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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9361

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lidong Huang

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Interests: soil fertility; soil pollution; statistical computation

Prof. Dr. Renying Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Resource and Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Interests: agriculture; pollution; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

(1) Introduction, Including Scientific Background and Highlighting the Importance of This Research Area.

Soil is the key element to support crop production. However, soil degradation due to anthropogenic disturbance is a major challenge to sustainable agricultural development, such as soil pollution by chemicals, soil desertification by water shortage, etc. Works focusing on these fields, without a doubt, provide positive insights into the mechanisms, future trends, and remediation measures of soil degradation and land change all over the world.

(2) Aim of the Special Issue and How the Subject Relates to the Journal Scope.

The aim of this Special Issue is to promote the idea of change, to inspire the interest of study, and to examine the research frontier on soil degradation and land change, a severe challenge that we are facing today. Soil quality degradation is an obvious barrier to support global population growth and may undermine the economical recovery in the post-epidemic epoch. Naturally, it is highly related to the sustainability of the agricultural system, which is also one of the scopes of the journal Sustainability.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Cultivated Land Change;
Soil Fertility;
Soil Pollution;
Soil Remediation;
Soil Desertification;
Soil Salinization.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lidong Huang
Prof. Dr. Renying Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

land change
heavy metals
pesticides
remediation
soil erosion

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1389 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Long-Term Application of Cl-Containing Fertilizers on Chloride Content and Acidification in Brown Soil

by Yue Wang, Xingbin Liu, Luxin Wang, Haotian Li, Shiyu Zhang, Jinfeng Yang, Ning Liu and Xiaori Han

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8801; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118801 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1585

Abstract

Chloride is a necessary micronutrient for plant growth, and with long-term application of chlorine-containing fertilizer, significant amounts of Cl⁻ are introduced into farmland ecosystems. Many recent studies have focused on chlorinated fertilizers’ effects on crop yield and quality, while few studies have examined their effects on soil properties. To determine the effects of the long-term application of chlorinated fertilizer on soil Cl⁻ ions and soil acidification, we conducted a 35 year long-term study of chlorine-containing fertilizer in a peanut–corn rotation (since 1984). We chose three of eight experimental treatments: (1) no fertilization (CK), (2) urea + monoammonium phosphate + potassium chloride (lower Cl), and (3) urea + ammonium chlorophosphite + potassium chloride (higher Cl). We measured the Cl⁻ concentrations, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable H⁺ and Al³⁺, and exchangeable alkali ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺) at different soil depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm). Compared to CK, chlorine-containing fertilizer application significantly increased the content of Cl⁻ in the soil profile. Compared to the control, the Cl⁻ content of lower Cl treatment of 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm soil layers increased 11.08, 9.01, 15.21 mg kg⁻¹ respectively, and the higher Cl treatment increased 38.71, 34.71, 32.05 mg kg⁻¹ respectively. Compared to CK, chlorine-containing fertilizer application significantly reduced the soil pH by 0.41, 0.17, and 0.25 and 1.25, 0.91, and 0.88, respectively, in the 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm soil layers. The higher chlorine treatment significantly increased the exchangeable Al³⁺ content in the 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm soil layers by 2.79, 1.64, and 0.94 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, significantly increasing the risk of aluminum toxicity. Furthermore, the soil exchangeable Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ contents and soil base saturation were significantly reduced. Although the Cl⁻ content in the high-chlorine-treated soil was far from endangering crop growth, it accelerates soil acidification and the loss of base ions and increases the risk of Al³⁺ toxicity, which will not only affect the topsoil, but also the subsoil. Therefore, the long-term application of high content chloride fertilizers should be avoided in agricultural production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Land Change and Soil Degradation)

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14 pages, 2213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differential Impacts of Cropland Expansion on Soil Biological Indicators in Two Ecological Zones

by Dora Neina and Eunice Agyarko-Mintah

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8138; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108138 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 1019

Abstract

Agricultural expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by different farm ages in smallholder communities. This study investigated changes in microbial indices broadly (i) at the reconnaissance survey level in four agro-ecological zones and (ii) in different farms at the forest (Dompem) and forest–savanna transition (Adansam) zones, as influenced by the duration of cultivation. Soils from one-year (first cultivation of cleared forest/fallow), three-year, five-year, and ten-year farms were analyzed for basic soil properties, active or labile carbon (POXC), basal respiration (BR), microbial biomass (C_mic) using permanganate oxidizable C, alkali trap, and chloroform fumigation incubation. In both study levels, POXC content was <1% of soil organic carbon (SOC) in all zones, higher in the wet agro-ecological zones, and positively correlated with SOC (r = 0.70, 0.81; p < 0.01, p < 0.001). Dompem SOC and BR declined by 1–23% and 6–25% (p < 0.001), respectively, in the first three years; C_mic (p = 0.002) and %C_mic/SOC (p = 0.610) decreased from three-year farms onwards. Conversely, the Adansam SOC, BR, C_mic, and %C_mic/SOC rather had irregular trends. The microbial indices were influenced by exchangeable acidity, the sum of exchangeable bases, and effective cation exchangeable capacity negatively or positively, followed by SOC, pedogenic compounds, particularly dithionite-citrate iron (Fe_d), oxalate iron (Fe_ox), and lastly, soil pH. Therefore, understanding the degree, direction, and changing aspects of these drivers of soil ecosystem services is necessary for sustainable soil management practices in different agro-ecological zones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Land Change and Soil Degradation)

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17 pages, 4730 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Acidification on Clay Minerals and Surface Properties of Brown Soil

by Na Yin, Na Geng, Tingting Wang, Hui Wang, Hong Pan, Quangang Yang, Yanhong Lou and Yuping Zhuge

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010179 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2330

Abstract

Globally, soil acidification is becoming a serious environmental and ecological concern, posing a major threat to ecosystem functions and services. In order to clarifying the acidification mechanism, evaluating acidification risk, and reconditioning soil acidification, the effects of acidification on clay mineral composition and soil surface properties should be evaluated. In this study, the surface charge, specific surface area (SSA), species and content of clay minerals were investigated using the ion adsorption method, methylene blue method, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for brown soil samples, which collected from Muping, Shandong Province, China. The results showed that the clay mineral species and content varied with the degree of acidification. A small amount of montmorillonite was found in weakly acidic soils, and gibbsite was found in strongly acidic soils. Furthermore, although illite, kaolinite, vermiculite, and chlorite were commonly found in soils with different acidification degrees, their content differed. The negative charge (CEC₈.₂), permanent negative charge (CEC_P), variable negative charge (CEC_V), and SSA values decreased with increasing acidification, while anion exchange capacity values (AEC) decreased. The change of CEC_V was caused by soil organic matter, and the change of CEC_P was caused by illite content, which accounted for the largest proportion in clay minerals of brown soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Land Change and Soil Degradation)

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16 pages, 12564 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Driving Forces of Cultivated Land Based on the PLUS Model: A Case Study of Haikou City, 1980–2020

by Xiaofu Lin and Hui Fu

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14284; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114284 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1890

Abstract

The security of cultivated land is the foundation for stable social and economic development. In recent years, with rapid economic development, urbanization around the world has been accelerating. The demand for urban construction expansion is increasing day by day and lands used for cultivation are being infiltrated by construction, posing a serious threat to food security. This study used the land-use data from Haikou City in 1980, 2000, 2010 and 2020, to generate a transfer matrix, kernel density analysis and landscape pattern index to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution of cultivated land in Haikou. The PLUS model was used to explore potential factors driving land-use evolution. Results show that cultivated land in Haikou was continuously lost from 1980 to 2020 and the area of cultivated land decreased by 7020.58 ha. Loss was most significant during 2010–2020 when cultivated land ascended into construction land in the northern region of the city. Spatial distribution of cultivated land in Haikou is generally characterized by “dense in the southwest and sparse in the northwest”, and the spatial density of cultivated land in the northwest continuously decreased from 1980 to 2020. In the past 40 years, the degree of spatial aggregation for cultivated land in Haikou has decreased and the degree of fragmentation has increased. The primary factors driving changes in spatial-temporal patterns over the past 40 years has been the distance from roads and high-speed railways and the distance from water. During the 40-year timespan, Haikou continued to lose cultivated land areas due to the interaction of social and natural factors such as road traffic and water resources. The juxtaposition between the demand for urban construction lands and the protection of cultivated land has become increasingly evident. Due to the threat cultivated lands are facing in the northern area of Haikou, we suggest future expansion of construction development land should be strictly controlled. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Land Change and Soil Degradation)

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13 pages, 5259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture in the Face of Soil Degradation: The Influence of Water Salinization as an Example

by Mariame Kholaiq, Safaa Benmessaoud, Mohammed Kara, Amine Assouguem, Arshad Mehmood Abbasi, Abdullah Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Mohamed S. Elshikh, Abdelmajid Rahimi and Najib Saber

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13641; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013641 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1818

Abstract

The pump-irrigated soils of the coastal Chaouia in Morocco are subject to changes in their qualities due to the quality of the irrigation water and their proximity to the sea. This work aims to approach irrigation water quality and the influence of these waters on the quality of agricultural soils. The study is based on the systematic and selective sampling of water and soils (19 water samples and 19 soil samples). Analyzed parameters mainly include the salinity and pH of the soil and water samples. The main results show that soil pH varies from 6.81 to 7.7. However, the pH of the water varies from 6.22 to 8.13. The electrical conductivity in soils varies from 12,260 μs/cm to 700 μs/cm and from 1123 μs/cm to 8120 μs/cm. The results of the analysis of soil salinity show that in moving away from the sea, the salinity decreases, and the salinity of the water samples follows the same trend. The Richard and Wilcox graphs show that most water samples taken near the sea are highly mineralized and have poor water quality. This paper presents important aspects of the feasibility of coastal agriculture and can be a source of inspiration for future research and planning of coastal agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Land Change and Soil Degradation)

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