Characterisation of soil physical properties and resistance to erosion in different areas of soil associations

Understanding the effects of soil physical properties on resistance to erosion is important for land use planning and soil erosion management. The objective of this study was to characterise the physical soil properties of areas of soil associations and determine the influence of litter source on aggregate stability and rates of soil loss in areas of soil association in the Ntabelanga area, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Soil was sampled from 21 randomly selected points in the areas of soil associations. Soil was incubated for 30 weeks after increasing the SOC to > 2% by adding Vachellia karroo leaves (low C/N) and Zea mays stover (high C/N) and rate of soil loss (t ha-1) determined at 1, 3, 8, 14, 23 and 30 weeks of incubation. The soil physical properties, resistance to dispersion and aggregates distribution varied significantly (P < 0.05) across soils. All soils had significantly (P < 0.05) low (< 2%) SOC (%) and high (> 0.02)[(t\ua0ha\ua0h)\ub7(ha\ua0MJ\ua0mm)-1] K-factors indicating high erodibility. Vachellia karroo and Z. may organic matter significantly (P < 0.05) reduced soil loss from 1 to 8 weeks after incubation thereafter lost its effectiveness. Organic matter stabilised the soils, but only for a short period (8 weeks). It is recommended to minimise soil disturbance in the Ntabelanga area as this will exacerbates the problem of erosion.Il est important de comprendre les effets des propri\ue9t\ue9s physiques du sol sur la r\ue9sistance \ue0 l\u2019\ue9rosion pour la planification de l\u2019utilisation des terres et la gestion de l\u2019\ue9rosion du sol. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait de caract\ue9riser les propri\ue9t\ue9s physiques du sol des zones d\u2019associations de sol et de d\ue9terminer l\u2019influence de la source de liti\ue8re sur la stabilit\ue9 d\u2018agr\ue9gat\ua0de\ua0sol et les taux de perte de sol dans les zones d\u2019association de sol dans la r\ue9gion de Ntabelanga, Province du Cap oriental, Afrique du Sud. Le sol a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9chantillonn\ue9 \ue0 partir de 21 points choisis au hasard dans les zones d\u2019associations de sols. Le sol a \ue9t\ue9 incub\ue9 pendant 30 semaines apr\ue8s avoir augment\ue9 le COS \ue0 > 2% en ajoutant des feuilles de Vachellia karroo (faible C / N) et de la souche de Zea mays (C/N \ue9lev\ue9) et le taux de perte de sol (t ha-1) d\ue9termin\ue9 \ue0 1, 3, 8, 14, 23 et 30 semaines d\u2019incubation. Les propri\ue9t\ue9s physiques du sol, la r\ue9sistance \ue0 la dispersion et la distribution des agr\ue9gats variaient consid\ue9rablement (P <0,05) d\u2019un sol \ue0 l\u2019autre. Tous les sols avaient significativement (P <0,05) un SOC faible (<2%) (%) et \ue9lev\ue9 (> 0,02) [(t ha h).(ha MJ mm)-1] facteur K indiquant une forte \ue9rodabilit\ue9. Vachellia karroo et Z.may peuvent consid\ue9rablement r\ue9duire la perte de sol de 1 \ue0 8 semaines apr\ue8s que l\u2019incubation ait perdu son efficacit\ue9. La mati\ue8re organique a stabilis\ue9 les sols, mais seulement pendant une courte p\ue9riode (8 semaines). Il est recommand\ue9 de minimiser la perturbation du sol dans la r\ue9gion de Ntabelanga car cela aggravera le probl\ue8me de l\u2019\ue9rosion

Financial Transaction Tax and Market Quality: Evidence from France

The effectiveness of Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs) for deterring speculative trading and improving market quality remains controversial. Studying the FTT imposed in 2012 on large-cap stocks traded on the Euronext Paris, we find that stocks subject to the FTT subsequently experience significantly decreased turnover and increased spreads relative to the untaxed peers. Further tests suggest that the FTT imposition induces investors to migrate their trades and results in less informativeness in the taxed stocks. Collectively our findings support the view that FTTs deter informed trades and reduce market quality

When Does a Stock Boycott Work? Evidence from a Clinical Study of the Sudan Divestment Campaign

A stock divestment campaign is a common strategy used by social activists to pressure corporations to abandon undesirable practices. However, evidence on the effectiveness of the strategy remains mixed. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of an international stock boycott by studying a large sample of institutional investor transactions in four emerging market stocks targeted by the Sudan divestment campaign from 2001 to 2012. We find evidence of a negative relationship between the intensity of the campaign and the ownership breadth of the stocks, suggesting the effectiveness of the campaign in encouraging investors to divest from targeted companies. Additional analysis indicates that investors in countries that are sympathetic towards CSR activities are more responsive to the divestment campaign. Further, we find evidence consistent with higher campaign intensity being associated with more depressed stock prices. Finally, when performing qualitative content analyses of the annual reports and CSR reports, we find evidence about the effects of the campaign on the targeted companies’ corporate policies and activities in Sudan. In sum, our results support the effectiveness of the stock boycott

The more we know, the less we agree: A test of the trading horizon heterogeneity theory

We examine the Kondor theoretical explanation of an enduring puzzle: trading volumes and stock return volatility peak after the release of public information. Using a comprehensive data set of institutional holdings and earnings announcements, we find supporting evidence that the proportion of short-term investors is positively associated with post-announcement spikes in trading volume and return volatility. This finding survives in the identification test based on the annual reconstitutions of the Russell 1000 and 2000 indices. We show our results largely withstand several alternative explanations related to the constitution of institutional investors, informed trading, and heterogeneous beliefs

Growth and Performance of Baby Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Grown under Different Organic Fertilizers

Spinacia oleracea L. (baby spinach) is a relatively new leaf vegetable crop in Zimbabwe, so the agronomic performance is unknown. A 3-year field experiment was done at the Seke Teachers College research farm, Zimbabwe. The research evaluated the response of baby spinach to different types of organic manure sources, days after fertilizer application (DAS), and growing season. A 3 × 2 factorial in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replicates was used. Baby spinach cultivar, Dash, was grown on three organic manures (goat applied at 14.894 t ha−1, cattle at 17.789 t ha−1, and poultry at 13.807 t ha−1) in winter 2018, 2019, and 2020. Compound D (7% N, 14% P, and 7% K) at 300 kg ha−1 was included as a control. Crop growth rate, leaf area index, leaf area ratio, net assimilation rate, total dry matter production, and harvest index were measured on 7-day intervals from 14 to 35 days after transplanting. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the effects of the treatments on the baby spinach growth parameters was done. Significant p<0.05 interactions on the type of organic manure × DAS × growing season were observed on all the measured response variables. There were varied effects of organic manures on growth performance at 14 to 28 DAS where poultry manure had higher growth performance compared to cattle and goat manure. Generally, there was a significant p<0.05 gradual increase in growth from 14 to 35 DAS on the organic manures and a decline from day 28 to 35 DAS under compound D. Low quality (large C/N) cattle and goat manure had lower effects than high quality (small C/N) poultry manure at early growth stages of the baby spinach. Unlike compound D, organic manure continuously supplied adequate nutrients throughout the life cycle (35 DAS) of the baby spinach

Use and Management of Animal Manure by the Communal Farmers, Seke District, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe

Poor handling and storage practices reduce the manure quality as a fertilizer. A survey was done in the Seke communal area, Zimbabwe to establish common manure management practices, determine factors that influence use of manure and determine effects of the manure management practices on vegetable yield. A structured questionnaire was administered to 222 respondents from April to August 2019. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were done using SPSS. Chi-square tests and Spearman rank correlation were done to test for associations and the non-cause-effect relationship between different independent variables and farmers’ management practice of manure respectively. 88% of the respondents owned 0.5 t/ha) quantities and >50% of the farmers were void of information on animal manure management. Fencing only was the common type of animal housing but had negative effects on quantity and quality of the manure. Drylot was most common (90%) manure management practice and different manure management practices had significantly (P<0.05) varied effects on vegetable yield. Drying manure resulted in significantly (P<0.05) low losses in manure quality. Generally, poultry and pigs manure had higher nutrient content compared to cattle and goat manure. Animal housing affected the quantity and quality of the manures as a fertilizer. Extension service programs like vocational training on manure management, exposure visits between farmers as well as a lead farm approach are necessary