Soil and Water Research, 2020 (vol. 15), issue 3
A comparative assessment of the estimates of the saturated hydraulic conductivity of two anthropogenic soils and their impact on hydrological model simulationsOriginal Paper
Mouna Feki, Giovanni Ravazzani, Stefano Barontini, Alessandro Ceppi, Marco Mancini
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):135-147 | DOI: 10.17221/33/2019-SWR 
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,...
Concentrations and sources of persistent organochlorine residues in the sediments and soils from an industrially impacted area in Anhui, ChinaOriginal Paper
Jing Yang, Yunli Zhao, Quan Zhen, Xue Chen, Yuyuan Zhang
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):148-157 | DOI: 10.17221/50/2019-SWR
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 impact of the conservation tillage "maize into grass cover" on reducing the soil loss due to erosionOriginal Paper
Eva Procházková, David Kincl, David Kabelka, Jan Vopravil, Pavel Nerušil, Ladislav Menšík, Vojtěch Barták
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):158-165 | DOI: 10.17221/25/2019-SWR
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....
Adsorption of selected azo dyes from an aqueous solution by activated carbon derived from Monotheca buxifolia waste seedsOriginal Paper
Ruqia Nazir, Muslim Khan, Riaz Ur Rehman, Shaukat Shujah, Mansoor Khan, Mohib Ullah, Amir Zada, Nasir Mahmood, Irshad Ahmad
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):166-172 | DOI: 10.17221/59/2019-SWR
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...
Comparison of magnesium determination methods on Hungarian soilsOriginal Paper
Viktoria Vona, Csaba Centeri, Zsolt Giczi, Renato Kalocsai, Zsolt Biró, Gergely Jakab, Gabor Milics, Attila J. Kovács
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):173-180 | DOI: 10.17221/92/2019-SWR
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.
The decomposition of standardised organic materials in loam and clay loam arable soils during a non-vegetation periodOriginal Paper
Monika Toleikiene, Ausra Arlauskiene, Andreas Fliessbach, Rashid Iqbal, Lina Sarunaite, Zydre Kadziuliene
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):181-190 | DOI: 10.17221/31/2019-SWR
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...
13C-NMR spectroscopy of humic substances isolated from the agricultural soils of Puchuncavi (El Melón and Puchuncavi areas), central ChileOriginal Paper
Ivan Alekseev, Evgeny Abakumov
Soil & Water Res., 2020, 15(3):191-198 | DOI: 10.17221/81/2019-SWR
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,...