Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Interactive effects of Ag nanoparticles/nitrate and plant root systems on quality indicators and aggregate stability of two texturally-different soils","authors":"Elham Entezami ,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi ,&nbsp;Mehran Shirvani ,&nbsp;Banafshe Khalili ,&nbsp;Mehdi Bazarganipour","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Widespread sources of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) might threaten soil ecosystems. Most studies on NPs have been carried out in plant-free soils, which do not represent natural conditions. Monitoring the fate and possible effects of nanoparticles (NPs) in soil-plant systems is crucial for predicting their environmental consequences. Plant root systems might respond differently to Ag types/concentrations, associated with changes in microbially-induced soil structural stability as well as soil C pools but evidence is not available. Therefore, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in a factorial arrangement of treatments within a randomized block design. The treatments included: 1) soil types (loamy sand and sandy loam), 2) root systems (non-planted, wheat with fibrous roots and safflower with taproot), 3) Ag types (no-Ag added, AgNPs of mean size 38.6 nm, and AgNO₃), and 4) Ag concentrations (50 and 100 mg kg^–1 soil). Soil samples were collected from root zone and non-planted soil 110 days after sowing. Soil quality indicators including high energy moisture characteristic (HEMC) indicators, percent of water-stable aggregates (WSA), water-dispersible clay (DC), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and metabolic quotient (<em>q</em>_CO2) were determined. The results showed that the soil structure was improved in the presence of Ag and plants. Structural stability indicators were greater in the safflower root zone followed by the wheat root zone and the non-planted soil. A clear effect of Ag on HEMC was observed in the 100 mg AgNPs kg^–1 treatment. The stability ratio (SR, ratio of fast-wetting to slow-wetting structural indexes) of the AgNPs-treated soils (SR = 0.79) was significantly greater than that of the AgNO₃-treated soils (SR = 0.78) followed by the control (no-Ag) soils (SR = 0.74). In the AgNO₃-treated soils, the SIR was significantly lower than in the AgNPs-treated soils. The SIR of the 50 mg kg^–1 Ag treatment (232 mg CO₂-C kg^–1) was higher than the 100 mg kg^–1 (227 mg CO₂-C kg^–1). Microbial biomass was significantly affected by Ag types/concentrations and all Ag-treated soils exhibited significantly lower MBC than control. The <em>q</em>_CO2, the index of stress to microbial community, was significantly greater in the Ag-treated soils. Scanning electron microscope images confirmed that AgNPs altered the arrangement of particles which was greater in the higher AgNPs concentration. These results imply that multiple factors (root systems, soil texture, Ag type/concentration) may combine additively/regressively to affect soil quality indicators, which may have important consequences for soil ecosystem services.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106257"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interactive effects of wood biochar application and Thymus species on soil physical quality in irrigated farming","authors":"A. Mansour Shahsavar ,&nbsp;M.R. Mosaddeghi ,&nbsp;M. Rahimmalek ,&nbsp;M. Gheysari","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Thymus</em> sp. is one of the widely known spicy aromatic and medicinal plants widely used in medicine, cooking and perfumery. Biochar is an amendment to improve soil quality attributes. However, the interactive effect of <em>Thymus</em> cultivation and biochar application rate (BAR) on soil quality indicators in field conditions is not documented yet. This study aimed to investigate the effect of biochar of apple tree branches (BAR of 0, 1 and 2 %), two <em>Thymus</em> species (TS, <em>T. daenensis</em> and <em>T. migricus</em>), and soil sampling zone (SSZ, rhizosphere and bulk soil) on structural stability and water repellency of a silty clay loam soil in the field conditions. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement of the 12 treatments (i.e., 3 levels of BAR × 2 levels of TS × 2 levels of SSZ) with three replicates in Absard plain research site with semiarid climate affiliated with Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, east of the Tehran. After plant harvest, the soil aggregate stability was characterized by high energy moisture characteristic (HEMC) and percent of water-stable aggregates (WSA), and the soil water repellency was measured by the sorptivity method. Biochar affected soil structural stability indices in both rhizosphere of the two <em>Thymus</em> species and bulk soil. The results showed that an increase in the BAR from 0 to 1 and 2 % enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) by 22 and 48 % and consequently increased the HEMC stability ratio from 0.616 to 0.667 and 0.859, respectively. Water holding capacity in the biochar treatments was higher in all matric suctions, therefore, greater HEMC aggregate-structure stability indices were measured in the biochar-amended soils. The rhizosphere soil had significantly greater mean of organic carbon storage (6.74 g kg⁻¹), stability ratio (0.762) and water repellency index (4.08) compared to those in the bulk soil (5.23 g kg⁻¹, 0.666 and 2.17, respectively). The rhizosphere of <em>T. migricus</em> (with greater root development in the upper layers) had significantly greater WSA (59.6 %) compared to that of <em>T. daenensis</em> (51.2 %). However, there was no significant difference between the two plant species for SOC in the rhizosphere. This finding implies that quality (not quantity) and fractions of organic matter might be different in the rhizosphere of the plant species. Water repellency could partly explain the structural stability differences in the rhizosphere of <em>T. daenensis</em> and <em>T. migricus</em> species. Overall, the combination of wood biochar application with a rate of 1 % and <em>T. migricus</em> cultivation is recommended for improving soil physical quality in the region and similar zones.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106260"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing mini-disk infiltrometer, BEST method and soil core estimates of hydraulic conductivity of a sandy-loam soil","authors":"Mariachiara Fusco,&nbsp;Vincenzo Alagna,&nbsp;Dario Autovino,&nbsp;Gaetano Caltabellotta,&nbsp;Massimo Iovino,&nbsp;Girolamo Vaccaro,&nbsp;Vincenzo Bagarello","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Saturated, <em>K</em>_<em>s</em>, and near-saturated, <em>K</em>, soil hydraulic conductivity control many hydrological processes but they are difficult to measure. Comparing methods to determine <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em> is a means to establish how and why these soil hydrodynamic properties vary with the applied method. A comparison was established between the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em> values of a sandy-loam soil obtained, in the field, with the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) method of soil hydraulic characterization and an unconfined MDI (mini-disk infiltrometer) experiment and, in the laboratory, with a confined MDI experiment and the CHP (constant-head permeameter) method. Using for the BEST calculations the soil porosity instead of the saturated soil water content yielded 1.4–1.1 times higher estimates of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em>, depending on the pressure head, and differences decreased in more unsaturated soil conditions. The confined MDI experiment yielded 22 % - 77 % higher <em>K</em> values than the unconfined MDI experiment, depending on the established pressure head, <em>h</em>₀, and differences were not significant for <em>h</em>₀ = −1 cm. In the close to saturation region, the soil hydraulic conductivity function predicted with BEST did not generally agree well with the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em> values obtained in the laboratory by a direct application of the Darcy’s law. In particular, BEST yielded a 5.6 times smaller <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> value than the CHP method and up to an 8.1 times higher <em>K</em> value than the MDI. Overall, i) the two application methods of the MDI yielded relatively similar results, especially close to saturation, and ii) there was not a satisfactory agreement between the field (BEST) and the laboratory (MDI plus CHP) determination of soil hydraulic conductivity close to saturation, unless a comparison was made with the same soil water content. The detected differences were probably attributable to soil spatial variability, overestimation of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> in the laboratory due to preferential flow phenomena, underestimation of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> in the field due to air entrapment in the soil and infiltration surface disturbance, inability of BEST to describe the actual soil hydraulic conductivity function at the sampled field site. Testing BEST predictions of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em> in other soils appears advisable and combining the MDI and CHP methods appears a rather simple means to make these checks. These additional investigations could improve interpretation of the differences between methods, which is an important step for properly selecting a method yielding <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> and <em>K</em> data appropriate for an intended use.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106263"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141979216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating maize (Zea mays L.) management practices implementing sensitivity analysis of vegetation indices","authors":"K. Colton Flynn ,&nbsp;Douglas R. Smith ,&nbsp;Trey O. Lee ,&nbsp;Doris Laguer-Martinez ,&nbsp;Shengfang Ma ,&nbsp;Yuting Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conservation agriculture and sustainable agronomic principles include several management practices such as cover cropping, no-till, and alternative fertilization rates. Each of these practices can result in changes among agricultural productivity, sustainability for future farming, and protections for the environment. These management practices are important concepts that can be applied in the production of maize (<em>Zea mays L</em>., corn). The aim of this three-year study (2018–2020) was to compare maize health across two fields located in Riesel, TX under varying management approaches and precipitation conditions. The first field utilized ‘business as usual’ operations characterized by the implementation of tillage, fertilization at a maximum rate (10.06 Mg/ha), and no cover crops. The second field utilized ‘aspirational’ cultivation techniques categorized by no tillage, cover crops, and an alternative method for rate of fertilization. Each field was subject to satellite-based remote sensing methods incorporating Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and Normalized Difference Red Edge (NDRE). Indices were subject to sensitivity analyses to determine the most sensitive index for maize under various managements and precipitation conditions. The most sensitive index (EVI) served as a proxy for time series analysis for maize health under the varying managements and rainfall conditions. The results suggest improvements to maize health are experienced over time when aspirational managements are employed, even though business as usual management resulted in higher yields. However, studies with greater duration could point to these perceived benefits over a long-term implementation. Nevertheless, productivity comparisons considering amount of input (i.e. fertilizer) suggests an increase in efficiency each year for the aspirational management. These findings suggest factors such as improved soil health from implementation of no-till and cover crops contribute to field health, efficiencies, and resiliency across varying precipitation conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106266"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167198724002678/pdfft?md5=a3894f8864e48a6c3e700fa3d6619a82&pid=1-s2.0-S0167198724002678-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141985400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ks estimates using macroscopic capillary length estimated from soil hydraulic shape coefficients and Haverkamp infiltration model","authors":"Deniz Yilmaz ,&nbsp;Mustafa Sağlam ,&nbsp;Serkan İç ,&nbsp;Ryan D. Stewart ,&nbsp;Laurent Lassabatere","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106235","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we developed a new general approach to estimate the macroscopic capillary length (<em>λ</em>_<em>c</em>) using different hydraulic function models and related shape parameters, along with the Haverkamp infiltration model constant. We next applied this new approach to the van Genuchten model coupled with a Burdine condition (vGB) to estimate <em>λ</em>_<em>c</em>. Then, we applied the new <em>λ</em>_<em>c</em> computation to three different methods for estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity (<em>K</em>_<em>s</em>), and analyzed two sets of constant infiltration data: 1) an analytically generated Beerkan-type dataset and 2) constant head and Beerkan-type infiltration tests performed at the Ambarköprü Experimental Station of Blacksea Agricultural Research Institute in Samsun, Turkey. Our new approach provided accurate <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> estimates when applied to the analytical Beerkan infiltration data. The highest error was observed for a silt soil, with 30 % error for one formulation versus &lt;15 % for the others. For synthetic coarse-textured soils such loamy sand and sandy loam, the error was &lt;10 %. For the field data and Beerkan-type experiments, the new approach gave consistent estimates of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> regardless of analytical interpretation. However, ANOVA analysis revealed that <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> varied between different infiltration test types, with constant head infiltrometry with 5 cm of applied water head having greater <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> values than the Beerkan tests (p &lt; 0.05). Estimated <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> values also differed between land use types (p &lt; 0.01), with a maize field having significantly greater <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> compared to a soybean field. Overall, we conclude that the proposed approach represents an efficient and appropriate method for characterizing point-scale saturated hydraulic conductivity, so long as experimental artifacts such as ring insertion deep and preferential flows are considered.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106235"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141979147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regionally adapted conservation tillage reduces the risk of crop yield losses: A global meta-analysis","authors":"Jun Sun ,&nbsp;Wenquan Niu ,&nbsp;Yadan Du ,&nbsp;Li Ma ,&nbsp;Siying Huang ,&nbsp;Fei Mu ,&nbsp;Qian Zhang ,&nbsp;Guochun Li ,&nbsp;Jinjin Zhu ,&nbsp;Kadambot H.M. Siddique","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conservation tillage (CS) is a widely implemented and sustainable agricultural practice. Nevertheless, there is substantial controversy regarding its influence on crop yield and the underlying factors that contribute to these effects. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis incorporating 5191 comparisons from 551 studies to assess the global crop yield response to CS. The overall findings indicate that CS resulted in a modest reduction in yield, approximately 1.35 % (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05), compared to conventional tillage (CT). However, this result varied, with no significant yield difference (<em>P</em>&gt;0.05) between CS and CT when strictly following the three principles of CS (no-till, straw mulching, and crop rotation). It should be acknowledged that the relative importance of these three principles varies depending on natural conditions. For example, straw mulching had a greater positive effect in arid regions than no-till and crop rotation. A random forest model analysis identified several influential factors on the relative yield of CS: seasonal precipitation, temperature, soil pH, and no-till duration. For example, CS had negative benefits when seasonal precipitation exceeded 400 mm. Conversely, implementing CS in alkaline soils had significant positive effects (4 %, <em>P</em>&lt;0.05). Additionally, the no-till duration did not always yield absolute positive results; no-till durations exceeding 20 years significantly decreased CS yields (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05). Prolonged no-till may lead to undesirable consequences such as increased soil bulk density, weed infestation, pest outbreaks, and disease, all of which can adversely affect crop yields; therefore, it is recommended that no-tillage be rotated with conventional tillage to minimize the negative effects of prolonged and sustained no-tillage on yields. Furthermore, CS had greater potential for increasing production in tropical regions. In conclusion, adopting regionally adapted CS practices can minimize the risk of yield reduction. Implementing adaptive CS techniques in specific locations can promote global food security and achieve sustainable agricultural development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106265"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141915188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 organic fertilization with high carbon input improves pore geometry and functionality of no-till sandy soil","authors":"Amanda Romeiro Alves ,&nbsp;Svenja Roosch ,&nbsp;Vincent J.M.N.L. Felde ,&nbsp;Dörthe Holthusen ,&nbsp;Gustavo Brunetto ,&nbsp;Antonio Celso Dantas Antonino ,&nbsp;Stephan Peth ,&nbsp;José Miguel Reichert","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil structure governs the functions of soil in many ecosystems, including those dominated by agriculture, such as water and carbon storage, biomass production, and physical stability. Specifically in tropical and subtropical soils, the long-term impacts of different fertilizers on soil functionality and stability in no-till crops are poorly understood. Under subtropical climate conditions, we evaluated how 17 years of continuous fertilizer application (organic vs. inorganic) on no-till crops affected structure of a sandy loam texture, in terms of the pore size distribution and pore functionality for water storage and aeration, and the intra-aggregate pore geometry. The investigated long-term experiment was implemented in a randomized block design with four repetitions in Santa Maria, Brazil. Treatments were pig slurry (PS), cattle slurry (CS), pig deep litter (pig manure with rice husk; PDL), mineral fertilizer (MF), and an unfertilized control (CL) applied in a no-till system. Soil sampling was done in two depths (0–5 and 5–15 cm) to analyze (i) soil pore size distribution, soil water retention, air permeability and pore continuity indices in core samples (± 98 cm³); and (ii) the intra-aggregate pore system using X-ray computed tomography in macroaggregate samples (± 5 cm³). The treatments had different impacts on soil pore functionality and intra-aggregate pore geometry. Only PDL application increased field capacity by around 34 % and the plant available water by about 36 % (compared to all other treatments). Soil air-filled porosity was not affected by fertilizer management in any of the layers. However, in the 0–5 cm layer, fertilizer management had a significant effect on soil air permeability which increased at −6, −10, and −33 kPa matric potential from 6.6, 14.4, and 16.1 µm² in CL treatment to 29.5, 34.2, and 43.6 µm² in PDL, respectively. The PS and PDL treatments increased the intra-aggregate porosity and provided a continuous, connected pore network. These fertilizers provided increased biomass productivity (PS and PDL) and soil organic matter content (higher in PDL only). Therefore, continuous application of fertilizer with higher carbon input, such as PDL, improved soil structural conditions and crop yield of sandy soil under subtropical climate.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106256"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141915058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the impact of soil shrinkage and pore size dynamics on rice crop yield in expansive clay soils","authors":"Leila Rezaee ,&nbsp;Naser Davatgar ,&nbsp;Ali Akbar Moosavi ,&nbsp;Ali Reza Sepaskhah","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil shrinkage during the drying process (water stress) is one of the main issues in expansive soils of paddy fields. It occurs due to decrease in soil water content, resulting in changes in soil volume and the geometry of pores, leading to the formation of cracks and higher water loss. The aim of this study was to assess the shrinkage characteristic curve and pore size of paddy soils to determine the shrinkage -swelling behavior in Guilan province, Iran. 120 soil samples were collected from the study area. Pore size was determined using soil moisture retention curve (SMRC). It was established by plotting the soil water content (θ) versus the corresponding matric suction (h), and the shrinkage curve by plotting the void ratio (e) against the moisture ratio (υ). The suction-pore relationships were also determined. Furthermore, the geometric factors indicating the change in vertical (subsidence) and horizontal (crack) volume of the soils were determined and varied from 1.23 to 2.53, indicating that the vertical change in soil volume is predominant. The zero, residual and proportional shrinkage phases accounted for less than 2 %, 8–38 %, and 61–91 % of the total soil volume change, respectively. The shrinkage capacity of the soils ranged from 0.52 to 1.37. Cation exchange capacity and clay content were identified as the most important factors affecting soil shrinkage properties. In general, the studied paddy soils have great potential for swelling- shrinkage and cracking during the drying process due to the large percentage of expandable clays and the medium to fine pores. The resultant cracks negatively affect crop yield by damaging plant roots and increasing water losses through the soil profiles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106261"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141915217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inverse laplace transform to fit soil water retention curve and estimate the pore size distribution","authors":"Marcelo Camponez do Brasil Cardinali ,&nbsp;Jarbas Honorio Miranda ,&nbsp;Tiago Bueno Moraes","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil Water Retention Curve (SWRC) provides crucial information for understanding soil moisture retention, essential for agriculture, hydrology, engineering and environmental science applications. Many SWRC fitting models in the literature are based on empirical equations without a direct physical meaning. However, SWRC data is physically related to the soil’s porous structure and its interactions with the wetting fluid. Hence, the curve’s behavior reflects the porous complexity. Non-physical model equations might even be able to fit the data to be used in several applications; however, the search for physically fitting models representing the SWRC data as a smooth continuous distribution function can reflect new insights and information about this heterogeneous porous media. In this regard, the well-established physically-based Kosugi model is based on the assumption of lognormal pore size distributions. However, a general approach for any modality and distribution shape could be interesting. This paper proposes applying the mathematical method known as “<em>Inverse Laplace Transform</em>” (ILT) to fit the Soil Water Retention Curve using a weighted superposition of exponential decays. This multi-exponential approach involves working with two physically related parameters, the amplitude and its respective characteristic matric potential, which are physically interpreted as the amount of pores that empty at that suction head. The ILT-EXP method proposed was implemented in Python software to fit the curves, and it is now available in an online web app. The evaluation of the ILT-EXP model to fit SWRC data is discussed, presenting its potential to estimate soil pore size distribution of multimodal samples. One advantage of ILT-EXP over other multimodal models is that it does not need to know how many modal components are present in the SWRC data, being automatically determined by the method. Finally, a statistical fitting comparison of 439 SWRC data, with six other classical models is discussed. The results indicate that fitting with the ILT-EXP model demonstrates strong potential, making it a powerful method for handling multimodal curves. This approach represents a novel and robust method for estimating a smooth, continuous soil pore size distribution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106258"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141915230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phosphorus cycling from residual pools underlying efficient P fertilization in rotation systems in tropical agriculture","authors":"Bernardo Amorim da Silva ,&nbsp;Ivan Francisco de Souza ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Lima da Motta Jr. ,&nbsp;Vanessa de Barros Tostes Pereira ,&nbsp;Edson Marcio Mattiello ,&nbsp;Gustavo Franco de Castro ,&nbsp;Fabiane Carvalho Ballotin ,&nbsp;Hudson Wallace Pereira de Carvalho ,&nbsp;Leonardus Vergütz ,&nbsp;Felipe Dalla Zen Bertol","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2024.106255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Across the Brazilian Cerrado, the land area under soybean-maize (double cropping) and maize-brachiaria (intercropping) systems has been expanding. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of P fertilization and the response of residual P compartments to i) soybean monoculture in conventional (CT) or no-tillage (NT), ii) soybean in rotation systems including the maize+brachiaria consortium; and iii) soybean in succession systems including soybean-maize double cropping. These factors were combined into eight treatments in an experiment conducted at Itiquira, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Our study was laid out following a completely randomized block design with four replicates. We determined the apparent efficiency of P fertilization using the balance method for 12 years, after which residual P was evaluated in soil samples submitted to a soil P fractionation scheme using CaCl₂, Mehlich-3, NaOH (inorganic-Pi and organic-Po) and HCl. P occluded was estimated as the difference between total soil P and the sum of the extractable P fractions. Our data showed apparent efficiency of P fertilization about 78.3 % under soybean-fallow (CT or NT) and about 93.0–94 % under the soybean-successions. Under the rotations, the apparent efficiency of P fertilizations was about 100–123.0 % coupled to some depletion of P-Mehlich-3 and Pi-NaOH. We found positive correlations between P-Mehlich-3 and Pi-NaOH, whereas both Po-NaOH and P-Mehlich-3 showed strong negative correlations with P occluded. Overall, the rotation systems evaluated in this research appear to benefit from the transfer of P between P-Mehlich-3 and Pi-NaOH pools, coupled to the formation of Po-NaOH limiting the accumulation of P occluded. These characteristics allow reconciling productive crop grain systems with efficient P fertilizations and recycling of P in soils with high residual P pools in tropical agroecosystems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106255"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141915059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}