The Experts below are selected from a list of 57378 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Muhammad Saleem Arif - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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fresh and composted industrial sludge restore Soil Functions in surface Soil of degraded agricultural land
Science of The Total Environment, 2018Co-Authors: Muhammad Saleem Arif, Muhammad Riaz, Sher Muhammad Shahzad, Tahira Yasmeen, Muhammad Ashraf, M A Siddique, Muhammad Salman Mubarik, Luca BragazzaAbstract:A field study was conducted to test the potential of 5-year consecutive application of fresh industrial sludge (FIS) and composted industrial sludge (CIS) to restore Soil Functions at surface (0-15cm) and subsurface (15-30cm) of the degraded agricultural land. Sludge amendments increased Soil fertility parameters including total organic carbon (TOC), Soil available nitrogen (SAN), Soil available phosphorus (SAP) and Soil available potassium (SAK) at 0-15cm depth. Soil enzyme activities i.e. dehydrogenase (DHA), β-glucosidase (BGA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALp) were significantly enhanced by FIS and CIS amendments in surface Soil. However, urease activity (UA) and acid phosphatase (ACp) were significantly reduced compared to control Soil. The results showed that sludge amendments significantly increased microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) at both Soil depth, and Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) only at 0-15cm depth. Significant changes were also observed in the population of Soil culturable microflora (bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) with CIS amendment in surface Soil suggesting persistence of microbial activity owing to the addition of organic matter source. Sludge amendments significantly reduced Soil heavy metal concentrations at 0-15cm depth, and the effect was more pronounced with CIS compared to unamended control Soil. Sludge amendments generally had no significant impact on Soil heavy metal concentrations in subSoil. Agronomic viability test involving maize was performed to evaluate phytotoxicity of Soil solution extract at surface and sub-surface Soil. Maize seeds grown in solution extract (0-15cm) from sludge treated Soil showed a significant increase of relative seed germination (RSG), relative root growth (RRG) and germination index (GI). These results suggested that both sludge amendments significantly improved Soil properties, however, the CIS amendment was relatively more effective in restoring Soil Functions and effectively immobilizing wastewater derived heavy metals compared to FIS treatment.
Rachel Creamer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Science for policy 6: Urban planning: sealing the future of Soil Functions - datasets?
2020Co-Authors: Dirk Vrebos, Rachel Creamer, Arwyn Jones, Rogier P.o. Schulte, Jan Staes, Francesca Bampa, Zwetsloot Marie, Mariana Debernardini, Lilian O’sullivanAbstract:This dataset is part of Deliverable and 5.3 and produced by the WP4 team of the Landmark H2020 project. It contains the following shapefiles: PO6_BAU_NoZoning_50.shp PO6_BAU_NoZoning_100.shp PO6_BAU_Zoning_50.shp PO6_Sprawl_Zoning_50.shp PO6_BAU_NoZoning_50.shp PO6_Compact_Zoning_50.shp PO6_Compact_NoZoning_50.shp The metronamica Model was applied on six scenarios with combinations of business as usual, suburban sprawl or compact city development which build on the socio-economic projections and density assumptions of the ESPON-ET2050 project, and use the land use allocation parameters from the RECARE and SoilCare Integrated Assessment Models. Spatial development (zoning) was for some scenarios restricted in high productive fields. The model results give probabilities (0 – 1) of urban development within the 1 km² cells. Based on these probability percentages the different Soil Functions are reduced (100% of the probability and 50% of the probability) compared to the current Soil functioning and, for the 50% scenarios, partly replaced by low productive grasslands as gardens and other public greenery. Z-scores are calculated from the spatial SF maps for each of the environmental zones. These environmental zones are derived from the Metzger et al. (2013). The z-scores give the signed fractional number of standard deviations by which SF means for an environmental zone are above or below the mean value and allow us indicate which areas have a higher or lower Soil function performance compared to the mean value. Z-scores from the current SF maps and scenario maps were then compared to each other to calculate the change in z-scores. This change in z-scores is given in the shapefiles and describes the relative change in Soil function performance. Positive values indicate an improvement in Soil functioning compared to the current situation, negative values a decrease. More information regarding calculation and interpretation of both this dataset and the Soil function maps used to calculate the z-scores can be found in: Vrebos D., F. Bampa, R. Creamer, A. Jones, E. Lugato, L. O’Sullivan, P. Meire, R.P.O. Schulte, J. Schroder and J. Staes (2018). Scenarios maps: visualizing optimized scenarios where supply of Soil Functions matches demands. LANDMARK Report 4.3. and Jones A. et al. (2019). An options document to propose future policy tools for functional Soil management. LANDMARK 5.3. All available from www.landmark2020.eu.
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Modeling of Soil Functions for assessing Soil quality: Soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2019Co-Authors: Jeroen P. Van Leeuwen, Guénola Pérès, Daniel Cluzeau, Rachel Creamer, Marko Debeljak, Fabio Gatti, Vladimir Kuzmanovski, Cristina Menta, Christian Bugge Henriksen, Calypso PicaudAbstract:Soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning is one of the Soil Functions that agricultural land provides to society. This paper describes assessment of the Soil biodiversity function (SB function) as a proof of concept to be used in a decision support tool for agricultural land management. The SB function is defined as ‘the multitude of Soil organisms and processes, interacting in an ecosystem, providing society with a rich biodiversity source and contributing to a habitat for aboveground organisms.’ So far, no single measure provides the full overview of the Soil biodiversity and how a Soil supports a habitat for a biodiverse ecosystem. We have assembled a set of attributes for a proxy-indicator system, based on four ‘integrated attributes’: 1) Soil nutrient status, 2) Soil biological status, 3) Soil structure, and 4) Soil hydrological status. These attributes provide information to be used in a model for assessing the capacity of a Soil to supply the SB function. A multi-criteria decision model was developed which comprises of 34 attributes providing information to quantify the four integrated attributes and subsequently assess the SB function for grassland and for cropland separately. The model predictions (in terms of low – moderate – high Soil biodiversity status) were compared with expert judgements for a collection of 137 grassland Soils in the Netherlands and 52 French Soils, 29 grasslands and 23 croplands. For both datasets, the results show that the proposed decision model predictions were statistically significantly correlated with the expert judgements. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the Soil nutrient status, defined by attributes such as pH and organic carbon content, was the most important integrated attribute in the assessment of the SB function. Further progress in the assessment of the SB function is needed. This can be achieved by better information regarding land use and farm management. In this way we may make a valuable step in our attempts to optimize the multiple Soil Functions in agricultural landscapes, and hence the multifaceted role of Soils to deliver a bundle of ecosystem services for farmers and citizens, and support land management and policy towards a more sustainable society.
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Modeling of Soil Functions for Assessing Soil Quality: Soil Biodiversity and Habitat Provisioning
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2019Co-Authors: Jeroen Van Leeuwen, Guénola Pérès, Daniel Cluzeau, Rachel Creamer, Marko Debeljak, Fabio Gatti, Christian Henriksen, Vladimir Kuzmanovski, Cristina Menta, Calypso PicaudAbstract:Soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning is one of the Soil Functions that agricultural land provides to society. This paper describes assessment of the Soil biodiversity function (SB function) as a proof of concept to be used in a decision support tool for agricultural land management. The SB function is defined as "the multitude of Soil organisms and processes, interacting in an ecosystem, providing society with a rich biodiversity source and contributing to a habitat for aboveground organisms." So far, no single measure provides the full overview of the Soil biodiversity and how a Soil supports a habitat for a biodiverse ecosystem. We have assembled a set of attributes for a proxy-indicator system, based on four "integrated attributes": (1) Soil nutrient status, (2) Soil biological status, (3) Soil structure, and (4) Soil hydrological status. These attributes provide information to be used in a model for assessing the capacity of a Soil to supply the SB function. A multi-criteria decision model was developed which comprises of 34 attributes providing information to quantify the four integrated attributes and subsequently assess the SB function for grassland and for cropland separately. The model predictions (in terms of low-moderate-high Soil biodiversity status) were compared with expert judgements for a collection of 137 grassland Soils in the Netherlands and 52 French Soils, 29 grasslands, and 23 croplands. For both datasets, the results show that the proposed model predictions were statistically significantly correlated with the expert judgements. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the Soil nutrient status, defined by attributes such as pH and organic carbon content, was the most important integrated attribute in the assessment of the SB function. Further progress in the assessment of the SB function is needed. This can be achieved by better information regarding land use and farm
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Soil Functions—An Introduction
World Soils Book Series, 2018Co-Authors: Rogier P.o. Schulte, Lilian O’sullivan, Rachel CreamerAbstract:It is now widely recognised that Soils not only provide food but in addition, they deliver a wide range of ecosystem services to society. The EU Thematic Strategy on Soils (2006) identified seven ‘environmental, economic, social and cultural Functions’. In research studies from Ireland, these ecosystem services have been rearranged into the following five main Soil Functions for agricultural land (1) primary production, (2) water purification and regulation, (3) carbon storage and sequestration, (4) habitat for intrinsic and functional biodiversity and (5) the cycling and provision of nutrients. In addition, Soils also provide two ancillary Functions, namely: (6) a platform for infrastructure (e.g. roads, buildings) and (7) an outdoor archive of archaeological heritage. In principle, all Soils perform each of these Functions simultaneously. However, the extent to which each function is delivered depends in the first instance, on land use. For example, the functionality of arable Soils is characterised by primary production and nutrient cycling. Second, the functionality of Soils depends on Soil properties. The dominant Soil properties in Atlantic climates relate to Soil moisture dynamics, specifically the occurrence of excess Soil water. Quantifying Soil Functions is difficult as each Soil function encompasses a set of processes which may be altered through management which could alter the delivery of another function, resulting in potentially a synergy or a trade-off between Functions. Therefore, proxy-indicators are used to estimate the extent to which a Soil provides the five Functions. The functionality of Soils worldwide is threatened by unsustainable management practices and in Europe, there are eight main threats to Soil functionality.
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Making the Most of Our Land: Managing Soil Functions from Local to Continental Scale
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2015Co-Authors: Rogier P.o. Schulte, Rachel Creamer, Francesca Bampa, Ciro Gardi, Reamonn Fealy, Bhim Bahadur Ghaley, Marion Bardy, Cait Coyle, Phil Jordan, Hjalmar LaudonAbstract:The challenges of achieving both food security and environmental sustainability have resulted in a confluence of demands on land within the European Union (EU): we expect our land to provide food, fibre and fuel, to purify water, to sequester carbon, and provide a home to biodiversity as well as external nutrients in the form of waste from humans and intensive livestock enterprises. All Soils can perform all of these five Functions, but some Soils are better at supplying selective Functions. Functional Land Management is a framework for policy-making aimed at meeting these demands by incentivising land use and Soil management practices that selectively augment specific Soil Functions, where required. Here, we explore how the demands for contrasting Soil Functions, as framed by EU policies, may apply to very different spatial scales, from local to continental scales. At the same time, using Ireland as a national case study, we show that the supply of each Soil function is largely determined by local Soil and land use conditions, with large variations at both local and regional scales. These discrepancies between the scales at which the demands and supply of Soil Functions are manifested, have implications for Soil and land management: while some Soil Functions must be managed at local (e.g. farm or field) scale, others may be offset between regions with a view to solely meeting national or continental demands. In order to facilitate the optimisation of the delivery of Soil Functions at national level, to meet the demands that are framed at continental scale, we identify and categorise 14 policy and market instruments that are available in the EU. The results from this inventory imply that there may be no need for the introduction of new specific instruments to aid the governance of Functional Land Management. We conclude that there may be more merit in adapting existing governance instruments by facilitating differentiation between Soils and landscapes.
R P O Schulte - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Gap assessment in current Soil monitoring networks across Europe for measuring Soil Functions
Environmental Research Letters, 2017Co-Authors: J. P. Van Leeuwen, R P O Schulte, Nicolas Saby, A. Jones, G. Louwagie, E. Micheli, M. Rutgers, H. Spiegel, G. Toth, R. E. CreamerAbstract:Soil is the most important natural resource for life on Earth after water. Given its fundamental role in sustaining the human population, both the availability and quality of Soil must be managed sustainably and protected. To ensure sustainable management we need to understand the intrinsic functional capacity of different Soils across Europe and how it changes over time. Soil monitoring is needed to support evidence-based policies to incentivise sustainable Soil management. To this aim, we assessed which Soil attributes can be used as potential indicators of five Soil Functions; (1) primary production, (2) water purification and regulation, (3) carbon sequestration and climate regulation, (4) Soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning and (5) recycling of nutrients. We compared this list of attributes to existing national (regional) and EU-wide Soil monitoring networks. The overall picture highlighted a clearly unbalanced dataset, in which predominantly chemical Soil parameters were included, and Soil biological and physical attributes were severely under represented. Methods applied across countries for indicators also varied. At a European scale, the LUCAS-Soil survey was evaluated and again confirmed a lack of important Soil biological parameters, such as C mineralisation rate, microbial biomass and earthworm community, and Soil physical measures such as bulk density. In summary, no current national or European monitoring system exists which has the capacity to quantify the five Soil Functions and therefore evaluate multi-functional capacity of a Soil and in many countries no data exists at all. This paper calls for the addition of Soil biological and some physical parameters within the LUCAS-Soil survey at European scale and for further development of national Soil monitoring schemes.
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functional land management for managing Soil Functions a case study of the trade off between primary productivity and carbon storage in response to the intervention of drainage systems in ireland
Land Use Policy, 2015Co-Authors: Rachel Creamer, Reamonn Fealy, Lilian Osullivan, Gary Lanigan, Iolanda Simo, Owen Fenton, Jennifer Carfrae, R P O SchulteAbstract:Globally, there is growing demand for increased agricultural outputs. At the same time, the agricultural industry is expected to meet increasingly stringent environmental targets. Thus, there is an urgent pressure on the Soil resource to deliver multiple Functions simultaneously. The Functional Land Management framework (Schulte et al., 2014) is a conceptual tool designed to support policy making to manage Soil Functions to meet these multiple demands. This paper provides a first example of a practical application of the Functional Land Management concept relevant to policy stakeholders. In this study we examine the trade-offs, between the Soil Functions ‘primary productivity’ and ‘carbon cycling and storage’, in response to the intervention of land drainage systems applied to ‘imperfectly’ and ‘poorly’ draining managed grasslands in Ireland. These trade-offs are explored as a function of the nominal price of ‘Certified Emission Reductions’ or ‘carbon credits’. Also, these trade-offs are characterised spatially using ArcGIS to account for spatial variability in the supply of Soil Functions. To manage Soil Functions, it is essential to understand how individual Soil Functions are prioritised by those that are responsible for the supply of Soil Functions – generally farmers and foresters, and those who frame demand for Soil Functions – policy makers. Here, in relation to these two Soil Functions, a gap exists in relation to this prioritisation between these two stakeholder groups. Currently, the prioritisation and incentivisation of these competing Soil Functions is primarily a function of CO2 price. At current CO2 prices, the agronomic benefits outweigh the monetised environmental costs. The value of CO2 loss would only exceed productivity gains at either higher CO2 prices or at a reduced discount period rate. Finally, this study shows large geographic variation in the environmental cost: agronomic benefit ratio. Therein, the Functional Land Management framework can support the development of policies that are more tailored to contrasting biophysical environments and are therefore more effective than ‘blanket approaches’ allowing more specific and effective prioritisation of contrasting Soil Functions.
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functional land management a framework for managing Soil based ecosystem services for the sustainable intensification of agriculture
Environmental Science & Policy, 2014Co-Authors: R P O Schulte, Rachel Creamer, Reamonn Fealy, Trevor Donnellan, Niall Farrelly, Cathal Odonoghue, Daire OhuallachainAbstract:Abstract Sustainable food production has re-emerged at the top of the global policy agenda, driven by two challenges: (1) the challenge to produce enough food to feed a growing world population and (2) the challenge to make more efficient and prudent use of the world's natural resources. These challenges have led to a societal expectation that the agricultural sector increase productivity, and at the same time provide environmental ‘ecosystem services’ such as the provision of clean water, air, habitats for biodiversity, recycling of nutrients and mitigation against climate change. Whilst the degree to which agriculture can provide individual ecosystem services has been well researched, it is unclear how and to what extent agriculture can meet all expectations relating to environmental sustainability simultaneously, whilst increasing the quantity of food outputs. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for the quantification of the ‘supply of’ and ‘demand for’ agricultural, Soil-based ecosystem services or ‘Soil Functions’. We use Irish agriculture as a case-study for this framework, using proxy-indicators to determine the demand for individual Soil Functions, as set by agri-environmental policies, as well as the supply of Soil Functions, as defined by land use and Soil type. We subsequently discuss how this functionality of Soils can be managed or incentivised through policy measures, with a view to minimising the divergence between agronomic policies designed to promote increased agricultural production and environmental policy objectives. Finally, we discuss the applicability of this conceptual framework to agriculture and agri-environmental policies at EU level, and the implications for policy makers.
Steven A. Banwart - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Soil Functions connecting earth s critical zone
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2019Co-Authors: Steven A. Banwart, Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis, Yongguan Zhu, Caroline L Peacock, Donald L SparksAbstract:Soil is the central interface of Earth's critical zone—the planetary surface layer extending from unaltered bedrock to the vegetation canopy—and is under intense pressure from human demand for biom...
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Integrated Critical Zone Model (1D-ICZ): A Tool for Dynamic Simulation of Soil Functions and Soil Structure
Advances in Agronomy, 2017Co-Authors: G.v. Giannakis, Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis, J. Valstar, Edwin C. Rowe, Konstantia Moirogiorgou, Manolis Kotronakis, Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis, Svetla Rousseva, Fotini Stamati, Steven A. BanwartAbstract:Abstract Food security should be addressed in relation to Soil sustainability and sustainable land care, and examined within the science framework of Earth's critical zone as an integrated system that includes Earth surface interactions, connected to Soil Functions, and ecosystem services. There is a great need to develop critical zone mathematical models that will simulate and quantify Soil Functions and that can be used as management tools to address Soil sustainability and land care practices. The integrated critical zone model, 1D-ICZ, couples computational modules for Soil organic matter dynamics, Soil aggregation and structure dynamics, bioturbation, plant productivity and nutrient uptake, water flow, solute speciation and transport, and mineral weathering kinetics. The 1D-ICZ model, coupled with new pedotransfer Functions to predict bulk Soil properties, introduces for the first time a model that dynamically links Soil structure characteristics and hydraulic Soil properties by simulating their changes under varying meteorological conditions and plant growth. Field data from a Mediterranean olive grove at the Koiliaris Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) were used to simulate carbon addition to Soil and agricultural management scenarios, in order to illustrate the model's ability to quantify Soil management impact on Soil Functions and biogeochemical transformations and fluxes. The 1D-ICZ model can be used to assess, understand, and quantify the complex interactions between the different processes in the Soil-plant-water system and can be applied as a tool to design sustainable agricultural management practices, taking into consideration synergy and trade-offs among Soil Functions.
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Soil Functions in Earth's Critical Zone : Key Results and Conclusions
Advances in Agronomy, 2017Co-Authors: Steven A. Banwart, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Winfried E. H. Blum, Danielle Maia De Souza, François Chabaux, Christopher J. Duffy, Milena Kercheva, Pavel Krám, Georg J. Lair, Lars LundinAbstract:This chapter summarizes the methods, results, and conclusions of a 5-year research project (SoilTrEC: Soil Transformations in European Catchments) on experimentation, process modeling, and computational simulation of Soil Functions and Soil threats across a network of European, Chinese, and United States Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs). The study focused on the Soil Functions of biomass production, carbon storage, water storage and transmission, water filtration, transformation of nutrients, and maintaining habitat and genetic diversity.The principal results demonstrate that Soil Functions can be quantified as biophysical flows and transformations of material and energy. The Functions can be simulated with mathematical models of Soil processes within the Soil profile and at the critical zone interfaces with vegetation and atmosphere, surface waters and the below-ground vadose zone and groundwater. A new dynamic model for Soil structure development, together with data sets from the CZOs, demonstrate both seasonal fluctuations in Soil structure dynamics related to vegetation dynamics and Soil carbon inputs, and long-term trends (decadal) in Soil carbon storage and Soil structure development.Cross-site comparison for 20 Soil profiles at seven field sites with variation in Soil type, lithology, land cover, land use, and climate demonstrate that sites can be classified, using model parameter values for Soil aggregation processes together with climatic conditions and Soil physical properties, along a trajectory of Soil structure development from incipient Soil formation through productive land use to overly intensive land use with Soil degradation.A new modeling code, the Integrated Critical Zone model, was applied with parameter sets developed from the CZO site data to simulate the biophysical flows and transformations that quantify multiple Soil Functions. Process simulations coupled the new model for Soil structure dynamics with existing modeling approaches for Soil carbon dynamics, nutrient transformations, vegetation dynamics, hydrological flow and transport, and geochemical equilibria and mineral weathering reactions. Successful calibration, testing, and application of the model with data sets from horticulture plot manipulation experiments demonstrate the potential to apply modeling and simulation to the scoping and design of new practices and policy options to enhance Soil Functions and reduce Soil threats worldwide.
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The global challenge for Soil carbon.
Soil carbon: science management and policy for multiple benefits, 1Co-Authors: Steven A. Banwart, Helaina Black, Zucong Cai, P. Gicheru, Hans Joosten, Reynaldo Luiz Victoria, Eleanor Milne, Elke Noellemeyer, Unai PascualAbstract:Soil carbon in the form of organic matter is a key component of the Soil ecosystem structure. The Soil carbon content is an important contributing factor in the many flows and transformations of matter, energy and biodiversity – the essential Soil Functions that provide ecosystem services and life-sustaining benefits from Soil. These goods and services include food production, water storage and filtration, car bon storage, nutrient supply to plants, habitat and biodiversity. Soil Functions provide natural capital as a means of production for the ongoing supply of the essential goods and services. Soil carbon content and Soil Functions are under threat worldwide due to resource demands and the increasing intensification of land use. Land degradation is characterized by Soil carbon losses, loss of Soil structure and associated loss of fertility, and the physical loss of bulk Soil by erosion. Soil carbon accumulation is associated with plant productivity, wet conditions that ensure water supply to vegetation and lack of physical disturbance to the Soil. Carbon accumulation is also associated with decreased organic matter decomposition in the Soil, created by cool conditions that reduce the rate of microbial activity and wet conditions that create an O 2 diffusion barrier from the atmosphere and reduced aerobic microbial respiration during organic matter decomposition. The environmental conditions for the accumulation of Soil carbon also provide important clues to management approaches to reverse Soil carbon losses and to increase Soil carbon content under widely different environmental conditions around the world. Soil management strategies can be developed from the natural cycling of Soil carbon, by reducing physical disturbances to Soil, enhancing vegetation cover and productivity and through improved water management. These approaches are essential in order to prevent and reverse the loss of Soil Functions where land is degraded and to enhance Soil Functions where actively managed land is undergoing intensification of use. Improved Soil carbon management provides an important opportunity in land management worldwide, to meet increasing resource demands and to create resilience in Soil Functions that arise from the intense pressures of land use and climate change.
Luca Bragazza - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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fresh and composted industrial sludge restore Soil Functions in surface Soil of degraded agricultural land
Science of The Total Environment, 2018Co-Authors: Muhammad Saleem Arif, Muhammad Riaz, Sher Muhammad Shahzad, Tahira Yasmeen, Muhammad Ashraf, M A Siddique, Muhammad Salman Mubarik, Luca BragazzaAbstract:A field study was conducted to test the potential of 5-year consecutive application of fresh industrial sludge (FIS) and composted industrial sludge (CIS) to restore Soil Functions at surface (0-15cm) and subsurface (15-30cm) of the degraded agricultural land. Sludge amendments increased Soil fertility parameters including total organic carbon (TOC), Soil available nitrogen (SAN), Soil available phosphorus (SAP) and Soil available potassium (SAK) at 0-15cm depth. Soil enzyme activities i.e. dehydrogenase (DHA), β-glucosidase (BGA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALp) were significantly enhanced by FIS and CIS amendments in surface Soil. However, urease activity (UA) and acid phosphatase (ACp) were significantly reduced compared to control Soil. The results showed that sludge amendments significantly increased microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) at both Soil depth, and Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) only at 0-15cm depth. Significant changes were also observed in the population of Soil culturable microflora (bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) with CIS amendment in surface Soil suggesting persistence of microbial activity owing to the addition of organic matter source. Sludge amendments significantly reduced Soil heavy metal concentrations at 0-15cm depth, and the effect was more pronounced with CIS compared to unamended control Soil. Sludge amendments generally had no significant impact on Soil heavy metal concentrations in subSoil. Agronomic viability test involving maize was performed to evaluate phytotoxicity of Soil solution extract at surface and sub-surface Soil. Maize seeds grown in solution extract (0-15cm) from sludge treated Soil showed a significant increase of relative seed germination (RSG), relative root growth (RRG) and germination index (GI). These results suggested that both sludge amendments significantly improved Soil properties, however, the CIS amendment was relatively more effective in restoring Soil Functions and effectively immobilizing wastewater derived heavy metals compared to FIS treatment.