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Field monitoring was performed to evaluate the chemical properties of 260 paddy soils every 4 years from 1999 to 2015 in Gyeongnam province. Soil chemical properties, including soil pH, electrical conductivity, amount of organic matter (OM), available phosphate (P₂O₅), exchangeable potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na), and available silicate (SiO₂) were analyzed. In 2015, the average values of pH, OM, available P₂O₅, exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg, and available SiO₂ was 5.8, 30 g ㎏ -1 , 222 ㎎ ㎏ -1 , 0.37 cmolc ㎏ -1 , 6.5 cmolc ㎏ -1 , and 1.4 cmolc ㎏ -1 , 252 ㎎ ㎏ -1 , respectively. The frequency distribution within optimum range of paddy soils was 49.2%, 20.8%, 18.5%, and 5.8% for soil pH, OM, available P₂O₅, and available SiO₂, respectively. The available P₂O₅ concentrations in 2015 was excess level with portion of 58% and did not alter significantly during the experimental period. Although the average of available SiO₂ concentration has tended to increase with every year, the insufficient proportion of available SiO₂ concentration in 2015 was 48%. These results indicated that a balanced management of soil chemical properties can properly control the amount of fertilizer applied for sustainable agriculture in paddy field.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different biochars on the removal of heavy metals from aqueous media. The experiment was carried out in aqueous solutions containing 200 mg CdL -1 or 200 mg PbL -1 using two different biochars derived from soybean stover and orange peel (20 mg Cd or Pbg -1 biochar). After shaking for 24 hours, biochars were filtered out, and Cd and Pb in the filtrate were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). In order to provide information regarding metal binding strength on biochars, sequential extraction was performed by modified SM&T (formerly BCR). The results showed that 70∼100% of initially added Cd and Pb was adsorbed on biochars and removed from aqueous solution. The removal rate of Pb (95%, 100%) was higher than that of Cd (70%, 91%). In the case of Cd, orange peel derived biochar (91%) showed higher adsorption rate than soybean stover derived biochar (70%). Cd was adsorbed on the biochar mainly in exchangeable and carbonates fraction (1st phase). In contrast, Pb was adsorbed on it mainly in the form of Fe-Mn oxides and residual fraction (2nd and 4th phase). The existence of Cd and Pb as a form of surface-precipitated complex was also observed on the surfaces of biochars detected by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDAX).

The monitoring of soil fertility changes in orchard is very important for agricultural sustainability. Field monitoring was performed to evaluate the soil chemical properties of 140 orchard (23 sites for sandy loam, 88 sites for loam, 28 sites for silt loam, and 1 site for loamy fine sand) in Gyeongnam province every 4 years from 2002 to 2014. Soil chemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, amount of organic matter (OM), available phosphate (P₂O 5 ), lime requirement (LR), exchangeable potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sodium were analyzed. The amount of OM, exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg were significantly increased as cultivation year increases. The frequency distribution within optimum range of subsoil chemical properties in 2014 was 34.3% for pH, 35.0% for OM, 17.1% for available P₂O 5 , 22.9% for exchangeable K, 15.7% for exchangeable Ca, and 22.1% for exchangeable Mg. In addition, the available P₂O 5 and exchangeable calcium were excess level with portions of 69.3% and 48.6%, respectively. The soil chemical properties in the topsoil and subsoil showed that soil pH was significantly higher in sandy loam soil than those from the loam and silt loam soils. The OM, exchangeable K, Mg, and LR of loam soil were higher than those from the sandy loam soil. These results indicated that a balanced management of soil chemical properties as affected by soil texture can improve the amount of fertilizer applied for sustainable agriculture in orchard field.

Soil management for orchard depends on the effects of soil microbial activities. The present study evaluated the soil microbial community of 25 orchard (5 sites for sandy loam, 7 sites for silt loam, and 13 sites for loam) in Gyeongnam Province by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) method. The average values for 25 orchard soil samples were 270 nmol g -1 of total FAMEs, 72 nmol g -1 of total bacteria, 34 nmol g -1 of Gram-negative bacteria, 34 nmol g -1 of Gram-positive bacteria, 6 nmol g -1 of actinomycetes, 49 nmol g -1 of fungi, and 7 nmol g -1 of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In addition, silt loam soils had significantly low ratio of cy17:0 to 16:1ω7c and cy19:0 to 18:1ω7c compared with those of loam soils (p < 0.05), indicating that microbial activity increased. The average soil microbial communities in the orchard soils were 26.7% of bacteria, 17.9% of fungi, 12.6% of Gram-negative bacteria, 12.5% of Gram-positive bacteria, 2.5% of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and 2.2% of actinomycetes. The soil microbial community of Gram-negative bacteria in silt loam soils was significantly higher than those of sandy loam and loam soils (p < 0.05).

Soil contamination with arsenic and heavy metals is a worldwide problem. Main objective of this research was to evaluated effects of reducing heavy metal leaching under reduced soil condition amended with industrial by-products. The contaminated soil was amended with 3% (w/w) of limestone (Ls), steel slag (SS) and acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS). Synthetic acid rain (H₂SO₄:HNO₃ = 6:4, pH 5.5 fixed) was used for feeding solution with flow rate of 0.78~0.88 mL min-1. Results showed that similar pH and EC of leachate was observed in all treatments regardless of applied industrial by-products. However, arsenic concentration of leachate increased when industrial by-products were mixed. Meanwhile, concentration of heavy metal in the leachate decreased from 11.3 to 4.59 mg for Cd, from 92.3 to 7.93 mg for Pb, and from 11,716 to 1,788 mg for Zn via immobilization in soil with AMDS amended, respectively. Overall, application of industrial by-products can be an environmentally-friendly way to remediate soil and(or) leachate contaminated with metal(loid)s in metal mine site.

Bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) can be different depending on soil pH. For this reason, main purpose of this research was to compare bioavailability of Cd and As in agricultural field under varied soil pH and different extractants. Bioavailable fraction of Cd and As in soil was extracted with CaCl₂, NaNO₃, DTPA, EDTA, and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs). Soil samples and cultivated crops were collected at the range of soil pH 4.5-8.5 and correlation analysis was conducted between bioavailable fraction of Cd and As in soil and total concentration of Cd and As in crops. Results showed that concentration of Cd and As in acidic soil was ranged 0.002-0.462 mg kg -1 and 0.041-4.903 mg kg -1 respectively. In alkaline condition, concentration of Cd and As were ranged 0.006-0.351 mg kg -1 and 0.039-2.807 mg kg -1 respectively. Comparing bioavailable fraction of Cd and As in acidic and alkaline soil condition, higher concentration was measured in acidic condition. Similarly, higher average concentration of Cd and Asin crops was observed in acidic condition (0.398 and 0.751 mg kg -1 respectively) than alkaline condition (0.248 and 0.264 mg kg -1 ). Among different extractants, LMWOAs method showed higher correlation (r 2 =0.545) for Cd in acidic condition indicating that LMWOAs method could be applied for evaluating bioavailability of Cd in acidic soil. However, no high correlation was observed for As in both acidic and alkaline condition. Overall, bioavailable fraction of Cd and As can be higher in acidic condition of soil than alkaline condition resulting higher uptake of Cd and As from soil to crops. Therefore, efficient best management practice (BMPs) for Cd and As in acidic soil should be conducted for minimizing uptake of Cd and As into crops.

Mine wastes such as acid mine drainage (AMD) can cause the detrimental effects on surrounding environment, thereby eventually threatening human health. Main objective of this study was to evaluate the neutralizing effect of fly ash (FA) as a stabilizing material AMD. Field plot was constructed in a coal waste depot which has caused aluminium-whitening adjacent to the stream. Different mixing ratios of FA were applied on a top of the soil, and then the physicochemical properties of runoff and soil were monitored. Constructed plots were as following: control (mine waste only (W)), mine waste + 20% (w w -1 )of FA (WC20M), mine waste + 40% (w w -1 )of FA (WC40M), and WC40M dressed with a fresh soil at the top (WC40MD). Result showed that initial pH of runoff in control was 5.09 while that in WC40M (7.81) was significantly increased. For a plot treated with WC40M, the concentration of Al in runoff was decreased to 0.22 mg L -1 compared to the W as the control (4.85 mg L -1 ). Moreover, the concentration of Fe was also decreased to less than half at the WC40M compared to the control. Application of FA can be useful for neutralizing AMD and possibly minimizing adverse effect of AMD in mining area.

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural field near at the abandoned metal mines has been a critical issue in Korea. In particular, bioaccumulation in plants can have detrimental effect on human health. Main objective of this research was to examine arsenic (As) concentration in soil with varied extraction methods and to determine bioaccumulation and biological transfer factor in different crops. Results showed that bioaccumulation ratio of As for total contents in soil was ordered leafy and stem vegetables (1.19%) > fruit bearing vegetables (0.79%) > pulses (0.40%) > root vegetables (0.36%) with different crop species. Among 6 different extraction methods, all of extraction methods showed high correlation (R² = 0.87 - 0.97) except DTPA (R² = 0.25) when comparing As concentration in soil extracted with different extractants and As concentration in each crops. Calculated biological transfer factor was ranged 0.002-0.018 depending on crop species. Overall, concentration of As in crops can be varied and best management practice for minimizing bioaccumulation of As should be considered depending on crop species.

To determine Pb species in soils following the immobilization process, sequential extraction has been used despite the possibility of overestimating Pb species from unintended reactions during chemical extraction. Meanwhile, the application of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) has been shown to provide a more precise result than chemical extraction. In this study, the immobilization of Pb in contaminated soils treated with liming materials such as oyster shell (OS) or eggshell (ES) was evaluated with thermodynamic modelling and EXAFS analysis. Thermodynamic modelling by visual MINTEQ predicted the precipitation of Pb(OH)₂ in OS and ES treated soils. In particular, the values of saturation index (SI) for Pb(OH)₂ in OS (SI=0.286) and ES (SI=0.453) treated soils were greater than in the control soil (SI=0.281). Linear combination fitting (LCF) analysis confirmed the presence of C 12 H 10 O 14 Pb 3 (lead citrate, 44.7%) by citric acid from plant root, Pb-gibbsite (Pb adsorbed gibbsite, 26.4%), and Pb-kaolinite (Pb adsorbed kaolinite, 20.3%) in the control soil. On the other hand, Pb(OH)₂ (16.8%), Pb-gibbsite (39.3%), and Pb-kaolinite (25.6%) were observed in the OS treated soil and Pb(OH)₂ (55.2%) and Pb-gibbsite (33.8%) were also confirmed in the ES treated soil. Our results indicate that the treatment with OS and ES immobilizes Pb by adsorption of Pb onto the soil minerals as a result of the increase in soil negative charge and the formation of stable Pb(OH)₂ under high pH condition of soils.

Since mine wastes were merely dumped in the mine waste dump, they have produced acid mine drainage (AMD). Therefore, main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of coal combustion products (CCPs) on heavy metal stabilization and detoxification for mine wastes. Total six treatments for incubation test were conducted depending on mixing method (completely mixing and layered). Also, lysimeter experiment was conducted to examine efficiency of polyacrylamide (PAM) on reduction of mine wastes erosion. Result of incubation test showed that concentrations of soluble aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) in leachate decreased compared to control. The lowest soluble Al and Fe in leachate was observed in 50% mixed treatment (14.2 and 1.03 mg kg -1 for Al and Fe respectively) compared to control treatment (253.0 for Al and 52.6 mg kg -1 for Fe). The pH of mine wastes (MW) and leachate increased compared to control after mixing with CCPs and ordered as control (MW 6.4, leachate 6.3) -1 ) > MW70CR30LPL (6.7 mg L -1 ) > NT (3.1mg L -1 ) > MW70CR30M (1.6 mg L -1 ) > MW70CR30MPL (1.1 mg L -1 ) > MW70CR30PGM (0.7 mg L -1 ) >MW70CR30LPG (0.5 mg L -1 ) > MW70CR30MPG (0.4 mg L -1 ). Overall, application of CCPs can be environmental friendly and cost-effective way to remediate coal mine wastes contaminated with heavy metals. In addition, use of PAM could help to prevent the erosion coal mine wastes in mine waste disposal area.

Acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS) has been classified as mine waste and generally deposited in land. For this reason, studies have been conducted to examine the possibility of recycling AMDS as an amendment for heavy metal stabilization in soil. The main objective of this study was to evaluate heavy metal stabilization efficiency of AMDS comparing with the widely used lime stone. Also, optimum mixing ratio was evaluated for enhancing heavy metal stabilization. AMDS and limestone were mixed at the ratio of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0 with five different heavy metal solutions (100 mg L -1 of NaAsO₂, CdCl₂, CuCl₂, Pb(NO₃)₂, and ZnSO₄·7H₂O). The amendments were added at a rate of 3% (w/v). In order to determine the stabilization kinetics, samples were collected at different reaction time of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 minutes. The heavy metal stabilization by AMDS was faster and higher than those of limestone for all examined heavy metals. While limestone showed only 20% of arsenic (As) stabilization after 1,024 minutes, 96% of As was stabilized within 1 minute by AMDS. The highest effect on the stabilization of heavy metal (loid) was observed, when the two amendments were mixed at a ratio of 1:1. These results indicated that AMDS can be effectively used for heavy metal stabilization in soil, especially for As, and the optimum mixing ratio of AMDS and lime was 1:1 at a rate of 3% (w/v).

The present study investigated variations in soil microbial communities by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and the chemical properties at 24 sites of upland soils in Gyeongnam Province. The electrical conductivity of the soil under potato cultivation was significantly higher than those of the red pepper and soybean soils (p < 0.05). The gram-negative bacteria community in potato soil was significantly lower than those in the garlic and soybean soils (p < 0.05). The communities of actinomycetes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the red pepper soil were significantly higher than those in the potato soil (p < 0.05). In addition, the cy17:0 to 16:1ω7c ratio was significantly lower in red pepper, soybean, and garlic soils compared with potato soil, indicating that microbial stress decreased. Consequently, differences in soil microbial community were highly associated with cultivated crop species, and this might be resulted from the difference in soil chemical properties.

A huge number of greenhouse soils in Korea have accumulated mineral elements which induce many nutritional and pathological problems. The present study was performed to the effects of the reduced fertilization on plant growth, and uptake and partitioning of minerals (N, P, K) and soluble carbohydrates using highly minerals-accumulated farmer’s greenhouse soil. On the basis of the recommended application for tomato crop, the application rates of N, P and K were 110(50%)-5.2(5%)-41.5(35%)kg ha -1 , respectively, using Hoagland’s nutrient solution. Tomato growth rates during the whole experiment were not significant between treatments, but it was found that a decrease in daily growth represented after 60 days of treatment (DAT). The reduced application led to a drastic decrease in the concentration of N, P and K in fruits, and, thus, this resulted in lower uptake after 40 DAT. The lower phloem export and utilization of soluble carbohydrates caused an accumulation of extra-carbohydrates in leaves, stems and fruits in the reduced application. The reduced fertilization induced the capture of N, P and K in leaves and of soluble carbohydrates in stems compared to the conventional application. In this study, we suggest that it is possible to delay the first fertigation time in minerals-accumulated soils without an adverse impact on crop growth, but it is necessary to regularly monitor mineral status in soil to ensure a balanced uptake, synthesis and partitioning of minerals and carbohydrates.

The monitoring of chemical dynamic changes in controlled horticultural lands is very important for agricultural sustainability. Field monitoring was performed to evaluate the soil chemical properties of 200 controlled horticultural soil samples in Gyeongnam province every 4 years from 2000 to 2012. Soil chemical properties such as pH, amount of organic matter, available phosphate, nitrate nitrogen, and exchangeable potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium were analyzed. The amount of exchangeable calcium and soil pH were significantly higher in 2012 than in 2000. In 2012, the frequency distribution for values of pH, organic matter, available phosphate, and exchangeable potassium, calcium, and magnesium that were within the optimum range was 16.0%, 22.5%, 11.5%, 3.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0%, respectively. Especially, available phosphate and exchangeable calcium were excess level with portions of 76.0% and 96.5%, respectively. These results indicated that a balanced management of soil chemical properties can reduce the amount of fertilizer applied for sustainable agriculture in controlled horticultural lands.

In this study, we examined the chemical properties and microbial community characteristics in 25 controlled horticultural soils (CHS) sampled from Gyeongnam Province by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) method. The electrical conductivity of watermelon CHS was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of red pepper CHS, pumpkin CHS, and strawberry CHS. The amounts of total FAMEs, total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and fungi were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in red pepper CHS than those in strawberry CHS and pumpkin CHS. In addition, higher (p < 0.05) ratios of cy19:0 to 18:1ω7c were detected in tomato CHS than those in watermelon CHS, pumpkin CHS, and red pepper CHS. This implied that microbial communities of tomato CHS were stressed more than other species of cultivation soils. Actinomycetes community in red pepper CHS was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in tomato CHS, strawberry CHS, and watermelon CHS. Differences in soil microbial community composition were highly associated with cultivated crop species which might result from the management inputs such as fertilizer, herbicide, and irrigation.

The role of inorganic nitrogen assimilation in the production of amino acids, organic acids and soluble sugars is one of the most important biochemical processes in plants, and, in order to achieve normally, nitrate uptake and assimilation is essential. For this reason, the characterization of nitrate assimilation and metabolite composition from leaves, roots and xylem sap of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was investigated under different nitrate levels in media. Tomato plants were grown hydroponically in liquid culture under five different nitrate regimes: deficient (0.25 and 0.75 mM NO 3 -), normal (2.5 mM NO 3 -) and excessive (5.0 and 10.0 mM NO 3 -). All samples, leaves, roots and xylem sap, were collected after 7 and 14 days after treatment. The levels of amino acids, soluble sugars and organic acids were significantly decreased by N-deficiency whereas, interestingly, they remained higher in xylem sap as compared with N-normal and -surplus. The N-excessive condition did not exert any significant changes in metabolites composition, and thus their levels were similar with N-normal. The gene expression and enzyme activity of nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NIR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) were greatly influenced by nitrate. The data presented here suggest that metabolites, as a signal messenger, existed in xylem sap seem to play a crucial role to acquire nitrate, and, in addition, an increase in α-ketoglutarate pathway-derived amino acids under N-deficiency may help to better understand plant C/N metabolism.

Crop productivity decreases globally as a result of salinization. However, salinity impact on greenhouse-grown crops is much higher than on field-grown crops due to the overall concentrations of nutrients in greenhouse soils. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the short-term changes in growth, photosynthesis, and metabolites of tomato plants grown in greenhouse under heavily input of fertilizers evaluated by microbial activity and chemical properties of soils. The soils ( 10.01 dS m -1 ) from farmer’s greenhouse fields having different fertilization practices were used. Results showed that the salt-accumulated soil affected adversely the growth of tomato plants. Tomato plants were seldom to complete their growth against > 10.0 d Sm -1 level of EC. The assimilation rate of CO2 from the upper fully expanded leaves of tomato plants is reduced under increasing soil EC levels at 14 days, however; it was the highest in moderate or high EC-subjected (3.0 ~ 10.0 dS m -1 ) at 28 days. In our experiment, soluble sugars and starch were sensitive markers for salt stress and thus might assume the status of crops against various salt conditions. Taken together, tomato plants found to have tolerance against moderate soil EC stress. Various EC levels ( -1 ) led to a slight decrease in organic matter (OM) contents in soils at 28 days. Salinity stress led to higher microbial activity in soils, followed by a decomposition of OM in soils as indicated by the changes in soil chemical properties.

Crop safety in heavy metal contaminated agricultural field has been a critical issue in Korea and various remediation methods are proposed for minimizing heavy metal transfer from soil to crops. The main objective of this research was to evaluate remediation efficiency of two chemical amendments, lime and steel slag, and to decide extractant for assessing bioavailability of heavy metals. In order to select optimum extractant for evaluating bioavailability of heavy metals, four different single extractants, HCl, DTPA, , , and sequential extraction method were examined. Both chemical amendments showed high immobilization effect for Cd (66%, ) and Pb (74%, ) in soil by HCl extractant. In terms of heavy metal concentration in rice grains, concentrations for Cd (77%, ) and Pb (82%, ) decreased, with addition of chemical amendments. HCl, DTPA, and sequential extractant showed the higher correlation between heavy metal concentration in soil and crops than others. These results indicated that they could be used for assessing bioavailability of heavy metals.

The concentration of veterinary antibiotics in aqueous and sediment matrices was measured in agricultural irrigation ditches bordering several animal-feeding operations (AFOs) and then compared to its concentration in the watershed. Analytical determination in aqueous samples was based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and appropriate buffer solutions were used to extract residuals in sediment samples. Separation and detection of extracted veterinary antibiotics were performed with high performance liquid chromatograph tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS). In general, higher concentrations of antibiotic were observed in the aqueous phase of irrigation ditches, with the highest concentration of erythromycin hydrochloride (ETM-H 2 O) of 0.53 μg L -1 , than in aqueous watershed samples. In contrast, higher concentrations were measured in river sediment than in irrigation ditch sediment with the highest concentration of oxytetracycline of 110.9 μg kg -1 . There was a high calculated correlation ( > 0.95) between precipitation and measured concentration in aqueous samples from the irrigation ditches for five of the ten targeted veterinary antibiotics, indicating that surface runoff could be an important transport mechanism of veterinary antibiotics from field to environment. Further, environmental loading calculation based on measured concentrations in aqueous samples and flow information clearly showed that irrigation ditches were 18 times greater than river. This result suggests the likelihood that veterinary antibiotics can be transported via irrigation ditches to the watershed. The transport via surface runoff and likely environmental loading via irrigation ditches examined in this study helps identify the pathway of veterinary antibiotics residuals in the environment.

Glomalin-related soil protein has been suggested as an enhancer for soil stability by promoting the aggregation. In this study, we examined the concentrations of glomalin and characteristics of microbial community in 20 paddy soils sampled from Gyeongnam Province. Total soil glomalin as glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) had a significant positive correlation with soil organic matter (p (p

Oyster shell has a high content of CaCO3 to be used as a acidic soil amendment. To enhance productivity of barley and soil microbe in an upland soil, oyster shell and calcium-magnesium carbonate were selected as a soil amendments in this study. A field experiment was treated no treatment (hereafter, control), oyster shell lime 3.09 Mg ha -1 and 2.38 Mg ha -1 , and calcium-magnesium carbonate 2.38 Mg ha -1 as amount of lime requirement in silt loam soil. The yield of barley from the oyster shell lime treatment was the highest. The protein content of barley was the highest of 11.1% in the calcium-magnesium carbonate, followed by 10.7% for the control, 10.6% for the oyster shell lime 3.09 Mg ha -1 , and 10.4% for the oyster shell lime 2.38 Mg ha -1 . Soil pH value was higher than that of control in harvesting stage. In addition, the population of soil bacteria was highest in oyster shell lime 2.38 Mg ha -1 , actinomycetes was highest in calcium-magnesium 2.38 Mg ha -1 .

Sustainable agriculture requires reliable information on the spatial distribution of the soil chemical properties for effective management of paddy fields. In order to provide adequate soil nutritional information for environmental-friendly agriculture, we investigated the soil chemical properties for 260 paddy soils sampled in Gyeongnam Province from 1999 to 2011 by four years of interval. Soil chemical properties of pH, organic matter, available phosphate and silicate, exchangeable potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents were analyzed. The pH value, organic matter, available phosphate and silicate, and exchangeable calcium and magnesium in paddy soils were significantly elevated in 2011 compared to 1999. The excessive levels of organic matter and available phosphate in paddy soils were detected in 2011. The soil available phosphate was highest in mountain foot-slope (p

Water repellency which affects infiltration, evaporation, erosion and other water transfer mechanisms through soil has been observed under several natural conditions. Water repellency is thought to be caused by hydrophobic organic compounds, which are present as coatings on soil particles or as an interstitial matter between soil particles. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of the water repellent soil and transport characteristics of trace elements within this soil. Capillary height of the water repellent soil was measured. Batch and column studies were accompanied to identify sorption and transport mechanism of trace elements such as Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ , Fe 2+ , Zn 2+ and Mo 5+ . Difference of sorption capacity between common and repellent soils was observed depended on the degree of repellency. In the column study, the desorption of trace elements and the spatial concentration distribution as a function of time were evaluated. The capillary height was in the repellency order of 0% > 15% > 40% > 70% > 100%. No water was absorbed in soil indicating >70% repellency. Using trace elements, Fe 2+ and Mo 5+ showed higher sorption capacity in the repellent soil than in non-repellent soil. The sorption performance of Fe 2+ was found to be in the repellency order of 40% > 15% > 0%. Our results found that transfer of Mo 5+ had similar sorption tendency in soils having 0%, 15% and 40% repellency at the beginning, however, the higher desorption capacity was observed as time passes in the repellent soil compared to in non-repellent soils.

Two typical animal waste management practices, composting and stockpiling, were evaluated for their effect on the degradation of three veterinary antibiotics (VAs), chlortetracycline (CTC), tylosin (TYL), and monensin (MNS). The VAs were applied to horse manure plots subject to composting or stockpiling, and core samples were collected over a period of time. Selected buffer solutions were used to extract the VAs and analysis for concentration was conducted with solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) technique. The VAs demonstrated rapid dissipation within ten days followed by a gradual decrease in concentration until the end of the experimental period (141 days). All three VAs degraded more rapidly in the composting samples than in the stockpiling samples, particularly between 20 and 60 days of the observation period. Degradation of the three VAs generally followed a first-order kinetic model, and a fitted model with a calculated rate constant was determined for each treatment. TYL in composting showed the fastest degradation, with a calculated rate constant of 0.91 day -1 ; the slowest degradation was exhibited by MNS in stockpiling, with rate constant of 0.17 day -1 . Calculated correlation coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 0.96, indicating a strong correlation between measured concentrations and fitted values in this study. Although concentration of TYL in composting treatment showed below detection limit during the test period, this study suggests that composting can reduce animal waste contaminants prior to field application as fertilizer.

This paper reviews the future directions and perspectives on the soil environmental researches in the 21 century. Previously, the principal emphasis of soil environmental researches had put on the enhancement of food and fiber productions. Beside the basic function of soil, however, the societal needs on soil resources in the 21st century have demands for several environmental and social challenges, occurring regionally or globally. Typical global issues with which soil science should deal include food security with increasing agronomic production to meet the exploding world population growth, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, increase of the carbon sequestration, supply of the biomass and bioenergy, securing the water resource and quality, protection of environmental pollution, enhancing the biodiversity and ecosystem health, and developing the sustainable farming/cropping system that improve the use efficiency of water and agricultural resources. These challenges can be solved through the sustainable crop production intensification (SCPI) or plant welfare concept in which soil plays a key role in solving the abovementioned global issues. Through implementation of either concept, soil science can fulfill the goal of the modern agriculture which is the sustainable production of crops while maintaining or enhancing the ecosystem function, quality and health. Therefore, directions of the future soil environmental researches should lie on valuing soil as an ecosystem services, translating research across both temporal and spatial scales, sharing and using data already available for other purposes, incorporating existing and new technologies from other disciplines, collaborating across discipline, and translating soil research into information for stakeholders and end users. Through the outcomes of these approaches, soil can enhance the productivity from the same confined land, increase profitability, conserve natural resource, reduce the negative impact on environment, enhance human nutrition and health, and enhance natural capital and the flow of ecosystem services. Soil is the central dogma, final frontier and new engine for the era of sustainability development in the 21 st century and thus soil environmental researches should be carried according to this main theme.

This study evaluated the effect of using waste nutrient solution (WNS) and reclaimed wastewater (WW) on the growth of Chinese cabbage and soil quality. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values of waste nutrient solution were 6.3 and and being 6.8 and in reclaimed WW, respectively. WNS found to be included more than of , , and , thereby enhancing Chinese cabbage growth. However, and contents were higher than other nutrients in WW. Among the three irrigation resources, no significant differences were found for the growth of Chinese cabbage plants. On the other hand, pH was decreased in WNS-treated soil when compare to that in WW-treated soil which pH was increased. In spite of the uptake of nutrients by the growing plants, irrigation of the WNS led to an increase in available and exchangeable cations such as and in the soil when compared to soil that irrigated by groundwater or WW. Taken together, the use of WNS can remarkably reduce the amount of the chemical fertilizer for Chinese cabbage production; however, WNS can possibly cause a problem as nutrients accumulation in soil.