Water scarcity combined with an increasing world population is creating pressure to develop new methods for producing food using less water. Rice is a staple crop with a very high water demand. This study examined the success in maintaining yields under water-saving irrigation management, including alternate wetting and drying (AWD). A meta-analysis was conducted examining yields under various types of water-saving irrigation compared to control plots kept under continuous flooding. The results indicated that yields can indeed be maintained under AWD as long as the field water level during the dry cycles is not allowed to drop below -15 cm, or the soil water potential is not allowed to drop below -10 kPa. Yields can likewise be maintained using irrigation intervals of 2 days, but the variability increases. Midseason drainage was not found to affect yield, though non-flooded conditions when maintained throughout most of the crop season appeared to be detrimental to yields. Increasingly negative effects on yields were found when increasing the severity of AWD or the length of the drainage periods. Potential benefits and drawbacks of water-saving irrigation management with regards to greenhouse gas emissions, soil quality and nutrient losses were discussed to highlight the complexity of the challenges of saving water in rice production.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The cattle breeding and crop production integrated systems in the south of Brazil is based mostly on grain production with summer crops and beef cattle production over winter pastures. This activity have been expanded quickly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, due the increase of soybean cultivation over native grass fields areas and the requirement to improve the livestock productivity index in that state. However, few research works exists until this moment to show the best management systems to this areas mainly due to its distinct character of agriculture and livestock when are isolated activities. With this meaning, this work has the purpose to evaluate the effect in increase use intensity of winter pastures and different summer crops systems over the soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and its granulometric fractions particulate and mineral associated SOM on this areas and the grain and beef cattle yield achieved. For that, a field experiment was carried out over a Palehudult soil, on the city of Jari RS, with complete randomized blocks experimental design on factorial treatment distribution, four replications, with the utilization of three winter pastures management systems: no grazing (NG), grazing even 28 days (G28) and grazing even 14 days (G14), composing in this way increasing grazing frequencies over that pastures; and three summer crops systems: soybean monoculture (Mon-S), corn monoculture (Mon-C) and soybean/corn rotation (Rot-S/C). The beef cattle yield during the winter was not significantly affected by the increase of the grazing frequencies, but the biomass production to soil cover by the pastures and the grain yield of summer crops was reduced when the use intensity of the winter pastures by the animals was increased. The C addition to the soil by vegetal residues varied between 2.92 and 7.59 Mg ha-1 year-1 to the treatments G14 Mon-S and NG Mon-M, respectively. So, the main SOM fraction affected by the employed management in each treatment was the particulate fraction, expressed by the POM-C pool. This pool showed be 49 times more sensitive to the applied management over the winter pastures than the mineral associated fraction, expresses by the AMOM-C pools. The application of the Hennín & Dupuis s mathematical model to the prediction of each pools of SOM showed higher turnover rates of POM-C, in relation to the SOC and AMOM-C pools. The k1 coefficient (humification rate of the C additioned to the soil) obtained by the mathematical model was 0.1215, 0.0936 and 0.1249 year-1, to POM-C, AMOM-C and SOC, respectively, while the k2 coefficient (mineralization rate of de SOC) was 0.1292, 0.0161 and 0.0185 year-1, to the same pools. Using this data, the POM-C and SOC simulated pools on stability were 2.75 and 19.73 Mg ha-1, respectively, to the treatment G14 Mon-S, and 7.13 and 51.21 Mg ha-1, respectively, to the treatment NG Mon-M. The t½ (half-life time) for POM-C, AMOM-C and SOC were 5, 43 and 37 years, respectively, and the MRT (mean residence time) were 8, 62 and 54 years, to the same pools, respectively. The treatments that not received grazing during the winter showed good potential to the atmospheric CO2 sequestration, while the increase of the grazing intensity reduced this potential, passing to actuate like a sink of atmospheric CO2 when the G28 and G14 frequencies had been applied. The POM-N pools had been equally more sensitive to the grazing and crop management applied than the AMOM-N or TN pools, being that the higher pools had been observed when soybean was utilized on monoculture over the areas that not received grazing and the lowers pools had been observed when the corn was cultivated on monoculture over areas that received grazing even 14 days during the winter. / A Integração Lavoura-Pecuária no sul do Brasil baseia-se principalmente na exploração de culturas produtoras de grãos, durante o verão, e na produção de carne bovina sobre pastagens de estação fria, durante o inverno. Esta atividade vem se expandindo rapidamente no Rio Grande do Sul, devido ao aumento da área de cultivo da soja sobre áreas de campo nativo e da necessidade de se melhorar os índices de produtividade da pecuária neste estado. No entanto, pouco trabalhos de pesquisa existem até o momento, a fim de indicar quais os melhores sistemas de manejo destas áreas, tendo em vista seu caráter distinto da agricultura e da pecuária quando atividades isoladas. Neste sentido, este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar a influência do aumento da intensidade de utilização das pastagens de inverno e diferentes sistemas de culturas de verão sobre a dinâmica da MOS e de suas frações granulométricas particulada e associada a minerais nestas áreas, bem como a produtividade de grãos e de carne alcançadas. Para tanto instalou-se um experimento a campo sobre um Argissolos Vermelho-Amarelo Alumínico típico, no município de Jari RS, com delineamento experimental blocos ao acaso com parcelas dispostas em distribuição fatorial, com quatro repetições, que constou da utilização de três sistemas de manejo das pastagens de inverno, que eram compostas de Aveia Preta e Azevém, sendo eles: sem pastoreio (SP), pastoreio a cada 28 dias (P28) e pastoreio a cada 14 dias (P14), compondo assim freqüências crescentes de pastoreio sobre estas pastagens; e três sistemas de culturas de verão, a saber: monocultura de soja (Mon-S), monocultura de milho (Mon-M) e rotação soja/milho (Rot-S/M). Observou-se que o ganho de peso vivo animal durante o inverno não foi significativamente beneficiado pelo aumento da freqüência de pastoreios, porém a produção de fitomassa para cobertura de solo pelas pastagens e o rendimento de grãos da culturas de verão foi reduzido quando aumentou-se a intensidade de utilização das pastagens de inverno pelos animais. As adições de C ao solo via resíduos vegetais variou entre 2,92 e 7,59 Mg ha-1 ano-1, para os tratamentos P14 Mon-S e SP Mon-M, respectivamente. A principal fração da MOS afetada pelo manejo empregado em cada tratamento foi a fração particulada (COp), sendo que os estoques de CO nesta fração se mostraram 49 vezes mais sensíveis ao manejo aplicado sobre as pastagens de inverno do que a fração associada a minerais (COam). A aplicação do modelo matemático unicompartimental de Hennín & Dupuis para a modelagem dos estoques de cada fração da MOS demonstrou a maior velocidade de ciclagem do COp, em relação aos estoques de COT e COam. O coeficiente k1 (taxa de humificação do C adicionado ao solo) do modelo matemático obtidos foram de 0,1215, 0,0936 e 0,1249 ano-1, para o COp, COam e COT, respectivamente, enquanto que o coeficiente k2 (taxa de mineralização do CO) foram de 0,1292, 0,0161 e 0,0185 ano-1, para os mesmos compartimentos da MOS. Utilizando estes dados, simulou-se que os estoques de COp e COT na camada 0 -10 cm na estabilidade serão de 2,75 e 19,73 Mg ha-1, respectivamente, para o tratamento P14 Mon-S, e de 7,13 e 51,21 Mg ha-1, respectivamente, para o tratamento SP Mon-M. Além disto, o t½ (tempo de meia vida) do COp, COam e COT calculados foram de 5, 43 e 37 anos, respectivamente, e o TMP (tempo médio de permanência) calculados foram de 8, 62 e 54 anos, para os mesmos compartimentos, respectivamente. O solo nos tratamentos que não receberam pastoreios durante o inverno apresentaram bom potencial para seqüestro de CO2 atmosférico, enquanto que o aumento da intensidade de pastoreios reduziu este potencial, passando a atuar como fonte de CO2 para a atmosfera quando aplicou-se a maior freqüência de pastoreios. Os estoques de NTp foram também mais sensíveis ao manejo do pastoreio e de culturas do que os estoques de NTam ou NT, sendo que os maiores estoques foram observados quando utilizou-se a soja em monocultivo nas áreas que não receberam pastoreio e os menores quando o milho foi cultivado em monocultura em áreas que receberam uma freqüência de pastoreio de 14 dias no inverno.

No description available.

The emerging evidence of preferential accumulation and long residence time of proteinaceous compounds in soil are counter to the traditional view that their structure is readily broken down through microbial activity. The shift in thinking of their residence time is, however, heavily influenced by physical and chemical protections in soil, representing an important change for understanding global biogeochemical carbon and nitrogen cycling. We investigated the accumulation patterns of proteinogenic amino acids for a long term (thousands of years) related to their sources and sinks. We found clear patterns of change in the amino acids in a 4000 year-chronosequence adjacent to Lake Michigan, USA (Michigan chronosequence) and they were tightly related to the shifts in their biological sources, namely aboveground vegetative community (r2=0.66, p<0.0001) and belowground microbial community (r2=0.71, p<0.0001). Results also showed great variations of approximately 49% between seasons (summer and winter). Moreover, seasonal dynamic patterns (22% variations) of the amino acids in soil mineral associated fraction were rather counter to the conceptual view that it represents a slow soil organic pool with long residence times. The amino acids enriched in the mineral associated fraction, (e.g., positively charged, aromatic, and sulfur containing amino acids), tended to preferentially accumulate in whole soil pool during the 4000 years of ecosystem development. Their interaction with soil minerals, therefore, may play a critical role in the long-term sink and selective accumulation of proteinaceous compounds with some degree of the displacement. This was further confirmed by another chronosequence system near Haast River, New Zealand, which is geologically separated and climatically- and ecologically- different from the Michigan chronosequence. Common trends between two chronosequences suggested that either polar interactions or redox reactions may be relatively more important in the mineral interaction of amino acids than non-polar interactions. The consistency of results at two disparate locations in the southern and northern hemispheres is strong evidence that the processes of pedogenesis and ecosystem development are parsimonious and predictable. Our research demonstrated fundamental understanding of behavior of proteinaceous compounds at the molecular species level, and further provided their partitioning mechanisms associated with soil components. / Ph. D.

Large amounts of carbon are stored in soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region. High-resolution mapping of this soil organic carbon (SOC) is important to better understand and predict local to global scale carbon dynamics. In this thesis, studies from five different areas across the permafrost region indicate a pattern of generally higher SOC storage in Arctic tundra soils compared to forested sub-Arctic or Boreal taiga soils. However, much of the SOC stored in the top meter of tundra soils is permanently frozen, while the annually thawing active layer is deeper in taiga soils and more SOC may be available for turnover to ecosystem processes. The results show that significantly more carbon is stored in soils compared to vegetation, even in fully forested taiga ecosystems. This indicates that over longer timescales, the SOC potentially released from thawing permafrost cannot be offset by a greening of the Arctic. For all study areas, the SOC distribution is strongly influenced by the geomorphology, i.e. periglacial landforms and processes, at different spatial scales. These span from the cryoturbation of soil horizons, to the formation of palsas, peat plateaus and different generations of ice-wedges, to thermokarst creating kilometer scale macro environments. In study areas that have not been affected by Pleistocene glaciation, SOC distribution is highly influenced by the occurrence of ice-rich and relief-forming Yedoma deposits. This thesis investigates the use of thematic maps from highly resolved satellite imagery (&lt;6.5 m resolution). These maps reveal important information on the local distribution and variability of SOC, but their creation requires advanced classification methods including an object-based approach, modern classifiers and data-fusion. The results of statistical analyses show a clear link of land cover and geomorphology with SOC storage. Peat-formation and cryoturbation are identified as two major mechanisms to accumulate SOC. As an alternative to thematic maps, this thesis demonstrates the advantages of digital soil mapping of SOC in permafrost areas using machine-learning methods, such as support vector machines, artificial neural networks and random forests. Overall, high-resolution satellite imagery and robust spatial prediction methods allow detailed maps of SOC. This thesis significantly increases the amount of soil pedons available for the individual study areas. Yet, this information is still the limiting factor to better understand the SOC distribution in permafrost environments at local and circumpolar scale. Soil pedon information for SOC quantification should at least distinguish the surface organic layer, the mineral subsoil in the active layer compared to the permafrost and further into organic rich cryoturbated and buried soil horizons. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

A loss of soil organic matter (SOM), whether through natural means or management practices, results in soil degradation. Biochar as a soil amendment can alter soil properties, ultimately affecting the availability of nitrogen and water to plants and thus crop growth. The effects of biochar are not definitive, and often dependent on both the soil type and the biochar applied. Biochar properties can change according to the feedstock and production parameters, thus for their effective use further investigation is required to link biochar properties to its effects in soil. A high-temperature (600˚ C) biochar from a mixed-hardwood feedstock was investigated. The biochar increased the soil water retention, as demonstrated by a water release curve and field trials. This retention was predominant at higher water potentials, which was attributed to the greater number of meso (storage) pores in the biochar. Biochar did not affect the soil’s saturated hydraulic conductivity; this is thought to be due to the low number of macro (transmission) pores in the biochar. Thus there was no effect on the transmission rate in the soil. Biochar reduced gross ammonium levels in the soil via adsorption, but resulted in increased non-exchangeable ammonium levels, possibly due to physical entrapment. Where carbon was already abundant in the organically managed soil, the adsorbed ammonium reduced nitrification through lower substrate availability. The range of carbon fractions added as a result of the biochar amendment increased the total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil, but this supplementary carbon was released by the microorganisms as carbon dioxide. Microorganisms in the relatively carbon poor conventionally managed soil (with lower TOC), assimilated the additional labile carbon increasing microbial biomass. The higher microbial biomass, combined with improvements in pH and the higher ammonium levels (as a result of the ammoniacal fertiliser) increased nitrification. These changes in water and nitrogen availability did not alter crop yields as measured in the glasshouse and field trials. The effects of this biochar in a sandy agricultural soil depended on the type and level of carbon and nitrogen present in the soil, thus consideration of these factors should be taken when applying.

For successful restoration of unstable ecosystems in the dumps recreating a fully functioning lan dis needed. Dump substrates often have poor grain composition, extreme pH or are toxic. They also lack important recent organic matter, which improves the overall quality of the soil and is therefore necessary for the development of quality and fertile soil. Therefore, restoration of ecosystems in the dumps is initially very slow. A number of reclamation measures was invented to accelerate this process - for example, heaping up of topsoil to dump substrates. With organic matter present in the topsoil soil formation is faster and often with their physical and chemical properties differ significantly from then developed soils. There has already been number of works written considering development of soils on the Velká podkrušnohorská výsypka so far, none of which, however, did not affect grasslands. The aim of this work was to obtain complete information about the development of chemical and microbial properties of soils that were recultivted by reclaimed topsoil and grassed and then to compare them with developments in the areas of overgrown spontaneous succession. It was found that the total carbon content increases with time only in the reclaimed areas and maximum of the increase is in the depth of...

Due to climate change there is a growing concern for soil organic carbon reservoires. The soil is the largest terrestrial pool of organic carbon and its balance is being increasingly disturbed by conversion of natural to managed ecosystem (for agriculture, forestry and urbanization). There are still large uncertainities with estimating real amount of organic carbon sequestrated in soils. Therefore a number of regional and national soil inventories and monitoring networks are currently established or tested to verify soil carbon changes. Thesis is focused on estimation of soil organic carbon pools in the area of Czech basic map Beroun 12-41-08. It evaluates available soil data and restrictions of their use. Especially is focused on comprehensive soil survey undertaken between 1961 and 1970, on soil properties change in time and how to get missing bulk densities of the soil, particularly through pedotransfer functions. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The soil organic matter is the largest carbon reservoir among terrestrial reservoirs and its very important in the regulation of the climate at global scale. Strategies to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks includes afforestation and reforestation and the adoption of recommended management practices (RMPs) like no-till farming and cover crops. The replacement of forestland by agriculture may deplete SOC stocks, by decreasing C input to the soil and increasing the decomposition of organic matter. The Brazilian Forest Code (FC) requires landowners to conserve native vegetation by means of Legal Reserve and Areas of Permanent Preservation (APPs), which includes Hilltop Preservation Areas and Riparian Preservation Areas. It is well known that riparian vegetation provides many ecosystem services, like biodiversity conservation and increasing water availability and quality. Another potential ecosystem service is the mitigation of climate change by accumulating carbon in the vegetation and SOM. The reforestation of riparian zones represents an important opportunity for carbon sequestration and the mitigation of climate change in Brazil, as these restorations are mandatory under the Forest Code. The goal of this study is to contribute with the discussion about the role of riparian forests in the mitigation of climate change. In order to achieve this goal, we compare the SOC stocks of forested riparian areas with the SOC stocks of agricultural areas, namely pasture and sugarcane. Forested soils had an average SOC stock of 44 Mg.ha-1 while pasture had 26 Mg.ha-1 and sugarcane 27 Mg.ha-1. Based on the estimates of the SOC stocks situation after the reforestation of the riparian zones of the 50 sub-watersheds sampled, we could foresee an accretion of 20% of organic carbon in the 0-30 cm soil layer of those areas. We hope that this work contributes to the understanding of the role of the riparian forests in the mitigation of climate change and that the inclusion of the reforestation of those ecosystems in the mitigation strategies options may highlight the urgency in sparing them from devastation / A matéria orgânica do solo é o maior reservatório de carbono entre os ambientes terrestres e é muito importante na regulação do clima em escala global. As estratégias para o aumento dos estoques de carbono do solo incluem o reflorestamento e a adoção de práticas recomendadas de manejo como o plantio direto e o uso de culturas de cobertura. A substituição de florestas por áreas agrícolas pode reduzir os estoques de carbono do solo ao diminuir a aporte de carbono e aumentar a decomposição da matéria orgânica. O Código Florestal obriga proprietários de terra a conservar a vegetação nativa por meio de Reserva Legal e Áreas de Preservação Permanente, que inclui topos de morro e áreas ripárias. Sabe-se que florestas ripárias provêm diversos serviços ambientais como a conservação da biodiversidade e o aumento na disponibilidade e qualidade da água. Outro possível serviço ambiental é a mitigação das mudanças climáticas pelo acúmulo de carbono na vegetação e no solo. A restauração das zonas ripárias representa uma importante oportunidade para o sequestro de carbono no Brasil, já que são obrigatórias segundo o Código Florestal. O objetivo deste estudo é contribuir com a discussão sobre o papel das florestas ripárias na mitigação das mudanças climáticas. Foram comparados os estoques de carbono de florestas ripárias com os de áreas agrícolas, no caso pastagens e canaviais. O estoque de carbono médio dos solos florestais foi de 44 Mg.ha-1, dos de pastagem foi de 26 Mg.ha-1 e dos sob canaviais foi de 27 Mg.ha-1. Baseado nesses valores, o impacto do reflorestamento das zonas ripárias (30 m) das 50 microbacias amostradas foi estimado, e segundo essa estimativa haveria um acréscimo de 20% de carbono na camada de 0-30 cm destas áreas. Esperamos que este trabalho contribua no entendimento do papel das florestas ripárias na mitigação das mudanças climáticas e que a inclusão da restauração destes ambientes como opção de estratégia de mitigação enfatize a urgência em preservá-los

A estrutura da comunidade e a diversidade fúngica do solo sob a copa de quatro espécies arbóreas (Ocotea dispersa, Ocotea teleiandra, Mollinedia schottiana e Tabebuia serratifolia), no Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho (PECB), foram examinadas em duas estações climáticas distintas, utilizando-se PCR-DGGE e sequenciamento de bibliotecas de clones da região ITS do rDNA. As relações entre as estruturas das comunidades fúngicas, a concentração de carbono na biomassa microbiana (CBM), os atributos químicos do solo e as diferentes frações da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS), foram avaliadas utilizando-se análise de redundância. O valores de pH, MO, C, Ca, V% e Al apresentaram diferenças significativas no solo sob a copa das diferentes espécies de árvores amostradas. Os maiores valores de pH, MO, C, Ca e V% foram observados sob a copa de O. dispersa, enquanto que as maiores concentrações de Al foram observadas no solo sob a copa de O. teleiandra. A concentração de ácidos húmicos (AH) foi significativamente maior no solo sob a copa de O. dispersa. A concentração de CBM foi maior na época de baixa pluviosidade, independente da espécie vegetal. As estruturas das comunidades fúngicas dos solos sob a copa das quatro diferentes espécies de árvores analisadas mostrou comunidades distintas no solo sob a copa de cada espécie de árvore avaliada. As estruturas das comunidades fúngicas mostraram também variação em relação à pluviosidade. A estimativa de riqueza de UTOs, com base no sequenciamento de clones da região ITS do rDNA, foi significativamente diferente entre as amostras analisadas. Com base no índice de Shannon, a diversidade fúngica no solo sob a copa de Ocotea dispersa foi maior do que no solo sob a copa das demais espécies de árvores. A afiliação filogenética das UTOs mostrou a ocorrência dos filos Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Chytridiomycota e Glomeromycota, em ordem de abundância, além de fungos não-cultivados que compreenderam 25% das sequências analisadas. UTOs relacionadas ao filo Basidiomycota foram as mais abundantes no solo sob a copa das quatro espécies arbóreas analisadas (67% em MS, 59% em OT, 66% em TS e 57% em OD). Nesse filo, as UTOs representando Cryptococcus podzolicus e Trichosporon sporotrichoides foram as mais abundantes. De Zygomycota, UTOs afiliadas ao gênero Mortierella foram mais abundantes. Dessa forma, pode-se concluir que a diversidade e a estrutura de comunidades de fungos no solo depende da espécie vegetal crescendo no mesmo, e podem estar associadas aos teores de matéria orgânica, nitrogênio e saturação por bases. / The community structure and diversity of fungi in soil under the canopy of four tree species (Ocotea dispersa, Ocotea teleiandra, Tabebuia serratifolia, and Mollinedia schottiana), in the Carlos Botelho State Park (PECB) were examined in two different seasons, using PCR-DGGE and rDNA ITS region clone library sequencing. The relationships between fungal community structures, concentration of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil chemical properties, and different fractions of soil organic matter (SOM) were evaluated using redundance analysis. The pH, OM, C, Ca, Al, and V% showed significant differences in soil under the canopy of different species of trees. The highest values of pH, OM, C, Ca, and V% were observed under the O. dispersa canopy, while the highest concentrations of Al were observed in the soil under the O. teleiandra canopy. The concentration of humic acid (HA) was significantly higher in soil under the canopy of O. dispersa. The concentration of MBC was higher in the low rain precipitation season, regardless of plant species. The fungal community structures observed in soil under the canopies of the studied tree species were distinct in each soil microenvironment. The fungal community structures also showed variation with the variation in rain precipitation. The estimated OTU richness based on the sequencing of clones of the rDNA ITS region was significantly different between samples. Based on the Shannon diversity index, the fungal diversity in soil under the canopy of Ocotea dispersa was higher than in soil under the canopy of other tree species. The phylogenetic affiliation of OTUs showed the occurrence of phyla Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Chytridiomycota and Glomeromycota, in order of abundance, and non-cultivated fungi that comprised 25% of the analyzed sequences. OTUs related to the phylum Basidiomycota were more abundant in soil under the canopies of all studied tree species (67% in MS, 59% in OT, 66% in TS and 57% in OD). In this phylum, OTUs affiliated to Cryptococcus podzolicus and Trichosporon sporotrichoides were the most abundant. From Zygomycota, OTUs affiliated to the genus Mortierella were more abundant. It can be concluded that the fungal diversity and community structure in the soil depends on the plant species growing in it, and may be associated with the concentration of organic matter, nitrogen, and base saturation.