European Journal of Soil Science最新文献

{"title":"Response of Soil Erosion Resistance to Decomposition of Incorporated Straw Affected by Microbial Inoculant Rate in the Black Soil Region, Northeast China","authors":"Yatong Zhang,&nbsp;Guanghui Zhang,&nbsp;Ning Zhang,&nbsp;Shukun Xing,&nbsp;Yi Zhang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70382","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70382","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil erosion resistance, expressed by rill erodibility (<i>K</i>_<i>r</i>) and critical shear stress (<i>τ</i>_<i>c</i>), is a crucial parameter for estimating soil erosion induced by concentrated flow. Straw incorporation is a commonly used measure to mitigate erosion. The changes in soil properties and root traits triggered by straw incorporation and its decomposition likely affect soil erosion resistance. The application of microbial inoculants can stimulate straw decomposition and thus further regulate erosion resistance, particularly in regions of high altitude and latitude. However, few studies have quantified how soil erosion resistance responds to straw decomposition affected by microbial inoculant application rate in croplands. In this study, the flume scouring tests were carried out to identify how the straw decomposition rate (SDR) regulated by different microbial inoculant application rates (0, 1.9, 3.8, 7.5, 11, 15 kg ha⁻¹) influenced soil erosion resistance in the northeastern black soil region. The related factors affecting soil erosion resistance were determined in situ or in the laboratory. The results indicated that SDR of plots applied with straw microbial inoculant increased by 10%–33% compared to the control. <i>K</i>_<i>r</i> decreased (<i>R</i>² = 0.85, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) while <i>τ</i>_<i>c</i> increased (<i>R</i>² = 0.79, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) logarithmically with the increase of SDR. Compared to the control, <i>K</i>_<i>r</i> decreased by 22%–68% and <i>τ</i>_<i>c</i> increased by 41%–60% in plots with different straw microbial inoculant application rates. <i>K</i>_<i>r</i> showed a significant negative correlation with soil organic matter content, soil cohesion, aggregate stability, SDR, and root mass density, as well as a significant positive correlation with silt content. <i>τ</i>_<i>c</i> had a significant association with soil aggregate stability. The key mechanisms for enhancing soil erosion resistance were the direct and indirect effects of straw incorporation and its decomposition on soil physicochemical properties and root traits. 11 kg ha⁻¹ was suggested as the suitable application rate of straw microbial inoculant in croplands of Northeast China. These findings are valuable for comprehending how soil erosion resistance responds to the decomposition rate of incorporated straw affected by different microbial inoculant application rates. They also provide a process-based understanding of straw management for improving soil structural stability in cold, high-latitude agricultural regions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148408931","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":"Dominant Microbial, Aggregate, and Mineral Pathways of SOC Quantity and Lability: Insights From SOC Functional Groups","authors":"Mengrou Li,&nbsp;Xianfeng Zhang,&nbsp;Xiuli Xin,&nbsp;Wenliang Yang,&nbsp;Anning Zhu","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70377","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70377","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Organic amendments are widely used to restore soil carbon (C) in Mollisols of croplands, yet how microbial-, aggregate-, and mineral-associated processes are related to soil C quantity and lability remains unclear. Here, we conducted a 3-year field experiment in Mollisols of Northeast China to evaluate manure, biochar, and their co-application effects on soil organic carbon (SOC), easily oxidizable organic C (EOC), SOC functional group composition, microbial network properties, aggregate-associated C, and mineral-associated C. Across the 3 years, biochar increased SOC, manure enhanced EOC, and co-application increased both. These divergent C responses were accompanied by changes in SOC functional groups, with manure enriching carbohydrate-derived labile fractions and biochar increasing SOC hydrophobicity. Random forest analysis identified hydrophobicity, Aryl C, and Carboxyl C as key predictors of SOC, whereas O-alkyl and Di-O-alkyl C best explained EOC variation. Microbial co-occurrence network properties were statistically associated with SOC hydrophobicity and Di-O-alkyl C, while macroaggregate-associated C and mineral-associated C fractions were positively linked to SOC hydrophobicity. Partial least squares path modeling further suggested that SOC accumulation was associated with increases in Aryl C and Carboxyl C, with stronger positive contributions from macroaggregate formation than microbial network properties. In contrast, microbial co-occurrence network complexity showed a negative correlation with O-alkyl and Di-O-alkyl C, indicating a potential linkage between network structure and labile C dynamics. Overall, our findings show that manure-biochar co-application achieved concurrent increases in SOC and EOC, accompanied by greater aggregate- and mineral-associated C fractions and lower microbial co-occurrence network size. This integrated evidence highlights manure-biochar co-application as a practical strategy for improving both soil C storage and labile C availability in Mollisols.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148394105","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":"Biochar and Green Compost Used in Cascade: The Link Between Circular Horticulture and Soil Improvement","authors":"Bart Vandecasteele,&nbsp;Jarinda Viaene,&nbsp;Rianne Visser,&nbsp;Amine Lataf,&nbsp;Ann Cuypers,&nbsp;Dries Vandamme","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70376","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70376","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Carbon-rich biomass such as compost or biochar can be used for a variety of soil applications including C sequestration or targeted improvement of soil cation exchange capacity, organic carbon (C) and pH. The use of exogenous organic matter rich in C is expected to increase, increasing the risk of biomass shortages. Use of materials in cascade is one strategy to avoid competition for C-rich biomass. Green composts and wood-based biochars are examples of renewable materials, most often applied directly to soils, that can also be used as bulk replacement for peat in horticultural substrates. After use in cultivation, these horticultural substrates can again be used as a soil improver, either directly or after further processing into compost or biochar. Three cases were studied: (1) the sequential use of biochar in a horticultural cascade, (2) comparison of green composts vs. spent horticultural substrates as organic soil improver, and (3) comparison of wood-based biochars with biochars made from either spent horticultural substrates or various sources of biomass as organic soil improver. For Case 1, the use of biochar in cascade, starting with growing media containing 10% v/v wood-based biochar, showed an added value for exogenous organic matter used as soil improvers: the addition of wood-based biochar in the growing medium resulted in a higher C content in the spent horticultural substrates. The high C/P ratio was maintained in the spent growing media, even after composting or conversion into biochar. In Case 2, spent growing media containing green compost had a higher added value as soil improver and source of stable C than the pure green compost: these materials had a higher C content and higher biological stability and thus a lower oxygen uptake rate and/or C mineralization rate than pure green compost. Their microbial biomass remained high, at levels comparable to green compost. For Case 3, biochars produced from spent growing media clearly differed from biochars made from wood, bark, or straw-like fibers in terms of nutrients, organic and inorganic C content, and short-term biological stability. In particular, the biochars made from spent growing media had a higher acid-buffering capacity due to their higher inorganic C content. Biochars from spent growing media may have a lower biological stability when produced at 400°C–450°C in comparison to biochars produced at higher temperatures, as well as biochars produced from wood. A high risk of N immobilization was observed in the biochars produced from spent growing media, similar to the wood-based biochars and the biochars produced from bark or straw-like fiber. In conclusion, this study indicated that (a) using biochar in a horticultural cascade resulted in exogenous organic matter for use as soil improver with a higher C content and biological stability, (b) using green compost in a horticultural cascade resulted in exogenous organic matter with a higher C content ","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148393897","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":"Reducing Nitrous Oxide Emissions Associated With Fertiliser Using Nitrogen Enriched Biochar","authors":"Jonathan H. Lindhardt,&nbsp;Karoline Schnorr,&nbsp;Sander Bruun,&nbsp;Lars S. Jensen","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70375","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70375","url":null,"abstract":"<p>There is a need for agricultural practices that decrease nitrous oxide emissions while sustaining yields for food production. In the current paper, we investigate the possibility of reducing emissions by co-applying or enriching biochar with mineral nitrogen and using it as a fertiliser. By measuring the nitrous oxide fluxes from soil incubation experiments with biochar and mineral N fertiliser at 60%, 70% and 80% water-filled pore space (WFPS), we examined the effect of biochar on fertilisation associated nitrous oxide emissions at different soil moisture levels. Furthermore, we examined the effects of different biochar feedstocks and mineral N application methods, either as mineral N enriched biochar (biochar soaked in mineral N solution and dried) or as co-applied biochar and mineral N fertiliser. Nitrous oxide emissions were negligible at 60% WFPS, whereas at 80% WFPS mean accumulated N₂O emissions over 34 days of 12.1 μg N₂O-N g soil⁻¹ for the mineral N treatment and 9.1 μg N₂O-N g soil⁻¹ for the co-applied biochar and mineral N treatment were found, but the difference was not statistically significant. When applying biochar from four different feedstocks, accumulated nitrous oxide emissions were not significantly different between them, but the mean accumulated soil nitrous oxide emissions across all mineral N enriched biochars did show a significant reduction compared to the mineral N positive control. These results indicate a potential for using mineral N enriched biochar for reducing mineral N fertiliser associated N₂O emissions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70375","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148372316","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":"Straw Input Altered the Composition of Aggregate-Associated Organic Carbon in Soils With Different Initial Carbon Status","authors":"Xu Liu,&nbsp;Tingting An,&nbsp;Roland Bol,&nbsp;Chang Peng,&nbsp;Shuangyi Li,&nbsp;Lei Du,&nbsp;Jingkuan Wang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70373","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70373","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Initial soil carbon (C) status affects microbial utilization for plant residue and changes the retention of plant- and microbial-derived C in soils. Soil aggregates stabilize organic C components through physical protection and mineral adsorption. Nevertheless, the information about how crop straw incorporation affects aggregates-associated organic C sources and composition is limited, especially in soils with different initial C status. Here, the initial low (LC) and high C (HC) Mollisols were incubated with or without the addition of maize straw (followed as 12 t ha⁻¹) for 360 days in Northeast China. The SOC content in the topsoil (0–20 cm) of LC and HC was 15.5 and 25.2 g kg⁻¹, respectively. The effect of inherent soil C on the accumulation of lignin phenol and microbial necromass and the chemical composition of organic C within soil aggregates (macroaggregates, &gt; 0.25 mm; and microaggregates, &lt; 0.25 mm) was investigated after adding maize straw. Maize straw addition increased the concentration of total lignin phenol within macroaggregates by 39% in LC soil but decreased that concentration within both macroaggregates and microaggregates by 18% and 41% in HC soil, respectively. These results indicated that straw addition had a positive significance in enhancing the contribution of plant lignin components to macroaggregates-associated organic C in initial low C soil. Moreover, maize straw addition increased the contribution of amino sugar to organic C within macroaggregates and increased the relative proportion of O-alkyl C in organic C within microaggregates in both LC and HC soils, indicating that independent of initial soil C status, microbial necromass and labile organic C components played differential roles in mediating aggregate-associated organic C in soils following maize straw addition. Overall, changes in aggregate-associated organic C in both initial low and high C soils following straw amendment were depicted by organic C molecular composition alteration.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148355766","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":"Depth- and Elevation-Dependent Contributions of Bacterial Generalists and Specialists to Soil Multifunctionality in a World Natural Heritage Mountain Ecosystem","authors":"Xiuyuan Yang,&nbsp;Xianliang Wu,&nbsp;Anding Li,&nbsp;Yingying Liu,&nbsp;Wenmin Luo,&nbsp;Guiting Mu,&nbsp;Hefeng Wan,&nbsp;Lei Hao,&nbsp;Zhun Xiang,&nbsp;Haibo Li","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70371","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ejss.70371","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Little is known about the vertical differentiation of generalist and specialist microbial groups within soil profiles and their impact on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) along altitudinal gradients. In this study, soil samples were collected from multiple depths at permanent plots in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site of Fanjing Mountain at varying altitudes. High-throughput sequencing, combined with linear mixed-effects models and interpretable machine learning analyses, was employed to investigate microbial community structure, diversity, network characteristics, assembly processes, and the driving factors of EMF. Soil water content increased significantly with altitude (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), while catalase activity decreased with altitude; both parameters were higher in surface soils compared to deeper layers. Generalists were more abundant in surface soils, whereas specialists exhibited a higher turnover rate and frequently transitioned to generalists. The Shannon diversity indices of the two groups differed between soil layers, with the Shannon diversity of specialists in deep soil showing a significant positive effect on EMF (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Network complexity and stability varied with soil depth. EMF in topsoil was primarily influenced by soil physicochemical properties, whereas EMF in subsoil was more strongly affected by climatic variables. These findings highlight the critical roles of altitude, soil depth, and environmental heterogeneity in shaping the differentiation of microbial communities and ecosystem functions in mountainous regions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148342520","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":"AD ‐ GAT : A Decoupled Graph Attention Network for Anisotropic 3D Soil Modeling","authors":"Jia Hu, Hengkai Li, Yanbing Zhou, Shengdong Nie, Huan Tao, Guanshi Wang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70370","url":null,"abstract":"Three‐dimensional precision mapping of black soil is a prerequisite for scientifically assessing its degradation status. However, formation and depositional processes determine its strong spatial anisotropy characteristics. Coupled with the sparseness of field borehole data, existing three‐dimensional modeling methods are unable to accurately capture its spatial structure. Given that typical black soils are physically characterized by a surface layer enriched in fine particles (loam), using three‐dimensional texture classification to indirectly represent their spatial occurrence provides a practical and meaningful approach. In response to this challenge, this paper proposes a new deep learning model called the Anisotropic Decoupled Graph Attention Network (AD‐GAT), to model the three‐dimensional stratified structure of soil texture under sparse data conditions. This method uses a parallel architecture to extract content features and incorporates a decoupled spatial attention module (DSAM) to distinguish horizontal and vertical spatial dependencies, thereby learning complex anisotropic patterns. Taking the 3D modeling of Haicheng City as an example (115 boreholes), the superiority of the AD‐GAT model was verified through a systematic comparison with geostatistical methods (3D‐IK), classical machine learning (RF), and standard graph neural networks (GCN). The results show that AD‐GAT achieves superior performance in terms of the Macro F1 score (85.32%) and recall (91.58%), while also attaining a higher Kappa coefficient (0.80). The Monte Carlo Dropout‐based indicators also showed relatively low predictive uncertainty. Ablation experiments further demonstrate the synergistic contributions of individual model components to overall performance improvement. The 3D visualization results further confirm that AD‐GAT can consistently reproduce soil structures with strong spatial continuity and clear stratigraphic boundaries. On this basis, the proposed method provides an effective solution for three‐dimensional soil modeling under sparse data conditions and, by characterizing the three‐dimensional spatial structure of soil texture, offers structural insights for understanding the spatial distribution of black soils and their associated degradation processes.","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"332 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148288415","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":"Site‐Specific Climate Impacts Outweigh No‐Till Benefits for Modelled Winter Wheat Yields Across a European Gradient","authors":"Katharina Hildegard Elisabeth Meurer, Maria Eliza Turek, Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Pullens, Edberto Moura‐Lima, Jeroen D. M. Schreel, Annelie Holzkämper, Bano Mehdi‐Schulz","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70363","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable soil management practices, including conservation tillage practices, such as reduced tillage and no‐till, are considered beneficial for different soil functions. So far, additional benefits of applying conservation tillage to improve crop yields under climate change are not fully clear and have rarely been investigated, particularly how potential benefits vary over time and under different pedo‐climatic conditions. Using a cross‐site and multi‐model setup with four agro‐hydrological models, this study sheds light on the questions whether, when, and where adaptation benefits of conservation tillage can be expected under future climate scenarios (time period 2020–2090, shared socio‐economic pathways ssp2‐4.5 and ssp5‐8.5). To evaluate these questions, we used observations from three long‐term experimental field trials in Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria to assess the benefits of no‐till compared to conventional tillage regarding winter wheat ( <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Triticum aestivum</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> L.) productivity and soil hydrology, including key water balance components, such as actual evapotranspiration, percolation, and surface runoff. Our results suggest that the influence of climate scenarios of the respective sites overcome the potential benefits of the tillage management. While the simulated yields and water balance components showed different trends at the three sites, the intensity of the change was mainly driven by the climate models, where the climate model projecting the most intense changes in terms of temperature and precipitation most often also resulted in shorter growing periods and, related to that, higher yield losses. Therefore, no robust estimates of the adaptation benefits of no‐till practices on winter wheat productivity could be quantified based on model ensemble projections, indicating stability in grain yields regardless of the tillage management. In general, the study results suggest that tillage as only adaptation measure is not sufficient to minimize future climate change‐derived yield gaps and, consequently, ensure food security. Further work should explore the use of site‐specific agricultural technologies, such as precision farming and variable rate application, as well as adaptation of (different) crops through targeted breeding for local conditions.","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148288414","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":"Implications of Land Cover Classification on Soil Carbon Monitoring—Comparing LUCAS and Swedish Soil Inventories","authors":"Rong Lang, Martin A. Bolinder, Johanna Wetterlind, Carin Sjöstedt, Erik Karltun, Mattias Lundblad, Katharina H. E. Meurer, Anke M. Herrmann, Thomas Kätterer","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70369","url":null,"abstract":"National soil monitoring programs and the EU‐level Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) operate in parallel, repeatedly taking soil samples and analyzing them to support policies on monitoring soil health, including soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the comparability of SOC changes derived from different monitoring programs remains uncertain. In this study, we aimed to identify the sources of these differences and to illustrate the effect of land cover classification on SOC change. The LUCAS soil sampling did not reflect the actual proportions of cropland and grassland in Sweden. Overlaying the LUCAS grassland points with the Swedish Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) showed that about 65% of the extracted points belonged to arable rotations, and 76% of this inconsistency was attributed to leys and fallow. We further compared SOC changes in the topsoil of cropland and grassland using LUCAS data from 2009, 2015, and 2018, before and after adjusting land cover using LPIS. The median change in SOC between 2015 and 2018 was 0.11% (95% CI −0.01%–0.17%, effect size 0.22) for continuous cropland (CC), and 0.22% (95% CI −0.11%–0.54%, effect size 0.25) for continuous grassland (GG). After adjustment, SOC change became significant and more positive for CC (median 0.15%, 95% CI 0.09%–0.25%, effect size 0.35), but less positive for GG (median 0.08%, 95% CI −0.81–0.70, effect size 0.01). Further differentiating ley occurrence in the arable rotation and grassland subgroups showed a larger SOC increase with higher ley occurrence in arable rotations, but a less positive or even negative SOC change in grassland subgroups. The trends in SOC changes after adjusting land cover became similar to those observed in the Swedish national inventories. Our results highlight the importance of recognizing differences among cropping systems and the need for improving data harmonization across monitoring programs.","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148288641","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":"Mid‐Infrared Spectroscopy to Estimate Ratios of Soil Organic Carbon to Clay","authors":"Jonah M. Prout, Timo S. Breure, Keith D. Shepherd, Gifty E. Acquah, Franklin D. Hewlett, Steve P. McGrath, . Kirk, Stephan M. Haefele","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70353","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70353","url":null,"abstract":"The index based on the ratio of soil organic carbon to clay concentration (SOC/clay) has been confirmed as an effective tool for assessing the organic matter status of mineral soils. The index contains four classes: very good (SOC/clay ≥ 1/8), good (1/10–1/8), moderate (1/13–1/10) and degraded (≤ 1/13). Conventional analyses of SOC and clay concentrations are resource intensive, however. Here, we investigate the use of mid‐infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) as an alternative for quantifying SOC/clay ratios and the index. We use data from the National Soil Inventory of England and Wales ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 1301). We obtained RMSE values of 3.6 and 57 g kg <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> for estimations of SOC and clay concentrations by MIRS, respectively. We found that a simplified three‐class index was satisfactory for predictions using MIRS. The accuracy of clay concentration estimations was a limiting factor, particularly for the combined middle class (approx. 60%–70% success). Over 80% of the samples in the other two classes were correctly predicted. The probability that a sample was in the estimated index class can be used to filter out estimates likely to be misclassified. The filtering removed at least twice the number of misclassified samples as the number of correctly classified that had below‐threshold probability. We found that uncertainty estimates are more informative if calculated from the component estimates of SOC and clay rather than the SOC/clay ratio. An important source of uncertainty is the mismatch between MIRS estimates of clay concentration based on clay mineralogy and conventional estimates based on particle size fraction. The additional information on clay mineralogy given by MIRS means it provides a better characterisation of SOC–clay interactions affecting soil functioning.","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148288440","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}