The accumulation of heavy metals is an environmental problem common in urban and suburban soils. Some ornamental species have been suggested for growing on those contaminated soils. We studied biomass production and element accumulation of three Pelargonium species and one Chrysanthemum species. Our experiments were conducted on potted plants in a greenhouse, using spiked soil with cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc. The root and aerial biomasses were recorded, and then the entire plant was digested with acids to determine the nutrients and heavy metal concentrations. Most nutrients and heavy metals concentrations increased in all species. Concentration of nutrients was generally within normal ranges in all species o slightly low. Except Cu the heavy metal concentrations were in excessive or toxic ranges when plants were grown in spiked treatments. The aerial and root biomasses of P. hortorum were unaffected as the soil concentration of metals increased, while the biomasses of the other three species were significantly reduced. From the studied species only P. hortorum can be suggested for cultivation on heavy metals contaminated soils.
Maps of pH on water, electrical conductivity (dS/m), exchangeable sodium percent (%) and soils affected by salts in Argentina at different depth intervals (0-30 and 30-100 cm) at 1000 m resolution. Including the tree standard layers and error estimation using random forest. Global accuracy based on cross-validation. spRMSERsquaredEC (dS/m) 0-30 cm5.530.134EC (dS/m) 30-100 cm5.770.208pH on water 0-30 cm0.840.456pH on water 30-100 cm0.800.523Exchangeable sodium percent (%) 0-30 cm13.080.169Exchangeable sodium percent (%) 30-100 cm15.400.187
Abstract No‐tillage induces the stratification of soil nutrients because of the return of crop residues to soil surface, fertilization and the lack of soil mixing. In this research we have attempted to develop a phosphorus (P) balance on soybean, to study the relative importance of the causes of P stratification. An experiment was performed on a Typic Hapludoll located in mid Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The treatments were fertilized and unfertilized. Soybean biomass and P concentration in grains, stubble and roots were determined. In both treatments the P stratification was produced by the enrichment of the surface layer and the impoverishment of the deeper layers. In the non‐fertilized plots the soil lost P (7.5 kg P ha1) meanwhile in the fertilized plots (20 kg P ha‐1added) the soil gained P (6.6 kg P ha‐1). The accumulation of plant residues alone is enough to redistribute P in soils, but fertilization was the main factor in P stratification.
Summary Soilless potting substrates are increasingly used in greenhouse production of bedding plants replacing soil as growth media. These substrates usually consist of a mixture of organic materials like peat or pine bark and inorganic substances such as perlite, vermiculite or sand. Among other possibilities, compost made from municipal and industrial sludges and other solid wastes can effectively replace both peat and soils as they imply little risk to human or to the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different proportions of biosolids compost in substrate mixtures on growth and quality performance for two bedding plants (Petunia hybrida and Vinca sp.). Pots containing different proportions (0 to 100 %) of biosolids compost were used to grow both crops under greenhouse conditions. In plants were determined height, diameter, flower fresh weight, fresh aerial biomass without flowers, leaf area, flower area, number of floral stems, number of flowers, total N, P and K in aerial biomass without flowers. At the end of the experiment particle size distribution, bulk density, degree of compaction, water holding curves, pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen and available phosphorus were determined in substrates. Substrates with compost in its composition showed predominance of medium particle distribution. Bulk density and the degree of compaction were higher than the ideal range in treatment 75 to 100 % of compost. The treatments 25 to 75 % compost, were more adequate for normal water supply to roots. Substrates pH varied between 5.4 and 6.0, and the electrical conductivity (1:10) between 0.14 and 0.43 dS m ‐1 . Both plants exhibited adequate vegetative and reproductive parameters in substrates composed of different proportion of compost of biosolids. In Petunia, the differences in plant parameters found among treatments can be mainly attributed to water availability and substrate salt content. Vinca was also related to water availability and substrate pH. Our results indicate that, in horticultural production, peat and soil can be partially replaced by biosolids compost. Considering the different plant parameters, the substrate with 25 % of biosolids compost could be selected among those that produce the best plant quality in both studied species. The substrate made up of only compost of biosolids cannot be considered a commercial alternative. Zusammenfassung
The Pampas Region, located at east central plains of Argentina, is the main grain producing area of the country. Although, sulphur fertilization has been expanded in recent years, there is little field research on S source effectiveness and S technology management. The aim of this work is to review actual field research information on S fertilization in the Pampas Region of Argentina.
Maps of pH on water, electrical conductivity (dS/m), exchangeable sodium percent (%) and soils affected by salts in Argentina at different depth intervals (0-30 and 30-100 cm) at 1000 m resolution. Including the tree standard layers and error estimation using random forest. Global accuracy based on cross-validation. spRMSERsquaredEC (dS/m) 0-30 cm5.530.134EC (dS/m) 30-100 cm5.770.208pH on water 0-30 cm0.840.456pH on water 30-100 cm0.800.523Exchangeable sodium percent (%) 0-30 cm13.080.169Exchangeable sodium percent (%) 30-100 cm15.400.187
Abstract. Spatial soil databases can help model complex phenomena in which soils are decisive, for example, evaluating agricultural potential or estimating carbon storage capacity. The Soil Information System for Latin America and the Caribbean, SISLAC, is a regional initiative promoted by the FAO's South American Soil Partnership to contribute to the sustainable management of soil. SISLAC includes data coming from 49,084 soil profiles distributed unevenly across the continent, making it the region's largest soil database. However, some problems hinder its usages, such as the quality of the data and its high dimensionality. The objective of this research is twofold. First, to evaluate the quality of SISLAC and its data values and generate a new, improved version that meets the minimum quality requirements to be used by different interests or practical applications. Second, to demonstrate the potential of improved soil profile databases to generate more accurate information on soil properties, by conducting a case study to estimate the spatial variability of the percentage of soil organic carbon using 192 profiles in a 1473 km2 region located in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The findings show that 15 percent of the existing soil profiles had an inaccurate description of the diagnostic horizons. Further correction of an 4.5 additional percent of existing inconsistencies improved overall data quality. The improved database consists of 41,691 profiles and is available for public use at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6540710 (Díaz-Guadarrama, S. & Guevara, M., 2022). The updated profiles were segmented using algorithms for quantitative pedology to estimate the spatial variability. We generated segments one centimeter thick along with each soil profile data, then the values of these segments were adjusted using a spline-type function to enhance vertical continuity and reliability. Vertical variability was estimated up to 150 cm in-depth, while ordinary kriging predicts horizontal variability at three depth intervals, 0 to 5, 5 to 15, and 15 to 30 cm, at 250 m-spatial resolution, following the standards of the GlobalSoilMap project. Finally, the leave-one-out cross-validation provides information for evaluating the kriging model performance, obtaining values for the RMSE index between 1.77 % and 1.79 % and the R2 index greater than 0.5. The results show the usability of SISLAC database to generate spatial information on soil properties and suggest further efforts to collect a more significant amount of data to guide sustainable soil management.
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