Soil最新文献

{"title":"Addressing soil data needs and data-gaps in catchment scale environmental modelling: the European perspective","authors":"Brigitta Szabó, Piroska Kassai, Svajunas Plunge, Attila Nemes, Péter Braun, Michael Strauch, Felix Witing, János Mészáros, Natalja Čerkasova","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-3104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3104","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> To effectively guide agricultural management planning strategies and policy, it is important to simulate water quantity and quality patterns and quantify the impact of land use and climate change on underlying processes. Environmental models that depict alterations in surface and groundwater quality and quantity at a catchment scale require substantial input, particularly concerning movement and retention in the unsaturated zone. Over the past few decades, numerous soil information sources, containing structured data on diverse basic and advanced soil parameters, alongside innovative solutions to estimate missing soil data, have become increasingly available. This study aims to: i) catalogue open-source soil datasets and pedotransfer functions (PTFs) applicable in simulation studies across European catchments, ii) evaluate the performance of selected PTFs and iii) present compiled R scripts proposing estimation solutions to address soil physical, hydraulic, and chemical soil data needs and gaps in catchment-scale environmental modelling in Europe. Our focus encompassed basic soil properties, bulk density, porosity, albedo, soil erodibility factor, field capacity, wilting point, available water capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and phosphorus content. We aim to recommend widely supported data sources and pioneering prediction methods that maintain physical consistency, and present them through streamlined workflows.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139431259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the synergistic potential Si and biochar to immobilize soil Ni in a contaminated calcareous soil after Zea mays L. cultivation","authors":"Hamid Reza Boostani, Ailsa G. Hardie, Mahdi Najafi-Ghiri, Ehsan Bijanzadeh, Dariush Khalili, Esmaeil Farrokhnejad","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2687","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2687","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Silicon (Si) is a beneficial plant element that has been shown to mitigate the effects of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) on crops. Biochar is a soil amendment that sequesters soil carbon, and that can immobilize PTEs and enhance crop growth in soils. Considering these beneficial properties, it remains to be investigated how the simultaneous utilization of Si and biochars affects PTEs immobilization in soils. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the interaction effects of Si levels and biochars, to alleviate soil Ni bioavailability and its corresponding uptake in corn<em> </em>(<em>Zea Mays</em>) in a calcareous soil. A 90-day factorial greenhouse study with corn was conducted. Si application levels were applied at 0 (S₀), 250 (S₁₎ and 500 (S₂) mg Si kg^-1 soil and biochar treatments (3 % wt.) included rice husk (RH) and sheep manure (SM) biochars produced at 300 °C and 500 <strong>°</strong>C (SM300, SM500, RH300 and RH500). At harvest, corn shoot Ni-concentrations, soil chemical Ni fractions and DPTA-release kinetics were determined. Simultaneous utilization of Si and SM biochars led to a synergistic reduction (15–36 %) of soluble and exchangeable soil Ni fractions compared to application of Si (5–9 %) and SM (5–7 %) biochars separately. The application of the Si and biochars also decreased DPTA-extractable Ni and corn Ni shoot concentration (by up to 57 %), with the combined application of SM500+S₂ being the most effective. These effects were attributed to the transformation of Ni from more bioavailable fractions to more stable iron oxide bound fractions, related to soil pH increase. The SM500 was likely the most effective biochar due to its higher alkalinity and lower acidic functional group content which enhanced Ni sorption reactions with Si. The study demonstrates the synergistic potential Si and sheep manure biochar at immobilizing Ni in contaminated calcareous soils.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139431163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermodynamic and hydrological drivers of the soil and bedrock thermal regimes in central Spain","authors":"Félix García-Pereira, Jesús Fidel González-Rouco, Thomas Schmid, Camilo Melo-Aguilar, Cristina Vegas-Cañas, Norman Julius Steinert, Pedro José Roldán-Gómez, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Almudena García-García, Hugo Beltrami, Philipp de Vrese","doi":"10.5194/soil-10-1-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-1-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. An assessment of the soil and bedrock thermal structure of the Sierra de Guadarrama, in central Spain, is provided using subsurface and ground surface temperature data coming from four deep (20 m) monitoring profiles belonging to the Guadarrama Monitoring Network (GuMNet) and two shallow profiles (1 m) from the Spanish Meteorology Service (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, AEMET) covering the time spans of 2015–2021 and 1989–2018, respectively. An evaluation of air and ground surface temperature coupling showed that soil insulation due to snow cover is the main source of seasonal decoupling, being especially relevant in winter at high-altitude sites. Temperature propagation in the subsurface was characterized by assuming a heat conductive regime by considering apparent thermal diffusivity values derived from the amplitude attenuation and phase shift of the annual cycle with depth. This methodology was further extended to consider the attenuation of all harmonics in the spectral domain, which allowed for analysis of thermal diffusivity from high-frequency changes in the soil near the surface at short timescales. For the deep profiles, the apparent thermal diffusivity ranges from 1 to 1.3×10-6 m2 s−1, which is consistent with values for gneiss and granite, the major bedrock components in the Sierra de Guadarrama. However, thermal diffusivity is lower and more heterogeneous in the soil layers close to the surface (0.4–0.8×10-6 m2 s−1). An increase in diffusivity with depth was observed that was generally larger in the soil–bedrock transition at 4–8 m depth. The outcomes are relevant for the understanding of soil thermodynamics in relation to other soil properties. Results with the spectral method suggest that changes in near-surface thermal diffusivity are related to changes in soil moisture content, which makes it a potential tool to gain information about soil drought and water resource availability from soil temperature data.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139407784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil respiration across a variety of tree-covered urban green spaces in Helsinki, Finland","authors":"Esko Karvinen, Leif Backman, Leena Järvi, Liisa Kulmala","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-3031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3031","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> As an increasing share of the human population is being clustered in cities, urban areas have swiftly become the epicentres of anthropogenic carbon (C) emissions. Understanding different parts of the biogenic C cycle in urban ecosystems is needed in order to assess the potential of enhancing their C stocks as a cost-efficient means to balance the C emissions and mitigate climate change. Here, we conducted a field measurement campaign over three consecutive growing seasons to examine soil respiration carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at four measurement sites in Helsinki representing different types of tree-covered urban green space commonly found in northern European cities. We expected to find variation in the main drivers of soil respiration – soil temperature, soil moisture, and SOC – as a result of the heterogeneity of urban landscape, and that this variation would be reflected in the measured soil respiration rates. In the end, we could see fairly constant statistically significant differences between the sites in terms of soil temperature but only sporadic and seemingly momentary differences in soil moisture and soil respiration. There were also statistically significant differences in SOC stocks: the highest SOC stock was found in inactively managed deciduous urban forest and the lowest under managed streetside lawn with common linden trees. We studied the impacts of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and irrigation on heterotrophic soil respiration with process-based model simulations, and found that the variation created by the UHI is relatively minor compared to the increase associated with active irrigation, especially during dry summers. We conclude that, within our study area, the observed variation in soil temperature alone was not enough to cause variation in soil respiration rates between the studied green space types, perhaps because the soil moisture conditions were uniform. Thus, irrigation could potentially be a key factor in altering the soil respiration dynamics in urban green space both within the urban area and in comparison to non-urban ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139400340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of land use and management on the behaviour and persistence of soil organic carbon in a subtropical Ferralsol","authors":"Laura Hondroudakis, Peter M. Kopittke, Ram C. Dalal, Meghan Barnard, Zhe H. Weng","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2983","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> A substantial carbon (C) debt has been accrued due to long-term cropping for global food production emitting carbon dioxide from soil. However, the factors regulating the persistence of soil organic C (SOC) remain unclear, with this hindering our ability to develop effective land management strategies to sequester C in soil. Using a Ferralsol from semi-arid subtropical Australia, alteration of bulk C contents and fractions due to long-term land use change (up to 72 y) were examined with a focus on understanding whether SOC lost due to cropping could be restored by subsequent conversion back to pasture or plantation. It was found that use of soil from cropping for 72 y resulted in the loss of &gt; 70 % of both C and N contents. Although conversion of cropped soil to pasture or plantation for up to 39 y resulted in an increase in both C and N, the C content of all soil fractions were not restored to the original values observed under remnant vegetation. The loss of C with cropping was most pronounced from the particulate organic matter fraction, whilst in contrast, the portion of the C that bound strongly to the soil mineral particles (i.e., the mineral-associated fraction) was most resilient. Indeed, microbial-derived aliphatic C was enriched in the fine fraction of mineral-associated organic matter (&lt; 53 µm). Our findings were further confirmed using synchrotron-based micro-spectroscopic analyses of intact microaggregates which highlighted that binding of C to soil mineral particles is critical to SOC persistence in disturbed soil. The results of the present study extend our conceptual understanding of C dynamics and behaviour at the fine scale where C is stabilised and accrues, but it is clear that restoring C in soils in semi-arid landscapes of subtropical regions poses a challenge.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138840243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contrasting potential for biological N2 fixation at three polluted central European Sphagnum peat bogs: combining the 15N2-tracer and natural-abundance isotope approaches","authors":"Marketa Stepanova, Martin Novak, Bohuslava Cejkova, Ivana Jackova, Frantisek Buzek, Frantisek Veselovsky, Jan Curik, Eva Prechova, Arnost Komarek, Leona Bohdalkova","doi":"10.5194/soil-9-623-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-623-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Availability of reactive nitrogen (Nr) is a key control on carbon (C) sequestration in wetlands. To complement the metabolic demands of Sphagnum in pristine rain-fed bogs, diazotrophs supply additional Nr via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). As breaking the triple bond of atmospheric N2 is energy-intensive, it is reasonable to assume that increasing inputs of pollutant Nr will lead to BNF downregulation. However, recent studies have also documented measurable BNF rates in Sphagnum-dominated bogs in polluted regions, indicating the adaptation of N2 fixers to changing N deposition. Our aim was to quantify BNF in high-elevation peatlands located in industrialized central Europe. A 15N2-tracer experiment was combined with a natural-abundance N-isotope study at three Sphagnum-dominated peat bogs in the northern Czech Republic in an attempt to assess the roles of individual BNF drivers. High short-term BNF rates (8.2 ± 4.6 g N m2 d−1) were observed at Malé mechové jezírko, which receives ∼ 17 kg Nr ha−1 yr−1. The remaining two peat bogs, whose recent atmospheric Nr inputs differed from Malé mechové jezírko by only 1–2 kg ha−1 yr−1 (Uhlír̆ská and Brumiště), showed zero BNF. The following parameters were investigated to elucidate the BNF difference: the NH4+-N / NO3--N ratio, temperature, wetness, Sphagnum species, organic-N availability, possible P limitation, possible molybdenum (Mo) limitation, SO42- deposition, and pH. At Malé mechové jezírko and Uhlír̆ská, the same moss species (S. girgensohnii) was used for the 15N2 experiment; therefore, the host identity could not explain the difference in BNF at these sites. Temperature and moisture were also identical in all incubations and could not explain the between-site differences in BNF. The N : P stoichiometry in peat and bog water indicated that Brumiště may have lacked BNF due to P limitation, whereas non-detectable BNF at Uhlír̆ská may have been related to the 70-fold higher SO42- concentration in bog water. Across the sites, the mean natural-abundance δ15N values increased in the following order: atmospheric deposition (−5.3 ± 0.3 ‰) < Sphagnum (−4.3 ± 0.1 ‰) < bog water (−3.9 ± 0.4 ‰) < atmospheric N2 (0.0 ‰). Only at Brumiště was N in Sphagnum significantly isotopically heavier than in atmospheric deposition, possibly indicating a longer-term BNF effect. Collectively, our data highlight spatial heterogeneity in BNF rates under high Nr inputs as well as the importance of environmental parameters other than atmospheric Nr pollution in regulating BNF.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138840244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of soil respiration measurements and RothC modelling show effects of catch crops and precision and traditional agriculture on productivity and soil organic carbon dynamics in a 5 year study in Mediterranean climate","authors":"Enrico Balugani, Alessia Castellucci, Matteo Ruggeri, Pierluigi Meriggi, Benedetta Volta, Diego Marazza","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2966","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Finding agricultural managements able to increase soil organic carbon without a reduction in crop yields is important to: decrease soil erosion, protect soil ecosystem services, increase soil health, help to curb net CO₂ emissions toward the EU goal of carbon neutrality. Various studies have shown that catch crops, when managed in the proper way, may result in an increase in soil carbon stocks; however, recent studies have cast doubts on those findings, due to short study duration (3 years or less), few data points, and catch crops mismanagement. Model studies to estimate the potentials of catch crops for soil carbon sequestration shown mixed results; however, in these studies, only the direct effects of catch crops (i.e. the input of carbon from crop inclusion in the soil) was accounted for. Here, we show the result of a study to compare two crop managements: traditional against catch crop together with precision agriculture. We measured agricultural productivity, soil organic carbon, soil respiration, and soil conditions in two different sites in Italy for a period of 4+ years, then we modelled the field managements using a modified version of RothC model, to account for both direct and indirect catch crop effects on soil. The results show that catch crops and precision agriculture can result in an increase in soil organic carbon, with no effects, or, in some cases, an increase in crop production.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138840271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term legacy of phytoremediation on plant succession and soil microbial communities in petroleum-contaminated sub-Arctic soils","authors":"Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Christopher Kasanke, Ondrej Uhlik, Mary Beth Leigh","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2097","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Phytoremediation can be a cost-effective method of restoring contaminated soils using plants and associated microorganisms. Most studies follow the impacts of phytoremediation solely across the treatment period and have not explored long-term ecological effects. In 1995, a phytoremediation study was initiated near Fairbanks, Alaska, to determine how the introduction of annual grasses and/or fertilizer would influence degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). After one year, grass and/or fertilizer treated soils showed greater decreases in PHC concentrations compared to untreated plots. The site was then left for 15 years with no active site management. In 2011, we re-examined the site to explore the legacy of phytoremediation on contaminant disappearance, as well as plant and soil microbial ecology. We found that the recruited vegetation, along with current bulk soil microbial community structure and function were all heavily influenced by initial phytoremediation treatment. The number of diesel-degrading microorganisms (DDM) was positively correlated with increasing amounts of vegetation on the site, and inversely correlated with PHC concentrations. Even 15 years later, the initial use of fertilizer had significant effects on microbial biomass and microbial community structure activities. We conclude that phytoremediation treatment has long-term, legacy effects on the plant community, which, in turn, impacts microbial community structure, function, and continued TPH disappearance. It is therefore important to consider phytoremediation strategies that not only influence site remediation rates in the short-term, but that also prime the site for restoration of vegetation across the long-term.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138713952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What is the stability of additional organic carbon stored thanks to alternative cropping systems and organic wastes products application? A multi-methods evaluation","authors":"Tchodjowiè P. I. Kpemoua, Pierre Barré, Sabine Houot, François Baudin, Cédric Plessis, Claire Chenu","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2955","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2955","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> The implementation of agroecological practices often leads to an additional soil organic carbon storage in these soils, of which we aimed to assess the biogeochemical stability. To achieve this, we implemented a multi-method approach using particles size and density fractionation, Rock-Eval® thermal analyses and long-term incubation (484 days), that we applied to topsoil samples (0–30 cm) from temperate luvisols that had been subjected, in &gt; 20 years long-term experiments in France, to conservation agriculture (CA), organic agriculture (ORG) and conventional agriculture (CON-LC) in La Cage experiment, and to organic wastes products (OWPs) applications in QualiAgro experiment, including biowaste composts (BIOW), residual municipal solid waste composts (MSW), farmyard manure (FYM) and conventional agriculture without organic inputs (CON-QA). The incubations provided information on the additional carbon stability in the short term (i.e., MRT &lt;2 years) and showed that the additional soil organic C mineralized faster than the baseline C at La Cage but slower at QualiAgro. In OWPs-treated plots at QualiAgro, 60–66 % of the additional carbon was stored as mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM-C), and 34–40 % as particulate organic matter (POM-C). In CA and ORG systems at La Cage, 77–84 % of the additional carbon was stored in MAOM-C, versus 16–23 % as POM-C. Management practices hence influenced the distribution of additional carbon in physical fractions. Utilizing the PARTYSOC model with Rock-Eval® thermal analysis parameters, we found that most, if not all, of the additional carbon belonged to the active carbon pool (MRT ~ 30–40 years). In summary, our comprehensive multi-methods evaluation indicates that the additional soil organic carbon is less stable over decadal and pluri-decadal time-scales compared to soil carbon under baseline practices. Our results show that particle size and density fractions can be heterogenous in their biogeochemical stability. On the one hand, while additional carbon was mainly associated with MAOM, we suggest that it has a mean residence time exceeding ~30 years, rather than of ≈ 50 years. On the other hand agroecological practices with equivalent additional carbon stocks (MSW, FYM vs CA) exhibited a higher proportion of additional carbon in POM-C under MSW (40 %) and FYM (34 %) compared to CA (16 %), which suggests a high chemical recalcitrance of POM-C under OWPs management relative to CA. Additional soil organic carbon deriving from organic wastes, i.e., biomass that has been partially decomposed and transformed through its processing prior to its incorporation in soil, would be more biogeochemically stable in soil than that deriving directly from plant biomass. The apparent contradictions observed between method can be explained by the fact that they address different kinetic pools of organic C. Care must be taken to specify which range of residence times is considered when using an","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138582626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimized fertilization using online soil nitrate data","authors":"Yonatan Yekutiel, Yuval Rotem, Shlomi Arnon, Ofer Dahan","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2023-2775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2775","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Managing fertilizer application according to actual soil nutrient availability is a key strategy for achieving sustainable agriculture and a healthy environment. A new soil nitrate monitoring system that was installed in cultivated field enabled, for the first time, controlling the nitrate concentration across the soil profile. The monitoring system was installed in a full-scale agricultural greenhouse setup that was used for growing a bell pepper crop. Continuous measurements of soil nitrate concentrations were performed across the soil profile of two plots: (a) an experimental plot, in which the fertigation regime was frequently adjusted, according to the dynamic variations in soil nitrate concentration and (b) a control plot, in which the fertigation was managed according to a predetermined fertigation schedule that is standard practice for the area. The results enabled an hourly resolution in tracking the dynamic soil nitrate concentration variations, in response to daily fertigation and crop demand. Nitrate concentrations, in and below the root zone, under the control plot, reached very high levels of ~800 ppm throughout the entire season. Obviously, this concentration reflects excessive fertigation, which is far beyond the plant demand, entailing severe groundwater pollution potential. On the other hand, frequent adjustments of the fertigation regime, which were carried out under the experimental plot, enabled control of the soil nitrate concentration around the desired concentration threshold. This enabled a dramatic reduction of 38 % in fertilizer application, while maintaining maximum crop yield and quality. Throughout this experiment, decision-making on the fertigation adjustments was done manually based on visual inspections of the soil’s reactions to changes in the fertigation regime. Nevertheless, it is obvious that an algorithm that continuously processes the soil nitrate concentration across the soil profile and provides direct fertigation commands could act as a \"fertistat\" that sets the soil nutrients at a desired optimal level. Consequently, it is concluded that fertigation that is based on continuous monitoring of the soil nitrate concentration may ensure nutrient application that accounts for plant demand, improves agricultural profitability, reduces nitrate down-leaching, and eliminates water resource pollution.","PeriodicalId":48610,"journal":{"name":"Soil","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138544694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}