Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mouna Feki Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (D.I.C.A.), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy Author-Name: Giovanni Ravazzani Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (D.I.C.A.), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy Author-Name: Stefano Barontini Author-Workplace-Name: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio, Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Brescia (BS), Italy Author-Name: Alessandro Ceppi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (D.I.C.A.), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy Author-Name: Marco Mancini Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (D.I.C.A.), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy Title: A comparative assessment of the estimates of the saturated hydraulic conductivity of two anthropogenic soils and their impact on hydrological model simulations Abstract: In this study, different methods were compared in order to determine the soil hydraulic conductivity at the saturation (Ks) of two heavily anthropized soils in northern Italy: an irrigated field and a landfill cover. In situ, laboratory measurements (falling head and evaporation method) and pedotransfer functions (ROSETTA and HYPRES) were used for the Ks estimation. In accordance with scientific literature, the results have shown that Ks is largely dependent on the type of technique used in taking the measurements. The ROSETTA and HYPRES pedotransfer functions show quite similar performances, while their easiness and convenient use make them potential alternative techniques for the Ks estimation in comparison with the in situ and laboratory measurements. The Ks estimate is sensitive to the selected method and this sensitivity affects the hydrological model simulations. Therefore, none of the tested methods can be considered as a benchmark, but the results found in this study confirm that the applied method for the determination of Ks, may provide a first estimate of Ks to be subsequently optimised after the simulations. Keywords: double ring infiltrometer, evaporation method, Guelph permeameter, hydraulic conductivity at soil saturation, laboratory experiments, pedotransfer function Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 135-147 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/33/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/33/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:33-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jing Yang Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Preventive Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China Author-Name: Yunli Zhao Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Preventive Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China Author-Name: Quan Zhen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Preventive Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China Author-Name: Xue Chen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Preventive Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China Author-Name: Yuyuan Zhang Title: Concentrations and sources of persistent organochlorine residues in the sediments and soils from an industrially impacted area in Anhui, China Abstract: In this study, a typical site that had been contaminated by the chemical industry in the past was selected for investigation. To reveal the pollution status, 18 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the surface soil and sediment samples were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The levels of the persistent organochlorine residues in the sediment ranged from 44.59-143.29 ng/g, whereas they were 13.94-97.91 ng/g in the soil. A principal component analysis identified that PCBs and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) were the primary sources of the organochlorine residues in the study area. The p,p'-DDT/(p,p'-DDE + p,p'-DDD) values were all below 1, which indicated that the historical inputs of the technical DDT and dicofol were the major sources of DDTs rather than recent inputs. The composition diversity of the hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers showed that the main sources in the soil were the past use of pesticides, whereas the sediment sources might be due to the historical use of technical HCHs and recent lindane inputs. The ecological risk assessment showed that γ-HCH could pose the highest risks for benthic organisms, followed by DDTs and heptachlor epoxide. These compounds are known to bio-accumulate in fatty tissues. Therefore, routine monitoring of the persistent organochlorine residues in the area is needed and the health risks to local residents should be assessed. Keywords: ecological risk assessment, OCPs, PCBs, sediment, soil Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 148-157 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/50/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/50/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:50-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Eva Procházková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Pedology and Soil Conservation, Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: David Kincl Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Pedology and Soil Conservation, Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: David Kabelka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Pedology and Soil Conservation, Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan Vopravil Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Pedology and Soil Conservation, Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Nerušil Author-Workplace-Name: Division of Crop Management Systems, Crop Research Institute, Prague-Ruzyně, Czech Republic Author-Name: Ladislav Menšík Author-Workplace-Name: Division of Crop Management Systems, Crop Research Institute, Prague-Ruzyně, Czech Republic Author-Name: Vojtěch Barták Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: The impact of the conservation tillage "maize into grass cover" on reducing the soil loss due to erosion Abstract: Maize (Zea mays L.) belongs among the most important agriculture crops all over the world. The conventional way of cultivating maize with wide row spacing does not have a soil conservation effect and significantly contributes to water erosion and surface run-off. In our research, we tested the soil conservation technology (strip-till into grass cover) which took place in 2016 and 2017 in the location of Central Bohemia. The impact of a strip-till system of maize into grass cover on reducing the soil loss due to erosion was verified on the area of 21 m2 using a rainfall simulator. During the research, 70 measurements were realised. The strip-till was compared to fallow land, conventional cultivation and no-till methods. Profound differences were found in the soil loss between the treatments. There was a decrease in the soil loss of about 98% in the strip-till compared to the conventional cultivation. Moreover, the surface run-off was reduced by 79%. The ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) models of the log-transformed soil loss on the surface run-off and treatment were highly significant (P < 10-15). The measurement results clearly demonstrate the positive effect of the strip-till into the grass on the surface run-off and soil loss. This positive soil conservation effect was observed even in springtime, as well as the rest of the season. Using a grass cover for establishing the maize significantly contributes to the soil conservation on the land threatened by erosion and offers farmers a suitable way of farming when growing maize. Strip-tilling is a technology that has great potential in sustainable farming. Keywords: erosion control measures, rainfall simulator, soil conservation, strip-till, surface run-off Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 158-165 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/25/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/25/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:25-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ruqia Nazir Author-Name: Muslim Khan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan Author-Name: Riaz Ur Rehman Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan Author-Name: Shaukat Shujah Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan Author-Name: Mansoor Khan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan Author-Name: Mohib Ullah Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan Author-Workplace-Name: Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Material Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, P.R. China Author-Name: Amir Zada Author-Workplace-Name: Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Material Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan Author-Name: Nasir Mahmood Author-Workplace-Name: Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, P.R. China Author-Name: Irshad Ahmad Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan Title: Adsorption of selected azo dyes from an aqueous solution by activated carbon derived from Monotheca buxifolia waste seeds Abstract: In this study, activated carbon derived from Monotheca buxifolia waste seeds was used for the adsorptive removal of a number of selected azo dyes such as Eriochrome Black T (EBT), Remazol brilliant blue (RBB), Remazol yellow (RY) and Remazol brilliant orange (RBO) from an aqueous solution by changing the initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, solution pH, contact time and temperature. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of the activated carbon showed the existence of hydroxyls, methyl, methylene, carbonyls, alkane and alkenes groups while the scanning electron microscopic image displayed the gradual formation of cavities and open pores on the surface. The results showed that as the amount of the adsorbent and the shaking time were increased, the removal percentage of the dye increased accordingly. Higher adsorption percentages were observed at a lower dye concentration and temperature in an acidic media at a pH range (1-5). The investigated data were evaluated with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The maximum adsorption capacities obtained from the Langmuir model were 112.36, 96.34, 97.65 and 90.91 mg/g for EBT, RBB, RY and RBO, respectively. The results indicated that the electrostatic interaction was the main cause of the adsorption of these anionic azo dyes on the surface of the activated carbon. Keywords: active sites, Freundlich isotherm, Langmuir isotherm, pH Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 166-172 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/59/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/59/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:59-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Viktoria Vona Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Author-Name: Csaba Centeri Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary Author-Name: Zsolt Giczi Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Author-Name: Renato Kalocsai Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Author-Name: Zsolt Biró Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary Author-Name: Gergely Jakab Author-Workplace-Name: Geographical Research Institute, Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary Author-Name: Gabor Milics Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Author-Name: Attila J. Kovács Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Title: Comparison of magnesium determination methods on Hungarian soils Abstract: Magnesium is one of the most important nutrient elements. Soils are tested for magnesium in many countries with several extractants. Each country has its own validated methods, best-suited for its soils. The current study was designed to compare different magnesium content measuring methods with 80 Hungarian samples. The magnesium content was determined by the potassium chloride (1 M KCl 1:10), Mehlich 3 and CoHex (cobalt hexamine trichloride) methods. The maximum, mean and median values resulting from all the Mg determination methods showed the following order of measured magnitude: KCl < CoHex < M3. Keywords: comparative analyses, extraction methods, soil nutrients Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 173-180 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/92/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/92/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:92-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Monika Toleikiene Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania Author-Name: Ausra Arlauskiene Author-Workplace-Name: Joniškélis Experimental Station, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Joniškélis, Lithuania Author-Name: Andreas Fliessbach Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, Frick, Switzerland Author-Name: Rashid Iqbal Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agronomy, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan Author-Name: Lina Sarunaite Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania Author-Name: Zydre Kadziuliene Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania Title: The decomposition of standardised organic materials in loam and clay loam arable soils during a non-vegetation period Abstract: The decomposition of plant organic materials in the soil during the non-vegetation period in a cool temperate climate is associated with nutrient loss and asynchrony in nutrient supply for subsequent crops. Therefore, it is important to select sustainable management tools to regulate the decomposition rate of organic material during the non-vegetation period. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of soil type (loam vs. clay loam), green manuring (wheat straw vs. wheat straw + red clover), and incorporation depth of organic materials (4-7 vs. 14-17 cm) on mass loss, decomposition rate and stabilization of standardised organic material in the organically managed arable soils. A Tea Bag Index method was used in the field experiments with standardised organic plant materials of green and rooibos tea. In addition, litter-bags of locally grown red clover were investigated. The findings of this study suggested that of the three management factors investigated soil type had a significant and longest effect. The mass loss and decomposition rate of the standardised organic materials were significantly (P < 0.5) higher and stabilization significantly lower in the loam soil than in the clay loam soil. During the non-vegetation period, green tea lost 46.3% of its initial mass, rooibos tea lost 19.7% and red clover lost 66%. The study showed that decomposition of fast-decomposing materials could be slowed down during the non-vegetation period by choosing soils with a higher clay content, shallow organic material incorporation depth and manuring soil with N-rich plant residues. Keywords: organic agriculture, red clover, soil texture, tea bag index (TBI), tea bag method Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 181-190 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/31/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/31/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:31-2019-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ivan Alekseev Author-Name: Evgeny Abakumov Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Ecology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia Title: 13C-NMR spectroscopy of humic substances isolated from the agricultural soils of Puchuncavi (El Melón and Puchuncavi areas), central Chile Abstract: Chile is a well-developed agricultural country, which is faced with the problem of agricultural soil contamination with metals, such as Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn, and metalloids (As). These elements can be retained by soils through different mechanisms, i.e., complex-forming with organic matter or occlusion within organic matter. That is why studying soil contamination should also be accompanied by detailed investigations of the soil organic matter composition. Soil organic matter is crucial for plant growth since its decomposition releases nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients available for the plants. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, providing crucial data on carbon functional structures diversity, can also be used to study changes in the soil organic matter (SOM) during decomposition and humification. This study is aimed at investigating the molecular composition of the soil organic matter in the agricultural soils of urbanised areas of central Chile using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The studied soils were characterised by almost neutral pH values and organic carbon contents from 1.7% to 5.2%. The results showed that soils with an increased content of the total organic matter demonstrated an increased portion of aromaticity and a decreased portion of aliphaticity. Most of the investigated humic acids show the highest peaks centred at 125 ppm, which can be tentatively assigned to aromatic alkene structures. The relatively high stabilisation rate of the organic matter in the studied soils can be explained by the mineralisation of its peripheral part, which, in turn, is explained by the decreasing C/N ratio values. The humic substances of the studied agricultural soils of central Chile showed a high average content of aromatic carbon, which is also typical for subboreal soils. Keywords: humic acids, humification, NMR spectroscopy, soil organic matter Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 191-198 Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/81/2019-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/81/2019-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-202003-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:15:y:2020:i:3:id:81-2019-SWR