{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:15:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-06-11", "title": "Impact of root hairs on microscale soil physical properties in the field", "description": "Abstract Aims

Recent laboratory studies revealed that root hairs may alter soil physical behaviour, influencing soil porosity and water retention on the small scale. However, the results are not consistent, and it is not known if structural changes at the small-scale have impacts at larger scales. Therefore, we evaluated the potential effects of root hairs on soil hydro-mechanical properties in the field using rhizosphere-scale physical measurements.

Methods

Changes in soil water retention properties as well as mechanical and hydraulic characteristics were monitored in both silt loam and sandy loam soils. Measurements were taken from plant establishment to harvesting in field trials, comparing three barley genotypes representing distinct phenotypic categories in relation to root hair length. Soil hardness and elasticity were measured using a 3-mm-diameter spherical indenter, while water sorptivity and repellency were measured using a miniaturized infiltrometer with a 0.4-mm tip radius.

Results

Over the growing season, plants induced changes in the soil water retention properties, with the plant available water increasing by 21%. Both soil hardness (P\uffe2\uff80\uff89=\uffe2\uff80\uff890.031) and elasticity (P\uffe2\uff80\uff89=\uffe2\uff80\uff890.048) decreased significantly in the presence of root hairs in silt loam soil, by 50% and 36%, respectively. Root hairs also led to significantly smaller water repellency (P\uffe2\uff80\uff89=\uffe2\uff80\uff890.007) in sandy loam soil vegetated with the hairy genotype (-49%) compared to the hairless mutant.

Conclusions

Breeding of cash crops for improved soil conditions could be achieved by selecting root phenotypes that ameliorate soil physical properties and therefore contribute to increased soil health.

", "keywords": ["/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1111", "0106 biological sciences", "Supplementary Data", "QH301 Biology", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1110", "Soil Science", "Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services (RESAS)", "Plant Science", "01 natural sciences", "630", "QH301", "BBSRC BB/L025825/1", "Barley", "Soil health", "Soil structure", "Root hairs", "Soil hydromechanical properties", "BB/L025620/1", "580", "2. Zero hunger", "name=Soil Science", "ERCDMR-646809", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil water retention", "BBSRC BB/J00868/1", "6. Clean water", "Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Other", "name=Plant Science", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/484590/2/s11104_022_05530_1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-06-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1002/jeq2.20119", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:14:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-07-01", "title": "Global Research Alliance N2O chamber methodology guidelines: Summary of modeling approaches", "description": "Abstract

Measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agriculture are essential for understanding the complex soil\uffe2\uff80\uff93crop\uffe2\uff80\uff93climate processes, but there are practical and economic limits to the spatial and temporal extent over which measurements can be made. Therefore, N2O models have an important role to play. As models are comparatively cheap to run, they can be used to extrapolate field measurements to regional or national scales, to simulate emissions over long time periods, or to run scenarios to compare mitigation practices. Process\uffe2\uff80\uff90based models can also be used as an aid to understanding the underlying processes, as they can simulate feedbacks and interactions that can be difficult to distinguish in the field. However, when applying models, it is important to understand the conceptual process differences in models, how conceptual understanding changed over time in various models, and the model requirements and limitations to ensure that the model is well suited to the purpose of the investigation and the type of system being simulated. The aim of this paper is to give the reader a high\uffe2\uff80\uff90level overview of some of the important issues that should be considered when modeling. This includes conceptual understanding of widely used models, common modeling techniques such as calibration and validation, assessing model fit, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty assessment. We also review examples of N2O modeling for different purposes and describe three commonly used process\uffe2\uff80\uff90based N2O models (APSIM, DayCent, and DNDC).Root hairs play a significant role in phosphorus (P) extraction at the pore scale. However, their importance at the field scale remains poorly understood.

Methods

This study uses a continuum model to explore the impact of root hairs on the large-scale uptake of P, comparing root hair influence under different agricultural scenarios. High vs low and constant vs decaying P concentrations down the soil profile are considered, along with early vs late precipitation scenarios.

Results

Simulation results suggest root hairs accounted for 50% of total P uptake by plants. Furthermore, a delayed initiation time of precipitation potentially limits the P uptake rate by over 50% depending on the growth period. Despite the large differences in the uptake rate, changes in the soil P concentration in the domain due to root solute uptake remains marginal when considering a single growth season. However, over the duration of 6\uffc2\uffa0years, simulation results showed that noticeable differences arise over time.

Conclusion

Root hairs are critical to P capture, with uptake efficiency potentially enhanced by coordinating irrigation with P application during earlier growth stages of crops.

", "keywords": ["/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1111", "0106 biological sciences", "330", "550", "EP/M020355/1", "ERC 646809 DIMR", "QH301 Biology", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1110", "Soil Science", "A. B", "Field", "610", "Plant Science", "01 natural sciences", "NERC NE/L00237/1", "QH301", "Soil", "Plant roots", "Root hairs", "BBSRC SARIC BB/P004180/", "2. Zero hunger", "BBSRC SARISA BB/L025620/1. S. D.", "Mathematical modelling", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "name=Soil Science", "Water", "Phosphorus", "Regular Article", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)", "Rhizosphere", "Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "name=Plant Science", "European Research Council"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/434043/1/Manuscript_No_Tracked_Changes.pdf"}, {"href": "http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11104-019-04308-2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04308-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-019-04308-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-019-04308-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-019-04308-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-12-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.009", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:15:34Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-04-27", "title": "Irrigation Regime Affected Soc Content Rather Than Plow Layer Thickness Of Rice Paddies: A County Level Survey From A River Basin In Lower Yangtze Valley, China", "description": "Abstract While the impacts of farm management practices such as fertilization, tillage and straw return on soil organic carbon dynamics in croplands have been widely studied, the effects of irrigation management in irrigated rice paddies have not yet been widely assessed. Changes in plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content of rice paddies were analyzed using data obtained in a county-level survey of soil fertility conducted in 2005 and 2006 in Guichi County, Anhui Province, China. Both soil thickness and organic carbon content of plow layer showed skewed normal distributions, with their averages of 14.58\u00a0\u00b1\u00a03.92\u00a0cm, and 16.45\u00a0\u00b1\u00a06.02\u00a0g/kg, respectively. The irrigation method was found to have significant influences on both plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content, as the plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content had an inverse response to the irrigation intensity derived from different irrigation methods. The land-level performance of irrigation/drainage infrastructure and the irrigation water sources were detected to have significant effect on plow layer thickness, but little influence on soil organic carbon content. While the capacity of irrigation/drainage infrastructure had a remarkable effect on soil organic carbon content but little impact on plow layer thickness. However, the irrigation condition for surveyed fields was detected to have little effect on both plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon content. These results indicated that irrigation management should keep the balance between surface erosion on plow layer thickness and soil organic carbon accumulation. Hence, developing new technique for good irrigation infrastructure and water management in future will help soil organic carbon accumulation as well as improve the soil for enhanced crop growth in rice agriculture.", "keywords": ["330", "QH301 Biology", "01 natural sciences", "QH301", "water management", "land-use", "sequential reduction processes", "P losses", "fields", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Soil organic carbon", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Irrigation water source", "15. Life on land", "topsoil organic-carbon", "6. Clean water", "lowland rice", "Irrigation management", "13. Climate action", "soil colloidal suspensions", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Rice paddy", "lake region", "stability behavior", "Soil thickness"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.009"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agricultural%20Water%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.009", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.009", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.009"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-07-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121922", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:16:29Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-05-04", "title": "The influence of nutrient management on soil organic carbon storage, crop production, and yield stability varies under different climates", "description": "Abstract Our understanding on how soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, crop yield, and yield stability are influenced by climate is limited. To critically examine this, the impact of long-term (\u226510 years) application of nutrient management practices on SOC storage, crop productivity, and yield stability were evaluated under different climatic conditions in China using a meta-analysis approach. The cropping area of China was divided into four distinct groups based on local climatic conditions (warm dry, DW; warm moist, WM; cool dry, CD; cool moist, CM). Results indicated that the impact of nutrient management practices on SOC storage, crop yield, and yield stability varies under different climatic zone in China. The use of unbalanced mineral fertilizer (UMF), and balanced mineral fertilizer (BMF) led to a loss in SOC storage by 6%, and 11% under CM climatic zone and gains in DW, WM, and CD climates. Organic fertilizers (OF), combined unbalanced mineral and organic fertilizers (UMOF), and combined balanced mineral and organic fertilizers (BMOF) were able to sustain and enhance SOC storage under all climatic conditions. However, the largest increase in SOC storage across all climates was seen for BMOF. Further, corresponding values of crop productivity and yield stability were also highest for BMOF among all the nutrient management treatments. A linear-plateau model indicated that maximal yield responsive SOC stock (Copt) levels ranged from 33.43 to 45.51\u00a0Mg\u00a0C ha\u22121 for rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) production. To enhance and sustain SOC storage, and crop productivity of croplands under different climates, BMOF appears to be the most appropriate nutrient management strategy. Our findings demonstrate that it is essential to optimize nutrient management strategies according to the local climate to protect soil from SOC losses, and for achieving sustainable crop production.", "keywords": ["Yield stability", "AGRICULTURE", "550", "INCREASES", "Supplementary Data", "QH301 Biology", "Strategy and Management", "SEQUESTRATION", "CHINA", "Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering", "630", "12. Responsible consumption", "QH301", "Critical level", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "Climate change", "SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy", "Renewable Energy", "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger", "General Environmental Science", "2. Zero hunger", "Sustainability and the Environment", "Crop yields", "Soil organic carbon", "PADDY FIELDS", "Nutrient management", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "NITROGEN", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "STRAW", "LONG-TERM FERTILIZATION", "MATTER"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121922"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Cleaner%20Production", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121922", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121922", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121922"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-09-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:16:23Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-11-24", "title": "Impacts Of Conversion Of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest To Oil Palm Plantation On Peat Organic Chemistry, Physical Properties And Carbon Stocks", "description": "Ecosystem services provided by tropical peat swamp forests, such as carbon (C) storage and water regulation, are under threat due to encroachment and replacement of these natural forests by drainage-based agriculture, commonly oil palm plantation. This study aims to quantify how the chemical and physical properties of peat change during land conversion to oil palm. This will be addressed by comparing four separate stages of conversion; namely, secondary peat swamp forests, recently deeply drained secondary forests, cleared and recently planted oil palm, and mature oil palm plantation in North Selangor, Malaysia. Results indicate accelerated peat decomposition in surface peats of mature oil palm plantations due to the lowered water table and altered litter inputs associated with this land-use change. Surface organic matter content and peat C stocks at secondary forest sites were higher than at mature oil palm sites (e.g. C stocks were 975 \u00b1 151 and 497 \u00b1 157 Mg ha\u2212 1 at secondary forest and mature oil palm sites, respectively). Land conversion altered peat physical properties such as shear strength, bulk density and porosity, with mirrored changes above and below the water table. Our findings suggest close links between the organic matter and C content and peat physical properties through the entire depth of the peat profile. We have demonstrated that conversion from secondary peat swamp forest to mature oil palm plantation may seriously compromise C storage and, through its impact on peat physical properties, the water holding capacity in these peatlands.", "keywords": ["GE", "QH301 Biology", "G Geography (General)", "Q Science (General)", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "333", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "GB Physical geography", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "GE Environmental Sciences", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/12410/3/Impacts%20of%20conversion%20of%20tropical%20peat%20swamp%20forest%20to%20oil%20palm%20plantation%20on%20peat%20organic%20chemistry%2C%20physical%20properties%20and%20carbon%20stocks.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoderma", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123141", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:16:31Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-11-07", "title": "Four approaches to setting soil health targets and thresholds in agricultural soils", "description": "Soil health is a key concept in worldwide efforts to reverse soil degradation, but to be used as a tool to improve soils, it must be definable at a policy level and quantifiable in some way. Soil indicators can be used to define soil health and quantify the degree to which soils fulfil expected functions. Indicators are assessed using target and/or threshold values, which define achievable levels of the indicators or functions. However, defining robust targets and thresholds is not a trivial task, as they should account for soil, climate, land-use, management, and history, among others. This paper introduces and discusses (through theory and stakeholder feedback) four approaches to setting targets and thresholds: fixed, reference, distribution and relative change. Three approaches (not including relative change) are then illustrated using a case study, located in Denmark, Italy, and France, which highlights key strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Finally, a framework is presented that facilitates both choosing the most appropriate target/threshold method for a given context, and using targets/thresholds to trigger follow-up actions to promote soil health.", "keywords": ["Conservation of Natural Resources", "Monitoring", "Supplementary Data", "QH301 Biology", "Denmark", "Framework", "610", "https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S030147972403127X-mmc1.docx", "[SDV.SA.SDS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "01 natural sciences", "QH301", "Soil", "framework", "Soil health", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "threshold", "Indicators", "[SDV.SA.SDS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "GE", "Targets", "soil health", "thresholds", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "indicators", "monitoring", "Italy", "targets", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Thresholds", "France", "GE Environmental Sciences"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Matson, Amanda, Fantappi\u00e8, Maria, Campbell, Grant A., Miranda-V\u00e9lez, Jorge, Faber, Jack, Gomes, Lucas Carvalho, Hessel, Rudi, Lana, Marcos, Mocali, Stefano, Smith, Pete, Robinson, David, Bispo, Antonio, van Egmond, Fenny, Keesstra, Saskia, Saby, Nicolas P. A., Smreczak, Bozena, Froger, Claire, Suleymanov, Azamat, Chenu, Claire,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123141"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123141", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123141", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123141"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176196", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:16:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-09-13", "title": "Modeling bacterial transport and fate: Insight into the cascading consequences of soil water repellency and contrasting hydraulic conditions", "description": "The mechanisms governing bacteria transport and fate rely on their hydrophobicity and the wettability of porous media across a wide range of soil moisture conditions, extending from extreme dryness to highly saturated states. However, it largely remains unknown how transport, retention, and release mechanisms change in natural soil systems in such conditions. We thus optimized our previously published unique transport data for hydrophilic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and hydrophobic Rhodococcus erythropolis (R. erythropolis) bacteria, and bromide (Br-) in two distinct wettable and water-repellent soils at column scale. The soils were initially dry, followed by injecting influents in two pulses followed by a flushing step under saturated flow conditions for six pore volumes. We conducted simulations for each pulse separately and simultaneously for soils. There were differences in hydraulic properties of the soils due to their contrasting wetting characteristic in separate and simultaneously modeling of each pulse affecting Br- and bacteria transport fate. Bacteria attachment was the dominant retention mechanism in both soils in these conditions. Notably, the 82.4\u00a0min-1 attachment rate in wettable soil was almost 10\u00d7 greater than in the water-repellent soil and it governed optimization of bacteria die-off. Physicochemical detachment and physical release unraveled the effect of bacteria size and hydrophobicity interacting with soil wettability. The smaller and hydrophobic R. erythropolis detached more easily while hydrophilic E. coli released; the rates were enhanced by soil water repellency. Further research is needed to reveal the effects of surface wettability properties on bacteria survival especially at the nanoscale.", "keywords": ["690", "Bromides", "Bacteria", "QH301 Biology", "Transport processes", "610", "Attachment", "Water", "QH301", "Water repellency", "Soil", "Straining", "Escherichia coli", "Wettability", "Rhodococcus", "Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176196"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176196", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176196", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176196"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41893-019-0469-x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:37Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-01-20", "title": "Potential yield challenges to scale-up of zero budget natural farming", "description": "Under current trends, 60% of India's population (>10% of people on Earth) will experience severe food deficiencies by 2050. Increased production is urgently needed, but high costs and volatile prices are driving farmers into debt. Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a grassroots movement that aims to improve farm viability by reducing costs. In Andhra Pradesh alone, 523,000 farmers have converted 13% of productive agricultural area to ZBNF. However, sustainability of ZBNF is questioned because external nutrient inputs are limited, which could cause a crash in food production. Here, we show that ZBNF is likely to reduce soil degradation and could provide yield benefits for low-input farmers. Nitrogen fixation, either by free-living nitrogen fixers in soil or symbiotic nitrogen fixers in legumes, is likely to provide the major portion of nitrogen available to crops. However, even with maximum potential nitrogen fixation and release, only 52-80% of the national average nitrogen applied as fertilizer is expected to be supplied. Therefore, in higher-input systems, yield penalties are likely. Since biological fixation from the atmosphere is possible only with nitrogen, ZBNF could limit the supply of other nutrients. Further research is needed in higher-input systems to ensure that mass conversion to ZBNF does not limit India's capacity to feed itself.", "keywords": ["Monitoring", "IEAS/POO2501/1", "NE/S009019/1", "330", "Supplementary Data", "QH301 Biology", "NE/P004830/1", "WHEAT", "01 natural sciences", "630", "12. Responsible consumption", "QH301", "NE/M021327/1", "SOIL PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES", "SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy", "FERTILIZER", "Renewable Energy", "Wellcome Trust", "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger", "Nature and Landscape Conservation", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "Planning and Development", "2. Zero hunger", "Global and Planetary Change", "Geography", "Policy and Law", "Ecology", "Sustainability and the Environment", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS)", "NE/P019455/1", "1. No poverty", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "Management", "NITROGEN", "Urban Studies", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "INDIA", "Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)", "Food Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0469-x.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0469-x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature%20Sustainability", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41893-019-0469-x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41893-019-0469-x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41893-019-0469-x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-01-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1029/2009jg001097", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-04-29", "title": "Effects Of Interactive Global Changes On Methane Uptake In An Annual Grassland", "description": "

The future size of the terrestrial methane (CH4) sink of upland soils remains uncertain, along with potential feedbacks to global warming. Much of the uncertainty lies in our lack of knowledge about potential interactive effects of multiple simultaneous global environmental changes. Field CH4 fluxes and laboratory soil CH4 consumption were measured five times during 3 consecutive years in a California annual grassland exposed to 8 years of the full factorial combination of ambient and elevated levels of precipitation, temperature, atmospheric CO2 concentration, and N deposition. Across all sampling dates and treatments, increased precipitation caused a 61% reduction in field CH4 uptake. However, this reduction depended quantitatively on other global change factors. Higher precipitation reduced CH4 uptake when temperature or N deposition (but not both) increased, and under elevated CO2 but only late in the growing season. Warming alone also decreased CH4 uptake early in the growing season, which was partly explained by a decrease in laboratory soil CH4 consumption. Atmospheric CH4 models likely need to incorporate nonadditive interactions, seasonal interactions, and interactions between methanotrophy and methanogenesis. Despite the complexity of interactions we observed in this multifactor experiment, the outcome agrees with results from single\uffe2\uff80\uff90factor experiments: an increased terrestrial CH4 sink appears less likely than a reduced one.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "13. Climate action", "QH301 Biology", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "GE Environmental Sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1029/2009jg001097"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Geophysical%20Research%3A%20Biogeosciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1029/2009jg001097", "name": "item", "description": "10.1029/2009jg001097", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1029/2009jg001097"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-04-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:32Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-08-29", "title": "Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes", "description": "Abstract

Soil microorganisms act as gatekeepers for soil\uffe2\uff80\uff93atmosphere carbon exchange by balancing the accumulation and release of soil organic matter. However, poor understanding of the mechanisms responsible hinders the development of effective land management strategies to enhance soil carbon storage. Here we empirically test the link between microbial ecophysiological traits and topsoil carbon content across geographically distributed soils and land use contrasts. We discovered distinct pH controls on microbial mechanisms of carbon accumulation. Land use intensification in low-pH soils that increased the pH above a threshold (~6.2) leads to carbon loss through increased decomposition, following alleviation of acid retardation of microbial growth. However, loss of carbon with intensification in near-neutral pH soils was linked to decreased microbial biomass and reduced growth efficiency that was, in turn, related to trade-offs with stress alleviation and resource acquisition. Thus, less-intensive management practices in near-neutral pH soils have more potential for carbon storage through increased microbial growth efficiency, whereas in acidic soils, microbial growth is a bigger constraint on decomposition rates.Wetland soils are the greatest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a critical greenhouse gas and ozone depleter released by microbes. Yet, microbial players and processes underlying the N2O emissions from wetland soils are poorly understood. Using in situ N2O measurements and by determining the structure and potential functional of microbial communities in 645 wetland soil samples globally, we examined the potential role of archaea, bacteria, and fungi in nitrogen (N) cycling and N2O emissions. We show that N2O emissions are higher in drained and warm wetland soils, and are correlated with functional diversity of microbes. We further provide evidence that despite their much lower abundance compared to bacteria, nitrifying archaeal abundance is a key factor explaining N2O emissions from wetland soils globally. Our data suggest that ongoing global warming and intensifying environmental change may boost archaeal nitrifiers, collectively transforming wetland soils to a greater source of N2O.Diversified cropping systems, especially those including legumes, have been proposed to enhance food production with reduced inputs and environmental impacts. However, the impact of legume pre-crops on main crop yield and its drivers has never been systematically investigated in a global context. Here, we synthesize 11,768 yield observations from 462 field experiments comparing legume-based and non-legume cropping systems and show that legumes enhanced main crop yield by 20%. These yield advantages decline with increasing N fertilizer rates and crop diversity of the main cropping system. The yield benefits are consistent among main crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize) and evident across pedo-climatic regions. Moreover, greater yield advantages (32% vs. 7%) are observed in low- vs. high-yielding environments, suggesting legumes increase crop production with low inputs (e.g., in Africa or organic agriculture). In conclusion, our study suggests that legume-based rotations offer a critical pathway for enhancing global crop production, especially when integrated into low-input and low-diversity agricultural systems.Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene), the most abundantly produced biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) on Earth, is highly reactive and can have diverse and often detrimental atmospheric effects, which impact on climate and health. Most isoprene is produced by terrestrial plants, but (micro)algal production is important in aquatic environments, and the relative bacterial contribution remains unknown. Soils are a sink for isoprene, and bacteria that can use isoprene as a carbon and energy source have been cultivated and also identified using cultivation-independent methods from soils, leaves and coastal/marine environments. Bacteria belonging to the Actinobacteria are most frequently isolated and identified, and Proteobacteria have also been shown to degrade isoprene. In the freshwater-sediment isolate, Rhodococcus strain AD45, initial oxidation of isoprene to 1,2-epoxy-isoprene is catalyzed by a multicomponent isoprene monooxygenase encoded by the genes isoABCDEF. The resultant epoxide is converted to a glutathione conjugate by a glutathione S-transferase encoded by isoI, and further degraded by enzymes encoded by isoGHJ. Genome sequence analysis of actinobacterial isolates belonging to the genera Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium and Gordonia has revealed that isoABCDEF and isoGHIJ are linked in an operon, either on a plasmid or the chromosome. In Rhodococcus strain AD45 both isoprene and epoxy-isoprene induce a high level of transcription of 22 contiguous genes, including isoABCDEF and isoGHIJ. Sequence analysis of the isoA gene, encoding the large subunit of the oxygenase component of isoprene monooxygenase, from isolates has facilitated the development of PCR primers that are proving valuable in investigating the ecology of uncultivated isoprene-degrading bacteria.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "550", "QH301 Biology", "Review Article", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Actinobacteria", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "13. Climate action", "Pentanes", "11. Sustainability", "Butadienes", "Microalgae", "Rhodococcus"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66436/1/Published_manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-018-0072-6.pdf"}, {"href": "https://repository.essex.ac.uk/21526/1/s41396-018-0072-6.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/The%20ISME%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-02-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41558-023-01721-5", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-06-29", "title": "Soil organic carbon stocks potentially at risk of decline with organic farming expansion", "description": "The authors simulated the impact of organic farming expansion on soil organic carbon. They found that soil organic carbon stock may be at risk of decline if the complete conversion to organic farming does not involve additional practices such as widespread cover cropping and residue recycling.Organic farming is often considered a strategy that increases croplands' soil organic carbon (SOC) stock. However, organic farms currently occupy only a small fraction of cropland, and it is unclear how the full-scale expansion of organic farming will impact soil carbon inputs and SOC stocks. Here we use a spatially explicit biogeochemical model to show that the complete conversion of global cropland to organic farming without the use of cover crops and plant residue (normative scenario) will result in a 40% reduction of global soil carbon input and 9% decline in SOC stock. An optimal organic scenario that supports widespread cover cropping and enhanced residue recycling will reduce global soil carbon input by 31%, and SOC can be preserved after 20 yr following conversion to organic farming. These results suggest that expanding organic farming might reduce the potential for soil carbon sequestration unless appropriate farming practices are implemented.", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Horizon 2020", "Supplementary Information", "550", "330", "QH301 Biology", "610", "Environmental Science (miscellaneous)", "15. Life on land", "7. Clean energy", "630", "Environmental impact", "QH301", "biogeochemistry", "13. Climate action", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "774378", "Social Sciences (miscellaneous)", "agriculture", "European Research Council"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01721-5"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature%20Climate%20Change", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41558-023-01721-5", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41558-023-01721-5", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41558-023-01721-5"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-06-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-11-30", "title": "Poplar phyllosphere harbors disparate isoprene-degrading bacteria", "description": "

The climate-active gas isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) is released to the atmosphere in huge quantities, almost equaling that of methane, yet we know little about the biological cycling of isoprene in the environment. Although bacteria capable of growth on isoprene as the sole source of carbon and energy have previously been isolated from soils and sediments, no microbiological studies have targeted the major source of isoprene and examined the phyllosphere of isoprene-emitting trees for the presence of degraders of this abundant carbon source. Here, we identified isoprene-degrading bacteria in poplar tree-derived microcosms by DNA stable isotope probing. The genomes of isoprene-degrading taxa were reconstructed, putative isoprene metabolic genes were identified, and isoprene-related gene transcription was analyzed by shotgun metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Rhodococcus proved to be the dominant isoprene degraders, as previously found in soil. However, a wider diversity of isoprene utilizers was also revealed, notably Variovorax , a genus not previously associated with this trait. This finding was confirmed by expression of the isoprene monooxygenase from Variovorax in a heterologous host. A Variovorax strain that could grow on isoprene as the sole carbon and energy source was isolated. Analysis of its genome confirmed that it contained isoprene metabolic genes with an identical layout and high similarity to those identified by DNA-stable isotope probing and metagenomics. This study provides evidence of a wide diversity of isoprene-degrading bacteria in the isoprene-emitting tree phyllosphere and greatly enhances our understanding of the biodegradation of this important metabolite and climate-active gas.

", "keywords": ["DNA", " Bacterial", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "570", "0303 health sciences", "QH301 Biology", "Biological Sciences", "15. Life on land", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Comamonadaceae", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biodegradation", " Environmental", "Hemiterpenes", "Populus", "13. Climate action", "Butadienes", "Rhodococcus", "Metagenomics", "Genome", " Bacterial", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/69197/1/Published_manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "https://pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"href": "https://repository.essex.ac.uk/23631/1/1812668115.full.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1073/pnas.2317332121", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-04-26", "title": "Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variability", "description": "

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is vital for terrestrial ecosystems, affecting biogeochemical processes, and soil health. It is known that soil salinity impacts SOC content, yet the specific direction and magnitude of SOC variability in relation to soil salinity remain poorly understood. Analyzing 43,459 mineral soil samples (SOC < 150 g kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921) collected across different land covers since 1992, we approximate a soil salinity increase from 1 to 5 dS m\uffe2\uff88\uff921in croplands would be associated with a decline in mineral soils SOC from 0.14 g kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921above the mean predicted SOC (SOC\uffc2\uffafc= 18.47 g kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921) to 0.46 g kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921belowSOC\uffc2\uffafc(~\uffe2\uff88\uff92430%), while for noncroplands, such decline is sharper, from 0.96 aboveSOC\uffc2\uffafnc= 35.96 g kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921to 4.99 belowSOC\uffc2\uffafnc(~\uffe2\uff88\uff92620%). Although salinity\uffe2\uff80\uff99s significance in explaining SOC variability is minor (<6%), we estimate a one SD increase in salinity of topsoil samples (0 to 7 cm) correlates with respectiveSOC\uffc2\uffafdeclines of ~4.4% and ~9.26%, relative toSOC\uffc2\uffafcandSOC\uffc2\uffafnc. TheSOC\uffc2\uffafdecline in croplands is greatest in vegetation/cropland mosaics while lands covered with evergreen needle-leaved trees are estimated with the highestSOC\uffc2\uffafdecline in noncroplands. We identify soil nitrogen, land cover, and precipitation Seasonality Index as the most significant parameters in explaining the SOC\uffe2\uff80\uff99s variability. The findings provide insights into SOC dynamics under increased soil salinity, improving understanding of SOC stock responses to land degradation and climate warming.This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems,protectthem from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils,managein a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health and sustainability and to prevent degradation; and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. We have enough knowledge now to move forward with the implementation of best management practices to maintain and improve soil health. This analysis shows that this is not just desirable, it is essential if we are to meet the SDG targets by 2030 and achieve sustainable development more broadly in the decades to come.

This article is part of the theme issue \uffe2\uff80\uff98The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People\uffe2\uff80\uff99.Cover crops play an increasingly important role in improving soil quality, reducing agricultural inputs and improving environmental sustainability. The main objectives of this critical global review and systematic analysis were to assess cover crop practices in the context of their impacts on nitrogen leaching, net greenhouse gas balances (NGHGB) and crop productivity. Only studies that investigated the impacts of cover crops and measured one or a combination of nitrogen leaching, soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrous oxide (N2O), grain yield and nitrogen in grain of primary crop, and had a control treatment were included in the analysis. Long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term studies were uncommon, with most data coming from studies lasting 2\uffe2\uff80\uff933\uffc2\uffa0years. The literature search resulted in 106 studies carried out at 372 sites and covering different countries, climatic zones and management. Our analysis demonstrates that cover crops significantly (p\uffc2\uffa0<\uffc2\uffa00.001) decreased N leaching and significantly (p\uffc2\uffa0<\uffc2\uffa00.001) increased SOC sequestration without having significant (p\uffc2\uffa0>\uffc2\uffa00.05) effects on direct N2O emissions. Cover crops could mitigate the NGHGB by 2.06\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa02.10\uffc2\uffa0Mg CO2\uffe2\uff80\uff90eq\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffc2\uffa0year\uffe2\uff88\uff921. One of the potential disadvantages of cover crops identified was the reduction in grain yield of the primary crop by \uffe2\uff89\uff884%, compared to the control treatment. This drawback could be avoided by selecting mixed cover crops with a range of legumes and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90legumes, which increased the yield by \uffe2\uff89\uff8813%. These advantages of cover crops justify their widespread adoption. However, management practices in relation to cover crops will need to be adapted to specific soil, management and regional climatic conditions.

", "keywords": ["Crops", " Agricultural", "net greenhouse gas balance", "330", "Supplementary Data", "Nitrogen", "QH301 Biology", "Supplementary data available", "12. Responsible consumption", "Nitrous oxide emissions", "QH301", "Greenhouse Gases", "Soil", "N content", "nitrate", "C sequestration", "N leaching", "Environmental Chemistry", "General Environmental Science", "NE/M019691/1", "2. Zero hunger", "Global and Planetary Change", "Catch crop", "Ecology", "Soil organic carbon", "green manure", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "Research Review", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "yield", "Crop Production", "13. Climate action", "N in grain", "Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)", "Cover crop", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "BB/N013484/1", "BB/N013468/1"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14644"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.14644", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.14644", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.14644"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-05-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1093/aob/mcaa181", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:06Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-10-07", "title": "Significance of root hairs for plant performance under contrasting field conditions and water deficit", "description": "AbstractBackground and Aims

Previous laboratory studies have suggested selection for root hair traits in future crop breeding to improve resource use efficiency and stress tolerance. However, data on the interplay between root hairs and open-field systems, under contrasting soils and climate conditions, are limited. As such, this study aims to experimentally elucidate some of the impacts that root hairs have on plant performance on a field scale.

Methods

A field experiment was set up in Scotland for two consecutive years, under contrasting climate conditions and different soil textures (i.e. clay loam vs. sandy loam). Five barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes exhibiting variation in root hair length and density were used in the study. Root hair length, density and rhizosheath weight were measured at several growth stages, as well as shoot biomass, plant water status, shoot phosphorus (P) accumulation and grain yield.

Key Results

Measurements of root hair density, length and its correlation with rhizosheath weight highlighted trait robustness in the field under variable environmental conditions, although significant variations were found between soil textures as the growing season progressed. Root hairs did not confer a notable advantage to barley under optimal conditions, but under soil water deficit root hairs enhanced plant water status and stress tolerance resulting in a less negative leaf water potential and lower leaf abscisic acid concentration, while promoting shoot P accumulation. Furthermore, the presence of root hairs did not decrease yield under optimal conditions, while root hairs enhanced yield stability under drought.

Conclusions

Selecting for beneficial root hair traits can enhance yield stability without diminishing yield potential, overcoming the breeder\uffe2\uff80\uff99s dilemma of trying to simultaneously enhance both productivity and resilience. Therefore, the maintenance or enhancement of root hairs can represent a key trait for breeding the next generation of crops for improved drought tolerance in relation to climate change.The soil microbiome determines the fate of plant-fixed carbon. The shifts in soil properties caused by land use change leads to modifications in microbiome function, resulting in either loss or gain of soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil pH is the primary factor regulating microbiome characteristics leading to distinct pathways of microbial carbon cycling, but the underlying mechanisms remain understudied. Here, the taxa-trait relationships behind the variable fate of SOC were investigated using metaproteomics, metabarcoding, and a 13C-labeled litter decomposition experiment across two temperate sites with differing soil pH each with a paired land use intensity contrast. 13C incorporation into microbial biomass increased with land use intensification in low-pH soil but decreased in high-pH soil, with potential impact on carbon use efficiency in opposing directions. Reduction in biosynthesis traits was due to increased abundance of proteins linked to resource acquisition and stress tolerance. These trait trade-offs were underpinned by land use intensification-induced changes in dominant taxa with distinct traits. We observed divergent pH-controlled pathways of SOC cycling. In low-pH soil, land use intensification alleviates microbial abiotic stress resulting in increased biomass production but promotes decomposition and SOC loss. In contrast, in high-pH soil, land use intensification increases microbial physiological constraints and decreases biomass production, leading to reduced necromass build-up and SOC stabilization. We demonstrate how microbial biomass production and respiration dynamics and therefore carbon use efficiency can be decoupled from SOC highlighting the need for its careful consideration in managing SOC storage for soil health and climate change mitigation.

The parameters in Richards' equation are usually calculated from experimentally measured values of the soil\u2013water characteristic curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The complex pore structures that often occur in porous media complicate such parametrization due to hysteresis between wetting and drying and the effects of tortuosity. Rather than estimate the parameters in Richards' equation from these indirect measurements, image-based modelling is used to investigate the relationship between the pore structure and the parameters. A three-dimensional, X-ray computed tomography image stack of a soil sample with voxel resolution of 6\u2009\u03bcm has been used to create a computational mesh. The Cahn\u2013Hilliard\u2013Stokes equations for two-fluid flow, in this case water and air, were applied to this mesh and solved using the finite-element method in COMSOL Multiphysics. The upscaled parameters in Richards' equation are then obtained via homogenization. The effect on the soil\u2013water retention curve due to three different contact angles, 0\u00b0, 20\u00b0 and 60\u00b0, was also investigated. The results show that the pore structure affects the properties of the flow on the large scale, and different contact angles can change the parameters for Richards' equation.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Richards\u2019 equation", "330", "EP/M020355/1", "QH301 Biology", "530", "QH301", "03 medical and health sciences", "porous media", "646809DIMR", "Journal Article", "BB/L025620/1", "BB/J00868/1", "NE/L00237/1", "Research Articles", "0303 health sciences", "Civil_env_eng", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "621", "6. Clean water", "004", "620", "3. Good health", "image-based modelling", "Richards' equation", "Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)", "Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)", "BB/P004180/1", "BB/L025825/1", "European Research Council"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/4979/1/20170178.full.pdf"}, {"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/415076/1/ImageBasedRichardsPRST.pdf"}, {"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/415076/2/SupplementaryFigure.pdf"}, {"href": "https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.2017.0178"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2017.0178"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society%20A%3A%20Mathematical%2C%20Physical%20and%20Engineering%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1098/rspa.2017.0178", "name": "item", "description": "10.1098/rspa.2017.0178", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1098/rspa.2017.0178"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1098/rstb.2020.0169", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-08-08", "title": "The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People", "description": "

This theme issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). The papers in this issue show that soils can contribute positively to the delivery of all NCP. These contributions can be maximized through careful soil management to provide healthy soils, but poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to the delivery of NCP. Soils are also shown to contribute positively to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Papers in the theme issue emphasize the need for careful soil management. Priorities for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation, (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health, productivity and sustainability and to prevent degradation, and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. Our knowledge of what constitutes sustainable soil management is mature enough to implement best management practices, in order to maintain and improve soil health. The papers in this issue show the vast potential of soils to contribute to NCP. This is not only desirable, but essential to sustain a healthy planet and if we are to deliver sustainable development in the decades to come.

This article is part of the theme issue \uffe2\uff80\uff98The role of soils in delivering Nature\uffe2\uff80\uff99s Contributions to People\uffe2\uff80\uff99.Biochar amendment is one of the most promising agricultural approaches to tackle climate change by enhancing soil carbon (C) sequestration. Microbial\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated decomposition processes are fundamental for the fate and persistence of sequestered C in soil, but the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. Here, we synthesise 923 observations regarding the effects of biochar addition (over periods ranging from several weeks to several years) on soil C\uffe2\uff80\uff90degrading enzyme activities from 130 articles across five continents worldwide. Our results showed that biochar addition increased soil ligninase activity targeting complex phenolic macromolecules by 7.1%, but suppressed cellulase activity degrading simpler polysaccharides by 8.3%. These shifts in enzyme activities explained the most variation of changes in soil C sequestration across a wide range of climatic, edaphic and experimental conditions, with biochar\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced shift in ligninase:cellulase ratio correlating negatively with soil C sequestration. Specifically, short\uffe2\uff80\uff90term (<1\uffc2\uffa0year) biochar addition significantly reduced cellulase activity by 4.6% and enhanced soil organic C sequestration by 87.5%, whereas no significant responses were observed for ligninase activity and ligninase:cellulase ratio. However, long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term (\uffe2\uff89\uffa51\uffc2\uffa0year) biochar addition significantly enhanced ligninase activity by 5.2% and ligninase:cellulase ratio by 36.1%, leading to a smaller increase in soil organic C sequestration (25.1%). These results suggest that shifts in enzyme activities increased ligninase:cellulase ratio with time after biochar addition, limiting long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term soil C sequestration with biochar addition. Our work provides novel evidence to explain the diminished soil C sequestration with long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term biochar addition and suggests that earlier studies may have overestimated soil C sequestration with biochar addition by failing to consider the physiological acclimation of soil microorganisms over time.Simulation models represent soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in global carbon (C) cycle scenarios to support climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90change studies. It is imperative to increase confidence in long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term predictions of SOC dynamics by reducing the uncertainty in model estimates. We evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process\uffe2\uff80\uff90based C models by comparing simulations to experimental data from seven long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term bare\uffe2\uff80\uff90fallow (vegetation\uffe2\uff80\uff90free) plots at six sites: Denmark (two sites), France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The decay of SOC in these plots has been monitored for decades since the last inputs of plant material, providing the opportunity to test decomposition without the continuous input of new organic material. The models were run independently over multi\uffe2\uff80\uff90year simulation periods (from 28 to 80\uffc2\uffa0years) in a blind test with no calibration (Bln) and with the following three calibration scenarios, each providing different levels of information and/or allowing different levels of model fitting: (a) calibrating decomposition parameters separately at each experimental site (Spe); (b) using a generic, knowledge\uffe2\uff80\uff90based, parameterization applicable in the Central European region (Gen); and (c) using a combination of both (a) and (b) strategies (Mix). We addressed uncertainties from different modelling approaches with or without spin\uffe2\uff80\uff90up initialization of SOC. Changes in the multi\uffe2\uff80\uff90model median (MMM) of SOC were used as descriptors of the ensemble performance. On average across sites, Gen proved adequate in describing changes in SOC, with MMM equal to average SOC (and standard deviation) of 39.2 (\uffc2\uffb115.5)\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0C/ha compared to the observed mean of 36.0 (\uffc2\uffb119.7)\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0C/ha (last observed year), indicating sufficiently reliable SOC estimates. Moving to Mix (37.5\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa016.7\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0C/ha) and Spe (36.8\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa019.8\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0C/ha) provided only marginal gains in accuracy, but modellers would need to apply more knowledge and a greater calibration effort than in Gen, thereby limiting the wider applicability of models.We hypothesized that plant exudates could either gel or disperse soil depending on their chemical characteristics. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Optic) and maize (Zea mays L. cv. Freya) root exudates were collected using an aerated hydroponic method and compared with chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed exudate, a commonly used root exudate analogue. Sandy loam soil was passed through a 500\uffe2\uff80\uff90\uffce\uffbcm mesh and treated with each exudate at a concentration of 4.6 mg exudate g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 dry soil. Two sets of soil samples were prepared. One set of treated soil samples was maintained at 4\uffc2\uffb0C to suppress microbial processes. To characterize the effect of decomposition, the second set of samples was incubated at 16\uffc2\uffb0C for 2 weeks at \uffe2\uff88\uff9230 kPa matric potential. Gas chromatography\uffe2\uff80\uff93mass spectrometry (GC\uffe2\uff80\uff93MS) analysis of the exudates showed that barley had the largest organic acid content and chia the largest content of sugars (polysaccharide\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived or free), and maize was in between barley and chia. Yield stress of amended soil samples was measured by an oscillatory strain sweep test with a cone plate rheometer. When microbial decomposition was suppressed at 4\uffc2\uffb0C, yield stress increased 20\uffe2\uff80\uff90fold for chia seed exudate and twofold for maize root exudate compared with the control, whereas for barley root exudate decreased to half. The yield stress after 2 weeks of incubation compared with soil with suppressed microbial decomposition increased by 85% for barley root exudate, but for chia and maize it decreased by 87 and 54%, respectively. Barley root exudation might therefore disperse soil and this could facilitate nutrient release. The maize root and chia seed exudates gelled soil, which could create a more stable soil structure around roots or seeds.

Highlights

Rheological measurements quantified physical behaviour of plant exudates and effect on soil stabilization.

Barley root exudates dispersed soil, which could release nutrients and carbon.

Maize root and chia seed exudates had a stabilizing effect on soil.

Physical engineering of soil in contact with plant roots depends on the nature and origin of exudates.

", "keywords": ["construction", "0301 basic medicine", "EP/M020355/1", "seed exudate", "QH301 Biology", "610", "root exudate", "630", "QH301", "03 medical and health sciences", "DIMR 646809", "microbial decompisition", "Physical Processes and Function", "NE/L00237/1", "2. Zero hunger", "soil gelling", "BB/J000868/1", "Civil_env_eng", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "yield stress", "BB/J011460/1", "BB/L026058/1", "Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)", "soil dispersion", "viscosity", "Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "microbial decomposition", "yeild stress", "European Research Council"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/4980/1/Naveed_et_al-2017-European_Journal_of_Soil_Science.pdf"}, {"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/414238/1/EJSS_submitted_Manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/ejss.12487/fullpdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12487"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.12487", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.12487", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.12487"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-10-27T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13145", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:23Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-07-13", "title": "Sustainable futures over the next decade are rooted in soil science", "description": "Abstract

The importance of soils to society has gained increasing recognition over the past decade, with the potential to contribute to most of the United Nations\uffe2\uff80\uff99 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With unprecedented and growing demands for food, water and energy, there is an urgent need for a global effort to address the challenges of climate change and land degradation, whilst protecting soil as a natural resource. In this paper, we identify the contribution of soil science over the past decade to addressing gaps in our knowledge regarding major environmental challenges: climate change, food security, water security, urban development, and ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Continuing to address knowledge gaps in soil science is essential for the achievement of the SDGs. However, with limited time and budget, it is also pertinent to identify effective methods of working that ensure the research carried out leads to real\uffe2\uff80\uff90world impact. Here, we suggest three strategies for the next decade of soil science, comprising a greater implementation of research into policy, interdisciplinary partnerships to evaluate function trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies between soils and other environmental domains, and integrating monitoring and modelling methods to ensure soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90based policies can withstand the uncertainties of the future.

Highlights

We highlight the contributions of soil science to five major environmental challenges since 2010.

Researchers have contributed to recommendation reports, but work is rarely translated into policy.

Interdisciplinary work should assess trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies between soils and other domains.

Integrating monitoring and modelling is key for robust and sustainable soils\uffe2\uff80\uff90based policymaking.

There is growing international interest in better managing soils to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content to contribute to climate change mitigation, to enhance resilience to climate change and to underpin food security, through initiatives such as international \uffe2\uff80\uff984p1000\uffe2\uff80\uff99 initiative and the FAO's Global assessment of SOC sequestration potential (GSOCseq) programme. Since SOC content of soils cannot be easily measured, a key barrier to implementing programmes to increase SOC at large scale, is the need for credible and reliable measurement/monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) platforms, both for national reporting and for emissions trading. Without such platforms, investments could be considered risky. In this paper, we review methods and challenges of measuring SOC change directly in soils, before examining some recent novel developments that show promise for quantifying SOC. We describe how repeat soil surveys are used to estimate changes in SOC over time, and how long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term experiments and space\uffe2\uff80\uff90for\uffe2\uff80\uff90time substitution sites can serve as sources of knowledge and can be used to test models, and as potential benchmark sites in global frameworks to estimate SOC change. We briefly consider models that can be used to simulate and project change in SOC and examine the MRV platforms for SOC change already in use in various countries/regions. In the final section, we bring together the various components described in this review, to describe a new vision for a global framework for MRV of SOC change, to support national and international initiatives seeking to effect change in the way we manage our soils.

", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "550", "BULK-DENSITY", "QH301 Biology", "Climate", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "NEW-ZEALAND", "630", "Soil", "NE/M021327/1", "11. Sustainability", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "AGRICULTURAL SOILS", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "General Environmental Science", "agriculture", "2. Zero hunger", "Global and Planetary Change", "reporting", "Measurement", "Ecology", "IN-SITU", "Agricultura", "NE/P019455/1", "carbono org\u00e1nico del suelo", "Agriculture", "LAND-USE CHANGE", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "climate change", "Sustainability", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "Carbon Sequestration", "DIFFUSE-REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY", "LONG-TERM EXPERIMENTS", "330", "Monitoring", "STOCK CHANGES", "MRV", "secuestro de carbon", "12. Responsible consumption", "QH301", "Greenhouse Gases", "ORGANIC-CARBON", "soil organic matter", "greenhouse gases", "Invited Research Reviews", "Environmental Chemistry", "774378", "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger", "European Commission", "resilience", "Climate Solutions", "Soil organic matter", "Soil organic carbon", "Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)", "Verification", "food security", "15. Life on land", "carbon sequestration", "Sustainable Agriculture", "Carbon", "EDDY-COVARIANCE", "soil organic carbon", "monitoring", "Reporting", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "measurement", "verification"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.14815"}, {"href": "https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/context/rsfac/article/1079/viewcontent/Lini2019b.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14815"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.14815", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.14815", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.14815"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-10-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcb.14878", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-10-22", "title": "Which practices co\u2010deliver food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and combat land degradation and desertification?", "description": "Abstract

There is a clear need for transformative change in the land management and food production sectors to address the global land challenges of climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, combatting land degradation and desertification, and delivering food security (referred to hereafter as \uffe2\uff80\uff9cland challenges\uffe2\uff80\uff9d). We assess the potential for 40 practices to address these land challenges and find that: Nine options deliver medium to large benefits for all four land challenges. A further two options have no global estimates for adaptation, but have medium to large benefits for all other land challenges. Five options have large mitigation potential (>3\uffc2\uffa0Gt CO2eq/year) without adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Five options have moderate mitigation potential, with no adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Sixteen practices have large adaptation potential (>25 million people benefit), without adverse side effects on other land challenges. Most practices can be applied without competing for available land. However, seven options could result in competition for land. A large number of practices do not require dedicated land, including several land management options, all value chain options, and all risk management options. Four options could greatly increase competition for land if applied at a large scale, though the impact is scale and context specific, highlighting the need for safeguards to ensure that expansion of land for mitigation does not impact natural systems and food security. A number of practices, such as increased food productivity, dietary change and reduced food loss and waste, can reduce demand for land conversion, thereby potentially freeing\uffe2\uff80\uff90up land and creating opportunities for enhanced implementation of other practices, making them important components of portfolios of practices to address the combined land challenges.This study evaluates the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) under perennial crops across the globe. It quantifies the effect of change from annual to perennial crops and the subsequent temporal changes in SOC stocks during the perennial crop cycle. It also presents an empirical model to estimate changes in the SOC content under crops as a function of time, land use, and site characteristics. We used a harmonized global dataset containing paired\uffe2\uff80\uff90comparison empirical values of SOC and different types of perennial crops (perennial grasses, palms, and woody plants) with different end uses: bioenergy, food, other bio\uffe2\uff80\uff90products, and short rotation coppice. Salient outcomes include: a 20\uffe2\uff80\uff90year period encompassing a change from annual to perennial crops led to an average 20% increase in SOC at 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm (6.0\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa04.6\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha gain) and a total 10% increase over the 0\uffe2\uff80\uff93100\uffc2\uffa0cm soil profile (5.7\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa010.9\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha). A change from natural pasture to perennial crop decreased SOC stocks by 1% over 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm (\uffe2\uff88\uff922.5\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa04.2\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha) and 10% over 0\uffe2\uff80\uff93100\uffc2\uffa0cm (\uffe2\uff88\uff9213.6\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa08.9\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha). The effect of a land use change from forest to perennial crops did not show significant impacts, probably due to the limited number of plots; but the data indicated that while a 2% increase in SOC was observed at 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm (16.81\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa055.1\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha), a decrease in 24% was observed at 30\uffe2\uff80\uff93100\uffc2\uffa0cm (\uffe2\uff88\uff9240.1\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb1\uffc2\uffa016.8\uffc2\uffa0Mg/ha). Perennial crops generally accumulate SOC through time, especially woody crops; and temperature was the main driver explaining differences in SOC dynamics, followed by crop age, soil bulk density, clay content, and depth. We present empirical evidence showing that the FAO perennialization strategy is reasonable, underscoring the role of perennial crops as a useful component of climate change mitigation strategies.Land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use change can have significant impacts on soil and aboveground carbon (C) stocks and there is a clear need to identify sustainable land uses which maximize C mitigation potential. Land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use transitions from agricultural to bioenergy crops are increasingly common in Europe with one option being Short Rotation Forestry (SRF). Research on the impact on C stocks of the establishment of SRF is limited, but given the potential for this bioenergy crop in temperate climates, there is an evident knowledge gap. Here, we examine changes in soil C stock following the establishment of SRF using combined short (30\uffc2\uffa0cm depth) and deep (1\uffc2\uffa0m depth) soil cores at 11 sites representing 29 transitions from agriculture to SRF. We compare the effects of tree species including 9 coniferous, 16 broadleaved and 4 Eucalyptus transitions. SRF aboveground and root biomass were also estimated in 15 of the transitions using tree mensuration data allowing assessments of changes in total ecosystem C stock. Planting coniferous SRF, compared to broadleaved and Eucalyptus SRF, resulted in greater accumulation of litter and overall increased soil C stock relative to agricultural controls. Though broadleaved SRF had no overall effect on soil C stock, it showed the most variable response suggesting species\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific effects and interactions with soil types. While Eucalyptus transitions induced a reduction in soil C stocks, this was not significant unless considered on a soil mass basis. Given the relatively young age and limited number of Eucalyptus plantations, it is not possible to say whether this reduction will persist in older stands. Combining estimates of C stocks from different ecosystem components (e.g., soil, aboveground biomass) reinforced the accumulation of C under coniferous SRF, and indicates generally positive effects of SRF on whole\uffe2\uff80\uff90ecosystem C. These results fill an important knowledge gap and provide data for modelling of future scenarios of LUC.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "550", "QH301 Biology", "organic carbon", "land use", "bioenergy", "15. Life on land", "7. Clean energy", "01 natural sciences", "333", "QH301", "eucalypt", "13. Climate action", "afforestation", "land-use", "SRF", "coniferous", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "deciduous", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12168"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/GCB%20Bioenergy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcbb.12168", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcbb.12168", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcbb.12168"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-05-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/nph.14705", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-07-31", "title": "High\u2010resolution synchrotron imaging shows that root hairs influence rhizosphere soil structure formation", "description": "Summary

In this paper, we provide direct evidence of the importance of root hairs on pore structure development at the root\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interface during the early stage of crop establishment.

This was achieved by use of high\uffe2\uff80\uff90resolution (c. 5\uffc2\uffa0\uffce\uffbcm) synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT) to visualise both the structure of root hairs and the soil pore structure in plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil microcosms. Two contrasting genotypes of barley (Hordeum vulgare), with and without root hairs, were grown for 8\uffc2\uffa0d in microcosms packed with sandy loam soil at 1.2\uffc2\uffa0g\uffc2\uffa0cm\uffe2\uff88\uff923 dry bulk density. Root hairs were visualised within air\uffe2\uff80\uff90filled pore spaces, but not in the fine\uffe2\uff80\uff90textured soil regions.

We found that the genotype with root hairs significantly altered the porosity and connectivity of the detectable pore space (>\uffc2\uffa05\uffc2\uffa0\uffce\uffbcm) in the rhizosphere, as compared with the no\uffe2\uff80\uff90hair mutants. Both genotypes showed decreasing pore space between 0.8 and 0.1\uffc2\uffa0mm from the root surface. Interestingly the root\uffe2\uff80\uff90hair\uffe2\uff80\uff90bearing genotype had a significantly greater soil pore volume\uffe2\uff80\uff90fraction at the root\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interface.

Effects of pore structure on diffusion and permeability were estimated to be functionally insignificant under saturated conditions when simulated using image\uffe2\uff80\uff90based modelling.

Soil adjacent to roots has distinct structural and physical properties from bulk soil, affecting water and solute acquisition by plants. Detailed knowledge on how root activity and traits such as root hairs affect the three\uffe2\uff80\uff90dimensional pore structure at a fine scale is scarce and often contradictory.

Roots of hairless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Optic) mutant (NRH) and its wildtype (WT) parent were grown in tubes of sieved (<250\uffc2\uffa0\uffce\uffbcm) sandy loam soil under two different water regimes. The tubes were scanned by synchrotron\uffe2\uff80\uff90based X\uffe2\uff80\uff90ray computed tomography to visualise pore structure at the soil\uffe2\uff80\uff93root interface. Pore volume fraction and pore size distribution were analysed vs distance within 1\uffc2\uffa0mm of the root surface.

Less dense packing of particles at the root surface was hypothesised to cause the observed increased pore volume fraction immediately next to the epidermis. The pore size distribution was narrower due to a decreased fraction of larger pores. There were no statistically significant differences in pore structure between genotypes or moisture conditions.

A model is proposed that describes the variation in porosity near roots taking into account soil compaction and the surface effect at the root surface.

Soil health is a critical component of nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions (NbS), underpinning ecosystem multifunctionality and resilience by supporting biodiversity, improving carbon sequestration and storage, regulating water flow and enhancing plant productivity. For this reason, NbS often aim to protect soil health and restore degraded soil. Robust monitoring of soil health is needed to adaptively manage NbS projects, identify best practices and minimize trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between goals, but soil assessment is often underrepresented in NbS monitoring programmes. This paper examines challenges and opportunities in selecting suitable soil health metrics. We find that standardization can facilitate widespread monitoring of soil health, with benefits for stakeholders and user groups. However, standardization brings key challenges, including the complexity and local variability of soil systems and the diverse priorities, skills and resources of stakeholders. To address this, we propose a flexible, interdisciplinary approach combining soil science, ecology and socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90economic insights. We introduce an interactive tool to help users select suitable soil and biodiversity metrics, which are context and scale\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific, and suggest avenues for future research. We conclude that integrating soil health into NbS through new and improved monitoring approaches, newly available datasets, supportive policies and stakeholder collaboration can enhance the resilience and effectiveness of NbS, contributing significantly to global sustainability goals.

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes.

", "keywords": ["Supplementary Data", "biodiversity", " fungi", " ecology", "QH301 Biology", "Diversity (politics)", "Plant Science", "Biodiversity conservation", "Fungal Diversity", "Agricultural and Biological Sciences", "Soil", "Life", "Sociology", "WATER", "Global biodiversity distribution", "Fungal diversity", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology", "2. Zero hunger", "Multidisciplinary", "Earth", " Environmental", " Ecological", " and Space Sciences", "Geography", "Ecology", "soil fungal diversity", "4. Education", "SPECIES RICHNESS", "Life Sciences", "https://www.science.org/doi/suppl/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016/suppl_file/sciadv.adj8016_sm.pdf", "Biodiversity", "FOS: Sociology", "global biodiversity distribution", "sienet", "https://www.science.org/doi/suppl/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016/suppl_file/sciadv.adj8016_tables_s1_to_s13.zip", "Diversity and Evolution of Fungal Pathogens", "570", "Supplementary Information", "DNA markers", "QH301", "Sequencing high-resolution DNA", "Biochemistry", " Genetics and Molecular Biology", "monimuotoisuus", "Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions", "Life Science", "Humans", "14. Life underwater", "General", "Global ecological processes", "Biology", "Ecosystem", "Ecology", " Evolution", " Behavior and Systematics", "global ecological processes", "Soil fungal diversity", "microbiology", "Fungi", "Water", "Cell Biology", "15. Life on land", "luonnon monimuotoisuus", "Agronomy", "biodiversiteetti", "LIFE", "ekosysteemit (ekologia)", "Evolution and Ecology of Endophyte-Grass Symbiosis", "13. Climate action", "Ecology", " evolutionary biology", "Earth and Environmental Sciences", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Anthropology", "ta1181", "biodiversity conservation", "Species richness"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016"}, {"href": "https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20Advances", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1126/sciadv.adj8016", "name": "item", "description": "10.1126/sciadv.adj8016", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1126/sciadv.adj8016"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0020105", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:19:07Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-06-17", "title": "Global Change Could Amplify Fire Effects On Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions", "description": "Open AccessBackground Little is known about the combined impacts of global environmental changes and ecological disturbances on ecosystem functioning, even though such combined impacts might play critical roles in shaping ecosystem processes that can in turn feed back to climate change, such as soil emissions of greenhouse gases. Methodology/Principal Findings We took advantage of an accidental, low-severity wildfire that burned part of a long-term global change experiment to investigate the interactive effects of a fire disturbance and increases in CO2 concentration, precipitation and nitrogen supply on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in a grassland ecosystem. We examined the responses of soil N2O emissions, as well as the responses of the two main microbial processes contributing to soil N2O production \u2013 nitrification and denitrification \u2013 and of their main drivers. We show that the fire disturbance greatly increased soil N2O emissions over a three-year period, and that elevated CO2 and enhanced nitrogen supply amplified fire effects on soil N2O emissions: emissions increased by a factor of two with fire alone and by a factor of six under the combined influence of fire, elevated CO2 and nitrogen. We also provide evidence that this response was caused by increased microbial denitrification, resulting from increased soil moisture and soil carbon and nitrogen availability in the burned and fertilized plots. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that the combined effects of fire and global environmental changes can exceed their effects in isolation, thereby creating unexpected feedbacks to soil greenhouse gas emissions. These findings highlight the need to further explore the impacts of ecological disturbances on ecosystem functioning in the context of global change if we wish to be able to model future soil greenhouse gas emissions with greater confidence.", "keywords": ["Greenhouse Effect", "effet de serre", "sol", "Internationality", "Time Factors", "550", "Nitrogen", "QH301 Biology", "Science", "Nitrous Oxide", "incendie", "Fires", "12. Responsible consumption", "Soil", "dioxyde de carbone", "11. Sustainability", "Chemical Precipitation", "Soil Microbiology", "azote", "2. Zero hunger", "Q", "R", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "\u00e9mission", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "pr\u00e9cipitation atmosph\u00e9rique", "13. Climate action", "Denitrification", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "GE Environmental Sciences", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://hal.science/halsde-00723483/file/2011_Niboyet_Plosone_1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/1706/7/Niboyet_A_etal_2011_Global_change_amplify_fire%281%29.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020105"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0020105", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0020105", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0020105"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-06-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1890/09-0934.1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:19:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-04-09", "title": "Carbon And Water Fluxes From Ponderosa Pine Forests Disturbed By Wildfire And Thinning", "description": "

Disturbances alter ecosystem carbon dynamics, often by reducing carbon uptake and stocks. We compared the impact of two types of disturbances that represent the most likely future conditions of currently dense ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States: (1) high\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity fire and (2) thinning, designed to reduce fire intensity. High\uffe2\uff80\uff90severity fire had a larger impact on ecosystem carbon uptake and storage than thinning. Total ecosystem carbon was 42% lower at the intensely burned site, 10 years after burning, than at the undisturbed site. Eddy covariance measurements over two years showed that the burned site was a net annual source of carbon to the atmosphere whereas the undisturbed site was a sink. Net primary production (NPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and water use efficiency were lower at the burned site than at the undisturbed site. In contrast, thinning decreased total ecosystem carbon by 18%, and changed the site from a carbon sink to a source in the first post\uffe2\uff80\uff90treatment year. Thinning also decreased ET, reduced the limitation of drought on carbon uptake during summer, and did not change water use efficiency. Both disturbances reduced ecosystem carbon uptake by decreasing gross primary production (55% by burning, 30% by thinning) more than total ecosystem respiration (TER; 33\uffe2\uff80\uff9347% by burning, 18% by thinning), and increased the contribution of soil carbon dioxide efflux to TER. The relationship between TER and temperature was not affected by either disturbance. Efforts to accurately estimate regional carbon budgets should consider impacts on carbon dynamics of both large disturbances, such as high\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity fire, and the partial disturbance of thinning that is often used to prevent intense burning. Our results show that thinned forests of ponderosa pine in the southwestern United States are a desirable alternative to intensively burned forests to maintain carbon stocks and primary production.

", "keywords": ["Biometry", "QH301 Biology", "Cell Respiration", "Arizona", "Water", "Forestry", "Plant Transpiration", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Carbon", "Fires", "6. Clean water", "Pinus ponderosa", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Biomass", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1890/09-0934.1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecological%20Applications", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1890/09-0934.1", "name": "item", "description": "10.1890/09-0934.1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1890/09-0934.1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.20944/preprints202304.0088.v1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:19:35Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-04-07", "title": "A Review of Permanent Grassland Grazing Management Practices and the Impacts on Principal Soil Quality Indicators", "description": "

Grasslands are at risk of degradation due to unsustainable management practices and climate change. Sustainable grassland soil management can promote ecosystem service delivery and improve the resilience of the entire grassland ecosystem to anthropogenic change. Here, we re-view the principal soil quality indicators (SQIs) and how they have been used to evaluate the sustainability of different grassland management practices globally. We then discuss sustainable grazing management practices, before reviewing some novel grassland species which may im-prove grassland resilience with relevance for grassland management in Europe and the UK. We also give an overview of current sustainable grassland management methods and their assessment at field scale. From this, we suggest that sustainable Grazing Management Plans (GMPs), together with the testing of drought-resistant grass species and appropriate SQIs monitoring, is key to increasing resilience of grassland ecosystems to anthropogenic change.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "330", "S", "QH301 Biology", "soil quality indicators; grazing management; ecosystem services; permanent grasslands; management practices", "Agriculture", "15. Life on land", "12. Responsible consumption", "Permanent grasslands", "permanent grasslands", "QH301", "Soil quality indicators", "13. Climate action", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "agricultural_science_and_agronomy_16", "management practices", "Ecosystem services", "Grazing management", "soil quality indicators", "grazing management", "ecosystem services"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/1910970/1/A53%20Grassland%20erosion%20Agronomy.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/5/1366/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0088.v1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.20944/preprints202304.0088.v1", "name": "item", "description": "10.20944/preprints202304.0088.v1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.20944/preprints202304.0088.v1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-04-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2136/vzj2015.09.0131", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:19:58Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-05-13", "title": "Modeling Soil Processes: Review, Key Challenges, and New Perspectives", "description": "Core Ideas

A community effort is needed to move soil modeling forward.

Establishing an international soil modeling consortium is key in this respect.

There is a need to better integrate existing knowledge in soil models.

Integration of data and models is a key challenge in soil modeling.

The remarkable complexity of soil and its importance to a wide range of ecosystem services presents major challenges to the modeling of soil processes. Although major progress in soil models has occurred in the last decades, models of soil processes remain disjointed between disciplines or ecosystem services, with considerable uncertainty remaining in the quality of predictions and several challenges that remain yet to be addressed. First, there is a need to improve exchange of knowledge and experience among the different disciplines in soil science and to reach out to other Earth science communities. Second, the community needs to develop a new generation of soil models based on a systemic approach comprising relevant physical, chemical, and biological processes to address critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of soil processes and their interactions. Overcoming these challenges will facilitate exchanges between soil modeling and climate, plant, and social science modeling communities. It will allow us to contribute to preserve and improve our assessment of ecosystem services and advance our understanding of climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90change feedback mechanisms, among others, thereby facilitating and strengthening communication among scientific disciplines and society. We review the role of modeling soil processes in quantifying key soil processes that shape ecosystem services, with a focus on provisioning and regulating services. We then identify key challenges in modeling soil processes, including the systematic incorporation of heterogeneity and uncertainty, the integration of data and models, and strategies for effective integration of knowledge on physical, chemical, and biological soil processes. We discuss how the soil modeling community could best interface with modern modeling activities in other disciplines, such as climate, ecology, and plant research, and how to weave novel observation and measurement techniques into soil models. We propose the establishment of an international soil modeling consortium to coherently advance soil modeling activities and foster communication with other Earth science disciplines. Such a consortium should promote soil modeling platforms and data repository for model development, calibration and intercomparison essential for addressing contemporary challenges.

We hypothesized that plant exudates gel soil particles and on drying enhance water repellency.

This has been carried out using rhizosphere\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale mechanical and hydraulic measurements.

Plant exudates enhanced soil hardness and modulus of elasticity as chia seed > maize root > barley root.

Plant exudates caused measureable decreases in soil wetting rates through water repellency.

Using rhizosphere\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale physical measurements, we tested the hypothesis that plant exudates gel together soil particles and, on drying, enhance soil water repellency. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Optic) and maize (Zea mays L. cv. Freya) root exudates were compared with chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed exudate, a commonly used root exudate analog. Sandy loam and clay loam soils were treated with root exudates at 0.46 and 4.6 mg exudate g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 dry soil and chia seed exudate at 0.046, 0.46, 0.92, 2.3 and 4.6 mg exudate g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 dry soil. Soil hardness and modulus of elasticity were measured at \uffe2\uff88\uff9210 kPa matric potential using a 3\uffe2\uff80\uff90mm\uffe2\uff80\uff90diameter spherical indenter. The water sorptivity and repellency index of air\uffe2\uff80\uff90dry soil were measured using a miniaturized infiltrometer device with a 1\uffe2\uff80\uff90mm tip radius. Soil hardness increased by 28% for barley root exudate, 62% for maize root exudate, and 86% for chia seed exudate at 4.6 mg g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 concentration in the sandy loam soil. For the clay loam soil, root exudates did not affect soil hardness, whereas chia seed exudate increased soil hardness by 48% at 4.6 mg g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 concentration. Soil water repellency increased by 48% for chia seed exudate and 23% for maize root exudate but not for barley root exudate at 4.6 mg g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 concentration in the sandy loam soil. For the clay loam soil, chia seed exudate increased water repellency by 45%, whereas root exudates did not affect water repellency at 4.6 mg g\uffe2\uff88\uff921 concentration. Water sorptivity and repellency were both correlated with hardness, presumably due to the combined influence of exudates on the hydrological and mechanical properties of the soils.

Abstract. Soil organic carbon (SOC), one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) stocks on Earth, has been depleted by anthropogenic land cover change and agricultural management. However, the latter has so far not been well represented in global C stock assessments. While SOC models often simulate detailed biochemical processes that lead to the accumulation and decay of SOC, the management decisions driving these biophysical processes are still little investigated at the global scale. Here we develop a spatially explicit data set for agricultural management on cropland, considering crop production levels, residue returning rates, manure application, and the adoption of irrigation and tillage practices. We combine it with a reduced-complexity model based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier\u00a02 method to create a half-degree resolution data set of SOC stocks and SOC stock changes for the first 30\u2009cm of mineral soils. We estimate that, due to arable farming, soils have lost around 34.6\u2009GtC relative to a counterfactual hypothetical natural state in 1975. Within the period 1975\u20132010, this SOC debt continued to expand by 5\u2009GtC (0.14\u2009GtC\u2009yr\u22121) to around 39.6\u2009GtC. However, accounting for historical management led to 2.1\u2009GtC fewer (0.06\u2009GtC\u2009yr\u22121) emissions than under the assumption of constant management. We also find that management decisions have influenced the historical SOC trajectory most strongly by residue returning, indicating that SOC enhancement by biomass retention may be a promising negative emissions technique. The reduced-complexity SOC model may allow us to simulate management-induced SOC enhancement \u2013 also within computationally demanding integrated (land use) assessment modeling.

", "keywords": ["570", "AGRICULTURE", "550", "Supplementary Data", "QH301 Biology", "agricultural management", "crop production", "SEQUESTRATION", "551", "01 natural sciences", "630", "NITROGEN-CYCLE", "QH301", "Life", "land cover", "QH501-531", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "soil carbon", "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger", "EMISSIONS", "CROPS", "QH540-549.5", "global change", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "QE1-996.5", "Ecology", "INTENSIFICATION", "VEGETATION MODEL", "Geology", "LAND-USE CHANGE", "15. Life on land", "carbon sequestration", "CLIMATE", "COVER CHANGE", "agricultural land", "13. Climate action", "trajectory", "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/19/5125/2022/bg-19-5125-2022.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biogeosciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022", "name": "item", "description": "10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-12-22T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2164/10968", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:24:40Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-08-08", "title": "Simulation of Soil Organic Carbon Effects on Long-Term Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Production Under Varying Fertilizer Inputs", "description": "Soil organic carbon (SOC) has a vital role to enhance agricultural productivity and for mitigation of climate change. To quantify SOC effects on productivity, process models serve as a robust tool to keep track of multiple plant and soil factors and their interactions affecting SOC dynamics. We used soil-plant-atmospheric model viz. DAISY, to assess effects of SOC on nitrogen (N) supply and plant available water (PAW) under varying N fertilizer rates in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Denmark. The study objective was assessment of SOC effects on winter wheat grain and aboveground biomass accumulation at three SOC levels (low: 0.7% SOC; reference: 1.3% SOC; and high: 2% SOC) with five nitrogen rates (0-200 kg N ha-1) and PAW at low, reference, and high SOC levels. The three SOC levels had significant effects on grain yields and aboveground biomass accumulation at only 0-100 kg N ha-1 and the SOC effects decreased with increasing N rates until no effects at 150-200 kg N ha-1. PAW had significant positive correlation with SOC content, with high SOC retaining higher PAW compared to low and reference SOC. The mean PAW and SOC correlation was given by PAW% = 1.0073 \u00d7 SOC% + 15.641. For the 0.7-2% SOC range, the PAW increase was small with no significant effects on grain yields and aboveground biomass accumulation. The higher winter wheat grain and aboveground biomass was attributed to higher N supply in N deficient wheat production system. Our study suggested that building SOC enhances agronomic productivity at only 0-100 kg N ha-1. Maintenance of SOC stock will require regular replenishment of SOC, to compensate for the mineralization process degrading SOC over time. Hence, management can maximize realization of SOC benefits by building up SOC and maintaining N rates in the range 0-100 kg N ha-1, to reduce the off-farm N losses depending on the environmental zones, land use and the production system.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Crop productivity; DAISY model; Grain yield; Long-term experiment; Nitrogen; Pedotransfer functions; Plant available water;", "Nitrogen", "QH301 Biology", "DAISY model", "pedotransfer functions", "Plant Science", "nitrogen", "SB1-1110", "QH301", "03 medical and health sciences", "Long-term experiment", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "Grain yield", "SDG 2 - Zero Hunger", "European Commission", "289694", "crop productivity", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "2. Zero hunger", "020", "Pedotransfer functions", "0303 health sciences", "grain yield", "Plant culture", "15. Life on land", "plant available water", "13. Climate action", "Crop productivity", "Plant available water", "SMARTSOIL", "long-term experiment"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://flore.unifi.it/bitstream/2158/1138671/1/Ghaley%20et%20al%202018_Frontiers%20in%20Plant%20Science.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/2164/10968"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Plant%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "2164/10968", "name": "item", "description": "2164/10968", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/2164/10968"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-08-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "1983/ab17d5ff-3657-42df-84a6-4ab038c16f20", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:24:23Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-10-22", "title": "Which practices co\u2010deliver food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and combat land degradation and desertification?", "description": "Abstract

There is a clear need for transformative change in the land management and food production sectors to address the global land challenges of climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, combatting land degradation and desertification, and delivering food security (referred to hereafter as \uffe2\uff80\uff9cland challenges\uffe2\uff80\uff9d). We assess the potential for 40 practices to address these land challenges and find that: Nine options deliver medium to large benefits for all four land challenges. A further two options have no global estimates for adaptation, but have medium to large benefits for all other land challenges. Five options have large mitigation potential (>3\uffc2\uffa0Gt CO2eq/year) without adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Five options have moderate mitigation potential, with no adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Sixteen practices have large adaptation potential (>25 million people benefit), without adverse side effects on other land challenges. Most practices can be applied without competing for available land. However, seven options could result in competition for land. A large number of practices do not require dedicated land, including several land management options, all value chain options, and all risk management options. Four options could greatly increase competition for land if applied at a large scale, though the impact is scale and context specific, highlighting the need for safeguards to ensure that expansion of land for mitigation does not impact natural systems and food security. A number of practices, such as increased food productivity, dietary change and reduced food loss and waste, can reduce demand for land conversion, thereby potentially freeing\uffe2\uff80\uff90up land and creating opportunities for enhanced implementation of other practices, making them important components of portfolios of practices to address the combined land challenges.

Grasslands are at risk of degradation due to unsustainable management practices and climate change. Sustainable grassland soil management can promote ecosystem service delivery and improve the resilience of the entire grassland ecosystem to anthropogenic change. Here, we re-view the principal soil quality indicators (SQIs) and how they have been used to evaluate the sustainability of different grassland management practices globally. We then discuss sustainable grazing management practices, before reviewing some novel grassland species which may im-prove grassland resilience with relevance for grassland management in Europe and the UK. We also give an overview of current sustainable grassland management methods and their assessment at field scale. From this, we suggest that sustainable Grazing Management Plans (GMPs), together with the testing of drought-resistant grass species and appropriate SQIs monitoring, is key to increasing resilience of grassland ecosystems to anthropogenic change.

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