Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Soil microbial resource limitation and use efficiency shift with turf transplantation and polygonal cracking in alpine meadows of the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Jianming Li ,&nbsp;Qinghua Liu ,&nbsp;Ruyi Luo ,&nbsp;Juan Zhan ,&nbsp;Ruixuan Li ,&nbsp;Jianfei Wang ,&nbsp;Xueyong Pang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human activities on the Tibetan Plateau have severely degraded native ecosystems, necessitating effective restoration strategies such as turf transplantation. However, the early-stage ecological impacts of this method, particularly microbial responses to polygonal soil cracks at turf interfaces, remain poorly understood. We conducted a 3-year field experiment in southeastern Tibet to compare microbial resource limitation and use efficiency between normal turf (NT) and degraded polygonal crack areas (DT). Results showed that turf transplantation reduced vegetation cover (by 19.5–41.3%) and diversity compared to natural grasslands, while polygonal cracks expanded 4.8-fold by the third year. Soil pH declined, but carbon (175% increase in DOC) and nitrogen availability rose in NT, contrasting with nutrient depletion in DT. Enzyme stoichiometry revealed intensified microbial carbon limitation in both NT and DT, shifting from C-N limitation to C-P limitation in NT and from C-P limitation to C-N limitation in DT. Carbon use efficiency (CUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) decreased by 12–18% in DT as crack area increased, driven by enzyme-mediated nutrient imbalances and microbial metabolic trade-offs. Structural equation modeling indicated polygonal cracks altered enzyme stoichiometry ratios, directly reducing CUE and NUE. These findings highlight that polygonal cracking disrupts microbial resource partitioning, exacerbating nutrient constraints and impairing carbon sequestration during early-stage turf restoration. Mitigating crack formation is critical for enhancing the sustainability of alpine grassland rehabilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106665"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144084393","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":"Biocrusts-induced changes of surface soil rheological properties and their connections to biofilaments and extracellular polymeric substances in abandoned farmlands","authors":"Xingxing Yu ,&nbsp;Bo Xiao ,&nbsp;Joshua Heitman","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abandoned farmlands are increasing due to socio-economic changes and land marginalization, and they require sustainable land management practices. Biocrusts are a common cover on the topsoil of abandoned farmlands and play an important role in improving soil stability and erosion resistance. The critical functions of biocrusts are known to mostly rely on their biofilaments and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), but how these components act at microscopic scale is still unknown, while rheological methods are able to provide new insights into biocrust microstructural stability at particle scale. Here, bare soil and two representative types of biocrusts (cyanobacterial and moss crusts) developed on sandy (Ustipsamments) and sandy loam (Haplustepts) soils in abandoned farmlands in the northern Chinese Loess Plateau were collected at a sampling depth of 2 cm. Changes in the rheological properties of the biocrusts were analyzed with respect to their biofilament network and EPS contents to provide possible explanations. The rheological results showed that compared with bare soil, storage and loss moduli were decreased by the biocrusts on sandy soil, but they were increased by the biocrusts on sandy loam soil. Other rheological parameters τ_max, γ_L, γ_YP, and <em>Iz</em> of biocrusts on both soils were significantly higher than those of bare soil, showing higher viscoelasticity. And the moss crusts had about 10 times higher rheological property values than the cyanobacterial crusts. Analysis from SEM images showed that the moss crusts had higher biofilament network parameters than the cyanobacterial crusts, including nodes, crosslink density, branches, branching ratio and mesh index, and biofilament density, indicating that the biofilament network structure in the moss crusts was more compact and complex in contrast to the cyanobacterial crusts. Additionally, EPS content of the moss crusts was higher than that of the cyanobacterial crusts on both soils. Overall, the crosslink density, biofilament density, and EPS content of the biocrusts were significantly and positively correlated with their γ_YP and <em>Iz</em>. The interaction between crosslink density and biofilament density contributed 73.2 % of γ_YP, and that between crosslink density and EPS content contributed 84.0 % of <em>Iz</em>. Our findings highlight the biocrusts-induced changes of abandoned farmland soil rheological properties in drylands, and the importance of biocrust biofilament network and EPS in maintaining abandoned farmland soil microstructural stability to resist soil water/wind erosion and degradation, providing a new perspective for sustainable management of abandoned farmlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106651"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067216","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":"Effects of different restoration methods on soil aggregate phosphorus availability and fractions in alpine mine slopes","authors":"Qinqing Yang ,&nbsp;Peng Wang ,&nbsp;Jingyao Xiao ,&nbsp;Shenghao Ai ,&nbsp;Jianing Kou ,&nbsp;Tingting Chen ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Ai ,&nbsp;Jinqiang Ma ,&nbsp;Yingwei Ai","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deficiency of soil phosphorus (P) resources is a challenge of worldwide concern. The efficiency of soil P utilization in alpine mine slopes is especially poor, which limits the growth of plants, making slopes difficult to restore and causing frequent natural disasters. In this study, three mine slopes were chosen as representative study sites on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the soil aggregate P fractions' distribution and changes under frame beam restoration slope (FRS), metal wire mesh restoration slope (MRS), and natural slope (NS) were investigated, as well as the mechanisms relating P fractions to P availability. The results demonstrated that soil aggregate P availability and fractions in alpine mine slopes were significantly impacted by various restoration methods. In soil aggregates of both FRS and MRS, TP and AP contents were lower than NS, and showing a trend of FRS&gt;MRS. The P activation coefficients were almost all &lt; 2 % in the soil aggregates of three slopes, indicating that TP was difficult to convert to AP. In all three slopes, the total inorganic P contents of soil aggregates with varying particle sizes were NS &gt; FRS &gt; MRS. Classifying the P fractions by stability, the soil P fractions contents generally showed that active P &lt; moderately active P &lt; stable P, and soil aggregates with different particle sizes in FRS had substantially greater active P contents than those in MRS. Additionally, H₂O-Pi and DHCl-Pi showed significant direct negative effects on AP, with path coefficients of −0.24 and −0.30 respectively. The physicochemical factors pH and SOM, which mainly drove changes in soil P fractions, also differed because they were affected by different restoration methods. This study will be dedicated to providing a theoretical framework for managing soil P in alpine mine slopes during the ecological restoration process and providing reference opinions for the selection of restoration techniques for alpine mines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106657"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067213","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":"Water erosion shapes deformation in alpine meadow patches on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Lirong Zhao ,&nbsp;Kexin Li ,&nbsp;Suyuan Jia ,&nbsp;Zeng Cui ,&nbsp;Yi-Fan Liu ,&nbsp;Shixiong Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoli Wang ,&nbsp;Nufang Fang ,&nbsp;Yu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing area of bare soil and shrinking meadow patches are a typical degradation process that occurs in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The production of runoff and sediment during water erosion is one of driving force in evolution of bare soil and meadow patches. However, how water erosion affects the deformation and evolution of meadow patches remains unclear. Here the effects of water erosion on patch deformation and evolution were estimated via simulation experiments and model estimation. The results showed that water erosion clearly shaped patch morphology and promoted patch evolution. The lateral flow on the patch exhibited stronger erosive forces than the forward flow. The erosion volume and retreat length of the bottom section of the patches were significantly greater than those of the upper section. The upper mattic epipedon could rupture or collapse when the undercutting length reached the critical length of 31.90 ± 0.54 cm, and the process was about 55 years or more. The average retreat rate of meadow patches simulated from 1950 to 2014 was approximately 4–10 mm y⁻¹, and this rate will likely increase as climate change intensifies in the future. Therefore, the total time required for patches to evolve from formation to rupture or collapse may be even shorter than our estimates, and these findings will help to address challenges faced by meadow patch collapse. The study findings clarified the important role of water erosion in the shaping and evolution of meadow patches. Additional studies and long-term monitoring databases are needed to determine the impacts of abnormal rainfall on meadow patch evolution under climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106664"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067202","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":"No-tillage is beneficial for controlling ground-dwelling cricket population: Evidence from gut microbiota","authors":"Meiyan Li ,&nbsp;Cao Hao ,&nbsp;Aizhen Liang ,&nbsp;Shuchen Liu ,&nbsp;Liang Chang ,&nbsp;Jeppe Lund Nielsen ,&nbsp;Donghui Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The gut microbiota of soil animals, a key component of soil biodiversity, is critical for host fitness and agroecosystem functioning. Despite the fact that effects of conservation tillage on soil animals and soil microbial communities have been extensively investigated, soil animal-associated microbiota remains poorly understood. Crickets are a globally distributed group of soil macroarthropods in agroecosystems, and as one of the major contributors to negative impacts on crop growth and yield, exploring cricket gut microbiota provides a key mechanism for balancing soil pest management with ecosystem health in conservation agriculture. In this study, we investigated the bacterial and fungal communities in the guts of the cricket species <em>Teleogryllus infernalis</em>, using amplicon sequencing in three different tillage practices: conventional moldboard plow tillage with no straw mulch (CT), moldboard plow with straw mulch (MP) and no-tillage with straw cover (NT). The findings of the study revealed that conservation tillage altered the abundance of crickets and their gut microbiota. MP had the highest gut bacterial and fungal richness among the three treatments. The gut microbiota of female crickets was affected by different tillage practices, while there were no significant differences in male crickets. The positive interactions dominating the gut microbial co-occurrence network decreased with increasing intensity of conservation tillage. Distinct driving patterns were exhibited by gut bacterial and fungal communities, which were influenced by soil microhabitat conditions. The observed changes in diversity, composition, and network interaction of the gut microbiota were found to be closely related to the abundance of crickets. Structured equation models further revealed that conservation tillage drove the effects of gut microbes on cricket abundance by influencing soil microbial communities. Our results suggest that conservation tillage management influences both cricket gut microbial communities and cricket abundance by regulating soil conditions. Among the tillage practices studied, NT emerges as a potential strategy for reducing the abundance of soil-dwelling crickets and gut microbial diversity, making it a viable option for pest management in conservation agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106643"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143949082","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":"Applying stable isotopes to illuminate the mechanism of water use in wheat fields under ridge-furrow planting with plastic film","authors":"Yanhui Wang ,&nbsp;Yangyang Li ,&nbsp;Li Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As an efficient water and soil conservation tillage practice, ridge-furrow planting with plastic film (RP) is rarely used in humid and sub-humid areas. It is hypothesized that RP could break the bottleneck of flat planting (FP) in sub-humid areas that makes it difficult to improve wheat yield. Before recommending RP, it should be clarified how RP promotes the efficient utilization of water in fields. Therefore, we conducted a 2-year field experiment following a randomized block design with winter wheat under FP and RP in the Guanzhong Plain. Stable isotopes of δ²H and δ¹⁸O were used to quantify precipitation infiltration, root water uptake (RWU), and evaporation (E) and transpiration (T). The results showed that the average contribution proportion of precipitation to 0–100 cm soil layer under RP significantly increased by 10.4–22.9 % versus FP within five days after precipitation. RP also increased the average RWU proportion by 8.6 % in the 0–60 cm layer and decreased it by 28.1 % in the 60–200 cm layer compared to FP. Furthermore, RP significantly decreased E by 36.9 % and increased T by 8.9 % versus FP from greening to harvest stage, resulting in significantly depleted δ²H and δ¹⁸O values in soil water. Ultimately, the two-year average grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat under RP increased significantly by 19.1 % and 21.6 % in comparison to FP, respectively. Overall, RP can conserve soil water by promoting precipitation infiltration and inhibiting E, thereby increasing T and improving grain yield and WUE. This study bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical dissemination of RP in the sub-humid region, and provides an empirical support for soil and water conservation and yield enhancement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106652"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067214","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":"Temporal dynamics of minesoil restoration in Southern Brazil: A two-decade monitoring of soil physical attributes and organic carbon content","authors":"Maria Bertaso de Garcia Fernandez ,&nbsp;Otávio dos Anjos Leal ,&nbsp;Gláucia Oliveira Islabão ,&nbsp;Adão Pagani Junior ,&nbsp;Tainara Vaz de Melo ,&nbsp;Ana Paula Knapp ,&nbsp;Istefani Wenske Haudt ,&nbsp;Emerson Meireles de Farias ,&nbsp;Luiz Fernando Spinelli Pinto ,&nbsp;Pablo Miguel ,&nbsp;Jakeline Rosa de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Nicolas Brüggemann ,&nbsp;Marilia Alves Brito Pinto ,&nbsp;Lizete Stumpf","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brazil covers a huge territory (852 Mha) with biomes distributed from North to South of the country. In Southern Brazil, about 24% of the area covered by the Pampa Biome was lost between 1985 and 2022, mainly due to conversion to agriculture, but also due to coal mining. This region holds the largest coal mine in Latin America, namely Candiota Mine, which represents 38 % of the Brazilian coal reserves. Minesoils typically exhibit severe compaction and poor structure, jeopardizing its reclamation and reintegration to the biome. This study aimed to assess the temporal changes in physical attributes and total organic carbon (TOC) content of a minesoil as affected by perennial grasses in a long-term field randomized complete block design experiment located in the Candiota Mine region. Based on prior research indicating superior performance of <em>Urochloa brizantha</em> for amelioration of this minesoil, we hypothesized a continued outstanding performance of this grass over the others to enhance the structure and increase the TOC content of the minesoil. Experimental treatments (with four replicates) consisted of perennial grasses used for minesoil revegetation: <em>Hemarthria altissima</em>, <em>Paspalum notatum</em>, and <em>Urochloa brizantha</em>. Minesoil bulk density (Bd), macroporosity (Ma), total porosity (Tp), percentage of macroaggregates and microaggregates, and TOC content were evaluated in the different treatments at 0.00−0.10 and 0.10−0.20 m layers at four restoration time points (0.5, 8.6, 14.6 and 20 years). The elevated percentage of macroaggregates and Bd close to or &gt; 1.50 Mg m⁻³ observed for the 0.00−0.10 and 0.10−0.20 m layers up to 8.6 years reflect the persistent compaction caused by the traffic of heavy machinery on the minesoil during landscape restoration. Minesoil compaction was remarkably attenuated after 14.6 years of restoration, likely due to root-induced disruption of aggregates formed by compression followed by soil re-aggregation. This was consistent with a reduction of Bd and an increase of Ma and TOC of the minesoil at this same restoration age. <em>Urochloa brizantha</em> was the pioneer grass alleviating minesoil compaction but this outstanding performance leveled off after 14.6 years compared to the other grasses, contracting our hypothesis. This was confirmed by the ordination of <em>Urochloa brizantha</em> close mainly to <em>Hemarthria altissima</em> in a principal component analysis biplot of the data set, indicating similar interrelations of the examined attributes after 20 years of restoration, regardless of the grass species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106647"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942900","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":"The role of legume roots in carbon sequestration, soil health enhancement, and salinity mitigation under climate change: A comprehensive review","authors":"R.K. Srivastava ,&nbsp;Ali Yetgin ,&nbsp;Shubhangi Srivastava","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Legumes play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil health, nitrogen cycling, carbon sequestration, and salinity mitigation, particularly in the face of climate change. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how legume roots and associated microbial interactions contribute to these processes. The deep-rooting systems of legumes stabilize soil structure while increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions by up to 29.6 %. Through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), legumes reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers by up to 40 %, improving soil fertility and resilience. Additionally, legume cropping systems promote beneficial rhizobacterial communities, enhancing microbial nitrogen transformations. Meta-analyses reveal that intercropping legumes with non-legumes can significantly improve soil nutrient availability, microbial biomass, and overall crop yield while mitigating nitrogen losses. Furthermore, certain legume species thrive in saline soils, reducing soil salinity by up to 9.6 % and improving structure via organic matter accumulation and root-microbe interactions. Case studies across various agroecosystems highlight the real-world applications of legume-based strategies, showing measurable improvements in soil carbon storage, nitrogen cycling efficiency, and salinity reduction. These findings underscore the importance of site-specific legume management practices to maximize benefits under diverse environmental conditions. Future research should refine legume species selection, intercropping strategies, and biochar applications to enhance soil resilience and sustainability in a changing climate. This review provides a data-driven understanding of the multifaceted roles of legumes, offering insights into their potential as key components of climate-smart agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106656"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942901","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":"Effect of innovative mineral-organic mixtures on enzymatic activity, ecotoxicity, and microbial communities in contaminated soil","authors":"Renata Jarosz ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Klimkowicz-Pawlas ,&nbsp;Karolina Biel ,&nbsp;Jakub Mokrzycki ,&nbsp;Marcin Musiałowski ,&nbsp;Klaudia Dębiec-Andrzejewska ,&nbsp;Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106655","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106655","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sustainable use of fertilizers to enhance food production while minimizing environmental impact is a pressing global challenge. Soil regeneration is especially critical for soils poor in organic matter and contaminated with heavy metals. This study investigated the effect of mineral-organic mixtures containing zeolite composites and organic additives (lignite/leonardite) on soil enzymes activity, ecotoxicity, and microbiological properties. Various doses of zeolite composites and organic additives were tested in a two-years pot experiment using soil with elevated levels of cadmium, zinc, and lead. Soil enzymes activity (dehydrogenase, urease, phosphatase, and arylsulfatase) were quantified, and soil ecotoxicity was assessed using Microtox®, Phytotoxkit, and Ostracodtoxkit assays. Microbial abundance, diversity, and community structure were analyzed via culturable methods and DNA sequencing. Mixtures containing zeolite-vermiculite composite had the most pronounced positive effect on enzymes activity. Notably, mixture with 3 % zeolite-carbon composite and 3 % leonardite significantly enhanced urease activity after the 2nd year (111 %). Mixtures containing zeolite–vermiculite composite showed an average <em>GMea</em> index about 10 % higher than those with zeolite–carbon composites. The <em>GMea</em> index proved more sensitive than TEI in assessing total enzymes activity and soil quality. Soil microbiological studies showed that the quantity and overall structure of the microbiome remained stable after the application of mineral-organic mixtures. The dominant taxa at the phylum level were Proteobacteria (16.17–18.73 %), Planctomycetota (16.17–18.73 %), Chloroflexi (14.99–18.49 %), and Actinobacteriota (11.28–14.86 %). The mixtures did not affect the diversity of soil microorganisms, suggesting a neutral effect on the soil ecosystem. The greatest reduction in water-soluble Cd, Zn, and Pb was achieved with the mixtures containing zeolite-carbon composite and lignite. The results demonstrate the impact of mineral-organic additives on soil ecotoxicity, which is of significant importance from an environmental and sustainable soil management perspective. The outcomes of this study may prove to be a factor in the formulation of effective remediation strategies for contaminated soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106655"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143937273","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":"Divergent responses of cropland soil available potassium to fertilization across the Sichuan Basin of China","authors":"Jinli Cheng ,&nbsp;Dan Chen ,&nbsp;Xinyi Chen ,&nbsp;Yaruo Mao ,&nbsp;Aiwen Li ,&nbsp;Ke Zhu ,&nbsp;Yaling Yu ,&nbsp;Wanqi Tan ,&nbsp;Bing Li ,&nbsp;Bin Zhao ,&nbsp;Qiquan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the mechanisms driving change in soil available potassium (soil AK) is crucial for guiding sustainable agricultural practices. Fertilization in agricultural agroecosystems can profoundly affect soil AK content by temporarily increasing soil AK concentration and leading to substantial potassium depletion through the stimulation of crop growth. However, the role of fertilizers in regulating soil AK and their interactions with environmental factors across diverse regions remain underexplored. This study investigated the effects of fertilization on soil AK content and the influence of environmental conditions using a dataset of over 4000 soil samples from the Sichuan Basin collected in the 1980s and 2010s. The results showed that soil AK in the study area increased from 83.43 mg/kg in the 1980s to 105.25 mg/kg in the 2010s, an increase of nearly a quarter of the initial value. In regions with low precipitation and clay-rich soils (soil clay content &gt; 22.2 %, precipitation &lt; 1000 mm), fertilization was positively correlated with soil AK change. However, in areas with high precipitation and sandy soils (soil clay content &lt; 22.2 %, precipitation &gt; 1000 mm), fertilization had no significant impact on soil AK. Additionally, precipitation had less influence on soil AK dynamics compared to soil texture. For clayey soils in areas with high precipitation, a parabolic relationship between fertilization and soil AK change was observed. In contrast, fertilization had no effect on soil AK in sandy soils, regardless of precipitation. These findings highlight the complex effects of interactions among the environmental factors like soil clay content and precipitation on soil AK change, and emphasize the need for fertilizer application strategies incorporating environment-specific mechanisms for demands of crop growth and prevention of wasting potassium fertilizer, especially underscoring the importance of soil clay content in optimizing fertilizer application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 106654"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143937376","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}