Cranfield University

About: Cranfield University is a education organization based out in Cranfield, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Supply chain. The organization has 10025 authors who have published 21130 publications receiving 678277 citations.

Fate of veterinary antibiotics in a macroporous tile drained clay soil

Abstract: The environment may be exposed to veterinary medicines administered to livestock through the application of organic fertilizers to land For other groups of substances that are applied to agricultural land (eg, pesticides), preferential flow in under-drained clay soils has been identified as an extremely important mechanism by which pollution of surface waters can occur This study, therefore, was performed to investigate the fate of three antibiotics from the sulfonamide, tetracycline, and macrolide groups Pig slurry was applied to a field in arable production in two consecutive years and the fate of the compounds was monitored in the soil and drainage water Both sulfachloropyridazine and oxytetracycline were detected in soil at concentrations up to 365 and 1691 μg/kg, respectively Subsequently, peak concentrations of the two substances in drainflow were 6132 and 361 μg/L, although mass losses to the receiving water were less than 05% In contrast, tylosin was not detected at all These findings could be explained by the persistence and sorption characteristics of the antibiotics, while preferential flow via desiccation cracks and worm channels to the tile drains was found to be the most important route for translocation of the chemicals Thus, when the soil was disced prior to slurry application, losses were reduced significantly It is evident that processes governing pesticide fate also apply to veterinary antibiotics

Measurements of the soil microbial community for estimating the success of restoration

Abstract: Summary Land degradation is of concern in many countries. In order for timely and effective interventions to be made to reverse this degradation it is necessary to have objective measurements of ecosystem status. By measuring characteristics of the soil microbial community we can assess the status of the microbial ecosystem and in that sense the quality of the soil, and the potential for, and progress of, restoration after degradation. Recent research has shown quantitatively how by measuring the soil microbial community we can assess degradation and the effects of management designed to reverse it. The size, composition and activity of the soil microbial community convincingly distinguish between systems, and between the impact of management strategies upon them. Measurements of these characteristics of the microbial community provide invaluable information for restoring degraded land and are ready for routine use. Specifically, profiles of phospholipid fatty acid contents, and substrate induced respiratory responses to different carbon substrates, will yield significant data upon which management decisions may be based.

Climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements in the Guadalquivir river basin in Spain

Abstract: Irrigated production in the Guadalquivir river basin in Spain has grown significantly over the last decade. As a consequence, water resources are under severe pressure, with an increasing deficit between available supplies and water demand. To conserve supplies, the water authority has reduced the volume of water assigned to each irrigation district. Major infrastructural investments have also been made to improve irrigation efficiency, including the adoption of high technology micro-irrigation systems. Within a context of increasing water scarcity, climate change threatens to exacerbate the current supply-demand imbalance. In this study, the impacts of climate change on irrigation water demand have been modelled and mapped. Using a combination of crop and geographic information systems, maps showing the predicted spatial impacts of changes in agroclimate (climate variables that determine the irrigation requirements) and irrigation need have been produced. The maps highlight a significant predicted increase in aridity and irrigation need. Modelling of irrigation water requirements shows a typical increase of between 15 and 20% in seasonal irrigation need by the 2050s, depending on location and cropping pattern, coupled with changes in seasonal timing of demand.