Climate change signals in the historical water footprint of wheat production in Zimbabwe.

Climate change has been posited as the biggest threat to crop productivity in agro-systems, yet its impact on the water footprints of crop production for many regions remains uncertain. This study sought to determine evidence of historical climate change (1980-2010) and its resultant impact on the blue water footprint of winter wheat production in Zimbabwe. The analysis involved assessing the impact of climate change on wheat yield and crop water requirements, the key factors determining the blue water footprint.

Nitrogen and phosphorus transport in runoff from compost berms on a simulated military training landscape.

Compost mulches have potential to significantly offset on- and off-site environmental impacts resulting from mechanical soil disturbances and training manoeuvres on military training ranges. N and P transport was investigated in runoff from compost mulch berms made from various organic waste materials in combination with each other and with soil on a simulated military training landscape in north Alabama in 2007 and 2008. Berms were constructed using composted municipal yard waste (YW), wood chips (WC), pine bark fines (PB), and soil (SL) mixed in eight different proportions.

Tillage, cropping systems, and nitrogen fertilizer source effects on soil carbon sequestration and fractions.

Quantification of soil carbon (C) cycling as influenced by management practices is needed for C sequestration and soil quality improvement. We evaluated the 10-yr effects of tillage, cropping system, and N source on crop residue and soil C fractions at 0- to 20-cm depth in Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Paleudults) in northern Alabama, USA. Treatments were incomplete factorial combinations of three tillage practices (no-till [NT], mulch till [MT], and conventional till [CT]), two cropping systems (cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L.