Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Decoding soil health constraints in regional agroecosystems: Machine learning reveals microbial enzymatic thresholds and drivers","authors":"Xuebin Xu ,&nbsp;Kailu Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhenke Zhu ,&nbsp;Liang Wei ,&nbsp;Shuang Wang ,&nbsp;Wenju Zhang ,&nbsp;Lujun Li ,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov ,&nbsp;Jianping Chen ,&nbsp;Tida Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107000","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107000","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil health assessment in heterogeneous agroecosystems presents significant challenges in integrating biological mechanisms and diagnosing multifactorial constraints. This study applied interpretable machine learning approaches to establish scientifically derived thresholds for constraint typology and provide spatially explicit diagnostics in farmlands of Ningbo, China. Eight soil health index (SHI) formulations were evaluated, incorporating combinations of total (TDS) versus minimum datasets (MDS) with linear and nonlinear scoring and integration methods. A random forest model was employed to identify key drivers of SHI, with SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values used to determine critical constraint thresholds. Structural equation modeling and microbial history strategy analyses were subsequently applied to quantify interactive mechanisms affecting soil health in sites with multiple constraints. Results demonstrated that SHI derived from the TDS using nonlinear weighted integration (TD-N-WQI) exhibited superior sensitivity to soil organic carbon (SOC) content (Pearson <em>r</em> = 0.840, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and effectively discriminated against different land-use types (ANOVA F = 50.5, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Microbial enzyme activities emerged as the predominant regulators of soil health, with N-Acetyl-β-<span>D</span>-glucosaminidase (NAG, 28.2 %), β-glucosidase (BG, 22.0 %), and xylanase (XYL, 13.9 %) collectively accounting for 64.1 % of feature importance, substantially exceeding contributions from SOC (9.40 %) and total nitrogen (7.80 %). Critical constraint thresholds were as follows: bulk density 1.13 g/cm³, SOC 16.9 g/kg, electrical conductivity 0.160 mS/cm, pH 4.50 and 6.24, microbial biomass carbon 508 mg/kg, and enzymatic deficits (BG 90.0, NAG 40.7, XYL 15.0, β-<span>D</span>-Cellobiohydrolase 20.0, acid phosphatase 439 nmol/g/h). Spatial analysis revealed that 39.2 % (127/324) of sites exhibited multiple constraints, predominantly in coastal areas where salinity indirectly reduced SOC through enzymatic and microbial suppression (<em>β</em> = −0.150, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). This study establishes that high microbial enzymatic activity, driven by Y-strategist microbial communities characterized by rapid growth and efficient resource processing, constitutes the core mechanism of soil health. These insights provide a robust, ML-driven framework that identifies critical constraint thresholds to guide precision management and prioritize microbial-based restoration in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107000"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145659105","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":"Enhancing predictive modeling of interrill and rill erosion susceptibility in the Eastern Mediterranean using stacking ensemble machine learning algorithms","authors":"Hazem Ghassan Abdo ,&nbsp;Sahar Mohammed Richi ,&nbsp;Hoang Thi Hang ,&nbsp;Jasem A. Albanai ,&nbsp;Javed Mallick","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion assessment is essential for effective conservation planning, particularly through the development of accurate susceptibility maps using advanced modeling techniques. Despite this importance, the Eastern Mediterranean remains underexplored in terms of hybrid modeling approaches for predicting interrill and rill erosion in environmentally sensitive areas. This study aims to develop a robust spatial prediction model for soil erosion susceptibility in the Eastern Mediterranean using a stacking ensemble machine learning framework. The performance of Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) models was evaluated individually and in stacked combinations based on 751 erosion and non-erosion events and 15 erosion-related conditioning factors. The results identified slope and land use/land cover (LULC) as the most influential drivers of soil erosion. Among the standalone models, XGBoost showed the highest predictive performance, while the hybrid XGB–RF ensemble achieved the best overall accuracy and reliability. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid modeling in enhancing soil erosion prediction and provide a reliable decision-support tool for sustainable land management. The proposed approach offers valuable insights for preventive planning and natural resource protection in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Syria, and represents an important step toward improved erosion modeling in complex topographic and climatic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107053"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902288","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 soil carbon dynamics to terracing under natural aridity in semi-arid regions","authors":"Shuaihao Mo ,&nbsp;Ying Wang ,&nbsp;Ziji Lv ,&nbsp;Xinhao Li ,&nbsp;Yanxing He ,&nbsp;Peidan Xu ,&nbsp;Shiwei Zhao ,&nbsp;Jinghua Huang ,&nbsp;Xuan Du ,&nbsp;Jinshi Jian","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drylands play a crucial role in global soil carbon (C) sequestration, with soil C dynamics jointly determined by soil organic C (SOC) and inorganic C (SIC). In addition to aridity’s control, soil C dynamics in drylands are also influenced by human activities, such as terrace construction, thereby augmenting the uncertainty in assessing and predicting soil C sequestration functions. Terraces converted from sloping farmland are an important agricultural land use type, but there has been limited research on the effects of terracing on SOC, SIC, and soil total C (STC) under varying aridity. Here, we selected four representative terracing sites on the Chinese Loess Plateau, two in regions with lower aridity and the other two in regions with higher aridity. SOC, SIC, and STC contents along with influencing variables were analyzed to investigate how terracing affects soil C dynamics under different aridity conditions. Results showed that both SOC and SIC contents synergistically increased following sloping farmland conversion to terraces under lower aridity conditions, thus contributing to an elevation in STC content. However, terracing increased SOC content yet reduced SIC content under higher aridity conditions, and SOC-SIC trade-offs caused fluctuation or even loss in STC content. Consequently, soil C dynamics in terraces exhibited divergent responses to shifts in aridity, and this effect intensified with the terraced age (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, soil pH emerged as the primary driver of C dynamics in terraced soils under different aridity conditions, with SOC and STC declining and SIC increasing significantly as pH increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). In addition, mineral protection enhanced SOC accrual under lower aridity conditions, as evidenced by a significant positive correlation between SOC and clay contents (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). SOC and SIC contents responded positively (<em>p</em> = 0.001) and negatively (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) to soil moisture variations under higher aridity conditions, respectively. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of simultaneously considering changes in both SOC and SIC when predicting and enhancing the C sequestration capacity of terraced soils in drylands, thus contributing to mitigating global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145731719","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":"Conservation tillage enhances phosphorus use efficiency by regulating root distribution and soil phosphorus stratification in the black soil region of Northeast China","authors":"Jie Zhang,&nbsp;Yalin Li,&nbsp;Baoguo Li,&nbsp;Hu Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Low mobility and bioavailability of phosphorus (P) constrain fertilizer use efficiency in the black soil region of Northeast China (NEC). Conservation tillage (CST) has been shown to improve soil structure and nutrient bioavailability and therefore has the potential to increase P use efficiency. In this study, we evaluated the effects of CST and conventional tillage (CT) on P use efficiency—quantified through both fertilizer-based partial factor productivity (PFP-P) and uptake-based utilization efficiency (PUtE)—maize dry matter, and P content, root vertical distribution, and soil physicochemical properties based on field experiments at three representative sites in the black soil region of NEC. Compared to CT, CST significantly increased PFP-P (+15.3 %) and PUtE (+25.3 %), promoted grain dry matter accumulation, and enhanced P translocation from vegetative organs to grains. CST decreased the stratification ratio (0–10 cm / 10–50 cm) of total P (TP) and Olsen-P by 24.9 % and 49.5 %, respectively (except at the XL site), thereby alleviating surface P enrichment. CST also increased average root biomass by 28.5 % and significantly enhanced the root distribution ratio (20–30 cm / 0–50 cm) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), suggesting an improved soil-root configuration for accessing subsoil P. Redundancy analysis showed that variations in P efficiency were primarily associated with Olsen-P stratification, root distribution patterns (20–30 cm), soil penetration resistance (20–30 cm), and SOM (0–10 cm), which together explained over 86.0 % of the variance. Overall, CST improved maize P use efficiency by synchronizing root-soil-P interactions, providing scientific insight and practical strategies for sustainable agriculture in the black soil region of NEC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107060"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925537","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":"Hydrodynamic behavior of a near-saturated sandy-loam soil shortly after incorporating compost or zeolite","authors":"D. Autovino ,&nbsp;V. Bagarello ,&nbsp;C. Bondì ,&nbsp;G. Russo ,&nbsp;F. Zanna ,&nbsp;K. Zhioua","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Little is known about short-term effects of compost and zeolite addition on hydrodynamic properties of near-saturated coarse-textured soils. These effects were tested for a sandy-loam soil by a Mini-Disk Infiltrometer at three pressure heads (-6, −3 and −1 cm) and a wide range of amendment percentages, <em>p</em>_<em>a</em>. Soil hydraulic conductivity was determined on two dates separated by nearly one month whereas soil sorptivity was determined at the end of the sampling period. Overall, the effect of the compost varied from null to appreciable since increasing <em>p</em>_<em>a</em> from 0 % to 40 % did not affect the considered parameter or induced a decrease by up to eight times. Instead, the zeolite was largely ineffective since the tested parameters did not vary with <em>p</em>_<em>a</em>. At the end of the experiment, the soil amended with zeolite was up to 70–90 % more sorptive and conductive than that amended with the compost. Perhaps the particles of compost represented a physical obstacle to water flow and probably also induced some soil water repellency. Instead, the particles of zeolite were wettable, and they did not appreciably alter the pore size distribution. Adding compost can determine a decrease in the ability of a near-saturated soil to draw and conduct water but this ability does not change with zeolite. Other investigations are required to confirm these results, test the suggested explanation and finally draw general conclusions. The applied methodology in this investigation is easy, cheap and suitable for prolonged monitoring without causing an appreciable alteration of the sampled soil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107035"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840668","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":"Cover cropping and minimum tillage improved microbial functional resilience to compaction stress in an acidic soil","authors":"Apsara Amarasinghe ,&nbsp;Chengrong Chen ,&nbsp;Lukas Van Zwieten ,&nbsp;Michael T. Rose ,&nbsp;Mehran Rezaei Rashti","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107031","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable agriculture requires maintaining soil health, yet conventional management (CM) practices may not protect soils from stresses such as compaction. This study compared microbial resilience to compaction in two soils collected from sugarcane farms under improved management (IM: minimum tillage, cover cropping and stubble retention) and CM (conventional tillage, no cover crop and stubble retention) practices. Samples were placed in 96-well deep-well plates and compacted using a bespoke device to achieve bulk densities of 0.9 (control), 1.1 (low), and 1.2 g cm⁻³ (moderate). Microbial resistance was assessed 14 days after compaction, and resilience 14 days after stress relief. Under low and moderate compaction, IM soils showed 49.5 % and 45.7 % higher CO₂ emission resistance indices (i.e., the ability of soil to maintain microbial respiration under compaction stress) than CM, indicating greater stability. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were 56.2 % and 47.9 % higher in IM soils under low compaction, compared to CM. Soil microbial metabolic quotient (<em>q</em>CO₂) was similar across compaction levels within each system, but was 19.5 %–36.3 % lower in IM soils than CM at equivalent compaction, indicating lower microbial stress under IM. Fourteen days after stress relief, <em>q</em>CO₂ in moderately compacted CM soil increased by 41.1 % and 25.0 % compared to control and low compaction. In contrast, IM soil under moderate compaction had 40.6 % lower <em>q</em>CO₂ than CM. The CM showed no effects of compaction on hot water extractable organic carbon content, while compaction of IM showed a 13 % decline compared to its control. Hot water extractable total nitrogen did not vary with compaction within the management systems but was 12 %–15 % higher in IM than CM under the same compaction during the resistance phase. Total mineral nitrogen was unaffected by compaction treatments under each system but was 11 %–13 % higher in IM than CM during resistance phase. These findings highlight the potential of improved management practices to sustain soil health and resilience under compaction stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107031"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784838","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 construction activities-altered soil bulk density on spoil heap rill erosion and morphological characteristics","authors":"Zhihua Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuhui Guo ,&nbsp;Li Li ,&nbsp;Honghu Liu ,&nbsp;Wenfeng Ding ,&nbsp;Wenjian Tang ,&nbsp;Jigen Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spoil heaps, resulting from excavation and backfilling at construction sites, are highly susceptible to soil detachment and transport, leading to rill development, while large-scale infrastructure activities continually alter the soil bulk density. However, the mechanisms by which soil bulk density affects rill erosion on spoil heaps remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate how soil bulk density governs rill morphology and hydraulic parameters on spoil heaps by conducting multiple flume tests under different flow discharges (3, 5, and 7 L min⁻¹), slope gradients (10, 20, and 30°), and soil bulk densities (1.2, 1.5, and 1.8 g cm⁻³). Close-range digital photogrammetry was utilized to obtain surface elevation information, which was used for constructing a digital elevation model (DEM). The results showed: 1) soil bulk density significantly affected the soil erosion resistance of spoil heaps: as it increased from 1.2 to 1.8 g cm⁻³, soil erodibility decreased, while critical shear stress increased from 4.17 to 6.47 Pa and critical stream power from 1.23 to 2.13 N m⁻¹ s⁻¹; 2) soil bulk density significantly suppressed rill development as it increased from 1.2 to 1.8 g cm⁻³, reducing the mean rill density by 19.4 %, the mean rill width-depth ratio by 48.2 %, and the mean rill inclination angle by 30.5 %; 3) rill depth was the best morphological predictor of sediment yield (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01), and among the four derived morphological indicators, the degree of rill dissection was the optimal predictor of rill erosion and morphology, followed by the rill inclination angle, the rill width-depth ratio, and the rill density. This study would enhance understanding of the complicated interactions between soil bulk density and morphological development on spoil heaps, and provides strategic erosion control plans for their management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107026"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145813857","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":"Soil strength after 21 years of conventional and organic cropping practices in the Mid-Atlantic region, USA","authors":"Harry H. Schomberg ,&nbsp;Kipling S. Balkcom ,&nbsp;Michel A. Cavigelli ,&nbsp;Kathryn E. White","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil compaction negatively impacts soil physical properties and crop yields and is influenced by organic matter inputs and tillage management. We evaluated cone index (CI) in five long-term organic and conventional cropping systems at the Farming Systems Project in Beltsville, MD (39.0°N, 76.9°W), to understand how different management systems influence soil strength. Measurements were collected prior to planting corn in 2017 using a tractor-mounted hydraulic five-probe penetrometer for three depths (0–15, 15–30, 30–50 cm) and three positions relative to the crop row (0, 22.5, and 45 cm). The two conventional systems, No-till (NT) and Chisel Till (CT), were both 3-yr corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat/soybean rotations. The three organic systems were comprised of: (Org2) 2-yr hairy vetch cover crop/corn-rye cover crop/soybean; (Org3) 3-yr hairy vetch cover crop/corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat; and (Org6) 6-yr corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat–alfalfa–alfalfa–alfalfa. Org2 and Org3 exhibited the lowest CI in the 0–15 cm depth, due to fall tillage before cover crop planting and weed control in the prior crop. In contrast, surface soil compaction in Org6 was similar to that in the conventional systems, attributed to alfalfa harvest machinery traffic over the past three years and absence of any tillage. At deeper depths (15–30 cm and 30–50 cm), the NT system consistently demonstrated lower CI compared to other systems. For tilled systems, maximum CI values at 15–30 cm were near or exceeded the root-restricting threshold of 2.5 MPa. The NT system potentially provided a larger rooting volume for water and nutrient uptake than tilled systems. Machinery traffic increased compaction, particularly at 22.5 cm from the crop row, likely due to tire sidewall pressure. Overall, the study found moderate effects of contrasting management system practices on soil strength.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107020"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145732409","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 continuous straw and equivalent straw-derived biochar application on soil multifunctionality, crop productivity, and greenhouse gas emissions","authors":"Junsheng Lu ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuezhi Liu ,&nbsp;Xinyue Zhu ,&nbsp;Penghai Su ,&nbsp;Tiantian Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Incorporating straw or straw-derived biochar is recognized as a promising strategy to enhance soil quality and promote sustainable agricultural development. However, the sustained effects of straw and biochar amendments on crop productivity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil multifunctionality remain controversial, largely due to the lack of comparative studies between raw straw and biochar produced from an equivalent amount of straw. To address this issue, a five-year field experiment was conducted with three treatments—CK (no incorporation), SI (continuous raw straw incorporation), and BI (continuous incorporation of biochar derived from an equivalent amount of straw)—to evaluate whether converting raw straw into biochar for soil application provides greater benefits in mitigating GHG emissions and improving soil quality, crop yield, and water productivity. The results showed that both SI and BI significantly improved soil physical (bulk density, porosity, field capacity), chemical (pH, organic carbon, nutrient levels), and biological (microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen) properties, leading to increases in soil ecosystem multifunctionality by 222.8 % and 251.8 %, respectively, compared with CK. Additionally, SI consistently elevated N₂O emissions, whereas BI generally reduced N₂O emissions relative to CK. Both SI and BI increased CO₂ emissions and significantly enhanced crop yield, with SI and BI increasing grain yield by 8.3 % and 25.6 %, and water productivity by 12.2 % and 24.8 %, respectively, in the maize-wheat rotation system compared to CK. As a consequence, SI and BI increased the global warming potential (GWP) by 22.4 % and 6.1 %, respectively, while SI increased greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) by 12.6 % and BI reduced it by 16.1 %, relative to CK. Notably, continuous incorporation of straw and biochar resulted in a cumulative effect (residual effect + current-season effect) on N₂O and CO₂ emissions. The residual effect on N₂O and CO₂ emissions persisted for 3 and 4 years, respectively, under SI, and extended up to 7 years for both gases under BI. Overall, these findings demonstrate that converting straw into biochar for soil incorporation not only enhances soil quality and sustains high crop productivity but also contributes to mitigating GHG emissions. This study highlights the importance of considering long-term dynamics in straw and biochar management and underscores biochar's potential as a sustainable strategy for climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107033"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145823028","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":"Strategic deep tillage of deep sand soils impacts the sorption and biological availability of trifluralin","authors":"Tom J. Edwards ,&nbsp;Stephen L. Davies ,&nbsp;Ron J. Yates ,&nbsp;Michael T. Rose ,&nbsp;Benedict Arthur ,&nbsp;John G. Howieson ,&nbsp;Graham O’Hara ,&nbsp;Emma J. Steel ,&nbsp;David JM Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deep sand soils are inherently fragile with surface layers that are very low in organic matter and clay. Previous studies demonstrate that strategic deep tillage such as soil inversion and deep soil mixing can increase crop production on these soils in Southern Australia. However, the majority of the organic matter and nutrients are concentrated in the top organically stained layer and deep tillage incorporates 50–60 % of the organic layer into the subsoil below 200 mm. The physical composition of the soil (percentage of sand, silt, clay and organic matter) and the chemical properties of the soil (pH, nutrient levels, cation exchange capacity) can strongly influence the soil adsorption of trifluralin. Modest levels of organic matter and clay particles in the topsoil particularly following deep tillage equate to the scant attenuation of herbicides on sandy textured soils. Soil samples (0–100 mm) were collected from three experimental sites; two Arenic Solonetz soils near Esperance and one Arenic Arenosol soil near Geraldton in Western Australia. At all three sites, three experimental treatments were sampled; control (no tillage), deep mixed with a spader to 350 mm and soil inversion with a mouldboard plough to 350 mm. Soil samples were taken on two growing seasons post tillage at Geraldton, three post tillage at Esperance TJM and twelve post tillage at Esperance E1. Tillage reduced the measured soil-liquid partition coefficient (K_d) of trifluralin (p ≤ 0.05) at all three experimental sites. A greenhouse bioassay was developed to determine if soil changes from strategic tillage at one of the Esperance sites and the Geraldton site could be directly related to herbicide bioavailability at two of the experimental sites. Intact cores were used to maintain integrity of the field soils. Cores from both field sites demonstrated that soil inversion reduced the effective dose of trifluralin (p ≤ 0.01) for the bioassay species <em>Lens culinaris.</em> Together these experiments illustrate that strategic deep tillage can increase the bioavailability of trifluralin. These findings offer a valuable insight into the soil behaviour of trifluralin and can help farmers estimate the risk of phytotoxicity based on measurable soil characteristics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 106997"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685396","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}