Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-117-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-9-117-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Quality assessment of meta-analyses on soil organic carbon
Julia Fohrafellner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
BIOS Science Austria, Dietrichgasse 27, 1130 Vienna, Austria
Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern
Department of Forest- and Soil
Sciences, Institute of Soil Research (IBF), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU),
Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Rajasekaran Murugan
Department of Forest- and Soil
Sciences, Institute of Soil Research (IBF), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU),
Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Elena Valkama
Sustainability Science and Indicators, Bioeconomy and
Environment, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Tietotie 4, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland
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30 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Collected knowledge on the impacts of agricultural soil management practices in Europe A. Paz et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13468
- A Database Schema for Standardized Data and Metadata Collection in Agricultural Experiments I. Panagea et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14091816
- Mineral nitrogen input modulates the methane mitigation potential of biochar in rice systems: based on meta-analysis and field experiment demonstration W. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00563-y
- Soil characteristics within vegetation patches are sensitive indicators of savanna rangeland degradation in central Namibia K. Zimmer et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2024.e00771
- Evaluation of Soil Quality in Different Bletilla striata Agroforestry Systems in Eastern China X. Cao et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10121308
- Cover crops affect pool specific soil organic carbon in cropland – A meta‐analysis J. Fohrafellner et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13472
- Optimizing strip clear-cutting regimes for carbon sequestration and maintaining ecosystem health in Cryptomeria japonica plantations S. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126831
- Maize grain yield and grain zinc concentration response to zinc fertilization: A meta-analysis D. Mutambu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16040
- A fuzzy logic evaluation of synergies and trade-offs between agricultural production and climate change mitigation R. Calone et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140878
- Comparison of equivalent soil mass approaches to estimate soil organic carbon stocks under long-term tillage Y. Peng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106021
- Impacts of land-use change on biospheric carbon: an oriented benchmark using the ORCHIDEE land surface model T. Dinh et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-6725-2024
- Beyond PRISMA 2020 and AMSTAR 2: Further Actions Are Needed to Deal With Problematic Meta‐Analyses P. Baveye https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1666
- Soil carbon stocks in temperate grasslands reach equilibrium with grazing duration L. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175081
- Enhanced near-surface soil labile carbon and microbial indicators under cover crops and crop diversification in long-term no-till systems S. Vital et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117808
- Do Soil Microbes Drive the Trade-Off Between C Sequestration and Non-CO2 GHG Emissions in EU Agricultural Soils? A Systematic Review A. Latini et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010319
- Evidence library of meta-analytical literature assessing the sustainability of agriculture – a dataset A. Schievano et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03682-6
- ‘Shifting gears ain't easy’: Disciplinary resistances to perspective shifts in soil science and how to move forward P. Baveye et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70010
- Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation in rice agriculture H. Qian et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00482-1
- Meta-analysis protocol on the effects of cover crops on pool specific soil organic carbon J. Fohrafellner et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2023.102411
- Carbon reserves on the soils of the Dmitrievsky village council of the Ufa district of the Republic of Bashkortostan R. Mirsayapov & I. Asylbaev https://doi.org/10.31677/2072-6724-2023-69-4-58-73
- Soil organic carbon in agricultural soils of an inter-Andean valley in Colombia: understanding the effects of environmental and geographic variables A. Hoyos-Sanclemente et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14123-1
- Soil health assessments across pasture management systems in Brazil: A comprehensive review J. Castro et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soisec.2026.100233
- Co-incorporating green manure and crop straw increases crop productivity and improves soil quality with low greenhouse-gas emissions in a crop rotation N. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2024.07.002
- Impacts of inorganic and organic fertilization on soil organic carbon and crop production: a meta-analysis Z. Bai et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.farsys.2026.100211
- Effectiveness of soil management strategies for mitigation of N2O emissions in European arable land: A meta‐analysis E. Valkama et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13488
- A harmonized dataset relating alternative farmer management practices to crop yield, soil organic carbon stock, nitrous oxide emissions, and nitrate leaching generated using IPCC methodologies and meta-analyses R. Calone et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.111226
- Ignoring criticisms of meta-analyses and systematic reviews is a risky strategy P. Baveye https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07646-6
- Evolution and Global Landscape of Evidence Synthesis in Agricultural Research: A Bibliometric Analysis C. Cai et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16070793
- Land use intensity controls the diversity-productivity relationship in northern temperate grasslands of China Y. Yan et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1296544
- Soil organic carbon stock change following perennialization: a meta-analysis I. Siddique et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00912-w
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Short summary
The number of meta-analyses in agriculture and soil sciences is continuously rising, but they are often of poor quality. We quantitatively analyzed the quality of 31 meta-analyses studying the effects of different management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC). We found that only one meta-analysis on no tillage/reduced tillage obtained a high score. New or improved meta-analyses on the effects of organic agriculture, biochar, fertilization, and crop diversification on SOC are urgently needed.
The number of meta-analyses in agriculture and soil sciences is continuously rising, but they...