Shall we abandon sedimentation methods for particle size analysis in soils?

Bittelli, Marco; Andrenelli, Maria Costanza; Simonetti, Gianluca; Pellegrini, S.; Artioli, Gilberto; Piccoli, Ilaria; Morari, Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.still.2018.08.018

Cited by 42 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…diameter < 0.075 mm) and the sieving procedure for the remaining part of the samples. To investigate the possible influence of pedogenic processes (accumulation of organic matter and secondary calcite) on grain size distribution, eight additional soil samples were tested using the laser diffraction method (LDM; Alen, 1981; Bittelli et al , 2019), with the Analysette 22 NanoTec Laser Particle Sizer by Fritsch. Five of these samples, in the clay–fine silt range (0.19–18.61 µm, Table 1), were analyzed before and after pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide (10 % solution) to remove organic matter.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Bruno

Marchi

Bertolini

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Paleosols are recurrent features in alluvial successions and provide information about past sedimentary dynamics and climate change. Through sedimentological analysis on six sediment cores, the mud-dominated succession beneath the medieval 'Two Towers' of Bologna was investigated down to 100 m depth. A succession of weakly developed paleosols (Inceptisols) was identified. Four paleosols (P1, P2, P3 and PH) were radiocarbon-dated to 40-10 cal ka BP. Organic matter and CaCO 3 determinations indicate low groundwater levels during soil development, which spanned periods < 5 ka. The development and burial of soils, which occurred synchronously in the Bologna region and in other sectors of the Po Plain, are interpreted to reflect climatic and eustatic variations. Climatic oscillations, at the scale of the Bond cycles, controlled soil development and burial during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (P1 and P2). Rapid sea-level oscillations probably induced soil development at the MIS 3/2 transition (P3) and favored burial of PH after 10 ka BP. Weakly developed paleosols in alluvial successions can provide clues to millennial-scale climatic and environmental variations. In particular, the paleosol-bearing succession of the Po Plain represents an unprecedent record of environmental changes across the Late Pleistocene (MIS 3 and 2) in the Mediterranean region.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Bruno

Marchi

Bertolini

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The remaining fraction of soil sample was air‐dried, sieved to 2 mm and shaken for 12 hr at 80 rpm in 2% sodium hexametaphosphate solution for particle size distribution determination by the laser diffraction method (Mastersizer 2000, Malvern Instruments, Malvern, United Kingdom). A dedicated algorithm was used to convert diffraction values into pipette values (Bittelli et al, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining conservation agriculture soil profiles: Outcomes from northeastern Italian silty soils combining indirect geophysical and direct assessment methods

Piccoli

Furlan²,

Lazzaro

et al. 2019

European J Soil Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conservation agriculture (CA) is an agronomic system, including no-tillage, cover crops and residue retention on the soil surface, which represents more sustainable management compared to conventional ploughing systems (CV). Conservation agriculture is widespread in some parts of the world (i.e. South America and the USA), whereas it is still developing in others (i.e. Europe). One of the main reasons for the slow European uptake of CA is low yield because of the worsening of soil physical quality, in particular increased compaction and reduced hydraulic permeability. The effects of CA on soil physical dynamics are poorly documented, particularly during the transition phase between CV and CA and for fine-textured soils. Therefore, in this study, the effects of CA on soil volumetric water content, bulk

show abstract

“…The other soil fraction (one-third) was air-dried and sieved through a 0.5-mm mesh to determine the organic C and total nitrogen (TN) contents by the flash combustion method using a CNS Elemental analyser (Vario Max; Analysensysteme GmbH, Langenselbold, Germany), following an acid pretreatment for inorganic C removal. The soil texture was determined with laser diffraction (Malvern Mastersizer 2000; Malvern Instruments, Malvern, UK) of 2-mm sieved samples that were previously dispersed in a 2% sodium hexametaphosphate solution and shaken for 12 hr at 80 rpm (Bittelli et al, 2019). The equivalent soil mass (ESM) method (VandenBygaart & Angers, 2006) was applied to normalize the effects of tillage on BD (Post, Izaurralde, Mann, & Bliss, 2001) for SOC and TN stock calculation.…”

Section: Soil Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Have we reached the turning point? Looking for evidence of SOC increase under conservation agriculture and cover crop practices

Camarotto

Piccoli

Ferro

et al. 2020

European J Soil Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in agricultural soils is currently of special interest because it can help mitigate global warming through atmospheric carbon (C) sequestration. Recommended management practices, such as conservation agriculture (CA) and conventional tillage with cover crops (CC), could have significant implications for C sequestration potential. A field experiment was carried out in northeast Italy to compare the implementation of CA and CC with conventional agriculture (CV). The experiment began in 2010 on three farms to evaluate SOC stock variation over a 6-year period. Two extensive soil sampling operations were conducted in 2011 and 2017 in 240 locations, for a total of 1,440 analysed soil samples, considering the SOC stratification within a 0-50-cm profile. The results suggested that CA changed the SOC distribution rather than the total amount of SOC. Compared to CV, after the introduction of CA, a general increase in SOC (0.25 Mg C ha −1 y −1) was observed in the 0-30-cm layer, whereas no stock variation was observed in the 0-50-cm layer. In contrast, compared to CV, the use of CC decreased the SOC stocks by 0.74 Mg C ha −1 y −1 in the 0-50-cm layer. Over a 6-year period, no benefit in SOC sequestration was observed with CA and CC. However, we hypothesize that these findings could still be affected by transitory dynamics, highlighting the low soil reactivity to soil-improving agricultural systems. A longer study period would be required to better understand the potential benefits of CA and CC on SOC sequestration. Highlights

show abstract

Shall we abandon sedimentation methods for particle size analysis in soils?

Cited by 42 publications

References 30 publications

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Examining conservation agriculture soil profiles: Outcomes from northeastern Italian silty soils combining indirect geophysical and direct assessment methods

Have we reached the turning point? Looking for evidence of SOC increase under conservation agriculture and cover crop practices

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About