Humus Application for Plant Nutrition and Sustainable Soil Fertility

Dear Colleagues,

Humus is a well-decomposed product of plant and animal decay, is rich in organic carbon, and helps in releasing available nutrients for plant uptake. Its existence in the soil system as a soil organic carbon (SOC) is imperative as it nourishes the soil health (supply food to living soil microbes), improves the physical status (soil aggregation, structure, aeration, water holding capacity), chemical status (nutrient cycling, buffering), and protects the soil from surface erosion. Most of the global soils are deficient in SOC because of high temperature, accelerated soil erosion through high rainfall, intensive agricultural practices, etc. Regrettably, we have lost greater levels of SOC in recent decades due to the exploitation of farming lands to meet the food demand of the burgeoning population. Nevertheless, we need to focus on agricultural lands which is the only place where we can grow our food. Restoring these soils by enhancing the SOC stocks at least at 0-30 cm soil profile must be the global agenda. This initiation besides accomplishes land degradation neutrality (LDN), a 4 per mille concept initiated by the Global Climate Action Plan (GCAA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) through its target 15.3.

Innovative and improved methodologies/techniques such as application of humic substances, nutrient enrichment during composting and compost addition, crop residue management, integrated nutrient management, use of bio-fertilizers, crop rotation with high biomass crops, intensive use of cover crops, incorporation of green manures, mulching with crop residue, intercropping, pasture cropping, agroforestry with trees/shrubs with food crops, introducing pulse crops to replace monocropping, biochar application, etc. are critical for improving soil carbon (C) levels.

This Special Issue invites articles from global researchers contributing to the following areas:

• Application of humic substances in agroecosystems
• Composting and prospects of enriched composts
• Influence of C biomass addition on soil fertility, plant nutrient uptake, and yield
• Soil C pools as affected by long-term C input
• Activated carbon biochar for soil fertility improvement
• Microbial studies and their relation with nutrient release and yield
• Profile distribution of soil C stocks under different land-use systems
• C decomposition/mineralization studies in laboratory and field conditions
• Site-specific manurial experiments to improve nutrient management
• Carbon farming technologies defining the nexus between soil C, water, crop yield, and climate
• Relation of soil C with soil physical, chemical, and biological properties
• Soil erosion or degradation studies showing the changes in soil C
• Different agronomic practices for soil C build-up
• C sequestration studies for climate adaptation
• Advanced studies in C build up in agriculture system
• GIS/Remote sensing applications in soil C studies

Dr. Rahul Datta
Guest Editor

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