Impact of Eucalyptus plantations on pasture land on soil properties and carbon sequestration in Brazil

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and fluxes in forest ecosystems are influenced by natural and human disturbances. In the tropical regions the highest impacts on disturbance in forest C cycles are related to human activities such as conversion of natural lands to cropland and pasture areas and to forest plantations. The disturbances in the forest C cycles will release CO2 emissions to the atmosphere triggering global warming. In this study the focus was set in subtropical soils in Brazil, south extreme region of Bahia. The aim of the study was to investigate whether reforestation of Eucalyptus plantations under former pasture areas will help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. Field measurements were made on the total SOC and nitrogen amount, along with soil physical and chemical attributes, between different land use systems , also to analyze if there will be any positive effect on soil chemical and physical properties with the reforestation. The study areas included the intact rainforest Mata Atlântica called Native Forest, as a reference, pasture areas, which have been settled in the past from deforestation of Mata Atlântica, and Eucalyptus plantations recently reforested under former pasture areas aimed for paper and pulp production. With the field measurements and simulated amounts of SOC using the CO-Fix V.3.2 programme it could be compared the effects on SOC sequestration in short and long term ( max. 50 years) under the Eucalyptus reforestation. Our results show significant differences with lower SOC, higher pH and soil compaction under pasture areas after deforestation of the rain forest. Meanwhile reforestation with eucalypt plantations on former pasture areas did not lead to any significant total nitrogen and total SOC accumulations in short term. However, the simulated results showed that Eucalyptus reforestation will play a role on carbon sequestration in soils with time. After 20 years of production the Eucalyptus forests will gain higher SOC accumulations than in pasture systems. After 50 years the simulated SOC accumulation showed closer values to the amounts measured on field under the Native Forest areas. These results indicate that the Eucalyptus plantations are efficient at sequester carbon in the soil in the long term. However, the comparison with the Native Forest field measurements should be carefully interpret since the measurements on field were made within a certain depth while the program shows the total amount with no limited soil depth. For a complete comparison it remains to take deeper soil samples in the field measurements.Markens organiska kol halter och flöden i skogliga ekosystem påverkas av både naturliga och mänskliga störningar. I tropiska områden påverkas den skogliga kol cykeln främst av mänskliga aktiviteter såsom förändringar av landskapssystem till jordbruk-, betes- och skogsplantager. Kolflöden i en balanserad skogssystem förändras när den blir störd och större mängder CO2-halter släpps ut till atmosfären, som tros bidra till påskynding av växthuseffekten. Studien utfördes i Brasiliens subtropiska klimatregionen, i södra delen av Bahia. Målet innebar att iaktta om återplantering av Eucalyptus plantager på gamla betesmarksområden kunde bidra till kollagring i marken och därigenom lindra växthuseffekten med tiden. Fokus satts även på om återplantering av Eucalyptus bidrar till positiva effekter i kemiska och fysiska markegenskaper som förlorats genom landskapsskifte av naturlig regnskog till betesmark. Därmed jämfördes markvariabler mellan olika landskapssystem; Primär tropisk regnskog, betesmark och Eucalyptus planteringar som hade olika produktions längder inriktade till framställning av cellulosa. Markvariablerna som analyserades innebar markkol och kväve, katjonbyteskapacitet, pH och bulkdensitet. Med hjälp av CO2-Fix V.3.2 programmet kunde även markkol simuleras och även få ut en långtidsperspektiv på hur mycket kol det kan lagras i marken med tiden ( max. 50 år). Våra resultat visade lägre mängder av kol, högre pH och bulkdensitet med landskift från primär skog till betesmark. Med Eucalyptus åteplantering påvisades inga signifikanta skillnader i kolmarken och kemiska egenskaper jämfört med betesmarksområden. Vid långsiktig jämförelse med simuleringen påvisas en högre kollagring i marken under Eucalyptus skogar efter 20 år av produktion. Därmed kan återplantering av skog med Eucalyptus lindra växthuseffekten långsiktigt. Efter 50 år påvisas en liknande stor kollagring i marken med Eucalyptus skogar jämfört med de mätta värden i regnskogen. Dock är det viktigt att poängtera att de mätta värdena är begränsade till ett specifikt djup i fält och för en mer komplett jämförelse med resultaten från simuleringsprogrammet skulle djupare provtagningar behövas

An approach for analysing and segmenting messages about the SDGs on Twitter from the perspective of social marketing

Se ha publicado una corrección de este artículo en: International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, (2023), 20, 3, (635-658), DOI: 10.1007/s12208-023-00369-3This descriptive study aims to identify the most published SDGs by @GlobalGoalsUN, the United Nations' official account for sustainable development goals, and elaborate the segmentation profiles of these messages that promote a more significant impact from the perspective of social marketing and happiness. With more than 345 million active users in 2022, Twitter is a relevant social media tool for researching and knowing public reactions. In order to identify the most relevant SDGs, we have downloaded tweets from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. The segmentation profiles have been elaborated with the classification tree using the division method called CHAID (Chi-square automatic interaction detector), which allows the automatic detection of interactions through Chi-square. This technique has made it possible to identify four homogeneous sub-samples corresponding to the segmentation profiles of messages based on impact, social marketing and happiness. The results of these profiles show the categories of the variables that best distinguish the messages. In addition, it has been verified that the most published SDGs do not coincide with those that have achieved the greatest impact. The climate has been the most published SDG (SDG 13 Climate action), but the one that has obtained the most significant reaction from the public has been the SDG related to well-being (SDG 3 Health and well-being). The most popular format has been video, the most recurrent emotional tone has been neutral, and, about social marketing, a category of action messages stands out, unlike behavioural ones, which do not specify the indications to carry out a specific initiative.24 página

Elucidating the Signal Responses of Multi-Parametric Surface Plasmon Resonance Living Cell Sensing: A Comparison between Optical Modeling and Drug-MDCKII Cell Interaction Measurements

Peer reviewe

Avoiding the Pitfalls of siRNA Delivery to the Retinal Pigment Epithelium with Physiologically Relevant Cell Models

Inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of several age-related ocular diseases, such as macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. The delivery of anti-inflammatory siRNA to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) may become a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of inflammation, if the efficient delivery of siRNA to target cells is accomplished. Unfortunately, so far, the siRNA delivery system selection performed in dividing RPE cells in vitro has been a poor predictor of the in vivo efficacy. Our study evaluates the silencing efficiency of polyplexes, lipoplexes, and lipidoid-siRNA complexes in dividing RPE cells as well as in physiologically relevant RPE cell models. We find that RPE cell differentiation alters their endocytic activity and causes a decrease in the uptake of siRNA complexes. In addition, we determine that melanosomal sequestration is another significant and previously unexplored barrier to gene silencing in pigmented cells. In summary, this study highlights the importance of choosing a physiologically relevant RPE cell model for the selection of siRNA delivery systems. Such cell models are expected to enable the identification of carriers with a high probability of success in vivo, and thus propel the development of siRNA therapeutics for ocular disease.Peer reviewe

The scientific basis of climate-smart agriculture: A systematic review protocol

Background: ‘Climate-smart agriculture’ (CSA)—agriculture and food systems that sustainably increase food production, improve resilience (or adaptive capacity) of farming systems, and mitigate climate change when possible—has quickly been integrated into the global development agenda. However, the empirical evidence base for CSA has not been assembled, complicating the transition from CSA concept to concrete actions, and contributing to ideological disagreement among development practitioners. Thus, there is an urgent need to evaluate current knowledge on the effectiveness of CSA to achieve its intended benefits and inform discourse on food, agriculture, and climate change. This systematic review intends to establish the scientific evidence base of CSA practices to inform the next steps in development of agricultural programming and policy. We will evaluate the impact of 73 promising farm-level management practices across five categories (agronomy, agroforestry, livestock, postharvest management, and energy systems) to assess their contributions to the three CSA pillars: (1) agronomic and economic productivity, (2) resilience and adaptive capacity, and (3) climate change mitigation in the developing world. The resulting data will be compiled into a searchable Web-based database and analytical engine that can be used to assess the relative effectiveness and strength of evidence for CSA, as well as identify best-fit practices for specific farming and development contexts. This represents the largest meta-analysis of agricultural practices to date. Methods/Design: This protocol sets out the approach for investigating the question: How do farm-level CSA management practices and technologies affect food production and/or farmers’ incomes, resilience/adaptive capacity, and climate change mitigation in farming systems of developing countries? The objective of this ongoing systematic review is to provide a first appraisal of the evidence for CSA practices in order to inform subsequent programming. The review is based on data found in English-language peer-reviewed journals with searches using terms relevant to CSA practices and CSA outcomes. Searches were conducted via Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. Articles located were screened first by abstract and then full text according to predefined eligibility criteria for inclusion in the review. Data capturing the context of the study (e.g., geographic location, environmental context), management practices, and impacts (e.g., indicators of CSA outcomes) will be compiled from those studies that meet the predetermined criteria. Statistical relationships between practices and impacts will be evaluated via meta-analytical approaches including response ratios and effect sizes. Mechanisms to identify bias and maintain consistency continue to be applied throughout the review process. These analyses will be complemented with an analysis of determinants of/barriers to adoption of promising CSA practices covered in the meta-analysis. Results of the review will be incorporated into a publicly available Web-based database. Data will be publicly available under Creative Commons License in 2016

Heavy metals in agricultural soils of the European Union with implications for food safety

Soil plays a central role in food safety as it determines the possible composition of food and feed at the root of the food chain. However, the quality of soil resources as defined by their potential impact on human health by propagation of harmful elements through the food chain has been poorly studied in Europe due to the lack of data of adequate detail and reliability. The European Union’s first harmonized topsoil sampling and coherent analytical procedure produced trace element measurements from approximately 22,000 locations. This unique collection of information enables a reliable overview of the concentration of heavy metals, also referred to as metal(loid)s including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn, Sb. Co, Ni. In this article we propose that in some cases (e.g. Hg, Cd) the high concentrations of soil heavy metal attributed to human activity can be detected at a regional level. While the immense majority of European agricultural land can be considered adequately safe for food production, an estimated 6.24 % or 137.000 km2 needs local assessment and eventual remediation action.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Monitoring soil for sustainable development and land degradation neutrality

The adoption of seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) listed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations urged the scientific community on to generate information that is directly applicable for planning and monitoring socioeconomic development and underlying environmentalunderlying environmental compartments. SDGs 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14 and 15 have targets that commend direct consideration of soil resources. There are five groups of SDGs and assigned SDG indicators where soil plays a central role. A framework of soil related sustainable development goals and related indicators which can be monitored in current monitoring schemes are proposed.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Chapter 11 - Regional assessment of soil changes in Europe and Eurasia

In Europe and Eurasia, the inherent complexity and spatial variability of soil makes the evaluation of the impact of any change difficult. Transformations of features such as texture and mineralogical composition will only occur over geological time spans while properties such as pH, organic matter content or microbial activity will show a more rapid reaction. In addition, the response of a particular soil type may be both positive and negative depending on the function in question. For example, rising temperatures and precipitation may support increased agricultural productivity on soils previously deemed marginal, but such a transformation can lead to a deterioration of soil biological diversity and an increased risk of erosion. Quantitative assessments of future trends in soil characteristics and properties are limited. As a consequence, this chapter provides an outlook only for a selected number of issues. Considerably more effort is required to model changes in the state of soil conditions in relation to drivers such as changes in land use and climate. Based on the above finding, an assessment  is made of the status and trend of the ten soil threats in order of importance for the region. At the same time an indication is given of the reliability of these estimates.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen