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Applied Sciences
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Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems
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Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 2675

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Trevan Flynn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Eveleigh, NSW 2015 Australia
Interests: soil carbon stock assessment using depth and spatial models on afforested arable lands
Dr. Pantelis E. Barouchas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Patras, 27200 Amaliada, Greece
Interests: technologies in soil spectroscopy; innovations and techniques in soil and plant analysis; non-destructive techniques for soil testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil plays a key role in ecosystems, contributing to their functionality and the services that they provide. As such, soil supports climate change mitigation, biodiversity, nutrient and water cycling, and vegetation, and is pivotal to human society. Therefore, it is essential to understand the dynamics of soil in different ecosystems, including its role, services, and threats. This Special Issue welcomes all research related to soil, from pedology, soil physics, soil chemistry, soil biology, soil security, and pedometrics. Suggested topics include carbon sequestration and lability, chemical mobilization, mineral weathering, geomorphology, geospatial analysis, soil depth functions, biotic activity, temporal and spatial soil changes, or any other topic that contributes to our understanding of soil in various ecosystems.

Dr. Trevan Flynn
Dr. Pantelis E. Barouchas
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • soil dynamics
  • ecosystem services
  • carbon sequestration
  • soil chemistry
  • geospatial analysis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 47363 KB  
Article
Spatial–Temporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of Land-Use Carbon Emissions: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province
by Tengfei Zhao, Xian Zhou, Zhiyu Jian, Jianlin Zhu, Mengba Liu and Shiping Yin
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(20), 10986; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152010986 - 13 Oct 2025
Abstract
Land-use carbon emissions denote the release or sequestration of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, N2O) resulting from human land-use activities, with land-use changes exerting a major influence on land-use carbon emissions. Revealing the coupling mechanism between land-use changes and carbon [...] Read more.
Land-use carbon emissions denote the release or sequestration of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, N2O) resulting from human land-use activities, with land-use changes exerting a major influence on land-use carbon emissions. Revealing the coupling mechanism between land-use changes and carbon emissions is of crucial theoretical significance for achieving “dual carbon” goals and mitigating global climate change. Based on the land-use change data of Jiangxi Province, this study explored the Spatial–temporal relationship between land-use carbon emissions and land-use changes in Jiangxi Province from 2000 to 2020 using a model of land-use dynamic degrees, a model of land-use transfer matrices, and the IPCC carbon emission accounting model. In this study, the factors influencing changes in land-use carbon emissions were comprehensively analyzed using an LMDI model and the Tapio decoupling model. The results indicated that: (1) Jiangxi Province’s land-use changes show a “two-increase, four-decrease” trend, with construction land and unused land experiencing the most significant shifts, while water, grassland, cropland, and forestland changes stayed near 1%. (2) Net land-use carbon emissions exhibit a rapid then gradual increase, with higher emissions in the north/south and lower levels in central regions. While overall land-use carbon emission intensity is declining, per capita emissions continue to rise. (3) Land-use carbon emission changes are primarily driven by emission intensity, land-use structure, efficiency, and economic level. In Jiangxi, economic growth mainly increases land-use carbon emissions, while land-use efficiency enhancement counters this trend. Jiangxi Province shows weak land-use carbon emission–economic growth decoupling, with land-use carbon emissions rising more slowly than economic growth. This study not only provides a typical case analysis and methodological framework for understanding the carbon emission effects of human–land relationships in rapidly urbanizing regions but also offers a specific scientific basis and policy insights for Jiangxi Province and other similar regions to formulate differentiated territorial spatial planning, promote ecological protection and restoration, and achieve green and low-carbon development pathways under the “dual carbon” goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems)
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17 pages, 4644 KB  
Article
Characterization of Core Microbiomes of Olive Tree Rhizospheres Under Drought Stress Conditions
by Andrea Visca, Lorenzo Nolfi, Luciana Di Gregorio, Manuela Costanzo, Elisa Clagnan, Filippo Sevi, Federico Sbarra, Roberta Bernini, Maria Cristina Valeri, Edoardo Franco, Ornella Calderini, Luciana Baldoni, Gaetano Perrotta and Annamaria Bevivino
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(17), 9667; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179667 - 2 Sep 2025
Viewed by 531
Abstract
Drought stress poses a significant threat to olive cultivation in Mediterranean regions. This study investigated the resilience and functional adaptation of root-associated and rhizosphere soil microorganisms of four olive cultivars under contrasting water regimes (irrigated vs. drought) across seasons. Using a combination of [...] Read more.
Drought stress poses a significant threat to olive cultivation in Mediterranean regions. This study investigated the resilience and functional adaptation of root-associated and rhizosphere soil microorganisms of four olive cultivars under contrasting water regimes (irrigated vs. drought) across seasons. Using a combination of amplicon-targeted metagenomics, phylogenetic analysis, and text mining of the scientific literature, we identified a conserved core microbiome and revealed that drought stress significantly alters the structure of root-associated—but not rhizosphere soil—bacterial communities. Potential functional profiling indicated that drought conditions enriched for genes involved in stress response pathways, including branched-chain amino acid transport, glutathione S-transferase activity, thioredoxin reductase, and chemotaxis. Text mining co-occurrence networks highlighted strong associations between some key bacterial genera and plant growth-promoting functions like phytohormone production and biocontrol. Furthermore, we identified Solirubrobacter, Microvirga, and Pseudonocardia as the primary contributors to these drought-resilience functions. The stability of the soil microbiome suggests functional redundancy, whereas the restructuring of the root endophytic compartment indicates active plant selection for beneficial microbes. Our findings provide a foundation for developing tailored microbial consortia (SynComs) to enhance drought tolerance in olive trees and support sustainable agriculture in water-limited environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems)
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23 pages, 2081 KB  
Article
Rapid Soil Tests for Assessing Soil Health
by Jan Adriaan Reijneveld and Oene Oenema
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(15), 8669; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15158669 - 5 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1229
Abstract
Soil testing has long been used to optimize fertilization and crop production. More recently, soil health testing has emerged to reflect the growing interest in soil multifunctionality and ecosystem services. Soil health encompasses physical, chemical, and biological properties that support ecosystem functions and [...] Read more.
Soil testing has long been used to optimize fertilization and crop production. More recently, soil health testing has emerged to reflect the growing interest in soil multifunctionality and ecosystem services. Soil health encompasses physical, chemical, and biological properties that support ecosystem functions and sustainable agriculture. Despite its relevance to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, and 15), comprehensive soil health testing is not widely practiced due to complexity and cost. The aim of the study presented here was to contribute to the further development, implementation, and testing of an integrated procedure for soil health assessment in practice. We developed and tested a rapid, standardized soil health assessment tool that combines near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multi-nutrient 0.01 M CaCl2 extraction with Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy analysis. The tool evaluates a wide range of soil characteristics with high accuracy (R2 ≥ 0.88 for most parameters) and has been evaluated across more than 15 countries, including those in Europe, China, New Zealand, and Vietnam. The results are compiled into a soil health indicator report with tailored management advice and a five-level ABCDE score. In a Dutch test set, 6% of soils scored A (optimal), while 2% scored E (degraded). This scalable tool supports land users, agrifood industries, and policymakers in advancing sustainable soil management and evidence-based environmental policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Analysis in Different Ecosystems)
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