Soil Research

Context The removal of excess salts from saline–sodic soils is often limited by poor drainage resulting from deterioration of soil physical structure. Biochar has been increasingly recommended as a soil conditioner in salt-affected areas, particularly for its potential to improve soil structural attributes. Aims In this study, we: (1) evaluated the effects of biochar on soil water retention, infi…

Context Phosphorus cycles in the soil through chemical and biological reactions, and earthworms have been suggested to alter P distribution in soil. Aims We investigated the effects of earthworms’ feeding and defecation on soil phosphorus forms and the biochemical and physicochemical properties of the soil. Methods Earthworms were cultured in an Andisol, which is characterized by a high P adsorpt…

Hardsetting soils dry with high strength, but soften again upon re-wetting. Affected soil layers can form a transient constraint to root growth, developing and diminishing with fluctuations in soil water. Several studies have explored physical and chemical mechanisms for hardsetting, including the role of certain soil particle arrangements and the presence of cementing agents between sand grains.…

Context Liming is widely used to alleviate soil acidity but its effectiveness is often limited by the difficulty of accurately estimating the amount of lime required to neutralise the acidity. Aims This study aims to evaluate and calibrate several rapid chemical-based laboratory methods and predictive equations, including 30-min titration, 3–5-day equilibration, Mehlich single buffer, and predict…

Context While human activities are the primary source of elevated soil metal concentration, natural geological processes can also contribute significantly. Aims This study investigated the influence of parent rock lithology on the concentration of arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc in soils of the O’Higgins Region, central Chile. Methods The soils developed on five distinct litholo…

Context Pedological mapping in the Amazon is essential but highly challenging, particularly in hydromorphic environments where soil properties and boundaries are difficult to delineate. Improving mapping accuracy is critical for sustainable land-use planning and ecosystem management, yet conventional approaches are often time-consuming and costly. Digital soil mapping (DSM) offers a promising alt…

Context Perennial fruit orchards in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, are increasingly constrained by soil degradation and declining fertility on acid sulfate soils. Excessive reliance on inorganic fertilizers exacerbates soil acidification and nutrient depletion, limiting rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) productivity. Aims This study aims to assess the long-term effects of integrating organic amendmen…

Context Saline–alkali soils in Huanghua City in China are characterized by severe compaction and poor aggregate stability, which hinder soil quality improvement and the sustainable development of agriculture in coastal areas. Aims We evaluated different soil amendments and application rates in restoring soil aggregate structure and to identify the optimal amendment formulation for ameliorating th…

Context Accurately predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) and quantifying its influencing factors are crucial for global ecological sustainable development. Aims This study developed a SOC prediction model using machine learning methods – random forest, support vector machine (SVM), and deep neural network – based on 191 soil samples (100 from karst regions and 91 from non-karst regions). Variable …

Context Soil acidity, high soil strength, and poor subsoil structure are major constraints to crop productivity in coarse-textured and texture-contrast soils of southern Australia. These interacting limitations restrict root growth, reduce access to subsoil water and nutrients, and constrain yield potential in water-limited environments. While deep tillage and surface liming have been used to add…

Context This study examines the legacy phosphorus (P) supply capacity of crops under a conservation agriculture (CA)-based maize (Zea mays L.)–mustard (Brassica juncea L.) system, particularly in Inceptisol soils of the hot semi-arid, sub-tropical north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains agro-ecoregion of India. Standard nutrient management protocols for CA remain a challenge due to the limited data on…

Context As a dominant factor influencing soil erosion, soil aggregate stability is likely to be closely associated with land use and soil parent material in the red soil region of southern China. However, few studies have comprehensively examined how land use and soil parent material jointly influence the stability of soil aggregates. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic impact of lan…

Context Soil active organic carbon, the labile fraction of soil organic carbon (SOC), serves as a sensitive indicator of soil health. However, its dynamics under long-term restoration in SOC-depleted sandy soils remain poorly understood. Aims To unravel how multi-decadal Salix cupularis shrub restoration (0–34 years) in alpine desertified grasslands of northwestern Sichuan modulates soil active o…

Context Dry-sowing, the practice of planting crops before autumn rains, is increasingly used to expedite cropping programs and enable crops to germinate promptly after rainfall. However, growers have reported poor crop emergence on water-repellent soils following this practice, even after subsequent substantial rainfall. Aims To test hypotheses that, compared to wet-sowing, dry-sowing on water-re…

Context Water scarcity poses a significant threat to global food security. Enhancing the compensatory growth capacity of crops following post-drought rewatering is therefore a key strategy for water-efficient agriculture. Aims This study investigates the dual regulatory pathways by which heterotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (HAOB) influence maize compensatory growth after drought stress. Meth…

Context Herbicide residues in soil can harm non-target crops, yet limited data exist on critical toxicity thresholds across herbicides and crop species. These thresholds are influenced by soil properties that affect herbicide bioavailability. Aims This study aimed to determine how soil organic carbon (OC), clay content, and pH influence the phytotoxicity of soilborne diuron residues to canola, an…

Context Understanding of organic carbon (OC) stock in surface (0–30 cm) and subsurface (30–60 cm) soils and its determinants are crucial for managing OC in agricultural lands. Aim Our aim was to examine how land use, soil type, and environmental drivers influence OC stocks in the 0–60 cm soil layers of agricultural regions in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Method Soil OC (SOC) and nitrogen (N)…

Context Topography regulates surface water flow, which in turn alters the horizontal spatial distribution of soil chemical properties. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether the influence of topography on soil chemistry is consistent under different parent material conditions. Aims This study aimed to clarify whether (1) soil chemical properties differ and (2) the topographic variables that i…

Context Saline‒alkali cropland exhibits high soil salinity and low carbon content levels, leading to deterioration in soil physical and chemical properties. Aims This study aimed to test the effects of tillage methods on soil organic carbon (SOC) functional groups and the CO2 distribution in the maize canopy. Methods The experimental design used two tillage methods: subsoiling (ST) and rotary til…

Context High-mountain páramos provide essential hydrological services across the Andes. However, green onion cultivation in these ecosystems has led to nitrogen (N) losses, compromising water quality. Aims This study aimed to improve understanding of soil N dynamics in páramo agroecosystems by analyzing the vertical and temporal distribution of total and mineral N in páramo soils, and by developi…