Ecological impacts of arable intensification in Europe

Although arable landscapes have a long history, environmental problems have accelerated in recent decades. The effects of these changes are usually externalized, being greater for society as a whole than for the farms on which they operate, and incentives to correct them are therefore largely lacking. Arable landscapes are valued by society beyond the farming community, but increased mechanization and farm size, simplification of crop rotations, and loss of non-crop features, have led to a reduction in landscape diversity. Low intensity arable systems have evolved a characteristic and diverse fauna and flora, but development of high input, simplified arable systems has been associated with a decline in biodiversity. Arable intensification has resulted in loss of non-crop habitats and simplification of plant and animal communities within crops, with consequent disruption to food chains and declines in many farmland species. Abandonment of arable management has also led to the replacement of such wildlife with more common and widespread species. Soils have deteriorated as a result of erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter and contamination with pesticides, and in some areas, heavy metals. Impacts on water are closely related to those on soils as nutrient and pesticide pollution of water results from surface runoff and subsurface flow, often associated with soil particles, which themselves have economic and ecological impacts. Nitrates and some pesticides also enter groundwater following leaching from arable land. Greatest impacts are associated with simplified, high input arable systems. Intensification of arable farming has been associated with pollution of air by pesticides, NO2 and CO2, while the loss of soil organic matter has reduced the system's capacity for carbon sequestration. International trade contributes to global climate change through long distance transport of arable inputs and products. The EU Rural Development Regulation (1257/99) provides an opportunity to implement measures for alleviating ecological impacts of arable management through a combination of cross-compliance and agri-environment schemes. To alleviate the problems described in this paper, such measures should take account of opportunities for public/private partnerships and should integrate social, cultural, economic and ecological objectives for multifunctional land use.     

Cattle feedlot soil moisture and manure content: II. Impact on Escherichia coli O157

The moisture and manure contents of soils at cattle feedlot surfaces vary spatiotemporally and likely are important factors in the persistence of Escherichia coli O157 in these soils. The impacts of water content (0.11-1.50 g H2O g(-1) dry feedlot surface material [FSM]) and manure level (5, 25, and 75% dry manure in dry FSM) on E. coli O157:H7 in feedlot soils were evaluated. Generally, E. coli O157:H7 numbers either persisted or increased at all but the lowest moisture levels examined. Manure content modulated the effect of water on E. coli growth; for example, at water content of 0.43 g H2O g(-1) dry FSM and 25% manure, E. coli O157:H7 increased by 2 log10 colony forming units (CFU) g(-1) dry FSM in 3 d, while at 0.43 g H2O g(-1) dry FSM and 75% manure, populations remained stable over 14 d. Escherichia coli and coliform populations responded similarly. In a second study, the impacts of cycling moisture levels and different drying rates on naturally occurring E. coli O157 in feedlot soils were examined. Low initial levels of E. coli O157 were reduced to below enumerable levels by 21 d, but indigenous E. coli populations persisted at >2.50 log10 CFU g(-1) dry FSM up to 133 d. We conclude that E. coli O157 can persist and may even grow in feedlot soils, over a wide range of water and manure contents. Further investigations are needed to determine if these variables can be manipulated to reduce this pathogen in cattle and the feedlot environment.     

Relationship Between Woody Plant Colonization and Typha L. Encroachment in Stormwater Detention Basins

We studied stormwater detention basins where woody vegetation removal was suspended for 2 years in Virginia, USA to determine if woody vegetation can control Typha populations and how early woody plant succession interacts with Typha, other herbaceous vegetation, and site factors. Distribution and composition of woody vegetation, Typha and non-Typha herbaceous vegetation biomass, and site factors were assessed at 100 plots in four basins ranging in age from 7 to 17 years. A greenhouse study examined the interaction of shade and soil moisture on Typha biomass and persistence. Principal component analysis identified an environmental gradient associated with greater water table depths and decreased elevation that favored Typha but negatively influenced woody vegetation. Elevation was correlated with litter layer distribution, suggesting that initial topography influences subsequent environmental characteristics and thus plant communities. Soil organic matter at 0–10 cm ranged from 5.4 to 12.7 %. Woody plants present were native species with the exception of Ailanthus altissima and Pyrus calleryana. In the greenhouse, shade and reduced soil moisture decreased Typha biomass and rhizome length. The shade effect was strongest in flooded plants and the soil moisture effect was strongest for plants in full sun. Typha in dry soil and heavy shade had 95 % less total biomass and 83 % smaller rhizomes than Typha in flooded soil and full sun, but even moderate soil moisture reductions decreased above- and below-ground biomass by 63 and 56 %, respectively. Suspending maintenance allows restoration of woody vegetation dominated by native species and may suppress Typha invasion.     

Predicting methyl iodide emission, soil concentration, and pest control in a two-dimensional chamber system

Due to ever-increasing state and federal regulations, the future use of fumigants is predicted on reducing negative environmental impacts while offering sufficient pestcontrol efficacy. To foster the development of a best management practice, an integrated tool is needed to simultaneously predict fumigant movement and pest control without having to conduct elaborate and costly experiments. The objective of this study was (i) to present a two-dimensional (2-D) mathematical model to describe both fumigant movement and pestcontrol and (ii) to evaluate the model by comparing the simulated and observed results. Both analytical and numerical methods were used to predict methyl iodide (MeI) transport and fate. To predict pest control efficacy, the concentration-time index (CT) was defined and a two-parameter logistic survival model was used. Dose-response curves were experimentally determined for MeI against three types of pests (barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli] seed, citrus nematode [Tylenchulus semipenetrans], and fungi [Fusarium oxysporum]). Methyl iodide transport and pest control measurements collected from a 2-D experiimental system (60 by 60 cm) were used to test the model. Methyl iodide volatilization rates and soil gas-phase concentrations over time were accurately simulated by the model. The mass balance analysis indicates that the fraction of MeI degrading in the soil was underestimated when determined by the appearance of iodide concentration. The experimental results showed that after 24 h of MeI fumigation in the 2-D soil chamber, fungal population was not suppressed; > 90% of citrus nematodes were killed; and barnyardgrass seeds within 20-cm distance from the center were affected. These experimental results were consistent with the predicted results. The model accurately estimated the MeI movement and control of various pests and is a powerful tool to evaluate pesticides in terms of their negative environmental impacts and pest control under various environmental conditions and application methods.     

Sustainability Criteria for Decision Support in the UK Water Industry

The incorporation of sustainability assessment into decision-making processes is a key task for water service providers in the UK and elsewhere. This paper describes the development and application of a set of sustainability criteria, which have been developed and tested with project partners in the UK and Romania. They will be used in a 'guidebook' that will set out a framework to facilitate the inclusion of sustainability in the decision-making process. This work is part of the Sustainable Water Industry Asset Resource Decisions project to develop a multi-criteria analysis decision support system to assist water service providers to assess the relative sustainability of water/wastewater system asset development decisions.     

Assessment of manure phosphorus export through turfgrass sod production in Erath County, Texas

A best management practice (BMP) for exporting manure phosphorus (P) in turfgrass sod from the North Bosque River (NBR) watershed in central Texas was assessed using a geographic information system (GIS). The NBR watershed has a mandate to reduce the total annual P load to the NBR by 50% as a result of total maximum daily load regulation. Since dairy waste applications to fields are identified as the major nonpoint source of P to the river, innovative BMPs, such as export of manure P in turfgrass, will be needed to achieve the 50% reduction. However, methods are needed to evaluate the feasibility of these innovative management practices prior to their implementation. A geospatial database of suitable turfgrass production sites was developed for Erath County using GIS. Erath County largely encompasses the upper portion of the NBR watershed. Information from field experiments, production practices, and ground-truthing was used to search, analyze, and verify a geospatial database developed from national and regional sources. The integration and analyses of large databases supports the search by turf producers for sites suitable for turfgrass sod production in Erath County. In addition, GIS enables researchers and regulators to estimate manure P exports and reduced P loading due to implementation of the manure export BMP on a county scale. Under optimal conditions 198,000 kg manure P yr(-1) could be used and 114,840 kg manure P yr(-1) exported from the NBR watershed through implementation of a system using dairy manure to produce turfgrass sod. This is the equivalent of the manure P applied from 10,032 dairy cows yr(-1) and exported from 5808 dairy cows yr(-1). Application of GIS to large-scale planning and decision-making transcends traditional field-scale applications in precision agriculture.