Fish Information and Services reports on a study by University of Madrid researchers which has found that treating acid soils with mussel shells can increase their pH and reduce levels of aluminium in the soil.
The reports explains that the findings offer great potential in demonstrating novel ways of getting rid of industrial waste by reusing it to improve soil quality. Currently, mussel shells are discarded so there are cost and aesthetic issues. According to the experts, most soils in the Spanish study area are acid and in many of them slurry is used in order to return nutrients to the soil. Much of the work was done in the Spanish region of Galicia, which has a large fishing industry generating substantial quantities of waste.
Mussel shell contains calcium carbonate (from 95 per cent to 99 per cent of the shell weight) and small amounts of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, all of which are beneficial to the soil and plant life.
Monday 20 August 2012
Wednesday 1 August 2012
No-till cropping can improve air quality, say scientists
California's Central Valley Business Times reports that experiments in the dry, wheat-growing palouse region of eastern Washington State might lead to cleaner air in the Central Valley of California.
Studies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists show some no-till management systems can lower atmospheric levels of PM10 — soil particles and other material 10 microns or less in diameter that degrade air quality — that are eroded from crop fields by the wind. The findings could help reduce erosion and assist communities in complying with federal air quality regulations, the USDA says.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research leader Brenton Sharratt and ARS agronomist Frank Young conducted the research. “In the inland Pacific Northwest, when atmospheric levels of PM10 exceed federal limits, it’s usually because of erosion from farm lands,” says Mr. Sharratt. “Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates air quality, farmers in this area are looking for ways to reduce erosion from their fields and assist communities in complying with regulations."
Farmers in the inland Pacific Northwest favour winter wheat-summer fallow production systems so that crops can germinate and grow during late summer and fall. But controlling weeds and conserving soil water during the summer can require up to eight tillage passes. This produces a dry, loose layer of fine soil particles that can be easily eroded by strong summer winds. “One major windstorm can generate enough airborne dust to exceed air quality standards for PM10,” says Mr. Sharratt. “But annual no-till cereal crops appear to be a viable strategy that farmers can use to control erosion and meet air quality regulations in the Pacific Northwest.” The next challenge is finding ways to make annual no-till crop systems as profitable as the current winter wheat/fallow system.
Read the rest of the article here.
Studies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists show some no-till management systems can lower atmospheric levels of PM10 — soil particles and other material 10 microns or less in diameter that degrade air quality — that are eroded from crop fields by the wind. The findings could help reduce erosion and assist communities in complying with federal air quality regulations, the USDA says.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research leader Brenton Sharratt and ARS agronomist Frank Young conducted the research. “In the inland Pacific Northwest, when atmospheric levels of PM10 exceed federal limits, it’s usually because of erosion from farm lands,” says Mr. Sharratt. “Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates air quality, farmers in this area are looking for ways to reduce erosion from their fields and assist communities in complying with regulations."
Farmers in the inland Pacific Northwest favour winter wheat-summer fallow production systems so that crops can germinate and grow during late summer and fall. But controlling weeds and conserving soil water during the summer can require up to eight tillage passes. This produces a dry, loose layer of fine soil particles that can be easily eroded by strong summer winds. “One major windstorm can generate enough airborne dust to exceed air quality standards for PM10,” says Mr. Sharratt. “But annual no-till cereal crops appear to be a viable strategy that farmers can use to control erosion and meet air quality regulations in the Pacific Northwest.” The next challenge is finding ways to make annual no-till crop systems as profitable as the current winter wheat/fallow system.
Read the rest of the article here.
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