Temperate silvopastures provide greater ecosystem services than conventional pasture systems.

Management and design affect systems' ability to deliver ecosystem services and meet sustainable intensification needs for a growing population. Soil-plant-animal health evaluations at the systems level for conventional and silvopastoral environments are lacking and challenge adoption across temperate regions. Impacts of silvopasture on soil quality, microclimate, cattle heat stress, forage quality and yield, and cattle weight gain were compared to a conventional pasture in the mid-southern US. Here, we illustrate silvopastures have greater soil organic carbon, water content, and overall quality, with lower temperatures (soil and cattle) than conventional pastures. Forage production and cattle weight gains were similar across systems; yet, conventional pasture systems would need approximately four times more land area to yield equivalent net productivity (tree, nuts, forage, and animal weight) of one ha of silvopasture. Temperate silvopastures enhanced delivery of ecosystem services by improving soil quality and promoting animal welfare without productivity losses, thus allowing sustainable production under a changing climate.

Nitrate losses and nitrous oxide emissions under contrasting tillage and cover crop management.

Agroecosystems in the upper Mississippi River Basin are highly productive but often contribute to deterioration of water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. Cover cropping and no-till are conservation strategies implemented to reduce the environmental impact of these agroecosystems. However, using multiple strategies can lead to systemwide interactions that are not fully understood. These interactions can affect not only environmental quality metrics, such as subsurface drainage nitrate losses or nitrous oxide (N2 O) emissions, but also may influence crop production potential. A field trial was initiated comparing nitrate losses, N2 O emissions, and crop production under systems with fall chisel plow tillage, fall chisel plow tillage with an oat (Avena sativa L.) cover crop (CP-oat), no-till (NT), no-till with a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop (NT-rye), and NT with zero N fertilizer. Pathways for nitrate losses and N2 O emissions did not appear linked and were not tied to cover crop or tillage practices. Nitrate losses were linked with drainage volumes, and cover crops and tillage had limited effect on cumulative drainage volumes. Notably, NT-rye altered the relationship between drainage volume and nitrate losses by reducing nitrate concentrations, lowering nitrate losses by 59 ±9% compared with CP-oat and 67 ± 9% compared with NT. Neither cover crop nor tillage consistently affected N2 O emissions or crop yield. Rather, N2 O emissions were closely tied with fertilizer N application and seasonal weather patterns. These findings indicate that nitrate leaching and N2 O emissions are regulated by separate mechanisms, so conservation management may require stacking multiple practices to be effective.

Both subsurface nitrate losses and nitrous oxide emissions were linked with weather. Subsurface nitrate losses were linked with cumulative annual drainage. Nitrous oxide emissions were linked with fertilizer N applications. Rye cover crop with no-till reduced nitrate losses with no yield declines.

Thermal remediation alters soil properties - a review.

Contaminated soils pose a risk to human and ecological health, and thermal remediation is an efficient and reliable way to reduce soil contaminant concentration in a range of situations. A primary benefit of thermal treatment is the speed at which remediation can occur, allowing the return of treated soils to a desired land use as quickly as possible. However, this treatment also alters many soil properties that affect the capacity of the soil to function. While extensive research addresses contaminant reduction, the range and magnitude of effects to soil properties have not been explored. Understanding the effects of thermal remediation on soil properties is vital to successful reclamation, as drastic effects may preclude certain post-treatment land uses. This review highlights thermal remediation studies that have quantified alterations to soil properties, and it supplements that information with laboratory heating studies to further elucidate the effects of thermal treatment of soil. Notably, both heating temperature and heating time affect i) soil organic matter; ii) soil texture and mineralogy; iii) soil pH; iv) plant available nutrients and heavy metals; v) soil biological communities; and iv) the ability of the soil to sustain vegetation. Broadly, increasing either temperature or time results in greater contaminant reduction efficiency, but it also causes more severe impacts to soil characteristics. Thus, project managers must balance the need for contaminant reduction with the deterioration of soil function for each specific remediation project.

Wheat Growth in Soils Treated by Ex Situ Thermal Desorption.

Successful remediation of oil-contaminated agricultural land may include the goal of returning the land to prespill levels of agricultural productivity. This productivity may be measured by crop yield, quality, and safety, all of which are influenced by soil characteristics. This research was conducted to determine if these metrics are affected in hard red spring wheat ( L. cultivar Barlow) when grown in soils treated by ex situ thermal desorption (TD) compared with wheat grown in native topsoil (TS). Additionally, TD soils were mixed with TS at various ratios to assess the effectiveness of soil mixing as a procedure for enhancing productivity. In two greenhouse studies, TD soils alone produced similar amounts of grain and biomass as TS, although grain protein in TD soils was 22% (±7%) lower. After mixing TS into TD soils, the mean biomass and grain yield were reduced by up to 60%, but grain protein increased. These trends are likely the result of nutrient availability determined by soil organic matter and nutrient cycling performed by soil microorganisms. Thermal desorption soil had 84% (±2%) lower soil organic carbon than TS, and cumulative respiration was greatly reduced (66 ± 2%). From a food safety perspective, grain from TD soils did not show increased uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Overall, this research suggests that TD soils are capable of producing safe, high-quality grain yields.

Implications of Using Thermal Desorption to Remediate Contaminated Agricultural Soil: Physical Characteristics and Hydraulic Processes.

Given the recent increase in crude oil production in regions with predominantly agricultural economies, the determination of methods that remediate oil contamination and allow for the land to return to crop production is increasingly relevant. Ex situ thermal desorption (TD) is a technique used to remediate crude oil pollution that allows for reuse of treated soil, but the properties of that treated soil are unknown. The objectives of this research were to characterize TD-treated soil and to describe implications in using TD to remediate agricultural soil. Native, noncontaminated topsoil and subsoil adjacent to an active remediation site were separately subjected to TD treatment at 350°C. Soil physical characteristics and hydraulic processes associated with agricultural productivity were assessed in the TD-treated samples and compared with untreated samples. Soil organic carbon decreased more than 25% in both the TD-treated topsoil and the subsoil, and total aggregation decreased by 20% in the topsoil but was unaffected in the subsoil. The alteration in these physical characteristics explains a 400% increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity in treated samples as well as a decrease in water retention at both field capacity and permanent wilting point. The changes in soil properties identified in this study suggest that TD-treated soils may still be suitable for sustaining vegetation, although likely at a slightly diminished capacity when directly compared with untreated soils.