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Land
Special Issues
Soil Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems
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Soil Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 March 2024) | Viewed by 5035

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lúcia Barão

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: environment; soil science; nutrient cycles; silicon cycle; biogeochemistry; agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Abdallah Alaoui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geography, Soil Science Group, Hallerstrasse 12, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
Interests: soil science; importance of soils for agriculture and forestry; importance of soils for ecosystems functions; soil management; soil protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is the most valuable resource on Earth, comprising the essential elements we need to build and maintain life. The intensification of agriculture to increase food production has made soil susceptible to many threats and created a myriad of environmental damages, and has been responsible for the exhaustion of natural resources. Circularly, this has had an impact on soil fertility and the ability of agricultural systems to continue to produce high yields. Soil biodiversity is key for ecosystem functioning. Millions of soil-dwelling organisms, organized in food webs, promote essential ecosystem services, from plant growth to food production.

This Special Issue gathers research aiming to better understand soil biodiversity as it is affected by different conditions in agricultural systems, as well as its role in the future of food production.

We welcome research on the following topics, from lab- and field-oriented as well as theoretical and/or modelling studies:

  • Soil biodiversity in agricultural systems affected by different factors: soil types, soil threats, climate conditions and climate change, land use/land cover and land use change, different soil management practices, etc.
  • Link of soil biodiversity to soil fertility and crop production.
  • Soil biodiversity indicators and soil quality measurements.
  • Modelling of soil biodiversity and soil ecosystems.
  • Soil biodiversity and ecosystem services.

This Special Issue intends to cover research from broad themes such as biology, agronomy, mathematics, environment, chemistry, and soil science, among others.

Dr. Lúcia Barão
Dr. Abdallah Alaoui 
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. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • agriculture
  • land
  • ecosystem services
  • biodiversity indicators
  • modelling

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4205 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Soil Management and Sustainable Plant Protection Strategies on Soil Biodiversity in a Sangiovese Vineyard
by Sara Del Duca, Stefano Mocali, Francesco Vitali, Arturo Fabiani, Maria Alexandra Cucu, Giuseppe Valboa, Giada d’Errico, Francesco Binazzi, Paolo Storchi, Rita Perria and Silvia Landi
Land 2024, 13(5), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050599 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Vine growing is one of the most economically important sectors of Mediterranean agriculture, but its cultivation practices are highly detrimental to the environment and the associated biota. The application of both natural products inducing endogenous plant defense mechanisms and natural soil management systems [...] Read more.
Vine growing is one of the most economically important sectors of Mediterranean agriculture, but its cultivation practices are highly detrimental to the environment and the associated biota. The application of both natural products inducing endogenous plant defense mechanisms and natural soil management systems represents a potential solution for the preservation and improvement of soil health and biodiversity. The Life Green Grapes project aimed at evaluating the effects of different natural and sustainable vine protection strategies and soil management on vineyard edaphic communities. Soil TOC, TN, C:N ratio, CaCO3 content and pH were measured. Microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) were characterized through NGS, while nematodes and microarthropods were isolated and identified. Obtained data highlighted a relationshipbetween bacteria, fungi and nematodes with soil chemistry, and an effect of the different soil management on the single and total edaphic communities. Network analysis evidenced a positive effect of the application of sustainable soil managements on the relationships among the different investigated soil trophic levels, suggesting that more natural soil managements allow a better interaction between soil organisms. In conclusion, this work confirms the importance of the application of sustainable and natural soil management practices in agricultural ecosystems, with the aim of conserving and improving soil biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems)
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13 pages, 2110 KiB  
Article
Rice Husk and Its Biochar Have Contrasting Effects on Water-Soluble Organic Matter and the Microbial Community in a Bamboo Forest Soil
by Ali El-Naggar, Rong Zhou, Ronggui Tang, Jin Hur, Yanjiang Cai and Scott X. Chang
Land 2022, 11(12), 2265; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122265 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1930
Abstract
Converting rice husk to biochar is one of the solutions to manage crop residues by transforming waste into a value-added material that has broad benefits to the environment when biochar is applied to the soil. This study investigated the impact of the application [...] Read more.
Converting rice husk to biochar is one of the solutions to manage crop residues by transforming waste into a value-added material that has broad benefits to the environment when biochar is applied to the soil. This study investigated the impact of the application of rice husk and its biochar at different doses (i.e., 0, 10, and 30 t ha−1) on soil carbon stability, the property of water-soluble soil organic matter, and the abundance and diversity of microbial communities in a Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) forest soil 262 days after their application. The application of rice husk, especially at 30 t ha−1, increased dissolved organic carbon due to the high labile carbon (C) (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, polysaccharides) content in the rice husk. The biochar treatments stimulated the release of humic-like substances (e.g., (poly) phenols) into the soil solution, increased the aromatic C content by 412–557%, and increased the relative abundance of Chloroflexi, Planctomycetota, and Proteobacteria compared to the control. This study shows that biochar application, particularly at 30 t ha−1, enhanced the C stability by turning organic C into recalcitrant forms in the soil, demonstrating the merit of converting rice husk into biochar before its application to the soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems)
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11 pages, 1702 KiB  
Article
Contribution of Integrated Crop Livestock Systems to Climate Smart Agriculture in Argentina
by Juan Cruz Colazo, Juan de Dios Herrero, Ricardo Sager, Maria Laura Guzmán and Mohammad Zaman
Land 2022, 11(11), 2060; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112060 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
Integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) is a useful practice to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to continuous cropping systems (CC). However, robust data from different regions around the world remain to be collected. So, our objectives were to (i) compare SOC and its [...] Read more.
Integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) is a useful practice to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to continuous cropping systems (CC). However, robust data from different regions around the world remain to be collected. So, our objectives were to (i) compare SOC and its physical fractions in ICLS and CC, and (ii) evaluate the use of δ13C to identify the source of C of SOC in these systems in the Pampas region of Argentina. For that, we compared two farms, an ICLS and a CC having the same soil type and landscape position. The ICLS farm produces alfalfa grazed alternatively with soybean and corn, and the CC farm produces the latter two crops in a continuous sequence. Soil samples (0–5, 5–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) were collected and analyzed for SOC, its physical fractions, and their isotopic signature (δ13C). Soils under ICLS showed an increment of 50% of SOC stock compared to CC in the first 60 cm. This increase was related to 100–2000 µm fractions of SOC. The shift in δ13C signature is more in ICLS than in CC, suggesting that rotation with C3 legumes contributed to C sequestration and, therefore, climate-smart agriculture. The combination of on-farm research and isotopic technique can help to study deeply the effect of real farm practices on soil carbon derived from pasture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems)
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