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Purpose: Straw incorporation is an important management practice in global agriculture. However, present straw returning usually focus on returning straw into the topsoil, while neglecting the amendment of subsoil. The study aims to investigate the effect of different straw returning strategies on soil quality and wheat productivity, and to develop recommendations regarding sustainable agriculture. Methods: A 2-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of five straw returning strategies on the soil quality and wheat yield in a winter wheat-summer maize cropping system in the North China Plain. Soil quality is defined as an index approach, including soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The five treatments were straw removal (SR), straw mulching (SM), straw incorporation into topsoil (SI), deep-ploughing straw incorporation (DP-SI) and deep-injected straw incorporation (DI-SI). Results: Our results showed that straw returning improved soil quality across 0–40 cm depth relative to SR. The DP-SI and DI-SIa (above straw cluster) significantly increased topsoil quality by 20.5–26.2% and 13.6–19.0% compared with SI and SM. The DI-SIa also enhanced the subsoil quality, which was characterized by a significant increase in soil nutrients, compared to other straw returning strategies. The soil quality of 0–40 cm layer under DP-SI and DI-SI was significantly higher than that of other treatments. In addition, a positive correlation between soil quality and wheat yield was observed. Thus, the higher soil quality under DP-SI and DI-SI improved the average wheat yield by 9.6% and 10.7% compared with SI, respectively. Conclusion: These results indicates that DI-SI may improve subsoil properties and wheat yields and is likely an effective measure for sustainable development of a wheat-maize rotation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus, a C4 perennial rhizomatous grass, is a low‐input energy crop suitable for marginal land, which cultivation can improve soil quality and promote soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. In this study, four promising Miscanthus hybrids were chosen to evaluate their short‐term potential, in six European marginal sites, to sequester SOC and improve physical, chemical, and biological soil quality in topsoil. Overall, no differences among Miscanthus hybrids were detected in terms of impacts on soil quality and SOC sequestration. SOC sequestration rate after 4 years was of +0.4 Mg C ha−1 year−1, but land‐use transition from former cropland or grassland showed contrasting SOC sequestration trajectories. In unfertilized marginal lands, cultivation of high‐yielding Miscanthus genotypes caused a depletion of K (−216 kg ha−1 year−1), followed by Ca (−56 kg ha−1 year−1), Mg (−102 kg ha−1 year−1) and to a lesser extent of N. On the contrary, the biological turnover of organic matter increased the available P content (+164 kg P2O5 ha−1 year−1). SOC content was identified as the main driver of changes in biological soil quality. High input of labile plant C stimulated an increment of microbial biomass and enzymatic activity. Here, a novel approach was applied to estimate C input to soil from different Miscanthus organs. Despite the high estimated plant C input to soil (0.98 Mg C ha−1 year−1), with significant differences among sites and Miscanthus hybrids, it was not identified as a driver of SOC sequestration. On the contrary, initial SOC and nutrients (N, P) content, as well as their elemental stoichiometric ratios with C, were the key factors controlling SOC dynamics. Introducing Miscanthus on marginal lands impacts positively soil biological quality over the short term, but targeted fertilization plans are needed to secure crop yield over the long term as well as the C sink capacity of this perennial cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of toxic metals in residential areas near abandoned gold mine tailings is a major environmental issue. This study mainly aimed to investigate the elemental distribution of both toxic and essential elements in soils and leafy vegetables (Brassica oleracea) collected from eight different sites around the Davidsonville residential area, located closer to the abandoned Princess gold mine dump, Johannesburg, South Africa. The nutritional value of vegetables in the human diet was determined to assess their value to their health. The vegetables contained metals in the following descending order: Ca > Mg > Ca > Sb > Pb > Fe > Mo > Cr > Se > As > V > Ni > Co > Cd. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) revealed that vegetables tend to accumulate most metals even (toxic) during the transfer and translocation process. Based on the recommended daily allowance (%RDA) the vegetables showed to contribute 152%, 84% and 75% toward RDA for Se, V and Ca, respectively for most adults and these play a role in human metabolic activities. The vegetables were found to be a good source of essential elements (Ca, Mg, Ni, Na, Fe) but with some traces of toxic metals such as Pb, As and Sb. Based on the health risk assessment, the vegetable posed an adverse health hazard for human consumption due to metals with high HRI >1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of forest to agricultural land has been a major worldwide concern and a cause of deterioration of soil quality. The study examined the influence of land uses on the soil quality index (SQI) using minimum datasets (MDS) constructed from soil profiles through two methods namely, additive (SQIa) and weighted (SQIw). In this study, 29 geo-referenced soil profiles (116 layers) up to a depth of 150 cm were collected in Northeastern India, representing forest, jhum, jhum fallow, and agricultural land uses. Principal component analysis (PCA) with multiple correlation analysis is found to be a suitable statistical method for selecting the key soil quality indicators. From PCA, organic carbon (OC), sand, clay, available P and available S were selected as soil quality indicators in MDS. Our results showed that these MDS significantly varied within the profiles depending on the land-uses. The estimated values of SQIs showed that SQIa was higher than SQIw across the soil depths and land-uses. For the surface soil, SQIa values were in the order of forest (2.97) > jhum fallow (2.82) > agriculture (2.68) > jhum land (1.97) and for profile soil jhum fallow (2.38) > forest (2.37) > agriculture (2.33) > jhum (1.88). Similarly, SQIw followed the trend of forest > jhum fallow > agriculture > jhum for all the three studied depths. The statistical analysis showed that the surface, subsurface, and profile soil had no significant impact on SQIw for agriculture, fallow jhum, and forest. The overall data indicated that jhum land had a significantly lower SQI than other land-uses for all soil depths. From this study, the information generated can be useful to assess the soil quality in different land-uses for managing soil health in similar areas of the Northeastern region of India. The findings are also useful in the ecosystems in which soils develop in an acid edaphic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognized that the input of organic matter in tropical agriculture is essential to maintain productivity and soil quality. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of organic C pools and CO2 emission influenced by organic compost fertilization and leucaena biomass in an area of 6 years under organic farming. The system consisted of 5 treatments based on 5 levels of fertilization with organic compost (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 t ha−1). Each block was surrounded by leucaena and their pruning's were distributed in equal proportions for all treatments. Two rotating crops were performed per year, cabbage/corn. Soil samples were collected in the 0–10 and 10–20 cm layers in 2-year seasons. TOC and N stocks were between 23.1 and 51.6 t ha−1, and 2.1 and 5.4 t ha−1, respectively. The highest compost doses increased the microbial biomass C and N. The increase in microbial biomass was followed by higher emissions of C-CO2. Increased microbial quotient values indicated C accumulation in the system by a higher amount of active metabolic C. The microbial biomass was less efficient in the use of the high organic compost doses. The dose of compost should be reduced and applied constantly by the farmers to attend the plant demand by nutrients and increase the efficiency of C sequestration in the soil. This C sequestration will also improve biological activity and soil quality in tropical regions, increasing food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst regions represent fragile landscapes that are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. The study aims to assess the soil quality in the karst basin of Ioannina, which is located in the north-western region of Greece. Factor analysis was employed to evaluate the concentrations of trace elements in the soil. Additionally, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was utilized to visualize the spatial distribution of these trace elements and their potential sources in relation to the local geology and land use. The study findings underscored that most of the karst landscape in the research area is comprised of Quaternary deposits and it is predominantly occupied by agricultural land. The soil displays substantial levels of clay and silt, with noticeably elevated concentration of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), vanadium (V), and phosphorous (P) compared to the median concentrations observed in European topsoil. The factor analysis is applied to the dataset of elements content in soil to identify the factors controlling their distribution. Factor 1 involves the geological contribution and the adsorption of Fe–Ni–Cr–Pb–V and lithium (Li) into clay minerals. Factor 1 may be termed as “lithogenic factor”. The cultivated land and road network showed a significant correlation with the higher positive loadings of Fe, Mn, Pb and Cu for Factor 2 which may be termed “agricultural-road network factor”. Agricultural activities and cultivated land presented a significant correlation with the higher positive loadings of nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), organic matter (OM), ammonium (NH4+) and P for Factor 3 which may be termed as “agricultural” factor. The higher positive loadings of Factor 4 suggest a variation in the mechanical properties of the Quaternary deposits and may be termed as “soil texture factor”. Quaternary deposits and agricultural land exhibit a strong spatial relationship with factor scores of each factor. Combining factor analysis and GIS proved to be an effective method for identifying and confirming the sources of elements content in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAchieving sustainable agricultural development is a vital concern as soil degradation poses a growing threat to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the developing world. Previous literature has highlighted the potential for rural population growth to exacerbate this concern by leading to smaller farm sizes and crop production on marginal land. This paper uses a theoretical model to demonstrate a countervailing effect consistent with the work of Esther Boserup: Smaller farm sizes can encourage greater intensification and investment in the soil. Using panel data from the Tanzania National Panel Survey, I test the model and find some evidence consistent with this effect. Smaller farms are associated with greater organic, but not inorganic, fertilizer application, and higher levels of some soil quality proxies. These results suggest that if key resource and information constraints are overcome, population growth need not be an obstacle, and can be a boon, to sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amending soil with different materials is gaining acceptance as an effective and inexpensive technique for reclamation of salt-affected soils. The main idea of this study was to investigate the effects of biochar, compost of municipal solid waste and different water salinities level on soil physical quality (SDexter) and soil productivity index (SPI). The treatments were as followed: Control: Soil without biochar or compost and irrigated with tap water, S1: Soil without biochar or compost and irrigated with saline water (EC = 4.5 dS m−1), S2: Soil without biochar or compost and irrigated with saline water (EC = 9 dS m−1), B: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w biochar and irrigated with tap water, B+S1: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w biochar and irrigated with saline water (EC = 4.5 dS m−1), B+S2: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w biochar and irrigated with saline water (EC = 9 dS m−1), C: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w compost and irrigated with tap water, C+S1: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w compost and irrigated with saline water (EC = 4.5 dS m−1), C+S2: Soil amended with 1.5%w/w compost and irrigated with saline water (EC = 9 dS m−1). Soil water characteristic curve (SWCC), Field capacity (FC), Plant wilting point (PWP), Plant available water (PAW), Dexter's index of soil physical quality (SDexter) and SPI were examined in a greenhouse experiment. The SPI was calculated by integrating the effects of six soil quality indices: plant available water, organic matter (OM), Electrical conductivity (EC), pH, Bulk density (BD) and Root weighting factor (RF) for all treatments were calculated. The results showed that the B treatment had a slightly higher effect on SWCC. The applied B and C treatments caused insignificant increase in PAW relative to the control. In addition, application of biochar or compost to soil significantly increased the SDexter. The application of C treatment had insignificantly higher value of SDexter compared to other treatments. Compared with the control, SPI was significantly higher for the B and C treatments. Overall, the application of biochar/compost minimized the destructive effects of saline irrigation water and improved the quality of the salt-affected fine-textured soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cricket Frass Fertilizer (CFF) was tested for its efficiency and potential as a fertilizer on the growth of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in central Madagascar from April 2020 to October 2020. We grew green beans experimentally for 93 days with seven different fertilizer treatments: NPK 200 kg/ha (0.47 g of N/plant), GUANOMAD (guano from bat) 300 kg/ha (0.26 g of N/ plant), CFF 100 kg/ha (0.12 g of N/plant), CFF 200 kg/ha (0.24 g of N/plant), CFF 300 kg/ha (0.38 g of N/plant), CFF 400 kg/ha (0.52 g of N/plant), and no fertilizer (0 g of N/plant). Three plant traits were measured: survival proportion, vegetative biomass, and pod biomass. The survival proportion of plants treated with the highest dose of CFF (400 kg/ha, 88.1%), NPK (79.8%), and GUANOMAD (81.2%) were similar, but plants treated with the former yielded significantly higher vegetative (35.5 g/plant) and pod biomass (11 g/plant). These results suggest that fertilizing green beans with CFF at a 400 kg/ha dose is sufficient for plant survival and growth, and improves pod production. In Madagascar where soil quality is poor, dependence on imported chemical fertilizers (NPK) and other organic fertilizer (GUANOMAD) can be reduced. Cricket Frass Fertilizer can be used as an alternative sustainable fertilizer for beans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting rice straw in situ return is an important strategy for improving soil quality. From 2018 to 2021, we investigated the effects of rice straw return with microbial agents and film covering technology on soil physical and chemical properties at different layer depths, as well as the soil microbial community structure, in Hunan, southern China. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of microbial agents (T1), film mulch covering (T2), and the application of microbial agents combined with film mulch (T3) on the soil physicochemical properties and microbial community after rice straw in situ return. The results show that, after three years of continuous treatment, T3 significantly increased the soil temperature by 17.76–22.97%, T2 significantly increased the water content by 34.27–46.23%, and T1 and T3 significantly increased the soil pH. The addition of microbial agents combined with film mulch resulted in a notable increase in both the number of OTUs and the Chao1 index of soil microorganisms. Additionally, the model of promoting rice straw in situ return (the application of a microbial agent combined with film mulch) was shown to promote the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms. RDA was used for the investigation, and the findings showed that soil microorganisms were significantly influenced by the TOC content, pH, and water content. These findings provide evidence of an effective method for accelerating the decomposition of late rice straw and guiding soil improvement in tobacco–rice rotation regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil amendments such as humic acid (HA), a biochar-based microbial agent (M), and vermicompost (V) can improve soil quality and promote crop growth. However, it remains unclear whether the co-application of the three soil amendments (HMV) has a synergistic effect on alleviating soil quality deterioration obstacles caused by dry sowing and wet emergence technology in Xinjiang cotton fields. A three-year field experiment was conducted in saline–alkali soils using plastic-film-mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang, China. Through the orthogonal experiment method, the application amounts of HA, M and V were 75 kg ha−1, 75 kg ha−1 and 225 kg ha−1 respectively in 2021. In 2022, three application amount gradients were used for HA, M and V: 60 kg ha−1, 90 kg ha−1 and 120 kg ha−1 respectively. In 2023, the application amounts of HA, M, and V were 60 kg ha−1, 120 kg ha−1, and 120 kg ha−1. It should be pointed out that V contains HA in the range of 20–35%. This study aimed to explore the improvement effect of a single or combined application of HA, M, and V on soil quality and cotton emergence rate using dry sowing and wet emergence technology in Xinjiang cotton fields. The results showed that the single and combined applications of HA, M, and V improved the soil quality and water–heat–salt environment of the cultivated layer. In the combined application, the cotton seedling emergence rate and yield increased by 1.9–22.8% and 7.0–54.1%. Therefore, it is recommended to jointly apply HA, M, and V to promote cotton seedling emergence and increase yield using dry sowing and wet emergence technology in Xinjiang cotton fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes modify soil properties, including aggregate structure, and thus, profoundly affect soil quality and health. However, the effects of land use changes originating from alpine grassland on soil aggregates and aggregate-associated organic carbon have received little attention. Soil aggregate fraction, aggregate-associated organic carbon and relevant influencing factors were determined at 0–20, 20–40 cm soil layers for alpine grassland, cropland and abandoned land in the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), and their relationships were analyzed by partial least square regression (PLSR). Results showed the following: (1) conversion from alpine grassland to cropland resulted in a significant decline macroaggregate fraction (R0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD), mean weight diameter (GMD), soil organic carbon (SOC), and microaggregate-associated SOC; (2) almost all aggregate stability indexes, SOC, and aggregate-associated SOCs were significantly positively correlated with silt and glomalin, suggesting that the binding of fine particles (silt) with the organic cementing agent (glomalin) was probably a key mechanism of SOC formation and aggregate stability in the studied region; (3) compared with biotic factors such as SOC, glomalin and root biomass, abiotic factors including silt and sand can better predict aggregate stability and SOC fraction using the PLSR model. The above results indicated that the conversion of alpine grassland to other land use types in high altitude areas would destroy soil structure and decrease soil organic carbon content, and then reduce soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild organic substitution is advantageous for sustainable agricultural development. In order to determine the proper fertilization strategy, it is essential to investigate the impact of substituting chemical fertilizers with varying levels of organic manure on soil nutrients, microbial communities, and crop productivity. Four treatments were implemented: no fertilizer, sole chemical fertilizer, 20% organic manure substitution, and 40% organic manure substitution. Bacterial and fungal communities were characterized through high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3–V4 region and the V4 region, respectively. The 20% and 40% organic manure substitutions increased soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (TN) content, and reduced soil pH compared to the control (CK). The 20% organic manure substitution showed the most significant improvements in soil alkaline phosphatase, urease, and invertase activities. Soil nutrient enhancement increased bacterial alpha diversity, with a milder impact on fungal alpha diversity compared to bacteria. Different fertilization treatments elevated the relative abundance of bacterial Bacteroidetes (8.11%, 21.25%, and 1.88%), Actinomycetes (12.65%, 26.36%, and 15.33%), and fungal Ascomycota (16.19%, 10.44%, and 12.69%), known for degrading recalcitrant organic matter. The sole chemical fertilizer treatment increased the pathogenic Cheatotryiales. Shared species, primarily from bacterial Actinomycetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and fungal Ascomycota phyla, were found at 20% and 40% organic manure substitution levels. Specifically, the 20% organic manure substitution level promoted the relative abundance of beneficial plant growth-promoting taxa, Oxalobacteraceae and Massilia, and suppressed pathogens, with an increase in the relative abundance of the Purpureocillium genus and Mortierellomycota. These findings suggest that a 20% OF substitution can maintain crop yield, enhance soil nutrients and enzyme activities by fostering beneficial soil bacteria, inhibiting soil-borne pathogens, and refining microbial community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the current status of soil quality in Pinggu District, Beijing, this study considered microbial factors based on the traditional comprehensive evaluation system of soil quality. A total of 228 samples were collected using grid-based sampling, and 11 soil indicators were selected considering the three dimensions of soil fertility, soil environment, and soil microorganisms. The soil quality index method was used to quantitatively analyze each indicator and calculate the soil quality index to comprehensively evaluate the soil quality in Pinggu District, Beijing. The results showed that the Integrated Soil Quality Index(ISQI)of Pinggu District ranged from good to excellent (0.60-0.96), with a mean value of 0.74, and the average integrated soil quality evaluation grade was good. Overall spatial distribution showed that areas with low values were in the south and west, whereas high values were obtained in the north and east, respectively. The northern areas, such as Xiong′ erzhai, Huangsongyu, and east area Jinmeihu, were mostly in mountainous or woodland regions, rich in vegetation with few human activities, with high levels of soil fertility, rich in microorganisms, and had a relatively high overall soil quality evaluation grade, whereas the southwestern areas, such as Mafang and Machangying towns, had low levels of soil fertility and few microorganisms, and a relatively low overall quality evaluation grade. The comprehensive quality evaluation grade was relatively low. The ISQI of Xiong′ erzhai Town was the highest at 0.81 and that of Pinggu Town was the lowest at 0.64. The order of ISQI for different land use conditions in Pinggu District was orchard>forest land>wasteland>vegetable land>farmland. The results showed that the comprehensive evaluation grade of soil quality was good but different in spatial distribution in Pinggu District, Beijing. The northeastern part was mostly mountainous and forested, with a comprehensive evaluation grade of excellent; the central and southwestern parts were mostly agricultural vegetable land, with the comprehensive evaluation grade of good and medium, and should focus on scientific fertilization and soil quality management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Soil Science Society of America Journal expresses its gratitude to the volunteer reviewers who contributed to maintaining the quality of soils research in 2023. The list includes numerous individuals who reviewed multiple papers, and the Editorial Board extends their apologies to any reviewers whose names were inadvertently omitted. The journal editors acknowledge the critical comments and helpful suggestions provided by these reviewers, which have greatly contributed to the overall standards of the journal. [Extracted from the article]

Soil quality monitoring schemes are a useful tool for assessing the potential of soils to perform desired services such as agricultural productivity. When researchers or other stakeholders wish to compare results between different schemes or studies, failure to consider differences in soil sample storage conditions presents a significant potential for error. Here, we compared levels of nitrogen and potassium, as well as pH, in agricultural soil samples stored under three different conditions (refrigerated, frozen, and oven‐dried). All tests were performed after 7 and 24 weeks of storage. Nitrate decreased significantly in dried (p < 0.001) samples. When refrigerated, nitrate first increased (p < 0.01) and then decreased (p < 0.001). Nitrate levels where unchanged at Week 7 in the freezer but decreased significantly at Week 24 (p < 0.001). Nitrite and ammonium increased after drying (p < 0.001) and when frozen (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05) but remained stable when refrigerated. There was no significant difference in potassium levels between the fresh control and Week 7 in the freezer, but potassium had increased at Week 24 (p < 0.05). Potassium concentration increased in refrigerated samples (p < 0.001) and fluctuated up and down in dried samples (p < 0.01). pH measurements fluctuated significantly in refrigerated and frozen samples (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) but were unchanged in dried samples. We suggest that soil monitoring schemes standardize their sample storage, and we encourage researchers to clearly report soil sample storage conditions in publications, to improve transparency and reproducibility. Core Ideas: Storage of soil samples is inevitable for large‐scale soil monitoring or research projects.Different types of storage conditions affect measurements of soil physiochemical properties.We show that type of storage and duration impacts measured levels of nutrients and pH in soil samples.We recommend that researchers use consistent sample storage conditions for making spatial or temporal comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A precise soil organic carbon (SOC) content estimate is crucial soil quality parameter for agricultural produce and ecological safety. Moreover, geospatial modeling of SOC is critical when there are limited laboratory equipment and chemical reagents for soil analysis. This study used geostatistics—ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance weighting (IDW)—to map SOC in Libokemkem area, Northwest Ethiopia, for improved SOC management. About 107 soil samples were obtained from the plow layer at a 20‐cm depth and SOC was determined. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24.0 was used to generate descriptive statistics, and geostatistical analysis was also performed on the data using ArcGIS platform. The coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) derived from the validation of the predicted maps were used to assess the models. The results revealed homogeneity (coefficient of variation < 10%), low (0.12%–1.74%), and optimal (1.74%–4.06%) mean levels of SOC in study area. The OK showed an R2 of 0.74 and an RMSE of 13%, and the IDW revealed an R2 of 0.69 and an RMSE of 14%. The semivariogram results indicate a moderate dependence for SOC with stable, circular, spherical, exponential, and Gaussian models. We conclude that the sustainable monitoring of SOC is significant in enhancing soil quality. However, further study considering all drivers of spatial variability for SOC in the study and other soil sampling approaches improving performance of the prediction models is needed. Core Ideas: Ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting viably predict the geographical variability of soil organic carbon (SOC).Stable, circular, spherical, exponential, and Gaussian models showed a moderate dependence for SOC.The spatial homogeneity of SOC was proven by the ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting models.The geostatistical‐based SOC maps could benefit nutrient management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principle of sustainable fertilisation in modern agriculture, which ensures that the soil is maintained in a fertile state requires the search for alternatives to manure fertilisation for products based on humic substances to increase the organic matter content of soils.The advantage of leonardite over conventional natural and organic fertilisers is mainly due to its high content of organic matter and humic substances (humic and fulvic acids). Leonardite, due to the presence of humic acids in it, can be suitable for soil amendment and yield of barley. In the conducted studies, the yield increase after adding Rosahumus fertilizer to the soil at a rate of 6 kg.ha−1 + NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potasssium) was found to be 11% compared to the control (NPK).There were no changes in the Corg. content of the soil as a result of the application of Rosahumus fertilizer with NPK. The fertilizer only slightly modified the fractional composition of humus. In the future, we should expect an increase in the use of leonardite-derived humic substances in fertilizers and soil conditioners to stabilize soil organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most important factors influencing plant nutrient uptake and water access are soil fraction and root architecture. However, little is known about how soil fraction × root architecture interaction affects woody plants. This study considered the differentiation of soil fertility parameters on layers through the root zone of two different soils and the quality and nutrient responses of three newly bred pomegranate varieties to soil fractions based on root architecture in clay and clay loam orchards. According to the findings, increasing clay content in the deeper layers has a negative impact on soil fertility, organic matter, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). In clayey conditions, pomegranate varieties yielded lower in a range of 2.74% to 6.10% and significantly lower macro and micronutrient insertion. Conversely, the shallow‐rooted variety accumulated significantly more boron (B) and P and set 50% more fruits in the clayey orchards. Soil fractions × root architecture significantly altered fruit quality characteristics, nutrient ingredients, and their relationships supported by a relatively low linear relationship in the Mantel test (r = 0.42). This study suggests that pomegranate tree responses to soil fractions are determined by root architecture. A proper approach to obtaining high‐quality and nutritionally fortified pomegranates will incorporate appropriate cultivation techniques, such as suitable fertigation regime regulation, harvest date optimization, and soil organic matter enrichment, to provide uniform nutrient uptake based on the soil type and variety's root architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection, preservation and enhancement of soil quality is essential for ecosystem managers to offer the appropriate support after discovering factors that are linked to soil's functional capability. In this study, soil quality indicators were combined to establish a soil quality index (SQI) by conducting an efficiency analysis for using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Gradient Boosting Methods (GBM) and Decision Tree (DT) approaches. For this purpose, soil's intrinsic parameters, namely indicators, are utilized in case of fitting a deeper regression model. The experiments were carried out with analysis results of 545 soil samples obtained from previously studies conducted on different areas such as watershed, delta, pasture and farmland. The performance of each model is validated by the reported data. Compared to gradient boosting models, the proposed CNN model with mean absolute loss function achieves a lower error rate of 2.71 in Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and best average correlation coefficient 0.90 in R2, which proves generalizability of CNN based regression. The findings show that CNNs may be utilized as an effective tool as giving a better prediction accuracy level and reliability in terms the establishing correlations and providing a conceptual framework for modeling of soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land use types and soil management have a significant effect on soil properties. However, their impact on the stratification of soil properties, carbon management index (CMI) and soil degradation index (SDI) is still poorly documented in coastal light soils of south-eastern India. Soil samples were collected from six divergent land use types, Sugarcane (SC), Fallow-Tobacco (F-T), Paddy-Maize-Fallow (P-M-F), Eucalyptus + Bamboo (AF), Oil Palm (OP), and Forest (NF). The soil samples were collected at 0–5, 5–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm soil depths, and contents of total organic carbon (TOC), labile organic carbon (LC), non-labile organic carbon (NLC), total nitrogen (TN), their stocks, stratification ratios (SRs), CMI, and SDI were determined. Results showed that the contents of TOC, LC, NLC, and TN in NF were significantly higher followed by OP, whereas the parameters were lower in F-T followed by P-M-F. The proportion of SOC and N stocks under NF were higher than F-T by 56.6% and 50.3%, respectively. With NF as a reference, the mean CMI followed the order of OP (78) > AF (60) > SC (59.5) > P-M-F (43.8) > F-T (36.3). The SR values of SOC and TN were highest (1.34 to 2.70) for NF, whereas it was lowest (1.10 to 1.54) in F-T in all soil depths. The highest cumulative SDI of −133.2% was observed in F-T followed by P-M-F (−117%). The CMI, SRs were lower and SDI was higher under F-T and P-M-F indicating poor soil quality and its degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of seven predominant integrated nutrient management (INM) practices on soil quality indicators and indices under two inter-cropping systems, namely cotton + black gram and green gram + rabi sorghum, at the All-India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA), Parbhani Center, located in Central and Western Maharashtra, India. The INM practices include F1: Farmyard Manure (FYM) @ 5 t ha−1; F2: Gliricidia @ 3t ha−1 (semi dried leaves + very soft upper twigs); F3: Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF); F4: 25% RDF + FYM @ 2.5 t ha−1; F5: 25% RDF + Gliricidia @ 1.5 t ha−1 (semi dried leaves + very soft upper twigs); F6: Control with rotation and F7: Absolute control without rotation. The order of overall performance of the INM treatments, in terms of mean Soil Quality Index (SQI), across both the cropping systems studied was: F1 (2.59) > F4 (2.55) > F5 (2.52) > F2 (2.49) > F3 (2.40) > F6 (2.12) > F7 (2.04). In case of Cotton + black gram system, the predominant soil parameters which emerged as key soil quality indicator, along with their percent contribution toward soil quality index, were: organic C (21%), available Mn (21%), labile C (20%), dehydrogenase activity (DHA) (19%), pH (5%), available S (5%), mean weight diameter of soil aggregates (MWD) (5%) and available K (4%). However, in case of green gram + rabi sorghum system, labile C (24%), available K (23%), available Mn (23%), microbial biomass C (MBC) (21%) and available S (9%) were found to be the key soil quality indicators in the black soil under study. The common indicators for the two cropping systems studied under these Vertisol soils were: available K, available S, available Mn and Labile carbon (LC). Thus, these indicators assume great significance in managing the Vertisol soils under study. The methodology followed and the results of the present study will be immensely useful to different stakeholders in conducting such future studies and managing and improving soil quality under different inter-cropping systems in Vertisols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation of black soil areas is a serious threat to national food security and ecological safety; nevertheless, the current lack of information on the location, size, and condition of black soil farmland productivity is a major obstacle to the development of strategies for the sustainable utilization of black soil resources. We synthesized remote sensing data and geospatial thematic data to construct a farmland productivity assessment indicator system to assess the productivity of black soil cropland at the regional scale. Furthermore, we conducted research on the spatial differentiation patterns and a spatial autocorrelation analysis of the assessment results. We found that farmland productivity within this region exhibited a decline pattern from south to north, with superior productivity in the east as opposed to the west, and the distribution follows a "spindle-shaped" pattern. Notably, the Songnen and Sanjiang typical black soil subregions centrally hosted about 46.17% of high-quality farmland and 53.51% of medium-quality farmland, while the Mondong typical black soil subregion in the west predominantly consisted of relatively low-quality farmland productivity. Additionally, farmland productivity displayed a significant positive spatial correlation and spatial clustering, with more pronounced fluctuations in the northeast–southwest direction. The developed indicator system for farmland productivity can illustrate the spatial differentiation and thereby offer a valuable reference for the sustainable management of farmland resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural practices such as fertilization considerably influence soil carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes that cause climate changes. The study aims to test the influence of various organic (vermicompost, VC, and rabbit manure, RM) and bio (Azotobacter and Azospirillum) fertilizers in addition to incubation times on CO2flux, carbon (C) mineralization kinetic, and some soil chemical properties. The dual exponential equation was the best one to describe carbon mineralization kinetics compared to the 1st and 2nd order equations. Carbon half-lives were resided by 18.98, 1.97, 2.00, 1.89, and 2.53 years for control, VC without and with bio, RM without and with bio treatments, respectively. The results exposed that applying VC and RM without or with bio-fertilizer reduced soil reaction (pH) that differ than control treatment after 2 months incubation. Applying VC and RM caused a significant increase in soil salinity (EC) compared to the control. Available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were significantly enhanced with adding different fertilizers compared to pre-treated soil. It is found that adding organic and bio-fertilizers improved fertility and soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study was to develop soil quality indexes (SQIs) to reveal the changes in SQ during the restoration of vegetation in the reclaimed waste dumps of the Hequ open-pit coal mine. The study built an SQI evaluation model for waste dumps based on the soil management assessment framework. The total data set (TDS) consisted of nine physicochemical property indicators. The selection of the minimum data set (MDS) involved the utilization of principal component analysis (PCA) and Norm values. The SQ was comprehensively evaluated for nine indicators, taking into account the non-linear membership function and the improved Nemerow index. The findings suggested a notable disparity in the SQ between the reclaimed area and the unreclaimed area, yet the overall SQ fell short. In the TDS index system, the organic matter has the highest weight and a greater contribution to the soil quality of the waste dumps. In the MDS indicator system, the weights of organic matter and total nitrogen are both 0.5. According to Nemerow index method, the average SQIN of 5 plots is calculated to be 0.4352 ± 0.194. The average value obtained from TDS is 0.581 ± 0.236, and the average value obtained from MDS is 0.602 ± 0.351. The weighted additive method was employed to compute three SQIs, all of which yielded satisfactory outcomes. And the above evaluation methods indicate that the overall soil quality level of the waste dumps is at a moderate level. The sequence of SQ in various waste dumps was as follows: No.4lower > No.1 > No.2 > No.3 > No.4upper. Specifically, the non-linear membership function indicated that pH, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), surface moisture content (SMC), and bulk density (BD) were crucial in limiting SQIs in total waste dumps. The crucial limiting SQIs in unreclaimed areas were total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN). This analysis demonstrates its efficacy in formulating strategies for the SQ evaluation and targeted soil reclamation plans of waste dumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Agricultural practice is considered as main factor affecting land degradation in several regions in Vietnam. However, there are limited studies relating to degraded soil properties and their soil fertility. This paper aimed to evaluate the degradation of agricultural soil under different land management practices. Methods: A total of 80 samples at 0-10 cm of agricultural soil were collected to analyze selected physicochemical properties. The group of degradation soil properties was classified based on their soil fertility using principal component analysis. Result: The results showed that physicochemical properties in agricultural soil along coastal regions were relatively lower than in hilly regions/secondary forests. High ratio of C:N in agricultural soil was because of degradation. The organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorous contents were low in the soil in lowland areas indicating a high level of degradation (1.43%, 0.09% and 0,04%, respectively). The samples classified into four groups (G1, G2, G3, G4) using principal component analysis indicated differences in soil properties due to degradation. Insufficient and excessive application of inorganic fertilizer could be a further reason affecting the status of soil properties. Overall, soil physicochemical properties indicated poor conditions for agriculture systems, thereby, careful soil management is the primary solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processes of occupation and exploitation in the Amazon have been increasing, and as a consequence, forest areas are being replaced by agroecosystems. As a consequence of this change, changes have been occurring in the soil attributes, and consequently, in the stability of aggregates in these environments. Thus, this work had two objectives: the first was to evaluate the impacts generated by the conversion of forests into agroecosystems on the soil attributes that are related to aggregates, in the southwestern region of the Amazon; the second objective was to evaluate the roles of pedophysical and pedochemical parameters on the stability of soil aggregates. The study was carried out on rural properties located in the southern part of Amazonas State, Brazil. Eight areas under different agroecosystems were selected: in the municipality of Canutama: (i) annatto, (ii) guarana, and (iii) cupuassu; in the municipality of Humaitá: (iv) cassava, (v) agroforestry, and (vi) sugarcane; and in the municipality of Manicoré: (vii) pasture and (viii) native forest. Unformed soil samples were collected from the 0.00–0.10 m layer and analyzed for aggregate stability, bulk density, soil organic carbon, and soil organic carbon stock. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. The largest soil aggregations occurred in the annatto, guarana, sugarcane, and pasture agroecosystems. We associate the greater aggregation capacity of soils with factors that are inherent to the cultivated species and soil properties. The first factor corresponds to the adaptability of the Amazonian and grass species and their ability to produce biomass. The second factor is related to the physical and chemical properties of Amazonian soils, largely influenced by the sand fraction, soil organic carbon, soil acidity, and availability of exchangeable Ca and Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, most studies have shown that biochar has great potential in carbon sequestration and reduction, as well as soil quality improvement. However, there is limited knowledge of its effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions in tropical farmland. This study aimed to determine the impact of different types and rates of biochar applied in tropical farmlands on so SOC and its active fractions. The SOC, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and soil mineralizable carbon (SMC) in the 0–30 cm soil layers under rice hull (R) and peanut shell (P) biochar treatments were measured. The results showed that the application of R and P biochar increased the contents, stocks, and cumulative stocks of SOC, MBC, and DOC in the 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–30 cm soil layers. The contents, stocks, and cumulative stocks increased with increasing biochar application rates. Compared with CK, the ranges of the increased SOC, MBC, and DOC cumulative stocks were 10.76–46.36%, 30.04–195.65%, and 0.02–17.03%, respectively. However, the R60 and P60 had the lowest cumulative stocks of SMC, decreasing by 14.69% and 8.05%, respectively. The biochar treatment of more than 20 t ha−1 reduced the ratio of SMC:SOC and active fractions:SOC. Therefore, it can be inferred that the application of biochar improved the levels of SOC, MBC, and DOC, and the application of more than 20 t ha−1 biochar could decrease soil carbon mineralization, thus improving the stability of SOC in tropical farmlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous research showed that mulching with conventional agro foils elevates soil temperature and promotes plant growth, but negatively influences soil health and brings environmental concerns. Most of the published research on nonwoven mulches for plant cultivation includes nonwoven fabrics produced by extrusion processes providing nonwoven fabric structures similar to films. A limited number of studies investigate the impact of nonwoven mulches produced by a mechanical process on the cards and bonded by needling on plant cultivation. For this study, nonwoven mulches of mass per unit area of 400 g m−2 made from jute, hemp, viscose (CV), and polylactide (PLA) fibers were produced on the card bonded by needle punching. The field experiment was conducted two consecutive years in a row, in spring 2022 and 2023, by planting lettuce seedlings. The nonwoven mulches maintain lower temperatures and higher soil moisture levels compared to agro foil and the control field. The fibrous structure and their water absorption properties allow natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soil, consequently improving soil quality, lettuce yield, and quality. The fiber type from which the mulches were produced, influenced soil temperature and humidity, soil quality, and lettuce cultivation. The nonwoven mulches were successful in weed control concerning the weediness of the control field. Based on the obtained results, the newly produced mulches are likely to yield better results when used for the cultivation of vegetables with longer growing periods. Newly produced biodegradable nonwoven mulches could be an eco-friendly alternative to traditional agro foil, minimizing environmental harm during decomposition. The obtained results suggest that the newly produced mulches would be even more suitable for growing vegetables with longer growing seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐carbon alkaline thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge for the production of high‐quality plant‐growth‐promoting nutrients and biostimulants is a growing concern for sludge resource utilization in agriculture. Thus, this study aims to investigate functional characteristics and soil biochemical effects of sewage sludge‐derived nutrients and biostimulants (SS‐NB). The content of heavy metals in SS‐NB decreased by 47.39–100%, and an increase in soil protease, invertase, and soil nutrient utilization rates are observed in SS‐NB groups. SS‐NB substituted for chemical fertilizer increased the diversity and evenness of microbial community and reduced the abundance of the soil‐borne bacterial genus Arthrobacter. The dominant community of SS‐NB100 group is mainly enriched in Microvirga, Ensifer, Novosphingobium, Bosea and Ellin6055, which are principally beneficial symbiotic bacteria of plants and participated in C and N cycles. Moreover, SS‐NB reduced the accumulation of Ktedonobacteria and Nitrosospira, which are involved in the production of CO2 and N2O, and also enhanced the coordination of soil microorganisms with enzyme activities and nutrient utilization rate. In conclusion, the results suggest that SS‐NB exerts a positive effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing soil‐borne diseases, and can further enhance collaboration with soil enzyme activity and soil nutrient utilization by stimulating soil microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimes: Vegetation restoration in post-mining land is one of the most important remediation strategies for rebuilding the soil carbon (C) pool and improving soil quality. We aimed to provide a global perspective on the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties. Methods: By analyzing a database of 2799 observations extracted from 160 publications, we quantitatively assessed the effects of vegetation restoration on soil C, water holding capacity, electronic conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil structure in post-mining land across the globe. Results: The results showed that (1) vegetation restoration significantly increased soil organic C (SOC) stock (averagely + 112%), dissolved organic C (DOC) concentration (+ 141%), water content (SWC, + 40%), saturated water content (SSWC, + 40%), hairy tube holding water (HTHW, + 29%), CEC (+ 19%), and the concentrations of sand (+ 17%) and silt (+ 11%), while decreased the EC (-22%) and pH (-7.1%); (2) vegetation type could mediate the effects of vegetation restoration on HTHW, CEC, and sand and silt concentrations, while mineral type of metal mine influenced the effects of vegetation restoration on pH, CEC, bulk density, and sand and silt concentrations; and (3) plant diversity positively affected the effects of vegetation restoration on soil DOC concentration and pH, whilst the effects of soil depth, climate, and restoration year varied for different variables of soil properties. Conclusions: These results suggested a critical role of vegetation restoration in the remediation of post-mining land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of waste such as wood ash as an alternative fertilizer in agricultural production can result in an improvement in the chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of doses and management of wood ash application in the organic matter content and biological attributes of the soil in a Cerrado area cultivated with Urochloa brizantha cv BRS paiaguás. The experiment was performed in randomized blocks, in a 5 × 2 striped scheme, with five doses of wood ash (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 t ha−1) and two application managements (with and without incorporation to the soil) with four repetitions. The variables analyzed were: soil organic matter content, microbial biomass carbon, basal respiration, qCO2 and β-glucosidase activity. During the evaluations it was observed a reduction of 0.36 g kg−1 of organic matter for each ton of ash applied to the soil, regardless of management. This reduction also occurred in microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase activity. initially the ash doses elevated the soil respiration and the metabolic quotient, evidencing a small stress in the soil microbiota, however, in the last evaluation the rates of these two variables remained stable. The application of wood ash, in doses ranging from 16 to 24 t ha−1, can be used as soil conditioner and fertilizer in pastures, because it results in better conditions for the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated the ability of isolate Pseudomonas thivervalensis SC5 to express the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACC), which regulates ethylene levels, one of the most important phytohormones in the regulation of plant growth and development. Thus, the present study evaluated the agronomic efficiency of a biological conditioner based on P. thivervalensis SC5 in the growth and productivity increases of corn in Brazil. It was found that corn was highly responsive to the inoculation of P. thivervalensis SC5, with increments ranging from 10.1 to 40.6% in the production of dry shoot biomass (DSB) compared to the control, while for grain yield the increments ranged from 9.0 to 27.8%. The increments are related to the levels and accumulations of N and P in the shoots of the plants. This suggested the participation of P. thivervalensis SC5 in mechanisms of soil modulation and nutrient acquisition. The inoculation of P. thivervalensis SC5 provided average increments in FDA hydrolysis ranging from 16.7 to 47.4% compared to the control, confirming the ability of this strain to increase the supply of nutrients to plants. Therefore, it is concluded that Pseudomonas thivervalensis SC5 participates in key mechanisms in the soil-plant system, with a consequent improvement in soil quality and other plant-related parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive cultivation coupled with scrupulous use of fertilizers could be detrimental to soil health and quality of the produce in the long run. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the predominant protected/polyhouse and open field vegetable production on soil quality. The changes in soil quality in comparison to control (fallow) indicate, whether the management practices being adopted under both the systems are sustainable or not. Thus, a study was conducted to identify the most appropriate soil quality indicators and finally to know about the status of soil quality both under polyhouse and open field system of cultivation in mid hills of North western Himalayas. Principal component analysis (PCA), a data reduction tool was employed to get the minimum data set for the assessment of soil quality. Geo-referenced soil samples were collected from 25 progressive farmers' cultivating vegetables under polyhouse, as well as open field conditions and analyzed for various physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil quality. The PCA was performed which screened out the three principal components (PCs) with eigen value > 1. Average soil quality index (SQI) for different sites was observed to be on higher under polyhouse conditions (0.815) as compared to open field cultivation for vegetables (0.760) and control (0.703). Where, soil organic carbon contributed maximum to soil quality (75.6%) followed by pH (13.9%), water holding capacity (6.8%) and EC (3.6%). Conclusively, polyhouse cultivation system revealed high category of soil quality. Whereas, open field cultivation system revealed medium category of soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perpetually intensifying soil contamination is an anthropogenic phenomena, which is a global environmental concern. An important tool for the evaluation of contamination levels and ecosystem health is the assessment of soil quality, which can be used to evaluate prospective ecological threats to both organisms and the environment. The aim of this study was to quantify the soil heavy metal pollution levels to assess the site quality of three wildlife parks in different climatic zones of Punjab, Pakistan, where several wild animals were housed for the purpose of conservation. A robust method for calculation, absolute deviation from median (median ± (2 × MAD)), was used to compute geochemical background value of each heavy metal. Single (geoaccumulation index – Igeo and enrichment factor – EF) and complex (pollution load index (PLI)) indices were used to recognize whether the detected heavy metals Pb, Cr, Zn, Cd, Co, Mn and Ni levels in the soil are consequences of anthropogenic or natural sources. In comparison between sites, the heavy metal enrichment for Pb, Cr, Cd and Zn was recorded high at Jallo Forest and Wildlife Park succeeded by Murree Wildlife Park and Bahawalnagar Wildlife Park. Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr showed high EF values at Jallo Forest and Wildlife Park while Igeo values of Pb, Cr, Cd, Mn and Zn were greater at Murree Wildlife Park indicating high heavy metal geoaccumulation. The highest heavy metal contamination site with reference to soil quality was Murree Wildlife Park (PLI = 1.12), which was followed by Jallo Forest and Wildlife Park and Bahawalnagar Wildlife Park with PLI values 1.05 and 0.80, respectively. Analysis by hierarchical clustering (HCA) showed high degree of variation between heavy metal concentrations at all sites with the exception of Pb and Zn. As documented from the present study, significant levels of enrichment and contamination with heavy metals were recorded for soils of selected sites. Further assessment is mandatory because the chosen study sites were situated in climatically diverse areas with reference to environmental factors, topography, climatic condition and their impact on the accumulation patterns in soil as well as in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil health is essential for whirling stale soil into rich coffee-growing land. By keeping healthy soil, coffee producers may improve plant growth, leaf health, buds, cherry and bean quality, and yield. Traditional soil monitoring is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. Enhancing the monitoring system using AI-based IoT technologies for quick and precise changes. Integrated soil fertility control system to optimize soil health, maximize efficiency, promote sustainability, and prevent crop threads using real-time data analysis to turn infertile land into fertile land. The RNN-IoT approach uses IoT sensors in the coffee plantation to collect real-time data on soil temperature, moisture, pH, nutrient levels, weather, CO2 levels, EC, TDS, and historical data. Data transmission using a wireless cloud platform. Testing and training using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and gated recurrent units gathered data for predicting soil conditions and crop hazards. Researchers are carrying out detailed qualitative testing to evaluate the proposed RNN-IoT approach. Utilize counterfactual recommendations for developing alternative strategies for irrigation, fertilization, fertilizer regulation, and crop management, taking into account the existing soil conditions, forecasts, and historical data. The accuracy is evaluated by comparing it to other deep learning algorithms. The utilization of the RNN-IoT methodology for soil health monitoring enhances both efficiency and accuracy in comparison to conventional soil monitoring methods. Minimized the ecological impact by minimizing water and fertilizer utilization. Enhanced farmer decision-making and data accessibility with a mobile application that provides real-time data, AI-generated suggestions, and the ability to detect possible crop hazards for swift action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the soil quality of alpine farmland and elucidate the key factors influencing productivity levels under the current agricultural paradigm, we conducted an extensive collection of soil samples. In total, 234 soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from Menyuan County, the heartland of the southern slope of the Qilian Mountains. These samples represented four predominant soil types, including cold calcic soil, luvic chernozem, calcareous meadow soil, and calcareous gray cinnamon soil. Moreover, by employing principal component analysis, we established a minimum data set (MDS) that encapsulated the essential parameters for the comprehensive evaluation of the soil quality of farmland in the study area. Upon evaluating the soil quality index, the rankings were as follows: luvic chernozem (0.63) > calcareous gray cinnamon soil (0.58) > calcareous meadow soil (0.58) > cold calcic soil (0.55). Overall, the results highlighted that the significant impact of soil total nitrogen (TN), available potassium (AK), and soil water content (SWC) on soil quality within the study area. Therefore, in the context of land management practices, careful attention should be paid to the management of soil TN, AK content, and SWC to avoid the degradation of cultivated land into abandoned fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Soil quality (SQ) assessment is affected by methods that convert data sets into indices, and such analyses are expensive and time‐consuming. Qualitative SQ assessments are faster and cheaper than quantitative methods and they can be repeated to monitor SQ in crop and pasture systems. We evaluated SQ using qualitative and quantitative SQ indicators of two grazing systems under Voisin rational grazing (VRG) with trees (WT) or without trees (NT). We took an adjacent native forest as a reference and we used principal component analysis (PCA) to compare the accuracy of the assessment methods. RESULTS: According to the set of indicators used for quantitative assessment, the WT system and the Forest had higher SQ than other systems as a result of higher values of soil physical and chemical indicators. This the reflected better performance of soil in functions related to structural support, nutrient cycling and biological productivity. According to the set of indicators used for qualitative assessment, the WT system showed better SQ than the NT areas because of the higher scores of all indicators and better performance of the soil functions, and those values were close to the Forest in the indicators. PCA applied to integrate the data of qualitative and quantitative indicators indicated that SQ in WT was similar to Forest. CONCLUSION: The qualitative evaluation was as efficient as the quantitative evaluation for SQ assessment in VRG areas with and without trees. Its use can promote farmers' autonomy and the development of skills to identify environmental factors that help to evaluate their practices. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil functioning contributes to the delivery of a vast range of ecosystem goods and services, and ecosystem health is therefore reflected by the capacity of the soil to perform underlying functions. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key indicator for soil quality as it is an integral driver of many soil functions and associated ecosystem services. Across the globe, SOC stocks are declining due to expanding agriculture and unsustainable practices. Awareness of the fact that soil is a non‐renewable resource and its functioning important for all life on Earth is increasing, especially among policymakers. As such, goals for the preservation and restoration of SOC are formulated in policies under the European Green Deal. However, the evaluation of these goals at the European level is hampered by a non‐harmonized diversity in national SOC monitoring strategies. While some SOC indicators can be useful for the evaluation of most policy goals (i.e., baseline and potential SOC stocks), additional and contrasting SOC data are often required for the evaluation of the goals formulated by the different EU directives. This study provides an overview of five ongoing SOC monitoring programmes across Europe and discusses how national programmes may be aligned to evaluate goals at the EU level. Five countries with very different soil monitoring programmes were included in a case study to illustrate the potential for harmonization and standardization of SOC assessment. Based on this study, we conclude that SOC monitoring strategies can be harmonized, but not standardized. We further suggest five sampling strategies that have potential for harmonization under the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) products now available across the globe have been developed from the deposits of punctual soil observations inherited from several decades of soil survey activity. By using these legacy data as inputs for calibrating our DSM models, we implicitly make the assumption that these legacy soil data are accurate and therefore do not affect significantly our DSM products. However, this assumption has never been tested. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracies of soil property measurements retrieved from legacy soil profiles, to analyse the different sources of error that may affect these measurements and to examine their impacts on the soil property predictions delivered by DSM models. The study was focused on a control sampling within the coastal plain of Languedoc (Southern France) at 129 locations where legacy measured soil profiles were collected between 1955 and 1992. At each location, four topsoil (0–20 cm) samples were collected at increasing distances (0, 5, 25 and 100 m) to characterize the local variabilities of the soil properties. Six soil properties—Clay, Silt, Sand, Soil Organic Carbon, Calcium Carbonate contents and Cation Exchange Capacity—were determined for each sample using certified soil laboratory methods. The results revealed that legacy soil property values had large overall errors and large biases. Biases likely induced by differences in soil analysis protocols could be corrected by linear functions calibrated onto the reference data obtained from the control sampling. The contributions of the errors propagated from the manual geo‐referencing errors (mean = 31 m) represented on average 52% of the errors after analytical bias corrections. These errors exhibited large variations from one property to another due to differences in the short‐range spatial variations (0–100 m) of these soil properties. A DSM exercise conducted on our control sampling revealed that the errors of legacy soil data were propagated to the soil property predictions provided by the DSM models. However, this propagation could be largely mitigated by applying the above‐evoked corrections. This study highlights the need to better control the quality of the legacy soil data used in DSM and to account for this source of uncertainty in the DSM models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a crucial factor influencing soil quality and fertility. In this particular investigation, we aimed to explore the possibility of using diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT-FTIR) in conjunction with machine-learning models, such as partial least squares regression (PLSR), artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector regression (SVR) and random forest (RF), to estimate SOC in Sohag, Egypt. To achieve this, we collected a total of ninety surface soil samples from various locations in Sohag and estimated the total organic carbon content using both the Walkley-Black method and DRIFT-FTIR spectroscopy. Subsequently, we used the spectral data to develop regression models using PLSR, ANN, SVR, and RF. To evaluate the performance of these models, we used several evaluation parameters, including root mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), and ratio of performance deviation (RPD). Our survey results revealed that the PLSR model had the most favorable performance, yielding an R2 value of 0.82 and an RMSE of 0.006%. In contrast, the ANN, SVR, and RF models demonstrated moderate to poor performance, with R2 values of 0.53, 0.27, and 0.18, respectively. Overall, our study highlights the potential of combining DRIFT-FTIR spectroscopy with multivariate analysis techniques to predict SOC in Sohag, Egypt. However, additional studies and research are needed to improve the accuracy or predictability of machine-learning models incorporated into DRIFT-FTIR analysis and to compare DRIFT-FTIR analysis techniques with conventional soil chemical measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils are a source of natural capital that provide and regulate a range of ecosystem services (ES) and play an important role in sustaining human welfare. Nonetheless, the quality and quantity of soil ecosystem services (SES) delivery over the long term depend on the use of sustainable land management practices. In the present study, we assessed seven SES using a set of soil quality indicators in four production systems based on yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil) in the Araucaria Forest biome of Southern Brazil: two sites were under traditional agroecological agroforestry management, one was a silvopastoral system with dairy pasture, and the last one was a monoculture yerba mate production system. The SES measured were soil fertility, carbon sequestration, erosion control, nutrient cycling, plant provision, biodiversity, and health. Soil samples were collected at various depths and analysed for chemical, physical, and biological attributes. A principal component analysis on the dataset showed that the soil quality indicators that best represent the variance between the systems at the 0–10 cm layer were acidity, microbial activity (FDA), total nitrogen, (TN), structural stability index (SSI), cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, sum of bases (SB), microbial quotient (qMic), density of earthworms (EwD), bulk density (BD), and carbon stocks (Cstock). Soil quality indicators ranging from 0 to 1 were used to graphically represent the set of SES. The indicator-based approach used to explain the differences among the four production systems was able to capture the soil functions and offered a good starting point for quantifying SES provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unreasonable cultivation methods and management measures have led to widespread obstacles in tobacco continuous cropping in planting areas, resulting in reduced tobacco yield and soil degradation. Therefore, intercropping tobacco with other crops is an effective strategy to improve continuous cropping barriers. In this study, flue-cured tobacco NC102 and conventional planting varieties of Salvia miltiorrhiza were used as materials, and four treatments of flue-cured tobacco monoculture (CK), flue-cured tobacco, and Salvia miltiorrhiza at a ratio of 1:1 (TS11), 2:2 (TS22), and 2:3 (TS23), respectively, were set up to study their effects on soil microorganisms, physical and chemical properties, and yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco. The results showed that intercropping Salvia miltiorrhiza increased the number of soil bacteria and actinomycetes, decreased the number of fungi, and increased the activity of urease and sucrase. The content of available nitrogen and available phosphorus in intercropping Salvia miltiorrhiza soil was significantly higher than that of the flue-cured tobacco monoculture, while the content of available potassium was lower than that of the flue-cured tobacco monoculture. The soil environment was more conducive to the growth of flue-cured tobacco. Compared with the flue-cured tobacco monoculture, the proportion of superior tobacco in intercropping Salvia miltiorrhiza increased by 2.2–3.4%, and the ratio of potassium to chlorine in leaves of different parts of flue-cured tobacco increased by 12.3–75.0%. The content of total sugar and soluble sugar in middle and upper leaves of intercropping flue-cured tobacco was higher than that of the flue-cured tobacco monoculture, which improved the quality of flue-cured tobacco. From the analysis of the chemical composition of tobacco leaves, TS11 (flue-cured tobacco and Salvia miltiorrhiza intercropping row ratio of 1:1) had the best treatment effect, potassium content, total sugar, reducing sugar content, and potassium chloride ratio of flue-cured tobacco were the highest, the chlorine content was the lowest, and the quality was better than other treatments. From the analysis of total output value, the total output value of TS22 (flue-cured tobacco and Salvia miltiorrhiza intercropping row ratio of 2:2) was higher than that of other intercropping treatments. In 2018 and 2019, the total output value increased by 21.3% and 22.4%, respectively, compared with the flue-cured tobacco monoculture. The intercropping advantage was obvious, and the treatment effect was the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-allocation of photovoltaic arrays with crops presents a promising strategy to mitigate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land. However, there is a notable lack of quantitative research on the impact of agrivoltaic system on land quality in fragile areas. In this study, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne) were cultivated in photovoltaic array in the dry–hot valley of southwest China, with an off-site native land serving as the control. Sixteen soil physicochemical and biochemical parameters were measured in the gap and under-panel and control area. Results demonstrated that the agrivoltaic system significantly enhanced soil moisture, organic carbon, nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium nutrients, microbial biomass, and urease activity. It also led to varying degrees of increase in soil pH and electrical conductivity, along with reduced soil sucrase and phosphatase activity. In comparison to the control, the agrivoltaic system notably improved soil quality and multifunctionality. Specially, gap cultivation had a more pronounced positive impact on soil quality than under-panel cultivation, and the cultivation of peanuts had a greater effect on soil quality and multifunctionality improvement than ryegrass. This study provides fundamental data to support the improvement of land quality in photovoltaic developed regions, and to alleviate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the impact of human agricultural activities on the soil microbiome and soil quality are extremely important, but such studies on floodplains in river valleys are lacking. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine the impact of blackcurrant cultivation on Fluvisols located in the Vistula River valley (Poland). The dehydrogenases (DHa) and phosphatases (acid-AcP, and alkaline-AlP) activities, carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) contents of the microbial biomass, the metabolic potential of the microbial community (EcoPlate™ Biolog) and taxonomic diversity of the soil microbiome were determined (next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the 16S rRNA gene). Enzymatic activity and metabolic potential and diversity (EcoPlate™) were higher in the soils from meadows, but MBC and MBN and biodiversity indices derived from NGS were higher in the cultivated soils. It can be confirmed that human activities affect the physicochemical, biological and microbiological parameters of Fluvisols. This may indicate that microorganisms are numerically more abundant and taxonomically more diverse in the cultivated soils, but are more active in the soils from meadows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Current comprehensive meta-analysis study aims to explore how agroforestry practices influence soil quality across different climate zones. Since numerous studies proposed agroforestry as the promising agroecological farming systems over conventional monoculture systems to maintain soil quality and to regenerate disturbed soil to counteract the negative consequences of global extensive agricultural approaches. Methods: By employing the comprehensive meta-analysis technique on data from 125 studies conducted in tropical, temperate, and Mediterranean environments, we quantitatively assessed the effects of agroforestry on physical, chemical, and biological soil quality indicators. Results: Rates of soil erosion, the most important indication of land degradation, were improved in agroforestry systems compared to monocultures, especially in temperate (-138%) and Mediterranean soils (-40%), due to agroforestry-induced improved soil texture, aggregate stability, and soil water regulation. Soil acidification was decreased in tropical (-128%) and Mediterranean soils (-96%), but increased in temperate soils (+ 104%) due to agroforestry practices. Low temperate soil pH suggests high Ca2+ leaching losses as evidenced by decreased Ca2+ (-68%) and increased Fe2+ (+ 129%) and Al3+ (+ 235%) contents. Agroforestry systems increased organic matter accumulation in temperate (+ 86%) and Mediterranean soils (+ 65%), carbon sequestration in all climatic zones (+ 48%: 33–73%), and respiration rates in temperate (+ 119%) and tropical soils (+ 105%). Soil microbial communities, enzyme activities as well as nutrient cycling and availability were generally enhanced in agroforestry systems compared to monocultures. Conclusions: Our results provide compelling evidence that agroforestry practices can contribute substantially to sustainable improvement of global soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) is an affordable and easy‐to‐use method for assessing soil quality that could help in the early detection of soil quality changes in pasturelands of less developed countries where ranchers cannot afford quantitative soil studies. Here, we assessed the soil quality of three pasture areas in the Colombian Amazon region using the VESS method and tested its suitability through a correlation analysis with key physical and biochemical soil indicators of quality measured at the same study locations. Moreover, by integrating all assessed soil indicators, we determined a soil quality index (SQI) to correlate with VESS scores. A forest area was used as a reference to evaluate changes in soil indicators and soil quality due to pasture use for >25 years. Our results revealed high VESS scores, indicating poor soil quality in pasture areas and suggesting a compaction process that starts at 6.5 cm soil depth, corroborated by increases in soil bulk density, soil resistance to penetration, and reduction in soil porosity. Soil C and N contents were 35% and 33% lower in pasture than forest. This same pattern was observed in the geometric mean of the enzymatic activity. The VESS scores were significantly correlated with most of physical and biochemical soil indicators and with the overall SQI, demonstrating the ability of VESS to integrate and reflect attributes related to the essential physical, chemical, and biological functioning of soils from the Colombian Amazon region, becoming a useful tool for detecting signs of soil quality degradation in pasturelands. Core Ideas: The visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) approach can integrate essential physical and biochemical soil functioning attributes.VESS can detect signs of degradation of soil quality in pasturelands in the Colombian Amazon region.VESS is a cost‐effective approach for ranchers in the Colombian Amazon to track the impact of livestock systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]