Iris Publishers Agriculture Soil Science

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Mechanical Behavior of an Ultisol Under Different Sugarcane Management Systems in Brazil Authored by José Ramon Barros Cantalice Compressibility and shear strength in agricultural soils are associated with pressures exerted on the soil surface by the intensive use of machines. This study aimed to evaluate the mechanical behavior of an Ultisol cultivated with sugarcane under the application of sugarcane residues (vinasse and filter cake) and compare it with an Atlantic Forest soil. Uniaxial compression tests were performed through the application of increasing with pressures from 12.50 to 1,600 kPa, at three water contents in undisturbed samples from the layers of 0-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m, and for shear direct test were collected in the layers of 0-0.20 m and, subjected to three water content levels and four levels of normal tensions of direct shear. The higher content of total organic carbon in the soil under native forest (2.42 g kg-1) allowed higher pre-compression stresses (101.21-14...

Aquifer Vulnerability Using Geophysical and Physiochemical Methods in Parts Of Ethiope West Local Government Area Delta State, Nigeria Authored by Julius Otutu Oseji This study was carried out to determine the aquifer vulnerability and groundwater quality using geophysical and physiochemical methods in parts of Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State. Thirty vertical electrical soundings and four dipole-dipole profiling were administered using Abeam Terameter SAS 1000 AB. The field data were curve matched and Iterated using Win resist and Dipro software. The auriferous zone was found in the fourth layer with resistivity ranging from 159 Ωm – 100234 Ωm, thickness ranging from 12m – 156 m and depth of 32m – 162m except VES 25 whose aquifer is in third layer. The dipole – dipole resistivity structure shows low resistivity values along areas where waste dump was sited with resistivity ranging from 300 Ωm to 630 Ωm. This finding suggests that the leachate from the dumpsite is aff...

Going Back to the Well: Women, Agency, and Climate Adaptation Authored by Sophia Huyer   Rising temperatures and more extreme weather associated with climate change are expected to exacerbate existing social and gender inequalities across the globe. Climate change has differential effects on women and men: they are exposed to different climate shocks and experience different impacts related to gender differences in roles, rights, and opportunities. Women’s knowledge, networks, and assets are a significant aspect of resilience, but little attention is given to enabling their capacity as active agents. Instead the focus is on women as vulnerable victims of climate change. Evidence is emerging that adaptation and mitigation approaches in climate-resilient agriculture can and must reduce women’s and men’s vulnerabilities, promote their capacities for resilience, support women to exercise their agency, and, consequently, increase gender equality. Not only do we need to implement climat...

Biochar and its Use in Soil: Lessons from Temperate Agriculture Authored by M Oelbermann Biochar Basics What is biochar? Biochar is a carbon-rich product that is obtained when a sustainable source of biomass is heated without oxygen. Biochar is produced in the same way as charcoal, but its intended use differs. Biochar is manufactured with a specific set of properties (e.g. adsorption properties, ion exchange capacity, low bulk density) for its use as soil amendment and/or adsorbent, whereas charcoal has specific properties (e.g. generating heat) for its use as a fuel. Humans first used biochar in the form of charcoal (as a byproduct from cooking) mixed with broken pottery, animal bones and manure in the Brazilian Amazon. This led to the creation of the Amazonian Dark Earths or Terra Preta more than 2000 years ago by pre-Columbian cultures of this region. Whether these soils were created intentionally or if they were a by-product of human settlements remains unclear. However, Terr...