Organic soil amendments can improve soil health but their role in improving N management has not been well quantified. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the influence of biochar and manure compost application on crop yield, N uptake, changes in soil and environmental losses, and to use the information to assess the N requirement and project fertilization needs. A field experiment was

Biochar as a soil amendment can influence the physical and solute transport properties of soils and, thus, provide a means to improve soil fertility. However, the use of different sized biochar particles down to the nano-scale has revealed inconsistent results, with the mechanisms poorly understood owing to a lack of experimental data. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of nano-sized

The expansion of oil palm monocultures into globally important Southeast Asian tropical peatlands has caused severe environmental damage. Despite much of the current focus of environmental impacts being directed at industrial scale plantations, over half of oil palm land-use cover in Southeast Asia is from smallholder plantations. We differentiated a first generation smallholder oil palm monoculture

Early sowing of winter cereals has been promoted as an alternative to catch crops for reducing nitrogen (N) leaching in intensively managed cropping systems. Underlying data for this are, however, scarce and it is unclear how year-to-year variations affect potential reductions in N leaching. Well-tested cropping system models can be used to assess the impact of early sowing on crop yield and N leaching

The application of biosolids to cropping soils may improve soil health, supply nitrogen and other nutrients for crops. There are specific guidelines on the quantity of biosolids that can be applied to a soil to grow selected crops. However, some recommendations overlook environmental factors such as soil organic N, and N supplied by irrigation water. We conducted a three-year field monitoring program

Livestock sheds are local and regional hotspots of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, but only very few studies analyse the intensities of GHG emissions from this source. The objective of this study was to quantify annual CH4, CO2 and N2O emissions from inside and outside of sheepfolds and summer cattle sheds in a typical agro-pastoral ecotone using static chamber technique. Both sheepfolds and cattle

In no-tillage systems (NTS), cover crops are recommended to increase the productivity of agricultural systems. Furthermor, a greater diversity of cover crops in NTS favors an increase in soil carbon (C) stocks. However, there is scarce published data on the relationship between the chemical composition of cover crops and the accumulation of labile and stable fractions of SOM. We evaluated the relationship

Advancing conservation agriculture depends on understanding nutrient dynamics of organic matter amendments (OMA) on no-till soil. This field incubation study compared surface-applied composted dairy manure (CM), green waste compost (GWC), and an unamended control from March to September in 2015 and 2016 using a RCBD in a California almond (Prunus dulcis) orchard. Measurements included OMA nutrient

The potential contributions of exogenous organic matters (EOMs) to soil organic C and mineral N supply depend on their C and N mineralization, which can be assessed in laboratory incubations. Such incubations are essential to calibrate decomposition models, because not all EOMs can be tested in the field. However, EOM incubations are resource-intensive. Therefore, easily measurable EOM characteristics

Soil organic carbon (SOC), soil inorganic carbon (SIC) and silt and clay are the main cementing substances formed by soil aggregates in arid areas. In this study, SOC, SIC, and total nitrogen (TN) contents were analyzed for different soil aggregate fractions that were reclaimed from different times (5, 15, 20, 35, 40, 50 and 60 years), in northwest China. Our results show that, as cultivation time

Minimising slurry phosphorus (P) losses in runoff requires careful management in the context of both soil P surpluses and changing patterns in rainfall. Increasing the time interval between slurry application and the first rainstorm event is known to reduce P loss in runoff although the risk period for elevated P concentrations in runoff can extend for weeks. This study investigated the impact of increasing

Paulownia is a well-known, fast-growing tree genus that is widely planted for commercial cultivation in the warm temperate zone of the North China Plain. Fertilization as a standard practice can efficiently increase wood production and tree yield in those Paulownia plantations, but how different fertilization measures might affect soil microbial activity, microbial biomass, and metabolic functioning

Forty percentage of UK peatlands have been drained for agricultural use, which has caused serious peat wastage and associated greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)). In this study, we evaluated potential trade-offs between water-table management practices for minimizing peat wastage and greenhouse gas emissions, while seeking to sustain romaine lettuce production: one of

Promoting the technique of crop straw incorporation holds great significance for soil fertility and the green development of agriculture, and the participation of farmers is crucial for the adoption of this technique. Crop straw incorporation has been carried out and promoted in China for more than 30 years, but the adoption rate among farmers remains relatively low. Based on micro survey data on farmers

Traditionally, locally calibrated soil tests were used for fertilizer and lime recommendations. Farmers and advisors are increasingly using new ‘universal’ soil tests without local calibration. The objective of this study was to compare five commercially available soil tests and to determine whether they would provide similar recommendations. In total, 24 fields in Western Finland were sampled for

For a long time in the practice of geotechnical engineering, soil has been viewed as an inert material, comprising only inorganic phases. However, microorganisms including bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes are ubiquitous in soil and have the capacity and capability to alter bio-geochemical processes in the local soil environment. The cumulative changes could consequently modify the physical, mechanical

Ammonium sulphate is widely used as a sulphur (S) fertilizer, constituting about 50% of global S use. Within nitrogen (N) management, it is well known that ammonium-based fertilizers are subject to ammonia (NH3) volatilization in soils with pH > 7, but this has been overlooked in decision making on S fertilization. We reviewed 41 publications reporting measurements of NH3 loss from ammonium sulphate

Natural recovery of acidic soils following heavy traffic is assumed to take several decades. The aim of this study was to monitor the recovery of soil penetration resistance (PR) after soil compaction by heavy traffic at two forest sites. The sites, located in northeast France, have soils that differ slightly in pH and silt content. The impact on soil PR following heavy traffic was dependent on the

The decreasing number of farm households in Japan is beginning to affect soil carbon and nitrogen balance. At both cool and warm sites, the soil C level was the lowest in the second year of the experiment, and thereafter, it gradually increased. The change in soil C concentration was negative at the warmer site; however, the content reached 119 g C m−2 at the cooler site. Soil N showed a significant

Municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) is a source of organic C and other nutrients which, when free from potential contaminants, can be used as a soil amendment. This study was carried out over three years in a vineyard with soil pH close to neutral under an experimental design consisting of two treatments (with and without MSWC). Application of MSWC is currently authorized under national legislation

Engineered biochars are promising candidates in a wide range of environmental applications, including soil fertility improvement, contaminant immobilization, wastewater treatment and in situ carbon sequestration. This review provides a systematic classification of these novel biochar composites and identifies the promising future trends in composite research and application. It is proposed that metals

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at national level were estimated to provide more accurate estimates on SOC for the Lithuanian GHG inventory. The SOC stocks in the forest floor, grassland litter, and in mineral or organic topsoil (0–30 cm) of forest land, grasslands, and croplands were estimated. The assessment was based on forest floor and peat topsoil mass, mineral topsoil bulk density, and carbon

Leaching of nitrogen from arable land can lead to pollution of groundwater and surface water. Various measures have been implemented in agriculture to reduce leaching, but there is still potential to do more. To find the best agricultural management regime to limit the problem, leaching from soils under different management must be measured. Different methods to estimate leaching are available, but

There are many studies on the beneficial effects of silicon (Si) in plants related to a decrease of stress (biotic/abiotic). The objective of the present work was to study how plant-available Si in highly calcareous soil with different soil chemical properties, amendments and growing conditions can affect Si absorption by Hordeum vulgare L. (Barley) and its biomass. Barley was cultivated under field

Sustainable soil management renders multifaceted benefits to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (FAO, 2018; Hou et al., 2020; Keesstra et al., 2016). Its implications for climate change mitigation has been drawing particular interest in recent years (FAO, 2017; Poulton et al., 2018). On the one hand, soil represents the largest carbon pool in the Earth's terrestrial system, accounting

Biochar amendments generally enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation. Little is known about soil carbon sequestration and stabilization, particularly via the path of living microbial biomass (MBC) and dead microbial biomass (amino sugar tissue C, AS‐C) with biochar incorporation. In a maize field trial in north‐eastern China, maize straw‐derived biochar was applied at four dosages levels of

Baveye (2021) provides a robust critique of the proposal by Lehmann et al. (2020) that “researchers should embrace soil health as an overarching principle to which to contribute knowledge, rather than as only a property to measure.” I would like to contribute to this discussion, making two points. The first is negative, reinforcing the reservations about soil health as an “overarching principle” as

Biochar combined with fertilizer as a soil amendment benefits to improving soil fertility, especially soil organic carbon and crop yield. However, the effect of biochar on the improvement of soil properties and crop yield was varied from soil properties and limited for medium–low‐yield farmland in the North China. During the completely randomized field experiment, SIX treatments (biochar applied as

The merits of three climate smart agriculture (CSA) technologies implemented by farmers were assessed in Machinga district of Malawi with respect to their soil quality and maize yield effects. Data were collected from farms implementing the three CSA technologies, namely conservation agriculture (CA), maize–pigeonpea (Maize‐PP) intercrops and a local organic and inorganic soil amendment known as Mbeya

Greenhouse gas emissions from managed peatlands have not been extensively studied in Western Patagonia. The objective of this study was to assess the annual CO2 emission from microbial carbon (C) mineralization in a peatland site under not saturated conditions at Tierra del Fuego. The annual CO2 emissions were measured from unsaturated soil samples (n = 41) under soil incubation at seasonal local temperatures

Soil available P for crops, derived from P inputs and regulated by soil chemical, physical and biological factors, represents a small fraction of the total P content. Soil P balance (P input minus P output) is potentially a good descriptor of fluctuations in the available P pool, making it possible to compare experiments that differ in management and duration. Using a data set compiled from three long‐term

Heavy metals and metalloids can accumulate in soil, with potentially toxic effects to human health and ecosystems, threatening the sustainable use and management of soil resources. Although a number of remediation technologies, such as Solidification/Stabilization (S/S), soil washing, electrokinetic remediation and chemical oxidation/reduction can be applied for the immobilization, removal or detoxification

Land‐use change (LUC) can impact soil quality. In semi‐arid areas of Brazil, impacts of LUC need to be understood for better soil management. This study evaluated the impact of LUC on soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) distributions through the soil profile and stocks of a Haplic‐Cambisol in the Brazilian Semi‐arid region. Three land‐use systems (LUS) were investigated: agricultural

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent and causes of soil compaction of the apple orchards in the Weibei Dry Highland. Nine ‘Red Fuji’ apple orchards with number of planting years in the ranges of <10‐year, 10–20‐year and >20‐year were included. Soil bulk density, porosity, penetration resistance, organic matter (SOM), clay, water and soil aggregate size distribution were determined. The

Potassium chloride (KCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) can be used to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, but their efficacy can be strongly affected by their Cl− concentration. This study aimed to compare the behaviour of different Cl− salts and concentrations with that of a typical commercial nitrification inhibitor (3, 4‐dimethylpyrazole phosphate, PIADIN). KCl, MgCl2

Phosphorus (P) is used to enhance agricultural productivity. Organic acids increase the release of inorganic phosphorus (Pi) into soil solutions and thereby improve phosphorus utilization in soils; however, the effects of both organic acids and the soil organic matter contents on Pi release are poorly understood. To assess the importance of these factors in determining phosphorus availability, the

The northeast region of China is an important grain‐growing area. However, severe soil salinization in the region impairs plant production. In the present study, organic fertilizer application (composted poultry manure) was evaluated as a potential strategy for remediating saline–alkali soil and promoting rice growth. Following continuous organic fertilizer application for 4 years, the contents of

Soil conditioners, such as biochar and zeolites, may play an important role in agriculture if they increase nutrient use efficiency, in particular, that of phosphorus (P), due to the depletion of phosphate rocks from which P‐fertilizers are manufactured. This study report results from a field trial, where maize was grown in summer and oats in winter, and from a pot experiment with maize. In the field

To mitigate urban flooding, conserving pervious areas and securing the infiltration capacity are important. The infiltration capacity of an area can be significantly reduced by compaction; thus, we attempted to build a runoff reduction technology that can ensure the infiltration capacity even after compaction to mitigate urban flooding. Herein, we revealed the relationship between the degree of compaction

Soil pollution by microplastics (MPs, 0.1 μm ~ 5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, ≤0.1 μm) has drawn much attention in recent years due to its potential ecological and human health risks; however, there are very limited studies and a general lack of consensus regarding the transport and transformation of MPs/NPs in soil environment. This review critically discusses the environmental behaviour of soil MPs/NPs

Site-specific soil fertility management requires a fundamental understanding of factors that modulate soil fertility variability in the local context. To verify this assumption, this study hypothesized that soil fertility variability across two regions in Central and Western Ethiopia is determined by inter-related effects of agro-ecological zones and farmers’ resource endowment (‘wealthy’ versus ‘poor’

The variability of soil qualities across the coffee‐growing areas and consequences of conversion of forest to coffee plantations on soil qualities and sustainability in the Western Ghats of South India are evaluated in this study by assessing and studying the six representative pedons selected from Chikmagalur district in Karnataka and Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala taking into consideration

Lehmann et al. (2020) recently published an article in which they propose a review of the very topical notion of soil health and of its practical significance for soil management. Unfortunately, the journal in which this review appeared does not accept comments or letters to the editor, thereby depriving the scientific community of the opportunity to debate in a timely manner some of the startling

Soils and crops are nowadays particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stresses. In many agrosystems, soil biodiversity and the ecosystem services, soil provides are under threat from a range of natural and manmade drivers. Agricultural soils are perturbated by the agronomic practices so far adopted that disrupt soil trophic networks to a large extent and make soils less and less

Organic amendments are important to sustain soil organic matter (SOM) and soil functions in agricultural soils. Information about the contribution of organic amendments to SOM can be derived from incubation experiments. In this study, data from 72 incubated organic amendments including plant residues, digestates and manure were analysed. The incubation data was compiled from three experimental setups

Soil degradation represents a serious threat to the global environment and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; Amundson et al., 2015; FAO, 2011; UNCCD, 2017). Sustainable soil management is called for by a wide range of stakeholders (Bryan et al., 2018; FAO, 2015; Hou et al., 2020). In recent years, biochar application has been proposed as a green and innovative solution for achieving

We performed a systematic mapping of validation methods used in digital soil mapping (DSM), in order to gain an overview of current practices and make recommendations for future publications on DSM studies. A systematic search and screening procedure, largely following the RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) protocol, was carried out. It yielded a database of 188 peer‐reviewed

Silage maize (Zea mays L.) is an important crop for forage on Northwestern European dairy cattle farms. We examined the effect of readily available soil phosphorus (P) on early maize growth and linked in‐season height growth to final harvest yield using field plots with contrasting P supply in a one‐year study embedded in a long‐term experiment. Water‐extractable P (Pw) was used as a proxy for readily

Yield stability and carbon sequestration of agricultural systems are impacted by nutrient management strategies. Major objectives of this study were to understand the effects of long-term (43 years) manure application on a) environmental parameters such as soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, enzyme activities in surface and subsurface layers, and b) yield, and yield stability under a soybean–wheat

The present study aims to improve shear strength of poorly graded sand using microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) technique. Two soil‐based bacteria, namely Sporosarcina pasteurii (SP) and Bacillus sphaericus (BS), were bioaugmented in sand. The cementation solutions of 0.50 M concentration were prepared using distilled water (DWCS) and tap water (TWCS), maintaining sterile and non‐sterile

Cassava production requires nitrogen (N) inputs to drive processes such as protein synthesis. Nevertheless, N not taken up by cassava roots is subjected to microbial transformation resulting in nitrous oxide (N2O) production, a potent greenhouse gas. The temporal dynamics of soil N is partially influenced by the N source (i.e., organic or inorganic fertilizer) and the synchrony between N supply and

The integrated rice–crayfish (RC) farming has become popular in rice‐growing areas in China. In order to raise crayfish in paddy, the RC system requires large amounts of feed and flooding of fields, and changes in the use and management of paddy may have an impact on soil properties. This study investigated the effects of feed placement and long‐term flooding on soil profile structure, organic carbon

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)

Soil biodiversity has become a hot research topic base on its important role in maintaining the stability of soil function. This study examined the impacts of long‐term (36 years) management practices on the soil microbial community. We employed high‐throughput sequencing to determine the diversity and composition of the bacterial and fungal communities under different long‐term management practices

Variations in and control of soil total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) and their stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P and N:P) are critical in agricultural nutrient management. This study examined the scale-dependent effects of environmental factors on these soil properties under two contrasting land-use types (tea versus. bamboo) at plot scale (70 × 70 m) and landscape

In‐field soil testing and soil mapping can contribute to addressing the challenge of poor soil fertility and limited fertilizer application across sub‐Saharan Africa. Semi‐quantitative colorimetric methods, such as paper test strips, are frequently employed in soil nutrient assessment across developing countries, especially in South‐East Asia. This research investigated the accuracy of nutrient‐sensitive

The ageing of orchards is common in the apple planting process, which affects the yield and quality of apples, as well as the development of the apple industry and local economy. The investigation of soil properties is important to the improvement and soil management of aged apple orchards. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution, correlation and clustering of soil properties (nutrients

Glomalin produced by fungal mycelium represents a significant stabilizing element of soil aggregates and a relatively stable carbon reservoir in the soil. The aim of our research was to investigate the changes in the amount of glomalin‐related soil protein (GRSP) associated with the transition from forest to meadow or field conditions at the four transects during the 2016 growing season. The method

This study verified the inter-related effect of ‘market distance’, defined as walking time, ‘farm typology’, defined as resource endowment, and ‘site’, defined as geographic location with contrasting agro-ecologies, as well as farmers’ indigenous knowledge on soil fertility variability in smallholder farming systems in two distinct regions (Bushumba, Mushinga) of South-Kivu, DR Congo. A total of 384