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.

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 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’

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

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 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

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 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

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

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

Heavy metals in ecosystems affect human health through the web chain. Castellon Province is home to the largest ceramic production hub in Spain, with 94% of the country's total production. Agricultural soils in the vicinity of the ceramic hub were reported to contain potentially toxic elements (Pb, Cr, Ni and Cd) in 2008 and have since been subject to repeated amendment with biosolids (sewage sludge)

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

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

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 contamination agricultural soils and food by cadmium (cd) is one of the major concerns of the world. The field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of silicon (Si) fertilizer on bioavailability and accumulation of Cd in soil, Cd chemical fractions, dynamic changes of soil pH, available Cd content and Cd content of various parts of rice plants. The results revealed that application

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

Biochar has various ecological effects on heavy metal‐contaminated soils. Biochar can passivate the activity of heavy metals and improve environmental conditions for microbial growth. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to explore the diversity of microbes in red soil under cadmium (Cd) stress following the application of wheat straw biochar. The contaminant Cd was prepared at 2.5 mg kg‒1 with

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

Past settlement sites often relate to the accumulation of elements in Anthrosols. The analyses of Anthrosols can resolve specific queries on the estimation of element enrichment factors and their potential suitability for arable fields. We studied Anthrosols in the sub‐Sahara developed on a mid‐19th century AD Bremen missionary settlement in the Volta Region, Ghana, aiming to compare the physicochemical

Long‐term use of white plastic film mulching is an important reason for premature leaf senescence of spring mulch maize in the Weibei Plateau area of China. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of black plastic film mulching on leaf senescence characteristics and yield of spring maize. In 2017 and 2018, a field experiment was conducted in Changwu County, China. The experiments included

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

More and more cultivated coastal territories of Syria are being affected by increasing land degradation processes, specifically, by soil erosion due to non‐sustainable soil management. The use of cover crops can be considered an ideal solution to reduce the negative impacts of extreme rainfall events on soil erosion. However, there is no enough information about the main cultivated areas of Syria due

Crop residue management strategies must be adapted for improving carbon (C) balance and soil C stock in agroecosystems in sub‐Saharan Africa with consideration of the crop residue availability and site‐specific soil characteristics. We conducted field experiments to determine the effects of crop residue application method (incorporation/mulching) and quality (maize/cowpea) and N fertilizer application

To improve phosphorus (P) fertilization and environmental assessments, a better understanding of release kinetics of solid‐phase P to soil solution is needed. In this study, Fe (hydr)oxide‐coated filter papers (Fh papers), isotopic exchange kinetics (IEK) and chemical extractions were used to assess the sizes of fast and slowly desorbing P pools in the soils of six long‐term Swedish field experiments

Optimum nitrogen (N) fertilization, which aims for high productivity while minimizing N losses to the environment, requires a better understanding of the N leaching behaviour around the recommended N rate. A study was conducted with increasing N fertilization levels over 3 years (2016–2019) with early and timely sown winter cereals (rye and wheat) at two sites in Denmark with different climatic conditions

The aggregate formation and stability are controlled by the dynamics of soil organic matters (SOM), but how it is related to SOM chemical composition within different‐sized aggregates is largely unknown during manure fertilization. In this study, the variations of intra‐aggregate organic carbon (OC), including intra‐particulate organic matter (iPOM) and mineral‐associated organic matter, were quantitatively

The soil in the sugarcane growing area of far north Queensland is often sodic (exchangeable sodium percentage—ESP > 6%). Gypsum therefore needs to be applied to reduce potential for land degradation. To accurately map ESP, a digital soil map (DSM) approach can be used. In this paper, we compare and contrast various aspects of DSM for mapping topsoil (0–0.3 m) ESP, including a suitable model (i.e. linear

Sewage sludge‐derived biochar (SSBC) could improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) and reduce the use of mineral N fertilizers in agriculture. However, information on the residual effect (after stopping amendment) of SSBC on NUE is scarce, but necessary, to evaluate how often biochar should be applied to agricultural crops. In this study, the residual effect of SSBC produced at different temperatures

Studies of forest clear‐felling operations in 1995–97 in the Afon Tanllwyth sub‐catchment of the upper River Severn on Plynlimon, mid‐Wales, by Stott et al. (Journal of Environmental Management (2001), 63, 3), indicated elevated suspended sediment loads (SSLs) immediately following timber harvesting. UK Forestry Commission (1993) Forests and Water Guidelines recommended that riparian buffer zones adjacent

Sustained tillage and continual applications of phytopharmaceutical and fertilizers using heavy machineries frequently give rise to soil erosion, loss of soil organic matter (SOM) and contamination phenomena in Mediterranean vineyards. Because of their distinctive properties, applying natural zeolites to vineyard soils can conceivably affect the efficient use of fertilizers and reduce nutrient leaching

Soil texture is the most important soil physical property that determines water holding capacity, nutrient availability and crop growth. Spatial distribution of soil texture at a higher spatial resolution at regional and national level is essential for crop planning and management. In the present study, we mapped the soil textural classes over 16.2 M ha area of Andhra Pradesh state, India, at 250 m

On average, sugar beet yield in the UK is reduced by 10% due to water limitation. The root system of a plant is responsible for water uptake and hence an extensive root system is crucial to mitigate drought stress. There might be varietal differences when it comes to plant root system architecture but so far none have been reported in sugar beet. This study shows the results of 2 years of field experiments

Nitrogen management is the key to improve crop yield. Polymer materials are widely used as water‐retaining agents in agriculture, but little is known about how polymer materials affect the transformation and utilization of soil nitrogen. This study focused on the effects of three polymer materials (humic acid extracted from cottonseed meal, H; modified polymer prepared by using polyacrylamide as main

Soil is a non‐renewable resource considering its extremely slow pace of regeneration (Amundson et al., 2015). Soil management practice directly affects the world's soil resources, with huge implications for food security, human health, biodiversity, climate change and environmental quality (Bahram et al., 2018; Bampa et al., 2019; FAO, 2015). Because of anthropogenic activities and natural events,

Environmental changes are threatening current and future food security. In this context, it is imperative to design agricultural systems that are resilient to increasing frequent climate shocks, losses in biodiversity and soil fertility and to increasing demand from our societies because of population growth and consumption patterns. The emergence of sustainability science reminds us that soil management

This research attempted to investigate a part of the United Nations sustainable development goal 15, dealing with preventing land degradation and halting the loss of microorganisms’ diversity. Since soil deterioration and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean area are occurring because of intensive management, we evaluated some biochemical and microbiological parameters and bacterial biodiversity

This study aimed to quantify the dynamics of soil CO2 fluxes in two silvopastoral systems based on Leucaena leucocephala, one associated with Panicum maximum (L + P) and another with Cynodon plectostachyus (L + C). We measured CO2 fluxes fortnightly during the dry and rainy seasons in the morning and the afternoon, with an infrared gas analyzer. Simultaneously, we measured soil temperature, soil moisture