soil-science

Soils in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are central to both agricultural productivity and human nutrition, yet increasing contamination from mining activities, wastewater irrigation, and agrochemical inputs has intensified the accumulation of toxic trace elements in food crops. This review synthesizes current evidence on the soil–plant–human transfer of toxic elements alongside essential nutrients, hig…

This study is the first to investigate the relationship between potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and soil fauna abundance across a chronosequence of minesoils in Moatize coal mine, Mozambique. Soil samples were collected (0.00−0.10 m layer) across a chronosequence of minesoils afforested for 0.5, 1.4, 5.3, and 10.6 years. One adjacent unmined soil was sampled as reference. The samples were analy…

Urban agriculture soils are commonly amended with compost to improve fertility, yet the functional responses of these systems to biochar additions across application rates remain poorly understood. We conducted a field experiment at Three Sisters Gardens (West Sacramento, CA, USA) to evaluate how biochar applied at 0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha−1 influenced soil physical, chemical, and biological indica…

Soil quality is a key determinant of plant growth and ecosystem functioning, yet conventional assessments often overlook it from the plant’s perspective. Here, we propose the Ease of Root Water Uptake Index (ERWUI), a dynamic index that quantifies the energy required by plants to extract water from the soil, based on soil water retention characteristics, rooting depth, and temporal changes. The i…

Limited availability of high-quality organic resources, inconsistent nutrient content, and unestablished nutrient-release patterns hinder the effective utilization of organic materials for soil fertility management. To address this, the present study characterizes the total nutrient content of fourteen organic materials and analysed their NPK fertilizer value following standards established by th…

Soil acidity is a major constraint to agricultural productivity across sub-Saharan Africa, where highly weathered soils exhibit strong spatial heterogeneity in chemical reactivity. While soil pH identifies acidity status, it does not indicate how a soil will respond to corrective liming how strongly it resists pH change or how much amendment it ultimately requires. Soil buffering capacity fills t…

Water scarcity is a major challenge for agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluates the long-term effects of deficit irrigation (DI) and land management practices, including no-tillage (NT), crop genetics, crop types, and cover cropping (CC), on soil health and water infiltration. Field experiments were conducted from 2019 to 2024 at three sites in Utah, USA, to study the effe…

The prospective use of sludge compost for restoring depleted soils requires balancing its agronomic benefits against potential ecological risks. This study employed an integrated metagenomic and metabolomic approach to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of sludge compost on soil properties, maize growth, and rhizosphere microbial communities. Results showed that moderate compost application (≤15…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-53381-y The contribution of soil extract composition and cyclic moisture dynamics to the physicochemical aging of superabsorbent polyacrylic acid and polyacrylamide hydrogels

Abstract A substantial part of terrestrial nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions originates from denitrification in wetlands, and this contribution is expected to rise with ongoing land-use changes, such as wetland drainage, agricultural conversion, and peatland degradation, as well as under global warming. Capturing the spatial and temporal dynamics of N 2 O emissions through measurements and numerica…

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…