Estimation of soil erodibility and rainfall erosivity patterns in the agroecological zones of Ghana
November 2012
In the agroecological zone of the Biemso watershed area in the Ashanti region of Ghana, an estimination of soil erodibility and rainfall erosivity patterns was conducted. The study investigated the temporal variability of rainfall erosivity using the Fournier Index Method and assessed the soil erodibility parameters of sawah site using WEPP technology. Results obtained from the study showed that soil organic...
Spatial variation in heavy metal concentration in an arable soil along a major highway in Ikorodu-Lagos, Nigeria
October 2012
Investigations were carried out on the effect of heavy vehicular traffic on the deposition of some heavy metals, namely; Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Zinc (Zn) on an arable soil (under vegetable cultivation) very close to a major highway using spectrophotometric technique (AAS - Perkin Elmer Analyst 400). Also investigated was the correlation between heavy metal residue in the soil and distance (10, 20 and 30...
The use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for stakeholder preference analysis: A case study from Kasane Forest Reserve, Botswana
October 2012
Public participation in decision making on management of forest resources is crucial to the planning and sustainable development approach. Rarely, however, are efforts made to measure local stakeholder preferences for sustainable forest management outcomes. This paper intends to analyze the possibility of using analytic hierarchy process as a decision making tool in the process of choosing a preferred...
Distribution of mammals and hunting practices in Okpambe and Assam areas of the Takamanda Rainforest, South-West Cameroon
October 2012
Ecological and social surveys were conducted to determine the mammal distribution and hunting practices in Okpambe and Assam areas of the Takamanda rainforest. The results obtained show that 31 species of the mammals were encountered in the survey. Among these, 4 species are considered to be threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Putty nose monkey (Cercopithecus...
Drainage beyond maize root zone in an Alfisol subjected to three land management systems at Minna, Nigeria
September 2012
The objective of this experiment was to estimate drainage beyond maize rooting depth of 80 cm in relation to tillage and mulch by using Darcy Buckingham’s equation for unsaturated, one-dimensional, vertical flow. Three land management systems were investigated, namely; untilled-mulched, tilled-mulched and tilled-unmulched. The three treatments were replicated three times in a randomized complete block...
Biological nitrogen fixation in sole and doubled-up legume cropping systems on the sandy soils of Kasungu, Central Malawi
September 2012
Nitrogen is the most limiting element in Malawi soils with respect to crop production. However, grain legumes that are associated with biological nitrogen fixation are commonly grown in the country. Results are reported of a study on evaluation of the effects of sole cropped and doubled-up legume systems (legume-legume intercrop) on biological nitrogen fixation on the Ultisols of Kasungu district,...
Effect of heavy metal and nutrient uptake by soils in Indian Cardamom Hills
August 2012
Indian cardamom hill soils were studied to understand nutrient and heavy metal uptake and consequent fertility level changes. Extensive cultivation of cardamom and conversion of forest land to cardamom agriculture resulted in decline of OM and lower pH. Application of chemical fertilizers in the recent past helped enhance the available phosphorus (P). This is surprisingly contrary to the general observation...
Quantification of macro and micro elements in selected green vegetables and their soils from Aliero agricultural fields in Aliero, Kebbi State, Nigeria
August 2012
This study was undertaken to determine the concentrations of macro and micro elements in amaranth, roselle and kenaf as well as in their soils from six different agricultural fields in Aliero, Kebbi state, Nigeria. The highest values for the concentrations of P, Mg and Zn were observed in amaranth from site A; K, Fe and Mn from site D; Na from site E; Ca and Ni from site F; and Cu and Cd from site B. In...
Effects of different culture media on rooting of Urtica dioica L. stem cuttings
July 2012
In the present study, the rooting behavior was evaluated for stem cuttings of one of medicinally important plant, Urtica dioica L. Among four treatments of rooting media which includes field soil, sand, small sand and water, average of rooting in field soil was highest. There were no differences in root production between macro sand and water treatments. The same patterns occurred with root weight...
Evaluation of fertility status and irrigation potentials of selected Fadama soils in Adamawa State, North-eastern Nigeria
July 2012
The study was conducted to determine the fertility status and irrigation potentials of selected Fadama soils in Adamawa State, North-eastern Nigeria. An area of about 54 ha of Fadama land was randomly selected within each site based on their usage for intensive irrigation agriculture. Three transects that are 300 m apart were cut in each of the Fadama areas. Four sampling points that are 150 m apart...
Mapping and screening risk assessment of heavy metals concentrations in soils of the Bahr El-Baker Region, Egypt
July 2012
Mapping the spatial distribution of soil pollutants is essential for delineating contaminated areas ofBahr El-Baker Soils, Egypt. Geostatistical interpolation and kriging was used to estimate pollutant levels in soils. The X- Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X- Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses results showed similarity of the studied soils in the most of chemical and mineralogical (dominant montmorillonite)...
Effect of the soil moisture variation on apparent resistivity profiles and a method of correction
June 2012
In order to get an apparent resistivity map of quite a large area which required a considerable amount of time (months) and because of the occasional availability of equipment and bad weather conditions causing postponing of certain campaigns, the area was divided into adjacent sub-areas which were mapped in a considerably separated measuring days. Because of the rainfall changes from one campaign to another,...
Root and leaf changes in Salix nigra cuttings in response to increasing soil temperature
June 2012
Salix nigra, black willow, is used for wetland restoration and streambank stabilization and like other wetland species has the ability to develop aerenchyma tissue to avoid root anoxia. Root aerenchyma development could be affected if the temperature of the rhizosphere increases as a result of climatic change. Root porosity (used as an indication of aerenchyma tissue) of S. nigracuttings grown under...
Performance studies of free-living tomato (Lycopersicon exculentum L.) rhizospheric Bacillus for their multiple plant growth promoting activity
June 2012
The present investigation is based on the study of the diversity of Bacillus spp. isolated from tomato rhizosphere and their evaluation as plant growth promoter. A total of twenty eight rhizospheric gram positive rod-shaped bacteria (DPNSB-1 to DPNSB-28) were isolated on nutrient agar and confirmed as Bacillus spp. on the basis of phenotypic characterization. Carbon source utilization...
Productivity index rating of some soils in the Tolon/Kumbungu district of the Northern region of Ghana
June 2012
Productivity indices (PI) provide a single scale on which soils may be rated according to their suitability for crop production. The study was to assess the productive potentials of selected soil series in the Northern region of Ghana viz, Nyankpala series (NS), Changnayili series (CS) and Kpelesawgu series (KS), to evaluate the current and future suitability of these soils and to suggest possible amendments...
Short term effects of cassava processing waste water on some chemical properties of loamy sand soil in Nigeria
June 2012
The short term changes in the concentration of some of the major constituents of cassava waste water and their corresponding effects on some of the soil exchangeable cations were studied following surface application of cassava waste water. The leaching experiment with de – ionized water was carried out on soil inside column under conditions of saturated flow. Samples of leachate were taken at 10 cm...
Assessment of sand encroachment in El-Qutaynah area, Sudan using remote sensing and geographic information system
May 2012
This study focused on the assessment and evaluation of land degradation and desertification in El-Qutaynah area, White Nile State, Sudan. Through monitoring and mapping of the changes that occurred in the land use, land cover (LU/LC) due to drought and sand encroachment in the study area was the main goal of this research. The study covered the period between 1986 to 2006. The research was based on the data and...
Digital elevation models obtained by contour lines and SRTM/Topodata, for digital soil mapping
May 2012
In the last decade, the quantitative models for digital mapping of soils have experienced rapid development of new methods, more efficient and economic. One reason is due, mainly, to the increase of auxiliary information of physical environment, especially, the images from remote sensing and terrain attributes derived from digital elevation models. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of digital elevation...
Evaluation of geotechnical properties and structural strength enhancing road pavement failure along Sylhet-Sunamganj highway, Bangladesh
May 2012
The study looks at the impact of poor soil properties and improper design on highway pavement failure on critical locations along Sylhet-Sunamganj road, Bangladesh. The entire study was conducted in the month of June to July, 2011 which was usually rainy season in Bangladesh. Pavement structural condition was evaluated by Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) test and sub-grade soil properties were obtained by laboratory soil...
Effect of mining on farming in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State
April 2012
Excavation involved in mining destroys useful soil for farming activities. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of mining on farming in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Random sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents from the area. The result reveals that 54.2% of the respondents identified low crop yield as the major consequence of mining on arable land in...
Comparative studies of soil characteristics in Shea parklands of Ghana
April 2012
An assessment of soil physical and chemical properties was carried out in Shea parklands of northern Ghana, selected along a North-south climatic gradient in 2011. The study sites were Paga, Nyankpala and Kawampe, which are located in the transitional and Guinea savannah zones of Ghana. For each site, 9 fallows and 9 cultivated fields were used, a total of 18 plots per site. Soil samples were collected at a...
Assessment of soil quality improvement under Teak and Albizia
April 2012
Improving the productivity of lowland soils for rice cultivation in Ghana: The role of the ‘Sawah’ system
March 2012
Lowlands constitute one of the largest and appropriate environments suitable for rice cultivation in Ghana. However, environmental degradation and declining soil productivity, leading to low crop yields are major concerns. Some reasons leading to such concerns may be traced to lack of proper management of our soil resources and possible unsuitable...
Drought and happiness in rural Iran
March 2012
The place of positive emotions such as happiness and its relationship with natural disasters like drought is ambiguous; therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the impact of drought on happiness in rural Iran using a causal-comparative research design. The findings revealed that drought significantly reduced the happiness of rural people, and variables such as; intensity of drought, perceived...
Microbial biofiltration technology for odour abatement: An introductory review
February 2012
Odour is a serious complaint associated with waste air emissions that creates nuisance due to its malodorous behaviour. Its treatment process ranges from physical, chemical to biological means. A biological treatment system has several advantages over the physical and chemical technologies in being ecofriendly, more efficient with low operational cost and characterized by high flow rates of waste gas with low...
Preparing of the soil salinity map using geostatistics method in the Qazvin Plain
February 2012
In land evaluation, soil salinity is a limiting factor of plant growth in most suitable land systems. In order to prepare map salinity of south Qazvin Plain with sampling topsoil sample of 0 to 30 cm, electrical conductivity (EC), clay and pH of soil samples were measured. Finally, to provide the salinity map of topsoil, the accuracy of the several common methods of interpolation including Kriging, CoKriging,...
Response of maize to different organic and inorganic fertilization regimes in monocrop and intercrop systems in a Sub-Saharan Africa Region
February 2012
Soil fertility decline is a major constraint to crop production in sub-Saharan Africa due to continuous cropping of maize without an adequate fertilization. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of several fertilization regimes in monocrop and intercrop systems in a Sub-Saharan Africa region. The study was carried out in a savannah region in D.R. Congo at two locations. The...
Evaluating sustainable cropping sequences with cassava and three grain legume crops: Effects on soil fertility and maize yields in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana
February 2012
Declining soil fertility has become a major constraint to crop productivity in the semi-deciduous forest agro-ecological zone of Ghana. We evaluated six crop sequences: pigeonpea, cassava variety ‘Ex-Subi’, cassava variety ‘Boakentemma’, cowpea-maize, groundnut-maize and maize-maize in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 cropping seasons to determine their effects on soil chemical properties and...
Effects of Phanerochaete chrysosporium on biologic activity of soil amended with olive mill wastewaters
January 2012
Effects of the untreated olive mill wastewater (UOMW) and the bioaugmented olive mill wastewater (BOMW) with the fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium) for the amendment of soil were investigated. Results showed that UOMW inhibited the soil respirometric activity, while BOMW exhibited significantly higher respiration levels compared to the unamended and the UOMW amended soils. The ratio of...
Simulation of resource-conserving technologies on productivity, income and greenhouse gas GHG emission in rice-wheat system
January 2012
The Rice-wheat (RW) cropping system is one of the major agricultural production systems in four Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal of South Asia covering about 32% of the total rice area and 42% of the total wheat area. The excessive utilization of natural resource bases and changing climate are leading to the negative yield trend and plateauing of Rice-wheat (RW) system...
Influence of organic matter on the adsorption of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate on volcanic ash soil
January 2012
Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DBS), an anionic surfactant, is used as an important content of detergent. Its discharge without treatment causes environmental problem and its adsorptive behavior in soils is not fully understood. In this study, the adsorption behavior of DBS of linear carbon chain on volcanic ash soil was investigated before and after removing most of the organic matter from...
The effect of waste polypropylene fibre inclusion on the mechanical behaviour of sand generated from the aggregate industry
December 2011
During the last decades, the rising demand for land reclamation and the utilization of soft or unstable soils led to a great advance in the ground amelioration techniques as a major part of civil engineering around the world. Within this framework, this paper presents the results of an experimental program based mainly on direct shear tests on sand generated from aggregate industry, with and without waste polypropylene...
Carbon accumulation and aggregate stability in an Acrisol under different fallow management in Ghana
December 2011
Soil organic carbon (SOC) in relation to aggregate stability, plant biomass accumulation and other properties of a Ferric Acrisol under different fallow management practices was determined to ascertain their potential for sequestering carbon. Three minor season fallow treatments replicated four times were natural and burning (T1), natural and plough-in (T2), pigeon pea (T3), bare land (T4), cowpea (T5), mucuna (T6) and...
Biodegradation and dissipation of 14C-carbofuran in clay soil from Loukkos perimeter, Northwestern Morocco
December 2011
Mineralization and dissipation of 14C-ring labeled carbofuran (2, 3-dihydro-2, 2-dimethylbenzofuran-7-yl-methylcarbamate), one of the highly toxic N-methyl carbamate pesticides, in an untreated Vertisol Moroccan soil used for sugar beet cultivation was studied under laboratory conditions over a period of 63 days. The experiment was conducted in flooded and non-flooded conditions. Carbofuran mineralization was...
Soil water content profiling using EnviroSMARTTM in Northern Ghana
December 2011
Soil moisture is very important in crop cultivation. Farmers in Ghana usually cultivate crops by guessing the available moisture content of the soil by means of observation and feeling. Major drawbacks with these methods are that estimation is subjective and not exact. These methods normally lead to either soil water deficits or water logging on crop fields. The need for soil moisture profiling to understand the...
Soil classification and micromorphology: A case study of Cholistan Desert
November 2011
Cholistan Desert is an extension of the Great Indian Desert and covering an area of 26,330 km2. The desert can be divided into two main geomorphic regions: Northern region, known as Lesser Cholistan, constitutes the desert margin and consists of a series of saline alluvial flats alternating with low sand ridges/dunes; and Southern region, known as Greater Cholistan, a wind resorted sandy desert comprising of a...
Sources and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in post flooded soil near Afam power station, South East Niger Delta, Nigeria
November 2011
Post flooded forest soil profile samples obtained near Afam power station, contiguous to Imo River were analysed for quantitative determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Relatively moderate bulk density (1.17 g/cm3), permeability (1.79 cm3/s) and macro-porosity (60%) values indicate that fluid flow through the soil profile would be unimpeded. PAHs content for the top soil horizon appeared similar to...
Bacterial retention in three soils of the Rolling Pampa, Argentina, under simulated rainfall
November 2011
Bacterial retention by soils is a key factor in predicting bacterial transport through surface runoff into water bodies. The objective was to evaluate biological, soil and hydrologic factors that affect bacterial retention in three soil types of the Rolling Pampa, Argentina. Simulated rainfall was applied on field plots previously inoculated with Escherichia coli and simultaneously biological variables such as...
Determinants of adoption of conservation tillage practices in maize-cowpea cropping systems: The case of Makueni District, Kenya
November 2011
The low soil moisture cannot support productive agriculture to meet the increasing population in the low rainfall tropical areas. Ripping and tied-ridging are some of the recent technologies introduced by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and is used to conserve moisture in the semi-arid areas. Although farmers are aware of the technical gains of these technologies, the adoption rates have...
Effect of tillage practices on the soil carbon dioxide flux during fall and spring seasons in a Mediterranean Vertisol
November 2011
In this study, we assessed the effect of conventional tillage (CT), reduced (RT) and no tillage (NT) practices on the soil CO2 flux of a Mediterranean Vertisol in semi-arid Morocco. The measurements focused on the short term (0 to 96 h) soil CO2 fluxes measured directly after tillage during the fall and spring period. Soil temperature, moisture and soil strength were measured congruently to study their effect...
Different land use types in the semi-arid rangelands of Kenya influence soil properties
November 2011
Rangelands in semi-arid Kenya have recently witnessed extensive land use changes. These changes can mainly be attributed to increased livestock populations and the response of the increased human population to both local and exogenous opportunities and constraints. This study was carried out in Kibwezi district of Kenya mainly inhabited by agro-pastoralists. The main objective of this study was to establish how...
Effect of Rice Mill Wastes Application on Selected Soil Physical Properties and Maize Yield (Zea mays l.) On an Ultisol in Abakaliki Southeastern Nigeria
November 2011
An experiment was carried out in 2008, 2009 and 2010 (residual) cropping season at Teaching and Research Farm of Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki to determine the long term effect of burnt and unburnt rice mill wastes application on soil physical properties and maize yield. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three...
Performance of Casuarina eqisetifolia provenances on a saline site in southern Pakistan
October 2011
Survival and growth of 16 provenances of Casuarina eqisetifolia Forst were compared in a trial established on a saline site near Tandojam, southern Pakistan. The site is located at 25° 26' 0" N / 68° 32' 0" E at latitude of 14 m above sea level in Sindh Province, Pakistan. Survival up to 6 months varied from 56 to 78%. Height growth was generally slow. The performance of...
Extractable micronutrients status in relation to other soil properties in Billiri Local Government Area
October 2011
A study of the micronutrient status of soils of Billiri was carried out at 55 different locations. The objective of the study was to evaluate the status of micronutrients and their relationship with soil properties. Soil sample were collected at 0 to 30 cm depth and analyzed forDiethylenetriamine penta acetic acid DPTA extractable micronutrients (iron, Fe, manganese, Mn, zinc, Zn, and copper, Cu). The DPTA...
Resolving the gully erosion problem in Southeastern Nigeria: Innovation through public awareness and community-based approaches
October 2011
The formation of gullies is one of the greatest environmental disasters in Southeastern Nigeria. Large areas of agricultural lands are lost or have become unsuitable for cultivation due to gully erosion. There have been numerous attempts to curb gully erosion in the region; especially through large-scale engineering projects, however, little has been discussed about ways to prevent their onset or the use of...
Effects of land use and long-term organic matter application on low-molecular-weight organic acids in an Andisol
October 2011
To clarify the effects of land use and long-term organic matter application on the dynamics of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LOAs), soil samples were collected from an agricultural site under various organic matter managements and an adjacent Oak forest site. The agricultural site was composed of a chemical fertilizer plot, cattle manure applied plots, a crop residue incorporated plot, and both a cattle manure and...
Phosphatase-producing bacteria isolated from Sanggabuana Forest and their capability to hydrolyze organic phosphate
October 2011
Some free living microorganisms in soil have the capability to produce extracellular enzymes such as phosphatase. This enzyme is able to mineralize organic phosphates into inorganic phosphates that provides high P for plant. Exploration and laboratory experiments were carried out to obtain the most excellent bacterial isolates for producing phosphatase and solubilizing phosphate and also to study the capabilities of...
Improving the productivity of lowland soils for rice cultivation in Ghana: The role of the ‘Sawah’ system
October 2011
Lowlands constitute one of the largest and appropriate environments suitable for rice cultivation in Ghana. However, environmental degradation and declining soil productivity, leading to low crop yields are major concerns. Some reasons leading to such concerns may be traced to lack of proper management of our soil resources and possible unsuitable crop production systems and practices. Effective nutrient and water...
Effect of Sesbania sesban fallows on Striga infestation and maize yield in Tabora Region of Western Tanzania
October 2011
The One of the major constraints to maize production in most farmers’ fields in Tabora region are is nitrogen deficiency and Striga infestation. Trials to investigate the effect of Sesbania sesban improved fallows on Striga infestation and maize yield were conducted on farmer’s fields in Tabora and Nzega districts for a period of three years (2003 - 2005). Results showed that...
Introductory trial on hybrid millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.) at different locations of District Karak, KPK, Pakistan
October 2011
An experiment was conducted on farmers’ fields to study the yield performance of hybrid millet “Badshah” at various locations of District Karak during Kharif 2010. The experiment was conducted in 6 union councils at 18 different locations of District Karak representing various micro agro climatic zones of the area. Data on days to flowering, days to maturity, plant population/m2, plant height (cm) and...
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