Comparison of biological and chemical properties of arable and pasture Solonetz soils

Soil samples were collected from salt-affected soils (Solonetz) under different land uses, namely arable (SnA) and pasture (SnP), to investigate the effects of land use on microbiological [basal soil respiration (BSR), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and phosphatase activity] and chemical properties [organic carbon (OC), humic ratio (E4/E6), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), available forms of phosphorus (P2O5), potassium (K2O), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+)] and on the moisture content. The results showed that the two sites, SnA and SnP, were statistically different from each other for all the microbiological and chemical parameters investigated except Na+ and moisture content. Higher values of MBC (575.67 μg g-1), BSR (9.71 μg CO2 g-1 soil h-1), DHA (332.76 μg formazan g-1 day-1) and phosphatase activity (0.161 μmol PNP g-1 hr-1) were observed for the SnP soil. Great heterogeneity was found in SnP in terms of microbiological properties, whereas the SnA plots showed more homogeneous microbiological activity due to ploughing. 75.34% of variance was explained by principal component one (PC1), which significantly separated SnA and SnP, especially on the basis of soil MBC and P2O5. Moreover, it was concluded that the pasture land (SnP) was microbiologically more active than arable land (SnA) among the Hungarian salt-affected soils investigated

Legacy effects override soil properties for CO 2 and N 2 O but not CH 4 emissions following digestate application to soil

The application of organic materials to soil can recycle nutrients and increase organic matter in agricultural lands. Digestate can be used as a nutrient source for crop production but it has also been shown to stimulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from amended soils. While edaphic factors, such as soil texture and pH, have been shown to be strong determinants of soil GHG fluxes, the impact of the legacy of previous management practices is less well understood. Here we aim to investigate the impact of such legacy effects and to contrast them against soil properties to identify the key determinants of soil GHG fluxes following digestate application. Soil from an already established field experiment was used to set up a pot experiment, to evaluate N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes from cattle‐slurry‐digestate amended soils. The soil had been treated with farmyard manure, green manure or synthetic N‐fertilizer, 18 months before the pot experiment was set up. Following homogenization and a preincubation stage, digestate was added at a concentration of 250 kg total N/ha eq. Soil GHG fluxes were then sampled over a 64 day period. The digestate stimulated emissions of the three GHGs compared to controls. The legacy of previous soil management was found to be a key determinant of CO2 and N2O flux while edaphic variables did not have a significant effect across the range of variables included in this experiment. Conversely, edaphic variables, in particular texture, were the main determinant of CH4 flux from soil following digestate application. Results demonstrate that edaphic factors and current soil management regime alone are not effective predictors of soil GHG flux response following digestate application. Knowledge of the site management in terms of organic amendments is required to make robust predictions of the likely soil GHG flux response following digestate application to soil

Placodont remains (Sauropsida, Sauropterygia) from the Triassic of Hungary (Transdanubian Range and Villány Mountains)

New placodont remains from the Triassic of Hungary are described here. They come from two different tectonic units: the Transdanubian Range Unit representing Alpine type sedimentary basins and the Villány-Bihar Unit that was part of the southern passive margin of the European Plate during the Triassic. The fossils came from four stratigraphic levels with the oldest specimen, a maxilla fragment found in the upper Anisian of Forrás Hill, near Felsőörs (Transdanubian Range). Based on dental morphology, the specimen is referred to here as Paraplacodus broilii. This site is similar in age to the Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland and Italy) locality. A Carnian occurrence of placodonts from this tectonical unit is a dentary fragment and two isolated teeth referred to here as Placochelys placodonta. The youngest specimen from this unit is a placochelyid tooth fragment from the Rhaetian of the KeszthelyMountains (Transdanubian Range). The richest assemblage of new placodont remains is from the Ladinian of the VillányMountains, southern Hungary. Cranial elements are referred to here as Cyamodus sp. Teeth from this site are similar to that of Cyamodus sp. described from Slovenia, and both assemblages are among the last occurrences of the genus in the European Triassic. The Villány site is considered as a gap locality because of the rarity of Ladinian placodont occurrences in the German-Alpine sedimentary basins. Keywords Paraplacodus . Cyamodus . Placochelys . Anisian . Ladinian . Carnia

Risk of agricultural use of sewage sludge compost and anaerobic digestate

The required quality of compost depends on its final use. All the requirements must be focused on obtaining a product with an acceptable aspect and smell, which is hygienic and free from (or with only traces of) impurities and contaminants. The concept of compost quality especially relevant when the compost is used directly, as a substrate for seedling production or in pots; these applications need high-quality compost. The quality of compost based on concentrations of heavy metals and organic pollutants and on the absence of pathogens. The aim of the experiment was to prove the absence of the risk using this material in cereal production. The results of the last years suggest that there was no toxic element accumulation in the grain yield of triticale plants.Monitoring of phatogen reduction shows the conventional treatment by mesophilic digestion gives a limited reduction in the content of phatogens. The potential toxic effect of anaerobic digestate was measured in biotest with ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and garden cress (Lepidium sativum) plants. The rapid biotests proved toxic reduction of plant growth and root development at high rate application of digestate in the first days of germination. The reason of the reduction of root could be explained with the high ammonium concentration of digestate