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Digital soil mapping (DSM) provides a cost-effective approach for characterizing the spatial variation in soil properties which contributes to inconsistent productivity. This study utilized Random Forest (RF) models to facilitate DSM of apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), estimated cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil organic matter (SOM) in agricultural fields across the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The RF models were trained and tested using in situ collected ECa, CEC, and SOM data, paired with a bare soil composite of Landsat 9 imagery. Field data and imagery were collected during the study period of 2019 through 2023. Models ranged from fair to moderate in accuracy (R2 from 0.27 to 0.68). The contrasting performance between CEC/SOM and ECa models is likely due to the dynamic nature of soil properties. Accordingly, models could have benefitted from covariates such as soil moisture, topography, and climatic factors, or higher spectral resolution imagery, such as hyperspectral.

To date, most studies on the effectiveness of geotextiles on soil erosion rates were conducted in laboratory experiments for <1 h. Hence, at Hilton, East Shropshire, UK, this study investigated the effectiveness of palm-mat geotextiles (Borassus and Buriti mats) in reducing rainsplash erosion, runoff and soil loss and changing selected soil properties under field conditions over two years (January 2007-January 2009). Mat-cover effects on rainsplash erosion were studied in two sets on a loamy sand soil (0o slope). In both sets, six randomly-selected plots (each 1 m2) were completely matcovered and six were bare. Unlike Buriti mats, Borassus mat-cover on bare soil significantly (P<0.001) decreased rainsplash erosion (by ~89%). Duplicate runoff plots (10 x 1 m on a 15o slope) had five treatments (bare, permanent grass, Borassus completely-cover, Borassus buffer strip and Buriti buffer strip). Using Borassus buffer strips (area coverage ~10%) on bare soil decreased runoff by ~71% (P>0.05) and soil erosion by ~92% (P<0.001). Borassus buffer strip, Buriti buffer strip and Borassus completely-covered plots had similar effects in decreasing runoff and soil loss. However, the longevity of Borassus mats was ~twice that of Buriti mats. Despite physical protection, runoff control and sediment entrapment, biomat buffer zones may considerably alter and protect flow direction by presenting barriers and creating several cross-drains. Except Borassus completely-covered plots, all plots had significant (P<0.05) increases in topsoil (0-5 cm) bulk density and decreased aggregate stability. However, buffer strips were more effective in trapping fine particles than Borassus completely-covered plots. No treatments had significant (P>0.05) effects on changes in pH, soil organic matter, total soil carbon or N. Plots with Borassus mats significantly (P<0.05) increased total P and decreased total Ca. Treatments had no significant effects on changes in total S, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo or Cl concentrations. Borassus buffer strips can effectively conserve soil and water and improve and maintain selected soil properties, with results similar to Borassus completely-covered plots. The mechanisms explaining the effectiveness of buffer zones require further studies under varied pedo-climatic conditions.

Microbial diversity plays an important role in the decomposition of soil organic matter. However, the drivers of this dependence still remain unclear. The work is based on long-term monitoring of soils of different successional stages of different diversity. Soil sampling was conducted on two dumps after brown coal mining in the Sokolov. Soils were X ray sterilized and inoculated by inoculum from both soils in two inoculation density which create gradient of microbial diversity. Then microbial respiration was measured in either supplied or not supplied by litter of Calamagrostis epigejos. Results showed a strong positive correlation between the microbial diversity and decomposition of organic matter if the microbial community is limited by available carbon. If there isn't carbon limit available, the decomposition rate is controlled by the amount of microbial biomass. Results demonstrated positive correlation between the rate of decomposition and the amount of fungal biomass. The soils with the addition of leaf litter showed priming effect in the initial stage of decomposition. In the control samples without addition of litter priming effect wasn't observed. Increasing humidity led to increase of decomposition rate. We can conclude with a clear conscience that similarly conclusive results associated...

In an interdisciplinary study requiring the synergistic association of historical evidence and chemical and biochemical analyses, this thesis investigates the properties and characteristics of historically modified soils known as anthrosols. These soils, developed through the anthropogenic addition of high volumes of organic-rich municipal waste materials to land, including human and animal waste, as part of the waste management practices in medieval urban communities in Scotland at St Andrews, Roxburgh and Elgin, offer an insight to the state and dynamics of these organic material. Soil is one of the most sensitive environmental domains to transformation. These transformations are visible from the alterations to the physical and chemical properties of soil. Anthropogenic activities may leave behind signatures in the soil in the form of artefacts, ecofacts, elemental enrichment or depletion, enhancement in soil magnetic properties and organic matter content. In the historical dimension of this study, the observable features and measurable properties of soil profiles are exploited to reveal past organisation and functions of cultural landscapes by carefully studying the stratigraphic units of soil profile, and examining the association of each unit with settlement artefacts and soil properties. Through comparison with historical records of past events on the respective study sites, the relationship between the soils record of past human activities is observed through physical, chemical and biochemical properties. The historical record is used to assess if such evidence can be used reliably to develop the account of site use for the medieval burghs of Scotland. In the environmental aspect, investigation focuses on the physical and chemical conditions of these soils in terms of their carbon content, composition, residence time estimates and their role in global C cycle and terrestrial carbon budgeting. Past investigations of anthopogenically-deepened soils have been interpreted with respect to historical site use, however, the environmental implications of the resultant accumulated organic material or residue have not previously been considered in much detail. A particular novelty of this aspect of the project is that it is an in-depth examination of anthropogenic soils with known histories extending into the medieval period. This time-depth allows a new understanding of the processes and products of decomposition of known organic materials that were added to soil. The biophysicochemical data obtained from these soils such as their extant organic carbon content and variability with depth, the composition of the various carbon species that together constitute soil organic matter, and biological community and activity (microorganisms and enzymes) provides critical information on the relative recalcitrance, state of decomposition, and the mechanism of stabilisation of these materials in the soil.

Le carbone organique des sols (COS) joue un rôle majeur dans le maintien des propriétés des sols, et constitue un important réservoir de carbone sensible aux perturbations anthropiques dont les changements d'usage ou de gestion des terres. En Amazonie, la déforestation libère des gaz à effet de serre (GES) par le brûlis de la végétation mais les stocks de COS sont également susceptibles d'évoluer et de contribuer aux émissions de GES. Nous montrons que ces variations de stocks sont cependant mal comprises à l'échelle du biome, en raison de l'approche par chrono-séquence qui induit de nombreuses incertitudes et du manque de données sur la gestion des agrosystèmes implantés après déforestation. L'étude a été conduite sur un site agronomique diachronique en Guyane, déboisé sans brûlis et avec des restitutions de biomasse forestière au sol, sur lequel ont été implantés 3 systèmes de culture : une prairie et deux systèmes maïs/soja avec ou sans travail du sol. L'objectif a été de déterminer le devenir du carbone forestier et du COS des agrosystèmes. Les fluctuations des stocks ont été mesurées jusqu'à 5 ans après déforestation dans la couche 0-30 cm, un bilan est proposé pour la couche 0-100 cm à 5 ans. La décomposition des débris de bois, apportés au sol suite à la déforestation, a été étudiée via leur perte de masse et leur caractérisation par pyrolyse Rock-Eval. La répartition granulométrique du COS a été mesurée 4 ans après déforestation. L'isotopie δ13C a été utilisée dans le sol sous prairie pour distinguer le carbone d'origine prairiale. L'apport de carbone issu de la déforestation a entrainé une augmentation des stocks de COS, mais de courte durée car les débris de bois se sont rapidement décomposés et n'ont pas induit de stockage durable de COS. Cinq ans après déforestation les stocks de COS sous prairie sont similaires à ceux observés sous forêt, grâce à des apports de carbone importants par les racines, alors que sous cultures les stocks diminuent d'environ 18 %, sans que l'on ait distingué un effet du travail du sol. La décroissance du carbone forestier, qui concerne l'ensemble des fractions granulométriques du sol, a donc été compensée par les apports de carbone sous prairie, ce qui n'est pas le cas sous cultures annuelles. Le modèle RothC a pu être validé dans notre situation même s'il a surestimé légèrement les stocks sous cultures. Nos résultats, replacés dans le contexte amazonien montrent que les diminutions de COS observées ici sont moins importantes que pour l'ensemble des tropiques humides, probablement en raison de la gestion optimale du site et de la courte durée du temps d'observation. / Soil organic carbon is a key component of soil quality, and represents a large part of the terrestrial carbon stock, sensitive to human perturbations including land-use change. In Amazonia, deforestation induces greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions due to vegetation burning, but SOC stocks also change, which can induce GHG emissions. We show that these changes are misunderstood at the biome scale, because of the chronosequence approach that induces uncertainties, and because of the lack of management data of the agrosystems established after deforestation. We studied here an agronomic trial with a diachronic approach in French Guiana, deforested with a fire-free method that returned large amount of forest organic matter. Three agrosystems were set up: a grassland and two annual crop systems (maize/soybean) with and without soil tillage. We aimed to measure the fate of forest carbon and of SOC in the agrosystems. SOC stocks fluctuations were assessed up to 5 years after deforestation in the layer 0-30 cm, and a comparison forest-agroecosystems in the layer 0-100 cm was done at 5 years. Decomposition of woody debris buried in the soil after deforestation was assessed by mass loss approach and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. SOC distribution in granulometric fractions was measured 4 years after deforestation. δ13C methods were used in the grassland soil to distinguish the carbon derived from forest or grassland. We found that carbon inputs from deforestation increased SOC stocks, but only at short-term because woody debris decomposition was fast and did not induce a mid-term SOC storage. Five years after deforestation SOC stocks in grassland are similar to the forest, thanks to carbon inputs from root activity. In the annual crops SOC stocks decrease of about 18 %, and no difference is found according to the soil tillage. The decay of forest soil carbon, which affected the whole granulometric fractions of SOC, is thus offset in grassland but not in annual crops. RothC model could be validated in our study, but slightly overestimated SOC stocks in annual crops. Replaced in the Amazonian context, our results showed that the SOC decrease here was lower than other studies across humid tropics. This can probably be explained by the optimal management of the agrosystems, and the short time lapse studied.

O cultivo de pinhão manso é indicado como uma opção multi-propósito já que além de ser utilizado como matéria-prima para produção de biodiesel, reduzindo as emissões de gases do efeito estufa (GEE) quando este biocombustível é utilizado em substituição aos combustíveis fósseis, também pode estocar C no solo. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de sequestro de C no solo em cultivos de pinhão manso, bem como as alterações na qualidade da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS). Para tanto, foram quantificados os estoques de C e N do solo e os fluxos de GEE em cultivos de pinhão manso. O cálculo das taxas de sequestro de C no solo foi efetuado pela diferença entre o acúmulo de C no solo e as emissões de GEE, expressos em C equivalente (C-eq). A qualidade da MOS foi avaliada por meio da análise isotópica, fracionamento físico, índice de manejo do C (IMC), grau de humificação (HFIL) e teores de C e N na biomassa microbiana. A conversão da vegetação nativa em agroecossistemas alterou a quantidade e composição da MOS nos biomas Cerrado, Mata Atlântica e Caatinga, especialmente nas camadas superficiais. O cultivo de pinhão manso manteve os teores e estoques de C e N do solo, independentemente do uso da terra anterior (pastagem, milho ou vegetação nativa), com tendência de aumento em função do tempo de cultivo da cultura. Adicionalmente, a análise isotópica do C e N demostrou que a partir de dois anos de cultivo do pinhão manso há mudanças na composição da MOS. As contribuições do C derivado dos resíduos vegetais do pinhão manso para o C total do solo atingiram 11,5% após 7 anos de cultivo, na camada 0-30 cm. O cultivo de pinhão manso aumentou os teores de C nas frações da MOS, o IMC e os teores de C e N da biomassa microbiana em função do tempo de implantação da cultura, o que evidencia o potencial de melhoria da qualidade da MOS desse sistema a longo prazo. O HFIL foi menor nas áreas de pinhão manso em relação à vegetação nativa, indicando que os incrementos nos teores de C nessas áreas estão associados ao aumento da matéria orgânica menos estável e que a preservação seletiva não é o principal mecanismo de acumulação de C em solos sob pinhão manso. Os fatores de emissão de N2O variaram de 0,21 a 0,46% para doses inferiores à 150 kg ha-1, sendo emitidos 0,0362 Mg ha-1 ano-1 de C-eq quando aplicada a dose média usual no cultivo de pinhão manso (75 kg ha-1 ano-1). O balanço anual entre o acúmulo de C no solo e a emissão dos GEE mostrou que o cultivo de pinhão manso por 7 anos produz saldo positivo, que significou um sequestro de 0,6 Mg ha-1 ano-1 em C-eq. O presente estudo é pioneiro no Brasil e os resultados gerados nesta pesquisa são base para a análise de ciclo de vida do pinhão manso como matéria prima para a produção de biodiesel. / Jatropha cultivation is pointed as a multipurpose option whether is used for biodiesel production reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions when replaces the need for fossil fuels, and also for storing C in the soil. The overall objective of this work was to evaluate the C sequestration potential of soil cultivated with Jatropha, as well as the variations in soil organic matter (SOM) quality. Therefore, C and N stocks were determined and GHG fluxes were measured in Jatropha cultivation. The difference between results from soil C storage and GHG emissions were used to calculate the C sequestration rates, defined as the C-equivalent (C-eq). SOM quality was assessed by isotopic analysis, physical fractioning, C management index (CMI), humufication degree (HFIL) and microbial C and N content. Land use change from native vegetation to agroecosystems altered the amount and composition of soil organic matter located in biomes of Cerrado, Atlantic Forest and Caatinga, especially within the surface layers. Jatropha cultivation preserved soil N and C stocks and contents, regardless of previous land use management (pasture, maize or native vegetation), proning to increase with cultivation time. Additionally, the isotopic analysis of C and N showed changes in SOM after two years with Jatropha cultivation. After 7 years of cultivation, the contribution of carbon derived from Jatropha residues to the total amount of the element stored within the 0-30 cm layer of soil reached 11.5%. The Jatropha cultivation increased the C contents in SOM, the CMI and microbial C and N contents along with cultivation time, which highlights the potential of Jatropha cultivation to improve SOM quality in the long term. HFIL of the areas with Jatropha cultivation showed lower values compared to the native vegetation. This indicates the increments of C contents for the areas planted with Jatropha are associated to the increase of the less stable portion of SOM and that the selective preservation is not the main mechanism responsible for C accumulation in soils under Jatropha cultivation. The N2O emission factors ranged from 0.21 to 0.46% for the doses up to 150 kg ha-1. Considering the average N fertilization rates applied annually in comercial Jatropha cultivation (75 kg ha-1 yr-1), the crop is responsible for the emission of 0.0362 Mg ha-1 yr-1 of C-eq. Moreover, the annual balance between soil C storage and GHG emission indicated that Jatropha cultivation for 7 years is able to contribute to the carbon sequestration accounting for 0.6 Mg ha- 1 yr-1 of C-eq stored in the soil. This study is pioneer in Brazil and the results generated in this research are basis for life cycle analysis of the Jatropha as a feedstock for biodiesel production in Brazil.