Des ressources végétales endémiques pour optimiser durablement les opérations de réhabilitation du couvert forestier en milieu méditerranéen et tropical : exemple des plantes facilitatrices vectrices de propagation des champignons mycorhiziens

The overexploitation of natural resources, resulting in an increased need for arable lands by local populations, causes a serious dysfunction in the soil's biological functioning (mineral deficiency, salt stress, etc.). This dysfunction, worsened by the climatic conditions (drought), requires the implementation of ecological engineering strategies allowing the rehabilitation of degraded areas through the restoration of essential ecological services. The first symptoms of weathering processes of soil quality in tropical and Mediterranean environments result in an alteration of the plant cover structure with, in particular, the pauperization of plant species diversity and abundance. This degradation is accompanied by a weakening of soils and an increase of the impact of erosion on the surface layer resulting in reduced fertility of soils in terms of their physicochemical characteristics as well as their biological ones (e.g., soil microbes). Among the microbial components particularly sensitive to erosion, symbiotic microorganisms (rhizobia, Frankia, mycorrhizal fungi) are known to be key components in the main terrestrial biogeochemical cycles (C, N and P). Many studies have shown the importance of the management of these symbiotic microorganisms in rehabilitation and revegetation strategies of degraded environments, but also in improving the productivity of agrosystems. In particular, the selection of symbionts and their inoculation into the soil were strongly encouraged in recent decades. These inoculants were selected not only for their impact on the plant, but also for their ability to persist in the soil at the expense of the residual native microflora. The performance of this technique was thus evaluated on the plant cover, but its impact on soil microbial characteristics was totally ignored. The role of microbial diversity on productivity and stability (resistance, resilience, etc.) of eco- and agrosystems has been identified relatively recently and has led to a questioning of the conceptual bases of controlled inoculation in sustainable land management. It has been suggested that the environmental characteristics of the area to rehabilitate should be taken into account, and more particularly its degradation level in relation to the threshold of ecological resilience. This consideration should lead to the optimization of the cultural practices to either (i) restore the original properties of an ecosystem in case of slightly degraded environments or (ii) transform an ecosystem in case of highly degraded soils (e.g., mine soils). In this chapter, we discuss, through various examples of experiments conducted in tropical and Mediterranean areas, the performance of different strategies to manage the microbial potential in soils (inoculation of exotic vs. native species, inoculation or controlled management potential microbial stratum via aboveground vegetation, etc.) based on the level of environmental degradation.     

Managing soils for long-term productivity

Meeting the goal of long-term agricultural productivity requires that soil degradation be halted and reversed. Soil fertility decline is a key factor in soil degradation and is probably the major cause of declining crop yields. There is evidence that the contribution of declining soil fertility to soil degradation has been underestimated. <br>Sensitivity to soil degradation is implicit in the assessment of the sustainability of land management practices, with wide recognition of the fact that soils vary in their ability to resist change and recover subsequent to stress. The concept of resilience in relation to sustainability requires further elaboration and evaluation.<br>In the context of soil degradation, a decline in soil fertility is primarily interpreted as the depletion of organic matter and plant nutrients. Despite a higher turnover rate of organic matter in the tropics there is no intrinsic difference between the organic matter content of soils from tropical and temperate regions. The level of organic matter in a soil is closely related to the above and below ground inputs. In the absence of adequate organic material inputs and where cultivation is continuous, soil organic matter declines progressively. Maintaining the quantity and quality of soil organic matter should be a guiding principle in developing management practices.<br>Soil microbial biomass serves as an important reservoir of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S), and regulates the cycling of organic matter and nutrients. Because of its high turnover rate, microbial biomass reacts quickly to changes in management and is a sensitive indicator for monitoring and predicting changes in soil organic matter. Modelling techniques have been reasonably successful in predicting changes in soil organic matter with different organic material inputs, but there is little information from the tropics. <br>Nutrient depletion through harvested crop components and residue removal, and by leaching and soil erosion accentuates the often very low inherent fertility of many soils in the tropics. An integrated approach involving inorganic and organic inputs is required where animal and plant residues are returned, as far as practicable. Chemical fertilizers alone cannot achieve long-term productivity on many soils and organic material inputs are required to maintain soil organic matter levels and crop productivity. A major research effort is required to develop improved strategies for halting and reversing soil degradation if long-term productivity is to be secured. <br>     

Spatial-based assessment of land use,soil erosion,and water protection in the Jeneberang valley,Indonesia

Soil erosion by water is considered as one of the most significant forms of land degradation that affects sustained productivity of agricultural land use and water quality. It is influenced by a considerable number of factors (including climate, soil, topography, land use and types of land management), so that the information on the spatial distribution of soil erosion rate and its related effects can be effectively employed as a baseline data for land use development and water protection. The principal aim of this study is three-fold: (i) to map existing land use; (ii) to assess and map the spatial distribution of average annual rate of soil losses in the study area; (iii) to evaluate spatial matching between existing and proposed land use including a distance analysis from the water body (the Bili-Bili Dam). An analytical procedures used, respectively, include supervised classification of satellite imagery, application of RUSLE (Revised USLE), and overlay analysis in a raster GIS environment, utilising available information in the region covering some parts of Jeneberang catchment, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The results suggest that the outputs of this study can be used for the identification of land units on a cell-basis with different land use types, rate of soil loss, inconsistency between proposed and planned land use, as well as the threat of land degradation to the main river and the dam. The analytical procedures developed in this research may be useful in other areas, particularly in the studies related to the assessment and mapping of land use and erosion for the importance of sustainable land use at a relatively large area.     

Management intensification effects on autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration in subtropical grasslands

Sustainable management of grassland ecosystems for improved productivity can enhance their potential to sequester atmospheric CO₂ in the soil. However, land-use management influences the quantity and quality of carbon (C) inputs which may, in turn, affect microbial activity and soil C decomposition rates. Understanding the potential changes in magnitude of soil C loss through respiration is critical for a comprehensive assessment of land-use conversion and grassland management impacts on terrestrial C dynamics. Thus, this study was designed to assess the effect of land-use management intensification on soil respiration in subtropical grasslands. Experimental sites consisted of a gradient of management intensities ranging from native rangeland (lowest), silvopasture (intermediate), to sown pasture (highest). Increasing management intensity from native rangeland to sown pasture elevated soil respiration. There was a significant effect of ‘season vs. management’ interaction on total soil respiration (R_S), with greater increases in R_S from summer to winter in sown pasture (∼200%) compared to native rangeland and silvopasture (∼91%). The temperature sensitivity of R_S and heterotrophic soil respiration (R_H) increased with management intensification, with a highest Q₁₀ of 1.55 and 2.29, in sown pasture, compared to Q₁₀ values of 1.09 and 1.48 in native rangelands. These results suggested that potential increases in soil C stock with intensification may be susceptible to faster turnover under warming climate scenarios. Improved resilience (and longer residence) of additionally sequestered soil C after intensification may be crucial for long-term ecological resilience, especially with changing climatic conditions. These findings are relevant for sustainable grassland management, especially within subtropical ecoregions, and add to the understanding of changes that may occur in rates of soil C losses as native grasslands are converted to more productive grassland ecosystems.     

Shieling Areas: Historical Grazing Pressures and Landscape Responses in Northern Iceland

Historical domestic livestock grazing in sensitive landscapes has commonly been regarded as a major cause of land degradation in Iceland. Shieling areas, where milking livestock were taken to pasture for the summer, represented one element of grazing management and in this paper we consider the extent to which historical shieling-based grazing pressure contributed to land degradation. Based on a grazing model to assess pressures and tephrochronology -based soil accumulation rates allied to micromorphology as a proxy for land degradation, our findings suggest that the shieling sy stem contributed to the maintenance of upland vegetation cover and related productivity levels without causing land degradation from settlement through to ca. AD 1300. As land degradation accelerated from ca. AD 1477 it is likely that shieling management continued to operate effectively contributing to the overall resilience of livestock farming.     

北美保护性耕作及对中国的意义

由土壤侵蚀、荒漠化及盐碱化导致的耕地地力退化,严重威胁着中国的农业生产和生态环境．为了阻止耕地地力的持续下降和生态环境进一步恶化,土壤管理方式必须由传统的耕作方式转向保护性耕作．纵观20世纪有关治理耕地水土流失的技术方法,没有哪一项技术可与由美国提出并加以完善的保护性耕作相比．美洲的农业实践证明,保护性耕作可以控制土壤侵蚀,减少劳动量,节省时间和能源,改善土壤耕性,增加土壤有机质,改善水和大气质量,增加土壤生物多样性．通过回顾保护性耕作的发展历史和应用现状。强调了该耕作技术在保持水土和改善土壤性状上的价值和采用保护性措施时应该注意的关键问题。如保护性耕作农机具、化学除草和转变观念等,同时总结了农民在采用保护性耕作时应该采取的具体步骤．总之,面对中国耕地土壤水土流失严重和地力持续下降以及生态环境恶化的严酷现实,保护性耕作应该在中国加以推广采用．     

Water and energy footprints of bioenergy crop production on marginal lands

Water and energy demands associated with bioenergy crop production on marginal lands are inextricably linked with land quality and land use history. To illustrate the effect of land marginality on bioenergy crop yield and associated water and energy footprints, we analyzed seven large‐scale sites (9–21 ha) converted from either Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or conventional agricultural land use to no‐till soybean for biofuel production. Unmanaged CRP grassland at the same location was used as a reference site. Sites were rated using a land marginality index (LMI) based on land capability classes, slope, soil erodibility, soil hydraulic conductivity, and soil tolerance factors extracted from a soil survey (SSURGO) database. Principal components analysis was used to develop a soil quality index (SQI) for the study sites based on 12 soil physical and chemical properties. The water and energy footprints on these sites were estimated using eddy‐covariance flux techniques. Aboveground net primary productivity was inversely related to LMI and positively related to SQI. Water and energy footprints increased with LMI and decreased with SQI. The water footprints for grain, biomass and energy production were higher on lands converted from agricultural land use compared with those converted from the CRP land. The sites which were previously in the CRP had higher SQI than those under agricultural land use, showing that land management affects water footprints through soil quality effects. The analysis of biophysical characteristics of the sites in relation to water and energy use suggests that crops and management systems similar to CRP grasslands may provide a potential strategy to grow biofuels that would minimize environmental degradation while improving the productivity of marginal lands.     

Context-dependent changes in the resistance and resilience of soil microbes to an experimental disturbance for three primary plant chronosequences

The extrinsic factors that regulate soil microbial stability (resistance and resilience) are little understood, even though soil microbes are important drivers of ecosystem function and their stability is likely to affect soil carbon storage and plant nutrient availability. Soils were collected across three primary plant chronosequences (two in New Zealand and one in Hawaii) that differed in climate, parent material and time spans to test the following hypotheses: i) there is a tradeoff between the resistance and resilience of key soil microbial response variables, ii) this tradeoff is related to the relationship of soil microbial resistance and resilience to soil resources, iii) resources change predictably during different primary plant chronosequences, and iv) if the first three hypotheses hold and are consistent for all three chronosequences, then soil microbial resistance and resilience should change predictably across different chronosequences. Results showed that although there was a tradeoff between resistance and resilience, the role of resources in determining this was unclear. Within each chronosequence, resources that were positively related to resistance were negatively related to resilience and vice versa, consistent with our second hypothesis. However, the direction and strength of correlations between stability and soil resources depended strongly on which soil microbial response variable was measured, and the chronosequence it was measured in. Total amounts of resources often showed consistent trends with ecosystem development for each chronosequence, but the way that resource quality changed varied between chronosequences. At least partly because of the variable nature of these relationships, the trajectory of resistance and resilience during ecosystem development varied considerably across chronosequences. Thus, although consistent trends were found within each chronosequence, the relationships between the stability of different soil microbial response variables, resources and ecosystem development depended strongly on which chronosequence was considered.     

Soil textural class plays a major role in evaluating the effects of land use on soil quality indicators

Inappropriate land use that negatively affects ecological processes and soil quality is generally considered to be the primary cause of soil degradation in tropical agroecosystems. We hypothesized that in addition to land use, soil textural class also has an important effect on ecological processes and soil quality. To test our hypothesis, effects of land use change on soil organic fractions as well as microbial and biochemical indicators were quantified for clayey and sandy-clay-loam soils within the native Cerrado biome, pasture (Brachiaria brizantha) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) agroecosystems in southwestern Brazil (Minas Gerais state). Labile carbon, humic substances, soil microbial respiration (SMR), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), metabolic quotient (qCO₂), hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA), beta-glucosidase, urease, phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities were measured for each sample. Labile carbon concentrations were not affected by land use but were lower in sandy-clay-loam soil than clayey soil. Humic substances were at the highest concentrations in the native Cerrado and the lowest in sugarcane agroecosystems. Sandy-clay-loam soil had lower humic acid concentrations than clayey soil. Soil microbial indicators (SMR, MBC and FDA) showed lower values in pasture and sugarcane agroecosystems than in the native Cerrado. FDA was a more sensitive microbial indicator than SMR and MBC for detecting land use and textural class differences. The qCO₂ indices were greater in sugarcane systems than in either pasture or native Cerrado systems. The activity of exocellular hydrolytic enzymes, such as beta-glucosidase, urease, phosphatase and arylsulphatase, was smaller in sugarcane and pasture agroecosystems than in native Cerrado ecosystems. Within the same land use, the activity of these enzymes was always greater in clayey soil than in sandy-clay-loam soil, indicating a higher impact of land uses on enzyme activities in clayey soils. Results for the measured indicators support the hypothesis that soil textural class plays a major role in assessing differences between land use systems in the Brazilian Cerrado biome.     

Alteration and resilience of the soil microbial community following compost amendment: effects of compost level and compost-borne microbial community

Compost amendment has been reported to impact soil microbial activities or community composition. However, little information is available on (i) to what extent compost amendment concurrently affects the activity, size and composition of soil microbial community, (ii) the relative effect of the addition of a material rich in organic matter versus addition of compost-borne microorganisms in explaining the effects of amendment and (iii) the resilience of community characteristics. We compared five treatments in microcosms: (i) control soil (S), (ii) soil + low level of compost (Sc), (iii) soil + high level of compost (SC), (iv) sterilized soil + high level of compost [(S)C] and (v) soil + high level of sterilized compost [S(C)]. The actual C mineralization rate, substrate-induced respiration, size of microbial community (biomass and heterotrophic cells number), and structure of total microbial (phospholipid fatty acids) and bacterial (automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, A-RISA) communities were surveyed during 6 months after amendment. Our results show that (i) compost amendment affected the activity, size and composition of the soil microbial community, (ii) the effect of compost amendment was mainly due to the physicochemical characteristics of compost matrix rather than to compost-borne microorganisms and (iii) no resilience of microbial characteristics was observed 6-12 months after amendment with a high amount of compost.     

不列颠·哥伦比亚省北部小杆松及白云杉立地指数与生态立地质量的关系

为在ＰｒｉｎｃｅＲｕｐｅｒｔ林区的“亚北方”部分建立生态立地质量与森林生产力的联系,对从９３个小杆松林分和７７个白云杉林分获得的数据进行了分析．所研究的林分处于两个气候状况、８个土壤水分状况以及５个土壤养分状况．这些气候、土壤水分和养分状况被视为等级变量用于林地分类和回归分析．小杆松和白云杉的立地指数随土壤水分和养分状况变化而变化,但不依赖于气候变化．与土壤水分相关的变化格局对两个种来说很相似,但与土壤养分相关的变化格局则全然不同．在所建立的５类回归模型中,土壤小区模型对于两个种都显示出立地指数与土壤水分和养分状况具有很强的相互关系（Ｒ２＞０．８０,ＳＥＥ≤１．６ｍ）．可以认为土壤水分和养分的等级度量在大范围内可作为小杆松和白云杉立地指数的预测预报因子．     

科尔沁沙地不同土地利用和管理方式对土壤质量性状的影响

研究了科尔沁沙地退化草地开垦后,在14年不同的土地利用和管理方式下土壤物理、化学和生物学性状的特征。结果表明,农林(林草)复合利用模式在土壤粒级组成、孔隙分布、持水性能、有机质和N、P养分、酶活性等方面表现出较好的质量性状特征。有机无机配施、精细管理的灌溉农田次之,而粗放管理的旱作农田。土壤质量性状严重恶化,逐步向流沙方向演变,与科尔沁原生景观草地土壤相比,管理良好的利用系统,土壤物理性状、P含量和一些酶活性指标提高,但有机质和全氮含量明显低,表明已退化生态系统C、N库的恢复和重建需要较长的时间。研究结果表明,不同的土地利用方式和管理措施显著影响土壤质量变化的程度和方向;调整土地利用结构,基本农田实行精细管理,旱作农田退耕还草还林是保护土地资源。实现区域生态恢复和重建的根本选择。     

Response diversity,nonnative species,and disassembly rules buffer freshwater ecosystem processes from anthropogenic change

Integrating knowledge of environmental degradation, biodiversity change, and ecosystem processes across large spatial scales remains a key challenge to illuminating the resilience of earth's systems. There is now a growing realization that the manner in which communities will respond to anthropogenic impacts will ultimately control the ecosystem consequences. Here, we examine the response of freshwater fishes and their nutrient excretion – a key ecosystem process that can control aquatic productivity – to human land development across the contiguous United States. By linking a continental‐scale dataset of 533 fish species from 8100 stream locations with species functional traits, nutrient excretion, and land remote sensing, we present four key findings. First, we provide the first geographic footprint of nutrient excretion by freshwater fishes across the United States and reveal distinct local‐ and continental‐scale heterogeneity in community excretion rates. Second, fish species exhibited substantial response diversity in their sensitivity to land development; for native species, the more tolerant species were also the species contributing greater ecosystem function in terms of nutrient excretion. Third, by modeling increased land‐use change and resultant shifts in fish community composition, land development is estimated to decrease fish nutrient excretion in the majority (63%) of ecoregions. Fourth, the loss of nutrient excretion would be 28% greater if biodiversity loss was random or 84% greater if there were no nonnative species. Thus, ecosystem processes are sensitive to increased anthropogenic degradation but biotic communities provide multiple pathways for resistance and this resistance varies across space.     

Soil Microorganisms: An Important Determinant of Allelopathic Activity

Current evidence illustrates the significance of soil microbes in influencing the bioavailability of allelochemicals. This review discusses (i) the significance of soil microorganisms in influencing allelopathic expression, (ii) different ways of avoiding microbial degradation of putative allelochemicals, and (iii) the need of incorporating experiments on microbial modification of allelochemicals in laboratory bioassays for allelopathy. Several climatic and edaphic factors affect the soil microflora; therefore, allelopathy should be assessed in a range of soil types. Allelopathy can be better understood in terms of soil microbial ecology, and appropriate methodologies are needed to evaluate the roles of soil microorganisms in chemically-mediated interactions between plants.     

土壤质量与土壤质量指标及其评价

土壤作为一种重要的自然资源可以为人类生产食物和纤维,并维持地球生态系统.土壤也是植物生长的媒介、水、热和化合物的源、水分的过滤器和废物分解的生物介质.土壤与水、气和植物互作并抑制环境的波动.土壤可以调节很多控制水气质量和促进植物生长的生态过程.土壤质量概念的引入使我们更全面地理解土壤,也有助于合理地使用和分配劳力、能源、财政和其它投入.土壤质量也提供了一个通用的概念使得专业人员、生产者和公众明白土壤的重要性.此外,它也是一个评价管理措施和土地利用变化对土壤影响的评价工具.土壤质量由土壤的物理、化学和生物性质组成,MDS已被科学家们提出用于土壤质量评价.国际上比较常用的评价方法主要有多变量指标克立格法、土壤质量动力学方法、土壤质量综合评分法和土壤相对质量法.人类对土地不和谐地利用和管理可以导致全球生物地球化学循环发生改变和加快土壤性质变化的速度,当前世界各地土壤退化相当严重,已日益威胁到人类赖以生存的土地资源.在探讨相关概念的基础上综述了近年来土地利用变化对土壤理化质量和生物质量的影响进展,以引起国内外学者对土地利用变化对土壤质量影响研究的重视,从而为探讨土地利用对土壤质量影响的机理和规律以及退化土地的恢复和区域土地资源管理以及土地的持续利提供理论依据.土壤质量未来的研究应该集中在土壤质量指标与评价方法;土壤质量变化的发生条件、过程、影响因素及其作用机理与时空规律性;尺度问题的研究;土壤质量保持与提高的途径及其关键技术研究.     

Loss of soil and nutrients by surface runoff in two agro-ecosystems within an Andean paramo area

High Andean paramo and cloud forest ecosystems in South America are undergoing transition to agricultural activities such as potato farming and cattle grazing in many areas. There is a lack of data quantifying the contributions of these land uses to soil erosion and nutrients loss. Thus, we assessed soil quality in patches of potato crops and pasture for cattle grazing, and tested soil and nutrient loss from these two land uses in response to heavy rainfall simulation rates (100 mm h⁻¹). Physico-chemical analyses were also carried out in soil and runoff water samples. We found that potato farming had more severe impacts on soil quality, with substantial loss of the silt fraction (low silt levels of 11.9% were found in soil composition) that prevents aggregates formation and increase soil instability. Furthermore, we found that potato farming resulted in much higher soil loss rate (5.67 g h⁻¹) compared to that of pastoral land use (0.61 g h⁻¹). Meanwhile, N and P average losses measured in runoff were 1.22 mg N-NO₃ l⁻¹ plus 0.12 mg P-PO₃ l⁻¹ for the potato crop, and 0.86 mg N-NO₃ l⁻¹ plus 0.09 mg P-PO₃ l⁻¹ for the pastures, respectively. We postulate that more effective and continuous rooting prevents soil disaggregation in pasture relative to cropping, and that continuous and extensive foliage protects the soil from rain-splash erosion. Finally, direct relationships appeared between the two agricultural practices evaluated and the loss of soil and nutrients. Thus, if anthropogenic practices such as those studied herein continue their widespread trend observed in recent years in the region, then two of the most important paramo eco-systemic services, that is, water regulation and high water quality supply, may be impaired with all the consequences this brings for human settlements and their livelihoods located down waters.     

Concept,Components, and Strategies of Soil Health in Agroecosystems

The terms ''''soil health'''' or ''''soil quality'''' as applied to agroecosystems refer to the ability of soil to support and sustain crop growth while maintaining environmental quality. High-quality soils have the following characteristics: (i) a sufficient, but not excess, supply of nutrients; (ii) good structure (tilth); (iii) sufficient depth for rooting and drainage; (iv) good internal drainage; (v) low populations of plant disease and parasitic organisms; (vi) high populations of organisms that promote plant growth; (vii) low weed pressure; (viii) no chemicals that might harm the plant; (ix) resistance to being degraded; and (x) resilience following an episode of degradation. Management intended to improve soil health involves creatively combining a number of practices that enhance the soil''s biological, chemical, and physical suitability for crop production. The most important general strategy is to add plentiful quantities of organic matter—including crop and cover crop residues, manures, and composts. Other important strategies include better crop rotations, reducing tillage and keeping the soil surface covered with living and dead residue, reducing compaction by decreasing heavy equipment traffic, and using best nutrient management practices. Practices that enhance soil quality frequently reduce plant pest pressures.     

Microalgae Versus Land Crops as Feedstock for Biodiesel: Productivity,Quality, and Standard Compliance

Despite certain environmental advantages over fossil diesel, land crop-derived biodiesels may not satisfy the increasing worldwide demand for transportation fuels. As an abundant photosynthesizer, algae could be an adequate surrogate for biodiesel production. Nevertheless, high production costs, scarce selected species, and inaccurate assumptions about production yields represent industrial uncertainties. In this study, a reliable approach to analyzing algal biodiesel production has been developed based on species-to-species variations in oil productivity and quality. This approach compares biodiesels from Chlorophyta strains with land crop feedstock according to (i) potential yields, (ii) oil quality, and (iii) compliance with biodiesel quality standards. Algal yields were assessed by (i) extrapolating the strain-specific laboratory results to commercial-scale growth systems; (ii) converting volumetric to areal biomass productivity; and (iii) estimating oil yields for each strain, as the product of their projected areal biomass productivity for each growth system, and the oil percentage in biomass as determined in the laboratory. Biodiesel fuel properties were estimated by using fatty acid methyl ester profile predictive models. The Chlorophyta strains in this study provided annual oil yields that were generally higher than those of land crops by one order of magnitude. Six strains yielding more than 40 mg oil l^?1 day^?1 were identified as adequate for sustaining biodiesel production. Trebouxiophyceae algae were the most productive. Critical biodiesel parameters from both feedstock types suggest that most microalgae-derived biodiesels meet international fuel quality standards with better values than those of land crops. Because some of the highly productive feedstock does not simultaneously meet all the standards for a high quality biodiesel, optimization solutions are discussed.     

Evaluating soil biochemical/microbial indices as ecological indicators of different land use/cover in northern Iran

The objective of the study was to examine changes in microbial parameters have been used to monitor changes in soil quality under different land uses in north of Iran. The microbial parameters included microbial respiration (MR), substrate induced respiration (SIR), carbon availability index (CAI), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), ratio of MBC/MBN, metabolic quotient (qCO₂) and microbial ratio were determined under different land use/cover, i.e. virgin natural forest (VNF), degraded natural forest (DNF), alder plantation (AP), sequoia plantation (SP), improved fallow (IF) and home garden (HG) areas in northern Iran. Five composed samples per land use/cover were taken from the top 10 cm of the soil. MR and SIR (0.45 and 1.66 mg CO₂-C g^?1 day^?1, respectively) were found to be significantly higher under AP land uses than in the other areas. CAI did not differ for the land uses; MBC (591 and 590 mg kg^?1, respectively) had higher significantly under SP and VNF land uses than in the other areas. MBN (64.25 and 62.33, respectively mg kg^?1) was significantly higher in AP and VNF land uses, ratio of MBC/MBN (17.02) was higher in SP land use than other areas, HG had significantly higher qCO₂ (0.0012 μg CO₂-C mg^?1 MBC day^?1) and finally microbial ratio was significantly higher under IF (599.16) in comparison with HG > AP ≈ DNF > VNF > SP areas. Overall, our results indicate that AP land use (Alnus subcordata C. A. Mey.) increase of soil quality and alder plantation is suitable for rehabilitation of degraded natural forests.     

土壤侵蚀对土壤肥力及土地生物生产力的影响

通过对红壤坡地不同土地利用方式土壤肥力及土地生物生产力的空间分异研究,揭示了土壤侵蚀对土壤肥力和土地生产力的负面影响．即侵蚀导致Ｎ、Ｐ、Ｋ等土壤速效养分含量减少及其在坡面上部的相对贫乏和下部的相对富集;土壤有机质含量降低;土壤机械组成中砂、粉、粘粒比率发生变化,表现为土壤沙化,土地生物生产力下降．