The need for soil data has largely increased worldwide given the growing general concern about the maintenance and recovery of ecosystem resources and services. The development of digital soil mapping (DSM) is often seen as a means for answering this demand. In France, the national soil mapping strategy has been defined in the early 1990s within the Soil Inventory, Management and Conservation Programme

The effect of forest reserve conversion to agriculture land on soil properties in the sudano-sahelian zone of Cameroon was investigated. Agricultural activities have caused the progressive reduction of the surface area of Zamai forest reserve, which reduced from nearly 50% of its original surface in 1970 to only about one third in 2016. This study was conducted on four plots that have been cultivated

With increasing societal demands for food security and environmental sustainability on land, the question arises to what extent do synergies and trade‐offs exist between soil functions and how can they be measured across Europe. To address this challenge, we followed the functional land management approach and assessed five soil functions – primary productivity, water regulation and purification, climate

Sulfur (S) is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Despite increasing reports of yield responses of crops to S fertilization, there is limited information about changes in the soil test concentrations of S. This study used a soil chemical analysis dataset from 2002 to 2014 to evaluate changes in soil S and other nutrient levels. The soil‐test database comprised 8,428 topsoil samples (0–20 cm depth

Nitrogen (N) is a main parameter affecting crop growth and yield. However, when variable rate N fertilization (VRNF) is adopted, a main question arises of whether to add more on the highly fertile zone or on the less fertile zone. This study aimed to compare two map-based VRNF treatments, e.g., variable-rate 1 (VRNF1) with the application of recommended rate (RR) of N fertilizer plus 40-50% to the

Mathematical formulations for layered soil profiles and corresponding parameterization to improve performance of the Green‐Ampt model (GA) have not always shown accurate. We evaluated GA maintaining its assumption of saturated flow but calibrating the effective matric suction at the wetting front (hf) by damping the initial matric suction (hi). The proposition was evaluated comparing cumulative infiltration

The substrate is essential to ensure suitable conditions for the growth of Passiflora setacea seedlings. Thus, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of alternative substrates formulated with bee nest and termite mound materials on the growth of P. setacea cv. BRS Pérola do Cerrado seedlings. Six substrate combinations formulated from different proportions (v:v) of bee nest material (BNM)

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most versatile crops and can be grown in diverse environmental conditions and has diversified uses as human food and animal feed. Maize grains cannot be considered only as a source of energy, as they provide significant amounts of protein as well. It is also recognized that maize grains have low micronutrient concentrations, particularly Zinc. Zn2+ is an essential

Estimation of canopy cover (CC) can be replaced with measurement of dry matter (DM) during the growing season, which leads to saving cost and time. A variety of software programs, such as Canopeo, have recently been launched for estimating CC by processing digital images. The main objective of the present study was to validate whether the CC estimated by Canopeo could be used to determine the critical

Soil monitoring and research often requires a comparison of laboratory data generated by diverse instruments and in different laboratories to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the results. The outcomes of this work highlight a performance comparison among different analytical methods for the determination of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), in soil. Five soil

In the enclosure method, ammonia volatilization from an enclosed soil is commonly estimated by hanging acid-soaked polyfoam pads over the soil sample in an enclosed bottle. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize polyfoam density (D), pad height (H) and pad saturation with an acid solution (S) to maximize ammonia collection in the polyfoam pads. Three central composite design (CCD)

The application of inorganic fertilizer in rice field is a foremost maneuver to acquire higher yield but effects properties of acidic sandy soil. An alternative strategy is to blend inorganic fertilizer with soil binding materials like magnesium sulfate (0.5 ton/ha), fresh neem (Azadirachata indica) (1 ton/ha) leaves, used tea (Camellia sinensis var assamica) (1 ton/ha) leaves, fresh karanj (Pongamia

This study sought to identify whether piggery effluent-derived nitrogen sources can be formulated with urea and nitrification inhibitors to better synchronize nitrogen (N) supply with crop demand than conventional urea fertilizer alone. A 288 pot pasture growth and leaching growth accelerator trial (5 pasture cuts) was completed with a factorial treatment structure of three N sources (2.63 g N [kg

Increasingly intensive cropping systems and the introduction of new genetically modified cultivars can lead to a distinct demand for nutrients in soybean crops. This study aims to evaluate the response of two soybean cultivars [with and without tolerance to glyphosate (RR)] to sulfur (S) rates. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 6 × 2 factorial arrangement with four replicates.

A lysimeter experiment using undisturbed monoliths from a stony silt loam soil, was carried out to quantify the effects different pasture types on N losses from urine applied to soil on different dates. Three pasture types were tested: (i) perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Trifolium repens) (PRG/WC), (ii) perennial ryegrass/white clover/plantain (Plantago lanceolata) (PRG/WC/P), and

Many soil types in the federal state of Schleswig‐Holstein (North Germany) are naturally compacted in the subsoil due to pedo‐ or geogenic processes (42% of the area) but, due to anthropogenic impacts, the percentage of subsoil compaction has increased further. To determine the overall subsoil compaction status of seven representative soil types in Schleswig‐Holstein (≤60 cm depth), air capacity (AC)

Dongxiang common wild rice (CWR) is extremely cold tolerant, which can grow at the northernmost latitudes. To take full advantage of Dongxiang CWR’s cold tolerance for rice production and breeding, it is important to obtain a deep understanding of the mechanism underlying its cold tolerance. In this study, the rhizospheric microbiome of CWR was investigated and compared with that of Leersia hexandra

In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was combined with the agro-ecosystem model DNDC to assess the climate and eutrophication impacts of perennial grass cultivation at five different sites in Sweden. The system was evaluated for two fertilisation rates, 140 and 200 kg N ha−1. The climate impact showed large variation between the investigated sites. The largest contribution to the

Assessing the genetic variation and relationships present in crop germplasm is a pre-requisite for parental selection and breeding. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic relationships present among selected heat and drought tolerant wheat genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, agronomic traits and grain quality parameters to select desirable parents for breeding. Twenty-four

During the last 10 years, several attempts to map soil attributes at the scale of mainland France have been realised. We exemplify them by seven major outputs: maps of organic C stocks, trace elements (TE), microbial density and diversity, soil thickness, available water capacity (AWC), extractable P, and changes in soil pH. We first briefly describe the data and the methods used to produce these maps

‘Machair’ describes a landscape form that is present along the Atlantic seaboard of Scotland and Ireland that is characterized by a gently sloping coastal plain developed from aeolian carbonate and quartzose sand. Three soil profiles were characterized along a coastal transect on Harris (Outer Hebrides, Scotland) by standard methods (colour, texture, pH, wet-chemical extractions), infrared spectroscopy

In response to concerns over the translocation of P from soils to P-sensitive water bodies, there is high demand for developing simple indicators for evaluating a soil’s risk of releasing P into solution. Many studies have shown that the degree of soil phosphorus saturation (DPS), calculated as the ratio of soil P concentration to soil P sorption capacity (PSC), is good predictor of a soil’s risk of

Soil Organic Matter (SOM) is essential for soil stability, fertility and crop productivity. Recent findings showed that SOM supramolecular structure is strongly influenced by cultivation and land management. In this study, we investigated the molecular dynamics of organic matter in soils from three long-term field-experiments which were subjected for 20 consecutive years to the following crop managements:

Hypotheses are of major importance in scientific research. In current applications of machine learning algorithms for soil mapping the hypotheses being tested or developed are often ambiguous or undefined. Mapping soil properties or classes, however, does not tell much about the dynamics and processes that underly soil genesis and evolution. When the interest in the soil map is for applications in

This study examined the potential of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) in reducing wind erosion of desert soil. Field tests were conducted on artificial mounds and bare sandy land located in Ulan Buh Desert, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Results showed that the MICP method could significantly enhance the bearing capacity and wind erosion resistance of the surficial soil through

Large amounts of chemicals are released into soil environments due to human activities, thereby harming organisms and their habitats. Earthworms are important bioindicators for chemical risk assessments of soil ecosystems, but the question remains of how they respond to different patterns of pollution. Laboratory experiments in soil mesocosms were carried out to observe changes in the burrowing behaviour

Tropical and subtropical ecosystems are widely affected by the expansion of agriculture over pristine lands. Despite research efforts, knowledge on the impact of land‐use change on soil is limited by intrinsic variability, inconsistent results and inadequate replication. This study aimed to better understand the consequences of land‐use change focusing on long‐term effects in soil biotic and abiotic

Northern peatlands play an important role in the regulation of atmospheric greenhouse gas balance, functioning as a net carbon sink with low rates of organic decomposition. However, perturbations such as drainage, increase peat oxidation, which may lead to enhanced gaseous release of carbon. For this reason, the number of restoration projects that aim to rewet blanket bogs have increased in the last

Sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) represent a key biological component of the global sulphur (S) cycle and are common in soils, where they reduce SO42− to H2S during the anaerobic degradation of soil organic matter. The factors that regulate their distribution in soil, however, remain poorly understood. We sought to determine the ecological patterns of SRB richness within a nationwide 16S metabarcoding

Research on soil carbon dynamics and content in the Poyang Lake area is important because of their effects on the soil carbon pool and soil carbon cycle. Visible and near infrared (VNIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy can provide analytical dense soil data reflecting multiple physical and chemical properties of soil under in situ conditions. The effective use of in situ VNIR in Poyang Lake would

Loess‐roads (LR) still experience severe soil erosion due to concentrated flow during rainstorms in watersheds on the Chinese Loess Plateau, where soil erosion in sloping farmland, abandoned land and grassland has been controlled. However, road erosion is commonly overlooked because unpaved roads represent a small part of the catchment area. In situ scouring‐erosion experiments were performed on LR

Understanding the spatial and temporal changes in actual evapotranspiration (ETa) caused by different human activities is important for water management in water‐sensitive areas, because ETa plays a major role in regulating the availability of water on land. Thus, ETa observation is particularly important for observing land degradation in the watershed. This study used the Operational Simplified Surface

This study is aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of endophytic fungi isolated from Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Stemona root (Stemona tuberosa) against causative agent of southern stem rot Sclerotium rolfsii. The dual assay results showed that out of 110 fungal endophytes, Diaporthe phaseolorum BUP3/1 and Macrophomina phaseolina BUP2/3, isolated

The plant root system influences plant growth and development due to its phenotypic, physiological, metabolomic, and microbiomic traits. Broadly speaking, it is characterized by primary (stem-attached large), secondary (primary-attached medium), and fine (secondary-attached hair-like) roots. The role of root branching order and categories (fine, medium, and large) in influencing microbial communities

In structured soils, earthworm burrows, root channels, shrinkage cracks, and interaggregate spaces form complex macropore networks relevant for preferential transport, turnover processes, and root growth. Macropore walls are often coated with organomineral material, which determine physicochemical properties such as wettability, sorption, and the cation exchange capacity (CEC). The objective here was

Soil moisture plays a key role in hydrological, biogeochemical, and energy budgets of terrestrial ecosystems. Accurate soil moisture measurements in remote ecosystems such as the Amazon are difficult and limited because of logistical constraints. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) sensors are widely used to monitor soil moisture and require calibration to convert the TDR's dielectric permittivity measurement

Replant disease refers to the poor growth of trees when attempting to establish the same or related species on old orchard sites. The use of pre-plant Brassicaceae seed meal (SM) soil amendments in combination with apple replant disease-tolerant rootstock genotypes has been shown to be a promising strategy for the control of apple replant disease (ARD). However, optimizing microorganism-driven protection

Understanding of the long-term soil fertility trends is the basis for rational and sustainable management of the soil resources in agricultural fields. In tropical Asia, the Green Revolution initiated in the late 1960s contributed to a drastic increase in both food production and human population. Among the tropical Asian countries, Thailand is known as a rice-exporting country, but the country’s rice

Land degradation is a universal environmental problem around the world, which affects 1.5 billion people's well-being. Therefore, the efforts to monitor where land degradation has happened and to find out the causes are meaningful for land management and restoration. Arid regions such as Southern Africa have attracted many concerns on land degradation assessment. However, previous studies have neglected

Triaxial tests and numerical simulations were conducted to determine the water absorption compression of unsaturated soil. In the triaxial tests, unsaturated silt specimens under the same initial condition were prepared and the processes of different suction reduction, isotropic consolidation, and exhausted-drained shearing were applied to the specimens. The numerical simulations used a soil-water-air

This paper establishes an analytical correlation between factor of safety (FS) and reliability index β values commonly used in the design of drilled shafts in sand. This is achieved through fragility analysis of unit shaft and base resistances, calculated using finite element analysis-based capacity calculation equations, for drilled shafts. Analytical fragility curves are developed for allowable unit

New Zealand's culturally iconic, ancient kauri (Agathis australis) forests are threatened with extinction as a result of dieback caused by an invasive and highly virulent soil-borne pathogen (Phytophthora agathidicida). Kauri trees function as a foundation species in their forests, supporting an ecologically distinct plant and soil environment. The impacts of disease outbreak and subsequent tree dieback

Increasing frequency and magnitude of climatic extremes, such as heat waves are expected to enhance abiotic stresses on ecological communities. It has been proposed that ecological communities in disturbed habitats may be most sensitive to climatic extremes, as disturbance may reduce density and diversity of higher trophic level organisms like predators. However, there is little experimental evidence

Atmospheric precipitation in Sri Lanka occurs mainly through rain whose terrestrial composition significantly varies based on the location as the regional geography and anthropogenic factors can largely affect environmental pollutants that are added to the atmosphere. It is therefore very important to have baseline data on the chemical composition of the atmosphere to take regulatory measures to control

This paper describes the removal of Cr(VI) using the combination of bacterial reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by wood husk–packed column containing the Cr(VI)-reducing biofilm followed by Cr(III) removal using the coagulation-flocculation technique. The chromium removal process was carried out at the laboratory-scale for 90 days using different batches of Cr(VI) ranging from 35 to 231 mg L−1. Analysis

Anaerobic methane oxidation is a key process for methane reduction and nitrogen removal in eutrophic lakes. It is very important to know the distribution patterns of anaerobic methane oxidation activity and the related microbes in the typical plateau eutrophic lakes. Here, we aimed to characterize the anaerobic methane oxidation activity and to reveal the correlations to biological/non-biological factors

Aims We investigated N2-fixation by moss-cyanobacterial associations in a North American prairie ecosystem, identifying cyanobacteria associated with moss species, and evaluating spatio-temporal dynamics in N2-fixation rates. Methods We confirmed the presence and abundance of N2-fixing cyanobacteria on three moss species (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt., Racomitrium elongatum Frisvoll, Rhytidiadelphus

Aim (1) To understand the tree root-soil interaction under lateral and moment loading using a physical modelling technique; (2) To detect the possible factors (e.g. root architecture, water condition, and stress level) influencing a tree’s push-over behaviour; (3) To identify suitable scaling laws to use in physical modelling. Methods Two 1:20 scaled root models with different architectures (namely

Biochar has been shown to be potentially beneficial for enhancing yields and soil properties, and diminishing nitrogen (N) losses. However, it remains unclear how biochar regulates soil carbon (C) and N to mitigate N losses induced by straw mixing with N fertilizer in dryland soils. Therefore, we investigated the effects of straw mixing (S1), S1 with biochar (SB) and no straw inputs (S0), and routine

Visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy is a cost-effective technique for alternative soil physical and chemical analyses for estimating soil properties. The optimal band combination algorithm is an effective method of extracting spectral variables by considering the interaction information between wavebands, but for laboratory Vis-NIR spectral data, this method is susceptible to the “dimensional

As the development of predictive tools to aid decision making in agriculture increases, it must be acknowledged that the ability to incorporate management decisions as input data is limited. The data is either not recorded, or highly inadequate in terms of the volume, variety or relevance. Some circumstances are further hampered by the lack of benchmark data for comparison, and soil compaction is an

Soils systems provide essential ecosystem functions and services performed by a hyperdiverse array of fauna, but how soil communities respond to climate change remains an understudied topic. Although previous long-term studies have found variable effects of climate change manipulations on soil communities, precipitation often yields strong responses from fauna. In this study we used a field-based experiment

There is increasing recognition that soils fulfil many functions for society. Each soil can deliver a range of functions, but some soils are more effective at some functions than others due to their intrinsic properties. In this study we mapped four different soil functions on agricultural lands across the European Union. For each soil function, indicators were developed to evaluate their performance

Numerous lines of evidence have been presented in the literature that show the patterns of pedodiversity and biodiversity are very similar. One of the most corroborated patterns lies in the fits of the relationships between biodiversity and soil diversity to power laws according to the increase in study area. Several authors have analysed the presence of fractal and multifractal features in pedodiversity

Knowledge of the biomass allometry and partitioning is essential for understanding shrub adaptive strategies to degraded habitat as well as for estimating organic carbon storage. We studied biomass accumulation, allocation patterns, and allometric models of Salsola passerina shrub in Alxa desert steppe, northwestern (NW) China. We measured above‐ and below‐ground biomass accumulation across different

Plastic film mulching can affect soil organic carbon (C) lability in semiarid regions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi represent an important route for plant‐derived C into soil and can be influenced by agricultural practices. Whether the changes of AM fungal community affect soil organic C sequestration is a fundamental question in semiarid environments. To this end, we conducted two field experiments