Minerals

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35 pages, 3753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of K-Fertilization and Irrigation on the Composition of Cultivated Soils: Examples from Israel

by Amir Sandler, Pinchas Fine and Asher Bar-Tal

Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121547 - 14 Dec 2023

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Evaluation of soil sustainability should take into account chemical and mineralogical changes due to cultivation. Potassium (K) application is a key farming practice that may potentially affect phyllosilicate composition and soil properties. Irrigation is another agent that affects soil composition. This study aims [...] Read more.

Evaluation of soil sustainability should take into account chemical and mineralogical changes due to cultivation. Potassium (K) application is a key farming practice that may potentially affect phyllosilicate composition and soil properties. Irrigation is another agent that affects soil composition. This study aims to evaluate the imprints of cultivation on the chemical and mineralogical compositions of lowland soils under semi-arid and Mediterranean climate regimes and to assess them with the natural pedogenesis. The sites examined include two permanent plot experiments with crop rotation, and three single-plant plots. Cultivated, control, and fallow soils were analyzed for their chemical and mineralogical composition. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the clay fraction were decomposed to achieve quantitative detection of changes among the illite–smectite (IS) phases and in kaolinite amounts. In loamy and clayey soils dominated by IS phases, cultivation caused minor changes and diverse behavior of the IS phases. Yet, the K balance was negative under high fertilization levels and higher plant mass production. Fertilization enhanced the natural process of transforming IS into kaolinite and illite in the sandy soil, leading to a positive K balance. This study emphasizes the importance of IS minerals as a dynamic K pool that responds to plant needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition of Soils and Soil Sediments)

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18 pages, 3284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Municipal Waste on Seasonal and Spatial Changes in Selected Macro- and Micro-Nutrient Contents on the Background of Soil Biological Activity—A Case Study

by Joanna Lemanowicz, Agata Bartkowiak, Barbara Breza-Boruta, Paweł Sowiński, Samir A. Haddad and Iwona Jaskulska

Minerals 2023, 13(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010047 - 28 Dec 2022

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Abstract

Landfilling is the least desirable of waste management methods, but despite tightening legal regulations it remains among the most common. Assessing the impact of landfills on the soil environment is even more important when there are arable lands in their vicinity. Therefore, the [...] Read more.

Landfilling is the least desirable of waste management methods, but despite tightening legal regulations it remains among the most common. Assessing the impact of landfills on the soil environment is even more important when there are arable lands in their vicinity. Therefore, the study examined soils on and directly adjacent to a landfill. Soil samples were collected from eight points (S1–S8) on the landfill premises, and from one more (S9) and a control (C), both of which were outside the premises. The parameters analyzed were pH in KCl and the contents of: organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), total iron (TFe), total manganese (TMn), available iron (AFe) and available manganese (AMn). The activities of alkaline (AlP) and acid (AcP) phosphatase and phosphorus microorganisms (PSM) were tested. The results of biological parameters were used to calculate the resistance index (RS). The soils were alkaline (pH in KCl 7.09–7.65 at S1–S8). Using the RS index values for AlP and AcP the resistance of the soils was: AlP > AcP. The negative values of RS for PSM in most cases indicate a heavy human impact on this parameter. The tested points were found to have been significantly affected by changes in the content of bioavailable P, K and Mg. The total content of tested trace elements in the analyzed soil material did not exceed the geochemical background value. The soil in a sector that had been closed off for two years (S2) showed the highest biological activity. The physicochemical and biological parameters used in the research show the scale of processes going on in the soil environment and the degree (or lack) of its negative exposure to the influence of municipal waste stored at the Municipal Waste Disposal Plant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition of Soils and Soil Sediments)

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17 pages, 1481 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cumulative Risk Assessment of Soil-Crop Potentially Toxic Elements Accumulation under Two Distinct Pollution Systems

by Weihong Lu, Juan Liu, Yaofang Wang, Naiming Zhang, Lijuan Ren and Li Bao

Minerals 2022, 12(9), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12091134 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1269

Abstract

High geological background and human activities are the two major pollution sources for soil potentially toxic elements (PTEs) accumulation around the world. Mining is the prime human activity that poses a serious threat to the farmland’s ecosystem safety. This study assesses the farmland [...] Read more.

High geological background and human activities are the two major pollution sources for soil potentially toxic elements (PTEs) accumulation around the world. Mining is the prime human activity that poses a serious threat to the farmland’s ecosystem safety. This study assesses the farmland safety in the typical high geological background area and the superimposed area of high background-mining activity in eastern Yunnan in China by systematic analysis of the accumulation and risk characteristics of seven PTEs such as arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr). Furthermore, we used Cd as the characteristic element to establish a relationship model between crop PTEs accumulation and the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. We find that in the farmland soil from the superimposed area, the accumulation point over-standard rate of seven PTEs is higher than in the typical high geological background area. The accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn is related to frequent man-made mining activities. The bioavailability relationship model, using Cd as the soil-crop characteristic element, reveals that only in the crops (cereals, vegetables) of the high geological background area; the Cd bio-concentration factor significantly correlate with the physical and chemical properties of the soil. This suggests that the PTEs contaminated farmland in high geological background areas can be concomitantly restored during usage by adjusting the soil’s physical and chemical properties, while in the superimposed area, the farmland area needs prior restoration by removing man-made mining activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition of Soils and Soil Sediments)

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