As is well known, tropical peatlands are deposits of terrestrial organic carbon of global importance. It is estimated that around 15% of carbon is stored in peatlands worldwide. Indonesia contains approximately 50% of the world’s tropical peatlands with frequently cited estimates of about 21 Mha. Pelalawan district area (Riau Province) is dominated by peat soils. The land in Pelalawan is mainly covered by industrial plantations of acacia forests and oil palms. The area is very susceptible to the loss of carbon stocks in peat soils due to the opening of drainage channels. This study aims to calculate the carbon stocks of subsurface peatlands in Pelalawan, especially in the research location. The method used is a grid survey, the distance between the particular points is 500 m, which covers the total area of the research site, i.e. 2,500 ha. The number of observation points is 121, which includes measuring the thickness of the peat layer, calculating bulk density, and C organic content. The paper analysed the distribution of carbon stocks in the peat bottom based on the thickness class. The results showed that carbon stocks in the peat bottom in Pelalawan were 218,753.95 tons/ha consisting of 143,138.40 tons/ha in the peat thickness of >300 cm (very deep peatland), 44,999.10 tons/ha in the peat thickness of 200–300 cm (deep peatland), 21,577.67 tons/ha in the peat thickness of 100–200 cm (medium peatland), 4,780.78 tons/ha in the peat thickness of 50–100 (shallow peatland), and 4,258 tons/ha in the peat thickness of 0–50 (very shallow peatland). The research results of this study cover the information on the availability of carbon storage and carbon conservation.

Soils are obviously inconstant and their properties are changing across land use types. Essential soil physico-chemical assets impact the performance of soil and, therefore, information on soil property is important. The objective of the study was to determine effects of different land use systems on soil physico-chemical properties in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from three different land uses, enset ( Ensete ventricosum ), tef ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) and grass lands. Each replicated three times and the composite sample was taken. All the properties are significantly different and determined using appropriate methods. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, texture, organic matter and phosphate in soil were determined experimentally to study the effects of land use on them. Changes in soil properties in dissimilar land usage forms at two pits (0–15 and 15–30 cm) were detected on various soil properties signifiant to crop growth. Enset filds had higher pH (5.80), electrical conductivity (EC (0.14 ds/m)), available P (35.25%) and Zn (8.64 mg/kg), exchangeable K (3.12 Cmol(+Kg) which is ascribed due to the input of dung, while tef fields had lowest average K (1.38 cmol (+kg) and Mg (1.89 cmol(+kg), cation exchange capacity (CEC (20.21 cmol(+kg)), total N (0.13%) and OC (1.76%). Most of the physico-chemical properties of the study region were significantly influenced by the different land uses. The evidence derived from the current study will support in mounting maintainable and environmentally constant land use management strategies for the study region. Consequently, supplementary comprehensive studies that include soil characterization and field experiment on crop nutrient requirement should be conducted to test the effect of land use forms on soil physico-chemical properties in terms of sustainable use of the land.

Soils are obviously inconstant and their properties are changing across land use types. Essential soil physico-chemical assets impact the performance of soil and, therefore, information on soil property is important. The objective of the study was to determine effects of different land use systems on soil physico-chemical properties in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from three different land uses, enset ( Ensete ventricosum ), tef ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) and grass lands. Each replicated three times and the composite sample was taken. All the properties are significantly different and determined using appropriate methods. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, texture, organic matter and phosphate in soil were determined experimentally to study the effects of land use on them. Changes in soil properties in dissimilar land usage forms at two pits (0–15 and 15–30 cm) were detected on various soil properties signifiant to crop growth. Enset filds had higher pH (5.80), electrical conductivity (EC (0.14 ds/m)), available P (35.25%) and Zn (8.64 mg/kg), exchangeable K (3.12 Cmol(+Kg) which is ascribed due to the input of dung, while tef fields had lowest average K (1.38 cmol (+kg) and Mg (1.89 cmol(+kg), cation exchange capacity (CEC (20.21 cmol(+kg)), total N (0.13%) and OC (1.76%). Most of the physico-chemical properties of the study region were significantly influenced by the different land uses. The evidence derived from the current study will support in mounting maintainable and environmentally constant land use management strategies for the study region. Consequently, supplementary comprehensive studies that include soil characterization and field experiment on crop nutrient requirement should be conducted to test the effect of land use forms on soil physico-chemical properties in terms of sustainable use of the land.

In this work, alpha emitters in the twenty soil samples in Al-Mothafeen sites were measured using the CN-85 detectors. The results show that the average values of radon concentration in the air space of the tube and in the sample were 163.15±3.37 Bq/m3 and 5090.54±155.3 Bq/m3, respectively, while the results of annual effective dose were varied from 10.2±0.3 mSv/y to 2.1±0.1 mSv/y with a mean value of 4.1±0.2 mSv/y, radium content were varied from 0.3±0.06 Bq/kg-1 to 0.06±0.02 Bq/kg with a mean value of 0.12±0.03 Bq/kg, and uranium contractions were varied from 9.29±0.33 Bq/kg to 1.90±0.15 Bq/kg with an average of 3.72±0.21 Bq/kg. Also, the average values of mass and surface exhalation rates were 0.95±8.64 mBq/kg.h and 44.59±0.79 mBq/m2.h, respectively. The results were within the normal limits of radiation, according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP).

<p>This article discusses a study conducted in order to analyse selected Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derivates in diverse young post-glacial topographic profiles with the aim of identifying terrain features that could be related to the soils that formed there. The area under investigation is within the reach of the youngest Vistulian Glaciation, in the north-east of Poland. The main goal of the study was to reveal indirect relationships between a lithological soil type and terrain forms, which transpire from DTM derivatives. This can directly help to assign the type of soil in the area to one of the three soil types: a) made of sand, b) made of loam, c) wet-soils. <span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">The starting point for<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> the research undertaken was the landscape approach to soil modelling and the article deals with<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> medium scales. </span></span></span>Derivatives were analysed using vector data notation, focusing on selected derivative values and their spatial location in relation to one another. The results obtained indicate the possibility of using this approach as an auxiliary approach in soil mapping of areas for which the quality of source materials (such as precipitation geometry) is low. Thus, they can be of assistance in improving the existing soil maps of selected scales. The trend revealed in the obtained results of DTM analysis can be considered as a contribution to realisation of assumptions of a study in digital soil mapping with the use of selected methods of AI.</p>

<p>Geomorphology depicts the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of both terrain and landscape features combined with the processes responsible for its evolution. Soil erosion by water involves processes, which removes soil particles and organic matter from the upper sheet of the soil surface, and then transports the eroded material to distant location under the action of water. Very few studies have been conducted on the nature and dynamics of soil erosion in the different geomorphologic features. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to assess the control of geomorphologic features on the soil loss. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was used to determine soil loss from the various geomorphological landforms. Principal component analysis (PCA) was implemented on the USLE parameters to determine the degree of association between the individual principal components and the USLE-derived soil loss. Results obtained from the investigation signify the influence of the various landforms on soil erosion. PC5 is found to be significantly correlated with the USLE-derived soil loss. The results ascertained significant association between the soil loss and geomorphological landforms, and therefore, suitable strategies can be implemented to alleviate soil loss in the individual landforms.</p>

<p>This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of liquid organic fertilizers (LOFs) and soil moisture status on some biological and physical properties of postharvest soil of maize cultivation. For this purpose, a factorial greenhouse experiment was performed based on the completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments consisted of five levels of LOFs (control, vermicompost tea, vermiwash, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria [PGPR] enriched vermicompost tea and PGPR enriched vermiwash) and three levels of soil moisture status (field capacity [FC], 0.8 FC and 0.6 FC). The results showed LOFs caused an increase of soil biological properties (soil microbial respiration, soil microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activity and the number of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria) and the improvement of soil physical condition. LOFs increased aggregate stability, hydrophobicity and total porosity, while decreased bulk density and soil penetration resistance. Increasing water stress levels reduced soil biological activity and made soil physical properties more unfavorable. In general, LOFs improved soil conditions by enhancing soil physical and biological properties and decreased the negative effects of water stress. In addition, results showed that LOFs enriched with PGPR could be more effective than non-enriched ones.</p>

<p>In the humid conditions, the most common ground forms are the ferruginous ones: ferrum concretions, marsh ore, ocher spots, etc. Mollic gley soils are widely spread along the periphery of marshes and are formed under the influence of mollic and gley processes on various soil-forming rocks under conditions of sporadically pulsating water regime and excessive moisture under the meadow and swamp biocenoses. The ferrum concretions are characteristic of all genetic horizons of mollic gley soils, except for the soil-forming rock, and their content ranges from 3.3% in the mollic to 47.1% in the lower transitional horizon. The gross iron content in the fine mollic gley soils, as well as in the ferrum concretions forms, increases with depth, and the maximum values are characteristic of the lower transition horizon. The lowest values of the gross iron content are characteristic of the fine soil-forming rock (16.0 mg / 100 g soil) and the mollic soil (66.4 mg / 100 g soil). It was established that the gross chemical content of the ferrum concretions forms is dominated by the iron oxides with the highest content in the ferrum concretions of the mollic soils (48.75%). Also the ferrum concretions forms of iron are characterized by a rather high content of aluminum oxides (5.59–7.92%). The highest values of the accumulation coefficient are characteristic of the iron oxide (Kx = 7.21–2.58), which confirms the hypothesis of the dominant role of its compounds in the formation of the ferrum concretions forms.</p>

<p>In this paper, the influence of metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn) on plants of spring barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em> L.) was investigated in polluted sod podzolic sandy loam on layered glacial sands and calcareous deep chernozem on loamy loess soils. We propose to highlight the metals’ phytotoxicity with help of the phyto maximum allowable concentration. The Phyto Maximum Allowable Concentration is a permissible level of metals for plants in polluted soil and represents the safe degree for plants in contaminated ecosystem. The phyto maximum allowable concentration gives the possibility to estimate and to forecast the danger of metals for plants as a biological object that plays a very important role in the life of ecosystem. This approach may be applied for another metals phytotoxicity assessment for other plants.<em> </em></p>

<p><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em></em><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Two different approaches to assess and map the potential of regulating agroecosystem<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> services have been used, the assessment of the potential of regulating agroecosystem services based<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> on a composite index and the assessment of the potential of individual regulating agroecosystem<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> services were used in the Krupina study area. The overall composite index indicates a general overview of the performance of an agrosystem in terms of providing ecocosystem services. Result from<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> our study showed that the composite index accumulates information on soil condition and its ability to perform regulating agroecosystem services, mainly the potential of water regime regulation<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> and cleaning potential of ecosystem. The modeling and evaluation of individual regulating services<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> allows more detailed assessment of regulating agroecosystem services and defiing the sources of<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> variability and spatial differences. Moreover, the methodology developed in this paper is replicable<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> and can be applied by planners if they are profiient in geographic information systems (GIS).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></span></p>