Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2019
Abstract
Recent studies on using soil enhancer material, such as biochar, provide varying results from a soil hydrological and chemical perspective. Therefore, research focusing on soil-biochar-plant interactions is still necessary to enhance our knowledge on complex effects of biochar on soil characteristics. The present study investigated the changes in soil water content (SWC) and soil respiration (belowground CO2 production) over time during the growth of Capsicum annuum (pepper) in pot experiments. Concurrently, we investigated the influence of grain husk biochar with the amount of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) added to silt loam soil. Pepper plants were grown under natural environmental conditions to better represent field conditions, and additional irrigation was applied. SWC among treatments showed minor changes to precipitation during the beginning of the study while plants were in the growing phase. The highest water holding throughout the experiment was observed in the case of BC5.0. CO2 production increased in biochar amended soils during the first few days of the experiments; while the overall cumulative CO2 production was the highest in control and the lowest in BC2.5 treatments. We used the HYDRUS 1D soil hydrological model to simulate changes in SWC, using the control treatment without biochar as a reference data source for model calibration. The simulated SWC dynamics fitted well the measured ones in all treatments. Therefore, the HYDRUS 1D can be an exceptionally valuable tool to predict the hydrological response of different amount of biochar addition to silt loam soil including plant growth.
Abstract
The Balaton lake is the focal area of implementing the WFD in Hungary. At present, nutrient loads are primary threat to surface and subsurface water quality in the Balaton watershed. With increasing anthropogenic pressure and increased occurrence of extreme precipitation events in the future the nitrate loads might increase. The goal of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of climate, land use and soil management changes on nitrogen loads in Tetves Creek, which is the tributary of the Balaton lake. We applied the INCA-N (INtegrated CAtchment Model) water quality model to simulate the hydrological processes and nitrate transport for two periods: the current situation (baseline, 2006 to 2015) and for a future period (2046-2055). We calibrated the model against measured discharge and nitrate concentration data. The inorganic nitrogen sub-model was further validated using data of an independent period. The modelling chain was able to reproduce 59% of the variability of average nitrate concentrations in the Tetves Creek for the validation period. After validation, we examined several climate change, land use and nitrogen supply scenarios and their combined effects on runoff and nitrogen loads. Our main conclusions are summarised below.
Authors
Csilla FarkasAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Csilla FarkasAbstract
Soil moisture is an important but often undervalued element of the water cycle. Compared to other components, the volume of soil moisture is small; nonetheless, it is of fundamental importance to many hydrological, biological and biogeochemical processes. Through processes like evaporation and plant transpiration, soil moisture is a key variable in controlling the water and energy exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere, hence, it plays an important role in the development of weather patterns and the precipitation formation. It also strongly effects surface and subsurface runoff, soil erosion, food production, greenhouse gas emission, the buffer capacity of the soil, the soil biota and many other processes and sectors. It is deducable today that short-sighted mismanagement of soil or soil water strongly contributed to the collapse of large, powerful historic civilazations. Soil degradation is a global problem that is of strong concern for European countries as well. Yet, while much focus is given to open surface water recources - the EU Water Framework Directive is in place since 2000 - the Soil Framework Directive is still to be adopted. It is important to improve the global understanding of the importance of soil as a natural resource, and its hydraulic functioning, including its global change context. The presentation aims at taking a deeper insight into the “butterfly effect” of soil status and moisture dynamics by highlighting how small-scale management decisions and processes might influences large-scale processes and our life.
Abstract
Liming of acidic soils has been suggested as a strategy to enhance N2O reduction to N2 during heterotrophic denitrification, and mitigate N2O emission from N fertilised soils. However, the mechanisms involved and possible interactions of key soil parameters (NO3− and O2) still need to be clarified. To explore to what extent soil pH controls N2O emissions and the associated N2O/(N2O + N2) product ratio in an acidic sandy soil, we set-up three sequential incubation experiments using an unlimed control (pH 4.1) and a limed soil (pH 6.9) collected from a 50-year liming experiment. Interactions between different NO3− concentrations, N forms (ammonium- and nitrate) and oxygen levels (oxic and anoxic) on the liming effect of N2O emission and reduction were tested in these two sandy soils via direct N2 and N2O measurements. Our results showed 50-year liming caused a significant increase in denitrification and soil respiration rate of the acidic sandy soil. High concentrations of NO3− in soil (>10 mM N in soil solution, equivalent to 44.9 mg N kg−1 soil) almost completely inhibited N2O reduction to N2 (>90%) regardless of the soil pH value. With decreasing NO3− application rate, N2O reduction rate increased in both soils with the effect being more pronounced in the limed soil. Complete N2O reduction to N2 in the low pH sandy soil was also observed when soil NO3− concentration decreased below 0.2 mM NO3−. Furthermore, liming evidently increased both N2O emissions and the N2O/(N2+N2O) product ratio under oxic conditions when supplied with ammonium-based fertiliser, possibly due to the coupled impact of stimulated nitrification and denitrification. Overall, our data suggest that long-term liming has the potential to both increase and decrease N2O emissions, depending on the soil NO3− level, with high soil NO3− levels overriding the assumed direct pH effect on N2O/(N2+N2O) product ratio.
Authors
Cornelya KlutschAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Cornelya KlutschAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Eva BrodAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Live Lingaas Nesse Anne Marie Bakke Trine Eggen Kristian Hoel Magne Kaldhusdal Einar Ringø Siamak Pour Yazdankhah Erik-Jan Lock Rolf Erik Olsen Robin Ørnsrud Åshild KrogdahlAbstract
No abstract has been registered