Sa'eb Khresat

• Jordan University of Science and Technology

download link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/GBZ49THKFMY6SVGVTXM4/full?target=10.1080/17480930.2023.2185438 Recovery of soil health offers insights into the mechanisms underpinning the stability of remediated ecosystems. Indirect assessment of enzymatic activity potential using substrate induced respiration (SIR), is commonly used to evaluat...

Increasing the retention and sequestration of plant residue carbon in agricultural soils by incorporating humic acid is the main focus of this study. This study aims to examine the effect of humic acid addition on the decomposition of plant residues of varying degrees of lability. Respiration experiments were conducted to estimate the ability of hu...

This article explores the ways in which two international water agreements on the Yarmouk tributary to the Jordan River induce or impede transformation to equitable transboundary water arrangements. The agreements in question were reached between Jordan and Syria in 1987, and between Jordan and Israel in 1994. Following a brief review of theory and...

This article explores the ways in which key components of infrastructure built on the Yarmouk tributary to the Jordan River induce or impede the transformation of existing transboundary water arrangements. Focussing on the Jordanian-Israeli Adassiyeh Weir and on the Jordanian-Syrian Wehdeh Dam, the article interprets archival documents, official ri...

Endophytes are hypothesized to be transferred across the soil-plant continuum, suggesting both the transfers of endophytes from environment to plant and from plant to soil. To verify this hypothesis and to assess the role of locality, we evaluated the similarity of microbial communities commonly found both in soils and endophytic communities in thr...

Movement of CO 2 from the atmosphere into land via photosyn-thesis and root respiration, the subsequent formation of bicarbonate in soil, and its storage in groundwater or precipitation as CaCO 3 in dryland soils are major processes in the global carbon cycle. Together, inorganic carbon as soil carbonate (~940 PgC) and as bicarbonate in groundwater...

The Highlands of Jordan has a Mediterranean type of climate characterized by hot dry summers and cold wet winters. Unsustainable land use practices, recurrent droughts and climate change are the main causes of land degradation in the Highlands area of Jordan. Unsustainable land use practices include improper plowing, inappropriate rotations, inadeq...

This study investigates the impact of climate change and land use change on water resources and food security in Jordan. The country is dominated by arid climate with limited arable land and water resources, where the per capita share of water is less than 145 m3/year. The study focused on crop production and water resources under trends of anticip...

Soil erosion by wind is considered as one of the major factors causing land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas. This study was carried out to assess the potential of soil to erode by wind in Yarmouk basin in Jordan. The basin is subjected to continuous wind events during summer, and losing its vegetation cover due to continuous overgrazing whi...

Spectral reflectance for soils and vegetation of the Yarmouk basin were correlated with surficial soil properties and vegetation biomass and cover. The overall aim of the study was to identify bands suitable for assessing soil and vegetation as indices for land degradation and desertification. Results showed that vegetation was well separated from...

Jordan has limited natural resources such as water and agricultural land. It is classified as an arid and semi arid country. The average annual precipitation ranges between 200 and 500 mm. Although a small country, Jordan has many different climatic regions; including sub tropical, Mediterranean, steppe and desert regions. Temperature and rain diff...

A Pre-identification Mission to Jordan (December 2011 –June 2012) was initiated with the main goal of informing the European Union on the relevance of supporting the development of the agriculture sector , especially in light of the European Union / Jordan Action Plan and the Association Agreement developed to realize this plan as embedded in the E...

Indirect assessment of enzymatic activity potential via substrate induced respiration is a common tool used to evaluate variability in soil microbial activity induced by environmental or management variables. The MicroResp™ method for total soil sample catabolic profiling has been employed to estimate divergence in microbial activities under contra...

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of deforestation on physical and chemical properties of soils under native forest in the Mediterranean region of northwestern Jordan and its impact on climate change. Land use/cover maps of 1953, 1978 and 2002 were interpreted and analyzed to quantify the shift from forest to rainfed cultivation. S...

Gypsic soils often have good potential for both rainfed and irrigated cropping. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in using gypsic soils because of a need to extend agricultural production into previously non-cultivated arid and semi-arid regions. Gypsum is a common component in soils of arid areas of Jordan. The purpose of th...

Jordan is a vulnerable country in terms of climate change impact. In the latest assessment report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Jordan will suffer from reduced agricultural productivity due to more erratic rainfall patterns, reduced freshwater resources and increased temperatures. The Initial National Communication (IN...

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of deforestation on physical and chemical properties of soils under native forest in the Mediterranean region of northwestern Jordan. Land use/cover maps of 1953, 1978 and 2002 were interpreted and analysed within GIS to quantify the shift from forest to rainfed cultivation. Six sites were sampled...

Aridisols occupy a wide and significant part of Jordan. The majority of soils in the Azraq Basin, northeastern Jordan, are aridisols. A database on aridisols and land characteristics in northeastern Jordan is needed to allow rational planning of land and water resources utilization.The objectives of this paper are to: characterize the main soil typ...

Arid lands have always been important to the world's human populations, but their significance has increased over the past few decades because of population demographics and continued use of natural resources (Hoekstra & Shachak, 199910. Hoekstra TW Shachak M (eds) 1999 Arid lands management, toward ecological sustainability University of Illinoi...

Inceptisols (Cambisols) occupy a large and important part of the agricultural land in Jordan. Rainfed agriculture is practiced there and the soils are used for cultivated field crops. They have sustained agriculture for many decades. Relatively few pedogenic studies have been directed to Inceptisols (Cambisols) in Jordan. Six sites from different p...

Arid and semiarid lands occupy about one-third of the Earth's land surface. Interpretation of soil formation and geomorphic features of arid lands is needed to assess their soil ecological potentials, limitations, problems and management needs. The objective of this paper was to study the geomorphic features and soil formation of the arid lands in...

Calcic horizons are formed in most of the soils in northern Jordan where a dry, warm climate prevails. Soil samples were collected from four soil sites representing different parent material types (colluvium, alluvium). The purpose of this study was to discuss the possible genesis of calcic soils in north-western Jordan and to classify these soils...

Mollisols have developed from Quaternary deposits in northern Jordan under xeric moisture and thermic temperature regimes. The morphological features and physico‐chemical properties of three Pedons representing the major Mollisols in the arid and semiarid region in northwestern Jordan were studied. The studied soils show a wide variation in their m...

Heavy clay soils with swell‐shrink properties comprise most of the arable land in northern Jordan. These soils are classified as Vertisols. Vertisols occupy a large and important part of the agricultural land in Jordan where rainfed agriculture is practiced. Five sites were selected to represent Vertisols occurring in different precipitation zones....

Cracking soils, or vertisols, occupy a large and important part of the agricultural land in Jordan where rain-fed agriculture is practised. Six sites were selected in places where vertisols occur on limestone parent material, including different precipitation zones. The physico-chemical properties of these soils were studied in order to understand...

The morphological features and physico-chemical properties of four pedons representing the major soil types in the arid and semi-arid region in north-western Jordan were studied. Soils of this area show a wide variation in their morphological, physical and chemical properties as a result of differences in mean annual precipitation, soil parent mate...

Improper farming practices, overgrazing, the conversion of rangelands to croplands in marginal areas and uncontrolled expansion of urban and rural settlement at the cost of cultivable land are among the major causes of land degradation in north-western Jordan. The purpose of this study was to discuss the major causes of land degradation in the area...

Plant analysis for total iron (Fe) is frequency used for diagnosis of Fe‐deficiency chlorosis. However, chlorotic plants frequency contained similar or higher amount of total Fe than the healthy green plants. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine if Fe chlorosis in citrus lemon can be diagnosed by total or active Fe and can be related...

The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret soil-geomorphic features on Fort Bliss in southern New Mexico and western Texas in order to obtain information about landscape evolution and paleoclimatic conditions during the late Quaternary. This information is intended to assist Fort Bliss archaeologists in evaluating archaeological site l...

Arid lands have always been important to the world's human populations, but their significance has increased over the past few decades because of population demographics and continued use of natural resources (Hoekstra & Shachak, 1999). Jordan is faced with increasing population pressure in its already settled areas; hence, it will have to utilize...

Arid and semiarid lands occupy about one-third of the Earth's land surface. Interpretation of soil formation and geomorphic features of arid lands is needed to assess their soil ecological potentials, limitations, problems and management needs. The objective of this paper was to study the geomorphic features and soil formation of the arid lands in...