Article
Agronomy
Amanuel W. Gebremichael, Niharika Rahman, Dominika J. Krol, Patrick J. Forrestal, Gary J. Lanigan, Karl G. Richards
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different N-P-K compound fertilisers on N2O emissions, yield, and NUE in temperate grassland. Results suggest that ammonium-based compound fertilisers have the potential to reduce N2O emissions while maintaining yields. Further long-term studies are needed to fully understand the variations in N2O emissions from nitrate and ammonium-based compound fertiliser applications.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Victor H. Ruiz-Garcia, Ma. Amparo Borja de la Rosa, Jesus D. Gomez-Diaz, Carlos Asensio-Grima, Moises Matias-Ramos, Alejandro I. Monterroso-Rivas
Summary: Temperate forests play a crucial role in hydrological environmental services, but are vulnerable to land use changes and forest fires that disrupt the hydrological balance. This study reveals that maintaining or increasing forest area can reduce surface runoff and enhance base flow and soil moisture. However, continued forest decline will negatively affect hydrological processes.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nils Hinrich Kaplan, Theresa Blume, Markus Weiler
Summary: Intermittent streams, which account for a significant portion of the total stream network, are expected to increase in occurrence due to climate change. This study analyzed the streamflow responses in intermittent streams in a mesoscale catchment with a temperate climate using an event-based approach. The findings highlight the importance of soil moisture as a predictor for streamflow intermittency, with variations depending on the geology of the catchment.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. L. Collins, Y. Zhang, H. R. Upadhayay, S. Pulley, S. J. Granger, P. Harris, H. Sint, B. Griffith
Summary: Water quality impairment by elevated sediment loss is a global issue, and the UK uses palaeolimnological reconstruction to identify management targets. The study found that more stringent soil management measures are needed to address excessive sediment loss.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Kunyu Li, Mengnan Niu, Wenming Bai, Zhongling Yang, Guoyong Li
Summary: A field experiment conducted in a temperate steppe in northern China showed a nonlinear decrease in soil respiration with increasing nitrogen additions, mainly due to the reduction in soil moisture. These findings contribute to a more accurate estimation of soil carbon flux in scenarios of intensified nitrogen enrichment.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Renske Jongen, S. Emilia Hannula, Jonathan R. De Long, Robin Heinen, Martine Huberty, Katja Steinauer, T. Martijn Bezemer
Summary: This study investigated the plant species-specific microbial communities as mediators of soil legacies, finding that soil legacy effects on decomposition and soil decomposer community composition were most evident shortly after the start of the feedback phase, but disappeared after the establishment of a new plant community. Soil conditioning time and years since disturbance consistently affected soil functions, with no strong effects observed from plant functional group and growth strategy. Recovery time, rather than soil legacy effects, was identified as the most important factor driving soil functions after disturbance.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xuying Hai, Jianping Li, Jiwei Li, Yulin Liu, Lingbo Dong, Xiaozhen Wang, Wenwen Lv, Zhenhong Hu, Zhouping Shangguan, Lei Deng
Summary: Altered precipitation has significant effects on water use efficiency (WUE) of plants in arid and semi-arid regions. Decreased precipitation generally increases WUE in some grass species, while increased precipitation may decrease WUE in certain plants. Grasses have higher WUE compared to forbs.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yusong Wang, Yonge Zhang, Xinxiao Yu, Guodong Jia, Ziqiang Liu, Libo Sun, Pengfei Zheng, Xuhui Zhu
Summary: The study revealed that soil above 60 cm is the main water consumption area while below is the main water storage area; the 80-100 cm layer responds to precipitation with a delay of 263 hours. Soil moisture fluctuations are closely correlated with potential and actual evapotranspiration.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Mohammad Amiri-Zarandi, Mehdi Hazrati Fard, Samira Yousefinaghani, Mitra Kaviani, Rozita Dara
Summary: Smart farming is a concept that utilizes modern technologies to improve productivity in agriculture. However, the immense diversity and lack of standardized integration pose challenges in utilizing the collected data. To address these issues, a platform approach is proposed, which considers six requirements to integrate, process, and utilize farm data, leading to increased productivity and profitability for smart farms.
Article
Agronomy
Krisztina Varga, Andras Halasz, Gergo Peter Kovacs, Istvan Csizi
Summary: Climate change-induced extreme changes are making phytomass yields of extensive grasslands in continental areas increasingly dependent on the season. Unused or abandoned grasslands contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions, thus posing a risk.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Aliva Nanda, Mohammad Safeeq
Summary: This study investigated the spatial variability of runoff thresholds and pathways using six years of hydro-meteorological data from three headwater catchments located in California, USA. The results showed that runoff was activated when the catchment wetness exceeded certain thresholds, and preferential flow dominated the runoff generation mechanism in these catchments. The study also observed higher vertical wetting front velocity at deeper depths. This research is valuable for hydrologists and modelers to design experiments and develop realistic hydrological models in forested headwater catchments.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zilong Ma, Bharat M. Shrestha, Edward W. Bork, Scott X. Chang, Cameron N. Carlyle, Timm F. Dobert, Laio Silva Sobrinho, Mark S. Boyce
Summary: The study found that adaptive multi-paddock grazing does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions from grasslands, and that the emissions are instead influenced by specific management attributes, environmental conditions, and soil properties.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Junda Chen, Yuan Yao, Gui Wang, Xiaoyue Zhong, Tianxue Yang, Wei Sun
Summary: The study found that changes in precipitation frequency had a significant impact on nematodes in different degraded grasslands, with bacterivores being particularly suppressed, while reduced precipitation frequency promoted an increase in plant belowground biomass.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Huaihai Wang, Wenda Huang, Yuanzheng He, Yuanzhong Zhu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of experimental warming and precipitation reduction on soil respiration in the Horqin sandy grassland and analyzed the relationships between different environmental factors and soil respiration. The results showed that temperature and precipitation changes significantly influenced soil respiration, with hydrothermal factors playing a dominant role in the growing season.
Article
Agronomy
Qi Wang, Xiaoyun Wang, Dengkui Zhang, Xujiao Zhou, Erastus Mak-Mensah, Xiaole Zhao, Wucheng Zhao, Philip Ghanney, Fasih Ullah Haider, Qinglin Liu, Guang Li, Xiaoling Li, Yongjun Li, Yasir Majeed
Summary: Ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting technology is effective in mitigating drought stress, controlling soil erosion, and increasing crop yield in semiarid regions of China. This study found that ridges compacted with soil mixed with rice straw biochar had lower runoff coefficients and higher soil water storage, resulting in higher fodder yield and water use efficiency of alfalfa. Rice straw biochar at an application rate of 3 x 104 kg ha-1 was found to be suitable for increasing fodder yield and water use efficiency in RFRH.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geography
Alexis Comber, Christopher Brunsdon, Martin Charlton, Guanpeng Dong, Richard Harris, Binbin Lu, Yihe Lu, Daisuke Murakami, Tomoki Nakaya, Yunqiang Wang, Paul Harris
Summary: Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) is an increasingly popular method in spatial analyses of social and environmental data. It allows for the investigation of spatial heterogeneities in processes and relationships by using a series of local regression models instead of a single global model. This paper presents a route map for deciding whether to use a GWR model, and if so, which variant to choose. The importance of considering secondary issues at global and local scales, such as collinearity and the influence of outliers, is also highlighted.
GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Charlotte-Anne Chivers, Adrian L. Collins
Summary: This study explores the willingness of English farmers to pay for advice on diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA). The findings indicate that the majority of participants are unwilling to pay, citing reasons such as unwillingness to contribute, financial constraints, availability of alternative advice sources, farmers' accountability, and exclusion risk. Only a small proportion express a willingness to pay, particularly if the advice is of high quality and relevant to the farm or compliance is required.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION & EXTENSION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
G. A. McAuliffe, T. Takahashi, T. Beal, T. Huppertz, F. Leroy, J. Buttriss, A. L. Collins, A. Drewnowski, S. J. McLaren, F. Ortenzi, J. C. van der Pols, S. van Vliet, M. R. F. Lee
Summary: A number of recent life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have highlighted the environmental impacts of animal-sourced foods and suggested restrictions or avoidance of these foods in human diets. However, it is important to consider nutrient bioavailability and protein quality before making such recommendations, especially considering their contribution to nutrient adequacy in vulnerable populations. This paper discusses the usefulness of nutritional LCA (nLCA) and proposes the consideration of protein quality in nLCA studies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Pei-Tzu Kao, Heather L. Buss, Steve P. McGrath, Tegan Darch, Helen E. Warren, Michael R. F. Lee
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effect of applying different types of ruminant excreta in soils of different organic matter contents on selenium uptake by forage. The results showed that the application of excreta did not increase selenium concentration and accumulation in the perennial ryegrass. Therefore, supplementing selenium directly to animals is more recommended than applying animal manure to soil, as the application may lead to selenium reduction and decrease selenium uptake by grass.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yusheng Zhang, Adrian L. Collins
Summary: The intensive cereal farming in the UK leads to unintended consequences, such as water pollution. The current adoption of best management measures has limited benefits, and alternative management scenarios need to be explored. This study used the Farmscoper tool to examine two management scenarios for intensive cereal farms in eastern England. The mechanistic scenario, based on a better understanding of on-farm pollutant sources, resulted in greater reductions in pollutant emissions compared to the current advice scenario, but with mixed impacts on costs. Neither scenario had a significant impact on unintended consequences, highlighting the need for structural changes in land cover.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nafiseh Ashtari, Kazem Nosrati, Salma Ommi, Adrian L. Collins
Summary: Elevated soil erosion and suspended sediment loss are severe environmental problems in river catchments of Iran. This study investigated the sediment sources and loads in the Talar Drainage Basin in Iran, in relation to earthquake frequency and magnitude. The results showed that seismic activity and ground acceleration have a significant impact on sediment loss and can elevate erosivity and erodibility factors. The study supports environmental planners in targeting management strategies to reduce suspended sediment loads and protect fluvial habitats.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Chuang Liu, Yan Shan, Qiuming Wang, Paul Harris, Yi Liu, Lianhai Wu
Summary: This study aimed to assess the potential of using measured saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (ksat) to improve the simulation accuracy of water and soil mineral nitrogen content in the SPACSYS model. Results showed that measured ksat slightly improved water flux simulation, but the improvement was limited due to the high positive skewness and lack of clear spatial structure in the measured ksat. Simulation accuracy of soil moisture was similar between the field level and within-field specifications, while the within-field setting improved the simulation accuracy of soil ammonium and nitrate. The field level setting should be preferred for water flux simulation. These findings provide further evidence for choosing between field level and within-field settings.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ranran Zhou, Yuan Liu, Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Amit Kumar, Jinsong Wang, Lisa K. Tiemann, Fusuo Zhang, Yakov Kuzyakov, Jing Tian
Summary: A meta-analysis of 481 paired measurements from cropland soils showed that cropland management practices significantly influence microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to soil organic carbon (SOC). Nitrogen fertilization, cover crops, no or reduced tillage, manure, and straw amendment all increased microbial necromass accumulation. The optimal conditions for microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to SOC sequestration require site-specific management.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Jerry Celumusa Dlamini, Eyob Habte Tesfamariam, Robert Dunn, J. Evans, Jane Hawkins, Martin Blackwell, Adrian Collins, Laura Cardenas
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the soil CO2 emissions in different types of riparian buffers and found that the woodland riparian buffer had the highest soil CO2 emissions. Although there were no significant differences among the treatments, these short-term findings can be helpful in developing soil CO2 mitigation strategies and modeling similar emissions in agricultural systems.
JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
P. -T. Kao, H. Fleming, H. Warren, T. Darch, S. P. McGrath, H. L. Buss, M. R. F. Lee
Summary: The effect of organic and inorganic minerals (Se, Zn, Cu and Mn) on the partitioning and composition of micronutrients in sheep urine and faeces was studied. The form of the supplemented minerals did not affect the distribution and concentration of micronutrients in excreta, but the doses tested may alter the ratios of Se:P and Se:S in faeces and Se:S in urine. Mineral supplements improved the retention of P in sheep and differences were observed in the recalcitrant fractions of Se, Zn, and Cu in faeces when different forms of minerals were offered. Further investigation is needed to understand the potential impact of these differences on micronutrient flux in pasture.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Guiwu Zou, Binsheng Wu, Baodong Chen, Yaying Yang, Yan Feng, Jiahui Huang, Yuanqiu Liu, Philip J. Murray, Wei Liu
Summary: This study found that the expansion of moso bamboo into Japanese cedar forests led to significant changes in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community; vegetation was identified as the main driver of the AMF community alteration; the consequences of bamboo expansion differed between monoculture forests and mixed forests.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jingxia Wang, Zhipeng Sha, Jinrui Zhang, Wei Qin, Wen Xu, Keith Goulding, Xuejun Liu
Summary: Nitrogen is essential for crop growth, but excessive fertilizer use leads to excessive ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions. This study found that reducing fertilizer use and using nitrogen synergists can significantly reduce emissions and improve crop yields. Nitrogen synergists also help to reduce nitrogen loss and greenhouse gas emissions.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhipeng Sha, Jingxia Wang, Xin Ma, Tiantian Lv, Xuejun Liu, Tom Misselbrook
Summary: The North China Plain (NCP) is a highly agricultural region with a significant ammonia (NH3) emission problem. A study was conducted to assess the ammonia loss and mitigation potential in a dominant wheat-maize double-crop system in the NCP. The results showed that optimized reduction in nitrogen application rate can effectively reduce NH3 emissions, but economic factors limit the widespread use of certain mitigation techniques like controlled-release fertilizers or urease inhibitors.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. J. Granger, H. R. Upadhayay, A. L. Collins
Summary: Diffuse pollutant transfers from agricultural land are major contributors to annual loads in catchments, with storm events dominating these fluxes. The mechanisms of pollutants' movement through catchments at different scales are not well understood, which hinders the matching of on-farm management strategies with environmental quality assessment. This study aimed to investigate how the mechanisms of pollutant export change at different scales and the implications for on-farm management strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Alexis Comber, Paul Harris, Chris Brunsdon
Summary: This paper presents a new spatially varying coefficient regression method using a Geographical Gaussian Process GAM (GGP-GAM). The method outperforms the leading brand, Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR), in simulation and Brexit case study. The paper discusses the theoretical frameworks, implementation, and future work of both methods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
(2023)
