In Mexico, 45 percent of the country suffers from land degradation, 12 percent of which, or some 23 million ha, are degraded due to water erosion. In Michoacán, a state in west-central Mexico, the figure rises to 27 percent. A study of the soil in Michoacán determined that overgrazing was a cause of degradation and a strategy was drawn up to promot...
In the highlands of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador, soils developed on volcanic ash deposits have specific properties: high water retention, high hydraulic conductivity and high carbon (C) contents. The main role of the soils is to regulate the water available for the dense population living in the valleys. Soil properties and land use depe...
A volcanic tuff rock known as cangahua (Ecuador) or tepetate (Mexico) is found throughout the Andes. Problems have arisen as the layers of light but fragile soil that once covered the tuff have been lost for both natural (environmental) reasons and because of over-cultivation. When the soil is gone, the tuff is impermeable and sterile. Now, a proje...
Smallholder farmers in the Taita hills and Mount Kilimanjaro recognize the need to conserve soil nutrients of fields and farms located in the upper, middle and lower zones of mountainous areas. These mountain communities depend on rain-fed subsistence agriculture which means that for sustainable subsistence crop production, they also depend on nutr...
In Northern Vietnam, organic fertilization programmes are being tested to restore soil fertility and reduce soil erosion. However, the amendment of organic matter in soil is also associated with the development of the invasive earthworm species Dichogaster bolaui. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of organic matter amendm...
In Northern Vietnam, organic fertilization programmes are being tested to restore soil fertility and reduce soil erosion. However, the amendment of organic matter in soil is also associated with the development of the invasive earthworm species Dichogaster bolaui. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of organic matter amendm...
Background: Exogenous organic matter may be valuable amendments for degraded tropical soil in Northern Vietnam. Their effect on carbon storage and composition need to be evaluated. Method: The study investigates soil from mesocosms cultivated with maize and amended with four different kinds of amendments: only mineral fertilizers (control), buffalo...
Metal-rich soils, especially heavy metal-polluted soils and ultramafic soils, are generally toxic to non-adapted plants and microorganisms. The role of mycorrhizal fungi in the metal tolerance of adapted plant species has become clear in the last decade. This review aims to synthesize the findings of representative studies of the effects of mycorrh...
Background: Exogenous organic matter may be valuable amendments for degraded tropical soil in Northern Vietnam. Their effect on carbon storage and composition need to be evaluated. Method: The study investigates soil from mesocosms cultivated with maize and amended with four different kinds of amendments: only mineral fertilizers (control), buffalo...
