European Journal of Soil Science最新文献

{"title":"Altering Ecosystem Services While Considering Soil Health and Farm Income: Conceptual Framework in Crop Farming Systems","authors":"Y. C. Wang-Touri,&nbsp;M. C. Kik,&nbsp;M. P. M. Meuwissen,&nbsp;A. B. Smit,&nbsp;H. W. Saatkamp","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70177","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70177","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As global interest in sustainable agriculture grows, there is increasing demand for improved supply of ecosystem services (ESs) from agroecosystems. To meet this demand, farmers must implement changes in production management. However, such changes not only alter ESs supply, they also affect two fundamental aspects of farming: soil health and farm income. Therefore, to support decision-making toward improved ESs supply, it is necessary to find out how altering ESs supply simultaneously affects soil health and farm income through production management changes. Several studies have looked at fragments of the problem. However, few consider ESs at the centre of the decision-making process or a broad range of ESs in an integrated way. To fill this gap, this paper presents a conceptual framework that aims to provide a first qualitative understanding to the question and a blueprint for further quantitative analysis. The framework sets “Altering ESs” as the central objective, and considers soil health, production management, and farm income as being influenced by this objective. From this approach, it appears that “Altering ESs” results in a sequence of requirements and consequences that together affect farm income. This sequence is described with four relations: (1) “Altering ESs” requires changes in production management, (2) such change can affect soil health, (3) “Altering ESs” indirectly influences soil health through production management, (4) and finally “Altering ESs”, production management, and soil health have a combined effect on farm income. Each relation is explored qualitatively based on existing literature. The findings offer valuable insights that can contribute to develop sustainable farm business models according to the “3P-concept” in which we consider ESs for People, soil health for Planet, and farm income for Profit. The framework highlights the potential for both synergies and trade-offs between ESs, soil health, and farm income, depending on a farmer's context and decisions. Finally, the framework can serve as a blueprint for integrating ESs into bio-economic farm models.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70177","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144897801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Responses of Soil Extracellular Enzymes to N and P Additions Vary Between Temperate and Subtropical Forests","authors":"Siqin Zhang,&nbsp;Yuqian Tang,&nbsp;Yang Yang,&nbsp;Chuang Zhang,&nbsp;Shuang Liu,&nbsp;Shuli Niu,&nbsp;Hao Yang,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70178","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70178","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Microbial extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) and their stoichiometric characteristics are valuable proxies for understanding soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. Soil microbes are generally rich in nitrogen (N) and deficient in phosphorus (P) in subtropical forests, whereas the opposite pattern is often observed in temperate forests. Despite increasing N deposition and P addition, the response of EEAs to these differences between temperate and subtropical forests remains largely unexplored. We measured microbial carbon (C)-, N-, and P-acquiring EEAs in a temperate and a subtropical forest under N and/or P additions. We analyzed microbial resource allocation and nutrient limitations using extracellular enzymatic stoichiometry ratios and vector analysis. The results showed that N additions had weak effects on microbial EEAs, resource allocation, and nutrient limitations in both forests. In contrast, P additions enhanced C- and N-acquiring enzymes in both forests, promoting P-acquiring enzyme and oxidases in the temperate forest while suppressing them in the subtropical forest. Our results suggested that EEAs were more responsive to P than to N addition in both forests. Additionally, the convergence of extracellular enzymatic stoichiometry ratios toward 1 with P additions in both forests indicated a more balanced allocation among C, N, and P. Vector analysis revealed that soil microbes in both forests were P-limited. Furthermore, soil available P strongly correlated with microbial EEAs and their stoichiometric characteristics. Overall, our findings highlight the crucial role of P availability in influencing microbial responses to N deposition and P addition in temperate and subtropical forests.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144861644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enzyme Kinetics Affecting Thermal Sensitivity of SOC Decomposition Differ in Hummocks and Hollows of a Permafrost Bog","authors":"Zhiwei Xu,&nbsp;Jiye Cai,&nbsp;Yuting Wang,&nbsp;Junxiao Pan,&nbsp;Zucheng Wang,&nbsp;Yanmin Dong,&nbsp;Hongkai Li,&nbsp;Shasha Liu,&nbsp;Ziping Liu,&nbsp;Shengzhong Wang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70173","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70173","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Northern peatlands are important pools of soil organic carbon (SOC) and show a fine-scale feature of hummocks and hollows. However, there remains uncertainty about the magnitude of SOC–climate feedbacks because of the knowledge gap about the fine-scale spatial pattern and temperature sensitivity (<i>Q</i>₁₀) mechanism of SOC decomposition. We collected peatland soils from the Greater Khingan Mountains in Northeastern China to investigate how soil enzyme kinetics control the hummock–hollow pattern of the <i>Q</i>₁₀ of SOC decomposition. Results revealed that soil enzyme kinetic parameters (maximum reaction velocity [<i>V</i>_max] and Michaelis constant [<i>K</i>_m]) were greater in hollows compared to hummocks. In the 0–15 cm depth, the catalytic efficiencies (<i>K</i>_cat) of β-1,4-glucosidase (BG) and acid phosphatase (AP) were greater in hollows than in hummocks, but the <i>K</i>_cat of 4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) was reversed. In the 15–30 cm depth, the <i>K</i>_cat of NAG and AP was greater in hollows than in hummocks, but the <i>K</i>_cat of BG was reversed. Except for the <i>K</i>_m of NAG, all enzyme kinetic parameters increased with rising temperature. The <i>Q</i>₁₀ values of <i>V</i>_max and <i>K</i>_m were greater in hummocks than in hollows, with <i>Q</i>₁₀ values of <i>V</i>_max ranging from 1.48 to 2.22 and from 1.12 to 2.12 for hummocks and hollows, respectively. Similarly, the <i>Q</i>₁₀ values of <i>K</i>_m ranged from 0.70 to 1.67 and from 0.55 to 1.50 for hummocks and hollows, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between <i>V</i>_max and <i>K</i>_m, indicating that increases in <i>K</i>_m may counterbalance increases in <i>V</i>_max as temperature rises. The <i>Q</i>₁₀ values for SOC decomposition were greater in hummocks than in hollows, with average <i>Q</i>₁₀ values of 3.5 and 1.5 when temperature increased from 5°C to 15°C, respectively. Soil TP and the <i>Q</i>₁₀–<i>V</i>_max of NAG and AP have emerged as the best predictors of <i>Q</i>₁₀ values for SOC decomposition, and they were positively correlated with the <i>Q</i>₁₀ values for SOC decomposition. The larger phosphorus content and the high temperature sensitivity of hydrolase activities on hummocks suggest they would have a high potential for carbon mineralisation in the background of climate warming. These findings suggest that soil enzyme kinetic parameters and their <i>Q</i>₁₀ provide valuable tools for predicting the response of microbially mediated SOC decomposition to climate warming scenarios.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145128996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Note on Spurious Correlations and Explainable Machine Learning in Digital Soil Mapping","authors":"Tobias Rentschler,&nbsp;Thomas Scholten","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70172","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70172","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The use of machine learning as a method for knowledge discovery is often critically discussed in soil science and related environmental disciplines. Reviews of the use of machine learning in digital soil mapping identified few studies that incorporated existing soil knowledge of transformation and translocation processes in soils and mechanistic relationships between covariates in the modelling process. Even models trained with predictors that are meaningless from a soil science perspective can have high accuracies. To test and widen this perspective, we expanded the setup of a previous study by Wadoux, Samuel-Rosa, et al. (2020) from one hypothetical case study to a larger set of 668 hypothetical case studies in 334 study areas. We found that the high accuracy of one single model for a specific area was part of a wide range of possible accuracy metrics (concordance correlation coefficient: 0.16–0.91) when applying the same set of meaningless predictors to all study areas. We discuss these spurious correlations in the context of explainable machine learning and highlight how the important elements of model explainability, model input and model output largely depend on discipline-specific domain knowledge. As soil science knowledge is often incorporated implicitly, we argue that the motivation behind covariate selection should be discussed more explicitly to achieve soil science knowledge beyond spatial prediction.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70172","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145128962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continental Scale Soil Monitoring: A Proposed Multi-Scale Framing of Soil Quality","authors":"Grant A. Campbell,&nbsp;Pete Smith,&nbsp;Nils Broothaerts,&nbsp;Panos Panagos,&nbsp;Arwyn Jones,&nbsp;Cristiano Ballabio,&nbsp;Daniele De Rosa,&nbsp;Lis Wollesen de Jonge,&nbsp;Emmanuel Arthur,&nbsp;Lucas Gomes,&nbsp;Nima Shokri,&nbsp;Mehdi Afshar,&nbsp;Gergely Tóth,&nbsp;Peter Lehmann,&nbsp;Pasquale Borrelli,&nbsp;Christine Alewell,&nbsp;Robert Minarik,&nbsp;Tomislav Hengl,&nbsp;Ichsani Wheeler,&nbsp;Lindsay Maskell,&nbsp;Madlene Nussbaum,&nbsp;Laurence Jones,&nbsp;Christopher J. Feeney,&nbsp;David A. Robinson","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70174","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70174","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Globally, soils are subjected to various management practices and stressors which can lead to degradation. This makes their protection essential for sustaining many functions and services as well as maintaining the overall life support system of Earth. National monitoring programmes are increasingly implemented to evaluate the state and trend of soils, a move which has been advocated by the Mission Soil in Europe. In soil science, frameworks have been established to interpret and communicate soil monitoring results, concentrating on the concept of quality, a term which can be interpreted in many ways. This paper explores the multifaceted meaning of soil quality, addressing its implications for future soil health assessments. It achieves this by focusing on the context of the Mission Soil. Soil health is a holistic concept embracing emergence, complexity and highlighting long-term vitality and resilience. In contrast, soil quality is often viewed through the lens of its capacity to meet specific human needs and functions, typically in a shorter timeframe. The concept of quality is assessed through indicators where the choice of framework significantly influences selection and interpretation. However, selecting appropriate soil indicators across Europe is challenging due to diverse climate, topography, geology and soil types, resulting in varied soil processes. Therefore, establishing clear principles and criteria for soil indicator selection is essential. Our paper identifies four distinct frameworks for soil quality assessment: ‘Fitness for Purpose’, ‘Free from Degradation’, ‘External Benchmarking’ and ‘Value Assessment’, with each possessing a unique role and application. Notably, the ‘Free from Degradation’ framework is emphasised for its alignment with soil protection efforts and its relevance to soil threats. This makes it particularly suitable for pan-European assessments conducted by the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70174","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145128963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diverse Litter and Suitable Tree Species Increased Activation Energy for Soil Respiration in Black Soils in China","authors":"Qianru Ji,&nbsp;Shengfang Wang,&nbsp;Xiting Zhang,&nbsp;Lumei Zhang,&nbsp;Qiong Wu,&nbsp;Xiaochao Ji,&nbsp;Siru Guo,&nbsp;Haitong Liu,&nbsp;Huimei Wang,&nbsp;Wenjie Wang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70169","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70169","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a critical role in regulating ecosystem functions and mitigating climate change. Understanding the factors that influence SOC dynamics, particularly the effect of activation energy (E_a) on SOC sequestration, is essential for predicting soil carbon responses to environmental changes. E_a refers to the minimum energy required for SOC decomposition to occur, and it is influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. This study investigated the effects of plant traits, geoclimatic and soil properties on E_a. A total of 540 soil samples from 1 m soil profiles beneath 10 plant species at seven sites were collected in black soil regions of China and analysed for E_a and other respiration parameters,including maintenance respiration (R₀), mean respiration rates (R_mean), temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) and respiration variability (R_variability) measurements, under laboratory incubations. We also designed plant litter addition experiments (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 species) to identify litter diversity effects on these indices. Our findings revealed that litter diversity and plant species identity were the primary drivers of E_a variations, exerting 2.2-fold and 5.4-fold greater influences than geoclimatic and soil factors, respectively. Furthermore, litter addition significantly enhanced E_a by 33%, with increasing litter diversity positively correlated with elevated E_a values. <i>Larix gmelinii</i> exhibited 2.7-fold and 1.2-fold higher E_a than <i>Populus xiaohei</i> and <i>Quercus mongolica</i>, respectively. Structural equation modelling (SEM) testified that high E_a promotes elevated R₀ and R_mean, ultimately enhancing C accumulation in glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP), which include glycoproteins produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soil. Our findings highlighted that diverse litter returns to soils and afforestation with suitable species (e.g., <i>L. gmelinii</i>) could increase SOC sequestration, which depends on GRSP-C accrual induced by the increase in E_a.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144782472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing Soil Sulfur (S) Fractions as Indicators of Long-Term Fertilization Residual Effects","authors":"M. M. Biassoni,&nbsp;H. Vivas,&nbsp;D. A. Carreira,&nbsp;F. H. Gutiérrez Boem,&nbsp;F. Salvagiotti","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70175","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70175","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sulfur (S) fertilization can alter the distribution of soil S fractions with varying degrees of bioavailability. However, long-term studies on the accumulation of these fractions and their relationship with plant availability are limited. This study aimed to: (i) quantify changes in soil S fractions using both physical and chemical fractionation methods, and (ii) assess their relationship with S bioavailability, as indicated by uptake in a test crop, after 10 years of continuous phosphorus (P) and S fertilization. The experiment consisted of a factorial combination of three P rates (0, 20, and 40 kg P ha⁻¹) and four S rates (0, 12, 24, and 36 kg S ha⁻¹) applied to cereals from 2000 to 2010, within a crop sequence of maize—full season soybean—double-cropped wheat/soybean. In 2010, a maize crop was sown as a test crop, and S uptake was considered indicative of bioavailable S. Soil samples were collected before sowing the test crop in 2010, and S fractions were separated physically as S in particulate organic matter (S-POM) via wet sieving, and chemically into inorganic S (Sin), ester sulfate (S<span></span>O<span></span>C; organic S not directly bound to C), and C-bonded organic S (S<span></span>C). After 10 years of fertilization, S-POM, Sin, and S<span></span>O<span></span>C increased by 60%, 300%, and 83%, respectively, corresponding to increases of 4.6, 2.8, and 24.8 mg kg⁻¹ per 100 kg of cumulative applied S. S uptake by the test crop was positively associated with Sin and S<span></span>O<span></span>C, with uptake increases of 1.7 and 0.18 kg S ha⁻¹ for each 1 mg kg⁻¹ increase in these fractions, respectively. These results suggest that the Sin and S<span></span>O<span></span>C fractions explained the residual effects of 10 years of S fertilization in a Typic Argiudoll of the Pampas region, and may serve as reliable soil indicators for assessing long-term S fertility.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144792356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen Availability Governs Priming Effect Induced by Biodegradable Microplastics Through Microbial Life-Strategies","authors":"Hongxin Dong,&nbsp;Peng He,&nbsp;Minghui Liu,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov,&nbsp;Lu-Jun Li","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70170","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70170","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as an increasingly concerning soil contaminant. Although biodegradable plastics are good alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics in croplands, they can influence soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition through a priming effect. We investigated how the biodegradable MPs-induced priming effect responds to nitrogen (N) availability in soil. The impact of biodegradable MPs and mineral N on the priming effect was generalized by a meta-analysis, and the mechanisms were investigated by ¹³C isotope techniques coupled with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. By combining the meta-analysis of data from 67 publications with an incubation experiment, we tested the MPs-induced priming effect and their mechanisms depending on four levels of mineral N: 1.50, 0.75, 0.50, 0.30 mg N g⁻¹ soil. The meta-analysis suggested that the mineral N input decreased the priming effect induced by root exudates (effects size: −1.1) and MPs (effects size: −1.5), but increased the priming effect induced by biochar (effects size: 3.1). The effect size of mineral N input on the priming effect decreased with the increase of carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) between added organic carbon and mineral N. Due to the differences in MPs degradability, the range of the priming effects induced by polyhydroxyalkanoate was from 200% to 250%, while the priming effects induced by polylactic acid were negative (−22% to −5%). Mineral N primarily mitigated the MPs-induced priming effect by reducing the abundances of microorganisms with K-strategy (Acidobacteria and Basidiomycota), thereby reducing their N mining from SOM. Priming reduction by N fertilization was minimal when the C/N between added MPs carbon and mineral N was 10 (high N availability), and the abundance of <i>r</i>-strategists (Proteobacteria and Ascomycota) was large. We conclude that both <i>r</i>- and K-strategists collectively drive the intensity and direction of the MPs-induced priming effect, which decreases with increasing C/N between added MPs carbon and mineral N.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70170","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144782473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-Term Grazing Altered Soil Phosphorus Fractions via Inorganic Phosphorus Solubilisation in a Semi-Arid Grassland","authors":"Shuang Wang,&nbsp;Ying Li,&nbsp;Huan Hu,&nbsp;Xinyu Ding,&nbsp;Qimei Lin,&nbsp;Guitong Li,&nbsp;Xiaorong Zhao","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70176","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70176","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Phosphorus (P) is a crucial limiting nutrient in grassland ecosystems. Microorganisms play a vital role in soil P cycling and bioavailability. Grassland grazing profoundly affects soil P cycling, while the role of microbial-driven mechanisms in the regulation of soil P fractions by grazing intensity is yet unclear. Here, soil samples, primarily classified as calcic Chernozems, were collected from a long-term grazing experiment with grazing intensity gradients (0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, 9.0 sheep ha⁻¹) in a semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia. Soil chemical properties, P fractions, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and functional gene abundance of inorganic P (Pi) solubilisation (<i>pqqC</i>) and organic P (Po) mineralisation (<i>phoD</i>) were measured. As grazing intensity increased, soil pH increased while soil dissolved nitrogen (DN) decreased. The marked decline in soil total PLFAs resulted in a linear reduction in soil labile Po. The gradual increase in <i>pqqC</i> gene abundance and constant <i>phoD</i> gene abundance with increasing grazing intensity suggested that the Pi solubilisation processes, not Po mineralisation processes, were pivotal for soil P transformation when the soil microbial community's growth was limited. The enhanced soil Pi solubilisation reduced soil moderately labile Pi, which in turn affected soil moderately resistant Pi and labile Pi. Under grazing intensity gradients, the increased soil pH and decreased soil DN were also involved in the regulation of soil P fractions' transformations via affecting soil total PLFAs and <i>pqqC</i> gene abundance. Our findings underscore the importance of Pi solubilisation processes in regulating soil P cycling under long-term grazing intensity gradients, thereby providing valuable insights for sustainable grassland management and ecosystem conservation in semi-arid regions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144792357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-Term Biochar-Based Amendments Enhance Soil Aggregation and Litter Decomposition in Low-Input Cropping Systems","authors":"Getachew Mulatu,&nbsp;Abebe Nigussie,&nbsp;Milkyas Ahmed,&nbsp;Armaye Biresaw,&nbsp;Melkamu Mamuye,&nbsp;Bayu Dume,&nbsp;Alemayehu Regassa","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70171","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70171","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although the addition of biochar has been shown to improve soil quality, previous studies have applied biochar at a far higher rate than is realistic for many resource-poor farmers in the tropics. Thus, in order to be able to draw general conclusions, long-term experiments are required that mimic low-input cropping systems. This study aimed to determine the effect of continuous application of biochar-based soil amendments in a low-input cropping system on selected soil quality attributes, such as soil aggregation, labile carbon fractions, and litter decomposition rate. Different biochar-based soil amendments, namely (i) lignocellulosic biochar, (ii) bone char, and (iii) a biochar and compost mixture, were applied continuously for 9 years at a rate of 4 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. The effect of the biochar-based soil amendments was then compared with the mineral fertilizer treatment and the control (i.e., without chemical fertilizers and organic amendments). Compared with the control, the biochar-based soil amendments increased the mean weight diameter of soil aggregates (MWD) by 40%–70%, permanganate oxidized carbon (POXC) content by 45%–98%, particulate organic matter (POMC) content by 200%–300%, and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content by 80%–180%. Similarly, the biochar-based soil amendments increased MWD, POXC, POMC, and MBC contents compared with the mineral fertilizer treatment (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). This study demonstrates the benefits of applying biochar-based soil amendments for a long period, despite their low application rate. Such long-term experiments are crucial for sustainable environmental management because biochar remains in soils for centuries.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144782474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}