Thesis Title: Organic Matterial Consentration in Cretan Soil: The Role of Vegetation

Wednesday 6 Febrouary  2019, at: 11:00, Venue: Hall Κ2.A3

Examination Committee

• Associate Professor Nikolaos Paranychianakis (advisor)
• Professor Nikolaos Nikolaidis
• Professor Nikolaos Kalogerakis

Abstract

Worldwide, the need for better management of natural resources is evident. Since a large fraction of these resources is used for agriculture, improving cultivation practices is important for achieving this goal. Better soil quality, brings about desirable results in the agricultural sector. But soil can also be an environmental regulator as it can store large amounts of carbon and nitrogen. This paper examines the effect of vegetation on soil quality. It is vital to understand, carbon and nitrogen concentration in the soil, as well as the way these compounds are stored.

The area under consideration in this research is the Kiliaris river basin. In order to understand the soil material, results from the physical and chemical properties of olive tree and avocado cultivation lands are compared. These two trees were selected for their divergent characteristics. As shown in the results listed later in the work, the soils cultivated with avocados have a higher concentration of organic material and nitrogen. Moreover, there is a significant interaction between the soil aggregates and the organic material, so their dynamics is examined thoroughly.