A recent meta-analysis (Zhang et al., 2020) stated that acidification induced by nitrogen (N) (over)fertilization increases soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation. This Letter disagrees with that statement regarding acidification effects on SOC accumulation. We especially wish to show how processing of large datasets might mislead conclusions, and may have fatal consequences for land management. Another

Soil feedback is thought to be an important contributor to the success of invasive plants. Despite evidence that invasive plants change soil microbial diversity, the functional roles of microbes impacted by invasion are still unclear. This knowledge is a critical component of our understanding of ecological mechanisms of plant invasion. Mounting evidence suggests Alliaria petiolata can suppress arbuscular

The relative uptake by plants of the two ionic nitrogen (N) forms, ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−), has been the subject of much interest during the past 50 years, resulting in a considerable scientific literature. The general idea is that plants have choice, resulting in preference for either one mineral N form or the other. Unfortunately, there is no specific definition of preference or agreement

In order to manage soil salinity effectively, it is necessary to understand the origin and the spatial distribution of salinity. There are about 120 salt dome outcrops in southern Iran and little is known about their contribution as the potential sources of salts and the spatial pattern of salts around them. Six machine learning algorithms were applied to model topsoil electrical conductivity (EC)

Increasing use of herbicides in modern agriculture poses potential risks of crop phytotoxicity, contamination of land and water resources, and adverse impacts on human and ecosystem health. Apart from climatic conditions and soil properties, agronomic practices can significantly influence the persistence of herbicides in soil. Therefore, we assessed the impact of 13-year conservation agriculture (CA)

Salinity negatively impacts the bacterial diversity associated with crops in commercial fields; however, Bacillus species -due to their great metabolic/genomic background and spore formation-have shown high resilience to this abiotic stress enhancing the tolerance of plants to saline soils. This work aimed to assess the diversity of cultivable salt-tolerant Bacillus species associated with wheat commercial

Microfluidic soil chips render optical access to the naturally opaque soil systems and enable direct investigation of microbial growth and interactions in micro-structurally and chemically controlled environments. However, chemical analyses of these interactions at high spatial and temporal resolution are still lacking. Here we propose that the use of advanced microspectroscopy techniques, namely infrared

The effect of climate change on peatlands is of great importance due to their large carbon stocks. In this study, we examined microbial biomass and effect of temperature and O2 availability on soil respiration of surface and subsurface Sphagnum peat. The interactive effect of biotic and abiotic factors significantly affects soil respiration. Increasing temperature enhanced the microbial respiratory

The soil structure near the surface of agricultural soils changes with season mainly by land management together with climatic and biological factors. Quantitative analysis of post-tillage changes in soil structure and related hydraulic properties are necessary for evaluating and improving models of soil hydrological and transport processes. The objectives of this study were to quantify changes in

Crop diversification and their impact on soil C pools and C indices in Eastern plateau region of India is yet to be clearly understood. To explore this, a nineteen years field experiment was carried out to identify suitable diversified cropping system of this region with assessing the SOC pool, C and humification indices. Selected cropping systems were, uncultivated grassland (D-0), rice-fallow (D-1)

In the last decades, global warming has induced new trends in the dynamic development of the temperature and water regimes of soils. The main idea of the study was the search for soil identifiers of recent, regionally-specific climate changes occurring in the Volga River basin. Questions that were raised in the study: does recent climate changes find a response in soil properties of hydromorphic (waterlogged)

The re-establishment of trees after previous forest harvesting (so-called second rotation) requires soil structure amelioration, since the tree harvest with heavy machinery usually causes soil compaction and deformation, mostly at the surface, but also in deeper layers. Efficient soil tillage methods are necessary to create a physical environment suitable for the next generation of trees to grow and

In our research, thiolated reduced graphene oxide aerogels (TrGOAs) was successfully prepared by using graphene oxide (GO) as precursor and sodium hydrosulfide (NaSH) as reductant via a one-pot one-step hydrothermal route under normal pressure and a subsequent freeze-drying, used as a novel carbon-based adsorptive material for adsorbing Cu(II) ions from deionized water. These aerogels show excellent

The root mean squared error of validation (RMSEV) and ratio of the interquartile range to RMSEV (RPIQV) are key quality parameters in diffuse reflectance infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies, but the effects of different factors on these parameters are often not sufficiently considered. Objectives were to reveal the effects of range of contents, sample size, data pre‐treatment, wavenumber region selection

The objectives of this study were to develop a model for soil organic matter (SOM) nitrogen (N) mineralization that required minimal inputs, to test the model using independent data sets, and to determine if the results could be used in adjusting commercial N fertilizer recommendations. A sequential 1st order model where N Pool I mineralized before N pool II mineralized was first evaluated but was

ABSTRACT Crop production in salty-sodic soils causes poor crop growth due to ion imbalance, water stress, low hormonal and enzymatic balances. The use of rhizobacteria promoting plant growth in saline and sanitary areas (PGPR) is an economical and environmentally friendly approach that increases and eliminates the tolerance of plants to salt. Field experiments were conducted to determine the response

ABSTRACT Safe disposal of feedlot manure is an increasing problem throughout the world. A field experiment was established on a duplex sandy loam soil (Alfisol) in Northern NSW, Australia to determine the dry matter (DM) crop response and the fate of nutrients derived from cattle feedlot manure and inorganic fertilizer applications. The five treatments imposed over a three year period were no manure

The collective analysis of long-term field experiments (LTFEs), here defined as agricultural experiments with a minimum duration of 20 years and research in the context of sustainable soil use and yield, can be used for detecting changes in soil properties and yield such as those induced by climate change. However, information about existing LTFEs is scattered, and the research data are not easily

Abstract Rill erosion has serious impacts on arable soils in Chinese Loess Plateau. It is imperative to clarify the key processes of rill erosion to implement effective soil conservation practices. In this study, rill erosion on a 26.8% slope was evaluated using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and CA-Rill model under simulated rainfall. The results showed that (1) the TLS method and the CA-Rill model

The herbicides imazethapyr and flumyzin have been recommended for controlling weeds, mainly in soybean fields. However, it is unclear the effect of these herbicides on soil microbial communities. In this study, we assessed the responses of bacterial community to the application of imazethapyr and flumyzin in soil. Soil samples were incubated with the application of the herbicides imazethapyr, flumyzin

Background: Potassium (K) availability in soil and plant uptake is restrained by the dynamic interactions among the different pools of K.

Invasive species are considered a serious threat to local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Invasive success is often dictated via a plant’s capacity to influence belowground processes. We considered the role of two invasive plants – Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav, a perennial, and Conyza bonariensis L, an annual species – on the rhizosphere soil microbial communities and soil functionality. This

Although the effects of different vegetation cover on soil reinforcement due to their roots have been addressed in the literature, there remains a lack of assessment and comparison of root biomechanical properties of hardwood and softwood plantations for similar site conditions. To address this gap, two adjacent hillslopes with similar site conditions but different forest plantations, a Picea abies

ABSTRACT Genetic variations in the root traits of rice remain unexplored in relation to varietal groups and diverse ecosystems. Therefore, we evaluated 257 Bangladeshi accessions, which included landraces and improved varieties belonging to four ecotypes (Aus, Aman, Boro and Jhum), to understand genetic variations in the total root length (TRL), maximum root length and root number under different concentrations

The railway embankment applied to high-speed railways is required to have high performance in terms of strength and deformation characteristics. Especially in the case of railway embankments that support slab tracks, the allowable settlement is very small. There are two technical challenges in constructing high-speed rail embankments to support slab tracks in India. The first challenge is dealing with

Mangrove ecosystems are important for carbon storage due to their high productivity and low decomposition rates. Waterways have experienced increased nutrient loads as a result of anthropogenic activities and it is unclear how this may affect carbon and nutrient cycles in downstream mangroves that receive these nutrient-rich waters. Using a laboratory-based incubation experiment, this study aimed to

Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled with simultaneous consumption of nitrous oxide (N2O) has been recently reported, but the underlying coupling mechanism remains unclear. Here, we investigated N2O-mediated AOM in paddy soil under amendment of electron shuttles (anthraquinone-2,6-disulphonate and methylviologen). Sixty-day anaerobic incubation showed that N2O-mediated AOM occurred in paddy

Fine-textured clayey soils dominate Asian rice fields that are kept either fallow or cultivated with non-rice crops after harvest of monsoon rice. Use of seeding machinery compatible with the principles of conservation agriculture on such soils, however, has not been promising. Under these conditions – which predominate the population and poverty dense areas of coastal South Asia – such machinery fails

Purpose In urban areas, humans shape the surface, (re-)deposit natural or technogenic material, and thus become the dominant soil formation factor. The 2015 edition of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) describes anthropogenic urban soils as Anthrosols or Technosols, but the methodological approaches and classification criteria of national soil classification systems are rather inconsistent

The aim of the study was to evaluate the differences in heavy metal accumulation in yew (Taxus baccata L.) needles depending on gender and age. Trees growing in the same soil and forest conditions were selected for the study. The study was conducted in the botanical garden in the center of Krakow, and study plots were characterized by the same deposition of pollutants. Needles of yew and soil samples

The concepts of soil security (especially relating to soil condition) provide a useful framework in building spectral libraries. Spectral libraries can be used with the purpose of assessing soil condition by measuring soil organic carbon (SOC) or increasing productivity through soil nutrient management. A spectral library was generated by measuring SOC and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium)

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are increasingly being used to meet crop demand for the expanding human population. However, historical N‐use efficiency (NUE) is low for rice paddy fields compared to upland ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate the fate of N fertilizer and compared NUE under different tillage regimes in a rice‐based agroecosystem. A long‐term field study of tillage regimes (i.e. flooded

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the main source of soil nutrients, which are essential for the growth and development of agricultural crops. Precise and quick quantification of SOC is of utmost importance in crop husbandry and soil health/carbon sequestration quantification. In order to evaluate visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VIS-NIR) as an alternative to precise and quick

Shifting cultivation systems of Southeast Asia are rapidly intensifying, especially through shortening of the fallow periods. It is typically assumed that intensification will result in a depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, but existing estimates of carbon stocks in these systems are variable, and there is little certainty about the carbon outcomes of intensification. We investigated the

The control of nitrogen (N) flows via nitrates leaching and nitrous oxide emission is crucial for a safe environment. Some plants have shown abilities to suppress soil nitrification by releasing biological inhibitors, such as sorgoleone in sorghum. We hypothesized that the N uptake capacity of plants partly influences soil nitrification, and so do the intensity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-sorghum

The characterization of microbial functional diversity proffers the opportunity to understand and manipulate them in various agricultural and biotechnological processes. This study analyzed the functional diversity and metabolic potentials of microbial communities in the rhizosphere of a former grassland and an intensively cultivated land using a shotgun metagenomic approach. We assumed that functional

We, the co‐authors of this letter, are an international group of soil scientists at early career stages, from PhD students to postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, and research fellows with permanent positions. Here, we present our collective musings on soil research challenges and opportunities and, in particular, the points raised by Philippe Baveye (Baveye, 2020a, 2020b) and Johan Bouma (Bouma, 2020)

In residue returned farming, plowing and zero tillage rotation may regulate soil physicochemical properties and help erodible productivity; however, the soil physicochemical property and soil productivity response to plowing and zero tillage rotation remains unclear. The present study evaluated the effects of plowing and zero tillage rotation on soil physicochemical properties and productivity based

There was a shallow earthquake in the Central Sulawesi province of Sulawesi island of Indonesia with a moment magnitude (Mw) 7.5 on 28th September 2018 at 18:02:44 local time. The event was preceded by major foreshocks and followed by aftershocks of significant magnitude. The epicenter of the main shock was in the Donggala regency of Minahasa peninsula of Central Sulawesi, approximately 70 km from

This paper discusses the instability of an offshore monopile in association with wave-induced liquefaction of sand beds. Centrifuge wave tests in a drum channel were performed with viscous scaling introduced such that the time-scaling laws for fluid wave propagation and consolidation of the soil were matched. The relationships between liquefaction and the start and development of monopile instability

Tropical forest soils contain some of the largest carbon (C) stocks on Earth, yet the effects of warming on the fate of fresh C entering tropical soils are still poorly understood. This research sought to understand how the fate of fresh C entering soils is influenced by warming, soil weathering status, and C chemistry. We hypothesized that compounds that are quickly incorporated into microbial biomass

The paper describes optimization of mathematical models for determining the main characteristics of the source of environmental pollution. A modification of the classical Newton’s method for finding a numerical solution of the constructed mathematical models for identifying the parameters of an environmental pollutant has been developed. A modification of the classical Newton’s method is obtained,

Purpose The palygorskite-coated nanoscale zero-valent iron (PAL-nZVI) was synthesized and used in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. The function of PAL-nZVI on fraction of Cd in soils, the growth, Cd translocation, and accumulation in corn (Zea mays L.) were investigated using a pot experiment. Materials and methods Cd-contaminated soils were amended with palygorskite, nanoscale zero-valent

Aims Plant roots often encounter heterogeneity in soil water content and respond by compensating water uptake from wet zones to cope with the transpiration demand. Simultaneously, plants may also exhibit root-mediated hydraulic redistribution from wet to dry zones. Experiments were conducted to simultaneously monitor compensated root water uptake and hydraulic redistribution in the vadose zone. Methods

Background and aims One goal of revegetating riparian zones is to mitigate nutrient movement into waterways, however release of dissolved nutrients and organic compounds from decaying leaf litter during rainfall may partially offset these benefits. We aim to understand how litter-derived nutrients and organics affect nutrient leaching from riparian soil, and how tree species affect these processes

Background and aims Field pea production is greatly impacted by multiple soil-borne fungal and oomycete pathogens in a complex. The objectives of this research were to 1) identify the soil-borne pathogens associated with field pea in North Dakota and; 2) develop prediction models incorporating the occurrence of the soil-borne pathogen communities, soil edaphic properties and disease incidence. Methods

Aims We quantified the potential influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on primary productivity and community stability and tested whether the effects of AMF depend on soil phosphorus (P) availability and grazing intensity in a semiarid grassland. Methods We manipulated the abundance of AMF and soil P availability (P addition and no P addition) under four levels of grazing intensity. The aboveground

Aims Soil aggregates constitute spatially-separated microbial habitats and architectural units for biogeochemical reactions. However, little is known about how aggregates varying in size can affect soil carbon (C) storage and mediate the direction of plant-soil interactions. Methods In a meadow steppe, we assessed soil aggregate C storage affected by nitrogen (N) addition and mowing and to what degree

ABSTRACT Ginger is a major spice crop cultivated in subtropical to subtemperate regions of the world. A comprehensive evaluation of various nutrient management practices in ginger was undertaken, during 2015–2019, by taking various soil properties, plant yield, and quality, crop and soil quality, and economics under consideration. Fourteen nutrient management technologies including farmyard manure

ABSTRACT Information on phosphorus (P) dynamics in soil is crucial for careful management of phosphorus fertilization in respect to the sustainable development of agriculture in IGP regions. The sorption and desorption of phosphate, different fractions of phosphate, dehydrogenase activity, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity were studied in soils under organic inorganic and integrated nutrient management

The effects of protists on an indigenous soil bacterial community, putative bacterial genes involved in N-cycling, and the rice plant growth were studied in poultry litter biochar (PL) and rice husk biochar (RH) amended (with two application doses: 2% and 4% w/w) paddy field soil. The bacterial community composition, which was evaluated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, was significantly and

Soil respiration (SRTOT) and its main components, soil heterotrophic (SRH) and autotrophic respiration (SRA), were monitored in response to within-season drought events of increasing duration and soil N enrichment in a semiarid meadow steppe. The experiment consisted of the combination of five drought periods (0 days, 15 days, 30 days, 45 days, and 60 days) and two N addition levels (0 and 10 g N m−2

Liming is a common management practice, but there exists uncertainty about the economic benefits. An economic analysis of the costs and profitability of liming arable crops was undertaken using data from the long‐term liming experiment at Rothamsted and Woburn. There was a strong liming effect on gross margins, but large differences in the economic benefit between crops. For some crops (such as spring

Abstract Agronomic practices such as long-term use of plastic film mulching (PFM) and application of organic and inorganic fertilizers have profound effect on soil microbial community. However, there is limited information on the abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizers where these practices have been employed. In this study, we investigated soil ammonia oxidizers in a long-term application

Abstract Accurate predictions of the short-term reactivity of liming products are needed for situations where rapid soil pH adjustment is desired. Lime efficiency (LE) describes the capacity of a liming material to neutralize soil acidity in comparison with a finely ground CaCO3 standard (LE = 100%). Our objectives were to evaluate LE for calcitic liming materials varying in particle size at 1-12 months

ABSTRACT Pu'er tea, as the geographical indication product of Yunnan province. The price of Pu'er tea will affect the healthy development of the tea industry and further affect the economic development of Yunnan province. According to the characteristics of Pu'er tea price and current price detection methods, this paper uses four products as sample data and selects the GSADF method to detect the price