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Soil Quality and Soil Management
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Soil Quality and Soil Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 55028

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mauricio Roberto Cherubin

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Guest Editor
Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba – São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
Interests: soil quality; soil management; ecosystem services; agriculture; bioenergy
Prof. Dr. Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba – São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
Interests: soil organic carbon; greenhouse gas; land use change; organic amendments
Dr. Ieda de Carvalho Mendes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, Brasília 73.310-970, DF, Brazil
Interests: soil health; soil quality; soil enzymatic activity; microbial biomass
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Cássio Antônio Tormena

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, State University of Maringa (UEM), Maringá - Paraná 87020-900, Brazil
Interests: soil physics; soil management; soil compaction; conservation agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil quality reflects the soil´s capacity to perform its fundamental functions that sustain plants, animals, humans, and the environment. Globally, soil quality has been used to guide land use and soil management decisions to ensure our fragile soil resources will be sustained for future generations. Healthy soils not only provide a suitable growing environment for plants, but also multiple, essential ecosystem services, such as soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, erosion control, and water quality. Therefore, in a broad context, sustaining healthy soils is essential to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the coming decades. Therefore, for this Special Issue, we encourage the submission of all types of contributions (original research, reviews, and meta-analyses) providing the state-of-the-art and new insights on i) soil quality assessments (i.e., quantification of soil chemical, physical and biological indicators, new on-farm, user-friendly, and cost-effective indicators, advances in laboratory analysis and protocols, and development of comprehensive frameworks for monitoring soil quality in natural and anthropized ecosystems); ii) sustainable land uses and management practices that promote soil quality across a wide range of ecosystems around the world; and iii) public perceptions of soil quality, public policies to promote soil and water quality, and strategies to achieve the SDGs through sustainable soil management.

Specifically, this Special Issue intends to cover the state-of-the-art and recent progress in, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Advances in soil quality assessment frameworks and indexing approaches;
  • On-farm soil quality indicators: development and applications;
  • Advances in laboratory analysis for soil quality evaluation and monitoring;
  • New insights into remote sensing, molecular biology and soil imaging for monitoring soil quality;
  • Quantitative evaluation of soil functions and soil-related ecosystem services;
  • Best soil management practices for sustainable agriculture;
  • Impacts of integrated agricultural systems on soil quality;
  • Soil quality assessments in natural ecosystems (forests, grasslands, savannas, wetlands, etc.);
  • Crop residues and organic amendments (biochar, manure, sewage sludge, industrial waste, etc.);
  • Impacts of land use and management practices on soil and water quality;
  • Nexus of soils, plants, animals and human health;
  • Public policies on soil quality and soil conservation.

Prof. Dr. Mauricio Roberto Cherubin
Prof. Dr. Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
Dr. Ieda de Carvalho Mendes
Prof. Dr. Cássio Antônio Tormena
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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 health
  • ecosystem services
  • conservation agriculture
  • land use and management
  • integrated agricultural systems
  • organic amendments
  • soil fertility
  • soil physical quality
  • soil carbon sequestration
  • soil biodiversity
  • environmental sustainability
  • food security
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1246 KiB  
Article
Applying the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) to Assess Mangrove Soil Quality
by Laís Coutinho Zayas Jimenez, Hermano Melo Queiroz, Maurício Roberto Cherubin and Tiago Osório Ferreira
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3085; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053085 - 7 Mar 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4645
Abstract
Soil quality (SQ) refers to its capacity to perform its functions. Thus, the SQ index (SQI) is a potentially useful tool for monitoring soil changes induced by mangrove restoration initiatives. Although the soil management assessment framework (SMAF) is a well-developed tool for SQ [...] Read more.
Soil quality (SQ) refers to its capacity to perform its functions. Thus, the SQ index (SQI) is a potentially useful tool for monitoring soil changes induced by mangrove restoration initiatives. Although the soil management assessment framework (SMAF) is a well-developed tool for SQ assessments in diverse ecosystems, it has never been tested on mangrove soils. In this study, we tested the SMAF to evaluate the shifts in the SQ of mangroves in a reforestation initiative using three- and seven-year plantations, which were compared with degraded and mature mangroves. A minimum dataset, composed of the pH and available P as chemical indicators, bulk density as a physical indicator, and soil organic carbon as a biological indicator, was used to calculate the SQI. The SMAF scores facilitated the monitoring of improvement in the mangrove SQ with vegetation development, mainly driven by physical and biological indicators. The SMAF may be a useful tool for monitoring SQ in mangroves under protection and recovery initiatives. Nevertheless, we suggest the inclusion of additional biological and chemical indicators in the minimum dataset for future studies to better represent specific processes and functions (e.g., microbial redox reactions and contaminant immobilization) that can alter the SQ of mangroves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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18 pages, 3153 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Soil Physical Quality and Water Flow Regulation under Straw Removal Management in Sugarcane Production Fields
by Martha Lustosa Carvalho, Felipe Bonini da Luz, Renato Paiva de Lima, Karina Maria Vieira Cavalieri-Polizeli, João Luís Nunes Carvalho and Maurício Roberto Cherubin
Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020841 - 12 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3105
Abstract
Removing sugarcane straw to increase bioenergy production can generate significant income to the industry. However, straw contributes to the regulation of soil functions and consequently supports the provision of ecosystem services, such as water flow regulation. Thus, straw removal may hinder the provision [...] Read more.
Removing sugarcane straw to increase bioenergy production can generate significant income to the industry. However, straw contributes to the regulation of soil functions and consequently supports the provision of ecosystem services, such as water flow regulation. Thus, straw removal may hinder the provision of these services, especially in mechanized sugarcane production systems, which have soil compaction problems due to machinery traffic. In this study, we assess a six-year experiment in Brazil with four rates of straw removal: 0 Mg ha−1 (TR), 5 Mg ha−1 (HR), 10 Mg ha−1 (LR), and 15 Mg ha−1 (NR) remaining straw. Using attributes, such as soil bulk density, porosity, water infiltration, runoff, saturated hydraulic conductivity and available water-holding capacity, as indicators of key soil functions, we calculated a soil-related ecosystem service (ES) index for water flow regulation provision. The ES index revealed that water flow regulation was low regardless of the straw management (0.56, 0.63, 0.64 and 0.60 for TR, HR, LR and NR, respectively). It can be a consequence of soil compaction caused by machinery traffic throughout the successive cycle, whose straw was unable to mitigate this issue. Thus, by the end of the sugarcane cycle (sixth ratoon), straw removal had little effect on soil physical and hydraulic indicators, and consequently had little impact on the provision of the soil-related ES associated with water flow regulation. Nevertheless, straw management should be planned to consider other functions and soil-related ES benefited by straw retention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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18 pages, 41867 KiB  
Article
Silvopastoral Systems Enhance Soil Health in the Amazon Region
by Adriana M. Silva-Olaya, Andres Olaya-Montes, Karen L. Polanía-Hincapié, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, Ervin H. Duran-Bautista and Fausto A. Ortiz-Morea
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010320 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5572
Abstract
Silvopastoral systems (SPS), an integrated farming system in which tropical grasses are combined with trees and shrubs, have been implemented in the last years in the Amazon region in order to mitigate the impacts generated by the traditional cattle ranching system. However, despite [...] Read more.
Silvopastoral systems (SPS), an integrated farming system in which tropical grasses are combined with trees and shrubs, have been implemented in the last years in the Amazon region in order to mitigate the impacts generated by the traditional cattle ranching system. However, despite the multiple SPS’s benefits to soil and ecosystem, there is a paucity of comprehensive studies revealing the potential soil health (SH) restoration through SPS. Here, by developing an overall SH index using local native vegetation (Amazon rainforest) as a reference, we aimed to assess SH changes induced by the land transition from the traditional livestock production system to the SPS in the Colombian Amazon region. A chronosequence conformed by three areas: (i) native vegetation, (ii) traditional pasture and (iii) silvopastoral system was established in two study sites located in the Colombian Amazon, specifically in Caquetá State, the second hotspot of deforestation in the Amazon Basin. The results indicated high soil compaction and loss of macrofauna diversity and richness due to pasture management, causing a loss of 9% of soil capacity to function. In contrast, by integrating 31 soil indicators, our SH assessment revealed that SPS was an effective strategy for the recovery of SH, impacting positively multiple soil functions related to nutrient dynamics, water retention and supply, and biological activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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12 pages, 711 KiB  
Article
Effects of Amendment with Various Vermicomposts on the Soil Fertility, Growth of Brassica chinensis L., and Resistance of Spodoptera litura Fabricius larvae
by Chang-Jun Fong, Yi-Yuan Chuang and Hung-Yu Lai
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9441; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169441 - 23 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2368
Abstract
Amendments with vermicomposts can reduce the incidence of pests. In this study, earthworms were fed different foods to produce four vermicomposts. A pot experiment was then conducted to assess different vermicomposts’ effects on soil fertility, and the secondary metabolite content and antioxidant capacity [...] Read more.
Amendments with vermicomposts can reduce the incidence of pests. In this study, earthworms were fed different foods to produce four vermicomposts. A pot experiment was then conducted to assess different vermicomposts’ effects on soil fertility, and the secondary metabolite content and antioxidant capacity of Brassica chinensis L., and on the growth of Spodoptera litura larvae. The results showed that the characteristics of vermicomposts are mainly affected by food supplements, and that the application of vermicomposts can improve soil fertility, whereas increasing the soil and leaf sulfur content can decrease the relative growth rate of S. litura larvae. However, there were no significant differences in the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), nor the DPPH free radical scavenging ability under the different treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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15 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
The Reuse of Excavated Soils from Construction and Demolition Projects: Limitations and Possibilities
by Sarah E. Hale, Antonio José Roque, Gudny Okkenhaug, Erlend Sørmo, Thomas Lenoir, Christel Carlsson, Darya Kupryianchyk, Peter Flyhammar and Bojan Žlender
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6083; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116083 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 16201
Abstract
The construction and demolition of infrastructure can produce a surplus of excavated soils that ends up at landfills. This practice is not sustainable, and approaches are needed to reduce soil waste and minimize environmental and human health hazards. The “Reuse of urban soils [...] Read more.
The construction and demolition of infrastructure can produce a surplus of excavated soils that ends up at landfills. This practice is not sustainable, and approaches are needed to reduce soil waste and minimize environmental and human health hazards. The “Reuse of urban soils and sites” Working Group in the European Large Geotechnical Institute Platform (ELGIP) works towards a safe and resource efficient use of excavated soils for construction. By considering relevant literature and practicals based on experience in the participating ELGIP countries (France, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden), this study presents current practice related to the reuse of excavated soils, and the main barriers (regulatory, organizational, logistical and material quality) to effectively reuse them. Results show that there is no consensus on the best strategies to manage excavated soils in urban areas. This paper provides suggestions of ways in which stakeholders can increase reuse of excavated soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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15 pages, 5029 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Humic Substances from Native Halophyte Soils by Fluorescence Spectroscopy Combined with Parallel Factor Analysis and Canonical Correlation Analysis
by Dongping Liu, Huibin Yu, Fang Yang, Li Liu, Hongjie Gao and Bing Cui
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9787; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239787 - 24 Nov 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3038
Abstract
Soil is one of the principal substrates of human life and can serve as a reservoir of water and nutrients. Humic substances, indicators of soil fertility, are dominant in soil organic matter. However, soil degradation has been occurring all over the world, usually [...] Read more.
Soil is one of the principal substrates of human life and can serve as a reservoir of water and nutrients. Humic substances, indicators of soil fertility, are dominant in soil organic matter. However, soil degradation has been occurring all over the world, usually by soil salinization. Sustainable soil productivity has become an urgent problem to be solved. In this study, fluorescence excitation-emission matrices integrated with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were applied to characterize the components of fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) substances extracted from soils from the Liaohe River Delta, China. Along the saline gradient, soil samples with four disparate depths were gathered from four aboriginal halophyte communities, i.e., the Suaeda salsa Community (SSC), Chenopodium album Community (CAC), Phragmites australis Community (PAC), and Artemisia selengensis Community (ASC). Six components (C1 to C6) were identified in the FA and HA substances. The FA dominant fractions accounted for an average of 45.81% of the samples, whereas the HA dominant fractions accounted for an average of 42.72%. Mature levels of the HA fractions were higher than those of the FA fractions, so was the condensation degree, microbial activity, and humification degree of the FA fractions. C1 was associated with the ultraviolet FA, C2 was referred to as visible FA, C3 and C4 were relative to ultraviolet HA, C5 represented microbial humic-like substances (MH), and C6 referred to visible HA. C1, C2, C5 and C6 were latent factors of the FA fractions, determined using the CCA method and could possibly be used to differentiate among the SSC, CAC, PAC and ASC samples. C3, C4, C6 and C5 were latent factors of the HA fractions, which might be able to distinguish the ASC samples from the SSC, CAC and PAC samples. Fluorescence spectroscopy combined with the PARAFAC and CCA is a practical technique that is applied to assess the humic substance content of salinized soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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22 pages, 1639 KiB  
Article
Linkages among Soil Properties and Litter Quality in Agroforestry Systems of Southeastern Brazil
by Priscila S. Matos, Steven J. Fonte, Sandra S. Lima, Marcos G. Pereira, Courtland Kelly, Júnior M. Damian, Marcelo A. Fontes, Guilherme M. Chaer, Felipe C. Brasil and Everaldo Zonta
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9752; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229752 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3810
Abstract
Agroforestry systems have been promoted as a solution to address trade-offs between environmental conservation efforts and the need for increased agricultural productivity on smallholder farms in Brazil. However, the impact of land use change from degraded pasture to agroforestry on soil properties remains [...] Read more.
Agroforestry systems have been promoted as a solution to address trade-offs between environmental conservation efforts and the need for increased agricultural productivity on smallholder farms in Brazil. However, the impact of land use change from degraded pasture to agroforestry on soil properties remains unclear. The objectives of this research were to: (1) assess soil chemical, physical and biological properties across distinct land uses (degraded pasture, agroforestry and secondary forest); and (2) understand relationships between litter quality, soil organic matter (SOM) and key soil quality parameters in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Soils, macroinvertebrates and litter were collected in April and September of 2018 under five land uses, including: three types of agroforestry systems, a degraded pasture and a secondary forest in Sapucaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our results showed that soil properties clearly separated the three agroforestry systems plots (AS1, AS2, AS3) from the forest and pasture plots. Moreover, litter quality and SOM likely influence multiple biological and physiochemical soil properties under agroforestry systems and secondary forest. Our findings suggest that agroforestry systems can help support soil biological, chemical and physical properties and that the litter quality may be an important driver of their effects and potential contributions to soil restoration in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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Review

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35 pages, 2101 KiB  
Review
Soil Contamination in Areas Impacted by Military Activities: A Critical Review
by Parya Broomandi, Mert Guney, Jong Ryeol Kim and Ferhat Karaca
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9002; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219002 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 72 | Viewed by 14181
Abstract
Military activities drastically affect soil properties mainly via physical/chemical disturbances during military training and warfare. The present paper aims to review (1) physical/chemical disturbances in soils following military activities, (2) approaches to characterization of contaminated military-impacted sites, and (3) advances in human health [...] Read more.
Military activities drastically affect soil properties mainly via physical/chemical disturbances during military training and warfare. The present paper aims to review (1) physical/chemical disturbances in soils following military activities, (2) approaches to characterization of contaminated military-impacted sites, and (3) advances in human health risk assessment for evaluating potential adverse impacts. A literature search mainly covering the period 2010–2020 but also including relevant selected papers published before 2010 was conducted. Selected studies (more than 160) were grouped as follows and then reviewed: ~40 on the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), ~20 on energetic compounds (ECs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs), ~40 on human health risk assessment, and generic limits/legislation, and ~60 supporting studies. Soil physical disturbances (e.g., compaction by military traffic) may drastically affect soil properties (e.g., hydraulic conductivity) causing environmental issues (e.g., increased erosion). Chemical disturbances are caused by the introduction of numerous PTEs, ECs, and CWAs and are of a wide nature. Available generic limits/legislation for these substances is limited, and their contents do not always overlap. Among numerous PTEs in military-impacted zones, Pb seems particularly problematic due to its high toxicity, abundance, and persistence. For ECs and CWAs, their highly variable physiochemical properties and biodegradability govern their specific distribution, environmental fate, and transport. Most site characterization includes proper spatial/vertical profiling, albeit without adequate consideration of contaminant speciation/fractionation. Human health risk assessment studies generally follow an agreed upon framework; however, the depth/adequacy of their use varies. Generic limits/legislation limited to a few countries do not always include all contaminants of concern, their content doesn’t overlap, and scientific basis is not always clear. Thus, a comprehensive scientific framework covering a range of contaminants is needed. Overall, contaminant speciation, fractionation, and mobility have not been fully considered in numerous studies. Chemical speciation and bioaccessibility, which directly affect the results for risk characterization, should be properly integrated into risk assessment processes for accurate results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Soil Management)
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