Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Juan Hirzel, Pablo Undurraga, Lorenzo Leon, Ivan Matus
Summary: Crop rotation can increase crop productivity and improve soil fertility through residue incorporation, but it is not commonly practiced in Mediterranean crop production systems due to the lack of information on its effects. This study evaluated grain yield and residue production of canola and bean crops after different biannual rotations and residue incorporation levels. The previous crop and residue incorporation level had varying effects on grain yield and residue production, with corn showing the highest increase in canola grain yield and residue production. Overall, residue incorporation had minimal effects on bean and canola residue production following the bread wheat crop, and the best rotations for canola and bean grain yield were corn-canola and corn-bean, respectively.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Reza Keshavarz Afshar, Perry Cabot, Travis Banet, Liping Li, James A. Ippolito
Summary: The study found that conversion from conventional tillage to no-till in surface irrigated agroecosystems can lead to higher crop yields and improved soil health. Different residue management practices also have different impacts on soil health in these systems.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tommaso Tadiello, Mara Gabbrielli, Marco Botta, Marco Acutis, Luca Bechini, Giorgio Ragaglini, Andrea Fiorini, Vincenzo Tabaglio, Alessia Perego
Summary: A new simulation module was developed to explicitly simulate the decomposition of surface residues, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to compare the results with a benchmark model. The new module showed higher concordance in simulating different crop residues and time periods compared to the benchmark model.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Belen Lopez-Felices, Jose A. Aznar-Sanchez, Juan F. Velasco-Munoz, Ernesto Mesa-Vazquez
Summary: The intensification of agriculture has caused a deterioration in various ecosystem services, including pest control. The installation of hedgerows around greenhouses is a viable option for promoting natural enemies of pests. However, many farmers are hesitant to adopt this practice. Therefore, it is important to identify the factors that influence the decision to install hedgerows and the most effective incentives to encourage their establishment.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Wendy A. Ruscoe, Peter R. Brown, Steve Henry, Nikki van de Weyer, Freya Robinson, Lyn A. Hinds, Richard P. Duncan
Summary: The shift to environmentally sensitive agricultural practices has led to changes in farmland landscapes worldwide. However, this change has also resulted in an increase in rodent pests, indicating a conflict with conservation agriculture. Research on the effects of crop management practices on rodent population dynamics is needed to develop effective pest management strategies.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Priyanka Chandra, Anil Kumar Khippal, Kailash Prajapat, Arijit Barman, Geeta Singh, Arvind Kumar Rai, Om Parkash Ahlawat, R. P. S. Verma, Kamini Kumari, Gyanendra Singh
Summary: Conservation agriculture is a sustainable farming system that enhances crop production and conserves natural resources. Different tillage and residue management practices have varying effects on crop productivity and soil biological properties in a rice-barley cropping system. Based on the analysis of various soil biological parameters, it was concluded that the traditional practice of un-puddled transplanted rice with no tillage and residue incorporation is the best practice for maintaining system productivity and soil biological health.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Mohammad Mofizur Rahman Jahangir, Shanta Islam, Tazbeen Tabara Nitu, Shihab Uddin, Abul Kalam Mohammad Ahsan Kabir, Mohammad Bahadur Meah, Rafiq Islam
Summary: The study demonstrated that Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in conservation agriculture can increase rice equivalent yield and nitrogen uptake, while minimum tillage (MT) positively affects soil structural stability and elemental quality. Using Trichocompost and retaining residue under MT can improve soil fertility and physical stability, thereby sustaining crop productivity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oswaldo Julio Vischi Filho, Oscar Yoshikatsu Kanno, Roberto Mikio Arabori, Joao Flavio Bernardoni Caldas, Raul Barros Penteado, Edna Aparecida Menegucci Scachetti, Jorge Aparecido Quiessi, Marcelo Braghetta Camargo, Tiago Carvalho
Summary: This study evaluated the works undertaken by the CDA in the Rio do Peixe watershed over 12 years, focusing on conservationist agriculture practices to improve soil and water quality and innovative diagnostic strategies to identify erosion spots. The inspection and notification of non-compliant lands, along with the implementation of various practices, promoted the shift towards conservation agriculture and increased land use efficiency.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Ahmad Nawaz, Muhammad Farooq, Sami Ul-Allah, Nirmali Gogoi, Rattan Lal, Kadambot H. M. Siddique
Summary: The soils of South Asia face various sustainability issues such as urban encroachment on farmlands, decreasing water resources, and declining soil fertility, which require measures like managing soil organic matter, rainwater harvesting, and efficient water resource utilization to ensure long-term agricultural productivity.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
D. Berre, T. Diarisso, N. Andrieu, C. Le Page, M. Corbeels
Summary: The study assessed the impact of conservation agriculture with crop residue mulching on crop productivity in a village in central Burkina Faso. It found that the practice led to scarcity of crop residues, decreasing manure availability and affecting crop yield, especially for farmers with large numbers of cattle. The total maize production at village level was more dependent on the proportion of cropping land available for grazing by cattle rather than on a direct effect of mulching on yield.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
I. Piccoli, B. Lazzaro, L. Furlan, A. Berti, F. Morari
Summary: Conservation agriculture is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species, which has been introduced in the Veneto region of north east Italy. The study found that this system did not have detrimental effects on root development and positively affected maize, soybean, and winter wheat, possibly due to increased nutrient availability. Further research on soil-specific mechanisms between soil compaction and root apparatus is warranted.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rakesh Kumar, Janki Sharan Mishra, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Surajit Mondal, Ram Swaroop Meena, Saurabh Kumar, Abhishek Kumar Dubey, Govind Makarana, Bal Krishna Jha, Santosh Sambhaji Mali, Ashis Kumar Biswas, Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Hansraj Hans, Rachana Dubey, Santosh Kumar, Prem Kumar Sundaram, Rohan Kumar Raman, Mohammad Monobrullah, Sanjeev Kumar, Ujjwal Kumar, Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt
Summary: This study identifies that the adoption of ZTDSR practices and diversification of rice-fallows with pulses crops can enhance crop productivity, increase soil organic carbon stock, and improve soil biological properties in the rice-fallow ecosystems of India.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ji Liu, Tianyi Qiu, Josep Penuelas, Jordi Sardans, Wenfeng Tan, Xiaomeng Wei, Yongxing Cui, Qingliang Cui, Chuanfa Wu, Lanfa Liu, Baitao Zhou, Haoran He, Linchuan Fang
Summary: This study found that crop residue inputs can increase soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents, helping to alleviate soil carbon limitation and maintain balanced soil stoichiometry. The increase in soil organic carbon and carbon-to-nitrogen (phosphorus) ratio reached saturation after around 13-16 years, while the increase in grain yield stopped. A predictive model was proposed to evaluate the potential for crop residue improvement under different soil conditions and nitrogen input levels.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Elinor M. Lichtenberg, Ivan Milosavljevic, Alistair J. Campbell, David W. Crowder
Summary: Many agricultural management tactics aim to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services, but their effects can be context-dependent. In canola crop fields, soil tillage and landscape context were found to have varying effects on arthropod biodiversity. Different functional groups of arthropods also responded differently to tillage and landscape context.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuan Guo, Zijian Li
Summary: A regulatory modeling framework was introduced to evaluate pesticide regulatory standards in agricultural crops based on maximum residue levels (MRLs) and good agricultural practice (GAP). The proposed model was validated through Monte Carlo simulation and showed higher simulated daily intake values compared to traditional point estimate methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Edson A. Romero-Salas, Yendi E. Navarro-Noya, Marco Luna-Guido, Nele Verhulst, Jose Crossa, Bram Govaerts, Luc Dendooven
Summary: This study found that tillage practices, crop residue management, and crop rotation significantly influence soil characteristics and bacterial community structure. The bacterial community structure is mainly affected by soil characteristics such as water content and NO3- concentration.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tesfay Araya, Alemu Gebremedhin, Frederic Baudron, Mengsteab Hailemariam, Emiru Birhane, Jan Nyssen, Bram Govaerts, Wim Cornelis
Summary: This study investigated the long-term influence of CA-based systems on soil health and crop productivity in northern Ethiopia from 2005 to 2013. Results showed higher arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spore abundance and root colonization, as well as significantly different soil N and available P content in PRB and CF compared to CT. Additionally, higher straw and grain yield were recorded in PRB and CF treatments. The study concludes that CA-based systems have the potential to improve crop productivity through enhanced soil health.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Janet Molina-Maturano, Nele Verhulst, Juan Tur-Cardona, David T. Guerena, Andrea Gardeazabal-Monsalve, Bram Govaerts, Stijn Speelman
Summary: This study focused on the adoption of agricultural advice apps among smallholder farmers in Guanajuato, Mexico, using a survey of 394 farmers. The study found that farmers' intention to adopt the app is influenced by their evaluation of technical infrastructure and knowledge acquisition through the app. Performance expectancy was identified as a key predictor of adoption intention, with younger farmers and those not connected to innovation hubs placing more emphasis on mastery-approach goals. The findings highlight the importance of innovation hubs in influencing farmers' intention to adopt digital decision support tools in developing countries.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bram Govaerts, Christine Negra, Tania Carolina Camacho Villa, Xiomara Chavez Suarez, Anabell Diaz Espinosa, Simon Fonteyne, Andrea Gardeazabal, Gabriela Gonzalez, Ravi Gopal Singh, Victor Kommerell, Wietske Kropff, Victor Lopez Saavedra, Georgina Mena Lopez, Sylvanus Odjo, Natalia Palacios Rojas, Julian Ramirez-Villegas, Jelle Van Loon, Daniela Vega, Nele Verhulst, Lennart Woltering, Molly Jahn, Martin Kropff
Summary: Agri-food systems are facing challenges such as malnutrition, yield gaps, and climate vulnerability, requiring integrated responses in policy, agriculture, value chains, and finance. The IASI methodology supports national efforts towards sustainable, equitable, and inclusive agri-food systems through multi-sector collaboration and design thinking. Investment in international institutions as 'innovation brokers' is needed to advance the adaptation and evolution of essential tools like IASI for positive transformation in agri-food systems.
Article
Agronomy
Kathrin Grahmann, Nora Honsdorf, Jose Crossa, Gregorio Alvarado Beltran, Bram Govaerts, Nele Verhulst
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of durum wheat under different tillage-sowing irrigation environments and found that plant stand, wheat yield, and quality were significantly affected by the environment. The lowest plant stand and yield were found in the dry sowing system, which benefited from high temperatures. Nitrogen fertilizer management influenced wheat quality, with split application increasing grain nitrogen content.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Abel Saldivia-Tejeda, Simon Fonteyne, Taiyu Guan, Nele Verhulst
Summary: The study found that bed width does not significantly affect crop yield, allowing farmers to choose the width that best meets their practical needs. Practical considerations include mechanical weeding, fuel use, irrigation water use, and residue management. Soil texture can also affect this choice due to its impact on water infiltration and retention.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo G. Trevisan, Nicolas F. Martin, Simon Fonteyne, Nele Verhulst, Hugo A. Dorado Betancourt, Daniel Jimenez, Andrea Gardeazabal
Summary: This article discusses the study of maize management decisions in smallholder farming in tropical regions using a dataset collected from CIMMYT's knowledge hub in Chiapas, Mexico. Analyzing data from 4585 fields over a period of 7 years, the dataset can help explain and predict the spatial and temporal variability of maize planting decisions in Chiapas.
Article
Entomology
Sylvanus Odjo, Natalia Palacios-Rojas, Juan Burgueno, Marina Corrado, Tim Ortner, Nele Verhulst
Summary: This study evaluates the effectiveness of diverse storage technologies in reducing maize postharvest storage losses for smallholder farmers in Mexico. The results show that hermetic technologies can minimize quality losses by reducing metabolic activities and limiting insect and fungi infestation, thus improving the quality of stored maize and contributing to food security for Mexican smallholder farmers.
JOURNAL OF STORED PRODUCTS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Janet Molina-Maturano, Nele Verhulst, Juan Tur-Cardona, David T. Guerena, Andrea Gardeazabal-Monsalve, Bram Govaerts, Hans De Steur, Stijn Speelman
Summary: Mobile phone apps can provide decision support and data collection for farmers, but data ownership and privacy issues are crucial. Investigation into incentives for smallholder farmers to use agricultural advisory apps and share data can be conducted through discrete choice experiments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nora Honsdorf, Michael J. Mulvaney, Ravi P. Singh, Karim Ammar, Bram Govaerts, Nele Verhulst
Summary: Conservation agriculture is an agronomic management system that utilizes zero tillage and residue retention. It has the potential to adapt to climate change by reducing soil erosion and improving water availability. This study evaluated wheat genotypes under different tillage and irrigation treatments, providing data on various growth and harvest traits.
Article
Entomology
Sylvanus Odjo, Nicolas Bongianino, Jessica Gonzalez Regalado, Maria Luisa Cabrera Soto, Natalia Palacios-Rojas, Juan Burgueno, Nele Verhulst
Summary: In Mexico, smallholder farmers face challenges in preserving locally adapted maize varieties due to storage losses and climate change. This study compared the effectiveness of conventional storage practices (polypropylene woven bags) with hermetic storage technologies in minimizing losses and maintaining seed germination. The results showed that hermetic containers were more effective in preserving maize seed biodiversity and ensuring smallholders' food security.
Article
Information Science & Library Science
Andrea Gardeazabal, Tobias Lunt, Molly M. Jahn, Nele Verhulst, Jon Hellin, Bram Govaerts
Summary: This article discusses the challenges faced by healthy agri-food innovation systems and related knowledge management frameworks, and proposes a new framework for agricultural knowledge management for innovation. The framework aims to address practical and relational barriers in the innovation process and facilitate more equitable, rapid, and actionable knowledge generation and management.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH & PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
He Zhang, Aurore Degre, Caroline De Clerck, Shuangshuang Li, Jinshan Lian, Yuanyuan Peng, Tao Sun, Lindan Luo, Yanan Yue, Guihua Li, Jianfeng Zhang
Summary: The continuous expansion of sandy soil poses a threat to crop security. The use of chitin-rich organic material and attapulgite as soil amendments can improve degraded soil by increasing nutrient content and enzyme activity and altering bacterial community structure. This study provides insights into the link between soil properties, bacterial community structure, and microbial carbon metabolism function.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Xian Zhou, Yi Jiang, Ganghua Leng, Wanting Ling, Jian Wang
Summary: Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) residues have significant impacts on soil pollution remediation. The addition of exogenous functional microbial consortium and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) can promote the degradation of bound PAH residues. This study fills the cognitive gap of GRSP in regulating the degradation of bound PAH residues in soil.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Soil Science
Xinyu Zhao, Evrim Elcin, Lizhi He, Meththika Vithanage, Xiaokai Zhang, Jie Wang, Shuo Wang, Yun Deng, Nabeel Khan Niazi, Sabry M. Shaheen, Hailong Wang, Zhenyu Wang
Summary: The increase of cultivated varieties of Chinese herbal remedies, the expansion of cultivation area, and long-term monoculture cropping have led to aggravated problems of soil diseases, yield loss, and quality reduction. Biochar, as a carbon-rich material, has the potential to improve soil quality and alleviate continuous crop obstacles for Chinese herbal remedies.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Editorial Material
Soil Science
Melanie M. Pollierer, Anton Potapov, Andrey Zaitsev
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Yajie Wang, Jiefeng Li, Yongfen Wei, Zhiyi Deng, Xiaodi Hao, Fusheng Li
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of heavy metal pollution caused by coal production on soil microbial ecology in the semi-arid region of Heilongjiang. The results reveal negative correlations between heavy metals and bacterial abundance and diversity. Twelve sensitive bacterial taxa and corresponding models were identified. Water content and total phosphorus were also found to play vital roles in regulating the bacterial community in the soil.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Sujit Das, Sunanda Biswas, B. Ramakrishnan, T. K. Das, T. J. Purakayastha, B. H. Gawade, Priya Singh, Partha Sarathi Ghorai, Saloni Tripathy, Kanchan Sinha
Summary: This study assessed the impact of conservation agriculture on the biological soil health index in a rice-wheat system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The results showed that zero till direct seeded rice and crop residue incorporation could improve soil organic carbon, enzyme activities, and microbial population. Specifically, the inclusion of mungbean residues and sesbania brown manuring significantly increased the abundance of the nifH gene in the soil.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Xingxiu Huang, Genxing Pan, Lianqing Li, Xuhui Zhang, Hailong Wang, Nanthi Bolan, Bhupinder Pal Singh, Chongjian Ma, Fuwei Liang, Yanjie Chen, Huashou Li
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of using a mixture of biomass waste ash and biochar on soil pH, heavy metal remediation, and plant growth. The results showed that the mixed use could ameliorate soil acidification, reduce absorption of cadmium and lead by plants, and promote plant growth. The special fertilizer prepared from the mixture can be used to promote crop growth and reduce environmental pollution.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Astrid C. H. Jaeger, Martin Hartmann, Rafaela Feola Conz, Johan Six, Emily F. Solly
Summary: This study investigates the effects of tree mortality on soil microbial communities using a mesocosm experiment. The results show that tree death influenced soil microbial abundance and composition, with the potential to affect soil processes in forest ecosystems.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Dane C. Elmquist, Subodh Adhikari, Ina Popova, Sanford D. Eigenbrode
Summary: This study investigated the effects of soil arthropod communities from cereal-based agroecosystems on wheat plant growth and above-belowground interactions. The results showed that wheat grown in soils with arthropod communities had better growth and defense against aphids, compared to wheat grown in soils without arthropod communities.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Lei Wang, Jing Wang, Zhonghou Tang, Jidong Wang, Yongchun Zhang
Summary: This study found that the application of organic fertilizer enhances carbon and phosphorus cycling enzyme activities in soil, reshapes the soil microbial community structure, and regulates the interactions between these crucial indicators through soil organic carbon.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Soil Science
M. Pawlett, N. T. Girkin, L. Deeks, D. L. Evans, R. Sakrabani, P. Masters, K. Garnett, N. Marquez-Grant
Summary: The modern funeral industry faces environmental risks and challenges, and natural burial offers a more sustainable alternative. However, there is a lack of research comparing the risks and benefits of natural burial practices, including groundwater contamination and atmospheric emissions. More scientific research is needed to understand and regulate funeral options, as well as cultural incentives for natural burial.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Zhongcheng Wang, Jin Zhao, Dan Xiao, Meifeng Chen, Xunyang He
Summary: Root AMF colonization, diversity, and interactions vary with soil depth. Higher soil nutrient levels and root biomass promote colonization but suppress diversity and interactions in the upper soil layer compared to deeper layers.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Zhiyang Zhang, Shiting Zhang, Riikka Rinnan
Summary: This study revealed the mechanisms behind the effects of dung deposition on soil heterotrophic respiration, providing insights for grassland management and carbon feedback prediction in grazed ecosystems.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Ismail Ibrahim Garba, Graham R. Stirling, A. Marcelle Stirling, Alwyn Williams
Summary: Integrating diverse cover crops into dryland crop-fallow rotations can enhance soil nutrient and water retention, suppress soil-borne pests, and improve soil health. The effects on soil nematode communities are modulated by the functional type and mixture composition of the cover crops. Selecting cover crops with appropriate traits can improve soil health through suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes, promotion of free-living nematodes, and enhancement of soil food web complexity.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Min Li, Chao He, Miao Wei, Junmeng Long, Jingru Wang, Xinrong Yang, Kehan Wang, Xueli He
Summary: In extreme desert environments, black septate endophytes (DSE) can benefit the relict plant Gymnocarpos przewalskii by assisting it to survive and maintain ecosystem stability. The colonization of DSE in the roots of G. przewalskii varies significantly with seasons and sites, with soil properties being a major factor affecting the composition of DSE. Additionally, the functional metabolite composition of DSE strains varies greatly with different drought levels and isolates, indicating the potential complementarity between different strains in helping hosts cope with drought stress.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2024)