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Environments
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New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition
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New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2025 | Viewed by 2989

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diego Arán

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Guest Editor
LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Center, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: soil quality; soil remediation; biochar; technosols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Erika S. Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Center, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: soil quality; nature-based techniques; environmental geochemistry, soil-plant interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Joaquim Esteves Da Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemistry Research Unit (CIQUP), Institute of Molecular Sciences (IMS), Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto (FCUP), Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Interests: environmental sciences; soil physical chemistry; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is an important and influential system component that acts as a regulator of ecosystem services and functions. It is a central component in the regulation of nutrient cycles, the control and buffering of contamination (food security and water quality), and the control and regulation of the C cycle, among others. The methods employed to determine the quality and management of soil, according to different types of impacts, such as polymetallic contamination, pesticides, forest fires, desertification, erosion, etc., are constantly evolving. The biological component of soils and its interrelation with physico-chemical properties, as well as the use of new non-invasive or destructive determination techniques, such as remote sensing, to infer diverse soil properties, are some of the current advances contributing to the enhancement of decision-making processes and improving the quality indicators and management of soil.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances with regard to the following topics: different indicators and modes of soil management, such as the establishment of quality indicators (physical, chemical, or biological) in soils, as well as the indicators and indices of risk in relation to different ecosystem and human health disturbances; the creation of predictive models of soil quality and management using remote sensing and AI techniques; the development of indicators and sensors that can be utilized to determine soil quality; methods of soil quality assessment; and the various strategies and forms of sustainable soil management. We welcome studies that consider solutions in the fields of agriculture, forestry, industry, and mining, studies that explore urban soils in real situations, and medium–long-term studies.

The publications in the first edition of this Specail Issue, which we believe may be of interest to you, can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environments/special_issues/8X1G9F0289.

Dr. Diego Arán
Dr. Erika S. Santos
Prof. Dr. Joaquim Esteves Da Silva
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. Environments 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 1800 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

  • soil quality
  • soil management
  • environmental and human risk
  • ecosystem services
  • environmental geochemistry
  • remote sensing
  • preditive models
  • nature-based techniques

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1624 KB  
Article
Strategic Tillage in the Mediterranean: No Universal Gains, Only Contextual Outcomes
by Harun Cicek, Ilin Kim, José M. Blanco-Moreno, Idoia Urrutia Larrachea, Hatem Cheikh M’hamed, Irfan Gultekin, Hassan Ouabbou, Aziz Zine El Abidine, Mia Schoeber, Oussama El Gharras, Serpil Gültekin, Yasin Kaya, Kazım Gür and Fatih Özdemir
Environments 2025, 12(11), 422; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12110422 (registering DOI) - 7 Nov 2025
Abstract
In Mediterranean drylands, where year-to-year climatic variability and soil constraints (e.g., compaction or shallow profiles) often limit the feasibility of strict no-tillage (NT), strategic tillage (ST) has emerged as a pragmatic support tool within conservation agriculture. To evaluate its short-term effects, multi-country field [...] Read more.
In Mediterranean drylands, where year-to-year climatic variability and soil constraints (e.g., compaction or shallow profiles) often limit the feasibility of strict no-tillage (NT), strategic tillage (ST) has emerged as a pragmatic support tool within conservation agriculture. To evaluate its short-term effects, multi-country field trials were established in Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye, and Spain across a rainfall gradient (250–580 mm). We assessed soil water content (SWC), crop biomass, and yield under ST compared with NT systems. Results were context-dependent. SWC responses varied: largely unchanged in Morocco and Tunisia, slightly increased in Morocco in 2023, and significantly reduced in Spain in 2022. Biomass generally showed no significant change, with modest decreases in Morocco and modest increases in Tunisia. Yield effects were more pronounced: pooled data from Morocco indicated a significant reduction under ST, and Tunisia showed a significant yield loss in 2021. Türkiye exhibited non-significant declines in both SWC and yield, while Spain experienced yield-neutral but SWC-reducing outcomes. Overall, ST did not have negative effects across sites. Instead, its impacts were strongly conditioned by local soils, rainfall distribution, and crop context. These findings highlight that ST can be considered as a pragmatic tool to overcome some of the agronomic difficulties in the Mediterranean region with little or no negative effects on productivity of soil moisture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 4077 KB  
Article
Effects of Rice Straw Size on Flow Velocity and Rill Erosion: A Laboratory-Scale Experiment
by Misagh Parhizkar, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja and Demetrio Antonio Zema
Environments 2025, 12(11), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12110421 - 7 Nov 2025
Abstract
The residues of rice production could be used as a mulch to reduce the effects of rill erosion on long and steep hillslopes. However, there is a need to identify the most effective size of this residue to apply as a countermeasure of [...] Read more.
The residues of rice production could be used as a mulch to reduce the effects of rill erosion on long and steep hillslopes. However, there is a need to identify the most effective size of this residue to apply as a countermeasure of rill erosion, exploring its effect on hydraulic variables. Several investigations have focused on the anti-erosive effects of other crop residues, while experiences on rice straw applications to reduce rill erosion are still lacking. To fill this gap, this study has measured the variability in flow velocity, stream power and the resulting soil loss in a rill covered by rice straw. Flume experiments simulating rill erosion have been carried out comparing soil loss among treatments with rice straw (dose of 3 tonnes ha−1 and lengths between 20 and 70, 80 and 130, or 140 and 190 mm) and a non-mulched control. Moreover, a multiple regression model that predicts soil loss for a rill cover with rice straw of a given length has been proposed. The application of rice straw reduced the soil loss by at least 20% compared to bare soils. The most suitable size of the applied straw was 90 to 130 mm, which reduces soil loss by 45%. Finer straw (20 to 70 mm) did not significantly improve the soil’s resistance to rill erosion. The beneficial effects of straw must be ascribed to the reduction in flow velocity due to the presence of straw, as shown by accurate power equations regressing the soil loss to this variable. In spite of some limitations (small experimental scale, local environmental conditions, and low incorporation level of the substrate), the results are useful for land managers and hydrologists for soil conservation in hillslopes subjected to intense rill erosion and with similar climatic and hydrological and geomorphological conditions as the case study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 1072 KB  
Article
Exploitation of the Herbicide Effect of Compost for Vineyard Soil Management
by Piergiorgio Romano, Lorenzo Samuil Mordos, Marcello Stifani, Francesco Mello, Corrado Domanda, Daniel Grigorie Dinu, Concetta Eliana Gattullo, Gianluca Pappaccogli, Gianni Zorzi, Rita Annunziata Accogli and Laura Rustioni
Environments 2025, 12(6), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12060190 - 5 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1385
Abstract
Soil management in vineyards is a crucial component of sustainable viticulture. Weed control under the row has traditionally been addressed using mechanical, physical, and chemical techniques, but herbicides pose environmental and health risks. The circular economy offers an alternative approach by converting organic [...] Read more.
Soil management in vineyards is a crucial component of sustainable viticulture. Weed control under the row has traditionally been addressed using mechanical, physical, and chemical techniques, but herbicides pose environmental and health risks. The circular economy offers an alternative approach by converting organic waste into a resource, such as compost. This study explores the effectiveness of compost derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) not only as a mulching technique but also as a potential biological agent for weed control through allelopathic mechanisms in vineyards. Experiments were conducted both in the field and under controlled conditions. In the field, compost was applied under the vine row as mulch and incorporated into the soil. Under controlled conditions, germination tests were performed to assess weed inhibition at different compost concentrations. Field results demonstrated that compost applications, both as mulch and incorporated into the soil, significantly inhibited weed growth during the first period after application compared to the tilled control without compost. Thus, this inhibition is not limited to physical mulching; it also applies to the release of allelopathic compounds from compost. Controlled condition experiments showed strong inhibition of germination in Cichorium intybus and Foeniculum vulgare seeds, confirming the anti-germinative effects of compost, particularly on small-seeded weed species. Compost is a promising tool for sustainable vineyard management, offering fertilization and weed-suppression benefits while reducing herbicide use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 2192 KB  
Article
Impact of Land Cover and Meteorological Attributes on Soil Fertility, Temperature, and Moisture in the Itacaiúnas River Watershed, Eastern Amazon
by Renato Oliveira da Silva Júnior, Tatiane Barbarelly Serra Souza Morais, Wendel Valter da Silveira Pereira, Gabriel Caixeta Martins, Paula Godinho Ribeiro, Adayana Maria Queiroz de Melo, Marcio Sousa da Silva and Sílvio Junio Ramos
Environments 2025, 12(4), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12040098 - 24 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1020
Abstract
The Amazon has undergone significant changes in the landscape with the expansion of human activities. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between soil temperature (ST) and moisture (SM) with meteorological data and soil attributes in pasture, forest, and transition [...] Read more.
The Amazon has undergone significant changes in the landscape with the expansion of human activities. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between soil temperature (ST) and moisture (SM) with meteorological data and soil attributes in pasture, forest, and transition areas in the Itacaiúnas River Watershed (IRW), Eastern Amazon. Soil samples were analyzed to determine chemical and granulometric attributes. SM and ST were measured up to 40 cm deep using sensors, and the meteorological variables were quantified by hydrometeorological stations. The chemical characteristics and granulometry indicated greater limitations in the Forest soil, with lower levels of organic carbon and higher contents of sand. In Pasture A, Pasture B, and Transition areas, with some exceptions, there was a progressive increase in ST from July to September. In general, SM was positively correlated with rainfall and negatively correlated with ST, air temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation. Linear models for ST (10–20 cm depth) in Pasture B and Forest areas indicate positive relationships with air temperature and wind speed and negative relationships with solar radiation. The findings of this study can be useful in decision-making regarding the management of ecosystems in the IRW. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Soil Quality and Management, 2nd Edition)
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