Farmers as data sources: Cooperative framework for mapping soil properties for permanent crops in South Tyrol (Northern Italy)

Abstract Detailed knowledge of agricultural soil properties is a key element for high-quality food production. However, high-resolution soil data covering a large agricultural region are generally unavailable. This study explores a demand-driven cooperative framework for soil data sourcing that connects individual farmers to several stakeholders by means of a centralised database containing more than 16,000 records of soil information collected within the framework of an integrated production program for intensively managed permanent crops in the Adige/Etsch and Venosta/Vinschgau valleys in South Tyrol, Italy. Data for soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and soil texture were used to produce digital soil maps with a RMSE of 0.21, 1.25% and a cross-validation of 43%, respectively. Spatialisation was conducted using either regression-kriging or multinomial logistic regression. Collaboration among farmers, public administrators, and researchers provided a successful cooperative framework for digital soil mapping. The maps highlight the complex interplay of the postglacial evolution of these valleys due to the presence of a cluster of large alluvial fans and the anthropogenic influences of intense farming on pH, SOM, and soil texture. This study regarded a subset of the available soil properties, which can be dealt with using the geostatistical approaches presented herein. Thus, a long-term soil monitoring program and the combination of all available variables will allow digital assessment of the spatial patterns of nutrient availability, ecological risk assessments, change detection studies, and an overall long-term plan for soil security at larger spatial scales

Copper and zinc as a window to past agricultural land-use.

Abstract Intensive agricultural management significantly affects soil chemical properties. Such impacts, depending on the intensity of agronomic practices, might persist for several decades. We tested how current soil properties, especially heavy metal concentrations, reflect the land-use history over a 24,000 ha area dominated by intensive apple orchards and viticulture (South Tyrol, ITA). We combined georeferenced soil analyses with land-use maps from 1850 to 2010 in a space-for-time approach to detect the accumulation rates of copper and zinc and understand how present-day soil heavy metal concentrations reflect land-use history. Soils under vineyards since the 1850s showed the highest available copper concentration (median of 314.0 mg kg-1, accumulation rate between 19.4 and 41.3 mg kg-1·10 y-1). Zinc reached the highest concentration in the same land-use type (median of 32.5 mg kg-1, accumulation rate between 1.8 and 4.4 mg kg-1·10 y-1). Using a random forest approach on 44,132 soil samples, we extrapolated land-use history on the permanent crop area of the region, reaching an accuracy of 0.72. This suggests that combining current soil analysis, historical management information, and machine learning models provides a valuable tool to predict land-use history and understand management legacies

Mobilization of healthy donors with plerixafor affects the cellular composition of T-cell receptor (TCR)-αβ/CD19-depleted haploidentical stem cell grafts

Background: HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is suitable for patients lacking related or unrelated HLA-matched donors. Herein, we investigated whether plerixafor (MZ), as an adjunct to G-CSF, facilitated the collection of mega-doses of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for TCR-αβ/CD19-depleted haploidentical HSCT, and how this agent affects the cellular graft composition. Methods: Ninety healthy donors were evaluated. Single-dose MZ was given to 30 ‘poor mobilizers’ (PM) failing to attain ≥40 CD34+ HSCs/μL after 4 daily G-CSF doses and/or with predicted apheresis yields ≤12.0x106 CD34+ cells/kg recipient’s body weight. Results: MZ significantly increased CD34+ counts in PM. Naïve/memory T and B cells, as well as natural killer (NK) cells, myeloid/plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs), were unchanged compared with baseline. MZ did not further promote the G-CSF-induced mobilization of CD16+ monocytes and the down-regulation of IFN-γ production by T cells. HSC grafts harvested after G-CSF + MZ were enriched in myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs, but contained low numbers of pro-inflammatory 6-sulfo-LacNAc+ (Slan)-DCs. Finally, children transplanted with G-CSF + MZ-mobilized grafts received greater numbers of monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs, but lower numbers of NK cells, NK-like T cells and Slan-DCs. Conclusions: MZ facilitates the collection of mega-doses of CD34+ HSCs for haploidentical HSCT, while affecting graft composition

Global maps of soil temperature

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km2 resolution for 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km2 pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world\u27s major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (−0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Global maps of soil temperature

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km² resolution for 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e., offset) between in-situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km² pixels (summarized from 8500 unique temperature sensors) across all the world’s major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (-0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in-situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Global maps of soil temperature.

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km2 resolution for 0-5 and 5-15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km2 pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world's major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (-0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Zenodo Instructions for ILUS Contributors (Upload of Posters or/and Presentations)

This guidance is specifically designed to assist with the submission of contributions, including posters and potentially presentations, for the ILUS 2023 conference. Zenodo is a popular online platform for researchers to share and archive their generic research outputs. Uploading files to Zenodo can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the platform. This guidance provides step-by-step instructions on uploading files and editing metadata. This guide is inspired by Richardson, Jane, Bianchi, Lorenza, & Czomba, Barnabas. (2018). Work Instruction on publication of digital objects in Knowledge Junction. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.140961

AlpConv Atlas: The Geospatial Content Management System of the Alpine Convention

The Alpine Convention (AC) promotes research, cooperation and monitoring activities in the Alpine region. In this framework, the AC Atlas is the official content management system for geographical data published by the Alpine Convention. The AC Atlas' final goal is to promote, collect, organize, and disseminate the results of research activities carried out by the Alpine Convention, its Working Groups and by European projects in the Alpine region.The system is based on the open-source GeoNode platform supporting standard OGC services. Hence, the AlpConv Atlas allows for browsing, searching, editing documents, layers, maps, and related metadata by an intuitive web-based graphical user interface. The AC Atlas is finally a collaborative platform for managing various geographical data and the related documentation, which can be of great interest to several stakeholders

Meteo Browser South Tyrol: A Shiny App to download the meteorological time series from the Open Data Catalogue of the Province of Bolzano/Bozen - Italy

Meteo Browser South Tyrol is a user-friendly web-based application that helps to visualize and download the hydro-meteorological time series freely available in South Tyrol, Italy. It is designed for a wide range of users, from common citizens to students as well as researchers, private companies and the public administration. Meteo Browser South Tyrol is a Shiny App inside an R package and can be used on a local machine or accessed on-line. Drop down menus allow the user to select hydro-meteorological station and measurements. A simple map shows where the monitoring stations are, the latest measurements available, and lets the user subset the selected stations geographically by drawing a polygon