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Combating Strategies
Published in Ajai, Rimjhim Bhatnagar, Desertification and Land Degradation, 2022
The word mulch comes from the German word mulch, which means soft to decay. As a result, in this method, crop residues, weeds, or even plastic sheets are used to spread over/cover the soil surface. This way soil erosion is prevented. It actively reduces soil erosion by abating the influence of raindrops and water run-off on soil (Verma et al. 1979, Sauvage 1995, Bhatt and Khera 2006). By covering the soil completely, the mulch helps in the conservation of soil moisture, controls soil temperature, improves the soil structure and helps in the enhancement of soil water holding capacity. In the case of organic mulches, nutrients are also available to the plants. They enhance the microbial activity in the soil which is essential for the optimum growth of the plant.
Apple
Published in Debashis Mandal, Ursula Wermund, Lop Phavaphutanon, Regina Cronje, Temperate Fruits, 2021
Graciela María Colavita, Mariela Curetti, Dolores Raffo, María Cristina Sosa, Laura I. Vita
Other soil management techniques include manure or compost application, incorporation of annual crops to the soil, and mulch use in the rows. These practices improve soil properties, like organic matter, nutrient content, and water infiltration (Neilsen et al., 2003; TerAvest et al., 2010; Atucha et al., 2011; Sansavini et al., 2012; Forge et al., 2013; Neilsen et al., 2014). Mulch use also contributes to reducing weed competition, keeping water in the soil, decreasing soil temperature, and increasing apple tree vigor and yield (Andersen et al., 2013; Forge et al., 2013). Mulch may be organic or inorganic. Organic mulch may be made from dry cuts of cover crops or pruning residues. Cover crops produce 4–7 tons of dry matter per hectare each year (80% above ground). Pruning residues could provide 2–6 tons of dry matter per hectare if they are left in the orchard. Inorganic mulch is usually made of black polyethylene film (Sansavini et al., 2012).
Sustainable Development And Green Landscaping
Published in Eric A. Woodroof, Green Facilities Handbook, 2020
In addition to preserving topsoil and reducing erosion, mulch keeps soil cool in summer and warm in winter will facilitate greater and deeper root growth. Mulch helps maintain soil moisture longer further minimizing irrigation needs and thwarts the weeds that compete with the desirable plants for water. Mulch can easily reduce water needs in half.
Influence of biowaste compost amendment on soil organic carbon storage under arid climate
Published in Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2019
Ali Mekki, Fathi Aloui, Sami Sayadi
Green waste consists of a range of materials, including tree wood and bark, prunings from young trees and shrubs, dead and green leaves, and grass clippings, and it originates from domestic dwellings and municipal parks, gardens, and reserves (Bartali and Belmakki, 2013). According to Kadam et al. (2000), in most cities in the developed world, green waste is collected separately from other wastes and is mechanically shredded and then composted, either alone or with other organic wastes. It is used in products such as garden mulch, organic soil amendment, garden compost, and soilless potting media (Eurostat, 2005).
Batch assays for biological sulfate-reduction: a review towards a standardized protocol
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2020
Antonio Serrano, Miriam Peces, Sergi Astals, Denys K. Villa-Gómez
The methodology used to determine the suitability of different organic materials and their mixtures for SRB is far from been standardized as evidenced in Table 1. Waybrant et al. (1998) studied the capacity of six different organic materials (i.e. composted sewage sludge, composted leaf mulch, wood chips, sheep manure, sawdust, and delignified cellulose) in eight different mixtures. In Waybrant et al. (1998), the composition of each test was remarkably different from each other. For instance, the amount organic material (electron donor) ranged from 19 to 73% in wet-weight basis (%ww), the amount of creek sediment (SRB biomass source) ranged from 14 to 60%ww, and the amount of synthetic AMD (electron acceptor) ranged from 63 to 86%ww. Unfortunately, the design criteria used was not detailed in the manuscript. Pagnanelli, Viggi, Mainelli, and Toro (2009) assessed the capacity of eight different mixtures to facilitate sulfate reduction; however, the composition of the mixtures was not consistent. Test bottles contained, in dry-weight basis (%dw), 9–49%dw of organic materials (different mix of composted sheep manure, compost, olive pomace, and leaves), 5–22%dw of limestone, 52–83%dw of porous support (silica sand and/or perlite), and 3–25 dw% zero-valent iron (Pagnanelli et al., 2009). Performing experiments at different test conditions difficult results comparison within the study and between studies. For instance, the different amount of creek sediment (proxy of SRB biomass concentration) in each test can have a great impact on the sulfate reduction rate (Castillo et al., 2012). As explained in Section 4.1, the relationship between the amount of organic matter and the amount of sulfate should be kept constant because different COD/SO42− ratios can limit or facilitate sulfate reduction (O'Reilly & Colleran, 2006; Papirio et al., 2013).
Continuous planting of cotton after reclamation alters the humus composition and humic acid structural characteristics
Published in Chemistry and Ecology, 2022
Organic matter accumulation in farmland mainly depends on the balance between crop straw input and decomposition output of old and new SOM [29]. Therefore, tillage will affect soil organic matter content and humus composition [16]. In this study, cotton planting significantly increased soil SOC and HS contents. This is mainly due to the long-term continuous cropping of cotton and the full amount of straw returned to the field after the autumn harvest. Cotton roots and residues are the main sources of organic matter, and crop straw is constantly decomposed in the soil to release a large number of organic and inorganic compounds. In addition, long-term straw returning and mulch under drip irrigation maintain appropriate soil humidity and temperature, which is conducive to microbial activity [30], accelerate straw decomposition, enhance soil's ability to capture carbon in straw, and cause an increase in soil organic matter content [31,32]. In addition, Yao et al. [33] and He et al. [34] proved that the coupling effect of straw returning and fertilisation can also improve soil organic carbon content [33,34], which is basically consistent with the research results of this paper. In this study, however, reclamation after continuous cropping of cotton after 10 a, soil organic carbon and humus content declined, this may be due to long-term continuous cropping of cotton, with the increase in root secretion, precursor differences in quantity and quality of soil organic carbon impact, lead to organic carbon loss is greater than the accumulation of organic carbon. At the same time, the number and activity of soil microorganisms decreased [25], which affected the process of soil humification and led to the reduction of humus content. In addition, continuous planting of cotton significantly increased soil HA/FA and PQ values, especially in the cotton soil with continuous planting of 25 years (Figure 1(e,f)), indicating that there is a high degree of humification in soil with long-term continuous cultivation of cotton [35].