Irena Dimitrova Atanassova

• Professor, DSc
• Director at Institute for Soil Science agrotechnology and plant protection

Few studies on free lipids in total solvent extracts from soil clay fractions directly measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have been reported so far. In this study, we aimed to examine the free lipids in the clay fraction separated from a Fluvisol profile on which sewage sludge was deposited 6years ago and provide information o...

Previous studies examining organic compounds that may cause water-repellent behaviour of soils have typically focussed on analysing only the lipophilic fraction of extracted material. This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive examination by applying single- and sequential-accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), separation and analysis by GC/MS...

Sorption of low molecular mass (LMM) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) acenapthene, fluorene, and dibenzo-thiophene, as tracers in columns containing aquifer materials with a mass fraction of natural organic carbon foe= 0.0002 and coated with 0 to 0.02 % of mass of a moderately weathered diesel oil was studied. Weathered diesel oil effectivel...

The microbiological properties of reclaimed soils from the area of Panagyurishte city and Elshitsa village were assessed. Physical and chemical analyzes of soils were performed, the amount of main groups of soil microorganisms was determined – ammonifying and cellulolytic microorganisms, mineral nitrogen-utilizing bacteria, actinomycetes and micros...

Neutral and slightly alkaline arable soils from the vicinity of the former and the biggest metallurgical plant in southeastern Europe were analyzed for the status of the water soluble pool of heavy metals in 1–20% w/w biochar (BC)-amended contaminated soils. Heavy metal solubility was monitored over a 6-month period. The metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd,...

Effectiveness of lime and glauconite-phosphorite containing organo-mineral ameliorants in heavy metal contaminated soils

The paper compares physical and chemical characteristics of technogenic soil profiles at coal mine spoil from Maritsa-Iztok Mines. Sites with coniferous vegetation and without vegetation were selected. Brief comparison was made between physico-chemical characteristics of studied soil profiles and those from other mine spoils. Relations with previou...

The effectiveness of mineral fertilization on wheat productivity was determined in a field experiment on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol, FAO 2015) at the experimental field of Tsalapitsa village, Plovdiv region, during 2019-2020. Four increasing rates of nitrogen fertilization along with a constant background of phosphorus fertilization were tested...

The main aim of the study was to systematize and summarize archival data on yields from main field crops from multiple fertilizer experiments of Nikola Poushkarov ISSAPP on various soil types in Bulgaria. A large set of results from the field fertilizer experiments carried out on four different soil types: Calcareous Chernozem (Trastenik village),...

The contamination of soils with copper in the vicinity of Aurubis copper smelter and refinery in Bulgaria is a problem that needs further studies. Water soluble concentrations of Cu, Pb, Mn and Fe exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations for domestic water quality. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that Cu, Pb, Mn, Cd and Co are of...

Soils around the former metallurgical plant Kremikovtsi were subject of continued interest due to the environmental problems resulting from the plant's activities and especially heavy metal pollution. The aim of the present study was to investigate the contamination of the studied soils by metals and metalloids, several years after the closure of t...

Soils from the area of Aurubis-Pirdop Cu smelter in Bulgaria were studied for the effect of biochar (BC) on the heavy metals concentrations and speciation. Maximum permissible lеvels (MPL) were exceeded for Cu, Pb, Zn, As and Mn. Total concentrations of the contaminants varied from 319–2645 mg/kg for Cu and from 92–234 mg/kg for Pb. Incubation expe...

). Nitrogen balance at the maize cultivation in Southern Bulgaria under anthropogenic loading

Microflora in a Reclaimed Arable Land from Area of Maritza - East

The study examined reclaimed soils (~ 20 years) formed on embankments from the over-burden wastes in the Medet mine from the Asarel-Medet Cu complex. Soils possess light texture, mostly acidic soil reaction and five of the sampled sites are characterised by higher than the Maximum Permissible Loads for Cu contents, as regulated by the National legi...

The article presents a new view of the element silicon (Si) as important for plant and human health. It is the second most abundant element in the earth after oxygen. Until now, it has been considered a "non-useful plant nutrient", but its absence in the soil leads to the death of plants. Based on field fertilizer experiments with nitrogen, phospho...

Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and as a tool to absorb net carbon from the atmosphere. In this study we determined the signatures of organic molecular markers in soil following the incorporation of 5 and 10 t/ha biochar in a Fluvisol, cultivated with maize at the experimental field of the ISSAPP “N. Poushkarov...

Three types of organic ameliorants, sheep manure, sewage sludge from a waste water treatment plant and a plant compost were added to an Alluvialmeadow soil (Fluvisol). There was evidence for well-preserved biomarker signals and higher values of the carbon preference index (CPI) in the sludge and manure-treated soils, while lower values, typical of...

Impact of oak wood biochar and nitrogen fertilizer on soil properties and maize biomass growth

Effect of organic amendments on soil characteristics and maize biomass in a greenhouse experiment

Physical and chemical properties in reclaimed soils in a stand of Robinia pseudoacacia from Mini Maritsa Iztok basin in Southern Bulgaria

Determination of the soil equivalent in leached smolnitsa and alluvialmeadow soils by pot experiment

The study presents results of field experiments with maize conducted during the year 2020 on two fields with different soils in Bulgaria, namely Leached smolnitsa and Alluvial-meadow soil. This article aims to perform a simulation experiment of crop yields to evaluate the limits of maize grain yield grown on soils with different properties and with...

The study analyzed the organic molecular marker signatures in a maize cultivated Fluvisol ameliorated with 5 and 10 t.ha−1 biochar at the experimental field of the ISSAPP N. Poushkarov institute in Bulgaria. The n-alkane signatures and the carbon preference index (CPI) in the biochar treated soils revealed that sources of SOM were predominantly of...

Coal ash reclaimed Technogenic soils from the area of Maritsa-Iztok lignite coal basin in Bulgaria were studied for three types of land use, i.e. cereals stubble, acacia and pine vegetated sites. Coal (fly) ash, a waste product from the thermal power plant has been added to the spoils containing geological materials that have been excavated in the...

Ivanov, P., Atanassova, I., Shishkov, T., Dimitrov, E., Banov, M. & Kirilov, I. (2021). Assessment of soil water repellency in reclaimed soils under different land use. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 27 (4), 712-718 Study on soil water repellency in reclaimed Technosols from the area of Obruchishte village, Maritsa-Iztok Mines has been carried out. Sampling...

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-...

Soil water repellency is phenomenon which is caused by compounds of organic origin, type of clay minerals and wetting/drying cycles. Hydrophobicity is usually characterized by a great spatial and temporal variability, especially in mine spoils where different types of overburden materials are mixed with coal particles and other waste products. The...

The ionic composition and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil solution of four soil profiles, from the area of Obruchishte were analyzed and relationships with soil hydrophobicity were discussed. It was found that the greatest variation and leaching of NO 3-, SO 4 2-and Ca 2+ were from the profile of Obruchishte under ash, while of Na + from Obr...

Petkova, Z., Nenova, L., Simeonova, Ts., Benkova, M., Nenov, M., Gerassimova, I., Katsarova, A., Atanassova, I. & Harizanova, M. (2021). Effect of different fertilizer rates on some quantitative parameters of maize in a pot experiment with alluvial-meadow soil. Bulg. J. Agri. Sci., 27 (5), 948-953 The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ef...

Free Lipid Biomarkers in Anthropogenic Soils.

Soil water repellency has major implications for surface and subsurface water transport and organic and inorganic contaminant mobilisation. Heavy metal mobility and speciation in solutions from acidic coal ash reclaimed Technosols from a major coal mine region in Eastern Europe were studied with the aim to reveal relationships with soil water repel...

Depending on land use, there are different conditions for the development of soil microflora such as soil properties, the vegetation cover and etc. The distribution of basic groups of soil microorganisms has been studied depending on land use in the area of Dolna Banya village, District of Sofia, Bulgaria. The areas of research were rye field, fore...

Free lipid biomarkers are sensitive indicators of the extent of climatic and anthropogenic disturbances in soils, in contrast to “bound lipids” that are tightly incorporated in the soil organic matrix and may be fixed for long periods of time. The studies reported in this chapter describe signature free lipid biomarkers in anthropogenic soils and t...

Recently there has been considerable interest in the use of biochar to improve soil quality and mitigate climate change. Тhe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two types of biochar on physico-chemical, agro-chemical and eco-chemical characteristics of a Fluvisol. The study site is the experimental field of Tsalapitsa village (Plovdi...

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of different fertilizer doses on the content of macroelements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in dry biomass and grain of maize during the 2016 – 2018 period. A field experiment with fertilization of maize was carried out on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol) in the region of Tsalapitsa village, ne...

Настоящият научен труд е разработен по решение на Управителния съвет на Българско почвоведско дружество. За изпълнение на задачата участваха и работиха известни и утвърдени учени-почвоведи от ИПАЗР „Никола Пушка- ров”, Аграрния университет – Пловдив и Лесотехническия университет. Резултат от тяхната работа са три важни за науката, образованието и п...

Labile Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fly ash reclaimed Technosols

The study presents assessment of water repellency (WR) in non-humus reclaimed mine soils from the region of Maritsa-Iztok Mines, Bulgaria. Soil samples from two experimental plots (under black pine and without vegetation), from depths 0-5 (10) cm and 10-20 cm, in different seasons (spring and summer) were studied. Soil water repellency (SWR) was as...

Solubility and availability of copper, zinc lead and iron in technosols under the effect of increasing copper levels

Studied were metal associations and contamination status of hydrophilic and hydrophobic technogenic soils from the area of Maritsa-Iztok coal mine region in Bulgaria. Four sites with contrasting hydrologic and acidic properties were chosen for investigation. At two of the sites following humus and non-humus reclamation under grass vegetation, soils...

Petkova, G., K. Nedyalkova, A. Mikova and Irena Atanassova, 2018. Microbiological characteristics of biochar amended alluvial meadow soil, Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 24 (Suppl. 2): 81-84 Biochar (BC), produced by the pyrolysis of biomass under limited oxygen is highly stable and resistant to microbial decay and can serve as a long-term sink of carbon. D...

Relationships between soil water repellency, physical and chemical properties in hydrophobic technogenic soils from the region of Maritsa-Iztok coal mine in Bulgaria. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 24 (Suppl. 2): 10-17 Soil water repellency (soil hydrophobicity) is considered a key mechanism for sequestration of organic carbon. Technogenic soils from mine a...

Hydrophobicity has negative influence on soil structure, water holding capacity and plant growth. Microbiological parameters of hydrophobic Technosols from Bulgaria have not been investigated yet. The study makes a comparison between two hydrophobic and two hydrophilic Technosols from the region of Maritsa-Iztok coal mines that differed in hydrolog...

Hot-Water-Soluble Organic Compounds Related to Hydrophobicity in Sandy Soils

With a population ~ 1 300 000 million and an area of 1344 km , Sofia, Bulgaria is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe with registered contamination of the air, water and soils of the city including heavy metals. The purpose of the study is to analyze the different pools under which heavy metals in urban soils exist. The chosen sites...

Copper adsorption and bioavailability to whole wheat plants in a slightly alkaline Alluvial-meadow soil (pH 7.4) contaminated with Cu (250-1500 mgkg-1) and inoculated or uninoculated with Fusarium Culmorum was studied in a laboratory (Cu adsorption experiment) and greenhouse (pollution and inoculation) experiments. Availability was assessed by usin...

The present study describes signature lipid biomarkers in reclaimed mine soils, an unreclaimed spoil and a natural soil (Vertisol) for a major coal mine basin in Eastern Europe. Alkanes, fatty acids and fatty alcohols, as well as coal biomarkers were abundant in the mine soils and the unreclaimed spoil. The alkanes distribution in the reclaimed min...

Sediment samples from a salt marsh habitat in the vicinity of Linden Chemical Plant (LCP) Superfund site in Brunswick Georgia, USA, were analyzed for the composition of total solvent extracts and sources of lipid compounds. Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis infer past multiple sources o...

Hot-water-extraction of water repellent soils from Australia, Portugal and UK eliminated soil water repellency (SWR) in the soils studied. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis showed that the dominant compounds were aromatic acids, short chain dicarboxylic acids (C 4-C 9), sugars and esters of stearic and palmitic acids. Aromatics...

Effectiveness of lime and glauconite-phosphorite containing organo-mineral ameliorants in heavy metal contaminated soils

The present study describes the basic chemical and physico-chemical characteristics of reclaimed soils and waste slag from waste dumps of Pernik coal mine basin for assessment of the present status of restoration processes following a technical and biological reclamation. The study sites are spoils near Baikusheva neighborhood, slag dumping sites a...

Studied were the carbonate contents, sorptive and mineralogical properties of Sandy Soils (Arenosols) from the Black sea zone of Bulgaria. They were characterized with neutral to slightly alkaline reaction. According to the carbonate contents they are noncarbonate, slightly carbonate, moderately carbonate and very carbonate. The sorption capacity v...

AtAnAssovA, I., M. teohArov and M. hArIzAnovA, 2015. vertical distribution of heavy metals in soils under the application of industrial sludge from paint and print industry. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 54-63 Investigated were soil profiles (0-200 cm) under industrial sludge from a waste water treatment facility of a textile painting plant near elin P...

Three technogenic soils from the industrial area of the metallurgical plant “Kremikovtsi” and an uncontaminated control soil from the region of the village of Seslavtsi were investigated. The soils are characterized by a neutral to slightly alkaline reaction and elevated levels of heavy metals, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe and Pb, compared to the control. The so...

Studied were the carbonate contents, sorptive and mineralogical properties of Sandy Soils (Arenosols) from the Black sea zone of Bulgaria. They were characterized with neutral to slightly alkaline reaction. According to the carbonate contents they are noncarbonate, slightly carbonate, moderately carbonate and very carbonate. The sorption capacity v...

The present study is focused on the question of heavy metals contamination of soils in urban regions and the role of forest plants in distribution of these toxic elements emitted from linear local source of contamination (automobile traffic) toward soil system. The objects of investigation are ecosystems with grass and tree cover in the region of S...

Soil water repellency (WR) reduces mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) and has the potential to sequester soil carbon. However, predicted climate change events such as decreased rainfall and droughts can cause changes in WR influencing water storage and plant productivity. Hot-water-soluble carbon (HWSC) is a sensitive indicator of ecosyste...

Two different approaches for analysis of organic compounds composition in hot water extracts from accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of water repellent soils were assessed.. Dominant compounds were aromatic acids, short chain dicarboxy-lic acids (C 4-C 9), sugars, short chain fatty acids (C 8-C 18), and esters of stearic and palmitic acids. Polar...

Two different approaches for analysis of organic compounds composition in hot water extracts from accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of water repellent soils were assessed.. Dominant compounds were aromatic acids, short chain dicarboxylic acids (C4-C9), sugars, short chain fatty acids (C8-C18), and esters of stearic and palmitic acids. Polar comp...

Резюме. Представлены результаты исследования сорбционных, кислотно-нейтрализационных и гидрофобных свойств Песчаных почв Черноморской Зоны. Физико-химическим и спектральным методами определены буферные свойства, емкость катионного обмена и состав органических соединений Эти свойства обусловленны физическими, физико-химическими и органо-химическими...

C opper adsorption by Alluvial-mea dow soils influence d by long-ter m minera l fer tilization at surface loadings 62.5 – 2000 mg/kg wa s studied. The control non- fer tilised var ian ts exhibit increa sed adsorption ca pac ity for copper to 1000 – 2000 mg/kg. Higher values of the distribution coefficien t Kd re re flec ec ting higher er surface ac...

Copper adsorption of increasing soil concentrations (62.5 – 2000 mg/kg) by a degraded polluted with copper Alluvial-delluvial soil from the area of Zlatitsa and soil variants treated with peat, CaO and CaO/glauconite/phosphorite was evalated. It was found that adsorption of the non-meliorated and peat meliorated soil was characterised by the presen...

This study deals with the changes in the cation-exchange properties (CEC pH 8.2 , CEC(sa) strongly acid and CEC (wa) weakly acid) and the acid neutralizing capacity of Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol) and Smolnitsa (Vertisol) under long-term mineral fertilization and different agricultural practices. Considerable changes in the values of the strongl...

For forest soils, which are naturally acidic, there is only a limited number of reports, concerning their cation exchange capacity (CEC) controlling mechanisms and on the possible impacts of acidic deposition, climate change and increasing harvesting pressure for biofuels. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to characterise the cation exch...

Environmental context Heating of soils under wildfires can substantially reduce their ability to absorb rainfall, causing reduced vegetation recovery and increased erosion and flooding. This study examines, for the first time, the chemical changes in soil organic matter associated with heating in the oxygen-limited conditions typical under many wil...

One of the main issues relating to sewage sludge (SS ) disposal is the introduction of heavy metals and organic pollutants. The aim of this research work was to assess the mobility of heavy metals via measurement of the soluble and easily exchangeable metals in soils on which sewage sludge had been deposited 10 years before analysis and clarify pat...

Previous studies have shown that long-term irrigation with wastewater can lead to the development of soil water repellency. Little is known about the longevity of this effect. Here we address this research gap by examining the effect of long-term (~ 20 years) use of low-quality wastewater for disposal purposes, followed by 6 years of ‘recovery’ wit...

Soil heating, as for example experienced during vegetation fires, often increases soil water repellency; however, no detailed analysis of the soil chemical changes associated with this increase has been conducted to date. Here we characterize the changes in organic compound composition associated with heat‐induced increases in water repellency for...

We analysed the post fire effects from the late summer of 2007 on the behaviour of major chemical elements in surface soils and soil profiles (Luvisols and Gleysols) characterised as a catena sequence in a hillside of Lyulin Mountain, Bulgaria. The objectives of our study were to assess the P, N, K, Ca, Mg, Na contents in soils on the ridge and the...

Cinnamonic forest soils (Luvisols) on the ridge and the hillside of Lyulin mountain subject to a fire in the late summer of 2007, a bogged soil at the footslope and a control (unburnt) soil on the opposite site of the hill were studied. For the first time a modified procedure (Lowe, 1993) for spectrophotometric determination of polysaccharides in B...

Four soil horizons of a meadow cinnamonic soil (Gleyic Luvisol) were analysed for the lipid biomarker pool. The GC/MS analysis of the lipid fraction showed that lipid signatures were dominated by alkanes (C 17 – C 33), alkanoic acids (C 6 – C 18) with minor contribution of > C 18 acids in the upper Ah horizon and n-alkanols (C 14 – C 32) maximizing...

The paper deals with the mineralogical composition of primary and clay minerals of Regosols developed mainly on calcareous loess and other soft materials from the hilly part of Danube plain. Nine soil profiles were studied and their characterization included, as well as texture, cation exchange capacity, primary and clay miner- als, relief peculiar...

Ground surface heating during wildfires often leads to increased water repellency in soils. The effect of elevated soil temperature on water repellency has been investigated in many laboratory-based studies and temperature thresholds for increases in, and destruction of, water repellency have been established. However, little is known about the cha...

Ground surface heating, (e.g. forest fire) often leads to an increase or above a critical threshold, elimination of water repellency (hydrophobicity) in soils. Here we report on the characterisation of the chemical changes of organic compounds associated with heat-induced increases and elimination of water repellency. A eucalypt forest soil of sand...

One of the consequences of long-term irrigation with waste water can be the development of soil water repellency (WR). Its emergence can affect soil-water balance, irrigation efficiency and crop yield. Water repellency development has been suggested to be controlled by parameters such as organic matter quantity and type present in the waste water,...

We analysed the effects of a forest fire having occurred in the late summer of 2007 on major characteristics and properties of surface soils and soil profiles characterised as a catena sequence. The objectives of our study were to carry out a detailed morphological description of the individual soil profiles on the ridge and slopes of Lyulin mounta...

Soil samples from a colluviated soil profile in a rural area of Western Europe have been analyzed by HPLC for 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in order to determine their total contents and distribution patterns. Stagnant water and reducing conditions prevail in a depth below 70 cm. The sum of the 15 PAHs varied between 11 and 200 μg kg−1...

Mineralogical and Physico-chemical Study of Chromic Luvisol Clays from Greece and Bulgaria

Competitive effect of copper, zinc, cadmium and nickelon ion adsorption and desorption by soil clays

This study evaluated the effect of competing copper, zinc, cadmium and nickel ions in 0.01 M Ca(NO3)2 on heavy metal sorption and desorption by soil clay fractions. Initial Cu addition levels varied from 99 mg kg-1 to 900 mg kg-1 and Zn, Cd and Ni levels were 94, 131 and 99 mg kg-1, respectively. Sorption of Cu conformed to a Freundlich equation. T...

Copper adsorption and desorption under acid conditions by soil clay fractions separated from Vertisol, Planosol and Gleyic Acrisol has been studied in 0.01 M Ca(NO3)2. A Freundlich equation was appropriate to describe Cu adsorption. Within the range of 150 to 2600 mg of copper per kg of soil clay fraction the proportions of Cu not displaced during...

Studies were carried out on the adsorption and desorption of added copper (from 100 to 600 microg g(-1)) to whole soils with contrasting properties: a Podzol (Godech A and Godech B) and a Chernozem (Gramada). Adsorption resulted in high Cu concentrations for the Podzol. The adsorbed copper, especially that in the B-horizon, is also potentially mobi...

Based on the concepts of the acidic reactivity of the soil colloids, the physicochemical behaviour of heavy metals in soils is discussed. It is shown that this passes through: ionic (toxic) mobilization in the case of incomplete neutralization of the strongly acidic ion exchanger by strong bases; an optimum, when the strongly acidic ion exchanger i...