Papers by Maria Luisa Fernandez-Marcos
Scientia Agricola, 2011
Liming increases crop production through improved soil conditions in acidic soils. Among the effe... more Liming increases crop production through improved soil conditions in acidic soils. Among the effects of liming, increased availabilities of alkaline and alkaline-earth cations are worth mention. These availabilities may be affected by the particle size of applied limestone, which influences lime reactivity. The effects of particle size and application schedule of magnesium limestone were investigated on extractable Ca, Mg and K in soil, their concentrations in sward plants and dry-matter yield. Magnesium limestone of various particle sizes was applied to experimental plots at a rate of 3 t ha-1, a grass-clover sward was sown, and the plots were monitored during three years. The finest limestone (< 0.25 mm) in a single application yielded the highest soil Ca and Mg concentrations extracted by Mehlich-3 and NH4Cl. The same limestone split in three annual doses was less effective. Plots treated with the coarsest limestone (2-4 mm) did not differ from control plots. Liming had no eff...
Edafología, 1997
Biblioteca de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Base de datos de artículos de revistas, ...
Forest Ecology and Management, 1999
... accumulated between rows (Treatment W), this treatment was included because earlier observati... more ... accumulated between rows (Treatment W), this treatment was included because earlier observations in E. grandis plantations in S Africa had indicated that nutrients were initially locked up in the woody material, which later became a nutrient resource (Jones and Dighton, 1993 ...
Soil Science, 2010
Liming is a common practice in Galician (NW Spain) soils devoted to pasture production. Although ... more Liming is a common practice in Galician (NW Spain) soils devoted to pasture production. Although many studies have established the right liming rates, there is a lack of information concerning the ideal particle size for optimal agronomic results. This study aims to evaluate the effects of particle size (2Y4, 0.5Y2, 0.25Y0.5, G0.25 mm) of magnesium limestone as well as the application schedule (in a single application or split in 3 yearly applications) on the proprieties of an acid soil in Galicia and on the yield and quality of pasture growing on the soil during the 2 years after liming. The soil proprieties were monitored seasonally, and the pasture yield and nutritional contents were determined in summer and autumn. The soil analysis showed that the plots treated with a single application of the finest limestone exhibited the highest pH (pH water 5.05Y5.53), and the lowest exchangeable Al (G10% Al saturation throughout the period of study), the highest concentrations of exchangeable Ca (8.40Y10.18 cmol (+) kg j1) and Mg (1.39Y1.71 cmol (+) kg j1) and the highest effective cation exchange capacity (11.2Y13.7 cmol (+) kg j1). In contrast, plots treated with the coarsest limestone had values similar to control plots. The highest production of total dry matter and, especially, the highest yield of sown species were found in the plots receiving the finest limestone (0.75Y1.10 t ha j1 dry matter in summer harvest versus 0.30Y0.75 t ha j1 in control plots). Available P, exchangeable cations (K and Ca), and pH explain a high percentage of the variance of these parameters. The Mg concentrations and the total contents of Ca and Mg in plant tissues were significantly higher in the plots treated with the finest limestone.
Spanish Journal of Soil Science, Mar 23, 2023
The application of cattle slurry to agricultural soils contributes to the circular economy,
whil... more The application of cattle slurry to agricultural soils contributes to the circular economy,
while enriching the soil in macro and micronutrients and organic matter. However, this
practice can have deleterious environmental effects, by adding toxic metals and other
contaminants. The pseudo-total concentrations of nine potentially toxic and trace metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd and Pb) as well as metals extracted by DTPA, Mehlich 3 and 0.01M CaCl2 were determined in Galician (NW Spain) grassland soils regularly receiving cattle slurry. Four soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm) were sampled and analysed. The pollution condition was assessed by comparing the pseudo-total concentrations with generic reference levels for Galician soils and by using pollution indices. The results indicated the absence of soil pollution by Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Pb and a situation of no pollution to moderate pollution by Mn, Zn and Cu. Cd was the element most frequently enriched in the studied soils according to the pseudo-total, DTPA and Mehlich-3 concentrations, while the extraction by CaCl2 pointed to no environmental risk. The study supports the lithogenic character of Fe, Ni, Co and Cr, the mixed lithogenic and anthropogenic nature of Mn, Zn and Cu and the anthropogenic origin of Cd in these soils. The latter element can be added by both the application of cattle slurry and inorganic phosphate fertilisers.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, 1999
The geochemical processes influencing iron and aluminium mobilization and immobilization processe... more The geochemical processes influencing iron and aluminium mobilization and immobilization processes in mine soils are discussed. The study was carried out on 11 soils from the As Pontes mine dump, in the process of reclamation. The soils differ in age, spoils nature, reclamation tasks and type of vegetation, covering a wide range of physico-chemical conditions. Oxalate and pyrophosphate extractable Al and Fe (Alo, Alp, Feo, Fep), and dithionite extractable Fe (Fed) were analysed. These fractions were related to the solution Al and Fe forms and contents and to other soil properties (Eh, pH, sulfides, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and composition of the soil solution). Alo ranged between 2.2 and 111.2 cmolc kg −1 ; 5 to 80% of this Alo was organic aluminium (Alp). Fed ranged between 8.5 and 215.6 cmolc kg −1 ; 20 to 70% was poorly-criystalline iron (Feo). The solution concentrations of Al and Fe ranged between <0.1 and 319.2, and between <0.1 and 46.7 mg L −1 , respectively. The results showed that the spoil nature (mostly carbonaceous clays and slates differing in sulfide content) and the reclamation tasks undertaken (topsoiling, liming with fly ash) determine the forms and contents of Al and Fe in the solid phase as well as in the soil solution and also its distribution between the solid and liquid phases.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, 1999
The geochemical processes influencing iron and aluminium mobilization and immobilization processe... more The geochemical processes influencing iron and aluminium mobilization and immobilization processes in mine soils are discussed. The study was carried out on 11 soils from the As Pontes mine dump, in the process of reclamation. The soils differ in age, spoils nature, reclamation tasks and type of vegetation, covering a wide range of physico-chemical conditions. Oxalate and pyrophosphate extractable Al and Fe (Alo, Alp, Feo, Fep), and dithionite extractable Fe (Fed) were analysed. These fractions were related to the solution Al and Fe forms and contents and to other soil properties (Eh, pH, sulfides, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and composition of the soil solution). Alo ranged between 2.2 and 111.2 cmolc kg −1 ; 5 to 80% of this Alo was organic aluminium (Alp). Fed ranged between 8.5 and 215.6 cmolc kg −1 ; 20 to 70% was poorly-criystalline iron (Feo). The solution concentrations of Al and Fe ranged between <0.1 and 319.2, and between <0.1 and 46.7 mg L −1 , respectively. The results showed that the spoil nature (mostly carbonaceous clays and slates differing in sulfide content) and the reclamation tasks undertaken (topsoiling, liming with fly ash) determine the forms and contents of Al and Fe in the solid phase as well as in the soil solution and also its distribution between the solid and liquid phases.
Science of The Total Environment, 2001
Residues of the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglicine) and its main metabolite, aminomet... more Residues of the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglicine) and its main metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), were determined in a forest soil in north-west Spain, previously treated with 5 and 8 l ha(-1) of glyphosate. Both products were monitored in the solid and liquid soil phases for an 8-week period after the treatment. Soil samples were extracted by KH2PO4. Concentrated extracts and liquid phase samples were derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) before determination by HPLC using an anion exchange column and spectrofluorometric detection. The treated soil peaked at 6.9 microg g(-1) of glyphosate, whereas soil water samples peaked at 0.74 microg ml(-1) of glyphosate. One month after the treatment, both glyphosate and AMPA concentrations in soil and water samples were almost negligible. AMPA peaked at 0.77 microg ml(-1) in soil water samples. Glyphosate and AMPA exhibited high vertical mobility in the treated soil, quickly reaching high concentrations in subsurface horizons where the degradation is slower.
PeerJ, 2018
Volcanic soils cover 1% of the Earth's surface but support 10% of the world's population.... more Volcanic soils cover 1% of the Earth's surface but support 10% of the world's population. They are among the most fertile soils in the world, due to their excellent physical properties and richness in available nutrients. The major limiting factor for plant growth in volcanic soils is phosphate fixation, which is mainly attributable to active species of aluminium and iron. The sorption and desorption of phosphate is studied on the surface horizons of two African agricultural soils, a silandic Andosol (Rwanda) and a vitric Andosol (São Tomé and Principe). Both soils are slightly acid. The silandic Andosol is rich in active aluminium forms, while the vitric Andosol has high amounts of crystalline iron and aluminium oxides. Sorption isotherms were determined by equilibrating at 293K soil samples with phosphate solutions of concentrations between 0 and 100 mg P L in NaNO; phosphate was determined by visible spectrophotometry in the equilibrium solution. To study desorption, the ...
Fresenius Environmental Bulletin
ABSTRACT
Solid Earth, 2014
The objective of this work was to study nutrients release from two compressed nitrogen–potassium–... more The objective of this work was to study nutrients release from two compressed nitrogen–potassium–phosphorous (NPK) fertilizers. In the Lourizán Forest Center, tablet-type controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) were prepared by compressing various mixtures of fertilizers without covers or binders. We used soil columns (50 cm long and 7.3 cm inner diameter) that were filled with soil from the surface layer (0–20 cm) of an A horizon corresponding to a Cambic Umbrisol. Tablets of two slow-release NPK fertilizers (11–18–11 or 8–8–16) were placed into the soil (within the first 3 cm), and then water was percolated through the columns in a saturated regime for 80 days. Percolates were analyzed for N, P, K<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup>. These elements were also determined in soil and fertilizer tablets at the end of the trials. Nutrient concentrations were high in the first leachates and reached a steady state when 1426 mm of water had be...
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2014
Science of The Total Environment, 1996
Available phosphorus levels and P sorption capacity were investigated in soils derived from coal ... more Available phosphorus levels and P sorption capacity were investigated in soils derived from coal mine spoils at As Pontes (Galicia, NW Spain), currently in the process of reclamation. Clays and shales, often in conjunction with pyrite and other sulphides, are the main constituents of the spoils; many are extremely acid as a result of oxidation of sulphides. Reclamation tasks consisted of topsoiling, chemical and organic fertilizing or various amendments. Two depths (O-15 and 15-30 cm) were sampled and analysed at each sampling site. In total, 140 samples were collected ranging in pH-H,O from 2.7 to 8.4. Olsen P values ranged between 1 and 54 mg. kg-'. The phosphorus sorption index (PSI), determined according to Bathe and Williams (1971), ranged between 2.4 and 55.1. Multiple correlation between PSI and several soil parameters was investigated using a stepwise linear regression method. Four soil parameters (oxalate-extractable Fe and Al, pH in KC1 and organic carbon) were shown to explain 79% of the variance in log PSI. The correlation equation found was: log PSI = 3.562 + 0.519 x log(A1 + Fe),-0.065 x pH-KC1 + 0.247 x log(org. C).
Science of The Total Environment, 2003
The concentrations of different forms of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd and Pb) were de... more The concentrations of different forms of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd and Pb) were determined in a mine dump material rich in chalcopyrite. The concentrations were compared with those of the natural vegetation colonising the dump. Samples taken from the dump are acid (pH between 3.0 and 5.0), have carbon contents H O 2 lower than 0.5%, N lower than 0.2%, effective cation exchange capacity between 0.74 and 4.96 cmol(q) kg and y1 percent Al saturation in the exchange complex higher than 20% in 85% of the samples. Iron was the most abundant heavy metal, in both total and bioavailable forms, and the relative abundance of metals was: Fe)Cu)Mn)Zn)Cr. The total Fe concentrations ranged between 4315 and 31 578 mg kg , the total Cu between 273 and 5241 mg kg , y1 y1 the total Mn between 294 and 2105 mg kg , the total Zn between 73 and 894 mg kg and total Cr between 0.01 y1 y1 and 30 mg kg. Ni, Cd and Pb were below the analytical detection limits. The concentration of bioavailable Fe y1 ranged between 40 and 1550 mg kg ; Zn was the least abundant metal in this fraction (between 2 and 100 y1 mg kg). Copper was the most abundant heavy metal in the exchange complex and in the aqueous extracts, followed y1 by Zn, Mn and Fe. Exchangeable Cu ranged between 17.7 and 1866 mg kg , whereas the maximum concentrations y1 of exchangeable Zn, Mn and Fe did not exceed 140 mg kg. The Cu concentration in the aqueous extracts varied y1 between 0.1 and 8.3 mg l and the concentration of Fe was always less than 0.52 mg l. The heavy metal contents y1 y1 in the spontaneously occurring vegetation in the dump ranged between: 150 and 900 mg Fe kg , 84 and 2069 mg y1 Mn kg , 20.5 and 106 mg Cu kg and between 35 and 717 mg Zn kg , when considering all the plant samples y1 y1 y1 analysed. Festuca sp. accumulated Fe, Salix atrocinerea accumulated Zn and Mn, and Frangula alnus and Quercus robur accumulated Mn. These native plant species may contribute to decrease the heavy metal contents in the dump material.
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2008
Page 1. RESEARCH ARTICLE Dynamics of macronutrients during the first stages of litter decompositi... more Page 1. RESEARCH ARTICLE Dynamics of macronutrients during the first stages of litter decomposition from forest species in a temperate area (Galicia, NW Spain) Esperanza Alvarez Æ Marıa L. Fernández Marcos Æ Victor Torrado Æ Marıa J. Fernández Sanjurjo ...
Land Degradation & Development, 1999
ABSTRACT
Land Degradation & Development, 1999
The usefulness of Mehlich 3 (M3) reagent was evaluated as a method to extract numerous elements f... more The usefulness of Mehlich 3 (M3) reagent was evaluated as a method to extract numerous elements from coalmine soils in As Pontes (Spain) showing a wide range of physicochemical properties. Critical levels (deficiency and/or toxicity) were established for plant available elements extracted by this reagent. The M3 method was compared to 1M NH4Cl, Olsen, acid oxalate, and DTPA methods as extractants for exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, available P, non-crystalline aluminium, and available heavy metals, respectively. The M3 method correlated significantly to NH4Cl for Ca, Mg and K (r=0·76, 0·84 and 0·87, respectively), to Olsen P (r=0·77) and to oxalate Al (r=0·77). Significant correlations were found between Fe, Cu, Zn and Cd extracted by M3 and DTPA; for Mn, Ni, Co and Pb different relationship between methods were obtained for acid and alkaline samples, so that critical levels were established for M3 metals as a function of soil pH. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Papers by Maria Luisa Fernandez-Marcos
while enriching the soil in macro and micronutrients and organic matter. However, this
practice can have deleterious environmental effects, by adding toxic metals and other
contaminants. The pseudo-total concentrations of nine potentially toxic and trace metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd and Pb) as well as metals extracted by DTPA, Mehlich 3 and 0.01M CaCl2 were determined in Galician (NW Spain) grassland soils regularly receiving cattle slurry. Four soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm) were sampled and analysed. The pollution condition was assessed by comparing the pseudo-total concentrations with generic reference levels for Galician soils and by using pollution indices. The results indicated the absence of soil pollution by Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Pb and a situation of no pollution to moderate pollution by Mn, Zn and Cu. Cd was the element most frequently enriched in the studied soils according to the pseudo-total, DTPA and Mehlich-3 concentrations, while the extraction by CaCl2 pointed to no environmental risk. The study supports the lithogenic character of Fe, Ni, Co and Cr, the mixed lithogenic and anthropogenic nature of Mn, Zn and Cu and the anthropogenic origin of Cd in these soils. The latter element can be added by both the application of cattle slurry and inorganic phosphate fertilisers.
while enriching the soil in macro and micronutrients and organic matter. However, this
practice can have deleterious environmental effects, by adding toxic metals and other
contaminants. The pseudo-total concentrations of nine potentially toxic and trace metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd and Pb) as well as metals extracted by DTPA, Mehlich 3 and 0.01M CaCl2 were determined in Galician (NW Spain) grassland soils regularly receiving cattle slurry. Four soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm) were sampled and analysed. The pollution condition was assessed by comparing the pseudo-total concentrations with generic reference levels for Galician soils and by using pollution indices. The results indicated the absence of soil pollution by Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Pb and a situation of no pollution to moderate pollution by Mn, Zn and Cu. Cd was the element most frequently enriched in the studied soils according to the pseudo-total, DTPA and Mehlich-3 concentrations, while the extraction by CaCl2 pointed to no environmental risk. The study supports the lithogenic character of Fe, Ni, Co and Cr, the mixed lithogenic and anthropogenic nature of Mn, Zn and Cu and the anthropogenic origin of Cd in these soils. The latter element can be added by both the application of cattle slurry and inorganic phosphate fertilisers.