Geoderma (GEODERMA)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Rapid changes in microbial biomass and aggregate size distribution in response to changes in organic matter management in grass pasture

  Hurisso, J.G. Davis, J.E. Brummer, M.E. Stromberger, M.M. Mikha, M.L. Haddix, M.R. Booher, and E.A. Paul
  Geoderma 01/2013; 193-194:68-75.
• Article: Formation mechanism of autogenetic palygorskite in the Red Clay Formation from the Chinese Loess Plateau

  Xie Qiaoqin, Chen Tianhu, Xu Xiaochun, Xu Huifang, Wang Xiaoyong, Lu Huayu, Balasm William
  Geoderma 01/2013; 192:39.
• Article: Are fine resolution digital elevation models always the best choice in digital soil mapping?

  Stefano Cavazzi, Ron Corstanje, Thomas Mayr, Jacqueline Hannam, Reamonn Fealy
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  ABSTRACT: Abstract Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are fundamental in assessing soil variability and are regularly used in Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) as a scale benchmark for all the other environmental covariates. They are conventionally used at their original grid resolution with a conventional 3 × 3 window size for the computation of the derived terrain attributes. The choice of scale frames the analysis and shapes the end result suggesting that better attention and quantitative knowledge of scale may improve predictive performance. Previous studies have shown the influence of pixel size but have not investigated in detail the interacting effect between window and pixel sizes. The aim of this study was to examine the scale dependency of soil classification performance at the landscape scale using two machine-learning techniques commonly applied in DSM: artificial neural networks and random forest. These were applied in three different areas in terms of their geomorphology and soil type located in Ireland. A series of DEMs representing different scales were created from the original 20 m DEM by smoothing and re-sampling it with different window and pixel sizes for a total of 143 combinations: the original, 10 smoothed but not re-sampled, 12 re-sampled and not smoothed, and 120 smoothed and re-sampled. These were used to generate 11 terrain parameters from which 4 points per km2 were randomly extracted and used to predict soil classes. The overall prediction accuracy in the three study areas varied between 35% and 60%. Pixel size was found significant in all areas, the interaction between window and pixel sizes significant in morphologically rough areas and window size was significant only in flat homogeneous areas at coarser resolutions (above 140 m in this study). In general, predictive performance was best at very fine and very coarse scales in morphologically varied areas, coarse scales in flat homogenous areas and relatively scale invariant in mixed areas. We conclude by examining whether this empirical approach is appropriate to compare scale combinations to obtain a better prediction accuracy of DSM techniques.
  Geoderma 01/2013; 195-196:111-121.
• Article: Soil dehydrogenase activity in agro-ecological sub regions of black soil regions in India

  Velmourougane, Venugopalan M.V, Bhattacharyya T, Dipak Sarkar, Pal D.K, Apeksha Sahu, Ray S.K, Nair K.M, Jagdish Prasad, Singh R.S
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  ABSTRACT: A survey was undertaken in the established benchmark (BM) soil series in different agro-ecological sub regions (AESR) of Black Soil Regions (BSR) in India with an objective to study the impacts of bio-climates, cropping systems and land use systems on the distribution of dehydrogenase activity (DHA) in different soil profiles. The DHA was found to decline with depth and themaximumactivity was recordedwithin 0–30 cm soil depth. Cropping systems and bio-climates significantly (pb0.01) influence the DHA in soil. Significantly (pb0.01) higher DHA was recorded in Sub-humidmoist (SHm) bio-climate (2.45 μg TPF g−1) followed by Semi-arid dry (SAd) (2.00 μg TPF g−1) and the least in arid bio-climate (1.62 μg TPF g−1). The average DHA in different bio-climates were in decreasing order of Sub-humidmoist>Semi-arid dry>Sub-humid dry>arid. Legume-based cropping systemrecorded higher DHA (2.32–2.88 μg TPF g−1) followed by cereal-based cropping system (1.29–2.82 μg TPF g−1). The average DHA in different cropping systems were in decreasing order of legume>cereals>cotton>sugarcane. The comparisons of DHA in different soils indicated significant differences (pb0.01) between the soil sub groups. High management practices found to significantly increase DHA (2.15 μg TPF g−1) compared to low management (1.78 μg TPF g−1), whilst no significant differences were found in DHA between irrigated and rainfed system.
  Geoderma 01/2013; 197-198:186-192.
• Article: Dynamics of rare earth elements in water-soil systems: The case study of the Pineta San Vitale (Ravenna, Italy)

  Cidu, Vittori Antisari, Biddau, Buscaroli, Carbone, Da Pelo, Dinelli, Vianello, Zannoni
  Geoderma 01/2013; 193:52-67.
• Article: The utility of remotely-sensed vegetative and terrain covariates at different spatial resolutions in modelling soil and watertable depth (for digital soil mapping).

  J A Taylor, F Jacob, M Galleguillos, L Prevot, N Guix, P Lagacherie
  Geoderma 01/2013; 193/194:83-93.
• Article: The effects of walnut shell and wood feedstock biochar amendments on greenhouse gas emissions from a fertile soil

  Fungai N. D. Mukome, Johan Six, Sanjai J. Parikh
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  ABSTRACT: Abstract Land application of biochar, as a strategy to enhance soil fertility and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is receiving widespread interest. Short-term soil incubations (29 days) were used to investigate the effects of agriculturally relevant biochar applications from two contrasting feedstocks and temperatures on CO2 and N2O emissions from a fertile agricultural soil amended with different types of fertilizer (organic and synthetic). In addition, the effects of biochar on the denitrification process were examined using an acetylene based method to ascertain N2O and N2 emissions during denitrification. Complementary incubation experiments without soil (biochar and biochar with compost) examined the impact on natural or amended organic matter (compost) and biochar stability and surface chemistry were also investigated. Batch incubations (25 °C) of biochar (softwood pyrolyzed at 410 °C [WF410] and 510 °C [WF510] and walnut shell pyrolyzed at 900 °C [WA900]) amended soils were performed to determine emissions of CO2 and N2O due to complete (absence of acetylene [C2H2]) and incomplete denitrification (presence of C2H2). Similarly, GHG emissions from the complementary incubations were also measured. Concurrent biochar surface compositional changes were investigated with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Biochar effects on CO2 emissions were not significantly different from controls. WA900 biochar (high pH) affects N cycling resulting in significantly higher emissions of N2O under conditions of complete denitrification and of N2 under conditions examining incomplete denitrification. WF410 (highest H/C ratio and lowest surface area) treatments with compost resulted in higher GHGs emissions which is attributed to a priming effect of the compost organic matter (COM). In addition, WF410 was most susceptible to degradation, evident from infrared spectroscopic analysis of the biochars. Although these results suggest that not all biochars provide substantial benefits as a soil amendment, the data do demonstrate potential for development of biochars with beneficial impacts on GHG emission mitigation and enhancement of soil C stocks.
  Geoderma 01/2013; 200–201:90-98.
• Article: Influence of erosion and deposition on carbon and nitrogen accumulation in resampled steepland soils under pasture in New Zealand

  R. L. Parfitt, W. T. Baisden, C. W. Ross, B. J. Rosser, L. A. Schipper, B. Barry
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  ABSTRACT: Although erosion occurs under pastures in New Zealand North Island hill country, previous work shows that the soils on mid-slopes (> 19°) have large and significant average gains of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) over a period of about 30 years. Both sheetwash erosion (from patches of bare soil) and soil deposition (from upslope) could have occurred in the intervening 30 years, and this could have led to a loss or gain of soil C. The fission-derived radionuclide 137Cs is a unique tracer for studying erosion and sedimentation because it is strongly adsorbed onto soil particles, and its movement in the environment is predominantly due to physical processes. We hypothesized that accumulation and loss of 137Cs and C would be correlated if erosion and deposition processes were responsible for the observed changes in soil C. We therefore measured 137Cs in archived samples, previously used to assess changes in C and N, together with 137Cs in the re-sampled soil horizons, to an average depth of 37 cm. The data show that, on average, there has been a small gain in total profile 137Cs over this time, and complex patterns within individual soil profiles over 30 years. There was only a weak correlation between 137Cs and C accumulation above 15 cm soil depth, but, in contrast, a much stronger relationship was found below 15 cm. A possible explanation for the observed pattern is soil thickening due to deposition, but the deposition may occur with variable 137Cs contents. Generally deposition does not account for all of the increase in C, and regression analysis between Cs and C for all layers suggested that erosion/deposition accounted for 20–30% of the total change in C. In a detailed case study, the sampling of erosion scars caused by landslides showed that soil C stocks (0–20 cm) can increase from 10 to 80 tonne (Mg) C ha− 1 within 70 years. Use of the CENTURY model indicated that input of N from legumes in the pasture enabled N and C to accumulate in the surface soil. This suggests that gains in soil C and N under hill country pasture that occur in these facets of the landscape are probably largely due to the ongoing input from C and N in the grass-legume pastures rather than erosion or deposition of soil.
  Geoderma 01/2013; 192:154-159.
• Article: Comparison of soil organic matter composition after incubation with maize leaves, roots, and stems.

  Clemente, J.S, Simpson, M.J, A.J, Yanni, S.F, Whalen, J.K
  Geoderma 01/2013; 192:86-96.
• Article: Tracing and modeling preferential flow in a forest soil — Potential impact on nutrient leaching

  G van der Heijden, A. Legout, B Pollier, C Bréchet, J. Ranger, E. Dambrine
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  ABSTRACT: Accurate nutrient budgets in forest ecosystems are needed in order to plan sustainable forest management on poor soils. Such budgets require precise measurements of water and nutrient leaching through the soil. This study aims to characterize the hydrological processes and compute hydrological budgets occurring in a very poor and acidic soil under a 30-year-old beech stand in the Morvan Mountains (France). A forest plot was set up with rain collectors, lysimeters and TDR probes, and we used a deuterated water tracing experiment and two hydrological models (BILJOU and HYDRUS-1D) to estimate the proportion of preferential and slow convective water flow, and to compute the influence of preferential flow paths on nutrient leaching. Preferential flow paths were evidenced by the deuterium tracing experiment. Tracer dynamic through the soil and soil water content variations were successively modeled. This approach enabled us to define the main condition leading to preferential flow generation (rainfall above 3.5 mm/h) and quantify the proportion of preferential flow (54%). Finally, the computed nutrient leaching fluxes of major elements Ca, Mg, NO3 and Al were strongly increased when considering preferential flow paths. The experimental and modeling approach proved to be complementary and we recommend the use of tracing experiments for better model calibration, especially when their outputs are used to compute nutrient leaching fluxes.
  Geoderma 01/2013; 195-196:12-22.
• Article: The spectrum-based learner: a new local approach for modeling soil vis-NIR spectra.

  Leonardo Ramirez-Lopez, Thorsten Behrens, Karsten Schmidt, A. Stevens, J.A.M. Dematte, Thomas Scholten
  Geoderma 12/2012;
• Article: Fire and soils: Key concepts and recent advances

  António Bento-Gonçalves, António Vieira, Xavier Úbeda, Deborah Martin
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  ABSTRACT: It is clear that, in some climates, fires are a natural phenomenon, they have occurred for millennia and plants have revealed the capacity to cope with them (Pausas et al., 2008). It is also known that wildland fires are a global phenomenon occurring in tropical, temperate and boreal regions (González-Pérez et al., 2004; Bowman et al., 2009). Fire regimes are being modified, responding to ongoing global changes and poor forest planning in terms of frequency, size, seasonality, recurrence and fire intensity and severity, with deleterious impacts on soil fertility and structure and important implications for forest management and sustainability (Bento-Gonçalves et al., 2011). In the extensive research that exists on the effect of fire on ecosystems there is a growing interest and body of literature on the effects of fire on soil properties. This paper aims to review the latest developments regarding intrinsic characteristics of fires, fire intensity and severity, wildland fires, prescribed fires, fire regimes and soil protection measures.
  Geoderma 12/2012; 191.
• Article: Effects of simulated acid rain on soil CO2 emission in a secondary forest in subtropical China

  Shutao Chen, Xiaoshuai Shen, Zhenghua Hu, Haishan Chen, Yanshu Shi, Yan Liu
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  ABSTRACT: Acid rain, which is caused mainly by dissolution of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the atmosphere, has been reported to have negative effects on ecosystems. However, few investigations have focused on the impacts of acid rain on soil CO2 emission in forest. In this study, the effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on soil respiration (Rs) and its heterotrophic component (Rh) in a secondary forest in subtropical China were investigated. Soil CO2 efflux was measured by using a Li-8100 infrared gas analyzer with attached chamber. Measurements were generally made once a week from 21 March 2010 to 16 May 2011, in order to investigate the seasonal variations of Rs and Rh under different SAR treatments. Soil temperature and moisture at the depth of 5 cm were measured at the time of soil CO2 efflux measurements. Results indicated that different SAR treatments exhibited similar seasonal patterns of Rs and Rh. Seasonal mean Rs rates for the CK (deionized water), A1 (pH 4.0), A2 (pH 3.0) and A3 (pH 2.0) treatments were 2.63, 1.92, 1.89 and 2.16 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively, while mean Rh rates for the four treatments were 1.80, 1.64, 1.76 and 1.79 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively. Two-factor analysis (respiration components and SAR) analysis of variance implied that SAR had significant (p=0.031) effects on soil CO2 emissions, but this was contingent on the specific respiration components. SAR showed significant inhibition effects on Rs (autotrophic + heterotrophic components) rather than Rh. The ratio of Rh to Rs was significantly higher in the CK than in the acid rain treatments (A1, A2 and A3). Soil temperature and moisture were two controlling factors regulating the seasonal patterns of Rs and Rh for each of the SAR treatment. Soil temperature and moisture accounted for more than 80% of the seasonal variations observed in Rs and Rh. This work highlights that the effects of SAR are important to consider in assessing the annual soil CO2 emission, particularly under the scenario of increasing acid rain pollution.
  Geoderma 11/2012; 189-190(11):65-71.