Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wuping Huang, Mingming Zong, Zexin Fan, Yuan Feng, Shiyu Li, Changqun Duan, Haixia Li
Summary: Forests globally converted to agricultural land to meet human demands. Research found that soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, potassium, and free iron are the most important indicators of soil quality in tropical acidic red soils. Land-use change related to significant decreases in SQI.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Erjuan Yang, Xiaoli Zhao, Wei Qin, Jian Jiao, Jianqiao Han, Man Zhang
Summary: Assessing the temporal impacts of dryland-to-paddy conversion on soil quality is important for sustainable land use. A study in Sanjiang Plain evaluated the soil quality with different durations of conversion using principal component analysis and soil quality index method. The results showed that the soil quality varied over time and was influenced by factors such as soil organic carbon and available potassium. This finding can contribute to soil quality diagnosis and sustainable development in similar regions.
Article
Environmental Studies
Fengkui Qian, Yuanjun Yu, Xiuru Dong, Hanlong Gu
Summary: Soil quality is closely related to food security and human survival and development. In recent years, the quality of topsoil in Tieling County, northeast China, has deteriorated due to urbanization and abandoned land. A minimum data set (MDS) was constructed through principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate topsoil quality, and a soil quality index (SQI) was calculated to analyze its spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors. The MDS included indicators such as total potassium, clay, zinc, soil organic matter, soil water content, cation exchange capacity, pH, and copper. The evaluation results showed a trend of low soil quality in the east and high quality in the west, gradually increasing from hilly to plain areas. The proportion of Grade-II and grade-III soil quality was the largest, while grade-V was the smallest. These findings can serve as a reference for future topsoil quality evaluations and provide a basis for soil quality improvement measures.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pujia Yu, Jinlian Liu, Hanya Tang, Xizao Sun, Shiwei Liu, Xuguang Tang, Zhi Ding, Mingguo Ma, En Ci
Summary: This study aimed to establish an effective and accurate soil quality index (SQI) using different indicator selecting methods and different weighted additive approaches to assess the effect of land use change on soil quality. The results showed that the SQI calculated using the revised minimum data set and variance weighted method exhibited higher sensitivity and better evaluation ability.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xiaopeng Shi, Xin Song, Guibin Zhao, Qifeng Yang, Lynette K. Abbott, Fengmin Li
Summary: Building level terraces is a crucial strategy for agriculture development in mountainous areas. This study conducted a long-term experiment to investigate the effects of fertilization treatments on soil quality and crop yield in a newly built terrace. The results showed that fertilization treatments significantly increased soil quality and crop yield, with the application of manure playing a key role in the rapid increase of soil quality.
Article
Soil Science
Jian Li, Lan Xiao, Jonathan D. Bakker, Qinghu Luo, Hang Yu, Jianzhao Wu, Songyang Li, Loretta Pedersen, Can Chen, Tao Hong, Han Lin, Daojie Wang, Yongming Lin
Summary: Understanding the effects of natural disasters on soil quality and recovery is crucial for soil management improvement. A study was conducted on the 2010 Nanping landslides in China to assess the impacts on soil quality. Results showed that the landslide strongly affected all aspects of soil quality, but after seven years of natural recovery, most aspects were significantly improved yet still lower than undisturbed sites.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jiuxin Guo, Ziwei Luo, Jingxia Tao, Jun Zhang, Zengguang Gan, Feng Lin, Lijuan Luo, Wenqiang Liao, Li-Song Chen, Yan Li
Summary: The study evaluated the soil quality in pomelo orchards and found that mature orchards had higher soil quality index than young orchards. The study also identified unfavorable soil quality indicators such as soil acidification, high altitude, and deficiencies in certain nutrients, which are considered limiting factors for pomelo production. Integrated management practices including controlling acidification, reducing planting altitude, regulating fertilization, and monitoring soil properties are required for sustainable pomelo production.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaqiong Zhang, Fenli Zheng, Zhi Li, Zhizhen Feng
Summary: This study assessed soil quality under soil erosion degradation using two approaches (ODS and MDS) to derive soil quality indices (SQIs). The results showed that SQIs varied significantly between erosion and deposition sites, reflecting the impact of soil erosion on soil quality. The ODS approach, which uses a strict indicator selection procedure, can theoretically obtain more reliable results compared to MDS.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Zijia Wang, Lizhi Jia, Linyan Yang, Zihao Guo, Weiguo Sang, Lu Lu, Chunwang Xiao
Summary: Fencing enclosures have a significant impact on improving soil quality in Biru County of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. The length of time for fencing enclosure positively influences soil water content, non-capillary porosity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, while decreasing soil bulk density. The minimum data set comprised of soil organic matter, capillary porosity, total potassium, and non-capillary porosity can effectively evaluate soil quality in the fencing enclosure project area.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Liang Wei, Yonghua Li, Zhenke Zhu, Feng Wang, Xiaoxia Liu, Wenju Zhang, Mouliang Xiao, Gang Li, Jina Ding, Jianping Chen, Yakov Kuzyakov, Tida Ge
Summary: Reclamation has been widely used to alleviate land degradation and support increased grain demand. However, the impact of reclamation on soil ecosystem functioning and soil health in coastal wetlands is still uncertain. Through analyzing a chronosequence of reclaimed soils in Hangzhou Bay, China, over a 1000-year period, two key approaches for evaluating soil health were assessed. The findings suggest that even small changes in sensitivity indicators can have significant impacts on improving soil quality.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Samira Hemmati, Nafiseh Yaghmaeian, Mohammad Bagher Farhangi, Atefeh Sabouri
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate soil quality in rice fields in northern Iran and identify the main indicators and their critical limits for rice yield. By analyzing 60 topsoil samples, four key indicators (soil organic carbon, urease activity, bulk density, and available Zn) were selected to assess soil quality. The results showed that high productivity fields had significantly higher soil quality index compared to low productivity fields, and the selected indicators had specific upper and lower limits. The study highlights the importance of managing and addressing soil limiting factors for sustainable rice production.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yiran Li, Sijia Hu, Shanxin Lang, Yulin Pu, Shirong Zhang, Ting Li, Xiaoxun Xu, Yongxia Jia, Guiyin Wang, Dagang Yuan, Yun Li
Summary: This study investigates the comprehensive effects of soil and vegetation properties on the restoration of desertified grassland. The results show that the restoration measures significantly improve soil quality and ecological benefits. The enclosure plus sand-barrier and shrub-grass restoration pattern is the most effective, particularly after 5 years of restoration.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Burhan U. Choudhury, Satyabrata Mandal
Summary: The study assessed the impact of land-use systems on soil quality using three SQ indices models, with the SQIw model identified as a better option for evaluating soil quality. The research highlights the importance of considering surface and profile soils in sustainable soil health management and recommends the use of SQIw model for accurate and reliable assessment.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dandan Li, Wenhua Liu, Guodi Zheng, Xinyu Zhang, Xianyuan Du, Jin Zheng, Hongkun Chen, Qian Wu, Yu Guo
Summary: The construction of shale gas facilities has a significant impact on soil properties, with the most noticeable differences observed in 2017. After construction, the available nutrients in the soil increased more than the total nutrients, and overall soil quality was limited by microbial biomass and sodium content. Soil properties recovered most quickly at 30-50 m from the well pads due to improved management practices in local farmland.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Farzaneh Derakhshan-Babaei, Kazem Nosrati, Fazlolah Ahmadi Mirghaed, Markus Egli
Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between soil quality, erosion, geomorphology, and land-use in the Kan catchment of central Iran. The study found that erosion rates were high due to topographic diversity, steep slopes, and lack of vegetation, with soil quality being influenced by factors such as organic matter and sand content.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zakieh Rashidi, Alireza Karimi, Andrew Murray, Farhad Khormali, Mohammad Hady Farpoor, Reza Sohbati
Summary: This study examines palaeosols in the Central Iranian Plateau, revealing well-developed reddish-brown palaeoargillic horizons with intensive soil formation processes during the Last Interglacial to Middle Holocene period. Micromorphological and luminescence analyses indicate polygenetic formation in response to alternating wetter and drier phases during this time.
Article
Agronomy
Elham Farahani, Hojat Emami, Peyman Keshavarz
Summary: This research evaluated the effects of different tillage systems on soil properties and structural stability in northeastern Iran. The results showed that the no-tillage system had a positive impact on organic carbon content, soil organic carbon stocks, microbial biomass carbon, and aggregate stability. These findings are important for making informed decisions regarding tillage practices and soil conservation.
INTERNATIONAL AGROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elham Farahani, Hojat Emami, Majid Forouhar
Summary: Conservation tillage, by increasing soil organic carbon, can improve soil structure, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. The no-till system showed the highest soil organic carbon content and resulted in the highest water-stable and macro-aggregate content. The effects of tillage systems on soil physical properties are strongly dependent on soil organic carbon.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fariba Samaei, Hojat Emami, Amir Lakzian
Summary: This study compared soil quality indicators in agricultural and pasture land uses and found that pasture land use had higher soil quality indices. The use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) was effective for assessing soil quality, showing similar results to the Total Data Set (TDS). Agricultural practices were found to decrease soil quality.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
S. Akbari, A. Karimi, A. Lakzian, A. Ftovat
Summary: This study investigates soil genesis and the distribution of Ni and Cr in soils formed from ultramafic rocks in Northeastern Iran. The results show that the high Ca/Mg ratio in the soils is a result of the presence of carbonates and gypsum with aeolian origin. The release of iron from ferromagnesian minerals contributes to the brown color of the soil. The presence of chlorite reflects the nature of ultramafic rocks, while the high values of Ca/Mg ratio indicate aeolian addition.
EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Sedigheh Maleki, Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh, Alireza Karimi, Gholamhossein Sareban, Lin Wang
Summary: The study monitored the variation of soil quality in an arid environment in northeastern Iran and found that saffron land covers had the highest soil quality while pistachio orchards had the lowest soil quality.
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Farsila Mahmoudian, Alireza Karimi, Omid Bayat
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Farsila Mahmoudian, Alireza Karimi, Omid Bayat
Summary: The study examines the soil and landform evolution in Western Afghanistan, specifically the Herat Plain. The research indicates that Quaternary climatic changes played a significant role in shaping the landforms and soils in the region. Key pedogenic processes identified include calcification, lessivage, salinization, and gleization.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Sedigheh Maleki, Alireza Karimi, Amin Mousavi, Ruth Kerry, Ruhollah Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi
Summary: This study aims to delineate soil management zones (MZs) based on different soil properties using machine learning methods, in order to achieve sustainable agricultural production by maximizing yields and minimizing environmental damage. A random forest model was applied to map soil properties based on environmental covariates, and the study identified four different MZs according to relationships between soil properties and environmental covariates. The ranking of zones in terms of soil fertility was MZ4 > MZ1 > MZ3 > MZ2 based on the investigated soil properties and the soil quality (SQ) map.
Article
Agronomy
Musa al-Reza Taheri, Ali Reza Astaraei, Amir Lakzian, Hojat Emami
Summary: The research found that using sorbitol and biochar in saline and sodic soil can increase the microbial and enzymatic activities of the soil, enhance the plant's resistance to saline and sodic conditions, and improve the soil's chemical properties.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amin Mousavi, Alireza Karimi, Sedigheh Maleki, Tayebeh Safari, Ruhollah Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi
Summary: The aim of this study was to predict digital soil properties mapping using various environmental variables, with the random forest-ordinary kriging model showing high accuracy and low standard deviation in modeling different soil properties.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Musa al-Reza Taheri, Ali Reza Astaraei, Amir Lakzian, Hojat Emami
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effect of biochar and sulfur-modified biochar on soil water content and biochemical properties. The results showed that both biochar and sulfur-modified biochar improved soil water content and enhanced soil biological and chemical properties. The application of biochar and sulfur-modified biochar also significantly increased crop yield.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Amir Mohseni, Neda Mohseni, Alireza Karimi, Markus Egli
Summary: This study examined the impact of alluvial fan aging on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in north-eastern Iran. The results showed that total SOC and its fractions were key indicators of soil quality. Younger alluvial fans had higher SOC content but lower soil quality, mainly due to the accumulation of coarse particulate organic carbon. Older alluvial fans, on the other hand, exhibited physical protection of SOC against microbial decomposition due to long-term weathering. Alluvial fan aging resulted in geomorphological differences and contributed to high variability of SOC dynamics.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shohreh Moradpour, Mojgan Entezari, Shamsollah Ayoubi, Alireza Karimi, Salman Naimi
Summary: This study aims to predict the variability of selected heavy metals (HMs) in a semiarid watershed in central Iran by utilizing random forest (RF) and a set of environmental covariates. The results revealed that a combination of remote sensing data, topographic attributes, and soil properties was the most effective for predicting HMs content. Clay content and magnetic susceptibility were identified as the most important soil properties, while remote sensing data and topographic attributes played a significant role in estimating HMs.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fahime Ashrafi, Ava Heidari, Mohammad Farzam, Alireza Karimi, Malihe Amini
Summary: This study investigated the effects of manure and biochar on the accumulation of heavy metals by Salicornia species. The results showed that biochar significantly reduced the accumulation of Cr in roots and shoots, while also increasing the content of photosynthetic pigments.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)