Person: Imaz Gurruchaga, María José
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Imaz Gurruchaga
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María José
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Ciencias del Medio Natural
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6197
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Publication Open Access Tillage effects on soil quality after three years of irrigation in Northern Spain(MDPI, 2017) Apesteguía Barberena, Marcos; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Orcaray Echeverría, Luis; Bescansa Miquel, Paloma; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Imaz Gurruchaga, María José; Karlen, Douglas; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen ZientziakIrrigation is being initiated on large areas of traditionally rainfed land to meet increasing global demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel. However, the consequences of this transition on soil quality (SQ) have scarcely been studied. Therefore, after previously identifying the most tillage-sensitive SQ indicators under long-term rainfed conditions, conversion of a research site on a Haplic Calcisol in Navarre, in northeast Spain provided an ideal location to reevaluate those SQ indicators after three years of irrigated management. The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was used to test our hypothesis that adopting irrigation could change the sensitivity and importance of non-irrigated SQ indicators. Several soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators along with crop yields were used to evaluate SQ three years after initiating irrigation on a long-term conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT) study where either barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) or wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was being grown. The results confirmed our hypothesis that irrigation would change the relative importance of various SQ indicators and suggested that some SMAF algorithms, such as those used to assess bulk density, needed to be recalibrated for these Mediterranean soils.Publication Open Access Soil degradation and soil quality in Western Europe: current situation and future perspectives(MDPI, 2015) Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Imaz Gurruchaga, María José; Fernández Ugalde, Oihane; Gartzia Bengoetxea, Nahia; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Bescansa Miquel, Paloma; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen ZientziakThe extent and causes of chemical, physical and biological degradation of soil, and of soil loss, vary greatly in different countries in Western Europe. The objective of this review paper is to examine these issues and also strategies for soil protection and future perspectives for soil quality evaluation, in light of present legislation aimed at soil protection. Agriculture and forestry are the main causes of many of the above problems, especially physical degradation, erosion and organic matter loss. Land take and soil sealing have increased in recent decades, further enhancing the problems. In agricultural land, conservation farming, organic farming and other soil-friendly practices have been seen to have site-specific effects, depending on the soil characteristics and the particular types of land use and land users. No single soil management strategy is suitable for all regions, soil types and soil uses. Except for soil contamination, specific legislation for soil protection is lacking in Western Europe. The Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection in the European Union has produced valuable information and has encouraged the development of networks and databases. However, soil degradation is addressed only indirectly in environmental policies and through the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, which promotes farming practices that support soil conservation. Despite these efforts, there remains a need for soil monitoring networks and decision-support systems aimed at optimization of soil quality in the region. The pressure on European soils will continue in the future, and a clearly defined regulatory framework is needed.Publication Open Access Soil quality evaluation following the implementation of permanent cover crops in semi-arid vineyards. Organic matter, physical and biological soil properties(Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2012) Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Imaz Gurruchaga, María José; Fernández Ugalde, Oihane; Urrutia Larrachea, Idoia; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Bescansa Miquel, Paloma; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen ZientziakEl establecimiento de cubiertas vegetales permanentes (PGC) en viñedos de zonas semiáridas, con manejo tradicional de suelo desnudo mediante laboreo y aplicación de herbicidas, es controvertido, porque tiene ventajas agronómicas y ambientales, pero puede inducir cambios negativos en la calidad física del suelo. Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron: (i) avanzar en el conocimiento del efecto de la implantación de PGC en la calidad física y biológica del suelo, e (ii) identificar los indicadores de calidad del suelo más apropiados para suelos calizos de viñedo en una zona semiárida. Se determinaron propiedades físicas y biológicas clave en un Calcisol Cámbico con PGC de diferente edad (1 y 5 años), con un control manejado convencionalmente. El análisis de correlaciones mostró una relación directa entre la estabilidad estructural (WSA), la capacidad de retención de agua útil (AWC), la biomasa microbiana y las actividades enzimáticas del suelo bajo PGC. El contenido de C orgánico total (SOC) y lábil (POM-C) estuvo también correlacionado con los parámetros microbianos. Los indicadores de calidad del suelo más sensibles se identificaron mediante análisis factorial por componentes principales (PCA). La actividad de lombrices, AWC, WSA, SOC y POM-C mostraron el mayor peso en los dos factores obtenidos con PCA, por lo que estas propiedades pueden considerarse indicadores adecuados de la calidad del suelo en este agrosistema. Estos resultados indican que tanto los atributos físicos como biológicos del suelo son diferentes bajo PGC, y necesitan ser evaluados al estudiar las consecuencias de su introducción en suelos de viñedo.Publication Open Access Casting activity of scherotheca gigas in no-till Mediterranean soils: role in organic matter incorporation and influence of aridity(Hindawi / Wiley, 2010) Bescansa Miquel, Paloma; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Fernández Ugalde, Oihane; Imaz Gurruchaga, María José; Enrique Martín, Alberto; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen ZientziakThe behaviour of earthworms, their role in organic matter incorporation into the soil, and the influence of aridity in such processes in arid and semiarid regions have scarcely been studied. In this study, physico-chemical analyses of the casts and the surrounding no-till agricultural soils of three experimental sites representing an aridity gradient in Navarre (NW Spain) were done. The casts were formed by the activity of the only anecic species, Scherotheca gigas (Dug`es, 1828), ubiquitous in no-till soils in this region.We observed a significant depletion of clay and higher concentration of total organic C and labile C in the form of particulate organic matter (POM) in the casts as compared to the surrounding soil, suggesting selective ingestion of soil by S. gigas. This, together with the observation of increased concentration in POM with increasing aridity, suggests a major role of this species in the observed progressive gains of organic C stocks in no-till soils in the region.