Acidic soils can lock up nutrients and release harmful metals, reducing crop growth. In a laboratory soil-column experiment, we tested steelmaking slag, an alkaline by-product, under repeated wetting and drying. The slag-mixed layer showed lasting improvement in acidity for twenty-four weeks, while nearby layers changed little. Slag released calcium slowly and formed surface coatings, suggesting durable, place-specific treatment and guidance for rate, depth, and reapplication.

The soil stoichiometric characteristics in the study area are predominantly governed by niche-microtopographic factors. Although plant life forms influence certain elements through processes such as nutrient return, their overall effect is relatively weak, and their impact is often contingent upon the microtopographic context. This combined action of biotic and abiotic factors reflects the complexity inherent in the karst soil nutrient cycling mechanism.

The first report of the field deployment of a new soil sampling device to investigate phosphorus (P) fertiliser strategies. The approach was combined with X-ray fluorescence microscopy to produce 2D spatially-resolved P availability maps to visualise distinct differences between new and conventional P fertilisers. This technique shows great potential for optimising P application and material sciences development; potentially leading to improved productivity and more sustainable P fertiliser use.

Effective management of soil health is essential to managing widespread soil degradation. Current frameworks for defining and assessing soil health are limited, focusing on agricultural contexts and relying on expensive, impractical lab analysis. Our socio-ecological framework offers a way forward, grounding soil health in ecological perspective and using modern sensing and data-driven technologies for rapid, scalable, policy-relevant assessment.

In soil, many factors influence how much carbon is stored: the structure of soil particles, microbial activity, and the balance of carbon and nitrogen. Using small-scale simulations, we can quantify and study their interplay. Nitrogen availability limits the microbial efficiency, and dead microbes contribute to long-term carbon storage by becoming occluded in aggregated soil particles. Our study offers new insights into how soils hold carbon, which is crucial for understanding climate change.

To improve soil health and increase crop yields, organic matter is commenly added to arable soils. Studying the effect of different organic resources on soil organic carbon sequestration in four long-term field trials in Kenya, we found that only a small portion (< 7 %) of added organic carbon was stabilised, which was only observed in the top 15 cm of the soil. These results underline the challenges associated with increasing the organic carbon content of tropical arable soils.

We used soil evolution model SoilGen to simulate long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration under varying environmental conditions and internal protection mechanisms. Our results revealed a strong role of pedogenetic and environmental history on current-day and future SOC sequestration potential. We propose a framework for developing topical digital twins of long-term soil processes to monitor and project future development of specific soil properties under global change.

We assess the impact of open drain damming to help restore drained peat soils. We measured how water levels and soil moisture changed over time and space using field sensors and geophysical mapping tools. Our results show that the impact of damming is limited to < 20 m on our site. This approach could support efforts to reduce carbon loss and improve the health of peatland landscapes in a practical, scalable way.

Wheat production in arid regions is limited by poor soil fertility and zinc deficiency. We tested eco-friendly solutions combining compost, zinc supplements, and beneficial microbes in field trials in Pakistan. The integrated approach boosted wheat growth, yield, and grain zinc levels while also improving soil health. These results show that bio-organic fertilization can sustainably enhance crop productivity and nutrition in dryland farming systems.

Permafrost soils store vast amounts of organic carbon, key to understanding climate change. This study uses machine learning and combines existing data with new field data to create detailed regional maps of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks for the Yukon coastal plain. The results show how soil properties vary across the landscape highlighting the importance of data selection for accurate predictions. These findings improve carbon storage estimates and may aid regional carbon budget assessments.

Olive groves face severe soil erosion, threatening their sustainability. This study reviewed existing research to understand how and why erosion happens and why results often seem contradictory. We found that: (a) differences mostly come from how and where erosion is measured, not from disagreement about the problem and (b) soil management is decisive. Keeping the ground covered with vegetation consistently cuts soil loss by over half. This urges the adoption of soil conservation practices.