Soil Degradation and Soil Quality in Western Europe:  Current Situation and Future Perspectives

Virto, Iñigo; Imaz, M.J.; Fernández‐Ugalde, Oihane; Gartzia-Bengoetxea, Nahia; Enrique, Alberto; Bescansa, Paloma

doi:10.3390/su7010313

Cited by 85 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 137 publications

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“…One significant result from this study is that Zn was identified as the most important degradation indicator and it plays a key role in maintaining soil quality in the study area. Zn deficiency has been widely reported in agricultural soils in Africa (Vanlauwe et al, 2015), and cocoa is highly sensitive to Zn deficiency (Ogeh and Ipinmoroti, 2013;Van Vliet and Giller, 2017). Our results suggest that there is a Zn deficiency in the study area with a potential effect on the growth and yield of cocoa over time.…”

Section: Mds Normalization Transformation and Integration Into Csdisupporting

confidence: 49%

“…To prevent smallholder cocoa production from becoming unsustainable in the long-term, it is critical to advise farmers of the need for the application of artificial (organic) fertilizers, particularly under YCP. Obviously, application of organic fertilizers will substantially improve the soil structure and nutrient conditions of cocoa soils (Van Vliet and Giller, 2017) but the poor transportation system in rural areas and prohibitive costs associated with artificial fertilizer application in cocoa groves remains a challenge to both farmers and governments. Therefore, alternative fertilizers in terms of organic residues, with the potential of increasing organic matter have been proposed in recent times (Van Vliet and Giller, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Obviously, application of organic fertilizers will substantially improve the soil structure and nutrient conditions of cocoa soils (Van Vliet and Giller, 2017) but the poor transportation system in rural areas and prohibitive costs associated with artificial fertilizer application in cocoa groves remains a challenge to both farmers and governments. Therefore, alternative fertilizers in terms of organic residues, with the potential of increasing organic matter have been proposed in recent times (Van Vliet and Giller, 2017). Studies have reported that the addition of organic plant residues to crop soils helps to improve soil structure (Jordán et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Healthy soil is vital to successful agriculture and global food security (Virto et al, 2014;Lal, 2015). Soil performs several ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration and regulation (Novara et al, 2011;Brevik et al, 2015;Muñoz-rojas et al, 2017), buffering and filtering of pollutants (Keesstra et al, 2012), climate control through the regulation of C and N fluxes (Brevik et al, 2015;Zornoza et al, 2015;Al-Kaisi et al, 2017), and supporting biodiversity (Schulte et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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Abstract. Cocoa agroecosystems are a major land-use type in the tropical rainforest belt of West Africa, reportedly associated with several ecological changes, including soil degradation. This study aims to develop a composite soil degradation assessment index (CSDI) for determining the degradation level of cocoa soils under smallholder agroecosystems of southwestern Nigeria. Plots where natural forests have been converted to cocoa agroecosystems of ages 1-10, 11-40, and 41-80 years, respectively representing young cocoa plantations (YCPs), mature cocoa plantations (MCPs), and senescent cocoa plantations (SCPs), were identified to represent the biological cycle of the cocoa tree. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm in each plot and analysed in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Factor analysis of soil data revealed four major interacting soil degradation processes: decline in soil nutrients, loss of soil organic matter, increase in soil acidity, and the breakdown of soil textural characteristics over time. These processes were represented by eight soil properties (extractable zinc, silt, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available phosphorus, total porosity, pH, and clay content). These soil properties were subjected to forward stepwise discriminant analysis (STEPDA), and the result showed that four soil properties (extractable zinc, cation exchange capacity, SOM, and clay content) are the most useful in separating the studied soils into YCP, MCP, and SCP. In this way, we have sufficiently eliminated redundancy in the final selection of soil degradation indicators. Based on these four soil parameters, a CSDI was developed and used to classify selected cocoa soils into three different classes of degradation. The results revealed that 65 % of the selected cocoa farms are moderately degraded, while 18 % have a high degradation status. The numerical value of the CSDI as an objective index of soil degradation under cocoa agroecosystems was statistically validated. The results of this study reveal that soil management should promote activities that help to increase organic matter and reduce Zn deficiency over the cocoa growth cycle. Finally, the newly developed CSDI can provide an early warning of soil degradation processes and help farmers and extension officers to implement rehabilitation practices on degraded cocoa soils.

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Section: Mds Normalization Transformation and Integration Into Csdisupporting

confidence: 49%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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“…As a result, uniform European legislation, such Regulations and Directives, can impact soil functions in the member states quite differently. Despite the integration of soils in some European legislation [24], the main absence of suitable legislation results in a continuous degradation of many soils within Europe [28,29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Policy Instruments on Soil Multifunctionality in the European Union

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Agricultural ecosystems provide a range of benefits that are vital to human well-being. These benefits are dependent on several soil functions that are affected in different ways by legislation from the European Union, national, and regional levels. We evaluated current European Union soil-related legislation and examples of regional legislation with regard to direct and indirect impacts on five soil functions: the production of food, fiber, and fuel; water purification and regulation; carbon sequestration and climate regulation; habitat for biodiversity provisioning; and the recycling of nutrients/agro-chemicals. Our results illustrate the diversity of existing policies and the complex interactions present between different spatial and temporal scales. The impact of most policies, positive or negative, on a soil function is usually not established, but depends on how the policy is implemented by local authorities and the farmers. This makes it difficult to estimate the overall state and trends of the different soil functions in agricultural ecosystems. To implement functional management and sustainable use of the different soil functions in agricultural ecosystems, more knowledge is needed on the policy interactions as well as on the impact of management options on the different soil functions.

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Olive Husk Compost Improves the Quality of Intensively Cultivated Agricultural Soils

Moreno

Carmona

Santiago³

et al. 2015

Land Degrad Dev

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Organic amendments improve the quality of degraded cultivated agricultural soils. In this work, we examined the impact of an olive husk compost (OHC) on quality‐related physical, chemical and biochemical properties of intensively managed greenhouse soil. To this end, a completely randomized block experiment involving a single factor and two treatments (viz., annual application of OHC at 30 Mg ha−1 or no application) with three replications was used for 5 years. The effect of the compost was studied at two soil depths (0–10 and 10–25 cm) and two positions relative to crop rows (viz., on rows and between rows). Application of OHC increased soil organic matter (SOM) content, which is consistent with the low degradation rate of the compost in soil and confirms its usefulness as a source of organic C for soil. Increased SOM content resulted in decreased bulk density, and also in increased porosity and available water in the soil. The amendment was also an effective source of nutrients, particularly N, P, K and Ca, the last of which contributed to decrease exchangeable Na levels in the soil surface layer. The compost increased the activity of all enzymes studied except urease. This result can be ascribed to increased microbial activity, the presence of enzymes in the compost and their stabilization by organic matter and clay in the soil. Dehydrogenase and phosphatase were the individual enzyme activities in the soil, which were correlated with the largest number of soil properties favourably affected by OHC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Soil Degradation and Soil Quality in Western Europe: Current Situation and Future Perspectives

Abstract: Abstract:The extent and causes of chemical,

Cited by 85 publications

References 137 publications

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

The Impact of Policy Instruments on Soil Multifunctionality in the European Union

Olive Husk Compost Improves the Quality of Intensively Cultivated Agricultural Soils

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