Grass coverage in orchards has increasingly become a sustainable practice to improve soil quality, reduce soil erosion, increase water infiltration, and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is likely to gain further adoption as a promising nature-based measure to increase organic carbon and nitrogen storage in soil. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive global quantification regarding

Fertiliser application in agricultural ecosystems affects not only the potential carbon input (via crop biomass and/or manure) into the soil, but also a series of soil processes regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition. A detailed mechanistic understanding of how fertiliser regimes affect SOC dynamics is still needed. Here we constrained the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM

Yaoba Oasis is a traditional tillage farmland completely dependent on irrigation with groundwater. Previous investigations (1980–2015) have revealed that over-extraction of groundwater, deterioration of water quality, and soil salinization are the primary factors limiting the development of the regional agricultural economy. This study aimed to determine the impact of human activities, specifically

Grasslands are one of the major terrestrial ecosystems facing severe degradation due to climatic changes and anthropogenic activities. In northwest China, the Typical steppe and alpine meadows are the major grasslands with diverse ecosystems. These grasslands are facing degradation due to excessive livestock grazing and nitrogen (N) deposition that can alter the overall grassland ecosystem, along with

The shrinkage and swelling phenomenon of clayey soils induces substantial effects on measurement and modeling of soil thermal and hydraulic properties. This study developed a combined heat-pulse and evaporation method for simultaneous measurement of soil deformation, thermal, and hydraulic properties of clayey soils during drying-shrinkage processes. Four clayey soils with different textures and initial

Biochar application to topsoil has been repeatedly and independently reported to reduce N2O emissions, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study hypothesizes that biochar enhances the stability and catalytic activity of N2O reductase enzymes in denitrifying bacteria, promoting the conversion of N2O to N2 during denitrification. Interactions between biochar and the N2O reductase

Fluctuations in soil management practices, temperature and moisture conditions can impact adsorption-desorption and bioavailability of phosphorus (P) in agricultural soils. Therefore, this study investigates P dynamics in straw-managed soils of Punjab collected from five treatments namely (1) conventional tillage (CT) after removal of rice straw (CT-R), (2) Treatment 1 plus biochar amendment at 2 Mg

Potassium (K) supplementation strategies are required to enhance farm productivity in rice-upland rotations, where intensive cultivation practices often result in K deficiencies. Straw return improves the adsorption of K by increasing the content of soil humic acid in macroaggregates. Iron/aluminium (Fe/Al) oxides promote soil organic carbon storage and aggregate stability by acting as binding agents

Organic fertilizer was widely used to enhance the buildup of soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial necromass C. Iron and aluminum (Fe/Al) oxides serve as critical factors influencing SOC by controlling microbial necromass C. Nevertheless, the alterations and dynamics of microbial necromass C alongside Fe/Al oxides in the presence of organic fertilizer remain poorly elucidated. To evaluate the effect

There are many soil erosion models and model applications. However, as a general rule, models of rainfall erosion cannot fully model the complexity of the detachment and transport processes involved in soil erosion by rain so that it is crucial that soil erosion models are tested against experimental data. In developing the USLE, the designers recognised that the fundamental ability of a model to predict

Currently, China is undergoing reforms in its rural land transfer policy. As a traditional agricultural country, the operation and management of small-scale farmland serve as the primary economic source for Chinese farmers. However, small-scale farmland is vulnerable to external influences and lacks sufficient risk-resistance capabilities. Developing a low-cost, long-term improvement model is essential

Soil compaction caused by the use of farm machinery is a widespread issue. Freeze–thaw cycles can improve the soil structure after compaction; however, the effect decreases as soil depth increases. Herein, we applied freeze–thaw cycle treatments to re-moulded compacted sandy loam soil (bulk density of 1.6 g/cm³) in two water content states (80 % and 30 % field capacities). Artificial perforation was

Knowledge on integrating cover crops and poultry litter effects on soil aggregation and associated carbon remains uncertain. In this study, aggregate size fractions, aggregate stability, and aggregate-associated carbon were examined within the topsoil (0–5 cm depth) across five winter cover crops [no cover crop as a control, cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), hairy vetch

Soil organic matter (SOM) mapping in salinized areas is crucial for scientific guidance on soil salinization. However, accurately mapping SOM is challenging due to the intricate interplay between soil moisture content (SMC) and soil salt content (SSC), which significantly influences soil spectra. Unlike prior research that has separately examined the impacts of moisture or salinity, this study delves

Soil pore structure is highly variable with soil management practices, and plays an important role in nutrient availability. However, the relationships between soil pore characteristics (pore connectivity and pore size distribution) and nitrate release from soil organic matter or applied fertilizer are still unclear. This study aimed to identify how soil pore structure affects nitrate release under

Camera-based soil surface change measurement is a cost-efficient and non-invasive approach to assess soil erosion. A challenging aspect in this context is the obscuring of the sediment yield by subsidence phenomenon such as soil consolidation and compaction in the beginning of a rainfall event (masking effect). Based on the camera elevation changes and measured field observations, we develop an approach

In Northeast China’s primary granary, long-term conventional tillage (CT) has led to significant soil degradation in the high-fertility black soil. Conservation tillage (CS) presents an opportunity to preserve soil quality but may reduce crop yield. The suitability of CT and CS in black soil regions and underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of CT and CS on

Improving soil hydraulic properties is one of important purposes of soil tillage. Recent studies on permanently charged soil have shown specific cation effect on soil water infiltration. In this study, specific cation effects on soil water infiltration and soil aggregate stability of both variably and permanently charged soils were comparatively examined. It was found that, specific cation effects

Soil acidification due to long-term tea plantations is a pervasive problem that may affect soil organic carbon (SOC) preservation by altering organo-mineral interactions. Nevertheless, how iron (Fe) minerals and microbes regulate SOC stabilization with increasing years of tea plantation establishment remains unclear. By analyzing the dynamic changes of SOC, Fe fractions and Fe oxide-bound OC (Fe–OC)

Intercropping has been widely practiced around the world due to its apparent advantages. However, the soil salt dynamic in the intercropping system has not yet been fully quantified, especially from the perspective of the combined impacts of brackish water irrigation and groundwater recharge. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was performed in the Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, northwest China, to determine

Intercropping has gained attention for its potential to enhance soil health and increase crop yields in agroecosystems, in which soil microbial community play a key regulatory role. Bacteria is critical for a variety of soil biological processes, so promoting the understanding of soil microbiome within bacteria can improve the agricultural management practices. Here, the responses of soil bacterial

Long-term land use and management practices can affect soil organic matter (SOM) and cause changes in soil water repellency (SWR), the extent of which is related to SOM content and composition. Many studies have focused on explaining the generation of SWR and have emphasized the relation between the occurrence and persistence of SWR and SOM; however, few studies have attempted to revisit the amount

The vast carbon sequestration potential of soil implies that even minor changes in its characteristics can impact atmospheric carbon levels. However, little research has focused on the influence of rainfall-induced physical crusts, a common natural phenomenon, on soil organic carbon (SOC). In this study, we simulated contour farming patterns and induced artificial rainfall to obtain different types

Biological soil crusts (Biocrusts) are considered to have significant effects on soil detachment processes. Increasing extreme droughts are expected to affect the structure and functioning of biocrust ecosystems. However, understanding how biocrust ecosystems will respond to drought requires further investigation in the subtropical region. This study conducted continuously monitoring of understory

The global soil carbon pool comprises soil organic carbon (SOC), found in almost all soils, and soil inorganic carbon (SIC), in calcareous soils. Despite their agricultural significance, calcareous soils, which exhibit diverse chemical properties and are found in varied environments, have historically been understudied. Using soils obtained from a decade-long, fully factorial field experiment located

Spoil heaps, are characterized by loose structure, high infiltration, steep slopes, etc, and have become a source of soil erosion and geological disasters. Vegetation was regarded as an effective way to curb soil erosion of spoil heaps. However, few studies have been conducted to explore the effects of vegetation types and their near-surface characteristics on hydrodynamics and soil erosion of steep

Soil compaction stress on plants remains widespread despite the presence of various mitigation methods. To address this concern, we conducted a series of studies from 2021 to 2023. Preliminary tests assessed the effects of the combined application of yeast and glucose on the porosity of compacted soil and on turfgrass growth under conditions of soil compaction. In subsequent dose screening studies

Cover crops (CCs) are fundamental to conservation agriculture. However, the specific effect of different species and consortia of CCs on soil structure still needs to be well understood. In addition, the effect of seasonality on soil structure requires further investigation. Thus, this study aimed to report which species or consortia of CCs improve the structure and infiltration of water in the soil

Soil microbiome network structure is highly related to nutrient cycling and crop growth in agroecosystems. However, how agricultural practices influence soil microbial network structure and interact with co-varying soil properties, crop yield, and other microbial properties is still unclear. In the present study, soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass and enzyme activity, and agronomic

Water deficiency caused by climate change is a global challenge for food security. Viable sustainable alternatives for enhancing water storage in the soil is a necessity for arid and drought prone regions. Water-absorbing polymer (WAP) is capable of improving the water storage in soil pores, and its efficacy can be ascertained by evaluating the resilience of plants towards wilting. The main objective

Fertilization practices are vital for agricultural productivity and soil health. However, the impact of long-term organic and inorganic fertilization on pore structure and related functions in paddy soil is still under-explored. In this study, macroaggregates approximately 5 mm in diameter were collected from a 20-year long-term experiment with no fertilization (CK), and those treated with chemical

Biochar (BC) has gained worldwide attention as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and crop yield. However, long-term field data are still lacking to evaluate the effectiveness of BC application in increasing crop yield under various specific site conditions. A 7-year field experiment of BC application with consecutive corn-wheat rotations was carried out in a semi-humid region in the HuangHuaiHai

Biochar offers environmental benefits, such as enhanced soil aggregation and carbon sequestration. However, its effect on soil aggregation and organic carbon and nitrogen sequestration across soil textures remains unclear. In this systematic review, the results of 534 experiments reported in 100 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed. The results show that biochar addition enhances macroaggregate formation

Nitrogen (N) leaching as the major N loss pathway in intensive agricultural systems. However, a comprehensive evaluation for the effects of organic fertilizer substitution on nitrate residue and leaching losses during the fallow season is not available in winter wheat-summer fallow rotation system. The present dryland wheat fertilization experiment conducted from 2014−2019 adopted a split-plot design

Intense land degradation had created a special vegetation-soil-rock complex structure (VCS) on karst slopes, which altered regional soil and water processes. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of heterogeneous VCS on soil erosion/leakage, rainwater transformation and hydrodynamic characteristics at the microplot scale by simulating the karst dichotomous structure slopes with steel

Carbon farming has been recently proposed as an effective measure for climate change mitigation through carbon (C) sequestration or C emissions reduction. In order to identify and estimate the climate change mitigation potential of carbon farming practices on European croplands we conduct a systematic review on both relative and absolute annual soil organic carbon (SOC) stock change (ΔSOCREL; ΔSOCABS)

Increasing pasture biomass production through nitrogen fertilization enables greater stocking rate and grazing intensification in pastoral livestock production systems. However, grazing intensification can compromise the soil physical quality if stocking rates exceed the soil bearing capacity to support treading. The objective was to quantify the impact of long-term (12 years) intensified grazing of

Multi-cropping systems often supports sustainable crop production and increases soil degradation. Seasonal fallow is one of the key and commonly used agricultural practices for soil restoration in the tropics. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the impacts and mechanisms of seasonal fallow intensity on enhancing soil fertility remains poor. Here, we conducted a 6-year site-specific field trial in the latosol

Considering the potential enhancement of soil water repellency (SWR) due to the increased accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM) under grassland enclosure, there may be an increased risk of soil erosion and degradation as it can reduce water infiltration and penetration into the soil. There remains a knowledge gap pertaining to the relationship between SWR and plant growth, soil physicochemical

Proper tillage combined with straw management is crucial for maintaining agroecosystem sustainability and crop yield, especially under intensified agricultural activities. However, the optimal depth for tillage in combination with straw incorporation remains unclear. To address this, we established a field experiment in 2011 in Mollisols with five treatments: conventional tillage (CT, tillage depth

Pulsed N2O emissions resulting from field management practices (N fertilization addition and straw return) or rainfall events make for a significant proportion of the total annual N2O budget from croplands. However, it remains unclear whether altered rainfall patterns induced by climate change will stimulate the responses of pulsed N2O emissions to various field practices. In this study, we aimed to

The use of remote sensing techniques for mapping soil organic matter (SOM) in black soil regions is well established. However, in areas where Planosols are interspersed with non-Planosols, tilling impacts the soil spectra of tilled soils at varying times and to different extents. As a result, errors may arise when modeling Planosols and non-Planosols collectively using conventional methods. This study

Ridge-furrow plastic film mulching (RFM) planting system can conserve soil water and boost crop yield in semi-arid rainfed agricultural areas. In the east African Plateau (EAP), the RFM system has shown significant promoting effects on the yield and water use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Although the RFM system is effective and efficient, it is unclear how to

Soil organic matter (SOM) determines soil fertility and functions, playing a key role in agriculture, the environment and climate change. During the past century, the SOM of the world, e.g., the black soil (Mollisol) in croplands of Northeast China, experienced extensive changes, making SOM monitoring crucial. Recently, digital soil mapping (DSM) with time-series remote sensing images has become a

Abandonment is a strategy applied to increase soil organic C (SOC) in degraded cropland, but such efforts may fail because of microbial N limitation after abandonment in the absence of fertilization. In this study, we investigated the associations between SOC and microbial necromass C (MNC) dynamics in bulk soil and particle-size pools with N availability in a cropland abandonment chronosequence on

The profile of crop water uptake from the soil depends on rainfall regime (amount, seasonality, frequency distribution of rainfall event size), soil, crop, and management. This study, with a focus on winter wheat in a wheat-fallow system, combines measurements of hydrogen (δD) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes with a Bayesian mixing model (MixSIAR), and measurements of root length density to (i) quantify

Soil erosion is a principal mechanism of land degradation, and wind erosion is particularly marked in northeast China due to its ecological characteristics. However, most investigations on the implications of land degradation on soil quality and crop productivity have concentrated on water-erosion regions, and little focus has been placed on the wind-erosion region. Therefore, we examined the impacts

Soil compaction leads to an increase in bulk density (ρb) and a shift in the pore-size distribution towards smaller pores. This in turn changes the soil hydraulic properties (SHP), i.e., the water retention curve (WRC) and the hydraulic conductivity curve (HCC). Up to now, attempts to model the effect of altered ρb on SHP has been limited to SHP models that account only for capillary water, neglecting

Understanding the implications of land-use type on soil quality and function is critical to the adoption of suitable agricultural management practices in a specific region. Principal component analysis (PCA) is a widespread technique for calculating soil quality index (SQI), but it cannot correctly evaluate soil quality in some cases. Network analysis (NA) is a novel and effective technique for calculating

Soil surface roughness (SSR) impacts runoff dynamics of surface-subsurface and the magnitude of soil erosion, limited attention has been paid to how SSR governs runoff hydrodynamics to affect erosion behavior and the effectiveness of erosion reduction under rainfall-seepage scenarios on low-permeability purple soil slopes. Herein the seepage rates of 2, 4, and 8 L min⁻¹ were sequentially simulated

Cover crops (CC) have been widely recognized and implemented as one of the most effective agronomic practices for enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in orchard ecosystems. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the effect of CC on specific SOC fractions, posing challenges for accurate prediction of carbon (C) dynamics, which requires further comprehensive study at regional

Regenerative agriculture has been associated with improved soil structure and soil fertility. However, conclusive evidence of its efficacy has remained elusive owing to a lack of long-term experimental studies. In this study, we assessed the impact of diverse regenerative agricultural measures on soil mechanical and hydraulic properties and indicators. Tested treatment factors included reduced tillage

Cover crops (CC) effectively reduce soil erosion, a significant threat to farmers and the environment. Yet, there is lack of data quantifying their effect on rill erosion in the field scale. The major objective of this study was to use UAV-RGB images to estimate the effects of CC on rill erosion in the field scale and to characterize rill parameters in areas with and without CC. Images were collected

The estimation of changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key issue for national green-house gasses (GHG) inventories, climate change mitigation programs and the estimation of carbon footprint of farm products in life cycle assessments. Any strategy related to net-zero carbon in agricultural systems needs to quantify the SOC balance. In this way, SOC models help decision makers involved in agriculture

Topsoil compaction is a persistent problem in minesoils, jeopardizing the revegetation and ecological reclamation of the mined land. Evaluation of soil structural quality (Sq) through quantitative methods is usually labor-intensive and/or costly, especially if a large area has to be examined. Therefore, reconciling cost-effective and accurate diagnose of minesoil Sq is crucial. The Visual Evaluation

Despite the close interactions between carbon (C) and nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), the consequences of N fertilization alone or in combination with P and K on soil organic matter (SOM) chemical composition remain unclear. Using solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy data from 45 field studies, we meta-analyzed the effects of N alone and NPK fertilization

The advancement of agricultural mechanization has led to soil compaction and an increased thickness of the plow layer in the North China Plain. By contrast, subsoiling tillage can disrupt the plow layer, enhance the cultivation environment of the soil, and promote crop growth. Nevertheless, such changes in tillage methods often disrupt conventional irrigation systems, highlighting the need to explore

Soil and crop characteristics are susceptible to straw-incorporation and can change considerably over time. These changes are likely to lead to variations in the soil structure, aggregate stability, and shear strength, thereby altering the soil erodibility. Currently, the temporal variation in the soil erodibility of sloping croplands affected by straw-incorporation rate (SIR) is unknown. The objectives