Multidisciplinary Soil Science for Sustainability

Abstract

Soils are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems, underpinning a wide array of essential ecosystem services that sustain life on Earth. They support agricultural productivity by facilitating the production of food and fibre, regulate hydrological and geochemical cycles, sequester carbon, and provide habitat for a vast diversity of organisms (Blum 2005; Kopittke et al. 2019). Given their central role in ecosystem functioning, soils are indispensable to achieving several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to food security (SDG 2), climate action (SDG 13), clean water (SDG 6), and life on land (SDG 15). Despite this importance, soils face increasing threats from various forms of degradation, including erosion, organic matter depletion, contamination, compaction, salinisation, and biodiversity loss (IPCC 2019). These threats are exacerbated by climate change, land-use change, and unsustainable management practices (Yang et al. 2024). Alarmingly, soils often remain marginalised in policy agendas—perceived more as passive recipients of environmental stressors than as active agents of climate and biodiversity solutions (Gonzalez Lago et al. 2019). This disconnect underscores a critical need to elevate the status of soils within global sustainability and policy frameworks.

Effectively addressing these challenges demands a multidisciplinary research approach that integrates the physical, chemical, biological, ecological, and socio-economic dimensions of soil systems. Bridging traditional disciplinary boundaries enables a more comprehensive understanding of the complex and dynamic interactions that govern soil functions across spatial and temporal scales. For instance, ecological studies have illuminated the fundamental role of soil biota in nutrient cycling and ecosystem resilience (Qu et al. 2024). Multidisciplinary soil science fosters systems-level insights that are essential for designing sustainable land management strategies that enhance productivity, preserve soil health, mitigate climate change, and protect biodiversity. Integrating soil science with fields such as agronomy, hydrology, microbiology, economics, and data science opens new avenues—such as optimising trade-offs between carbon sequestration and crop yields, or developing predictive models to guide decision-making under changing environmental conditions (Cai et al. 2023). The European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS) special issue on “Multidisciplinary Soil Science for Sustainability” highlights recent advances in this domain and emphasises its pivotal role in addressing global sustainability goals, with contributions ranging from microbial ecology to computational modelling.

Soil is a complex and dynamic ecosystem where physical properties, chemical reactions, and biological interactions converge to shape its fertility, resilience, and capacity to support life. Traditional silviculture and agronomy have evolved into a cross-disciplinary sciences that now integrate genomics, geostatistics, hydrology, and engineering to decode soil processes. For instance, research by Meng et al. (2024) illustrates that polyaspartic calcium amendments can reduce soil pH and electrical conductivity, while simultaneously modifying nitrification pathways through shifts in microbial community composition in saline-sodic soils. Similarly, Rong et al. (2024) found that erosion influences microbial carbon and phosphorus limitations depending on soil type, tillage practices, and plant presence. These findings highlight the critical need to connect soil chemistry with microbial ecology—an integration essential for designing sustainable amendments that simultaneously mitigate soil degradation and reduce nitrogen loss. Multidisciplinary approaches also excel in unravelling the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil processes. A notable example is the study by Ju et al. (2024), which applied random forest models to accurately predict soil hydraulic parameters and solute transport using readily measurable variables such as particle size distribution and bulk density. This integration of machine learning with pedology enhances predictive accuracy and bridges the gap between field-scale observations and landscape-scale modelling. Other interdisciplinary research has explored diverse topics such as comparing biochar and mulch strategies in semi-arid soils (Wang et al. 2024), assessing fire ant impacts on soil microarthropods (Zhang, Qiao, et al. 2024), mitigating nitrogen loss through indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Zhang, Chen, et al. 2024), and examining how soil conditions and organic matter amendments affect soil susceptibility to compaction (An et al. 2024). Collectively, these studies highlight the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary solutions for soil sustainability.

Soil fertility is not merely determined by nutrient content, but also reflects its underlying biological complexity. Long-term field observations by Pan et al. (2024) demonstrate that biological fertility develops through the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen, increase in microbial biomass, and enhanced enzymatic activity, particularly in rice systems cultivated on reclaimed tidal flats. He et al. (2025) revealed how phosphate addition promotes phosphorus accumulation through microbial mediation in the Loess Plateau. A five-year field experiment by Zhu, Zhao, et al. (2024) identified optimal organic fertilisation strategies that enhance phosphorus phytoavailability in rice root zones. These findings underscore the importance of restoring and maintaining soil biological networks in sustainable agriculture. Microorganisms such as ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and protists play indispensable roles in driving nitrification and nutrient cycling. Building on this, Jia et al. (2024) found that straw incorporation enhances nitrification and wheat yield by promoting trophic interactions between predatory protists and AOB, showcasing the value of interdisciplinary approaches that integrate microbiology, plant physiology, and agronomy. Similarly, Zhang, Liu, et al. (2024) revealed that combining optimised nitrogen input with straw return effectively minimises carbon and nitrogen losses in Solonchak soils, emphasising the potential of aligning agronomic management with environmental chemistry to enhance soil functions. Innovations like super absorbent polymers for saline-alkali soil remediation (Shu et al. 2024) exemplify the translational potential of interdisciplinary research.

Soil carbon sequestration is intimately linked with climate adaptation strategies. Multidisciplinary investigations have shed light on how land use and management practices influence long-term carbon dynamics. For example, Pan et al. (2024) examined reclamation chronosequences and found that paddy soils accumulate organic carbon over centuries, with microbial communities playing a pivotal role in stabilising carbon pools. In erosion-prone areas, vegetation–sedimentation synergies have been shown to temporally control soil loss in slope-gully systems (Bai et al. 2023). Zhu, Yu, et al. (2024) found that vegetation pattern and topography determine erosion characteristics in a semi-arid sandstone hillslope-gully system. These findings offer valuable guidance for enhancing soil carbon sequestration under climate variability. Zhou et al. (2024) further quantified biomass and soil organic carbon dynamics in the Yangtze River basin using advanced modelling techniques, providing scalable insights for regional carbon management. Modelling frameworks have also emerged as powerful tools for predicting soil responses to climate stressors. Wu et al. (2024) assessed the effects of digital elevation model (DEM) resolution and catchment threshold areas on hydrological model uncertainty, underscoring the value of integrating geospatial data with process-based simulations. Such models allow for the quantification of shifts in soil moisture, temperature, and erosion patterns under changed precipitation regimes, thereby informing proactive management of soil health in climate-sensitive regions.

Technological advancements in sensor networks, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence are rapidly transforming the field of soil science. High-resolution remote sensing combined with machine learning algorithms enable real-time monitoring of soil properties at landscape scales. Process-based models like the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) integrate hydrology, erosion, and nutrient cycling to support sustainable land-use planning, as illustrated by Wu et al. (2024). These tools bridge the gap between laboratory research and field implementation, facilitating evidence-based policymaking for soil conservation. Moreover, Ju et al. (2024) developed pedotransfer functions and uncertainty analysis frameworks that improve the reliability of soil property predictions from limited data. This is particularly critical in data-scarce regions, where integrating remote sensing with local observations can overcome sampling constraints and enhance the accuracy of soil health assessments.

Multidisciplinary soil science is pivotal for achieving sustainability in the face of global challenges. The EJSS special issue on “Multidisciplinary Soil Science for Sustainability” underscores the value of integrating diverse disciplines to develop holistic solutions for soil health. By encompassing themes such as sustainable land management, soil biodiversity, methodological innovation, and policy relevance, the contributions in this issue provide actionable insights aligned with the SDGs. We anticipate that this special issue will inspire further research and practical applications, paving the way for sustainable soil management from local to global scales.

Yonghong Wu: conceptualization, writing – review and editing, writing – original draft. Tida Ge: conceptualization, writing – review and editing. Xiaorong Wei: conceptualization, writing – review and editing. Yuji Jiang: conceptualization, writing – review and editing.