Land degradation through erosion processes is probably the most restrictive issue regarding the sustainable agricultural use of land resources in contemporary Romania. The socio-economic changes that occurred in Romanian society after 1990 resulted i...
The soil organic matter (SOM) content and stability in natural gypsum soils and mining/industrial soils were compared to check the effects of selected soil properties (mainly macro- and microstructure) on SOM stability and determine whether the old b...
Intensive cropland expansion for an increasing population has driven soil degradation worldwide. Modeling how agroecosystems respond to variations in soil attributes, relief and crop management dynamics can guide soil conservation. This research pres...
Sustainable agricultural production systems are important for ensuring food security. However, they are severely threatened by soil degradation and carbon emissions resulting from traditional farming practices. A cooperative-dominated conservation ti...
The conversion of caatinga vegetation areas into pastures in the Brazilian semiarid region has depleted soil fertility due to degradation. The natural regeneration of the caatinga has been the alternative adopted to restore soil fertility. However, t...
Sustainability is a utopia of societies, that could be achieved by a harmonious balance between socio-economic development and environmental protection, including the sustainable exploitation of natural resources. The present Special Issue addresses...
The Agave tequilana Weber is an important commercial crop in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. However, the agave cultivation generates significant soil loss. For that reason, knowledge about the implementation of the agriculture management practices, su...
Landscape fragmentation typical of the Mediterranean region is the result of long-term settlement history and continuous socioeconomic interactions among countries. In complex agro-ecosystems of the Mediterranean basin, formulation of practical guide...
This article aims to provide a scientific basis for solutions to use soil cover for sustainable agricultural and rational forestry development. We used traditional methods such as survey and data collection; soil profile comparison method; vegetation...
This review explores the pressing issue of soil degradation and contamination, highlighting their adverse environmental effects and the necessity for sustainable solutions. Soil degradation disrupts ecosystems and accelerates climate change, while so...
Soil degradation is a global problem caused by many factors including excessive tillage, inappropriate crop rotations, excessive grazing or crop residue removal, deforestation, mining, construction and urban sprawl. To meet the needs of an expanding...
Temperate soils are threatened by degradation and soil organic matter (SOM) loss due to a combination of geomorphology, soil types, and anthropic pressure. In 54 sites in Northern Italy, characterized by different land uses, climates, geological subs...
Soil is a real treasure that humans cannot live without. Therefore, it is very important to sustain and conserve soils to guarantee food, fiber, fuel, and other human necessities. Healthy or high-quality soils that include adequate fertility, diverse...
Soil security identifies global challenges and a series of dimensions that are necessary requirements to meet those global challenges using sustainable land management. The soil security concept is applied to two contrasting soil landscape systems wi...
The use of biodegradable (BD) plastic mulch materials as alternatives to the widely used low-density polyethylene (PE) is increasing nowadays, mainly for environmental reasons. However, the success of these materials depends, in addition to fulfillin...
Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is needed to evaluate the soil’s resistance to degradation and erosion, especially in semi-arid regions. Traditional laboratory methods for assessing SAS are labor-intensive and costly, limiting timely and cost-ef...
Recent improvements in earth observation technologies and Geographical Information System (GIS) based spatial analysis methods require us to examine the efficiency of the different data-driven methods and decision rules for soil salinity monitoring a...
This study investigates the implications of implementing simplified, highly specialized, non-rotational farming practices in Ukraine within the framework of sustainable development goals. The background highlights the need to address soil preservatio...
The widespread use of pesticides in modern agriculture has significantly enhanced food production by managing pests and diseases; however, their degradation in soil can lead to unintended consequences for soil fertility and nutrient cycling. This rev...
Soil degradation is one of the most topical environmental threats. A number of processes causing soil degradation, specifically erosion, compaction, salinization, pollution, and loss of both organic matter and soil biodiversity, are also strictly con...
Soil degradation and pollution is one of the main problems threatening the sustainable development of agriculture. This study used remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques to assess the risks of soil degradation and the risks...
The complex and strong link between soil degradation, climate change and food insecurity is a global challenge. Sustainable agricultural systems must be integral to any agenda to address climate change and variability, improve renewable fresh water s...
The science and political initiatives focus is not only concerning agricultural intensification for food security and human development. The prevention of land degradation and loss is important, and a new land-use technological platform is needed for...
Soil quality is declining in many parts of the world, with implications for the productivity, resilience and sustainability of agri-food systems. Research suggests multiple causes of soil degradation with no single solution and a divided stakeholder...
Soil degradation and erosion in semi-arid regions can significantly impact agricultural development, environmental sustainability, and hydrological balance. Understanding the impacts of land use changes and soil and water conservation (SWC) technique...
The degradation of soil bonding, which can be described by the evolution of bond degradation variables, is essential in the constitutive modeling of cemented soils. A degradation variable with a value of 0/1.0 indicates that the applied stress is com...
Soils are an essential element in sustainable food systems and vital for ecosystem services. Soils are degrading, because of urbanization, poor soil management, depletion and mining, over-use of inputs and impacts of climate change. Poor soil managem...
Land degradation is becoming a serious environmental issue threatening fertile agricultural soils and other natural resources. There are many driving forces behind land degradation. The expansion of artificial surfaces due to various economic activit...
A body of emerging research shows the promise of charcoal soil amendments (“biochars”) in restoring fertility in degraded agricultural and forest soils. “Sustainable biochars” derived from locally produced waste biomass and pr...
Mapping and quantifying land degradation status is important for identifying vulnerable areas and to design sustainable landscape management. This study maps and quantifies land degradation status in the north Gojjam sub-basin of the Upper Blue Nile...
Long-term continuous cropping is a prevalent agricultural practice aimed at maximizing land use efficiency and crop yields, yet it often leads to severe soil degradation, nutrient imbalance, and microbial community disruption. Effective soil remediat...
Increasing global demand for oil seeds and cereals during the past 50 years has caused an expansion in the cultivated areas and resulted in major soil management and crop production changes throughout Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and souther...
Our objective is to provide an optimistic strategy for reversing soil degradation by increasing public and private research efforts to understand the role of soil biology, particularly microbiology, on the health of our world’s soils. We begin by def...
Grazing and over-exploitation can severely degrade soil in native forests. Considering that productivity in ecosystems is related to soil organic matter (SOM) content and quality, the objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the influence of d...
Plastic residual film pollution in China is severe, and the use of degradable mulch film instead of plastic mulch can effectively alleviate this situation. The substitution of common polyethylene plastic mulch film with biodegradable mulch film in th...
Soil health is a term used to describe the general state or quality of soil, and in an agroecosystem, soil health can be defined as the ability of the soil to respond to agricultural practices in a way that sustainably supports both agricultural prod...
Microbial remediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for treating organic-contaminated soil, essential for sustainable land use due to its minimal secondary pollution and operational simplicity. However, during the degradation of polycy...
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) can fix N naturally within soils, which makes alfalfa cultivation useful for enhancing soil fertility while minimizing environmental impacts from pesticides, fertilizers, and soil pollution. To assess the influence of alf...
Soil is a key component of ecosystems as it provides fundamental ecosystem functions and services, first of all supporting primary productivity, by physical, chemical and biological interaction with plants. However, soil loss and degradation are at p...
The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it ass...
Soil is the main component in the agroecosystem besides water, microbial communities, and cultivated plants. Several problems face soil, including soil pollution, erosion, salinization, and degradation on a global level. Many approaches have been app...
The use of plastic mulch films is widespread in agriculture for specialty cropping systems because of several benefits. In this article, we critically review, for the first time under a holistic approach, the use of biodegradable plastic mulches (BdP...
A soil and an organic biomix (soil/vine branch/garden compost 20/40/40) were used in this lab experiment to evaluate adsorption and degradation parameters for three pesticides (chlorpyrifos, metalaxyl and cymoxanil) used in a vineyard. Adsorption in...
Soil health, along with water supply, is the most valuable resource for humans, as human life depends on the soil’s generosity. Soil degradation, therefore, poses a threat to food security, as it reduces yield, forces farmers to use more inputs, and...
Due to potassium persulfate’s excessive reaction speed and severe impact on the soil environment, slowing down the reaction rate and reducing its environmental impact is an important but challenging matter. Hence, microencapsulation technology...
Straw return is crucial for sustainable agriculture, but its efficiency is limited by low temperatures in cold regions, especially in saline-alkali soils. This study investigates the degradation process of maize straw and the response of soil propert...
The use of pesticides in agricultural practices raises concerns considering the toxic effects they generate in the environment; thus, their sustainable application in crop production remains a challenge. One of the frequently addressed issues regardi...
Soil degradation and climate change are the most destructive (human- and/or naturally induced) processes, making agricultural production more challenging than ever before. Traditional tillage methods, characterized by intensive mechanical soil distur...
The holobiome is an interconnected network of microbial ecosystems spanning soil, plants, animals, humans, and the environment. Microbial interactions drive nutrient cycling, pathogen suppression, and climate regulation. Soil microbiomes facilitate c...
Land degradation is known to alter soil properties and quality; however, its depth-dependent effects across contrasting land-use types and the key factors limiting soil recovery remain poorly quantified in tropical ecosystems. This study established...
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