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The promotion of land, soil and water conservation measures has been a widespread development in sub-Saharan Africa in a bid to tackle degradation and improve productivity. As a result, several governments have launched various campaigns on soil, land and water conservation measures. The aim of this study is to determine some of the factors that influence farmers' awareness (knowledge) and adoption of land, soil and water conservation practices. Data for this study was collected from 312 households using a questionnaire survey in the Chinyanja Triangle of Southern Africa. The study sites were sampled from Tete province of Mozambique, central and southern regions of Malawi and eastern Province of Zambia. We used t-tests to classify adopters and non-adopters of soil, land and water conservation measures and binomial logit models to identify the factors that influence farmers' knowledge of conservation measures and adoption of land productivity practices. The results show that the household head's age, education, agricultural advice reception and farmer group membership are critical in raising awareness. While the household head's age, education, agricultural advice reception, farmer group membership, pieces of land owned or used in production and land-to-man ratio influenced adoption decisions. The study, therefore, concludes that in order to improve land productivity in the Chinyanja Triangle, there is a need to consider farmers' heterogeneity in terms of household head's age, level of education, extension services outreach, and socio-economic characteristics. This suggests that governments' policies in the region should be aimed at improving farmers' level of education, extension delivery that will target the elderly and the youth, land ownership, credit access, and social capital such as group formation. ; Peer Review

In recent years, national reports have called for undergraduate laboratory education that engages students in authentic research experiences. As a result, a number of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed in biological sciences and some specifically in microbiology. Students benefit from CUREs much like in traditional mentored research experiences, where students carry out independent projects in faculty laboratories. These benefits include increased self-efficacy in research skills, enhanced identification as scientists, and higher graduation rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors. Because mentored research experiences are not readily available to every student, CUREs represent a potential mechanism to democratize the research experience by providing such opportunities to all students. However, many of existing CUREs described in the literature are designed for advanced undergraduates or are limited to a small number of students. Here, we report student outcomes from a large-enrollment introductory CURE on soil microbiomes that engages students in a real-world context with microbiology. In pre- and post-course surveys, students reported significant gains in self-efficacy on a number of research skills. These results are triangulated with post-course survey data on project ownership, sense of community, and CURE design elements such as collaboration, iteration, discovery, and relevance.

In recent years, national reports have called for undergraduate laboratory education that engages students in authentic research experiences. As a result, a number of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed in biological sciences and some specifically in microbiology. Students benefit from CUREs much like in traditional mentored research experiences, where students carry out independent projects in faculty laboratories. These benefits include increased self-efficacy in research skills, enhanced identification as scientists, and higher graduation rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors. Because mentored research experiences are not readily available to every student, CUREs represent a potential mechanism to democratize the research experience by providing such opportunities to all students. However, many of existing CUREs described in the literature are designed for advanced undergraduates or are limited to a small number of students. Here, we report student outcomes from a large-enrollment introductory CURE on soil microbiomes that engages students in a real-world context with microbiology. In pre- and post-course surveys, students reported significant gains in self-efficacy on a number of research skills. These results are triangulated with post-course survey data on project ownership, sense of community, and CURE design elements such as collaboration, iteration, discovery, and relevance.

To assess the environmental factors determining the zonation between Phacelurus latifolius and Phragmites australis, vegetation survey and soil analysis were performed at a tidal marsh. The vegetation of the tidal marsh was classified into P. latifolius and Suaeda japonica dominated quadrats, P. latifolius and P. australis dominated quadrats, P. australis dominated quadrats, and P. australis and other land plants dominated quadrats. The density of P. latifolius (83.7 ± 5.5 shoots m−2) was higher than that of P. australis (79.3 ± 12.1 shoots m−2) in each dominated quadrat but height of two species were similar. Soil environmental characteristics of P. latifolius dominated quadrats appeared to be affected by tide based on higher soil electric conductivity (ECPL = 1530 ± 152 μS cm−1; ECPA + PL = 689 ± 578 μS cm−1; ECPA = 689 ± 578 μS cm−1) and lower pH (pHPL = 5.96 ± 0.16; pHPA + PL = 6.28 ± 0.31; pHPA = 6.38 ± 0.22). In redundancy analysis, environmental characteristics of P. latifolius dominated quadrats and P. australis dominated quadrats were clearly separated and those of P. latifolius and P. australis co-dominated quadrats were similar to P. australis dominated quadrats. From our investigation, P. latifolius showed relatively high competitiveness when compared to P. australis in lower tidal zone rather than upper tidal zone. Zonation of P. latifolius and P. australis seems to be a transitional zone between halophytes and land plant species. ; This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2015R1D1A1A01057373), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (NRF2018R1A2B2002267), and R&E program of Siheung Education Institute for Gifted.

The aim of the study was to investigate parasitic contamination of soil and vegetation on different locations in the Sarajevo Canton and to propose the rehabilitation measures. Among 55 locations sampled in the Canton Sarajevo in 2015, 33 (66.0%) were positive. In total, 220 soil samples and 80 plant samples were tested, and 59 (26.82%) and 12 (15.00%) were positive, respectively. Five different parasite-developing stages were determined. The highest level of contamination was detected in the parks (77.77%) and playgrounds (75.00%). Among 33 positive locations (60.00% of examined locations), taeniid eggs were detected in four (12.12%), Toxocara canis eggs in 32 (96.97%), Trichuris spp. eggs in nine (27.27%) and ancylostomatid eggs in six locations (18.18%), while nematode larvae were identified in 14 locations (42.42%). Out of 71 soil and plants positive samples, taeniid eggs were identified in four (5.63%) and Toxocara canis eggs in 50 samples (70.42%). Trichuris spp. eggs were found in nine (12.67%), ancylostomatid eggs in six (8.45%) and nematode larvae in 17 samples (23.94%). Concerning the public health aspect, it is crucial to reduce parasitic contamination by implementing adequate preventive measures in line with the legislation. Involvement of all concerned particularly pet owners (parents and children), veterinarians, physicians, and environmentalists, should be strongly encouraged with major emphasis on permanent education.

Abstract
Among children, infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) can cause anemia, impaired growth, and absence from school. Sustainable control of STH infection requires that appropriate latrines be integrated with health-promotion education. We report a pilot study of the effects of a combined latrine-education intervention in Central Java, Indonesia. The participants were 99 children (3–13 years old) in two villages (intervention and control) south of Semarang city. Stool samples were collected from the children and were examined for the presence of helminth eggs. After baseline data were collected, latrines were constructed and health education was given in the intervention village. Then, in both villages, all children who had STH infection at baseline were given 400 mg of albendazole. Eight months later, follow-up stool samples were collected and examined. In both villages, 20% of the children had STH infection at baseline. At follow-up, the incidence of STH infection was much lower in the intervention village than in the control village (4.0% vs. 20.4%; p<0.02). The results of this small pilot study give some confidence that a scaled-up study involving many more children and cluster-randomization of the intervention will be feasible and could provide more conclusive evidence of the intervention's effectiveness.

Pillar Two of the GSP underpins many of the actions under the other Pillars by addressing the general lack of societal awareness of the importance of soil in people's lives and the well - being of the planet. In many cases, deficiency in education is the specific underlying cause of unsustainable land management practices, of the general lack of investment (both in education and physical measures to protect soil) and, as importantly, of the widespread political reluctance to adopt short - and long - term measures to preserve and enhance soil conditions. The Plan of Action (PoA) for Pillar 2 consists of six interlinked and interdependent components: policy, investment, education, extension, public awareness and technical cooperation. The development of the PoA was initiated at the European Network Soil Awareness (ENSA) workshop in Aberdeen in September 2013. This was followed by discussions at the 2013 Global Soil Week in Berlin which lead to the establishment of a Working Group to produce a draft plan of action , which was eventually endorsed by t he ITPS in April 2014. The PoA was presented, reviewed and adopted by the Plenary Assembly of the GSP in July 2014. Seven key recommendations are presented. Robust policy frameworks are one means of ensuring the sustainable management and protection of soils. Therefore, governments must be in vited to create or reinforce policies on soil and its protection. Whereas soil protection and management is a long - term aim, most political decisions are governed by short - term ambitions that reflect the lifetime of governments or politicians. Today's highly urbanised society means that the population is largely detached from food and fibre production issues and lack s a fundamental understanding of the role o f soil in enabling such life - critical services. It is disappointing to observe that society in many parts of the world attaches a greater value to developments in subjects such as particle physics and mobile communication than essential issues such as soil fertility. ...

49 Pags., 6 Tabls., 4 Figs. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00380717 ; Agricultural management practices play an important role in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions due to their impact on the soil microenvironment. In this study, two experiments were performed to investigate the influence of tillage and N fertilization on GHG production at the macroaggregate scale. In the first experiment, soil macroaggregates collected from a field experiment comparing various soil management systems (CT, conventional tillage; NT, no-tillage) and N fertilization types (a control treatment without N and mineral N and organic N with pig slurry treatments both at 150kgNha-1) were incubated for 35 days. Methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) production was quantified at regular time intervals by gas chromatography. In the second experiment, the effects of fertilization type and soil moisture on the relative importance of nitrification and denitrification processes in N2O emission from soil macroaggregates were quantified. Nitrate ammonium, macroaggregate-C concentration, macroaggregate water-stability, microbial biomass-C and N (MBC and MBN, respectively) and water-soluble C (WSC) were determined. While NT macroaggregates showed methanotrophic activity, CT macroaggregates acted as net CH4 producers. However, no significant differences were found between tillage systems on the fluxes and cumulative emissions of CO2 and N2O. Greatest cumulative CO2 emissions, macroaggregate-C concentration and WSC were found in the organic N fertilization treatment and the lowest in the control treatment. Moreover, a tillage and N fertilization interactive effect was found in macroaggregate CO2 production: while the different types of N fertilizers had no effects on the emission of CO2 in the NT macroaggregates, a greater CO2 production in the CT macroaggregates was observed for the organic fertilization treatment compared with the mineral and control treatments. The highest N2O losses due to nitrification were found in the mineral N treatment while denitrification was the main factor affecting N2O losses in the organic N treatment. Our results suggest that agricultural management practices such as tillage and N fertilization regulate GHG production in macroaggregates through changes in the proportion of C and N substrates and in microbial activity. ; D. Plaza-Bonilla was awarded an FPU fellowship by the Spanish Ministry of Education. This research was supported by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología of Spain (grants AGL 2007-66320-C02-01 and AGL 2010-22050-C03-01/02) and by the Aragon Government and La Caixa (grant GA-LC-050/2011). ; Peer Reviewed

This study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Estonia (SF0180127s08 grant), the Estonian Research Council (IUT2-16, PRG-352, and MOBERC20), the Czech Science Foundation (17-18112Y) and project SustES - Adaptation strategies for sustainable ecosystem services and food security under adverse environmental conditions (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000797), the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (Centres of Excellence ENVIRON, grant number TK-107, EcolChange, grant number TK-131, and the MOBTP101 returning researcher grant by the Mobilitas Pluss programme) and the European Social Fund (Doctoral School of Earth Sciences and Ecology). This work was also supported by Academy of Finland (294088, 288494), and from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [757695]. We would like to thank Marek Jakubík for his technical support ; Preprint

Economic implication of climate change and soil management practices in Nigeria, Empirical in-depth analysis Emeka Emmanuel Osuji1, Emeka Uchenna Eze2, Akunna Tim-Ashama3, Ugochi Gift Njoku4, Henrietta Akudo Odor5, & Cynthia Onyinyechi Obi-Nwandikom6 1 Department of Agriculture, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University NdufuAlikeAbakaliki, Nigeria 2,4-5 Department of Agricultural Technology, Federal Polytechnic NekedeOwerri Imo State, Nigeria 3 Department of Agricultural Science, AlvanIkoku Federal College of Education Owerri, ImoState, Nigeria 6 Department of Agricultural Economics, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria osujiemeka2@yahoo.com, ueze@fpno.edu.ng, timashama5@gmail.com, ugoify-2007@yahoo.com, henriettaakudo@gmail.com, cynthia.obi-nwandikom@futo.edu.ng ABSTRACT Agriculture which is the main occupation of majority of rural dwellers in Nigeria has suffered a huge setback due to mostly total neglect and abandonment by successive government coupled with climatic variations and unsuitable soil management practices employed by the household farmers, and thus the essence of this study; economic implication of climate change and soil management practices in Nigeria. The devastating impacts of climate change in Nigeria cannot be ruled off with its significant evidences across the agro-ecological zones. The havoc caused by variations in climate change is second to none. These impacts have been felt virtually across all sectors of the economy namely health, security, energy, transportation, agriculture, etc. However, in as much as climate change poses adverse effects in Nigeria, its positive side though highly debatable cannot be ruled out for instance, rising temperatures and heat waves in most cases activate and aid soil microbial organisms, thus enhancing soil aeration, soil structure and texture which further aid and support agricultural production of the household farmers. Greater attention is thus being given to intensification of sustainable soil management technologies. Key benefits of ...

2012 Spring. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Agriculture is vulnerable to the effects of and a contributor to climate change, as a net source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG). However, agriculture has potential to reduce emissions and perhaps even become a net sink for GHG, through implementation of improved management practices. Previous research has shown that improved practices that reduce soil disturbance may sequester atmospheric carbon (C) in the form of soil organic matter. However, the impact of these practices on emissions of soil N2O, a potent GHG, are not as well understood. It is important to assess the effects of these practices on GHG emissions, as well as the potential of these practices to be used widely by farmers. I examined the effects of reduced soil disturbance from two conservation practices, no-till (NT) and conversion of cultivated cropland to perennial grassland, on N2O emissions, and evaluated adoption of NT by farmers in the Great Plains region of the U.S. I used a meta-analysis approach to evaluate changes in soil N2O emissions after a shift from full-inversion tillage (FT) to no-till (NT) on cropland and conversion of cultivated croplands to grasslands. Data were collected from published literature and analyzed with a linear mixed-effect modeling method, in which management practices, soil texture and climate were tested as fixed effect. After adoption of NT, soil N2O emissions were predicted to increase in humid climates by 0.4-0.8 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1, and decrease in dry climates, especially on soils with low clay contents, by as much as 1 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1. Changes in emissions after conversion of cropland to grassland were largely related to changes in N fertilizer rates. When lower rates of N were applied to grasslands, emissions were reduced by as much as 2 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1. When there was no change in N fertilizer, emissions were predicted to be higher than cropland rates, especially on moderate clay soils. Though the analysis predicted some clear changes in emissions after NT adoption and conversion of croplands to grasslands, further research is needed to better understand the interacting effects of management, climate and soil texture on soil N2O emissions. The practice of NT has been associated with many environmental benefits, including reduced soil erosion, lower run-off rates, increased soil organic matter, and improved soil structure. In addition to the potential of NT to sequester atmospheric C, results from my research show potential for NT to reduce N2O emissions in dry climates. Furthermore, the ability of NT to increase soil moisture retention may be a great benefit to crop production in dry climates, such as found in the Great Plains, U.S. However, NT is only used on about 17% of all croplands in this region. To evaluate the factors affecting NT adoption in the Great Plains, I conducted a regional analysis using county-level statistics and a local-level analysis using household surveys. Environmental variables, climate, slope, and soil texture, were predictors of adoption at the regional scale. High rates of adoption were predicted in dry, cool climates, which was consistent with the finding in the household surveys that NT farmers were more likely to cite soil moisture conservation as an important issue. Counties with more erodible soils (i.e. steep slopes (water) or high sand (wind)) had higher rates of NT adoption, possibly indicating that farmers in these counties were using NT to control soil erosion. Components of farm structure were also important, with ownership, cropping system, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment influencing NT adoption. Increased ownership rates and higher proportions of wheat cropping, led to lower rates in NT adoption. According to the household surveys, farmers with land enrolled in the CRP were more likely to use NT. Some operator characteristics and attitudes were found to be positively associated with NT adoption. Farmers who had been on their operation longer, expressed trust in the federal government, or hunted on their land for recreation were also more likely to adopt NT. Though some significant predictors of adoption in the Great Plains region may have an economic impact (climate, ownership and wheat cropping), no direct economic measures were found to be significant in predicting NT adoption in this analysis. Barriers to NT adoption in the region may be lack of education on the benefits of NT on crop production and the prevalence of continuous wheat cropping in parts of the region. Because NT adoption rates were higher among farmers who had participated in a government program (CRP) or expressed trust in the federal government, outreach may especially need to be targeted to farmers with less involvement in federal government programs. Though reason for the influence of ownership on NT adoption was unclear, future research may focus on the role of farm size in tillage decisions.

This study was conducted with the main objective of determining the linkages between poverty and land management practices in Uganda. The study used the 2002/03 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and more focused data collected from a sub-sample of 851 households of the 2002/03 UNHS sample households. We found that farmers in Uganda deplete about 1.2 percent of the nutrient stock stored in the topsoil per year, which leads to a predicted 0.31 percent reduction in crop productivity. The value of replacing the depleted nutrients using the cheapest inorganic fertilizers is equivalent to about 20 percent of household income obtained from agricultural production. Econometric analysis of the survey results provides evidence of linkages between poverty and land management practices. Land investments increase agricultural productivity and income and conserve natural resources. Many inputs and land management practices increase crop production per acre. We observed an inverse farm size – crop productivity relationship but a negative association of farm size and per capita income. Education of female household members has generally a limited impact on land management, while male education is associated with greater use of inorganic fertilizer. Both female post-secondary and male primary and secondary education are associated with higher crop productivity. Larger families use more erosive practices but realize higher value of crop production per acre but have lower per capita income. Access to financial capital, markets and roads has limited effect on land management. However, access to financial capital and non-farm opportunities increase crop productivity and per capita household income and access to roads contributes to higher per capita household income and less soil nutrient depletion. These results support the Uganda government poverty reduction strategy through building rural roads, and increasing access to financial capital and non-farm opportunities. Both the traditional and the new agricultural extension program increase use of fertilizer and crop productivity, suggesting that investment in extension services could significantly contribute to agricultural modernization and poverty reduction. The results suggest the need to give incentives for technical assistance programs to operate in remote areas, where access to extension services is limited. Perennial crop producers deplete soil nutrients more rapidly, implying the need to promote measures to restore soil nutrients in perennial (especially banana) production areas. We find no significant differences in crop productivity or income per capita associated with differences in land tenure systems. Our findings suggest that customary land tenure, which is the most common form of tenure, is not a constraint to improvements in land productivity or use of sustainable land management. Overall, our results provide general support for the hypothesis that promotion of poverty reduction and agricultural modernization through technical assistance programs and investments in infrastructure and education can improve agricultural productivity and help reduce poverty. However, they also show that some of these investments do not necessarily reduce land degradation, and may contribute to worsening land degradation in the near term. Thus, investing in poverty reduction and agricultural modernization is not sufficient to address the problem of land degradation in Uganda, and must be complemented by greater efforts to address this problem."""" -- Authors' Abstract ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; GRP5; Land Resource Management for Poverty Reduction ; EPTD

Climate change is stronger at high than at temperate and tropical latitudes. The natural geothermal conditions in southern Iceland provide an opportunity to study the impact of warming on plants, because of the geothermal bedrock channels that induce stable gradients of soil temperature. We studied two valleys, one where such gradients have been present for centuries (long-term treatment), and another where new gradients were created in 2008 after a shallow crustal earthquake (short-term treatment). We studied the impact of soil warming (0 to +15 C) on the foliar metabolomes of two common plant species of high northern latitudes: Agrostis capillaris, a monocotyledon grass; and Ranunculus acris, a dicotyledonous herb, and evaluated the dependence of shifts in their metabolomes on the length of the warming treatment. The two species responded differently to warming, depending on the length of exposure. The grass metabolome clearly shifted at the site of long-term warming, but the herb metabolome did not. The main up-regulated compounds at the highest temperatures at the long-term site were saccharides and amino acids, both involved in heat-shock metabolic pathways. Moreover, some secondary metabolites, such as phenolic acids and terpenes, associated with a wide array of stresses, were also up-regulated. Most current climatic models predict an increase in annual average temperature between 2–8 C over land masses in the Arctic towards the end of this century. The metabolomes of A. capillaris and R. acris shifted abruptly and nonlinearly to soil warming >5 C above the control temperature for the coming decades. These results thus suggest that a slight warming increase may not imply substantial changes in plant function, but if the temperature rises more than 5 C, warming may end up triggering metabolic pathways associated with heat stress in some plant species currently dominant in this region. ; This research was supported by the European Research Council Synergy grant ERC-2013-SyG-610028 IMBALANCE-P, the Spanish Government grant CGL2016-79835, the Catalan Government grant SGR 2014-274, the Scholarly Studies programme of the Smithsonian Institution, projects LM2015061 and LO1415 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, and the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO aspirant grant to N.L.). ; Peer Reviewed

5 páginas, 3 figuras ; The objective of this workwas to study the influence pine or oak wood added to soil as an amendment (5% w/w) had on the degradation rate of two pesticides, alachlor and metalaxyl, with different hydrophobic character. The formation of pesticide metabolites and the soil dehydrogenase activity in non-amended and amended soil samples were also monitored. The degradation of metalaxyl followed first-order kinetics, while the degradation of alachlor followed first-order or biphasic kinetics in the soil samples studied. The results indicated that the degradation rate was slower for metalaxyl than for alachlor, and for both pesticides followed the order: pine amended soil < oak amended soil < non-amended soil. The faster degradation rate in non-amended soilwas attributed to the higher sorption of pesticides by wood amended soils. The alachlor ethane sulfonic acid (ESA), and two metalaxyl metabolites (2-[(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-methoxyacetylamino]-propionic acid and N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2-methoxy-acetamide) were detected during the incubation period. Soil dehydrogenase activity recorded close values in non-amended and amended soil treated with alachlor, but it was higher in wood amended soil treated with metalaxyl. Pine and oak wood increase the immobilization of the pesticides studied, but they also limit their bioavailability in soil by decreasing their degradation rate in amended soil. ; This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and the regional government, the Junta de Castilla-Leon as part of projects CTM2004-00381/TECNO and CSI02A06. ; Peer reviewed

Den Nordkinesiske Slette (DNS) er en alluvial region i det østlige Kina, som strækker sig sydover fra syd for Bejing til Yangtze floden. Regionen er et landbrugsområde, der producerer ca. en tredjedel af landets hvede. Den primære afgrøde er vinterhvede i rotation med sommermajs. Den Nordkinesiske Slette er desuden et af de tættest befolkede områder i Kina, og der er stor økonomisk aktivitet. Den kinesiske regering fremmede anvendelsen af gødning og pesticider i 1980'erne for at øge produktiviteten. Desværre er forbruget af disse landbrugskemikalier steget ukontrolleret, og i dag sker der et overforbrug (i kg/ha) på to til tre gange mere end i de fleste i-lande. Miljøpåvirkningerne til følge inkluderer alvorlig overfladevands- og grundvandsforurening med nitrogen og pesticider, ødelæggelse af jordbunden og bioakkumulering af toksiske stoffer. Bedre beskyttelse af vandressourcerne er afgørende for at opretholde levebrød og en sikker drikkevandsforsyning. Den kinesiske regering og det kinesiske forskningssamfund har anerkendt behovet for bæredygtige produktionteknikker og der investeres for at nå dette mål. Med hensyn til passende anvendelse og timing af kunstvanding og kunstgødning er der sket fremskridt. Men hensyn til pesticider har de fleste studier fokuseret på pesticidrester, afgrøderesistens og effektiv behandling af specifikke skadedyr. På trods af dette arbejde stiger anvendelsen af landbrugskemikalier per hektar, og vandkvaliteten i de hydrologiske oplande på den Den Nordkinesiske Slette er stadig væsentligt ringere sammenlignet med andre egne i Kina. Set i lyset af dette, har dette ph.d.-studie haft fire mål: (a) at kvantificere næringsstofbelastningen i grundvand og overfladevand med henblik på at forstå udveksling og primære fjernelsesveje gennem et feltstudie; (b) at redegøre for nuværende brug og overvågning af pesticider (særligt herbicider) på DNS; (c) at vurdere forekomsten af udvalgte herbicider på et case site på DNS; og (d) at fremsætte et nyt grundlag for diskussion og vejledning til håndtering af vandforurening forårsaget af uhensigtsmæssig anvendelse af landbrugskemikalier i Kina. Feltundersøgelserne blev udført på en lokalitet på DNS med grundvand-overfladevandsinteraktion, hvor feltarbejdet med blandt andet vandprøvetagning blev gennemført i perioden marts 2013 til marts 2014. Resultater fra feltområdet viste et stort forbrug af kunstgødning, som kan reduceres betydeligt. Forurenet flodvand, med blandt andet ammonium, infiltrerede til det overfladenære grundvand. Derudover var der en nedsivning af nitrat fra jordoverfladen til grundvandsmagasinet. Anammox, denitrifikation og ionbytning så ud til at være de primære fjernelsesprocesser i jord-, overflade-, grundvandssystemet, som viste en høj nitrogenfjernelseskapacitet. Hvis overfladevandssammensætningen ændrer sig (for eksempel til at have en lavere ammonium koncentration) ændres også fjernelsesprocesserne og øget nitratovervågning anbefales derfor. Dataanalyse og et litteraturstudie afslørede at herbiciderne 2,4-D, acetochlor, and atrazine er de mest anvendte i hvede-majs afgrødesystemet på DNS. Selvom 2,4-D og atrazine er angivet i "Chinese Drinking Water Guideline" findes der ingen systematisk overvågning af stofferne, og de fleste videnskabelige studier forkuserer på overvågning af gamle pesticider, som for eksempel hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloro-ethanes (DDTs). Vandprøver af flod- og grundvandet samlet under dette ph.d.-studie viste rester af 2,4-D og atrazine på flere µg/l (fra alle fire vandprøvesamlingskampagner). Forureningen vurderes at være forårsaget af overførsel af pesticider fra flodvandet til grundvandet. Det indikerer, at det er vigtigt at undersøge den nuværende pesticidanvendelse, særligt i områder med infiltration af overfladevand til overfladenære grundvandsmagasiner. Generelt observeres for landbrugsaktiviteter på DNS et udtalt behov for uddannelse af landmænd indenfor bæredygtige produktionsteknikker og hensigtsmæssig anvendelse af landbrugskemikalier. En måde at opnå dette kunne være at øge forståelsen for og viden om landbrugets miljøpåvirkninger ved at indføre formel uddannelse af landmænd, for eksempel faguddannelse. Uddannelse kan også føre til forbedret status og indtægtsmuligheder for landbrugsarbjedere, og på den måde være incitament for den yngre generation til at vælge landbrugssektoren som en profession. Dette ph.d.-studie har givet indsigt og forståelse af kvælstofstofkredsløbet og forekomsten af udvalgte herbicider på en feltlokalitet. Der er redegjort for pesticid -anvendelse, -overvågning og -forskning på Den Nordkinesiske Slette, samt udviklet nye anbefalinger til at forbedre vidensdeling mellem miljøforskere og landmænd. ; The North China Plain is one of China's major economic zones and one of the most densely populated areas in the country. It covers a broad expanse of eastern China, extending from just below Beijing in the north down towards the Yangtze River in the south. This alluvial plain region is also one of China's main agricultural production zones, accounting for about one third of the national grain output. The dominant crop system is a winter wheat and summer maize rotation. Beginning in the 1980s, in an effort to increase agricultural productivity, China's government heavily promoted the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Unfortunately, the lack of regulation or oversight has led to the overuse of these agrochemicals: current application rates (in kg/ha) are two- to threefold higher than in most developed countries, and this is taking its toll on the environment. Problems include severe surface water and groundwater pollution by nitrogen and pesticides, soil degradation, bioaccumulation of toxic compounds, and more. It is crucial for China to do improve the safeguarding of its water resources in order to sustain the livelihoods of its people and ensure safe supply of drinking water. Recently, the Chinese government and the scientific research community have acknowledged the need for more sustainable production techniques, and increasing quantities of money and effort are being directed toward achieving this goal. There has already been a great deal of improvement in determining the appropriate amounts of agricultural inputs, such as irrigation and fertilizers, as well as the ideal times to apply them. In terms of pesticides, most studies have focused on pesticide residues, crop resistances, and on the efficient treatment of specific pests. Despite this groundwork, however, statistical records show that the application of agrochemicals per hectare continues to increase, and the water quality within the river basins of the North China Plain remains substantially worse than in other parts of the country. Taking this background into consideration, this PhD study focused on four different objectives: (a) to quantify the nutrient loading in groundwater and surface water at a sample field site in order to understand their exchange and removal pathways; (b) to review the current use and monitoring of pesticides (and especially herbicides) in the NCP; (c) to assess the occurrence of selected herbicides at a sample field site in the NCP; and (d) to provide a new basis for discussion and guidance on how to address the issue of water pollution caused by the improper use of agrochemicals in China. For the field investigation, a study site located within the NCP with river water-groundwater interaction was chosen, and field work was performed between October 2012 and March 2014. Results from the field study showed that fertilizer inputs were excessive, and could be reduced substantially. Contaminated river water was infiltrating – and carrying ammonium pollution – into the shallow groundwater. Additionally, nitrate was infiltrating from the surface of the field into the aquifer. Anammox, denitrification, and cation exchange were the suggested dominant removal processes in the soil-surface water-groundwater system examined in this study, which showed a very high nitrogen removal capacity. However, if the composition of the river water were to change (if, for instance, the ammonium concentration were to decrease) the removal processes in the system would also be altered. Consequently, further monitoring of nitrate pollution is suggested. Regarding pesticides, a literature review and data assessment revealed that the most commonly applied herbicides in the North China Plain wheat-maize cropping system are 2,4-D, acetochlor, and atrazine. Although 2,4-D and atrazine are listed in the Chinese Drinking Water Guideline, there is currently no systematic monitoring of these compounds taking place, and most research studies have focused on the monitoring of legacy pesticides such as hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). In the river water and groundwater samples drawn during this study, mainly 2,4-D and atrazine residues, were discovered in concentrations of several µg/l (these results were consistent across all four sampling campaigns). Most of the pollution seemed to have been caused by the river water carrying pesticides into the groundwater system. This indicates that it may be important to pay more attention to the investigation of currently-used pesticides, especially in areas where surface water infiltrates into shallow aquifers. The overall observation on agricultural activities in the North China plain was that much improvement is needed in educating farmers on sustainable production techniques and the proper application of agrochemicals. One way to increase farmers' understanding and knowledge of the environmental impact of agriculture would be to shift to a more formal training regime, for example vocational education. One possible side effect of such a change could be to raise the status and income opportunities enjoyed by agricultural workers, thereby giving the younger generation an incentive to choose farming as a profession. In conclusion, this PhD study gave insights into a more systemic understanding of nutrient degradation and the occurrence of particular herbicides at a specific field site. The research into the use and monitoring of pesticides in the North China Plain was reviewed and new recommendations were developed to enhance the dissemination of knowledge from environmental researchers to farmers.