Modelling dynamic interactions between soil structure and the storage and turnover of soil organic matter

Meurer, Katharina; Chenu, Claire; Coucheney, Elsa; Herrmann, Anke M.; Keller, Thomas; Kätterer, Thomas; Svensson, David Nimblad; Jarvis, Nick

doi:10.5194/bg-2020-135

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…(2021), Meurer, Chenu, et al. (2020) obtained a good model data match. Such promising approaches require the initial soil components as 3D spatially distributed specific data.…”

Section: Mechanistic Modelingmentioning

confidence: 88%

3–4D soil model as challenge for future soil research: Quantitative soil modeling based on the solid phase

Gerke

Vogel

Weber

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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A 3-4D soil model represents a logical step forward from one-dimensional soil columns (1D), two-dimensional soil maps (2D), and three-dimensional soil volumes (3D) toward dynamic soil models (4D), with time as the fourth dimension. The challenge is to develop modeling tools that account for the states of soil properties, including the spatial structure of solids and pores, as well as their dynamics, including soil mass and solute transfers in landscapes. Our envisioned 3-4D soil model approach aims at improving the capability to predict fundamental soil functions (e.g., plant growth, storage, matter fluxes) that provide ecosystem services in the socioeconomic context.This study provides a structured overview on current soil models, challenges, open questions, and urgent research needs for developing a 3-4D soil model. A 3-4D soil model should provide an inventory of spatially distributed and temporally variable soil properties. As basis for this, we propose a mass balance model for the solid phase, which needs to be supplemented by a model describing its structure. This should eventually provide adequate 3D parameter sets for the numerical modeling of soil functions (e.g., flow and transport). The target resolution is decameters in the horizontal plane and centimeters to decimeters in the vertical direction to represent characteristic soil properties and soil horizons. The actual state of soils and their properties can be estimated from spatial data that represent the soil forming factors, with the use of machine learning tools. Improved modeling of the dynamics of soil bulk density, biological processes, and the pore structure are required to relate the solid mass balance to matter fluxes.A 3-4D soil model can be built from several types of modeling approaches. We distinguish between (1) process models that simulate mass balances, fluxes and soil structure dynamics, (2) statistical pedometric models using machine learning and geostatistics to estimate the soil inventory within landscapes, and (3) pedotransfer functions to link observable attributes to specific model parameters required to simulate soil functions including water and matter fluxes. This should provide the prerequisites to predict the spatial distribution of soil functions and their changes in response to external forcing. This endeavor can draw upon many already established models and techniques, yet combining them into a newly created 3-4D soil model is a truly an ambitious, but promisingThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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“…(2021), Meurer, Chenu, et al. (2020) obtained a good model data match. Such promising approaches require the initial soil components as 3D spatially distributed specific data.…”

Section: Mechanistic Modelingmentioning

confidence: 88%

3–4D soil model as challenge for future soil research: Quantitative soil modeling based on the solid phase

Gerke

Vogel

Weber

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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“…Several meta-analyses show that soil organic carbon concentrations are larger under RT and NT systems in the uppermost soil layers Bai et al, 2019), especially in fine-textured soils. The reasons for this are the lack of soil disturbance that promotes a stable aggregated structure, which affords a greater physical protection of C against microbial mineralization (Kan et al, 2021) and the elimination of physical mixing and redistribution of C within the topsoil due to the absence of soil inversion by plowing (Meurer et al, 2020b). Meta-analyses have shown that the accumulation of SOM typically found in surface soil layers under RT and NT systems, which reflects the deposition and accumulation of plant residues, is paralleled by a greater microbial biomass (Li et al, 2020c;Spurgeon et al, 2013;Zuber and Villamil, 2016;Chen et al, 2020;Li et al, 2020d) and increases in enzyme activities Zuber and Villamil, 2016).…”

Section: Tillage Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil and crop management practices and the water regulation functions of soils: a qualitative synthesis of meta-analyses relevant to European agriculture

Blanchy¹,

Bragato

Bene³

et al. 2023

SOIL

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Abstract. Adopting soil and crop management practices that conserve or enhance soil structure is critical for supporting the sustainable adaptation of agriculture to climate change, as it should help maintain agricultural production in the face of increasing drought or water excess without impairing environmental quality. In this paper, we evaluate the evidence for this assertion by synthesizing the results of 34 published meta-analyses of the effects of such practices on soil physical and hydraulic properties relevant for climate change adaptation in European agriculture. We also review an additional 127 meta-analyses that investigated synergies and trade-offs or help to explain the effects of soil and crop management in terms of the underlying processes and mechanisms. Finally, we identify how responses to alternative soil–crop management systems vary under contrasting agro-environmental conditions across Europe. This information may help practitioners and policymakers to draw context-specific conclusions concerning the efficacy of management practices as climate adaptation tools. Our synthesis demonstrates that organic soil amendments and the adoption of practices that maintain “continuous living cover” result in significant benefits for the water regulation function of soils, mostly arising from the additional carbon inputs to soil and the stimulation of biological processes. These effects are clearly related to improved soil aggregation and enhanced bio-porosity, both of which reduce surface runoff and increase infiltration. One potentially negative consequence of these systems is a reduction in soil water storage and groundwater recharge, which may be problematic in dry climates. Some important synergies are reductions in nitrate leaching to groundwater and greenhouse gas emissions for nonleguminous cover crop systems. The benefits of reducing tillage intensity appear much less clear-cut. Increases in soil bulk density due to traffic compaction are commonly reported. However, biological activity is enhanced under reduced tillage intensity, which should improve soil structure and infiltration capacity and reduce surface runoff and the losses of agro-chemicals to surface water. However, the evidence for these beneficial effects is inconclusive, while significant trade-offs include yield penalties and increases in greenhouse gas emissions and the risks of leaching of pesticides and nitrate. Our synthesis also highlights important knowledge gaps on the effects of management practices on root growth and transpiration. Thus, conclusions related to the impacts of management on the crop water supply and other water regulation functions are necessarily based on inferences derived from proxy variables. Based on these knowledge gaps, we outlined several key avenues for future research on this topic.

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“…They contribute directly and indirectly to the growth and development of plants (HICKS et al, 2020;KÁTAI, 1999KÁTAI, , 2006KÁTAI et al, 2014KÁTAI et al, , 2020SZILI-KOVÁCS et al, 2009, 2011ZHAO et al, 2013), where the degraded organic matter acts as a nutrient source for the soil heterotrophic organisms. Another positive effect of soil organic matter supply and its transformation is the part of the organic matter which is converted to humus, which can, consequently, improve the soil-water-air relationship (MEURER et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on some soil chemical and biological properties in a 90-year-old long-term experiment

Kátai

Oláh

Makádi

et al. 2022

Agrokem

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The Westsik’s long-term crop rotation experiment was set up in 1929 at the Nyíregyháza Experimental Station (NE Hungary) on a slightly acidic Arenosol. Besides fallow crop rotation (CR), effects of different organic amendments (lupine as green manure, lupine as main crop, straw manure, and farmyard manure (FYM) were studied with or without N or NPK-fertilizers. The crop rotation consisted of rye, potato, lupine, and oat with common vetch. The soil of potato plots was analysed in 2019 at the 90th anniversary of Westsik’s crop rotation experiment.The following chemical and microbiological soil parameters were determined: soil pH, available nutrient contents, organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (ON) contents, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), soil respiration, net nitrification, and activity of some soil enzymes.In the CRs, the soil pHH2O varied from acidic to weakly alkaline and it largely differed from pHKCl. The results showed a significant increase in the content of nitrate, available phosphorus and potassium in most of the fertilized plots. Applying straw, green manure, or FYM significantly increased the OC and ON contents. The total count of cultivable bacteria increased upon the application of the organic manures. Combined application of straw manure and N-fertilization heavily improved the abundance of the microscopic fungi.While all the applied organic manures significantly enhanced the MBC, the MBN increased only by the green manure amendment. Our results revealed higher soil respiration rate in the plots receiving straw or FYM than in the control. Both green manure and FYM elevated the net nitrification rate. Phosphatase, saccharase, urease, and dehydrogenase enzymes showed a hesitating response to the manure application in the different CRs.The soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity correlated to most of the measured chemical parameters. Among microbiological properties, the MBC and MBN, as well as dehydrogenase and other enzyme activities displayed a positive correlation. Results proved the need for the exogenous application of organic matter in the form of organic manures to enhance the nutritional status and health of the soil.

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Modelling dynamic interactions between soil structure and the storage and turnover of soil organic matter

Cited by 5 publications

References 69 publications

3–4D soil model as challenge for future soil research: Quantitative soil modeling based on the solid phase

3–4D soil model as challenge for future soil research: Quantitative soil modeling based on the solid phase

Soil and crop management practices and the water regulation functions of soils: a qualitative synthesis of meta-analyses relevant to European agriculture

Effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on some soil chemical and biological properties in a 90-year-old long-term experiment

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