Differentiation of potato ecosystems on the basis of relationships among physical, chemical and biological soil parameters

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Boiteau ◽  
C. Goyer ◽  
H. W. Rees ◽  
B. J. Zebarth

Boiteau, G., Goyer, C., Rees, H. W. and Zebarth, B. J. 2014. Differentiation of potato ecosystems on the basis of relationships among physical, chemical and biological soil parameters. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 463–476. A study of soil physical, chemical and biological properties of five cultivated agro-ecosystems (two conventional potato, two organic potato and one cereal production systems) and two uncultivated agro-ecosystems (pasture and 20-yr abandoned potato field) was carried out at 21 field sites over 3 yr in New Brunswick, Canada. Twenty-four of the initial 42 variables chosen for their significant response to differences among farming systems were used in a principal component analysis to understand their relationships with the agro-ecosystems studied. The chemical, physical and biological soil properties considered contributed to a single dominant factor (PCI) of agricultural soil health representing soil organic matter dynamics. Conventional, uncertified organic and certified organic potato agro-ecosystems were lowest, intermediate and highest, respectively, on the PCI gradient. Conventional potato systems were characterized by high erosion, high soil bulk density, high soil test sulphur and phosphorus and high bacterial counts. Certified organic potato systems formed a separate group with the reference ecosystems (i.e., pasture and abandoned potato field under long-term rejuvenation). This group was characterized by high soil organic carbon, high soil aggregate stability, high soil water-holding capacity and high meso- and macro-fauna counts. The uncertified organic potato production system and organic barley system were characterized by average values, intermediate between conventional and certified organic potato systems. Results confirmed the strong negative impact of intensive cycles of conventional potato production on soil health. The clear separation observed between conventional, uncertified organic and organic potato ecosystems indicates that the positive impact of rotations and other management practices must be sustained over long periods for full rehabilitation of soils previously under intensive potato production. However, results also revealed that fields under organic certified potato production were retaining the properties of undisturbed reference sites such as pastures and abandoned potato fields under long-term rejuvenation.

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1071C-1071
Author(s):  
Martha Maletta ◽  
Melvin Henninger ◽  
Kristian Holmstrom

Potato leafhopper (PLH) control and plastic mulch culture for certified organic potato production were evaluated in 2003 and 2004. The trials were conducted on the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm's certified organic fields. Production practices conformed to the National Organic Program. The potato cultivar grown was `Superior'. In 2003, PLH controls were: untreated control (UTC); Surround WP, 25 lb/acre; PyGanic EC 1.4, 1 pt/acre; Surround plus PyGanic; and silver plastic mulch. PyGanic and Surround/PyGanic treatment reduced PLH nymph counts and damage (hopperburn–HB), when compared to the UTC. Counts were higher and HB more severe in silver mulch plots than in the UTC, but marketable yield was more than double the UTC. PyGanic and Surround/PyGanic treatment yields were 50% higher than the UTC. In 2004, PLH controls were: PyGanic EC 1.4, 1–2 pt/acre; Diatect V, 2–4 lb/acre; and Surround WP, 25 lb/acre. The crop was grown on bare ground or silver plastic mulch. Nymph counts and HB were lowest on PyGanic- and Diatect-treated plots. Nymph counts and HB for UTC and Surround treatment were higher on plastic mulch than bare ground plots. Marketable yield was highest from PyGanic-treated plots. PyGanic or Diatect treatment yields were higher from plastic mulched than from bare ground plots. The PLH control and plastic mulch culture significantly increased organic potato yields. Marketable yield from the UTC was lower than the New Jersey average for conventional potato (275 hundred wt/acre) by 71% on bare ground and by 39% with plastic mulch in 2003; 59% on bare ground; and 52% with plastic mulch in 2004. PLH control with PyGanic combined with plastic mulch culture resulted in yields just 7% less than the state average; yield on bare ground was 26% less.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Zepp ◽  
Martin Bachmann ◽  
Markus Möller ◽  
Bas van Wesemael ◽  
Michael Steininger ◽  
...  

<p>High spatial and temporal soil information is crucial to analyze soil developments and for monitoring long term changes to avoid soil degradation. A sufficient soil organic carbon (SOC) content is one of the key soil properties to achieve sustainable high productivity of soils, soil health and increased agroecosystem resiliency. For the usage of remote sensing approaches, naturally exposed soils in Germany occur rarely. Mainly agricultural regions can provide areas of exposed soils for short periods of time during a year. The Soil Composite Mapping Processor (SCMaP) is a fully automated approach to make use of per-pixel based bare-soil compositing to overcome the issue of limited soil exposure based on multispectral Landsat (TM 4, ETM 5, ETM+ 7 and OLI 8) imagery for individually determined time periods between 1984 and 2019.</p><p>Due to the high spatial and temporal resolution the SCMaP soil reflectance composites contain a considerable potential to derive detailed soil parameters as the SOC contents of exposed soils to add information to existing soil maps on field scale for areawide applications. Besides the soil reflectance composites several field soil samples provided by different federal authorities build the data base for the SOC modeling. Machine learning (ML) algorithms incl. Partial Least Squares and Random Forest regression with various inputs and set-ups are used and applied for several test areas in Germany. Furthermore, the capabilities of different compositing lengths (5-, 10- and 30-years) to derive spatial SOC contents are tested. The results and the validation of the different ML approaches and compositing lengths will be shown, providing insight into the benefits of this approach.</p>


2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Maletta ◽  
Melvin Henninger ◽  
Kristian Holmstrom

Control tactics for potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) in certified organic potato (Solanum tuberosum) production were evaluated in 2003 and 2004. The 2004 split plot trial also compared silver plastic mulch culture with bare ground culture. The trials were conducted at the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm's certified organic fields, and production practices conformed to the standards of the National Organic Program (NOP). `Superior' potato was grown both years. Potato leafhopper (PLH) controls evaluated were: kaolin, pyrethrin, pyrethrin plus kaolin (2003), pyrethrin with silicon dioxide (2004), and silver plastic mulch (2003). Pyrethrin, pyrethrin plus kaolin, and pyrethrin with silicon dioxide reduced PLH nymph counts and PLH damage (hopperburn) ratings compared with the untreated check (UTC). Kaolin did not reduce nymph counts or hopperburn ratings. In 2003, nymph counts and hopperburn ratings were higher in the mulch treatment than in the UTC, yet the mulch treatment produced higher yield than the UTC. In 2004, mulch culture increased total and marketable yield compared with bare ground culture when PLH was controlled. Nymph counts and hopperburn ratings were higher until mid-July in the mulch plots than bare ground plots with the UTC and kaolin treatments. Controlling PLH and using plastic mulch culture significantly increased organic potato yields and tuber size. Marketable yields from the UTC were less than the New Jersey average of 275 cwt/acre for conventionally grown potato: yield was 38% of average on bare ground and 68% of average on mulch in 2003; 33% of average on bare ground and 38% of average on mulch in 2004. Reducing hopperburn with pyrethrin on plants grown on mulch (2004) resulted in marketable yield that was 75% of the New Jersey average.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Ramón Bienes ◽  
Maria Jose Marques ◽  
Blanca Sastre ◽  
Andrés García-Díaz ◽  
Iris Esparza ◽  
...  

Long-term field trials are essential for monitoring the effects of sustainable land management strategies for adaptation and mitigation to climate change. The influence of more than thirty years of different management is analyzed on extensive crops under three tillage systems, conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT), and with two crop rotations, monoculture winter-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and wheat-vetch (Triticum aestivum L.-Vicia sativa L.), widely present in the center of Spain. The soil under NT experienced the largest change in organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, macroaggregate stability, and bulk density. In the MT and NT treatments, SOC content was still increasing after 32 years, being 26.5 and 32.2 Mg ha−1, respectively, compared to 20.8 Mg ha−1 in CT. The SOC stratification (ratio of SOC at the topsoil/SOC at the layer underneath), an indicator of soil conservation, increased with decreasing tillage intensity (2.32, 1.36, and 1.01 for NT, MT, and CT respectively). Tillage intensity affected the majority of soil parameters, except the water stable aggregates, infiltration, and porosity. The NT treatment increased available water, but only in monocropping. More water was retained at the permanent wilting point in NT treatments, which can be a disadvantage in dry periods of these edaphoclimatic conditions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 205301962098233
Author(s):  
Kevin Mallinger ◽  
Martin Mergili

Iron ore is the most mined metal and the second most mined mineral in the world. The mining of iron ore and the processing of iron and steel increased sharply during the 20th century and peaked at the beginning of the 21st century. Associated processes along the iron ore cycle (mining, processing, recycling, weathering) such as the massive displacement of rock, the emission of waste and pollutants, or the weathering of products resulted in long-term environmental and stratigraphic changes. Key findings link the iron ore industry to 170 gigatons of rock overburden, a global share of CO2 with 7.6%, mercury with 7.4%, and a variety of other metals, pollutants, and residues. These global changes led to physical, chemical, biological, magnetic, and sequential markers, which are used for the justification of the Anthropocene. The potential markers vary significantly regarding their persistence and measurability, but key findings are summarised as TMPs (Technogenic Magnetic Particles), SCPs (Spheroidal Carbonaceous fly ash Particles), POPs (Persistent Organic Particles), heavy metals (vanadium, mercury, etc.), as well as steel input and steel corrosion residues.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Ferenc Peles ◽  
Péter Sipos ◽  
Szilvia Kovács ◽  
Zoltán Győri ◽  
István Pócsi ◽  
...  

Aflatoxins (AFs) are toxic secondary metabolites produced mostly by Aspergillus species. AF contamination entering the feed and food chain has been a crucial long-term issue for veterinarians, medicals, agroindustry experts, and researchers working in this field. Although different (physical, chemical, and biological) technologies have been developed, tested, and employed to mitigate the detrimental effects of mycotoxins, including AFs, universal methods are still not available to reduce AF levels in feed and food in the last decades. Possible biological control by bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, their excretes, the role of the ruminal degradation, pre-harvest biocontrol by competitive exclusion or biofungicides, and post-harvest technologies and practices based on biological agents currently used to alleviate the toxic effects of AFs are collected in this review. Pre-harvest biocontrol technologies can give us the greatest opportunity to reduce AF production on the spot. Together with post-harvest applications of bacteria or fungal cultures, these technologies can help us strictly reduce AF contamination without synthetic chemicals.


Author(s):  
L A Gabbarini ◽  
E Figuerola ◽  
J P Frene ◽  
N B Robledo ◽  
F M Ibarbalz ◽  
...  

Abstract The effects of tillage on soil structure, physiology, and microbiota structure were studied in a long-term field experiment, with side-to-side plots, established to compare effects of conventional tillage (CT) vs. no-till (NT) agriculture. After 27 years, part of the field under CT was switched to NT and vice versa. Soil texture, soil enzymatic profiles, and the prokaryotic community structure (16S rRNA genes amplicon sequencing) were analysed at two soil depths (0–5, 5–10 cm) in samples taken 6, 18, and 30 months after switching tillage practices. Soil enzymatic activities were higher in NT than CT, and enzymatic profiles responded to the changes much earlier than the overall prokaryotic community structure. Beta diversity measurements of the prokaryotic community indicated that the levels of stratification observed in long-term NT soils were already recovered in the new NT soils thirty months after switching from CT to NT. Bacteria and Archaea OTUs, which responded to NT were associated with coarse soil fraction, SOC and C cycle enzymes while CT responders were related to fine soil fractions and S cycle enzymes. This study showed the potential of managing the soil prokaryotic community and soil health through changes in agricultural management practices.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashim Kumar Saha ◽  
Apu Biswas ◽  
Abdul Qayyum Khan ◽  
Md. Mohashin Farazi ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahman

Long-term tea cultivation has led to degradation of the soil. Old tea soils require rehabilitation for restoring soil health. Soil rehabilitation by growing different green crops can break the chain of monoculture of tea. An experiment was conducted at The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Farm during 2008-2011 to find out the efficiency of different green crops on the improvement of soil properties. Four green crops such as Guatemala, Citronella, Mimosa and Calopogonium were grown to develop the nutritional value of the degraded tea soil. Soil samples were collected and analyzed before and at the end of experiment. Soil pH was increased in all four green crops treated plots with the highest increase in Citronella treated plots (from 4.1 to 4.5). Highest content of organic carbon (1.19%) and total nitrogen (0.119%) were found in Mimosa and Calopogonium treated plots, respectively. Concentration of available phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in all green crops treated plots were above the critical values, while available potassium content was above the critical value in Guatemala, Citronella and Mimosa treated plots. Changes in soil pH and available potassium were significant, while changes in organic carbon content, total nitrogen and available calcium were insignificant. Changes in available phosphorus and magnesium were significant. The Agriculturists 2014; 12(2) 34-38


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