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| Titel |
Influence of Cynara cardunculus L. over essential cations on semiarid low productive agricultural soils. |
| VerfasserIn |
Alfonso Lag, Ignacio Gómez, Jose Navarro-Pedreño, Ignacio Meléndez, Carlos Linares |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2011
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 13 (2011) |
| Datensatznummer |
250051900
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Soil conservation through proper management is essential to maintain natural cycles and to
avoid detrimental effects on human health. Complex energy and matter fluxes occur
continuously among different systems, including the anthropic one. Whenever the fluxes
balance is altered, inefficient and detrimental effects arise. In this sense, nutrient cycling is
broken in some agricultural lands as a result of farming practices. In addition, these lands are
prone to be abandoned as productivity and benefits decrease. In this scenario, low
organic matter levels, erosion and structure degradation are common features to
soils, moreover is climate conditions favor these processes, like in semiarid soils.
Species like Cynara cardunculus L. with low nutritional and irrigation requirements
and high biomass production could act as a natural barrier to diminish erosion and
became a source of organic matter or monetary profit (bioenergy). The aim of this
work is to ascertain if certain macronutrients (Ca+2; Mg+2; K+ and also Na+)
dynamics are influenced by Cynara cardunculus L. (cynara) growth, giving special
attention to Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) and bivalent/monovalent ratio
([Ca+2]+[Mg+2]/[Na+]+[K2]).
Four low productive agricultural calcareous soils, located in the South East of Spain under
semi-arid conditions, were chosen for the experiment and cultivated with cynara. During a
year period, three sampling were carried out (October, April and July), taking four samples
from each (top soil layer: 0-15 cm). Soil and irrigation water were analyzed (physical and
chemical properties). No mechanical tillage was applied since the beginning of the
experiment, so weeds were removed manually. Exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Na were
extracted with ammonium acetate and determined by atomic absorption acetylene flame
technique. ESP (in extraction) and bivalent/monovalent (b/m) ratio were calculated with the
previous data. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) at p=0.05 significance level were performed to
evaluate soil parameters dynamics.
Na+ concentration increased through time while K+ levels remain unaltered. No
significant trends were found for Ca+2 and Mg+2, but the b/m ratio value (-6) showed the
prevalence of these cations, mainly because of Ca+2 concentration effect. Although Na+
levels increased, the overall effect over soil structure may not be so negative. No
significant trends were found in macronutrients dynamics as a consequence of cynara
growth. Longer test time is needed and more parameters should be included into
consideration to improve the knowledge of the effect of this energy crop over soil
dynamics..
References
Fernadez J., Curt, M.D., Aguado P.L. Industrial applications of Cynara cardunculus for
energy and other uses. Industrial Crops and Product 24 (2006) pp 222-229.
Wood C.W., Adams J.F., Wood B.H. Macronutrients. In Elsevier Encyclopedia of soils.
pp 387-393.
Potts D.L., Harpole S.W., Goulden K.N., Suding K.N.; The impact of invasion and
subsequent removal of an exotic thistle, Cynara cardunculus, on CO2 and H2O vapor
exchange in a coastal California grassland. Biol.Invasions (2008) 10, pp 1073-1084 |
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