Humberto Aponte

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Verified

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• Doctor Science of Natural Resources
• Professor (Assistant) at University of O'Higgins

Enzyme activities (EAs) respond to contamination in several ways depending on the chemical form and content of heavy metals and metalloids (HMs) and their interactions with various soil properties. A systematic and mechanistic understanding of EA responses to HM contamination in soil is necessary for predicting the consequences for nutrient availab...

Soil degradation by metal and metalloid (metal[loid]) contamination represents a widespread environmental threat. Most studies investigating soil metal(loid) contamination have disregarded the soil quality concept. Enzyme activities (EAs) are good soil quality indicators due to their direct connection to functions related to C, N, P, and S cycles a...

The monitoring of soil metal(loid) contamination is of global significance due to deleterious effects that metal(loid)s have on living organisms. Soil biological properties such as enzyme activities (EAs) are good indicators of metal(loid) contamination due to their high sensitivity, fast response, and low-cost. Here, the effect of metal(loid) cont...

The management of mine tailings (MT) is commonly workload heavy, intrusive, and expensive. Phytostabilization offers a promising approach for MT management; however, it poses challenges due to the unfavorable physicochemical properties of these wastes. Nevertheless, native microorganisms capable of supporting plant growth and development could enha...

Soil quality assessments, rarely applied to contaminated soils with metal(loid)s, consider ecological topics such as multifunctionality, resistance and resilience of microbial communities to perturbations, in addition to ecosystem services. In this study, the effect of metal(loid) contamination was evaluated in soils based on physicochemical and bi...

Identifying single or groups of animals has significantly advanced our understanding of animal biology and ecology. However, labelling is extremely difficult in small animals, like soil invertebrates. Due to the complexity of current methods, the dynamics and interactions of these populations are often studied indirectly. Labelling nematodes or mic...

Identifying single or groups of animals has significantly advanced our understanding of animal biology and ecology. However, labelling is extremely difficult in small animals, like soil invertebrates. Due to the complexity of current methods, the dynamics and interactions of these populations are often studied indirectly. Labelling nematodes or mic...

Central Chile's lowland valleys constitute a major fruit-producing region, but they face soil copper (Cu) contamination originating from Cu mining in the nearby Andes Mountains as well as the historical and ongoing use of Cu-based pesticides. This study investigated the potential toxicity of Cu to plants (phytotoxicity) in a representative fruit-gr...

Copper mining drives economic growth, with the global demand expected to reach 120 million metric tons annually by 2050. However, mining produces tailings containing heavy metals (HMs), which poses environmental risks. This study investigated the efficacy of phytoremediation (Phy) combined with electrokinetic treatment (EKT) to increase metal uptak...

Grape pomace (GP) is used as a fertilizer in viticulture due to its carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) richness. Its application follows as biologically treated (i.e., vermicompost) or as untreated (fresh), with different nutritional inputs for the soil. But constraints exist regarding the amount and mobility of nutrients as a function of the soil type an...

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of two carbon (C)-rich carrier materials derived from agricultural residues, spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and composted wheat straw (CWS) for enhancing soil carbon stabilization in an Andisol, with a view towards their future application in smart fertilizer design. We investigated how their contrasting n...

The phosphorus (P) addition can be helpful in the mitigation of the adverse effects of water deficit stress. However, the efficiency of wheat in utilizing both components has not been assessed in field conditions. This research aims to assess the effects of P and water addition on phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and water productivity (WP) in field...

The primary fruit production zone in Chile lies in the lowland areas of the central region, which has a history of soil copper pollution due to both copper mining (in the highlands) and the use of copper-based pesticides in agriculture. This study assessed the phytotoxic effect of copper in agricultural topsoil contaminated by different sources in...

The relationship between phosphorus (P) availability and water restriction was explored in this study, focusing on its impact on phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) in various bromegrass (Bromus spp.) genotypes. Under controlled conditions, five bromegrass genotypes, as well as one ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivar, were...

Phytoremediation, an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for addressing Cu-contaminated environments, remains underutilized in mine tailings. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a vital role in reducing Cu levels in plants through various mechanisms, including glomalin stabilization, immobilization within fungal structures, and en...

Soil biological properties are sensitive indicators of soil quality changes due to perturbations occurred under agricultural management. The effects of contrasting tillage, increasing nitrogen fertilization doses, and crop rotations [e.g., bean, maize, bean (BMB) and bean, amaranth, bean (BAB)] on soil physicochemical and biological properties in a...

Despite the global expansion of forest plantations in Chile, their effect on biology properties of soil has still been only scarcely studied. Land use change in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera (36° to 40° S) is mainly attributed to the conversion of native forest to agriculture and forest plantations (Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus radiata de Don). T...

The rise in the global population demands an increasing food supply and methods to boost agricultural production. Pesticides are necessary for agricultural production models, avoiding losses of close to 40%. Nevertheless, the extensive use of pesticides can cause their accumulation in the environment, causing problems for human health, biota, and e...

Los parámetros biológicos son usados como indicadores tempranos en la calidad de un suelo (ICS) agrícola, ya que responden rápidamente al manejo antrópico. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar el efecto del sistema de labranza: siembra directa (SD) y labranza convencional (LC), y de la fertilización nitrogenada después de los cultivos d...

The main organic input for the elaboration of growing media is peat (Sphagnum spp.), due to its physical and chemical characteristics. However, the mining of this material creates a considerable impact in the local ecosystems from which this is obtained, along with a global impact because of the emission of greenhouse gasses. Thus, sustainable mate...

The current scientific evidence shows a synergistic role between phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and water use efficiency (WUE). However, the interactions between plants and soil microorganisms that stimulate phosphorus (P) and water uptake could exhibit variation at the cultivar level. This manuscript aims to evaluate the influence of different wh...

Drought generates a complex scenario worldwide in which agriculture should urgently be reframed from an integrative point of view. It includes the search for new water resources and the use of tolerant crops and genotypes, improved irrigation systems, and other less explored alternatives that are very important, such as biotechnological tools that...

Forest fires alter soil microbial communities that are essential to support ecosystem recovery following land burning. These alterations have different responses according to soil abiotic pre-and post-fire conditions and fire severity, among others, and tend to decrease along vegetation recovery over time. Thus, understanding the effects of fires o...

One of the biological indicators most used to determine the health of a fluvial ecosystem are the benthic macroinvertebrates. The presence of recurrent species in a wide gradient of latitudes, dominates the biogeographic pattern of the benthic macroinvertebrates in Chilean fresh waters, nevertheless the knowledge on the communitarian ecology of the...

It is well known that phosphorus (P) addition helps mitigate the adverse effects of water deficit stress on plants. However, the efficiency of spring wheat genotypes in the use of both components has not been addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of P and water limiting conditions over phosphorus use efficiency...

This study assessed both the soil and litter copper (Cu) levels and their relationships with soil microbial activity, in fruit-tree production areas of central Chile where Cu-based pesticides are intensively sprayed. Samples of soil (0–20 cm depth) and litter from a number of selected orchards (kiwi, table grape, plum, and cherry) were collected an...

The water crisis is a concern for Chilean agriculture. Testing new methods based on computer simulations is urgent to optimize irrigation. This study aimed to assess the model efficiency of HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations of volumetric water content (θ) and pore electrical conductivity (ECp) in an olive tree variety Kalamata under desert conditions. The m...

Different techniques have been developed for the remediation of Cu contaminated soils, being the phytoremediation a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy, but its use in mine tailings is scarce. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can decrease the Cu concentration in plants by favouring the stabilization of this metal through different m...

Soil metal contamination has emerged as a global environmental issue due to toxicity to living organisms. Traditional remediation techniques applied to metal-contaminated soils are intrusive and expensive, by which more environmental-friendly methods, such as phytoremediation, are necessary to remediate metal-contaminated soils. This study aimed to...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of compost produced with agricultural residues and oat-based biochar, iron oxide and halloysite nanoparticles as additives of the process of composting on soil chemical properties, nutrient status and growth of ryegrass Lolium perenne L. For this, a 90-day mesocosm experiment was carried out under gre...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi affect ecosystem processes improving plant tolerance in (hyper)arid/ saline environments. However, there are no previous studies on the presence of AM fungi in the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile), the driest desert in the world. Here, we studied the root and rhizosphere in 111 samples of representative plants from...

The current scientific evidence shows that phosphorus (P) appears to mitigate the adverse effects derived from water deficit stress. However, the efficiency of wheat in the use of both components have been not addressed. The objective of this study was to investigate the combined effect of P and water limiting conditions over phosphorus utilization...

Assessment of soil health requires complex evaluation of properties and functions responsible for a broad range of ecosystem services. Numerous soil quality indices (SQI) have been suggested for the evaluation of specific groups ofsoil functions, but comparison ofvarious SQI is impossible because they are based on a combination of specific soil pro...

The hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi represent an essential component in the extraradical zone due to their role in nutrients and water uptake and as propagules that allow the perpetuation of the AM symbiosis over time, respectively. However, the attention of scientific literature is usually more focused on root colonization t...

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of foliar sprays containing boron (B) nano-fertilizer (NF) on the growth and physiology of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions for 60 days on a modified Hoagland solution with the presence and absence of boron (+B or –B). A synthesiz...

Copper (Cu) mining has to address a critical environmental issue related to the disposal of heavy metals and metalloids (HMs). Due to their deleterious effects on living organisms, Cu and arsenic (As) have gained global attention, and thus their monitoring in the environment is an important task. The aims of this study were: 1) to evaluate the alte...

In modern agriculture large amounts of harvesting residues are produced each year due to the increase of agricultural activities in order to maintain food production for the growing population. The development of innovative fertilizers, able to satisfy nutrient needs without adverse effects on the environment. In order to allow for effective produc...

The aim of this work was to determine if EAs are good indicators in metal(loid) contaminated soils. Additionally, we evaluated which EAs are the most negatively affected under metal(loid) contamination through a meta-analysis. Enzymatic activities (EAs) are good indicators of soil quality due to their sensitivity and fast response under changes and...

Application of stabilized compost on metal contaminated soils might be a useful tool for the decreasing of toxic elements. It is well known that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improve the establishment of plants under negative conditions, thus, the interaction between both factors with the presence of vegetal species can be an effective alterna...

La evaluación del efecto del tipo de agua de riego sobre las propiedades bioquímicas del suelo, se realizó en parcelas con pasto bermuda regadas con agua procedente de una laguna de oxidación (LO), pozo profundo (AP), la mezcla de agua de lluvia con agua de pozo (ALL) y un fragmento de vegetación secundaria (VS) carente de pasto y riego en Quíbor,...

Se evaluó el efecto del cují, Prosopis juliflora, asociado al cultivo de sábila, Aloe vera, sobre la fertilidad biológica y química de suelos del sector El Cebollal del estado Falcón. Se consideraron dos condiciones de manejo: sábila bajo sombra de cují y sábila a plena exposición solar. Se seleccionaron nueve árboles de cují evaluando los suelos b...

Un manantial es un flujo natural de agua que emerge desde el interior de la tierra, o de entre las rocas. La composición del agua de manantial varía según la naturaleza del suelo o de las rocas, mientras que su caudal depende de la estación del año y del volumen de las precipitaciones. Los manantiales de filtración se secan a menudo en épocas secas...