Abstract The abundance and taxonomic diversity of actinomycetes in soils and plant litter in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve of Central Vietnam were estimated. The number of mycelial actinobacteria in the studied substrates varied from 2.0 × 104 to 9.2 × 106 CFU/g. The largest number was recorded in the litter of the broadleaf forest in the Zut Suoi River valley. The length of the actinomycetal mycelium

Abstract— A middle-taiga iron-illuvial podzol (Glossic Endogleyic Albic Podzol) was studied on an ancient eolian dune in the Bol’shoi Yugan River basin (the Ob’ River tributary, Surgut region), near the large-scale archaeological research site. The radiocarbon age of 31 charcoals was determined, and 8 variants of the location of charcoal-containing soil zones relative to other morphological patterns

Abstract— The soil cover of mire plains is traditionally considered as fairly homogeneous, which is largely due to the difficulties of the systematics of peat soils in the modern Russian soil classification system. This article aims to analyze some characteristics of the soil cover patterns (soil cover composition, distribution of its components by classes of combinations and their association with

Abstract New data on the morphology, chemical and agrochemical properties, classification, and rational use of alluvial soils of floodplains of the mountain rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin (Mongolia, Upper Kerulen Depression) have been obtained. A dense river network in the northern part (subtaiga zone, 1500–1395 m a.s.l.) is formed by the Kerulen River and its tributaries Khoit Khorot, Dund Khorot

Abstract The review summarizes the most relevant microbiological characteristics that can serve as indicators of soil ecological functions: bioresource, phytosanitary, as well as the functions of carbon transformation and plant nutrition. The indices of diversity and taxonomic structure of microbial communities as well as abundance of certain groups of microorganisms are estimated to characterize the

Abstract The total content of rare earth elements (REEs) and the content of their oxalate-soluble fraction were studied in four soil profiles (Gleyic Umbrisols, Albic Gleyic Folic Retisols (Raptic), Dystric Albic Retisol) of the Central Forest Nature Reserve. The REE content was normalized to a local standard (the Russian Platform clay), and the cerium and europium anomalies were quantified [8]. In

Abstract— The genesis of soils with the second humus horizon (SHH)—the most striking relict feature in the profiles of soddy-podzolic (Retisols) and gray (forest) soils (Luvisols)—is discussed. The Middle Holocene radiocarbon age of the SHH, its dark color, and the discrepancy of its properties and the properties of modern humus horizons of forest soils have specified the main issues in the study of

Abstract In this study, an attempt is made to differentiate the background and permissible boundary values of the quality of soils of natural and natural–anthropogenic objects according to principles of environmental regulation of soils. Criteria of the lower limit of the permissible environmental state of soils for different land uses are analyzed with due account for legal requirements and scientific

Abstract Thanks to the recently published papers on the classification and diagnostics of soils in Russia, significant progress has been made in theoretical and practical soil science. Here, we outline the principles of the classification of peat soils, which occupy approximately 9% of the soil resources in Russia and annually increasing. As is shown, the organic and mineral parts of peat soils form

Abstract The results of a laboratory experiment modeling the effect of kerosene contamination on the cellulolytic activity of microbiocenosis of the Albic Retisol (Kaluga oblast, Russia) and Arenosol (Kyzylorda oblast, Republic of Kazakhstan) humus horizons are described. Cellulolytic activity is assessed according to the rate of weight loss in linen cloth fragments during the incubation for 0–3, 3–7

Abstract The adverse effects of combustion waste disposal sites could be limited by their biological stabilization. This work presents a review of the literature on the utility of species of alder (black, grey and green) in the biological stabilization, and potentially phytoremediation, of combustion waste disposal sites. All three alder species studied are characterized by high survival rates and

Abstract Sudbury, Ontario, Canada experienced severe environmental degradation from intensive logging, mining, and smelting activities. Acidification and erosion of soils, as well as heavy metal deposition led to widespread vegetation mortality and the creation of 20 000 ha of barren and 80 000 ha of semi-barren land within the Sudbury region. Restoration processes, consisting of limestone application

Abstract Brazil has a large number of degraded areas due to iron mining and other elements. In 2015, an iron mining tailings dam belonging to “Samarco Mineração SA”, located in the municipality of Mariana, state of Minas Gerais, collapsed, causing the greatest environmental disaster in the country’s history, due to the spill of 62 million m3 of red mud. The red mud was deposited on slopes, foothills

Abstract This paper deals with soil genesis and distribution of Ni and Cr in soils formed along a toposequence of mainly ultramafic rocks in an aridic soil moisture regime in Northeastern Iran. Three pedons in the summit (Xeric Haplogypsids), backslope (Lithic Xeric Torriorthents), and footslope (Lithic Calcigypsids) of a toposequence were described and sampled. Hornblende was the main mineral of the

Abstract Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can have a series of effects on forest ecosystems. As N deposition increases N availability in forest ecosystems, soil phosphorus (P) becomes a limiting factor for forest productivity. However, it is not clear whether long-term N deposition can affect on soil carbon (C) and N stability, and whether the addition of P can moderate the impact of N deposition

Abstract We collected solonchaks samples of 5 subtypes and 13 genera from Gansu Province in China and analyzed the diversity of fungal communities with the methods of ITS sequencing. We found that ACE, Chao 1, Simpson and Shannon indices of the fungal community varied significantly in soil samples and were generally inversely correlated with pH. The dominant fungal groups were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota

Abstract The characteristics of microbial structure in different soil degradation stages caused by the drought processes from wetland to meadow on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau were analyzed. The composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi were also analyzed by using high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that Proteobacteria was the highest abundance among bacteria, and Ascomycota

Abstract Soil profile characterization using Vis-NIR and pXRF provides relatively quick measurements, and can be conducted in-situ. The objectives of this study were to i) characterize soil profiles along a catena using soil data and individual or combined Vis-NIR and pXRF data and ii) compare soil color, chemical properties, physical properties, weathering indices, elemental concentrations, Vis-NIR

Abstract Humic substances are an important soil quality indicator, influencing its physical-chemical and biological characteristics while directly affecting plant growth, through their biostimulant activity. To elucidate the role of humic substances in seedlings acclimation it’s important to establish a relationship among the origin, the structural composition and their biological activity. The aim

Abstract Diverse microbes in arable black soil participate in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, which profoundly impact on the fertility and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. However, the effects of environmental factors on the structure and functions of microbial communities have not been thoroughly elucidated. We performed the indoor microcosm study to collect the soil samples under six moisture

Abstract Magnetically-treated water (MTW) has been used for many years and has shown promise in leaching some ions from soil. However, contradictory or paradoxical results are often available, debates about this issue have never ceased so far. In this study, a soil cylinder incubation experiment and a magnetic treatment experiment were conducted to explore the effect of magnetic water irrigation on

Abstract A prolonged impact of the wood biochar applied at a dose of 1.5 kg/m2 on the dynamics of changes and trends in main agrochemical characteristics and enzyme activity in soils of different textures in the middle taiga zone of Karelia has been studied. The plots for 2-year-long monitoring (area, 5 m2) are randomly located (in four replicates) on a cropland with Umbric Podzol and Umbric Retisol-The

Abstract The Chinese Mollisol region has the highest fertility and productivity in the country but also suffers from soil erosion. However, the characteristics of soil erosion and sediment size distributions in different seasons based on natural croplands with or without corn straw coverage at different slope gradients remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of corn straw coverage (0, 50

Abstract— The results of the field radiometric survey of the mined monazite Vasil’evka placer in southern Yakutia are presented. It is shown that the natural background radioactivity of soils of the surveyed area mainly depends on the features of its geological structure and, to some extent, on landscape-geocryological conditions. The rate of equivalent dose of gamma radiation on the soil surface of

Abstract— This article summarizes the authors’ 10-year study of soil phytoremediation in an anthropogenically contaminated area around a copper smelter in the Valparaiso region of central Chile. It analyzes the risk that contaminated soils pose to public health. Phytostabilization and phytoextraction were considered as the main methods of soil phytoremediation. A study conducted in an industrially

Abstract— Data on major properties and clay mineralogy in the profiles of slightly differentiated Cryosols forming in cold ultracontinental climate of Yakutia are discussed. The particular objects are represented by the cryozems of tundra, forest-tundra, and northern taiga of the Anabar and Alazeya plateaus and by the palevaya (pale) soil of middle taiga in Central Yakutia. The differentiation of clay

Abstract Soil fungi play important roles in ecosystems. Although there is abundant information on the spatial distribution of organisms and its relationship with the environment for animals and plants, relevant information for soil fungi, particularly in arid desert areas, is limited. To determine the spatial distribution pattern of soil fungi in the desert area of the Junggar Basin, China, three representative

Abstract Vegetation restoration projects have been implemented in China’s degraded karst ecosystems (rocky desertification areas) for more than 20 years. There is an urgent need to evaluate the impact of different vegetation restoration modes on the ecological environment. The status of the soil environment under different vegetation restoration modes in degraded karst ecosystems was determined in

Abstract The term humic substances (HS) refers to a group of heterogeneous, dark-colored polydisperse substances found in soils, peats, natural waters, and sediments. It is hypothesized that HSs are formed as a result of degradation and transformation of biomolecules of organic residues and free radical condensation reactions (a process called humification). Humic substances are classified as a special

Abstract Hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of organic matter and the content and distribution of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) in soils of the Subpolar Urals are discussed. It is shown that the type of predominant vegetation in the system of altitudinal zones controls the amount and nature of soil organic matter (SOM). The litter of moss–lichen vegetation of the alpine tundra is enriched in

Abstract A detailed study of Albic Stagnosols and Eutric Gleysols that are widely used in agriculture of the Far East and are characterized by the active formation of iron–manganese nodules has shown differences in their physicochemical and optical properties and biological activity parameters. The level of catalase activity in the studied soils is relatively low. Soils with a higher content of Ctot

Abstract World research results indicate that untreated leachate contains high contents of heavy metals that are likely to pollute the soil and groundwater (GW) environment. Most studies have shown that soil and GW in the waste landfill sites and adjacent areas are not polluted by heavy metals at levels greater than those allowable levels for agricultural land. However, studies have shown that waste

Abstract Treated wastewater (TWW) has been used for the irrigation of a plot located in the periphery of Cebala—Borj Touil (Tunisia), the largest area irrigated with TWW since 1989. Samples from wastewater, groundwater, soils and corn crops (Zea Mays) have been taken. Physicochemical parameters and heavy metals were analyzed. The results of the experiment showed a distinct decrease in soil pH and increase

Abstract Soil available nitrogen (AN) is highly related to crop growth and N leaching in the agricultural environment, but the heterogeneity of AN and its driving mechanisms have not been clarified in the Mollisols region. In this study, a total of 610 soil samples were collected from 0‒60 cm soil depths in a small watershed (1.86 km2) of northeastern China, and both traditional statistics and geostatistical

Abstract Soil aggregation is considered as an essential ecosystem process mediated by soil organism. In this review, the hyphae network, binding agents, and exudates of fungi traits involved in soil aggregation and stability are summarized, as well as root architecture, microbial community and other indirect driver. Then, a better understanding of variable influencing factors on fungi traits and their

Abstract The root soil interaction affects the fractionation and bioavailability of nutrients in the rhizosphere and, in turn, the uptake and accumulation of nutrients by plants. In this study, a greenhouse experiment using Thomson Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck.) grafted on three rootstocks [Swingle Citrumelo (SC), Sour Orange (SO), and Troyer Citrange (TC)] was conducted in mildly acidic