The mineralogical composition of calcium and calcium-magnesium carbonate pedofeatures of calcareous soils in the European prairie ecodivision in Hungary

Abstract There is little data on the mineralogy of carbonate pedofeatures in the calcareous soils in Hungary which belong to the European prairie ecodivision. The aim of the present study is to enrich these data. The mineralogical composition of the carbonate pedofeatures from characteristic profiles of the calcareous soils in Hungary was studied by X-ray diffractometry, thermal analysis, SEM combined with microanalysis, and stable isotope determination. Regarding carbonate minerals only aragonite, calcite (+ magnesian calcite) and dolomite (+proto-dolomite) were identified in carbonate grains, skeletons and pedofeatures. The values relating, respectively, to stable isotope compositions (C13, O18) of carbonates in chernozems and in salt-affected soils were in the same range as those for recent soils (latter data reported earlier). There were no considerable differences between the values for the carbonate nodules and tubules from the same horizons, nor were there significant variations between the values of the same pedofeatures from different horizons (BC-C) of the same profile. Thus it can be assumed that there were no considerable changes in conditions of formation. Tendencies were recognized in the changes of (i) carbonate mineral associations, (ii) the MgCO3 content of calcites, (iii) the corrected decomposition temperatures, and (iv) the activation energies of carbonate thermal decompositions among the various substance-regimes of soils. Differences were found in substance-regimes types of soils rather than in soil types

Probability-based harmonization of digital maps to produce conceptual soil maps

Three centrally edited nationwide soil maps were published in Hungary between 1953 and 1988. Each of these soil maps has advantages, but serious drawbacks as well. Authors’ hypothesis was that the drawbacks of the individual soil maps are correctable with the help of other soil maps and with ancillary data. Therefore, the oldest soil map was digitized and a study was conducted for the harmonization of data on a 266 km2 area at Keszthely (near Lake Balaton) by using the CHAID classification tree method. CORINE land cover database, digital map of surface geology, digital elevation model and derived slope categories were used as ancillary data.The seven source maps contained 7–38 categories. After the intersection of all seven maps, the resulting file contained more than 50,000 polygons and nearly 14,000 category combinations. A variable — showing the probability of the category combinations in relation to the expected areas — was calculated. This was the target variable for classification by the CHAID method, using categories of the seven original maps as independent variables.0.5% of the total area was grouped into 13 less probable classes, which represent the inaccuracies of the initial maps. 99.5% of the total area was classified into 19 classes and some of them were further subdivided on the basis of the geological map. These classes were interpreted as eight WRB soil categories. The final soil map had much better spatial resolution than any of the initial soil maps, non-soil categories were interpreted as soil categories and spatial accuracy was successfully corrected with the proposed method

Phosphorus flows and use efficiencies in production and consumption of wheat, rice and maize in China

Increasing fertilizer phosphorus (P) application in agriculture has greatly contributed to the increase of crop yields during the last decades in China but it has also increased P flows in food production and consumption. The relationship between P use efficiency and P flow is not well quantified at national level. In present paper we report on P flows and P use efficiencies in rice, wheat, and maize production in China using the NUFER model. Conservation strategies for P utilization and the impact of these strategies on P use efficiency have been evaluated. Total amounts of P input to wheat, rice, and maize fields were 1095, 1240, and 1128 Gg, respectively, in China, approximately 80% of which was in chemical fertilizers. The accumulation of P annually in the fields of wheat, rice, and maize was 29.4, 13.6, and 21.3 kg ha-1, respectively. Phosphorus recovered in the food products of wheat, rice, and maize accounted for only 12.5%, 13.5%, and 3.8% of the total P input, or 3.2%, 2.6%, and 0.9% of the applied fertilizer P, respectively. The present study shows that optimizing phosphorus flows and decreasing phosphorus losses in crop production and utilization through improved nutrient management must be considered as an important issue in the development of agriculture in China

Nitrogen flow and use efficiency in production and utilization of wheat, rice and maize in China

China has long been the world’s most populous nation and faced the double challenge of ensuring its food security without causing catastrophic damage to the environment. Since the early 1960s, Chinese agricultural development has been premised on large domestic increases in nitrogen (N) fertilizer production and consumption. However, current utilization of fertilizer is far beyond optimum, with the fate of excess N largely unknown. Here, we report on N flows, losses, and use efficiency in the production and utilization of three major grain crops using data from 2004. We also use a scenario analysis to explore strategies for improving N use efficiency. Our calculations show that N use efficiency in food production and utilization is much lower than previously published estimates. Mean N surpluses of crop fields were 144 kg/ha for wheat, 184 kg/ha for rice, and 120 kg/ha for maize. We estimate that between 50% and 85% of N harvested as grain is lost for utilization by humans and animals. Fertilizer N use efficiency (FNUE) values in crop–animal system for wheat, rice, and maize were 13.4%, 11.3%, and 3.7%, respectively. This means 7.5, 8.9 and 27.1 kg of N fertilizer were required to produce 1 kg of N in food via fertilization for these three grains. Major room exists for improving the efficiency of N flow in Chinese crop systems. Our scenario analyses shows that increases in N use efficiency of fertilizer applied to cropland (RE), decreasing ratios of grain N headed to plant food processing (GUP), and increasing efficiency in animal production (ANU) would result in a marked decrease in N loss from these three crops amounting to one million ton of N, which accounted for 6% of total chemical fertilizer input. Improved N management in Chinese food production has major ramifications for global estimations of N use efficiency and environmental pollution by reactive N, particularly nitrous oxide emissions, a major anthropogenic contributor to global climate change