Browsing by Author "Lopez-Pineiro, Antonio"
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- Concentrations of available heavy metals in mediterranean agricultural soils and their relation with some soil selected properties: a case study in typical mediterranean soilsPublication . Nunes, Jose Rato; Ramos-Miras, Jose; Lopez-Pineiro, Antonio; Loures, Luis; Gil, Carlos; Coelho, Jose; Loures, AnaThe characterization of the content of trace metals in soils is an instrument in many programs of environmental protection, including the establishment of regional-level standards to detect sites affected by contamination. The objectives of the present study were to study the available levels of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in surface horizons of agricultural soils in a typical European Mediterranean region, to establish the geochemical baseline concentration (GBC), background level (BL), and reference value (RV) of each of these available metals, and to investigate their possible correlations with soil properties. To establish the GBC and RV values, we used the " standard threshold method". Topsoil samples (0-20 cm) were collected from 630 sites, and extracted with Diethylene Triamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA) to determine their available heavy metal concentrations. The GBC values established were: 0.04 to 0.90 mg kg(-1), 0.70 to 2.50 mg kg(-1), 0.10 to 6.30 mg kg(-1), 0.30 to 7.90 mg kg(-1), 0.29 to 4.50 mg kg(-1), and 0.18 to 2.50 mg kg(-1) for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively. Soil properties were found to be correlated with the available heavy metal content, suggesting that the enhanced mobility of heavy metals are related to anthropic activities.
- Effects of the European Union agricultural and environmental policies in the sustainability of most common Mediterranean soilsPublication . Rato Nunes, Jose Manuel; Bonito, Antonio; Loures, Luis; Gama, Jose; Lopez-Pineiro, Antonio; Pena, David; Albarran, AngelAgro-environmental measures promoted by the European Union focus mainly on environmental protection by maintaining sustainable levels of productivity that are adequate to the agro-ecological conditions of each region on different Member States. Among these European Union promoted measures the one known as Extensive Forage Systems is particularly relevant for the Mediterranean Region. In order to analyze the impact of this measure and to verify if the high expenditure of communitarian funds, with its implementation in Mediterranean soils, is aligned with the predicted benefits, a seven-year study in a southern Portugal region was conducted. In this regard, several soil chemical parameters such as organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity, available phosphorus, "available" potassium and heavy metal levels (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb and Ni), were assessed, in 1329 different plots in order to represent some of the existing diversity of the Mediterranean environment, identified by the Portuguese Parcel Identification System, and considering the possibility to evaluate the evolution of these parameters on the main soil types of the region. The obtained results enabled us to verify that the application of the agro-environmental measure Extensive Forage Systems did not lead, during the 7 years of the study, to any significant change in terms of organic matter, soil pH and/or heavy metals content. Still it contributed for a small growth on "available" phosphorus and potassium levels and to a significant increase on Soil electrical conductivity (EC). As a final conclusion we can refer that the application of the agro-environmental measure Extensive Forage Systems, in soil, clime and cultural conditions prevailing in this study (Typical Mediterranean conditions from the South of Europe), did not reach its main objective, which was to increase the organic matter content in soils.