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We addressed the condition of restored soil on alluvial plain in the south-eastern Slovenia after they have been given for the gravel deposit easement during construction. According to pre-investigation using soil probes, two soil profile pits were dug: Profile 1 on the area where excavated soils were deposited over original soils; and Profile 2 on the area where topsoil had been removed before gravel deposition and reapplied after the easement. Undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were collected and analyzed for physical and chemical properties. The results show that chemical properties were generally not the limiting factor for soil fertility. Compaction of the soil reduced hydraulic conductivity and resulted in water stagnation. The bulk density on the area where the material was deposited directly on the soil surface ranged from 1.41 to 1.77 g cm-3. The hydraulic conductivity of the saturated soil was practically impermeable at depths of 10, 20, and 30 cm, indicating compaction due to high mechanical load. At the area where topsoil was removed before deposition and restored after easement the hydraulic conductivity of the saturated soil was low to moderate. Removal of the topsoil before construction began was an appropriate action, but reclamation measures are also required.

This work is a novel trial to integrate geostatistics with fuzzy logic under the geographic information system (GIS) environment to model soil pollution. Soil samples from seventy-one soil profiles in the northern Nile Delta, Egypt, and were analyzed for total concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn. Metal distribution maps were generated using ordinary kriging methods. They were normalized by linear and non-linear fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) and overlain by fuzzy operators (And, OR, Sum, Product, and Gamma). The final maps were validated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The best-fitted semivariogram models were Gaussian for Cd, Pb, and Ni, circular for Co and Zn, and exponential for Cu. The ROC and AUC analysis revealed that the non-linear FMFs were more effective than the linear functions for modeling soil pollution. Overall, the highest AUC value (0.866; very good accuracy) resulted from applying the fuzzy Sum overly to the non-linearly normalized layers, implying the superiority of this model for decision-making in the studied area. Accordingly, 92% of the investigated soils were severely polluted. Our study would increase insight into soil metal pollution on a regional scale, especially in arid regions.

Soil plays an important role in the accumulation and transport of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), from surface into aquifer. PTEs can get to the environment naturally, but also from different kinds of contamination sources. In this study, a soil profile located in the vicinity of well field Petruševec, one of the most important well fields related to the public water supply of the City of Zagreb, was analyzed. The main aim of this study was to determine soil properties which can influence retention/mobilization of Ni and Cr in alluvial soil, as well as to define their origin in the investigated soil profile. Results suggest that Cr is geogenic, while Ni is probably of dominantly anthropogenic origin. Observed concentrations, enrichment factors and Igeo values showed no enrichment for Cr, while for Ni, they showed minor to very severe enrichment, i.e., that in some soil horizons, moderate to strong pollution exists. Evaluation of wind directions and location of possible contamination sources that prevail in the study area suggest that Ni can come by aerodeposition from different sources. Results showed that mineral composition can have important influence on retention of analyzed PTEs. Soil horizons, which have very high concentrations of Ni, in general have higher proportion of clay minerals, especially chlorites, as well as Fe oxyhydroxides which can act as an adsorption phase for the investigated PTEs. Results suggest that more detailed research about the investigated PTEs presents a necessity if measures for soil and groundwater protection want to be effectively implemented.

In summer periods of 2015–2017 within the framework of complex expeditions in the eastern Priol’khonye soil geochemical researches were performed. More than 120 soil samples were collected for subsequent physical and chemical analyses. Ecological, chemical and physical properties of meadow and steppe soils of Ol’khon district were studied and the results are presented in the article. The research was conducted on the east coast of the Lake Baikal in its central basin, which is most visited by tourists. Several soil types can be found along the coast line and on gently sloped surface nearby, they are: castanozems, umbrisols, cambisols, gray soils, histic fluvisols gleyic, humic fluvisols gleyic, chernozems, umbric fluvisols, cambic fluvisols and other. Owing to a specific environmental conditions some original soil types (for example “chestnut soils”, “castanozems”) can be found nowhere else in the Irkutsk region but only here. The explored soil profiles are mainly thick and stony to various extent (from high to medium),these soils are sandy or sandy loams, rich in humus, predominantly with neutral and weakly alkaline reaction (pH), low content of nitrogen in relation to carbon content (C : N), that creates favorable conditions for preservation of the vegetable remains in meadow landscapes. The conducted research results revealed that soils near touristic tracks and also on the territory of the ancient settlement are polluted by heavy metals, and their content exceeds sanitary and hygienic standards. The ecological condition of soils at the present stage can be characterized as average degree of disturbance resulting from recreational activity. Geochemical barriers are represented by organic and alkaline ones. However, due to the sandy and sandy-loamy soil texture waters of the lake coastal zone can be polluted by heavy metals as well. Soils of meadow-boggy landscapes of the coastal area are not polluted by heavy metals as far as it is a hard-to-reach region for tourists using automobile transport.

Received: 2018-04-19 | Accepted: 2018-05-15 | Available online: 2018-06-30 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2018.21.02.63-76 The occurrence of Fluvisols is associated with the rivers, which means that their properties can be greatly influenced by the fluvial activity of the rivers. Therefore, the aim of this work were to (1.) find out whether the flow gradient along the river influenced the soil properties of Fluvisols (2.) evaluate the soil properties of Fluvisols. Soil samples were taken from Nitra River Catchment between villages Výcapy-Opatovce and Jelsovce near Nitra city. There were excavated five soil pits and soils were classified according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources as follows: Profile 1 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: restored forest), Profile 2 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: arable soil), Profile 3 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: fallow soil), Profile 4 as Eutric Gleyic Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use as: forest), Profile 5 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: r aid forest). The investigated Fluvisols had different chemical and physical properties, but not as a consequence of the flow gradient along the river. Differences in chemistry and physical properties of Fluvisols developed along the Nitra River have been significantly affected mainly by its use, soil management practices and depth of the soil profile. Keywords: physical and hydrophysical properties, soil structure, soil sorptive parameters, Fluvisols References ATSIVOR, L. et al. 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Background and aims – Although soils and topography are reported to be key factors determining vegetation patterns, there are very few studies on this topic in tropical Africa. Given the young nature of the soils of Nech Sar National park, we hypothesised that the woody vegetation would be related to both topsoil and subsoil characteristics. As topography also determines soil characteristics, we investigated whether soil and topography could be considered independently. Methods – Abundance of woody plant species was measured in 19 stratified randomly selected plots of 20 m × 20 m. At the centre of each plot a soil profile pit was dug and samples were taken from each horizon. Topographic characteristics were derived from a 30 m × 30 m digital elevation model. TWINSPAN and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) were used to identify major patterns in species composition. Factor Analysis was used to assess the variability of, and correlation between, the soil characteristics. Differences between the vegetation groups in-terms of stand and environmental characteristics was tested with the Mann-Whitney U test. DCA axes describing the major variation in vegetation patterns were correlated with soil and topographic characteristics. Results – Forest vegetation was found on Fluvisols and Gleyic Cambisols while bushland was found on Andosols and Vertic Cambisols. The vegetation gradient from forest to bushland (DCA-1) was correlated with both topsoil and subsoil characteristics reflecting parent material and alkalinity; these could however not be dissociated from topography. In contrast, variation both within the forest and the bushland (DCA-2) was not correlated with environmental characteristics. We attribute this variation to disturbances such as collection of firewood or logging, and to the absence of large browser or scarcity of wildfires. Conclusions – This study calls for giving equal attention to topsoil and subsoil for elucidating woody vegetation patterns. Though vegetation patterns vary with topography, a comprehensive understanding requires insights into soils. ispartof: Plant Ecology and Evolution vol:150 issue:1 pages:45-58 status: published

The aim of this study is to investigate the adaptation of two species of cattail Typha australis Schum. and Thonn. and Typha laxmannii Lepech. based on analysis of the morphological and anatomical features of their vegetative and generative organs to soil pollution with potentially toxic elements (PTE) in the riparian zones of the sea edge of the Don River delta (Southern Russia). Both species of the cattail are able to accumulate high concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb and can be used for phytoremediation of polluted territories. The pattern of PTE accumulation in hydrophytes has changed on polluted soils of coastal areas from roots/rhizomes &gt, inflorescences &gt, stems to roots/rhizomes &gt, stems &ge, inflorescences. The comparative morphological and anatomical analysis showed a statistically significant effect of the environmental stress factor by the type of proliferation in T. australis, and species T. laxmannii was visually in a depressed, deformed state with mass manifestations of hypogenesis. These deformations should be considered, on one hand, as adaptive, but on the other, as pathological changes in the structure of the spikes of the cattails. Light-optical and electron microscopic studies have shown that the degree and nature of ultrastructural changes in cattails at the same level of soil pollution are different and most expressed in the assimilation tissue of leaves. However, these changes were destructive for T. australis, but for T. laxmannii, these indicated a high level of adaptation to the prolonged technogenic impact of PTE.

A thorough understanding of the variation in total soil element concentrations is important especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) soil contexts for agricultural and environmental management at large scale. Fingerprinting of soil elemental composition may form a useful basis for evaluating soils in a way that relates to soil-forming factors and inherent soil functional properties. The objectives of this paper are to quantify the proportion of variability in total elemental composition by total X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) method of 1074 soil samples from the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) Project baseline and to determine the relationships with soil forming factors. The samples were from 34 sentinel sites measuring 10×10km, randomized within major climate zones in SSA. Within each sentinel site there were sixteen spatially stratified 1km2 clusters, within which there were ten 100m2 plots. The within and between site patterns of variation in total element composition of 17 elements; Al, P, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Y, Ta, and Pb, were explored. Total element concentration values were within the range reported globally for soil Cr, Mn, Zn, Ni, V, Sr, and Y and higher than reported range for Al, Cu, Ta, Pb, and Ga. There were significant variations (P70% of variation in soil element composition patterns can be predicted using information in existing databases or readily observable features. Successful use of TXRF technique would open up possibilities for using total soil elemental composition fingerprints as a useful basis for characterizing soils in a way that relates to soil-forming factors and inherent soil functional properties.

The physicochemical properties of soil and the unsaturated zone can have a large influence on the infiltration of precipitation into an aquifer. Soil permeability presents soil property that can be very variable. The main objectives of this study were to estimate differences in soil permeability in two dominant types of soils&mdash, Fluvisols and Eutric Cambisols&mdash, in the area of the Zagreb aquifer and determine the relationship between the physicochemical properties and the permeability of the analyzed soils. For this purpose, the particle size distribution, soil water retention curves (SWRCs), hydraulic parameters, and chemical properties of soils (i.e., electrical conductivity (EC), pH, carbonate content, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and total concentration of zinc (Zn)) from six soil profiles were observed. In general, the results show that Fluvisols have a smaller amount of clay and a higher amount of sand. Furthermore, particle size distribution indicates that Eutric Cambisols have smaller permeability and a slightly higher capacity for retention. In Eutric Cambisols, the percentages of clay, silt, and sand generally do not change with depth. On average, Fluvisols and Eutric Cambisols become impermeable when they reach different values of water content and effective saturation. All results suggest that Fluvisols generally have to desaturate more than Eutric Cambisols to become impermeable. The proportions of sand and Ks increases through the depth of all analyzed soils, while CEC, EC, and Zn decrease. The total Zn generally decrease with depth, which can be attributed to the aerodeposition in the surface horizons of the analyzed soils and their higher availability for binding/sorption elements. Generally, it can be seen that most Zn concentrations increase until 80 cm in depth, after which they decrease. This result indicates that, in these specific locations, the groundwater body is not under the influence of a potentially toxic metal, in this case Zn. Statistical analysis shows a strong correlation between Zn concentrations and some soil properties, such as soil texture and CEC. This may point to the prevalence of Zn retention. Furthermore, statistical results show that silt has a higher influence on the permeability of Eutric Cambisols than Fluvisols.

Although a large number of papers deal with effects of land-use change on soil properties, less attention is directed to the long-term effects of different land-use types on soil physical properties and organic matter in the lowland ecosystems. The objective of this study is to assess the long-term cumulative effects of change in land-use type on some soil properties in the continental lowland ecosystems of Western Serbia. Three adjacent land-use types (deciduous forest, natural grassland and arable soils that have been converted from forests for more than 100 years) were chosen for the study. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from nine sites at each of the three different land-use types from the depths of 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm in noncarbonated Fluvisol. Conversion of forest to grassland and arable soil has led to significant decrease in total porosity (TP), infiltration rate (IR) and soil organic matter (SOM). The bulk density (BD) was lower in forest compared to the adjacent grassland and arable (ex-forest) soils. In addition, microaggregate stability, determined by the clay dispersion ratio (CDR) and aggregated silt and clay (ASC) indices, was significantly higher in forest than in grassland and arable soil. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that removal of permanent vegetation in the conversion process from forest and grassland areas to cultivated land may lead to loss of soil productivity and serious soil degradation. Obviously, there is a need for greater attention to developing sustainable land use practices in management of these ecosystems to prevent further degradation of soils in the region.