• Agricultural soil properties and crop production on Lithuanian sandy and loamy Cambisols after the application of calcareous sapropel fertilizer

      Bakšienė, Eugenija; Fullen, Michael A.; Booth, Colin A. (Taylor & Francis, 2006)
      Lake-derived organic-rich mud (sapropel) is used as a soil fertilizer on sandy loam Haplic Luvisols in Lithuania. Various application rates (50, 100, 150 and 200 t ha-1) were applied to crop rotations (maize, barley, clover, winter rye, potatoes and oats) and their subsequent long-term influences on soil physico-chemical properties and crop production determined. Soil agrochemical properties were evaluated before (1984 – 1985) and after the end of the first (1989 – 1990), second (1995 – 1996) and third (2001 – 2002) crop rotations from seven treatments with four replications. In most cases, after each crop rotation, there were notable increases in pH, total absorbed bases, total nitrogen content, available phosphorus and potassium and soil organic matter content (humus). After three rotations, changes in soil acidity, total nitrogen and humus on all sapropel treatments were significant (p < 0.05), but effects on phosphorus and potassium were not significant. In comparison, for most treatments, manure produced greater improvements in soil properties than sapropel. However, after 18 years of application, sapropel did improve crop productivity almost to the level achieved by applications of manure and fertilizers. Therefore, results demonstrate there are long-term benefits of sapropel applications, namely improvements in soil properties and crop productivity.
    • Soil Management: Problems and Solutions

      Fullen, Michael A.; Catt, John A. (London: Hodder Arnold, 2004)
      The soil is a fundamental constituent of the Earth’s system, maintaining a careful state of equilibrium within the biosphere. However, this natural balance is being increasingly disturbed by a variety of anthropogenic and natural processes, leading to the degradation of many soil environments. Soil Management provides a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the many problems, challenges and potential solutions facing soil management in the twenty-first century. Covering topics such as erosion, desertification, salinization, soil structure, carbon sequestration, acidification and chemical pollution, the book also develops a prognosis for the future of soil management faced with growing populations and global warming. Written with the needs of students in mind, each chapter provides a broad overview of a particular problem, approaches to its solution and concludes with references and suggestions for further reading, so providing a pathway to more detailed and advanced study.