Hill-placement of manure and fertilizer for improving maize nutrient- and water-use efficiencies in the northern Benin.

Optimizing the use of organic and mineral fertilizer in rain-fed maize production is crucial for sustainable food production in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the effect of hill-placement of two nutrient sources (farmyard manure and synthetic fertilizer) on nutrient- and water-use efficiencies of maize crops i.e.

Eliciting the gender income influences on household's food security in west africa.

Women economic potential can be used to reduce household's food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. This study analyzed the influence of gender on household's food security through the household's income in North-Benin. We selected 300 households using a multistage sampling technique.

Leaf phenotypic plasticity coupled with integration facilitates the adaptation of plants to enhanced N deposition.

The response of leaf functional traits can provide vital insight into the adaptive strategies of plants under global change. However, empirical knowledge on the acclimation of functional coordination between phenotypic plasticity and integration to increased nitrogen (N) deposition is still scarce. The variation of leaf functional traits of two dominant seedling species, Machilus gamblei and Neolitsea polycarpa, across four N deposition rates (0, 3, 6, and 12 kg N hayr), along with the relationship between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration were investigated in a subtropical montane forest.

A global review of rubber plantations: Impacts on ecosystem functions, mitigations, future directions, and policies for sustainable cultivation.

The growing global need for latex is driving rubber plantation (RP) expansion since the last century, with >2 Mha of cultivation area being established in the last decade. Southeast Asia is the hotspot for rubber cultivation at other land-use costs. Although rubber cultivation has improved the economic status of farmers, it has altered the habitat's ecology and ecosystem functions (EF).

Soil quality assessment of different Hevea brasiliensis plantations in tropical China.

Land degradation is a global problem caused by improper agricultural practices. In tropical China, the rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations are predominantly practiced on forest-cleared lands, considering their sustainable land management potential compared to annual cropping. However, all rubber plantations may not have similar land management capacity.

Lateral flow between bald and vegetation patches induces the degradation of alpine meadow in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Bald patches (BPs) are known to accelerate and simultaneously mitigate the process of desertification. However, the mechanisms of these two synchronous actions are little studied in high desert and cold systems; and the incidence of BPs on alpine meadows degradation in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) of China is still unavailable. This study first aims to investigate the soil properties and the erodibility of the system BPs-VPs at the Beiluhe basin in QTP.

Decay and erosion-related transport of sulfur compounds in soils of rubber based agroforestry.

Elemental sulfur is intensively used to control weeds and rubber leaf diseases. However, the mechanisms contributing to elemental sulfur dissipation and decay (hereafter decay) in rubber agroforestry remains unclear. This study relates hydrological processes such as runoff and soil loss to the changes in soil total sulfur (S) and sulfate (S-SO) in typical hillslope rubber agroforestry intercropped with cocoa in Xishuangbanna.

Compound-specific carbon isotopic fractionation during transport of phthalate esters in sandy aquifer.

The present paper aims to evaluate the carbon isotopic fractionation of phthalate esters (PAEs) during transport in an sandy aquifer. Breakthrough curves of di-methyl phthalate (DMP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in mixed solution were determined by miscible displacement experiment, and simulated using HYDRUS-1D software. The stable carbon isotopes (δ(13)C) of 3 PAEs in effluent were analyzed at different times.

Transport of bisphenol-A in sandy aquifer sediment: Column experiment.

The present paper aims to study the transport behavior of bisphenol-A (BPA) in sandy aquifer so as to provide important parameters for the prediction and control of contaminant plume in aquifer. Miscible displacement experiments were conducted and the breakthrough curves (BTCs) were simulated using HYDRUS-1D software. The effects of pore-water velocity (10-52 cm h(-1)) and initial concentration (2.