Highland vegetables play an important role in meeting the demand for fresh vegetables in summer and also increasing the income of farmers in upland areas of China. With the large‐scale and intensive development of vegetable planting in upland areas, many of the farmers have used vegetable‐maize rotation instead of the traditional maize monoculture pattern. The bacterial community and diversity under

Soils are a host to several micro‐organisms which are responsible for various biogeochemical processes prevailing in the geoenvironment. Such processes have been utilized to alter engineering properties of the coarse‐grained soils viz., sands, such as strength, liquefaction potential and permeability. One of such processes, which has been explored by several researchers, is ‘Biogenic Calcite Precipitation'

The low efficiency of phosphorus fertilisation in more weathered soils can limit plant development. The application of biochars in these areas has been seen as an important way to increase the efficiency of phosphorus fertilisation and to promote better plant growth. However, biochars are alkaline materials that can increase soil pH and thus change the nutrient dynamics, which has been consistently

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is associated with environmental benefits and crop productivity; therefore, monitoring of SOC stocks is important when assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems. This study applied a hybrid method and the results of on‐farm soil tests to calibrate the AMGv2 model and adapt it to local conditions. The method was applied to soils in the Limagne plain (France), which

CO2 and N2O are important greenhouse gases that are related to soil mineralization‐immobilization turnover and nitrification. To explore the responses of CO2 and N2O emissions to N deposition in forests with different N transformation characteristics, CO2 and N2O fluxes were measured in two NH4NO3 fertilized plots. One plot was in a temperate pine plantation in Heilongjiang Liangshui National Nature

Proper management of soil organic matter is an important issue in the context of sustainable agriculture. The intensification of production and the loss of organic carbon associated with agriculture reduce the efficiency of production and the quality of the environment, especially in relation to areas exposed to erosion. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of specific tillage systems

In this work, we aimed to investigate changes in compressive properties and least limiting water range (LLWR) of the plough layer and plough pan induced by successive years of sugarcane cultivation. Undisturbed soil samples were collected in a sugarcane field at the plough layer and below tillage depth (plough pan). Uniaxial compression tests were performed for a water tension (h) range of 30 to 15

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer retention and short‐term vertical redistribution into soil affect N balance and N‐use efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production systems. A series of experiments was conducted on intact soil cores obtained from rice production fields to track floodwater and soil ammonium‐ and nitrate‐N concentrations up to 96 hours after urea and ammonium sulfate fertilizer amendments to

Deep soil (>2 m) moisture is relatively stable water that supports tree growth and water management in the loess hilly‐gully area of China. Characterizing the spatial variation of deep soil moisture is important for water management in apple orchards. Using a space‐for‐time substitution approach, we analyzed the spatial variation of soil moisture content (θ) in 0–8 m soil profiles in a dry year (2015

The near‐surface soil water content (SWC) can reflect the agricultural drought levels. In addition, understanding the historical trends of near‐surface SWC change in China is an important step in combating climate change. The monthly near‐surface SWC data set during 1988‐2016 published by the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative were used in this study to analyze the variations of SWC in

Studies of P reactions in soils receiving sugar cane filter cake are important for determining doses and its contribution to P nutrition, and maximizing fertilizer efficiency, especially in soils with low P availability. This study aimed to assess organic and inorganic forms of P in soils treated with sugar cane filter cake, and the relationship between these and plant available P. Soil inorganic (Pi)

Accumulation of inorganic and labile organic phosphorus (P) in intensive agricultural systems leads to P loss from soil which can cause serious environmental problems. Soil microbes are important in mobilizing soil non‐available P, however, little is known about the role of soil microbes in immobilizing P to reduce P loss. Here, we test whether stimulating microbial biomass to immobilize P could reduce

In order to evaluate and protect ecosystem services provided by peat and peaty soils, accurate estimations for the depth of the surface organic horizon are required. This study uses linear mixed models (LMMs) to test how topographic (elevation, slope, aspect) and superficial geology parameters can contribute to improved depth estimates across a Scottish upland catchment. Mean (n  = 5) depth data from

Land use capability systems do not present any considerations regarding recharge zones (RZs). To improve conservation planning, the objective of this study was to present a parametrization method for the land use capability of recharge zones (LUC‐RZ). RZs were characterized as the upper thirds of the elevations of all slopes with rectilinear, concave and/or convex features in the terrains. The LUC‐RZ

Good soil structure provides multiple benefits for society but in grass‐based production systems is underpinned by trafficking management regime. For Irish soils, there is no soil trafficking intensity index that considers the effect of geo‐climatic variability or differences in drainage classes on soil compaction risk. Grazing and machinery activity data were compiled across 38 managed grasslands

This study compared the effects on nitrate leaching of slurry application to ley in early Autumn (15 September), late Autumn (1 November) and Spring (April) under Swedish growing conditions. In two separate two‐year experiments, started in Autumn 2009 and 2010, on a sandy loam soil in south‐west Sweden, these three application times were compared with no slurry application in grass–clover and grass

Rapid and far‐reaching transitions are required to combat climate change and its impacts. Carbon capture and storage within mineral deposits is a promising solution to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. In‐situ geological storage and ex‐situ mineral sequestration are practically sufficient for sequestering all the anthropogenic CO2. Recent research reports that more than 95% of injected CO2 was mineralized

Solar vegetable greenhouse soils show low soil organic carbon content and thus also low rates of soil respiration. Processing vegetable residues to biochar and mixing biochar with maize straw might improve soil respiration and increase soil organic carbon stocks, while preventing the spread of soil‐borne diseases carried by vegetable residues. In an incubation experiment, we tested how additions of

Prescribed burning of plant residues in agricultural lands may increase surface soil temperature and change the dynamics of soil potassium (K). In the current investigation, the effects of two hours heating of soil to 25, 100, 225, or 350°C and cycling (one and three cycles) on properties of eight calcareous soils from southern Iran and K dynamics (K forms, release, and fixation) were studied. Results

Quantification of nitrogen mineralization at the field scale is necessary to improve current N fertilizer recommendations. The objective of this study was to identify a suitable set of explanatory variables and an appropriate modelling framework to estimate the average daily amount of N mineralized (DANM) during a corn (Zea mays L.) growing season. In six field experiments in Flat Inland Pampas, Argentina

As a waste‐derived soil amendment with a long history, biochar has received extensive attention for its capability to improve soil fertility/health; remove or immobilize contaminants in soil, water and air; and mitigate climate change. With the aim of producing engineered biochars with excellent performances, new trends in biochar pyrolytic production and modification strategies have emerged. This

As one part of the “Three Norths” forest protection system, dense farmland shelterbelt networks in northeastern China could greatly modify water and sediment flows. In this paper, catchment soil erosion rate and sediment yield (SY) that are impacted by farmland shelterbelts were estimated using WaTEM/SEDEM model. The shelterbelts reduced catchment soil erosion and SY to some extent. The mean soil erosion

The reuse of phosphogypsum (PG) and water treatment residual (WTR) waste for agricultural purposes is a possible option to improve the soil properties and increase the crop yield. The present study was conducted during the 2014 growing season in order to determine the impacts of PG and WTR applied to the heavy clay soils (which contain more than 50% clay particles) at rates of 5 and 10 t ha−1 with

The unsustainable use of phosphate‐based fertilizers can lead to the depletion of accessible phosphorous reserves and cause environmental problems. As well as finding new phosphate supplies, we ought to be prioritizing sustainable phosphate‐based fertilizers. By adopting microbial, physical and chemical modifications, low‐solubility phosphate minerals could be used in an efficient way for nutrient

This paper examines the potential influence of soil management and land use on soil carbon on cropping farms in New South Wales (NSW ), Australia. Soil organic carbon (SOC ) data from ten farms spatially distributed across NSW were examined on two occasions. Soil cores to a depth 0–30 cm were measured for SOC and, as expected, SOC in the A horizon (1.16%) was significantly (p  < .001) greater than

When using mechanical harvesting, the sugarcane trash can be partially recovered for use as feedstock for bioenergy. However, the amount of trash that can be removed without prejudicing the sustainability of the sugarcane production system has still been little studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short‐term impact of removing part of the sugarcane trash using enzymatic and microbiological

The need for facilitation of access to soil information has never been greater. Growing human population, shrinking land and water resources, soil pollution, climate change and unequal distribution of agriculture‐oriented technology impact negatively on global food security. There has been a long‐standing interest in developing low‐cost and easily accessible soil field kits to measure different properties

The accurate monitoring of soil moisture is critical for many environmental and hydrological applications, and commercial sensors have been used widely to detect the soil water content. However, the sensitivity of these sensors to the soil texture and bulk density demands calibration before conducting determinations. In the present study, we calibrated two soil moisture sensors (TDR ‐315L and Diviner

Grassland management aimed at enhancing carbon (C) in soil is an important tool in mitigation of rising atmospheric CO2, yet little is known of how grassland soil C changes with livestock stocking rate (SR). We relate soil organic and inorganic C mass (t ha−1 to 60 cm depth) with cattle stocking over periods of 7–27 year for 32 paddocks distributed across nine community pastures in the mixed‐grass

Long‐term P Fertiliser application increases soil phosphorus (P) labile fractions, which can be associated with crop P uptake and grain yield and are useful to improve fertilizer recommendations. Research aims were to evaluate in long‐term experiments with different P Fertiliser application in a Mollisol and a Vertisol: (a) the changes of soil P fractions and (b) the relationship between soil P fractions

Increasing soil carbon (C) in arable soils is an important strategy to achieve sustainable yields and mitigate climate change. We investigated changes in soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC and SIC) under conservation agriculture (CA) in a calcareous soil of the eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plains of India. The treatments were as follows: conventional‐till rice and wheat (CT‐CT), CT rice and zero‐till

Topsoil is disturbed by ploughing, the effects of infiltration, the movement of fine particles from the topsoil to the subsoil, and direct pressure from agriculture machinery, all creating an abrupt delineation in the form of a compacted layer with very low permeability. Spatial variability of soil properties, such as soil structure and penetration resistance (PR), can help identify the compacted layer

Nitrogen (N) gas losses can be reduced by using enhanced‐efficiency N (EEN) fertilizers such as urease inhibitors and coating technologies. In this work, we assessed the potential of EEN fertilizers to reduce winter losses of nitrous oxide (N2O‐N) and ammonia (NH3‐N) from a subtropical field experiment on a clayey Inceptisol under no‐till in Southern Brazil. The EEN sources used included urea containing

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and nutrient availability are key indicators of soil quality, and both can be influenced by land‐use change. However, it is still unclear whether the impact of land‐use change on SOC and nutrient stocks differs between ecoregions. Grasslands near the northeast border of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) occur across several ecoregions that have recently been subjected

A field study was conducted to assess the long‐term effects of no‐tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT), and the short‐term effects following tillage conversion from CT to NT (NTn) and from NT to CT (CTn) on soil quality (SQ) indicators in a semi‐humid climate. First, plots of a long‐term tillage experiment on a Luvic Phaeozem initiated in 1986 were split into two subplots in 2012, yielding four

Bio‐mediated soil improvement involves the usage of microbes to improve soil engineering performance through a series of bio‐geochemical processes. In particular, Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP), a ubiquitous bio‐geochemical process that occurs in soil and results in permanent inorganic cementation between soil grains, has received the greatest research focus. While substantial progress

Land use change (LUC) alters soil structure and, consequently, the functions and services provided by these soils. Conversion from extensive pasture to sugarcane is one of the largest land transitions in Brazil as a result of the growth of the domestic and global demands of bioenergy. However, the impacts of sugarcane expansion on the soil structure under extensive pasture remains unclear, especially

This present investigation took place on a continuing long‐term fertilizer experiment, initiated in 1972 at the experimental farm of the College of Agriculture CSK HPKV, Palampur, aimed at studying nutrient dynamics of micronutrients, especially Zn, after continuous use of chemical fertilizers and amendments over the previous 36 years in an acid Alfisol under a maize–wheat system. Treatments investigated

Land evaluation is the process of land performance predictions over time based on land uses and soil features. Traditional methods in determining soil features are proved to be time‐consuming and costly. Therefore, in order to overcome these limitations, a simpler automated method using the image segmentation was developed in this study. The method was designed by integrating dynamic region merging

The integrated horizontal flux method is commonly used to estimate ammonia emission from field‐applied manure. The method involves measuring the wind speed and ammonia concentration at various heights on a post in the middle of a manured plot. Wind speed and concentration profiles are subsequently fitted to these measurements. The product of the profiles represents the amount of ammonia displaced by

In inversion tillage systems, the mouldboard plough is fundamental for producing a desirable seedbed. The desired ploughing quality is achieved when the plough layer is inverted homogeneously. This is, however, difficult to obtain in the main‐headland intersection zone where the plough is lowered and elevated, as ploughed and unploughed triangles are formed. This results in zones where the soil is

Land classification assists in identifying optimal crop selection for a given field, and land use capability gives an indication of potential agronomic productivity. However, these approaches are most germane to farming systems managed with high technology. This study sought to adapt land use capability to farming systems managed with low and intermediate levels of technology. Assessment of the classification

Community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) were used to characterize soils with two contrasting no‐till agricultural practices in terms of crop rotation, looking for differences in soil physiology according to management: ‘good agricultural practices (GAP), based on crop rotation, and monocropping agriculture considered as poor agricultural practices (PAP); soils from nearby natural environments

The widespread degradation of the structure of silty soils under no‐till systems (NT) that has been observed in recent years is characterized by the presence of a Platy structure (P) near the soil surface. Under these conditions, addition of organic and inorganic amendments could have beneficial effects on soil physical properties. We assessed structural regeneration following addition of amendments

The change in soil carbon (C) concentration, soil pH and major nutrients for approximately 1,000 topsoil sampled from on‐farm experimental sites over a thirty‐year period from 1950 to 1980 in north‐east Scotland are summarized. This period coincided with increased agricultural intensification, which included regular liming and fertilizer additions. During 2017, 37 of these sites were resampled and

The imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers under intensive cultivation practices over a period of years leads to various soil‐associated problems particularly nutrient availability. Thus, to examine the effect of long‐term application of balanced and imbalanced inorganic fertilizer and farm yard manure (FYM) application on the chemical fraction of DTPA‐extractable micronutrients under rice–wheat cropping

Current agricultural practices and their impacts on the sustainability of crop production can be evaluated by simple and reliable soil structure assessment tools. The study was conducted to determine the effects of long‐term (2006–2017) tillage systems on structural quality of a clayey soil using the visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) and classical field and laboratory measurements. A field

Precompression stress (σp) is commonly used as an indicator for the load carrying capacity of a soil and its stress history. Several calculation methods have been proposed to determine σp, but they have proven to be not interchangeable. The aim of this study was to perform a functional evaluation of seven existing methods to test which method would be most recommended to assess soil strength in cultivated

Field observations have shown that a substantial portion of peanut leaves abscise in windrows during pod curing, leading to an uneven distribution of leaves and stems when intact residues are spread during harvest. Possible differences in nitrogen (N) mineralization rates between peanut leaf and stem residues may lead to spatial and temporal variability in available N during subsequent crops. The objective

A field experiment with separately tile‐drained plots was used to study the ability of oilseed radish (Rhaphanus sativus L.), as a cover crop sown after harvest of a main crop of cereals or peas, to reduce nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) leaching losses from a clay loam in southern Sweden over 6 years. In addition to oilseed radish in pure stand, two cover crop mixtures (hairy vetch (Vicia villosa)

Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is an indicator for soil condition and is greatly influenced by land use or land cover (LULC) type and other soil and environmental attributes. This study investigated the soil aggregate‐size distribution, SAS, aggregate‐associated organic carbon (AAOC) and the relative importance of factors affecting SAS and AAOC. Based on conditioned Latin hypercube sampling, soil aggregate

This study focused on the effects of biochar (BC) application on soil chemical properties and mobilization of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the paddy soil. BC was applied at the rate of 0, 10, 20 and 40 t ha−1, respectively. BC application caused a significant increase in soil organic carbon contents (SOC), pH, nitrate–nitrogen (‐N),and available phosphorus contents (AP) in the top and subsurface soil

Perennial ryegrass starts growing when soil temperatures reach 5.5°C for five consecutive days; applying N fertilizer before this risks environmental losses. To test whether daffodil flowering signified when to apply N fertilizer, farmers volunteered to take part in a citizen science study. The PROSOIL project used a "citizen science", participatory approach to create farmer-informed science, aiming

Soil acidification is caused by a number of factors including acidic precipitation and the deposition from the atmosphere of acidifying gases or particles, such as sulphur dioxide, ammonia and nitric acid. The most important causes of soil acidification on agricultural land, however, are the application of ammonium-based fertilizers and urea, elemental S fertilizer and the growth of legumes. Acidification

National governments are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their soil resources and are shaping strategies accordingly. Implicit in any such strategy is that degradation threats and their potential effect on important soil properties and functions are defined and understood. In this paper, we aimed to review the principal degradation threats on important soil properties in the UK, seeking

Reducing tillage intensity offers the possibility of moving towards sustainable intensification objectives. Reduced tillage (RT) practices, where the plough is not used, can provide a number of environmental and financial benefits, particularly for soil erosion control. Based on 2010 harvest year data from the nationally stratified Farm Business Survey and drawing on a sub-sample of 249 English arable

Precision agriculture techniques were employed to study the impact of the spatiotemporal variations of soil compaction on the performance of potato crop during its various growth stages. The study has been conducted on a 30 ha centre pivot irrigated potato field, located in Wadi Al‐Dawasir area in Saudi Arabia. In situ soil compaction measurements were collected, in conjunction with Sentinel‐2A satellite

Agricultural soils are important sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Soil properties and environmental factors have complex interactions which influence the dynamics of these GHG fluxes. Four arable and five grassland soils which represent the range of soil textures and climatic conditions of the main agricultural areas in the UK were incubated at two different moisture contents (50 or 80% water holding

Land‐use change from forest to agriculture in the volcanic ash‐derived soils of Mexico has increased over recent decades. It is likely that land uses and management practices, particularly fertilizer use have affected phosphorus (P) distribution and availability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of land‐use types (native forest and maize mono‐cropping), and the related P addition

Understanding farmer perceptions of soil fertility is necessary for the development of appropriate assessment methods for sustainable agro‐ecosystems. This study investigated farmer perceptions of soil fertility and management in four villages of eastern South Africa. A questionnaire was administered to 50 farmers from each village to obtain a general overview of local soil knowledge as well as soil