The Impact of Land Use Change on Soil Quality Evolution

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2025) | Viewed by 1570

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Interests: land use and land cover mapping; agricultural remote sensing; grassland remote sensing

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Guest Editor
College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Interests: land use change; ecological system mapping and monitoring; remote sensing application
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Guest Editor Assistant
1. School of Resources & Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
2. Engineering Research Center of Watershed Carbon Neutralization, Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: land use change; agricultural remote sensing; soil erosion evaluation of cultivated land; agricultural non-point source pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land use is a comprehensive reflection of the land production activities carried out by human beings. The state of soil quality is an important factor in the sustainable development of the global biosphere and an important evaluation criterion for agricultural soil management. This Special Issue discusses the impact of land use change on the evolution of soil quality characteristics, and provides a scientific basis for the study of soil ecological processes and the final formulation of rational land management countermeasures.

This Special Issue will cover a broad range of topics, including the following:

  • Effects of land use/cover change on soil quality in ecologically sensitive areas;
  • Remote-sensing-based monitoring and assessment of land use/cover change and soil quality degradation;
  • Conservation tillage for soil quality conservation and fertility enhancement;
  • Long-term positional observations of cropland soil quality by different land use practices;
  • Effects of land use change on soil carbon or soil nitrogen cycling.

The article is not limited to model evaluation and remote sensing retrieval; related laboratory mechanism research is also encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Yunfeng Hu
Prof. Dr. Wei Wei
Guest Editors

Dr. Wei Wan
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • land use/cover change
  • soil quality
  • soil degradation
  • conservation tillage
  • soil carbon nitrogen cycling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3305 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Resolution of Phosphorus Sources in an Agricultural Watershed of Southern China: Application of Phosphate Oxygen Isotopes and Multiple Models
by Dengchao Wang, Jingwei Tan, Xinhua Gao, Shanbao Liu, Caole Li, Linghui Zeng, Yizhe Wang, Fan Wang, Qiuying Zhang and Gang Chen
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030663 - 6 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Phosphorus is the primary contributor to eutrophication in water bodies, and identifying phosphorus sources in rivers is crucial for controlling phosphorus pollution and subsequent eutrophication. Although phosphate oxygen isotopes (δ18OP) have the capacity to trace phosphorus sources and [...] Read more.
Phosphorus is the primary contributor to eutrophication in water bodies, and identifying phosphorus sources in rivers is crucial for controlling phosphorus pollution and subsequent eutrophication. Although phosphate oxygen isotopes (δ18OP) have the capacity to trace phosphorus sources and cycling in water and sediments, they have not been used in small- to medium-sized watersheds, such as the Xiaodongjiang River (XDJ), which is located in an agricultural watershed, source–complex region of southern China. This study employed phosphate oxygen isotope techniques in combination with a land-use-based mixed end-member model and the MixSIAR Bayesian mixing model to quantitatively determine potential phosphorus sources in surface water and sediments. The δ18OP values of the surface water ranged from 5.72‰ to 15.02‰, while those of sediment ranged from 10.41‰ to 16.80‰. In the downstream section, the δ18OP values of the surface water and sediment were similar, suggesting that phosphate in the downstream water was primarily influenced by endogenous sediment control. The results of the land-use–source mixing model and Bayesian model framework demonstrated that controlling phosphorus inputs from fertilizers is essential for reducing phosphorus emissions in the XDJ watershed. Furthermore, ongoing rural sewage treatment, manure management, and the resource utilization of aquaculture substrates contributed to reduced phosphorus pollution. This study showed that isotope techniques, combined with multi-model approaches, effectively assessed phosphorus sources in complex watersheds, offering a theoretical basis for phosphorus pollution management to prevent eutrophication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Land Use Change on Soil Quality Evolution)
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19 pages, 4354 KiB  
Article
Post-Agricultural Shifts in Soils of Subarctic Environment on the Example of Plaggic Podzols Chronosequence
by Timur Nizamutdinov, Sizhong Yang and Evgeny Abakumov
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 584; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030584 - 26 Feb 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 517
Abstract
This study investigates the post-agricultural transformation of Plaggic Podzols in a Subarctic environment, focusing on the Yamal region, Western Siberia. Agricultural practices historically altered the natural Histic Entic Podzols, leading to their conversion into anthropogenic soils with enhanced organic matter and nutrient profiles. [...] Read more.
This study investigates the post-agricultural transformation of Plaggic Podzols in a Subarctic environment, focusing on the Yamal region, Western Siberia. Agricultural practices historically altered the natural Histic Entic Podzols, leading to their conversion into anthropogenic soils with enhanced organic matter and nutrient profiles. Using a chronosequence approach, soil profiles were analyzed across active and abandoned agricultural fields to assess changes in soil properties over 25 years of abandonment. Results revealed a significant decline in SOC (2.73 → 2.21%, r2 = 0.28) and clay (5.26 → 12.45%, r2 = 0.84), which is reflected in the values of SOC/clay and SOC/(silt + clay) ratios. Nevertheless, the values of the ratios are still above the thresholds, indicating that the “health” of the soils is satisfactory. We detected a decrease in Nt (0.17 → 0.12%, r2 = 0.79) and consequently an increase in the C:N ratio (18.6 → 22.1), indirectly indicating a decrease in SOM quality. Nutrient losses (NPK) with increasing abandonment periods were pronounced, with their concentrations indicative of soil quality degradation. Trace metal concentrations remained below pollution thresholds, reflecting minimal ecological risk according to Igeo, RI, and PLI indexes. The results highlight the necessity for further research on organo-mineral interactions and SOM quality assessment. The findings provide insights into the challenges of soil restoration in Polar regions, emphasizing the role of climate, land-use history, and management practices in shaping soil health and fertility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Land Use Change on Soil Quality Evolution)
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