Soil science, as a land-related discipline, has links to several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals which are demonstrated through the functions of soils and related ecosystem services. We discuss how soil scientists can rise to the challenge both internally and externally in terms of our relations with colleagues in other disciplines, diverse groups of stakeholders and the policy arena. To meet these goals we recommend the set of steps to be taken by the soil science community as a whole.

Zero Net Land Degradation (ZNLD) was proposed as a new global protocol to combat desertification. This framework aims at reducing the rate of global land degradation and increasing the rate of restoration of already degraded land. However, there is a narrow focus on land and soil, while an essential human dimension to the sustainability of drylands is lacking and should be more adequately tackled. I propose a complementary perspective based on the sustainable livelihood approach.

The recently accepted UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a major challenge to the research community, including soil science. SDGs require a interdisciplinary research approach that forces every discipline to critically evaluate its core messages. Effective communication with the policy arena requires use of common policy concepts such as policy phases and distinction of drivers, pressures, and responses to change. To accomodate such needs, research practices will have to change.

In a field experiment in Tanzania, we used substrates from local projects as soil amenders for intercropping relevant local crops, aiming to advance the practical application of known principles for smallholder agriculture in SSA, i.e. biochar and biogas application and EcoSan practices. We studied the short-term effects on crop productivity, plant nutrition and soil properties. By mitigating P scarcity and acidification, yields were increased by up to 400 % compared to the control.

This paper addresses the evolution of engineered soils (i.e., Technosols). The formation of such soils begins with proportional mixing of urban waste. Technosols are particularly well suited for investigating the role of organisms in soil function development. This is because they provide a controlled environment where the soil development can be monitored over time. Organisms and their interaction with parent materials positively affect the structure of Technosols.

We compared two long-term contrasting systems of urban lawn management (frequently cut utility lawn vs. seldomly cut meadow-like lawn) regarding their effect on soil carbon in three Swedish cities. Biomass production was also measured during 1 year. The utility lawns had a significantly higher biomass production, which resulted in a higher soil carbon storage, since clippings were not removed. Soil carbon sequestration outweighed the higher management-related CO₂ emissions of the utility lawns.

Switchgrass is a deep-rooted perennial grass bioenergy crop that can sequester soil C. Although switchgrass ecotypes vary in root biomass and architecture, little is known about their effect on soil microbial communities throughout the soil profile. By examining labeled root-C uptake in the microbial community, we found that ecotypes supported different microbial communities. The more fungal community associated with the upland ecotype could promote C sequestration by enhancing soil aggregation.

We investigated fire's effects on root decomposition and carbon (C) flow to the soil food web. We used ¹³C-labeled dead roots buried in microcosms constructed from two burn treatment soils (annual and infrequent burn). Our results showed greater root decomposition and C flow to the soil food web for the annual burn compared to infrequent burn treatment. Thus, roots are a more important C source for decomposers in annually burned areas where surface plant litter is frequently removed by fire.

Soil compaction degrades soil structure and affects water, heat, and gas exchange as well as root penetration and crop production. The objective of this study was to use X-ray computed microtomography (CMT) techniques to compare differences in geometrical soil pore parameters as influenced by compaction of two different aggregate size classes.

This study combined fieldwork, geochronology and modelling to get a better understanding of Arctic soil development on a landscape scale. Main processes are aeolian deposition, physical and chemical weathering and silt translocation. Discrepancies between model results and field observations showed that soil and landscape development is not as straightforward as we hypothesized. Interactions between landscape processes and soil processes have resulted in a complex soil pattern in the landscape.

This study focuses on temporal and spatial soil moisture changes along a toposequence crossed by a hedgerow, using ERT and occasional measurements. We found that the relationship between ER and soil moisture had two behaviors depending on soil heterogeneities. ER values were consistent with occasional measurements outside the root zone. The shift in this relationship was controlled by root system density and a particular topographical context in the proximity of the hedgerow.

This review covers the history and advances made in the area of nematode taxonomy. It highlights the success and limitations of the classical approach to nematode taxonomy and provides reader with a bit of background to the applications of protein and DNA-based methods for identification nematodes. The review also outlines the pros and cons of the use of DNA barcoding in nematology and explains how DNA metabarcoding has been applied in nematology through next-generation sequencing.

In medieval times the city of Vlaardingen (the Netherlands) was strategically located on the confluence of three rivers, the Maas, the Merwede, and the Vlaarding. Combined research on the history and soil of this city was initiated by an archaeological research question, following Dutch legislation. The start of fluvial system 2 in AD 600 correlates with evidence of the church that was present at least in AD 726/727. Results record the period before and after the flooding in AD 1170.