Open Access
Effect of the long-term application of sewage sludge to a calcareous soil on its total and bioavailable content in trace elements, and their transfer to the crop
(MDPI, 2021-03-30) Zaragüeta, Armelle; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Antón Sobejano, Rodrigo; Urmeneta Martín-Calero, Henar; Orcaray Echeverría, Luis; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika
Sewage sludge (SS) can be used as an organic amendment in agricultural soils, provided they comply with the relevant legislation. This use can incorporate traces of metals into the soil, which can cause environmental or human health problems. In the study period between 1992 and 2018 (26 years), it was observed that the use of SS as an organic fertilizer significantly increased the total concentration of Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni and Hg of this study between 55.6% (Hg) and 7.0% (Ni). The concentration of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni and Cd extracted with DTPA, also increased between 122.2% (Zn) and 11.3% (Cd). In contrast, the Mn concentrations extracted with Diethylene Triamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA)were 6.5% higher in the treatments without SS. These changes in the soil had an impact on the crop, which showed a significant increase in the concentration of Zn, Cu and Cr in the grain, between 15.0% (Cr) and 4.4% (Cu), and a decrease in the concentration of Mn, Cr and Ni in the barley straw when SS was added to the soil between 32.2% (Mn) and 29.6% (Ni). However, the limits established by current legislation on soil protection and food were not exceeded. This limited transfer to the crop, is likely due to the high content of carbonates and organic matter in the soil, which limit the bioavailability of most of the trace metals (TM) in the soil. As a conclusion, we observe that the use of SS as an organic amendment increased the concentration of some TM in the soil, in its bioavailable forms, and in the crop.
Open Access
A fertilisation strategy combining mineral fertiliser and biosolid improves long-term yield and carbon storage in a calcareous soil
(MDPI, 2023) Zaragüeta, Armelle; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Portell Canal, Xavier; Antón Sobejano, Rodrigo; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Orcaray Echeverría, Luis; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
At a strategic moment for agricultural soils, which are expected to contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon storage while safely feeding a growing world population, the fertiliser strategies used will be key. In a calcareous soil with extensive rainfed agricultural use and straw removal, different fertiliser strategies were evaluated with the aim of determining their effects on crop yield, nitrogen agronomic efficiency, and the storage of organic carbon and total nitrogen in the soil. Different doses of mineral fertiliser, expressed as kg of mineral nitrogen ha−1 year−1 (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 nitrogen fertilising units (NFUs)), were applied to plots with and without biosolid amendment. The biosolid, applied at a rate of 40 Mg ha−1 every 3 years for 18 years, complied with national and European regulations to be applied on agricultural soil. The use of combined fertilisation reduced the amount of mineral fertiliser applied between 33 and 67% and the total fertiliser units between 7 and 40%, while maintaining similar yields to the reference mineral fertilisation (180 NFUs). These results could be related to a higher nitrogen agronomic efficiency in the combined fertilisation treatments that do not exceed the total NFUs required by the crop. Combined fertilisation was also an effective fertiliser technique to store total nitrogen and organic carbon in the soil. However, compared to the reference mineral fertilisation (180 NFUs), no significant changes in the soil organic carbon were observed, probably due to the crop management method in which the straw is removed and to higher gas emissions. Our results support the need to assess the efficacy of each agricultural technique at local scales in order not to overestimate or underestimate the potential of each agricultural technique to store soil organic carbon.
Open Access
Soil organic carbon monitoring to assess agricultural climate change adaptation practices in Navarre, Spain
(Springer, 2021) Antón Sobejano, Rodrigo; Arricibita Bidegáin, Francisco Javier; Ruiz Sagaseta de Ilurdoz, Alberto; Enrique Martín, Alberto; De Soto García, Isabel Sonsoles; Orcaray Echeverría, Luis; Zaragüeta, Armelle; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Zientziak; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Ciencias; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Climate change adaptation strategies are needed for agriculture, one of the most vulnerable human activities. In Navarre, North of Spain, ongoing adaptive management practices were identified and promoted in the framework of a regional adaptation strategy. Most include practices aiming to increase topsoil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural land. In this work, the effectiveness of these practices (conservation agriculture, crop rotations, additions of organic matter, irrigation, and controlled grazing management) was assessed by means of monitoring SOC in a network of 159 agricultural fields across the region. These fields were selected across bioclimatic zones, where soil vulnerabilities and land-uses were previously assessed, to represent the most widespread conditions in the region. A sampling protocol designed to compare SOC stocks in plots with equal soil conditions within each zone, and with or without adaptive practices, allowed the determination of their effect size (measured as response ratios, RR). Exogenous organic matter addition was the most effective practice for SOC storage (RR 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.25–1.37]) across the region. Controlled grazing also resulted in net SOC gains (RR CI [1.13–1.42]) in temperate and semiarid grasslands. Conservation agriculture seemed to be more effective in the driest zone (RR CI [1.30–1.53]) than in the more humid ones (RR CI [0.98–1.21]). Irrigation also displayed a net positive effect (RR CI [1.17–1.34]), modulated by irrigated crop management, whereas crop rotations had an overall negative impact vs. monoculture (RR CI [0.84–0.96]), likely by their interaction with irrigation. These results confirm the variability in SOC responses to changes in management, and SOC as an indicator for assessing regional adaptation practices, although other biophysical, agronomic, and socio-economic factors also need to be accounted for.

Orcaray Echeverría, Luis

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