Maintaining good soil quality is crucial for the sustainability of agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the visual soil assessment (VSA) method by testing it on two soil types and two agricultural management practices (AMP) (organic and integrated) that are considered to protect soil quality. We selected two farms with plots on two river terraces with different soil properties. The test was based on the modified method Annual Crops Visual Quality Assessment developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and supported by a standardized soil physical and chemical analysis. This study showed that the assessed score is highly dependent on the type of farming practice and how soils are managed. The soil type also plays an important role. The results for Calcaric Fluvisol showed that the effects of selected agricultural management practices on the visual assessment of soil quality could be almost undetectable. The time of assessment also plays a significant role in VSA scoring. Different crops and agricultural activities with significant impacts on the soil occur throughout the year (especially in vegetable production). It was observed that a higher score for the soil cover indicator had a beneficial effect on the total VSA rating.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "kmetijska praksa", "land management; visual assessment; soil quality; agricultural management practice; organic farming; integrated farming", "S", "land management", "visual assessment", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "organsko kmetijstvo", "15. Life on land", "sonaravno kmetijstvo", "12. Responsible consumption", "trajnostno kmetijstvo", "integrirana pridelava", "agricultural management practice", "organic farming", "vizualna ocena", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "soil quality", "integrated farming", "kakovost tal", "upravljanje zemlji\u0161\u010d", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/631.4"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/8/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/8/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/land10010008"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Land", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/land10010008", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/land10010008", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/land10010008"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-12-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/agriculture15010089", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:19:00Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2025-01-02", "title": "Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems", "description": "The QBS-ar, based on the study of microarthropod community structure, is well known as a quick and low-cost indicator to monitor soil biological quality at the farm scale. Temperature fluctuations and other climate factors in European countries may indirectly influence soil microarthropod communities by altering resource availability and microhabitat conditions. In the context of the climate crisis, along with drought and erosion threats, especially in southern Europe, it is essential to define the limits and advantages of the QBS-ar index. We applied the QBS-ar index along a warm temperature gradient at three long-term experimental sites. Our results underlined that the QBS-ar is very sensitive for detecting soil quality and treatment effects. The results suggest that the choice of sampling season is a particularly vulnerable phase, especially for southern Mediterranean sites. Air temperature and cumulative precipitation, even in the months prior to sampling, are critical factors to consider when applying the QBS-ar index in European countries. Drought periods can negatively influence the results for soil microarthropod relative abundance; however, the presence of biological forms seems to provide useful information about the effects of treatments on soil quality. This paper lays the groundwork for scaled-up QBS-ar applications considering soils and several environmental characteristics of agroecosystems in Europe. The work can contribute to the development of applications of the index, facilitating and improving the monitoring of soil biology at the field scale. Furthermore, this study can open future perspectives for the application of QBS-ar on a larger scale thanks to the implementation and updating of an open-source database.
", "keywords": ["Soil", "Climate", "Agriculture (General)", "Biological indicators", "soil", " biological indicators", " conservative agriculture", " climate", "tla", " biologija tal", " trajnostno kmetijstvo", " monitoring", " kakovost tal", " klima", "biological indicators", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/631.4", "conservative agriculture", "climate", "Conservative agriculture", "soil", "S1-972"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/527970/1/agriculture-15-00089.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010089"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agriculture15010089", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agriculture15010089", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agriculture15010089"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-01-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11590/469721", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-08-03", "title": "Towards a better understanding of pathways of multiple co-occurring erosion processes on global cropland", "description": "Soil erosion is a complex process involving multiple natural and anthropic agents, causing the deterioration of multiple components comprising soil health. Here, we provide an estimate of the spatial patterns of cropland susceptibility to erosion by sheet and rill, gully, wind, tillage, and root crops harvesting and report the co-occurrence of these processes using a multi-model approach. In addition, to give a global overview of potential future changes, we identify the locations where these multiple concurrent soil erosion processes may be expected to intersect with projected dry/wet climate changes by 2070. Of a modelled 1.48 billion hectares (B ha) of global cropland, our results indicate that 0.56\u00a0B\u00a0ha (\u223c36% of the total area) are highly susceptible (classes 4 and 5) to a single erosion process, 0.27\u00a0B\u00a0ha (\u223c18% of the total area) to two processes and 0.02\u00a0B\u00a0ha (1.4% of the total area) to three or more processes. An estimated 0.82\u00a0B\u00a0ha of croplands are susceptible to possible increases in water (0.68\u00a0B\u00a0ha) and wind (0.14\u00a0B\u00a0ha) erosion. We contend that the presented set of estimates represents a basis for enhancing our foundational knowledge on the geography of soil erosion at the global scale. The generated insight on multiple erosion processes can be a useful starting point for decision-makers working with ex-post and ex-ante policy evaluation of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land) activities. Scientifically, this work provides the hitherto most comprehensive assessment of soil erosion risks at the global scale, based on state-of-the-art models.", "keywords": ["550", "IMPACT", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "multi-model approach", "Wind", "SEDIMENT", "Gully", "11. Sustainability", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/631.4", "2. Zero hunger", "Multi-model approach", "Modelling; Multi-model approach; Water; Wind; Gully; Tillage; Crop harvesting", "Agriculture", "multi-modelski pristop", "Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)", "4106 Soil sciences", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "gully", "veter", "Physical Sciences", "Water Resources", "tillage", "TA1-2040", "Life Sciences & Biomedicine", "pobiranje pridelka", "water", "Soil Science", "Environmental Sciences & Ecology", "Modelling", "Tillage", "modelling", "4104 Environmental management", "4105 Pollution and contamination", "EUROPEAN-UNION", "modeliranje", "jarkovna erozija", "wind", "AGRICULTURAL SOIL-EROSION", "Science & Technology", "WATER EROSION", "500", "Water", "15. Life on land", "Crop harvesting", "13. Climate action", "voda", "crop harvesting", "Environmental Sciences", "erozija zaradi obdelave tal", "WIND EROSION"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/11590/469721"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/International%20Soil%20and%20Water%20Conservation%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "11590/469721", "name": "item", "description": "11590/469721", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/11590/469721"}, {"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": "20.500.12556/RUL-134801", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:22:16Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-12-23", "title": "Impact of Sustainable Land Management Practices on Soil Properties: Example of Organic and Integrated Agricultural Management", "description": "Maintaining good soil quality is crucial for the sustainability of agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the visual soil assessment (VSA) method by testing it on two soil types and two agricultural management practices (AMP) (organic and integrated) that are considered to protect soil quality. We selected two farms with plots on two river terraces with different soil properties. The test was based on the modified method Annual Crops Visual Quality Assessment developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and supported by a standardized soil physical and chemical analysis. This study showed that the assessed score is highly dependent on the type of farming practice and how soils are managed. The soil type also plays an important role. The results for Calcaric Fluvisol showed that the effects of selected agricultural management practices on the visual assessment of soil quality could be almost undetectable. The time of assessment also plays a significant role in VSA scoring. Different crops and agricultural activities with significant impacts on the soil occur throughout the year (especially in vegetable production). It was observed that a higher score for the soil cover indicator had a beneficial effect on the total VSA rating.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "kmetijska praksa", "S", "land management", "visual assessment", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "organsko kmetijstvo", "15. Life on land", "sonaravno kmetijstvo", "12. Responsible consumption", "trajnostno kmetijstvo", "integrirana pridelava", "agricultural management practice", "organic farming", "vizualna ocena", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "soil quality", "integrated farming", "kakovost tal", "upravljanje zemlji\u0161\u010d", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/631.4"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/8/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/8/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/20.500.12556/RUL-134801"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Land", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "20.500.12556/RUL-134801", "name": "item", "description": "20.500.12556/RUL-134801", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/20.500.12556/RUL-134801"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-12-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "20.500.12556/RUL-155883", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:22:16Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-04-01", "title": "Mineral and organic fertilisation influence ammonia oxidisers and denitrifiers and nitrous oxide emissions in a long-term tillage experiment", "description": "Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from different agricultural systems have been studied extensively to understand the mechanisms underlying their formation. While a number of long-term field experiments have focused on individual agricultural practices in relation to N2O emissions, studies on the combined effects of multiple practices are lacking. This study evaluated the effect of different tillage [no-till (NT) vs. conventional plough tillage (CT)] in combination with fertilisation [mineral (MIN), compost (ORG), and unfertilised control (CON)] on seasonal N2O emissions and the underlying N-cycling microbial community in one maize growing season. Rainfall events after fertilisation, which resulted in increased soil water content, were the main triggers of the observed N2O emission peaks. The highest cumulative emissions were measured in MIN fertilisation, followed by ORG and CON fertilisation. In the period after the first fertilisation CT resulted in higher cumulative emissions than NT, while no significant effect of tillage was observed cumulatively across the entire season. A higher genetic potential for N2O emissions was observed under NT than CT, as indicated by an increased (nirK\u00a0+\u00a0nirS)/(nosZI\u00a0+\u00a0nosZII) ratio. The mentioned ratio under NT decreased in the order CON > MIN\u00a0>\u00a0ORG, indicating a higher N2O consumption potential in the NT-ORG treatment, which was confirmed in terms of cumulative emissions. The AOB/16S ratio was strongly affected by fertilisation and was higher in the MIN than in the ORG and CON treatments, regardless of the tillage system. Multiple regression has revealed that this ratio is one of the most important variables explaining cumulative N2O emissions, possibly reflecting the role of bacterial ammonia oxidisers in minerally fertilised soil. Although the AOB/16S ratio aligned well with the measured N2O emissions in our experimental field, the higher genetic potential for denitrification expressed by the (nirK\u00a0+\u00a0nirS)/(nosZI\u00a0+\u00a0nosZII) ratio in NT than CT was not realized in the form of increased emissions. Our results suggest that organic fertilisation in combination with NT shows a promising combination for mitigating N2O emissions; however, addressing the yield gap is necessary before incorporating it in recommendations for farmers.", "keywords": ["du\u0161ik", "2. Zero hunger", "compost", "denitrification", "denitrifikacija", "N$_2$O", "kompost", "15. Life on land", "sonaravno kmetijstvo", "nitrifikacija", "nitrification", "6. Clean water", "conservation agriculture", "N-cycle", "13. Climate action", "ohranitveno kmetijstvo", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/631.4"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/20.500.12556/RUL-155883"}, {"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": "20.500.12556/RUL-155883", "name": "item", "description": "20.500.12556/RUL-155883", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/20.500.12556/RUL-155883"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-06-01T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=info%3Aeu-repo%2Fclassification%2Fudc%2F631.4&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=info%3Aeu-repo%2Fclassification%2Fudc%2F631.4&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=info%3Aeu-repo%2Fclassification%2Fudc%2F631.4&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=info%3Aeu-repo%2Fclassification%2Fudc%2F631.4&offset=7", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 7, "numberReturned": 7, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-09-20T20:04:07.260617Z"}