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Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Earth Science and Medical Geology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2023) | Viewed by 19713

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bo Sun

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Guest Editor

Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS), Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: soil quality and soil health evaluation; assembly and multifunction of soil biological network

Dr. Ming Liu

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Guest Editor

Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: organic resource utilization; soil improvement; ecological planting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yan Chen

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Guest Editor

Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS), Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: soil-root-microbe interaction and nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystem

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil degradation is defined as a change in the soil health status resulting in a diminished capacity of the ecosystem to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries. Degraded soils have a health status such that they do not provide the normal goods and services of the particular soil in its ecosystem (FAO Soils Portal). Ecological rehabilitation is required when the soil is degradation to such an extent that the land become unproductive. However, the types, causes and characteristics of soil degradation are complicated. For example, the physical aspects of soil degradation, such as soil sealing and crusting, soil erosion and soil compacting etc., may result in severe landscape deterioration. Soil nutrient unbalance or depletion is also a widespread soil degradation due to inappropriate practices in agricultural area. Acidification, alkalization, and salinization are also serious problem of soil degradation. In addition to physical and chemical soil degradation, the soil biological health can be damaged as well. Last decades, toxic contamination of soil, for instance, heavy metal pollution and organic pollutant contamination etc., bring more pressing issues. Therefore, the effective and up to date technology for soil degradation and soil pollution restoration is urgent. This special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on soil degradation, soil pollution and ecological restoration. The new research papers about the assessment of soil degradation or soil pollution locally and globally are welcome. The cutting edge methods or technologies for the solution to soil degradation and soil pollution are also appropriate. The topics fit the scope of the special issue are as following:

Physical aspects of soil degradation including but not limited to soil sealing, erosion and compacting.
Chemical aspects of soil degradation including but not limited to soil nutrient depletion, organic carbon loss, acidification, alkalization and salinization.
Soil biological degradation such as decrease of soil biological diversity, shift of microbial community, fall of soil microbial biomass or activity, decay of ecological function, occurrence of soil-borne disease, etc.
Soil pollution such as heavy metal, organic pollutant, solid waste, micro-plastics, and radioactive contaminant.
Innovations in theory and technology of assessments and potential solutions for soil degradation.

Prof. Dr. Bo Sun
Dr. Ming Liu
Dr. Yan Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

soil degradation assessment
soil sealing, erosion and compacting
nutrient depletion and organic carbon loss
acidification, alkalization and salinization
soil pollution
biological biomass, activity and diversity
microbial community
ecological function
soil-borne disease
ecological restoration

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2801 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Contamination with Metals in Mountainous: A Case Study of Jaworzyna Krynicka in the Beskidy Mountains (Poland)

by Sławomir Dorocki and Joanna Korzeniowska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 5150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065150 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1197

Abstract

The paper presents the content of six metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the soils of the southern slope of Jaworzyna Krynicka in Poland. Soil samples were collected in polygons, starting from an altitude of 500 m above sea level and ending at an altitude of 1100 m above sea level. Ten soil samples were collected in each polygon. The polygons were set at every 100 m of absolute altitude. The selected research area is an important natural area. The fertile mountain beech forests located there are the most important forest communities in the mountain areas of Poland. They are valuable habitats for plants and animals (especially for large predatory mammals). Every year, numerous tourists and health resort patients visit this place. The results of the research showed that soil contamination in the study area is not high, in particular for altitudes of 500 and 900 m above sea level. At these altitudes, the contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were similar to the concentrations of these metals in uncontaminated soils. The tests carried out showed very low cadmium content for all absolute altitudes. Zinc, the concentrations of which exceeded natural values, showed the highest content in the tested soils. All the metals tested showed a common tendency of increases in their content in the soils of Jaworzyna Krynicka up to 800 m above sea level. From an altitude of 900 m above sea level, the content of these metals decreased, except for Pb. Only Pb concentrations in Jaworzyna Krynicka soils also increased with the increasing altitude. The research significance of this work is that it is important for assessing the ecological balance in the selected area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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15 pages, 1185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Biochar and Manure Co-Application on Aggregate Stability and Pore Size Distribution of Vertisols

by Taiyi Cai, Zhigang Wang, Chengshi Guo, Huijuan Huang, Huabin Chai and Congzhi Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11335; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811335 - 9 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1438

Abstract

Background: The combination of biochar and organic manure has substantial local impacts on soil properties, greenhouse gas emissions, and crop yield. However, the research on soil health or quality is still in its early stages. Four pot experiments were carried out: C (30 g biochar (kg soil)⁻¹), M (10 g manure (kg soil)⁻¹), CM (15 g biochar (kg soil)⁻¹ + 5 g manure (kg soil)⁻¹), and the control (without any amendments). Results: When compared to C and M treatments, the MWD of CM was reduced by 5.5% and increased by 4.9%, respectively, and the micropore volume (5–30 m) was increased by 17.6% and 89.6%. The structural equation model shows that soil structural parameters and physical properties regulate the distribution of micropores (5–30 μm) in amended soil. Conclusion: Our studies discovered that biochar mixed with poultry manure had antagonistic and synergistic effects on soil aggregate stability and micropore volume in vertisol, respectively, and thus enhanced crop yield by 71.1%, which might be used as a technological model for farmers in China’s Huang-Huai-Hai region to improve low- and medium-yielding soil and maintain soil health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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14 pages, 3138 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Apportionment and Spatial Pattern Analysis of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution Sources Related to Industries of Concern in a County in Southwestern China

by Xiaohui Chen, Mei Lei, Shiwen Zhang, Degang Zhang, Guanghui Guo and Xiaofeng Zhao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127421 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1490

Abstract

Soil heavy metal pollution is frequent around areas with a high concentration of heavy industry enterprises. The integration of geostatistical and chemometric methods has been used to identify sources and the spatial patterns of soil heavy metals. Taking a county in southwestern China as an example, two subregions were analyzed. Subregion R1 mainly contained nonferrous mining, and subregion R2 was affected by smelting. Two factors (R1F1 and R1F2) associated with industry in R1 were extracted through positive matrix factorization (PMF) to obtain contributions to the soil As (64.62%), Cd (77.77%), Cu (53.10%), Pb (75.76%), Zn (59.59%), and Sb (32.66%); two factors (R2F1 and R2F2) also related to industry in R2 were extracted to obtain contributions to the As (53.35%), Cd (32.99%), Cu (53.10%), Pb (56.08%), Zn (67.61%), and Sb (42.79%). Combined with PMF results, cokriging (CK) was applied, and the z-score and root-mean square error were reduced by 11.04% on average due to the homology of heavy metals. Furthermore, a prevention distance of approximately 1800 m for the industries of concern was proposed based on locally weighted regression (LWR). It is concluded that it is necessary to define subregions for apportionment in area with different industries, and CK and LWR analyses could be used to analyze prevention distance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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26 pages, 3404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Grass Compost and Zea Mays in Alleviating Toxic Effects of Tetracycline on the Soil Bacteria Community

by Jadwiga Wyszkowska, Agata Borowik and Jan Kucharski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7357; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127357 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1955

Abstract

Given their common use for disease treatment in humans, and particularly in animals, antibiotics pose an exceptionally serious threat to the soil environment. This study aimed to determine the response of soil bacteria and oxidoreductases to a tetracycline (Tc) contamination, and to establish the usability of grass compost (G) and Zea mays (Zm) in mitigating adverse Tc effects on selected microbial properties of the soil. The scope of microbiological analyses included determinations of bacteria with the conventional culture method and new-generation sequencing method (NGS). Activities of soil dehydrogenases and catalase were determined as well. Tc was found to reduce counts of organotrophic bacteria and actinobacteria in the soils as well as the activity of soil oxidoreductases. Soil fertilization with grass compost (G) and Zea mays (Zm) cultivation was found to alleviate the adverse effects of tetracycline on the mentioned group of bacteria and activity of oxidoreductases. The metagenomic analysis demonstrated that the bacteria belonging to Acidiobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla were found to prevail in the soil samples. The study results recommend soil fertilization with G and Zm cultivation as successful measures in the bioremediation of tetracycline-contaminated soils and indicate the usability of the so-called core bacteria in the bioaugmentation of such soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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19 pages, 4635 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantitative Response of Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix Texture Features to the Salinity of Cracked Soda Saline–Alkali Soil

by Yue Zhao, Zhuopeng Zhang, Honglei Zhu and Jianhua Ren

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6556; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116556 - 27 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1450

Abstract

Desiccation cracking during water evaporation is a common phenomenon in soda saline–alkali soils and is mainly determined by soil salinity. Therefore, quantitative measurement of the surface cracking status of soda saline–alkali soils is highly significant in different applications. Texture features can help to determine the mechanical properties of soda saline–alkali soils, thus improving the understanding of the mechanism of desiccation cracking in saline–alkali soils. This study aims to provide a new standard describing the surface cracking conditions of soda saline–alkali soil on the basis of gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture analysis and to quantitatively study the responses of GLCM texture features to soil salinity. To achieve this, images of 200 field soil samples with different surface cracks were processed and calculated for GLCMs under different parameters, including directions, gray levels, and step sizes. Subsequently, correlation analysis was then conducted between texture features and electrical conductivity (EC) values. The results indicated that direction had little effect on the GLCM texture features, and that four selected texture features, contrast (CON), angular second moment (ASM), entropy (ENT), and homogeneity (HOM), were the most correlated with EC under a gray level of 2 and step size of 1 pixel. The results also showed that logarithmic models can be used to accurately describe the relationships between EC values and GLCM texture features of soda saline–alkali soils in the Songnen Plain of China, with calibration R² ranging from 0.88 to 0.92, and RMSE from 2.12 × 10⁻⁴ to 9.68 × 10⁻³, respectively. This study can therefore enhance the understanding of desiccation cracking of salt-affected soil to a certain extent and can also help to improve the detection accuracy of soil salinity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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17 pages, 3121 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Soil Erodibility and Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity on Soil Nutrients in the Pingshuo Opencast Coalmine, China

by Mingjie Qian, Wenxiang Zhou, Shufei Wang, Yuting Li and Yingui Cao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4762; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084762 - 14 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

Soil erodibility (K factor) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) are essential indicators for the estimation of erosion intensity and can potentially influence soil nutrient losses, making them essential parameters for the evaluation of land reclamation quality. In this study, 132 soil samples from 22 soil profiles were collected to measure soil physicochemical properties (e.g., particle size distribution, bulk density and soil nutrient content) and calculate the K factor and Ks of reclaimed soils across the South Dump of the Pingshuo opencast coalmine in the Loess Plateau, China. Geostatistical analysis and the kriging interpolation were employed to quantify the spatial variations in the K factor and Ks in different layers. The results show that the K factor at 0–10 cm is obviously lower than that of other soil layers due to the external input of organic matter, while the Ks tends to decrease along with soil depth. Horizontally, the K factor at 0–10 cm and 50–60 cm shows a decreasing tendency from west to east, while that of other soil layers seems not to show any spatial distribution pattern along latitude or longitude. Meanwhile, the Ks at 0–10 cm presents a striped distribution pattern, while that of other soil layers shows a patchy pattern. On the other hand, the independent-sample t-test and Spearman’s correlation analysis were carried out to determine the effects of soil erodibility on total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), available phosphorus (AP) and potassium (AK). Overall, the K factor is negatively correlated with TN (r = −0.362, p < 0.01) and SOM contents (r = −0.380, p < 0.01), while AP and AK contents are mainly controlled by Ks. This study provides insight on the optimization of reclamation measures and the conservation of soil nutrients in reclaimed land of similar ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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21 pages, 57666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Different Land Use Types and Soil Depths on Soil Mineral Elements, Soil Enzyme Activity, and Fungal Community in Karst Area of Southwest China

by Jiyi Gong, Wenpeng Hou, Jie Liu, Kamran Malik, Xin Kong, Li Wang, Xianlei Chen, Ming Tang, Ruiqing Zhu, Chen Cheng, Yinglong Liu, Jianfeng Wang and Yin Yi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3120; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053120 - 7 Mar 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2754

Abstract

The current research was aimed to study the effects of different land use types (LUT) and soil depth (SD) on soil enzyme activity, metal content, and soil fungi in the karst area. Soil samples with depths of 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm were collected from different land types, including grassland, forest, Zanthoxylum planispinum land, Hylocereus spp. land and Zea mays land. The metal content and enzyme activity of the samples were determined, and the soil fungi were sequenced. The results showed that LUT had a significant effect on the contents of soil K, Mg, Fe, Cu and Cr; LUT and SD significantly affected the activities of invertase, urease, alkaline phosphatase and catalase. In addition, Shannon and Chao1 index of soil fungal community was affected by different land use types and soil depths. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota were the dominant phyla at 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil depths in five different land types. Land use led to significant changes in soil fungal structure, while soil depth had no significant effect on soil fungal structure, probably because the small-scale environmental changes in karst areas were not the dominant factor in changing the structure of fungal communities. Additionally, metal element content and enzyme activity were related to different soil fungal communities. In conclusion, soil mineral elements content, enzyme activity, and soil fungal community in the karst area were strongly affected by land use types and soil depths. This study provides a theoretical basis for rational land use and ecological restoration in karst areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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31 pages, 9839 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect Mechanism of Land Consolidation on Soil Bacterial Community: A Case Study in Eastern China

by Yaoben Lin, Yanmei Ye, Shuchang Liu, Jiahao Wen and Danling Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(2), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020845 - 13 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2068

Abstract

Farmland consolidation is an effective tool to improve farmland infrastructures, soil quality, and sustain a healthy farmland ecosystem and rural population, generating contributions to food security and regional sustainable development. Previous studies showed that farmland consolidation regulates soil physical and chemical properties. Soil microorganisms also play an important role in soil health and crop performance; however, few studies reported how farmland consolidation influence soil microecology. Here, we used DNA sequencing technology to compare bacterial community structure in farmlands with and without consolidation. DNA sequencing technology is the most advanced technology used to obtain biological information in the world, and it has been widely used in the research of soil micro-ecological environment. In September 2018, we collected soil samples in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China, and used DNA sequence technology to compare the bacterial community structure in farmlands with and without consolidation. Our results found that (1) farmland consolidation had significant impacts on soil microbial characteristics, which were mainly manifested as changes in microbial biomass, microbial diversity and community structure. Farmland consolidation can increase the relative abundance of the three dominant bacteria phyla and the three fungal dominant phyla, but it also negatively affects the relative abundance of the six dominant bacteria phyla and the three fungal dominant phyla. (2) Farmland consolidation had an indirect impact on soil bacterial community structure by adjusting the soil physical and chemical properties. (3) The impact of heavy metals on bacterial community structure varied significantly under different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland consolidation areas. There were 6, 3, 3, and 5 bacterial genera that had significant correlations with heavy metal content in cultivated land with low pollution, light pollution, medium pollution, and heavy pollution, respectively. The number of heavy metal-tolerant bacteria in the soil generally increased first and then decreased under heavy metal polluted conditions. Our study untangled the relationship between varied farmland consolidation strategies and bacteria through soil physcicochemical properties and metal pollution conditions. Our results can guide farmland consolidation strategies and sustain soil health and ecological balance in agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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16 pages, 1361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Seven-Year Fertilization Reclamation on Bacterial Community in a Coal Mining Subsidence Area in Shanxi, China

by Li Li, Tingliang Li, Huisheng Meng, Yinghe Xie, Jie Zhang and Jianping Hong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12504; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312504 - 27 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1900

Abstract

The restoration of soil fertility and microbial communities is the key to the soil reclamation and ecological reconstruction in coal mine subsidence areas. However, the response of soil bacterial communities to reclamation is still not well understood. Here, we studied the bacterial communities in fertilizer-reclaimed soil (CK, without fertilizer; CF, chemical fertilizer; M, manure) in the Lu’an reclamation mining region and compared them with those in adjacent subsidence soil (SU) and farmland soil (FA). We found that the compositions of dominant phyla in the reclaimed soil differed greatly from those in the subsidence soil and farmland soil (p < 0.05). The related sequences of Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Nitrospirae were mainly from the subsided soil, whereas those of Alphaproteobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Deltaproteobacteria were mainly derived from the farmland soil. Fertilization affected the bacterial community composition in the reclaimed soil, and bacteria richness and diversity increased significantly with the accumulation of soil nutrients after 7 years of reclamation (p < 0.05). Moreover, soil properties, especially SOM and pH, were found to play a key role in the restoration of the bacterial community in the reclaimed soil. The results are helpful to the study of soil fertility improvement and ecological restoration in mining areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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Review

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16 pages, 3913 KiB

Open AccessReview

Coordinative Management of Soil Resources and Agricultural Farmland Environment for Food Security and Sustainable Development in China

by Bo Sun, Yongming Luo, Dianlin Yang, Jingsong Yang, Yuguo Zhao and Jiabao Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3233; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043233 - 12 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2176

Abstract

Major problems in China’s pursuit of sustainable agricultural development include inadequate, low-quality soil and water resources, imbalanced regional allocation and unreasonable utilization of resources. In some regions, overexploitation of soil resources and excessive use of chemicals triggered a web of unforeseen consequences, including insufficient use of agricultural resources, agricultural non-point source pollution and land degradation. In the past decade, China has changed its path of agricultural development from an output-oriented one to a modern, sustainable one with agricultural ecological civilization as its goal. First, the government has formulated and improved its laws and regulations on soil resources and the environment. Second, the government has conducted serious actions to ensure food safety and coordinated management of agricultural resources. Third, the government has planned to establish national agricultural high-tech industry demonstration zones based on regional features to strengthen the connection among the government, agri-businesses, scientific community and the farming community. As the next step, the government should improve the system for ecological and environmental regulation and set up a feasible eco-incentive mechanism. At the same time, the scientific community should strengthen the innovation of bottleneck technologies and the development of whole solutions for sustainable management in ecologically fragile regions. This will enhance the alignment between policy mechanisms and technology modes and effectively promote the sustainable development of agriculture in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Degradation, Soil Pollution and Ecological Restoration)

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