GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117558
Jin Gao, Jiawen Zhang, Yiwei Gong, Kaiming Yang, Weici Quan, Lu Li, Yuxi Wu, Rui Wang, Hongguang Cheng
{"title":"A robust soil quality index for mountain ecosystems driven by XGBoost and network analysis","authors":"Jin Gao, Jiawen Zhang, Yiwei Gong, Kaiming Yang, Weici Quan, Lu Li, Yuxi Wu, Rui Wang, Hongguang Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil quality is essential for sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation, and food security. Mountain soils are vulnerable to erosion, water and soil loss, and other disturbances. Sampling in mountainous areas remains challenging. There is a gap in accurate, efficient, and convenient soil quality evaluation. Uncertainty persists in selecting indicators that best reflect sustainable outcomes and the ecological functions of mountain soils. This is critical for preventing degradation. This study selects the mountainous region of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau as the research area, combining soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, and using Total Data Set (TDS) and Minimal Data Set (MDS) methods, incorporating soil quality indices with and without weights (SQI<sub>w</sub> and SQI<sub>nw</sub>), to assess mountain soil quality. We used Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Network Analysis (NA), and machine learning algorithms (XGBoost) to select different soil quality indicators and weights. Notably, these methods consistently identified key indicators such as β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), available potassium (AK), soil organic matter (SOM), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As), underscoring the critical roles of biological activity, nutrient availability (chemical), and heavy metal concentrations in mountain soil quality. We developed 12 SQI indices, namely: MDS-L-W-SQI<sub>PCA</sub>, MDS-NL-W-SQI<sub>PCA</sub>, MDS-L-NW-SQI<sub>PCA</sub>, MDS-NL-NW-SQI<sub>PCA</sub>, MDS-L-W-SQI<sub>NA</sub>, MDS-NL-W-SQI<sub>NA</sub>, MDS-L-NW-SQI<sub>NA</sub>, MDS-NL-NW-SQI<sub>NA</sub>, MDS-L-W-SQI<sub>XGBoost</sub>, MDS-NL-W-SQI<sub>XGBoost</sub>, MDS-L-NW-SQI<sub>XGBoost</sub>, and MDS-NL-NW-SQI<sub>XGBoost</sub>, and then compared different methods to select the best-performing model for mountain soil evaluation. The results show that the MDS-SQI constructed based on XGBoost has superior performance. The R<sup>2</sup> values for the TDS-SQI fit were 0.83, 0.85, 0.76, and 0.87. Fewer indicators improve efficiency while maintaining accuracy. The NA-based model performs better than the PCA-based one. Nonlinear scoring methods show higher sensitivity and better adapt to mountain soils. Both NA and XGBoost-based MDS-SQI exhibit higher SI and ER values. This capability is crucial for the Yunnan Jinsha River Basin, where hydropower development is ongoing. The predictive insights support soil management and address the current lack of evaluation frameworks in mountainous areas. This method reduces ambiguity in indicator selection and eclipsing errors. It provides a more scientific and reproducible framework for mountain soil quality evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117558"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Increase in organic carbon stocks in subsoil layers after two decades of organic amendment application cannot be explained by the estimated contribution of multiple C inputs","authors":"Florent Levavasseur , David Montagne , Yvan Capowiez , Claire Chenu , Frédéric Rees , Ophélie Sauzet , Sabine Houot","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil organic carbon (SOC) is important for both soil health and climate change mitigation. Organic amendment (OA) applications are known to increase SOC stocks. However, most existing studies have focused on surface soil layers, whereas the subsoil is an important SOC stock. In this study, we quantified SOC stock accrual over 0–90 <!--> <!-->cm in the QualiAgro long-term experiment after 24 years of OA application. While surface SOC stocks increased only with OA application, they increased significantly in the subsoil both with and without OA application. Compared to the control, OA application increased subsoil SOC stocks: from 5 % to 10 % and from 3 % to 13 % of the total SOC stocks accrual over the whole soil profile occurred in the 35–50 <!--> <!-->cm and 50–90 <!--> <!-->cm soil layers, respectively. C inputs to the subsoil layers were estimated: belowground crop C inputs using crop yields and allometric coefficients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leaching by direct measurement (lysimeter), illuviation and bioturbation by image analysis of soil thin sections. Potential C inputs did not fully explain the subsoil SOC stocks accrual. The contribution of belowground crop C ranged from 32 % to 54 % of the SOC stocks accrual. DOC leaching showed a limited contribution (1 to 5 %). The contribution of bioturbation and illuviation was very limited (≤3%). Our study suggests discrepancies in our current understanding of the mechanisms influencing subsoil SOC, and highlights the importance of considering the subsoil when monitoring the effect of OA application on SOC stocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117546"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-18DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117553
Mingkui Hao , Zhao Jin , Zhouqi Song , Chuanhao Pu , Guofan Cao , Jing Zhang
{"title":"Extreme terrain modification and urban anthropogenic pressure jointly reshape soil chemical properties: A case study of the MECC project in the Loess Plateau","authors":"Mingkui Hao , Zhao Jin , Zhouqi Song , Chuanhao Pu , Guofan Cao , Jing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban expansion is a major driver of soil degradation, particularly in ecologically fragile regions where large-scale landform modification is employed to accommodate urban growth. While many studies have examined soil changes under conventional urbanization, the combined effects of landform reshaping and human activity intensity remain underexplored. The Mountain Excavation and City Construction (MECC) project in Yan’an, China, represents an extreme case of engineered urban expansion, involving deep excavation and extensive gully filling to create buildable land. This study examined how such engineered urban expansion and associated anthropogenic pressures reshape urban soil chemical properties. We combined high-density soil sampling, remote sensing interpretation, and machine learning modeling. The respective influences of terrain engineering (excavation and fill), land use cover, and urban anthropogenic pressures (population density and nighttime light intensity) were evaluated. Results showed that soil carbon was particularly sensitive to engineering type, with excavation suppressing accumulation while fill promoted it. Soil pH responded more strongly to land use, where construction and bare land were linked to lower carbon levels and forest and grass land supported higher levels. Urban anthropogenic pressures showed significant negative correlations with carbon stock, and population density exhibited a power function relationship, indicating a non-linear response with a critical point beyond which changes in soil function decelerate. Random forest analysis identified human activity intensity as the dominant factor. Logistic regression further showed that these single-factor effects persisted in combination, with fill–vegetated areas under low anthropogenic pressure most favorable for carbon accumulation. These findings offer new insight into how large-scale terrain reshaping and urban intensification jointly alter soil systems, highlighting the need to account for their compound effects when designing urban land use strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117553"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117554
Nimisha Krishnankutty , Jörg Gelbrecht , Rasmus Jes Petersen , Dylan Rayner , Maximilian P. Lau , Stefan Frank , Roxane Andersen , Jaan Pärn , Ülo Mander , Wiktor Kotowski , Haojie Liu , Bo V. Iversen , Goswin Heckrath , Hans C.B. Hansen , Carl C. Hoffmann , Maarit I. Mäenpää , Tobias Goldhammer , Ain Kull , Adrian-Florin Florea , Dominik Zak
{"title":"A comprehensive porewater survey of European peatlands reveals sustained elevated phosphorus levels after 10–20 years of rewetting","authors":"Nimisha Krishnankutty , Jörg Gelbrecht , Rasmus Jes Petersen , Dylan Rayner , Maximilian P. Lau , Stefan Frank , Roxane Andersen , Jaan Pärn , Ülo Mander , Wiktor Kotowski , Haojie Liu , Bo V. Iversen , Goswin Heckrath , Hans C.B. Hansen , Carl C. Hoffmann , Maarit I. Mäenpää , Tobias Goldhammer , Ain Kull , Adrian-Florin Florea , Dominik Zak","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rewetting drained peatlands can lead to high nutrient mobilization, increased methane emissions, and a slow re-establishment of peat-forming vegetation. To guide effective restoration and management, understanding the temporal and spatial variability in porewater chemistry is essential. This study surveyed 64 natural and rewetted peatlands across Germany, Poland, Estonia, Sweden, Georgia, and Scotland from 1997 to 2017. A total of 812 anoxic porewater samples were collected using dialysis samplers (0–0.6 m depth). The rewetted fens exhibited a wide range of dissolved substances, spanning orders of magnitude for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP: 0.1–18.9 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), ammonium (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-N: 0.1–117.3 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC: 13–313 mg L<sup>−1</sup>). However, the mean concentrations were significantly higher than those observed in natural fens (p < 0.05). Depth-integrated mobilization rates for nutrients in rewetted fens were, on average, 23 times higher for SRP (1.8 mg P m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>-1</sup>) and 4.6 times higher for NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-N (3.6 mg N m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>-1</sup>) compared to their natural counterparts (0.1 mg P m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>-1</sup> and 0.8 mg N m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>-1</sup>). Seasonal variation was also evident in rewetted fens densely colonized by helophytes, with SRP concentrations being lower in the growing season. Notably, SRP concentrations remained elevated 10–20 years after rewetting; however, a 50–80 % decrease was observed at sites characterized by comparatively low iron content in the peat (< 20 mg g<sup>−1</sup> dry mass). Further investigations should explore how nutrient dynamics evolve over extended rewetting periods in different contexts, including climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117554"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117552
Lin Wang , Yunchao Wu , Jie Li , Jing Wen , Lina Lyu , Zhimao Mai , Runze Xue , Ding He , Si Zhang
{"title":"Biocrusts facilitate organic carbon preservation in tropical coral islands undergoing primary succession","authors":"Lin Wang , Yunchao Wu , Jie Li , Jing Wen , Lina Lyu , Zhimao Mai , Runze Xue , Ding He , Si Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical coral islands, often regarded as ‘oceanic deserts’, undergo primary succession mediated by biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which facilitate soil formation and regulate biogeochemical cycles. Despite their critical role in enhancing substrates essential for the tropical coral island development, the influence of biocrust successional stages on soil organic carbon composition, stability, and preservation remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined biocrust enzyme activity, microbial communities, and their role in soil organic carbon preservation and stabilization across three- and five-years development stages. As biocrusts developed on coral islands, recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC) content increased significantly, with semi-labile and ROC fractions increasing by 4.6-fold and 6.3-fold, respectively, highlighting the strong carbon-fixation capacity of biocrusts in calcareous sand on tropical coral islands. Notably, enhanced polyphenol oxidase and cellulase activity, driven by bacterial–fungal interactions, regulated ROC accumulation and preservation throughout biocrust development. Over the five-year developmental period, the levels of semi-labile and ROC in the calcareous sand increased quadratically with biocrust chlorophyll <em>a</em> (Chl<em>a</em>). The maximum preserved ROC content occurred at a Chl<em>a</em> content of 30.8 mg/kg, corresponding to 6.85 g/kg (dw) of ROC that could be sustainably stored in the calcareous sand. The preserved ROC effectively improving the carbon preservation potential of biocrusts within tropical coral island ecosystems. Overall, this study underscores the importance of understanding biocrust formation and development and its influence on the carbon cycle, providing valuable insights into the management of tropical coral island ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117552"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117533
Siqi Zhang , Shanyi Tian , Yurong Liu , Jiang Liu , Jitao Lv , Jianxu Wang , Yongguang Yin , Jianbo Shi , Cheng Zhang , Zhenwu Tang , Dingyong Wang , Tao Jiang
{"title":"Contrasting carbon processing and stabilization pathways in low- and high-mercury contaminated soils","authors":"Siqi Zhang , Shanyi Tian , Yurong Liu , Jiang Liu , Jitao Lv , Jianxu Wang , Yongguang Yin , Jianbo Shi , Cheng Zhang , Zhenwu Tang , Dingyong Wang , Tao Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interplay between plant-derived inputs and microbial processes govern soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Environmental contamination, particularly heavy metal stress, disrupts both plant input and microbial activity, thereby altering soil carbon sources and transformation processes. However, the specific contributions of microbial- and plant-derived carbon to SOC accumulation and the underlying mechanisms of carbon sequestration under contaminant stress, such as mercury (Hg), remain unclear. In this study, we collected 19 soil samples under varying Hg stress levels and quantified microbial- and plant-derived necromasses using amino sugars and lignin phenol as biomarkers. The SOC pool size, including both mineral-associated and particulate organic C decreased under high Hg stress (HgH). Additionally, SOC stability, evaluated using a persistence index based on the Hill number multifunctionality framework, was significantly lower for HgH, indicating lower carbon persistence. Furthermore, the source composition of the SOC pool differed across Hg levels, with lower plant-derived C and higher microbial-derived C observed in HgH soil, indicating a compensatory pattern. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry analysis revealed contrasting SOC sequestration and accumulation pathways in low- and high-Hg-contaminated soils. In HgH soils, a degradation-dominated pathway (i.e., priming effect) prevailed, whereas an accumulation-driven pathway (i.e., entombing effect) dominated in low-Hg soils. These findings underscore the importance of considering pollution-induced shifts in carbon cycling processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117533"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117555
Gabriel Y.K. Moinet , Michiel H. in ’t Zandt , Jan Hassink , Johanna Schild , Rosa Boone , Henk Martens , Carmen Vazquez , Peter M. van Bodegom , Chenguang Gao , Nick van Eekeren , Marie J. Zwetsloot , Howard Koster , Marta Loreggian , Giulia Vultaggio , Deborah J. de Groot , Rachel E. Creamer
{"title":"Sustainable intensification: time to question the goal of ever-increasing agricultural production","authors":"Gabriel Y.K. Moinet , Michiel H. in ’t Zandt , Jan Hassink , Johanna Schild , Rosa Boone , Henk Martens , Carmen Vazquez , Peter M. van Bodegom , Chenguang Gao , Nick van Eekeren , Marie J. Zwetsloot , Howard Koster , Marta Loreggian , Giulia Vultaggio , Deborah J. de Groot , Rachel E. Creamer","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soils play a pivotal role in agroecosystems by supporting multiple functions such as primary production, nutrient cycling, water regulation, climate regulation, and habitat for biodiversity. This study examines how land use intensity (LUI) affects soil multifunctionality in agricultural systems, with a focus on grasslands and croplands under conventional, organic and semi-natural management. Our approach uniquely combines detailed management information from commercial farms with a detailed assessment of multiple soil functions. By restricting the study to a narrow geographic area in the east of the Netherlands, we were able to isolate the effects of management from pedoclimatic variability, thus providing one of the first empirical tests of how LUI shapes multifunctionality under real farming conditions. Soil samples from 45 grasslands and 37 croplands were analysed. Soil functions were quantified using the Soil Navigator Decision Support System, and LUI was calculated from 11 management indicators for grasslands and croplands separately. Results showed that higher LUI improved primary production and nutrient cycling functions but negatively impacted climate regulation and habitat for biodiversity. Organic fields, defined here as those not receiving synthetic fertilisers or pest control, exhibited lower LUI, achieving better biodiversity and climate regulation but at a cost of productivity. Trade-offs were evident between primary production and biodiversity and climate regulation, while synergies were found between habitat for biodiversity and climate regulation. These findings emphasise the complexity of balancing soil functions at field scale, challenging claims that productivity can increase without trade-offs. We conclude that, rather than systematically aiming at intensifying production sustainably at field or farm scale, more attention should be given to balancing food availability with landscape management demands at regional to global scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117555"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117548
Xuqian Bai , Zhitao Zhang , Haorui Chen , Long Qian , Tianjin Dai , Ruiqi Li , Shuailong Fan , Sisi Jing , Junying Chen , Maosheng Ge
{"title":"A spatiotemporal fusion algorithm based on Fourier transform is developed to generate daily surface soil moisture with 20 m spatial resolution","authors":"Xuqian Bai , Zhitao Zhang , Haorui Chen , Long Qian , Tianjin Dai , Ruiqi Li , Shuailong Fan , Sisi Jing , Junying Chen , Maosheng Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate soil moisture data with detailed spatial and temporal resolutions are essential for hydrological modeling, precision agriculture, and climate research. Nonetheless, the intrinsic trade-off between spatial and temporal resolution in remote sensing limits the accessibility of soil moisture products at granular scales. This study presents a spatiotemporal fusion algorithm utilizing Fourier transform (STFFT), integrated with Random Forest (RF), the Water Cloud Model (WCM), and the radiative transfer model (PROSAIL) to create a comprehensive framework for downscaling surface soil moisture (SSM). Employing Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 datasets, we downscaled Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) soil moisture products to generate daily Soil Surface Moisture (SSM) maps at a 20-meter spatial resolution for the study area. The findings indicate that STFFT is more adept at accommodating SSM data marked by significant heterogeneity and scale discrepancies compared to traditional spatiotemporal fusion algorithms. Furthermore, STFFT exhibits computational efficiency and is independent of reference image selection. The amalgamation of RF with WCM and PROSAIL adeptly elucidates the intricate correlations between remote sensing variables and soil moisture; the suggested framework attains precise soil moisture mapping, evidenced by an average correlation coefficient (R) of 0.892 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.034 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup> across diverse land cover types. Compared to benchmark methods that produce an average R of 0.753 and an RMSE of 0.043 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>, STFFT demonstrates markedly enhanced accuracy and robustness, particularly in heterogeneous terrains. This study introduces an improved methodology for producing fine-scale soil moisture products characterized by enhanced spatiotemporal continuity and reliability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117548"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Soybean root exudates and low molecular weight organic acids on uniconazole adsorption in clay minerals: Mechanisms and environmental implications","authors":"Lihua Yang , Fangzhou Jiang , Weike Wei , Xuguo Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117545","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117545","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The environmental behavior of uniconazole, a widely used plant growth regulator, is strongly influenced by its interactions with clay minerals in soil, yet the influence of root exudates remains poorly understood. Based on our preliminary research, we hypothesized that natural soybean root exudates and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) promote the adsorption of uniconazole in clay minerals. To examine this overarching hypothesis, we integrated batch equilibrium experiment and molecular spectroscopy with density functional theory (DFT) simulations. At 20 mmol L<sup>−1</sup>, exudates and LMWOAs enhanced adsorption by 12.8–51.7 %, with stronger effects on montmorillonite (17.6–51.7 %) than kaolinite (12.8–30.9 %). Structurally complex acids (oxalic, malic, citric) and root exudates promoted adsorption across 5–80 mmol L<sup>−1</sup> via strong Al complexation, whereas simpler acids (tartaric, acetic) inhibited adsorption at higher concentrations due to site competition. Mechanistic analyses revealed that electrostatic attraction, coordination complexation, LMWOA bridging, ion exchange, and hydrogen bonding enhanced chemisorption, with slight mechanistic differences between exudates and single acids. DFT simulations demonstrated that oxalic acid increased adsorption energy, stabilizing interactions, facilitating hydrogen bond formation, and enhancing electrostatic attraction. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics followed the Freundlich, D-R, and pseudo-second-order models, suggesting a multilayer chemisorption mechanism. This study provides a mechanistic insight into how soybean root exudates and LMWOAs enhance uniconazole adsorption on clay minerals, highlighting the critical role of organic acid structure and concentration in modulating herbicide–clay interactions and influencing their environmental fate, raising concerns about the potential accumulation of plant growth regulators in soil ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117545"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GeodermaPub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117550
Farnaz Sharghi S. , Sara L. Bauke , Mehdi Rahmati , Dymphie J. Burger , Harry Vereecken , Wulf Amelung
{"title":"Soil infiltration variability across diverse soil reference groups, textures, and landuse types","authors":"Farnaz Sharghi S. , Sara L. Bauke , Mehdi Rahmati , Dymphie J. Burger , Harry Vereecken , Wulf Amelung","doi":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil infiltration, a key process in the terrestrial water cycle, is typically measured pointwise, but is often upscaled by averaging across different soil groups or even texture classes, e.g., when parameterizing water movement in land surface models. We hypothesize that for upscaling, in addition to soil texture, infiltration rates/parameters vary also between different reference soil groups and landuse types. Therefore, we analyzed the between- and within-group variabilities of key infiltration parameters, e.g. saturated hydraulic conductivity (<em>K<sub>s</sub></em>) and final infiltration rate (<em>i<sub>c</sub></em>), derived from the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database by calculating mutual information and a set of other commonly used statistical measures (e.g., standard deviation) among those classifiers. Results showed that soil texture alone is inadequate to scale up infiltration parameters, leading to lower mutual information and higher standard deviation values of 0.16 and 1.08 for <em>i<sub>c</sub></em>, as well as to 0.16 and 3.65 for <em>K</em><sub>s</sub>, respectively. Similarly, landuse also failed to explain the observed variation in infiltration parameters (with mutual information = 0.28 and 0.14 and standard deviation = 1.10 and 4.08 for <em>i</em><sub>c</sub> and <em>K</em><sub>s</sub>, respectively). In contrast, the World Reference Base soil group was superior to texture and landuse in explaining the observed variability of infiltration parameters, specifically for <em>i</em><sub>c</sub> (with higher mutual information and lower standard deviation of 0.52 and 1.10, respectively). The integrated classification of texture, landuse and reference groups resulted in even higher mutual information and lower standard deviation values (with mutual information values of 0.66 and 0.54 for <em>i<sub>c</sub></em> and <em>K<sub>s</sub></em>, respectively). These results highlight that accounting for the soil classification beyond soil texture should be considered when scaling up the infiltration process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12511,"journal":{"name":"Geoderma","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 117550"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145278321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}