Articles | Volume 6, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-467-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-467-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
07 Oct 2020
Original research article |
| 07 Oct 2020
| 07 Oct 2020
Obtaining more benefits from crop residues as soil amendments by application as chemically heterogeneous mixtures
Marijke Struijk
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of
Reading, Reading, UK
Department of Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Rothamsted
Research, Harpenden, UK
Andrew P. Whitmore
Department of Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Rothamsted
Research, Harpenden, UK
Simon R. Mortimer
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of
Reading, Reading, UK
Tom Sizmur
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of
Reading, Reading, UK
Related authors
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Adetunji Alex Adekanmbi, Laurence Dale, Liz Shaw, and Tom Sizmur
Biogeosciences, 20, 2207–2219, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2207-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2207-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The decomposition of soil organic matter and flux of carbon dioxide are expected to increase as temperatures rise. However, soil organic matter decomposition is a two-step process whereby large molecules are first broken down outside microbial cells and then respired within microbial cells. We show here that these two steps are not equally sensitive to increases in soil temperature and that global warming may cause a shift in the rate-limiting step from outside to inside the microbial cell.
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SOIL, 8, 381–389, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-381-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-381-2022, 2022
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Kaihua Liao, Juan Feng, Xiaoming Lai, and Qing Zhu
SOIL, 8, 309–317, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-309-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-309-2022, 2022
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Achieving global restoration targets requires scaling of context-specific restoration options on the ground. We implemented the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework in Rwanda to assess indicators of soil and land health, including soil organic carbon (SOC), erosion prevalence, infiltration capacity, and tree biodiversity. Maps of soil erosion and SOC were produced at 30 m resolution with high accuracy. These data provide a rigorous biophysical baseline for tracking changes over time.
Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez, Thomas J. Sauer, Yury G. Chendev, and Alexander N. Gennadiev
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Zinc deficiency is a widespread nutritional problem in human populations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Crop Zn depends in part on soil Zn. The Zn status of soils from the Amahara region, Ethiopia, was quantified by measuring pseudo-total, available, soluble and isotopically exchangeable Zn, and soil geochemical properties were assessed. Widespread phyto-available Zn deficiency was observed. The results could be used to improve agronomic interventions to tackle Zn deficiency in SSA.
Mirjam Schaller, Igor Dal Bo, Todd A. Ehlers, Anja Klotzsche, Reinhard Drews, Juan Pablo Fuentes Espoz, and Jan van der Kruk
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W. Marijn van der Meij, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Jakob Wallinga, and Michael Sommer
SOIL, 6, 337–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-337-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-337-2020, 2020
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We developed a model to simulate long-term development of soils and landscapes under varying rainfall and land-use conditions to quantify the temporal variation of soil patterns. In natural landscapes, rainfall amount was the dominant factor influencing soil variation, while for agricultural landscapes, landscape position became the dominant factor due to tillage erosion. Our model shows potential for simulating past and future developments of soils in various landscapes and climates.
Andre Carnieletto Dotto, Jose A. M. Demattê, Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel, and Rodnei Rizzo
SOIL, 6, 163–177, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-163-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-163-2020, 2020
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The objective of this study was to develop a soil grouping system based on spectral, climate, and terrain variables with the aim of developing a quantitative way to classify soils. To derive the new system, we applied the above-mentioned variables using cluster analysis and defined eight groups or "soil environment groupings" (SEGs). The SEG system facilitated the identification of groups with similar characteristics using not only soil but also environmental variables for their distinction.
Daniel A. Petrash, Frantisek Buzek, Martin Novak, Bohuslava Cejkova, Pavel Kram, Tomas Chuman, Jan Curik, Frantisek Veselovsky, Marketa Stepanova, Oldrich Myska, Pavla Holeckova, and Leona Bohdalkova
SOIL, 5, 205–221, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-205-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-205-2019, 2019
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Some 30 years after peak pollution-related soil acidification occurred in central Europe, the forest ecosystem of a small V-shaped mountain valley, UDL, was still out of chemical balance relative to the concurrent loads of anions and cations in precipitation. The spatial variability in soil solution chemistry provided evidence pointing to substrate variability, C and P bioavailability, and landscape as major controls on base metal leaching toward the subsoil level in N-saturated catchments.
Tino Colombi, Florian Walder, Lucie Büchi, Marlies Sommer, Kexing Liu, Johan Six, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden, Raphaël Charles, and Thomas Keller
SOIL, 5, 91–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-91-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-91-2019, 2019
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The role of soil aeration in carbon sequestration in arable soils has only been explored little, especially at the farm level. The current study, which was conducted on 30 fields that belong to individual farms, reveals a positive relationship between soil gas transport capability and soil organic carbon content. We therefore conclude that soil aeration needs to be accounted for when developing strategies for carbon sequestration in arable soil.
Michael P. Ricketts, Rachel S. Poretsky, Jeffrey M. Welker, and Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler
SOIL, 2, 459–474, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-459-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-459-2016, 2016
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Soil microbial communities play a key role in the cycling of carbon (C) in Arctic tundra ecosystems through decomposition of organic matter (OM). Climate change predictions include increased temperature and snow accumulation, resulting in altered plant communities and soil conditions. To determine how soil bacteria may respond, we sequenced soil DNA from a long-term snow depth treatment gradient in Alaska. Results indicate that bacteria produce less OM-degrading enzymes under deeper snowpack.
Rebecca Swift, Liza Parkinson, Thomas Edwards, Regina Carr, Jen McComb, Graham W. O'Hara, Giles E. St. John Hardy, Lambert Bräu, and John Howieson
SOIL Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2016-33, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2016-33, 2016
Preprint retracted
Marcos H. Easdale
SOIL, 2, 129–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-129-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-129-2016, 2016
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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.
Jeffrey S. Buyer, Anne Schmidt-Küntzel, Matti Nghikembua, Jude E. Maul, and Laurie Marker
SOIL, 2, 101–110, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-101-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-101-2016, 2016
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Savannas represent most of the world’s livestock grazing land and are suffering worldwide from bush encroachment and desertification. We studied soil under bush and grass in a bush-encroached savanna in Namibia. With bush removal, there were significant changes in soil chemistry and microbial community structure, but these changes gradually diminished with time. Our results indicate that the ecosystem can substantially recover over a time period of approximately 10 years following bush removal.
Alemayehu Adugna and Assefa Abegaz
SOIL, 2, 63–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-63-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-63-2016, 2016
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The purpose of our study was to explore the effects of land use changes on the dynamics of soil properties and their implications for land degradation. The result indicates that cultivated land has a lower organic matter, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, pH, and exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+ contents than forestland and grazing land.
C. Thomas, A. Sexstone, and J. Skousen
SOIL, 1, 621–629, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-621-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-621-2015, 2015
Short summary
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Surface coal mining disrupts large areas of land and eliminates valuable hardwood forests. Restoring the land to a sustainable forest ecosystem with suitable soils is the goal of reclamation. Soil microbial activity is an indicator of restoration success. We found hydroseeding with herbaceous forage species and fertilization doubled tree growth and microbial biomass carbon (an indicator of microbial activity) compared to non-hydroseed areas. Hydroseeding is an important component of reclamation.
M. Holleran, M. Levi, and C. Rasmussen
SOIL, 1, 47–64, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-47-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-47-2015, 2015
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Short summary
Crop residues are widely available on-farm resources containing carbon and nutrients, but, as soil amendments, their decomposition does not always benefit the soil. We applied mixtures of crop residues that are chemically different from each other and found significantly increased soil organic matter and available nitrogen levels. Applying crop residue mixtures has practical implications involving the removal, mixing and reapplication rather than simply returning crop residues to soils in situ.
Crop residues are widely available on-farm resources containing carbon and nutrients, but, as...
