locations have the same land use and climatic conditions with similar physical properties, hydraulic parameters varied substantially. The amount and velocity of transported nitrate (HYDRUS 2D/3D) were affected by reduced hydraulic conductivity of the subsoil as nitrates are primarily transported via advective flux. Despite the large differences in SHPs of the topsoil layers, the deeper soil layers, having similar SHPs, imposed a buffering effect preventing faster nitrate downward transport. This contributed to a very similar distribution of nitrates through the soil profile at the end of simulation period. This case study indicated the importance of carefully selecting relevant parameters in multilayered soil systems when evaluating groundwater pollution risk.
Purpose
Golf courses are constructed from artificial layers on top of natural soil as the goal is to rapidly drain excess water through the soil profile using subsurface tile drainage system. Golf ...turf is one of the most intensively managed systems due to the high use of fertilizer and irrigation. Leaching and runoff of nitrogen (N) from turf can pollute surface- and groundwaters. Our objective was to understand the fate of water and nitrate–N in constructed golf course turf.
Materials and methods
We conducted a modeling study for system 1 with tile drainage and artificial soil layers and system 2 with a natural soil profile using HYDRUS 2D. Experimental data from a planned golf course in Istria, Croatia for natural soil were used. Artificial layers were constructed according to United States Golf Association (USGA) recommendations. Urea was used as the fertilizer N source at three application rates (50, 75, and 100 kg ha
−1
).
Results and discussion
Water flow modeling showed a large amount of tile drainage outflow in system 1, where tile drains aided in lowering the pressure head in the soil above the tile drains. In system 2, low permeability of the natural soil and lack of drainage resulted in lower pressure head in the topsoil with surface runoff during high rainfall. Results of solute simulations using HYDRUS 2D revealed that at 100 kg ha
−1
scenario, 66 % of ammonium–N, and 39 % of nitrate–N were leached through tile drains rather than infiltrate into the subsoil. The distribution of the nitrate–N was predominantly influenced by the highly permeable layers and tile drainage system. However, in the absence of drainage, modeling revealed that a large amount of nitrate–N can reach bottom of the soil profile and thus leach into groundwater.
Conclusions
The modeling study revealed that using a USGA recommendation for golf course construction can reduce nitrate–N leaching into subsoil and consequently groundwater. The presence of tile drains provided a rapid conduit for transmission of water and nutrients (N species in this specific case), thus limiting infiltration of water and associated solutes into subsoil layers. Subsurface drainage systems are typically installed only on golf greens and not on the entire golf course area, while fertilizers are applied across entire golf course, which can lead to greater leaching of nitrate–N.
Global food security (GFS) is challenged by increasing food demand due to population growth and climate change. International trade and globalization have underpinned GFS until the most recent public ...health, geopolitical and economic crises, when virtually overnight, the focus of governments has shifted towards domestically and locally produced foods. However, the agri-food sector has limited flexibility, and relatively long periods are needed for fundamental/sustainable changes. One of the crucial factors enabling GFS is the efficient water management, but the required knowledge and capabilities are often lacking regionally/locally. We propose the Centers for Optimizing Water Management in Agroecosystems as a long-term solution. The Centers would be the specialized hubs for promotion of research, innovation and technology transfer, raising the knowledge of stakeholders (farmers, extension and government officials, scholars, students, policymakers and other professionals) and their capacities in water management. These Centers would operate as research/education/technology demonstration entities tailored to the specifics of a particular country/region, aiming to address the most important and pertinent goals and outcomes with a high-spatial-resolution outreach. Finally, the Centers will improve farmers’ livelihoods, contribute to sustainable and efficient use of agro-environmental resources, and increase productivity and food quality, ultimately supporting GFS.
Arsenic is a highly toxic metalloid widespread in the Earth's crust, and its contamination due to different anthropogenic activities (application of agrochemicals, mining, waste management) ...represents an emerging environmental issue. Therefore, different sustainable and effective remediation methods and approaches are needed to prevent and protect humans and other organisms from detrimental arsenic exposure. Among numerous arsenic remediation methods, those supported by using microbes as
(microbial remediation), and/or plants as
(phytoremediation) are considered as cost-effective and environmentally-friendly bioremediation. In addition, recent advances in genetic modifications and biotechnology have been used to develop (i) more efficient transgenic microbes and plants that can (hyper)accumulate or detoxify arsenic, and (ii) novel organo-mineral materials for more efficient arsenic remediation. In this review, the most recent insights from arsenic bio-/phytoremediation are presented, and the most relevant physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in arsenic biological routes, which can be useful starting points in the creation of more arsenic-tolerant microbes and plants, as well as their symbiotic associations are discussed.
A great portion of Earth's freshwater and land resources are salt-affected and thus have restricted use or may become unsuitable for most human activities. Some of the recent scenarios warn that ...environmental salinization processes will continue to be exacerbated due to global climate change. The most relevant implications and side-effects in ecosystems under excessive salinity are destructive and long lasting (e.g. soil dispersion, water/soil hypersalinity, desertification, ruined biodiversity), often with non-feasible on site remediation, especially at larger scales. Agro-ecosystems are very sensitive to salinization; after a certain threshold is reached, yields and food quality start to deteriorate sharply. Additionally, salinity often coincides with numerous other environmental constrains (drought, waterlogging, pollution, acidity, nutrient deficiency, etc.) that progressively aggravate the threat to food security and general ecosystem resilience. Some well-proven, widely-used and cost-effective traditional ameliorative strategies (e.g. conservation agriculture, application of natural conditioners) help against salinity and other constraints, especially in developing countries. Remotely-sensed and integrated data of salt-affected areas combined with in situ and lab-based observations have never been so easy and rapid to acquire, precise and applicable on huge scales, representing a valuable tool for policy-makers and other stakeholders in implementing targeted measures to control and prevent ecosystem degradation (top-to-bottom approach). Continued progress in biotechnology and ecoengineering offers some of the most advanced and effective solutions against salinity (e.g. nanomaterials, marker-assisted breeding, genome editing, plant-microbial associations), albeit many knowledge gaps and ethical frontiers remain to be overcome before a successful transfer of these potential solutions to the industrial-scale food production can be effective.
Display omitted
•Salinization jeopardises resources crucial for human needs & environmental functions.•Salinization is likely to be exacerbated in short-term due to global climate change.•Routinely, salinity detection is fast & accurate from the cm to regional scales.•Plant-microbial associations protect plants against salinity stress in the lab.•Omics & nanotechnologies offer promising options for mitigating salinity stress.
Biomass fly ash (BFA) from a biomass cogeneration plant was encapsulated into calcium alginate microspheres (ALG/Ca) and characterized. An FTIR analysis indicated that BFA loading weakened molecular ...interactions between ALG/Ca constituents (mainly hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions), thus changing the crosslinking density. SEM and AFM analyses revealed a wrinkled and rough surface with elongated and distorted granules. The in vitro release of BFA’s main components (K, Ca, and Mg) was controlled by diffusion through the gel-like matrix, but the kinetics and released amounts differed significantly. The smaller released amounts and slower release rates of Ca and Mg compared to K resulted from the differences in the solubility of their minerals as well as from the interactions of divalent cations with alginate chains. The physicochemical properties of the novel microsphere formulation reveal significant potential for the prolonged delivery of nutrients to crops in a safe manner.
Alternanthera yellow vein virus (AlYVV), a monopartite
, has been identified infecting a diverse range of crops and native plants in Pakistan, India, and China. However, distinctive yellow vein ...symptoms, characteristic of
infection, were observed on the
weed in Oman, prompting a thorough genomic characterization in this study. The results unveiled a complete genome sequence of 2745 base pairs and an associated betasatellite spanning 1345 base pairs. In addition, Sequence Demarcation Tool analyses indicated the highest nucleotide identity of 92.8% with a previously reported AlYVV-IN_abalpur_A_17:LC316182 strain, whereas the betasatellite exhibited a 99.8% nucleotide identity with isolates of tomato leaf curl betasatellite. Thus, our findings propose a novel AlYVV Oman virus (AlYVV-OM) variant, emphasizing the need for additional epidemiological surveillance to understand its prevalence and significance in Oman and the broader region. To effectively manage the spread of AlYVV-OM and minimize its potential harm to (agro)ecosystems, future research should focus on elucidating the genetic diversity of AlYVV-OM and its interactions with other begomoviruses.
Salinization of soils and freshwater resources by natural processes and/or human activities has become an increasing issue that affects environmental services and socioeconomic relations. In ...addition, salinization jeopardizes agroecosystems, inducing salt stress in most cultivated plants (nutrient deficiency, pH and oxidative stress, biomass reduction), and directly affects the quality and quantity of food production. Depending on the type of salt/stress (alkaline or pH-neutral), specific approaches and solutions should be applied to ameliorate the situation on-site. Various agro-hydrotechnical (soil and water conservation, reduced tillage, mulching, rainwater harvesting, irrigation and drainage, control of seawater intrusion), biological (agroforestry, multi-cropping, cultivation of salt-resistant species, bacterial inoculation, promotion of mycorrhiza, grafting with salt-resistant rootstocks), chemical (application of organic and mineral amendments, phytohormones), bio-ecological (breeding, desalination, application of nano-based products, seed biopriming), and/or institutional solutions (salinity monitoring, integrated national and regional strategies) are very effective against salinity/salt stress and numerous other constraints. Advances in computer science (artificial intelligence, machine learning) provide rapid predictions of salinization processes from the field to the global scale, under numerous scenarios, including climate change. Thus, these results represent a comprehensive outcome and tool for a multidisciplinary approach to protect and control salinization, minimizing damages caused by salt stress.
PDF
