Soil science
F. Ebrahimi Meymand; H. Ramezanpour; N. Yaghmaeian Mahabadi; K. Eftekhari
Abstract
Introduction: Delineating landscape into homogenous units is fundamental to managing resources and delivering sustainable development. The importance of this has long been recognized as a critical issue in various studies and it has been examined from different aspects. In soil mapping, the geopedologic ...
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Introduction: Delineating landscape into homogenous units is fundamental to managing resources and delivering sustainable development. The importance of this has long been recognized as a critical issue in various studies and it has been examined from different aspects. In soil mapping, the geopedologic approach is used for landscape classification, which was defined by Zinck (1989). This approach differentiates landscapes into landforms to increase the purity of soil map units. Therefore, the aim of this study was preparing geopedologic maps of the study area on the level of landform phases intending to make more homogeneous soil units.Materials and Methods: Honam sub-basin in Lorestan province is one of the most important agricultural areas in the Karkheh River watershed. Soil moisture and temperature regimes of the area were Xeric and Mesic, respectively. After a primary interpretation, a geopedology map of the study area at the landform level was prepared according to the geopedologic approach. After soil surveying, 31 profiles were excavated, described, and sampled in the largest delineation of this map. Ultimately, this landform unit was differentiated to the landform phase units using morphometric features and normalized difference vegetation index. Pedodiversity index was computed for each landform phase unit to investigate the credibility of the geopedological approach for this unit. The conditional probability of each soil family was also measured in each landform phase unit to compare statistical differences between landform phase units. Furthermore, statistical comparisons were made between the Shannon indices of each unit.Results and Discussion: The soils of the study area were classified into seven soil families according to Soil Survey Staff (2014). Based on the geopedology map, this area includes two landscapes of Piedmont plains and valleys. These two landscapes were differentiated to 6 and 3 relief/molding, respectively. Geologically, the study area has 5 lithologic units. Finally, 22 landform units were identified in this area. The area of the widest landform with the code of Pi461 was 1223.35 ha. With individual use of NDVI, TRI, and aspect map, this landform unit was differentiated into 3 phases, and with the use of these 3 maps collectively, 11 phases were differentiated. The results showed landform map unit of Pi641 with 31 soil profiles and 7 soil families has the highest value of diversity indices, such as 1.59 for the Shannon index. In addition, this map unit is a compound map unit consisting of several soils, where the highest probability of observing soils is related to soils A and B with 32.5% probability. By differentiating this landform unit into phases, the Pi461 map unit is separated into smaller units that are more homogeneous. For example, when it is separated according to the vegetation characteristics, the three phases Pi4611 (N), Pi4612 (N), and Pi4613 (N) were differentiated that have medium, low, and high vegetation, respectively. In this case, Pi4612 (N) map unit with 75% probability of soil C observation and Pi4613 (N) map unit with 87.50% probability of soil B observation are two homogeneous map units. The Shannon index of these two units is 0.56 and 0.37, respectively, which indicates the purity of these map units. The results also showed that diversity indices and conditional probabilities, respectively, were decreased and increased in most of the landform phase map unit compared to the landform map unit. The use of normalized difference vegetation index compared to other environmental features has been effective in separating the landform phase units and preparation of homogeneous map units. So, the most probability of observing the dominant soils of the study area increased from 32.25% in the landform unit to 52.63, 75.75, and 87.50% in the landform phase unit, and the Shannon index decreased from 1.59 in the landform unit to 1.36, 0.56, and 0.37 in the landform phase units. The use of other environmental features to increase the purity of the landform phase map unit is suggested in future studies.Conclusion: Results of using geopedological approach at landform level in the study area showed that this level is useful at highest levels of soil classification (from order to great group), but due to the complex nature of soils at lower levels of classification (family and soil series) does not have enough efficiency. Therefore, for improving the geopedology method accuracy and to present more uniform map units at lower levels of classification, landform phase maps were presented according to the environmental characteristics of the selected landform. The statistical comparisons between Shannon indices calculated for each map unit in the landform phase map showed a significant difference at the 90% probability level between most of the units, which indicates an increase in the purity of these units at the soil family level.
Sona Azarneshan; farhad khormali; fereydoon sarmadian; farshad kiani; kamran Eftekhari
Abstract
Introduction: Assessing the soil quality of agricultural land is essential for the economic success and sustainability of the environment in developing countries. Recently, there are many types of methods for assessing soil quality, each of them uses different criteria. Considering that Qazvin plain ...
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Introduction: Assessing the soil quality of agricultural land is essential for the economic success and sustainability of the environment in developing countries. Recently, there are many types of methods for assessing soil quality, each of them uses different criteria. Considering that Qazvin plain is one of the most important regions of agricultural products in Iran as well as Middle East, so the assessment of the soil status using quantitative models of soil quality can be used as an indicator of the status of soils in relation to sustainable agriculture, optimal utilization of resources Natural and better land management. Among the quantitative models of soil quality index, cumulative model integrated quality index (IQI) and Nomero (NQI) index can be mentioned. Therefore, this study intends to evaluate the best quantitative and quality index model by examining and comparing two methods of selecting the appropriate criteria, Total data set (TDS) and Minimum (MDS) and the second order soil quality index, integrated quality index(IQI) and Nomero (NQI) index in Qazvin plain lands.
Material and Methods: The study area with 25220 hectares is located in east of Qazvin Province. The average annual precipitation is 275 mm and the soil moisture and temperature regimes are Thermic, Dry xeric and Weak Aridic, respectively. A total of 76 samples from the depth of 0-20 cm of the soil surface were studied and based on uniformity, soil type and land use. In this study, four types of criteria that affect the quality of soil in terms of their performance, including: upper limit, lower limit, optimal limit and descriptive function were selected. To qualify (normalize), the upper limit, lower limit and peak limit were selected. In the following, the Total Data Set (TDS) and the Minimum Data Set (MDS) set of data were used. In the TDS method, all of the measured characteristics (a total of 19 physicals, chemical and biological properties of the soil) were considered. Then, the degree of soil quality indices was determined based on the combination of TDS and MDS criteria and the final NQI and IQI quality indices.
Result and Dissection: Comparison of soil types in the region showed that the Aridisols had good, moderate and poor quality (19.35% of soil with good quality, 67.76% with moderate quality and 12.94% with poor quality), Entisols have good and medium quality (53.21% of the soil with good quality and 46.79% with moderate quality) and Inceptisols have very good, good, moderate and poor quality (96.9% Soils with very good quality, 66.73% with good quality, 15.85% with moderate quality and 13.44% with poor quality).
According to the TDS standard and the NQI model, the soils with qualities I, II and III were 30.67%, 66.86%, 47.2% of the total soils of the area (lands with poor quality soil quality were not observed in TDSNQI method). Therefore, according to this method, Aridisols has a very good, good and medium quality (13.26% of the soil with a very good quality rating, 73.88% with a good quality and 12.84% with a moderate quality grade), Entisols with The good quality (100% of the soil with good quality degree) and Inceptisols have a very good and good quality (28.11% of the soil with a very good quality grade, 71.88% with a good quality grade). The results of quantitative soil quality by using the MDS standard method and IQI model were showed, soils with very good, good, moderate and poor degree are 2.45, 16.45, 48.93 and 46.3 percent of total land area respectively.
The results of the combination of the MDS and the NQI model also showed that the soils with a very good, good and average grade are 30.67%, 66.86% and 47.2% of the total land, respectively. Also, the results of the combination of the MDS and NQI model showed that the soils with very good, good and average quality are 30.67%, 66.86% and 47.2% of the total land area respectively. The results of the evaluation based on 4 indicators showed that good quality (II) was prevalent in the studied soils and accounted for about 47% of the total area studied in Qazvin plain lands. The map of distribution of soil quality degrees, the distribution of soil degrees is relatively similar to all of four combination methods, the choice of criteria and model. By examining the linear relationship between the indices obtained from TDS and MDS criteria and the IQI and NQI indexes, it is observed that the correlation coefficient is more and more reliable than the NQI model when used in the IQI model (R2 = 0.77). So the highest correlation coefficient we observed two methods for selecting the TDS and MDS criteria when using the IQI model. In general, the results of this study indicate a better performance of the MDS criteria than TDS.
Conclusions: Therefore, the main results of this study suggest using the IQI model with the MDS selection method as the starting point in the global standard path for future studies. Special attention should be paid to the criteria chosen by the MDS. In addition, conducting a series of research into the future in order to modify the MDSIQI model can make it more relevant to international standards.
javad seyedmohammadi; leila esmaeelnejad; hassan ramezanpour; kamran eftekhari
Abstract
Introduction: Paddy soils are important and the base of agriculture in Guilan province. It is necessary to recognize these soils for understanding of their limitations and optimum use. Unsaturated soil submerging is the cause of collection of chemical and electrochemical process that has significant ...
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Introduction: Paddy soils are important and the base of agriculture in Guilan province. It is necessary to recognize these soils for understanding of their limitations and optimum use. Unsaturated soil submerging is the cause of collection of chemical and electrochemical process that has significant effects on soil fertility. Eh, rH and pH are important indexes that are used to investigate oxidation and reduction condition in submerged soils and have abundant effects on activity and sorption rate of nutrients. Decrease of Eh and rH in poorly drainage of paddy soils affects availability and solubility of nutrient. Different Fe forms are used for analysis of soils evolution trend and submerging influences on changes of Fe forms. The aim of the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of redox potential changes on soil characteristics and analysis of soils evolutional trend in different physiographic units.
Materials and Methods: The study area with 40000ha (at the east of Rasht city) is located between 49° 31' to 49° 45' E longitude and 37° 7' to 37° 27' N latitude in North of Guilan Province, Northern Iran, in the southern coast of the Caspian sea with different water table depth. The climate of the region is very humid with the mean annual precipitation of 1293.6 mm. The mean annual temperature is 15.8°C. The soil moisture and temperature regimes are Aquic, Udicand Thermic, respectively. The parent materials are derived from river sediments. The soils formed on the plateaues and upper terraces, river alluvial plain and lowland physiographic units were classified as Inceptisols and the soils formed on coastal plain physiographic unit as Entisols. Air-dried soil samples were crushed and passed through a 2mm sieve. Particle-size distribution, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity were determined by hydrometric, wet oxidation and ammonium acetate methods, respectively. Eh by Eh electrode, total iron, free iron and amorphous iron were determined using nitric acid, dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and ammonium oxalate methods, respectively. The means of different Fe forms values compared through LSD test.
Results and Discussion: It can be seen especial morphological and physicochemical characteristics in studied paddy soils with high groundwater table due to artificial submerging in rice growing seasonDifferent Fe mottles such as orange mottles include lepidocrocite mineral was observed in studied soils. Low redox potential with average 145/7mV and rH with average 19.6 in lowland and coastal soils implicate intense reduction condition. In lowland soils Eh was lower than other units and it was lower in top horizons than to sub horizons in all of units. Eh index had inverse relationship with organic matter, because of high organic matter amount caused high activity of anaerobic micro-organisms, increase of iron reduction and reduction soils degree decrease. rH index amounts showed that studied soils had reduction condition and presence of brown iron and black manganese minerals proved this condition. CEC was high in top soil of physiographic units due to high amount of organic matter and clay content. Clay particles in plateaues were lower than other units because of alteration and suitable aeration and showed high evolution in these soils. Clay coatings were not observed due to high ground water table and its alternative fluctuation. Results showed amorphous iron in surface horizons with average amount of 24.3g kg-1 was higher than subsurface in all soils and had positive correlation with organic matter, because of high activity of anaerobic micro-organisms that prevent from transformation of amorphous iron to crystallized iron, therefore amorphous iron amount increased in presence of organic matter. Pedogenic iron was high in A and B horizons with regard to BC and C horizons due to aeration and weathering. In lowland and coastal land Fed was lower than plateaues and upper terraces and river alluviums units because of ground water presence and its alternative fluctuation. Fed-Feo index showed crystallized iron oxides, high amount of Fed-Feo index proved soils evolution and high weathering. Feo/Fed ratio was related to amorphous pedogenic iron and high amount of this index showed few evolution of soil. Fed/Feo and Fed-Feo indexes indicated the lower rate of crystallized iron with average 6.8g kg-1 in lowland and coastal soils and implicated the lower evolution of these units' soils, due to higher surface groundwater and its more fluctuation than soils of plateaues, upper terraces and river alluviums unites with average amount of crystallized iron 15/8g kg-1.The comparison of different Fe forms using LSD method showed significant difference at the 0.01 level for different Fe forms values in different physiographic units.
Conclusion: Submerging, high groundwater table and severe fluctuation caused noticeable changes in morphological, physical, chemical and electrochemical properties of studied paddy soils. Noticeable organic matter amount added to soil and their burial by puddling operation and slow decomposition were effective factors in redox potential changes of studied wet soils. In equal anaerobic condition, more organic matter caused to decrease redox potential in surface horizons of soils with aquic condition and reverse, lower organic matter caused increasing in redox potential. lower amount of Eh and rH proved severe reduction condition in lowland. Investigation of Fed-Feo and Feo/Fed showed that their amount in lowland and coastal land were lower than plateaus and river alluviums, therefore lowland and coastal soils had lower evolution. Mean comparison of different Fe forms values using LSD method showed significant difference at the 0.01 level for different Fe forms in different physiographic units.