Frontiers in Soil Science | New and Recent Articles

To explore the differences in the responses of soil carbon (C) pools and key C cycle processes following the conversion of cropland to different plantation types, this study adopted the space-for-time substitution method, with three land-use types as research objects including: Masson pine plantation (MAS), mulberry orchard (MUL), and cropland for maize monoculture (MAI). After more than 25 years…

Biobased fertilizers are increasingly considered viable alternatives to mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers, however their agronomic performance in calcareous soils remains insufficiently documented. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of composted organic waste (olive mill pomace, OMP; solid urban residue, SUR, and sewage sludge, SWS), applied individually or in combination with struvite…

Coffee agroforestry systems are increasingly promoted as sustainable land-use strategies to restore degraded tropical landscapes while supporting agricultural production and climate change mitigation. However, their ability to recover soil carbon pools relative to natural forest regeneration remains uncertain, particularly in tropical Afromontane ecosystems. We hypothesized that coffee agroforest…

IntroductionCowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is an important grain legume in semiarid Africa, where it contributes to food security and livelihood resilience in smallholder farming systems. However, information on the soil bacterial microbiome associated with cowpea production in semiarid eastern Kenya remains limited.MethodsThis study investigated heterogeneity of soil physicochemical prope…

IntroductionSoil profile morphology provides critical insights into pedogenic processes, geo-environmental conditions, and the agricultural potential of landscapes. This study evaluated soil profile morphology as an indicator of geo-environmental processes and agronomic potential in tropical landscapes of Southern Ekiti State, Nigeria.MethodologyNine representative pedons were selected across Gbo…

Climate change and water scarcity in arid agroecosystems necessitate optimized irrigation and fertilization strategies to sustain crop production and soil health. This study investigated the effect of irrigation regimes (Fc 70–70–70%, 70–80–70%, and 80–80–80%) and Rhizotorphin biopreparation on soybean (Glycine max (L.) cv. Orzu) growth during 2023–2024 growing seasons under typical meadow-gray s…

IntroductionSoil health is the ability of soil to provide ecosystem services to the best of its potential, and soil health indexes (SHI) have been developed to capture the physical, chemical and biological aspects of soil health. However, in viticulture, high-quality wines are typically achieved when grapevines experience moderate stress, which promotes the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. …

Climate-smart agriculture represents a sustainable approach that promotes food production and soil fertility while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Within this framework, organic agriculture serves as a vital strategy as it increases soil carbon, lowers GHG emissions, and supports long-term sustainability. Biochar is a key innovation in this context, enhancing soil carbon sequestration an…

IntroductionMining waste dumps in tropical regions suffer severe ecological degradation with plant growth inhibition, yet the synergistic limiting factors remain unclear.MethodsThis study systematically assessed a tropical mining waste dump (Democratic Republic of the Congo), analyzing soil physicochemical properties, total/bioavailable metals, and microbial community structure/function of four s…

IntroductionSustainable strategies are needed to remediate total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH)-contaminated soils.MethodsA 90-day pot experiment combined soybean cultivation with different concentrations of nano-zinc oxide (nano-ZnO), followed by soil physicochemical, amplicon sequencing, microbial network, metabolomic, and multi-omics analyses.ResultsCombined application of soybean and 60 mg/kg na…

Grazing cover crops recouples crop and livestock production with the potential to enhance soil nutrient cycling processes. However, critical knowledge gaps on short-term N release dynamics and soil health outcomes upon adoption currently limit the application of integrated crop–livestock systems in organic vegetable production. The goal of this study was to characterize the benefits and potential…

IntroductionAssessing whether land-use practices promote soil sustainability is increasingly important as agricultural technologies aim to support long-term soil health. Soil mesofauna provide valuable indicators of these patterns, yet species-level assessment is labor-intensive and requires specialist expertise. Trait-based approaches such as QBS-ar offer a simplified alternative, but their perf…

Tourism inevitably induces ecological impacts on soil in tourist destinations while contributing to regional economic development. Previous studies have well documented the negative effects of trampling on soil physical structure and nutrient dynamics; however, the consequences for soil hydrolytic enzyme activities and their potential vegetation-dependent differences remain poorly understood. Her…

IntroductionSoil microorganisms and metabolites are the central elements of rhizosphere microenvironment, with substantial effects on nutrient acquisition, stress resilience, and yield performance in sorghum.MethodsIn this study, root antioxidant enzyme activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and soil properties from Jinnuo 101 and Jinnuo 102 were compared under low-nutrient condition. Changes i…

Routine pesticide applications are an under‑recognized pathway for heavy metal accumulation in agricultural soils, particularly in sub‑Saharan Africa where synthetic pesticide use is expanding rapidly but systematic monitoring remains limited. This study investigated the co‑occurrence of heavy metals and pesticides in soils across farming landscapes of Central Province, Zambia, focusing on Chibom…

IntroductionUrbanization is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, but its effects on soil microorganisms and biogeochemistry remain uncertain. Although urban soil microbiomes are influenced by common anthropogenic processes, generalizable patterns in how urbanization shapes their composition and functional potential are lacking. Identifying such patterns is essential for understanding citi…

IntroductionThe rhizosphere priming effect (RPE) accelerates soil organic matter decomposition and acts as a pivotal feedback mechanism in the global carbon cycle. However, the regulatory role of distinct plant functional traits remains poorly understood. This study aimed to examine how nitrogen-phosphorus (N-P) fertilization levels and specific plant traits interactively shape the magnitude and …

Atrazine is widely used for weed control, but its persistence and effects on soil microorganisms remain poorly understood in semi-arid Sudanese soils. This study evaluated the concentration-dependent effects of atrazine on culturable soil microbial groups and its biodegradation in Gerif silty clay loam soil collected from the Blue Nile Bank, east of Khartoum, Sudan. Soil samples were treated with…

Soil texture is a fundamental parameter that governs processes in agriculture, water resources management, environmental conservation, and land use planning. Recent advances in remote sensing technologies, particularly hyperspectral imaging, have significantly enhanced the ability to characterize and map soil texture with high precision. Hyperspectral sensors capture detailed spectral data that r…