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Agronomy
Special Issues
Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges
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Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Grassland and Pasture Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 5203

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Miriam Kizekova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Agricultural and Food Centre, Plant Production Research Institute, Grassland and Mountain Agriculture Institute, Mládežnícka 36, 97421 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Interests: grasslands; soil; ecosystem services; grassland management; ecology
Dr. Radoslava Kanianska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Tajovského 40, 97401 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Interests: soil; ecosystem services; land use; agriculture; environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Grasslands are a unique ecosystem which occupies more than a quarter of the land surface of the Earth, providing numerous ecosystem services including forage provision, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, water filtration, biodiversity, and wildlife habitats. In terms of their origins, permanent grasslands have been established for agricultural purposes on areas that would otherwise be occupied by forests. Consequently, the soils on which they have been created are also diverse and have different textures and physical, chemical, and biological properties. Beyond these permanent grasslands, temporary ley grasslands are a vital part of crop rotation exerting a positive influence on soil ecosystem services.

Healthy soils, as a non-renewable source, are key to ensuring grassland ecosystem services. Climate change and management, such as the intensity of fertilization, overgrazing, or abandonment, are two major factors that affect soil properties and consequently grassland ecosystem services.

This Special Issue will focus on studies and analyses of the impact of grassland management and climate change on the chemical, physical, and biological properties of soils. Therefore, manuscripts and long-term studies aimed at assessing changes in soil organic matter, soil acidity and nutrient content, and soil biota evaluation are all welcome.

Dr. Miriam Kizekova
Dr. Radoslava Kanianska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • grasslands
  • soil
  • soil chemical properties
  • management
  • ecosystem services
  • carbon sequestration
  • nutrient cycling
  • climate change

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7120 KiB  
Article
Variability of Grassland Soils’ Properties in Comparison to Soils of Other Ecosystems
by Radoslava Kanianska and Miriam Kizeková
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 713; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030713 - 15 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1009
Abstract
The variety of natural conditions and land use patterns determine high variability of soil properties. This study focused on the analysis of chemical, physical, and biological properties of grassland (GL) soils (situated on slopes—GLS, and on alluvial plains—GLP) in comparison with soils of [...] Read more.
The variety of natural conditions and land use patterns determine high variability of soil properties. This study focused on the analysis of chemical, physical, and biological properties of grassland (GL) soils (situated on slopes—GLS, and on alluvial plains—GLP) in comparison with soils of other ecosystems (arable land, forest land, riparian zone) in Central Slovakia. We applied an indicator’s method combined with models of these properties. The studies showed a large variability, more pronounced in GLS than in GLP. GLP soils were characterized by the highest number, biomass, and diversity of earthworms among all ecosystems. GL soils, in addition to FL soils, also have a relatively high capacity for water retention and C and N storage. However, we found an unfavorable state in available phosphorus, with GLS showing the lowest levels among compared ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges)
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16 pages, 1201 KiB  
Article
Management Practices in Mountain Meadows: Consequences for Soil Nutrient Availability
by Adrián Jarne, Asunción Usón and Ramón Reiné
Agronomy 2024, 14(10), 2419; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102419 - 18 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1119
Abstract
Soil nutrient availability in meadows has been poorly studied from the management point of view, despite its great impact. In this study, three different types of meadows have been analysed, as follows: intensive meadows, with high livestock load and inorganic fertilization; semi-extensive meadows, [...] Read more.
Soil nutrient availability in meadows has been poorly studied from the management point of view, despite its great impact. In this study, three different types of meadows have been analysed, as follows: intensive meadows, with high livestock load and inorganic fertilization; semi-extensive meadows, with medium livestock load and organic fertilization; and extensive meadows, with low livestock load and low fertilization rates. We looked at the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and carbon balances of each meadow type during two different years. Nitrogen was more stable in semi-extensive and extensive meadows, due to its organic form. In contrast, intensive meadows showed higher nitrogen variability depending on climate. Phosphorus is seen as the limiting nutrient, and it accumulates less in the soil than what is estimated in the crop balance, being more balanced in extensive meadows. Potassium has a strong response to temperature, being more available in June than in February, but crop balance was always negative for extensive meadows, and its soil concentration decreases each year, which could cause long-term potassium deficiency. Carbon accumulation was more stable in extensive meadows, where there was accumulation regardless of the year, whereas intensive and semi-extensive meadows become carbon emitters during the drought year. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges)
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14 pages, 6012 KiB  
Article
Quantitative and Qualitative Relationships between Phospholipid Fatty Acid Analysis Biomarkers and Lignin in Soil from the Tibetan Plateau (China) under Laboratory Incubation Conditions
by Degyi Yangzom, Shuqin Ma and Xuyang Lu
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 1980; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091980 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 881
Abstract
Lignin, an organic compound with a complex structure, is formed through the polymerization of structural units linked by carbon–carbon bonds and ether bonds. The question of whether lignin is labile or resistant to biological and chemical degradation in soil, particularly in alpine ecosystems, [...] Read more.
Lignin, an organic compound with a complex structure, is formed through the polymerization of structural units linked by carbon–carbon bonds and ether bonds. The question of whether lignin is labile or resistant to biological and chemical degradation in soil, particularly in alpine ecosystems, remains unresolved. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed the relationship between phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers and the abundance of lignin components in grassland soils from North Tibet, China. Soil samples were collected from alpine grasslands, including alpine meadows and alpine steppes. The relative abundance of lignin in these alpine grassland soils before and after a 210-day incubation period was measured. Our results indicate that the relative abundance of lignin in the alpine grassland soils decreased during the incubation period. Significant relationships were found between the phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers of bacteria, fungi, Gram-positive bacteria, and Gram-negative bacteria and the relative abundance of lignin components. This research was conducted under laboratory conditions that are optimal for the development of microorganisms but significantly different from the conditions in Tibet. Furthermore, this study contributes to the understanding of soil organic matter degradation and the dynamics of microbial communities in alpine grassland soils in the context of future global warming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges)
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13 pages, 5629 KiB  
Article
Fertilizers and Manures Enhance the Bioavailability of Soil Phosphorus Fractions in Karst Grassland
by Jie Pan, Feng Yang, Wen Yang, Mingjun Zhang, Shengjiang He and Zhou Li
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1429; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071429 - 30 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1462
Abstract
Phosphorus is one of the major constraints to karst grassland productivity. Understanding the effects of different fertilization practices on soil phosphorus dynamics is essential for enhancing phosphorus bioavailability and rational management of soil phosphorus in karst grasslands. Here, we investigated the effects of [...] Read more.
Phosphorus is one of the major constraints to karst grassland productivity. Understanding the effects of different fertilization practices on soil phosphorus dynamics is essential for enhancing phosphorus bioavailability and rational management of soil phosphorus in karst grasslands. Here, we investigated the effects of fertilizers and manures on soil bioavailability of phosphorus fractions and explored the relationship between soil properties and soil phosphorus fractions. The four fertilizer application designs were as follows: control (CK; no fertilizer or manure); fertilization (F); manure application (M); fertilization and manure application (FM). The results showed that total phosphorus (TP) concentration was elevated by 23%, 1%, and 42% in F, M, and FM treatments, respectively, compared with CK. F and FM treatments enhanced the total inorganic phosphorus (Pi) concentration by 65% and 66%, respectively, while M and FM treatments enhanced the total organo-phosphorus (Po) concentration by 21% and 35%, respectively. FM treatment elevated bioavailable P, active Po, secondary mineral P, primary mineral P, and occluded P by 69%, 39%, 50%, 31%, and 41%, respectively. Fertilizers inhibited soil acid phosphatase activity, whereas alkaline phosphatase did not respond significantly to fertilizer management in low-latitude karst regions. SOM, TN, AP, and MBP are the key factors affecting the bioavailability of phosphorus fractions. The combined application of fertilizer and manure is the most beneficial measure for enhancing soil phosphorus bioavailability. This research helps deepen our understanding of soil phosphorus dynamics in the karst areas and provides a basis for further enhancement of nutrient availability and vegetation productivity of grassland ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Grassland Soils: Opportunities and Challenges)
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