Soil Scientists

  Field evidence demonstrates that seed coating with atrazine-degrading bacteria is an effective, eco-friendly strategy to mitigate herbicide risks to soybeans grown in black soils . Atrazine residues in black soils often persist due to high organic matter and limited microbial degradation, leading to phytotoxic effects on sensitive crops such as soybean. Field trials show that coating soybean seeds with specialized atrazine-degrading bacterial strains enhances rhizosphere microbial activity, accelerates atrazine breakdown, and significantly lowers residual toxicity during early crop establishment. This biological seed treatment improves seedling emergence, root development, nodulation, and overall plant vigor while maintaining weed control efficiency. Moreover, the approach reduces atrazine leaching and accumulation in soil–plant systems, supporting soil health and microbial diversity. The results highlight seed coating with degrading bacteria as a sustainable agronomic practice ...

  Recent advances in the understanding of silicon in the soil–plant system highlight its emerging role as a beneficial element for sustainable agriculture and environmental resilience. Although not classified as an essential nutrient for most crops, silicon significantly enhances plant growth, productivity, and stress tolerance. Modern research reveals that silicon improves soil physical properties by promoting aggregation, enhancing water retention, and reducing nutrient leaching, thereby creating a more favorable root environment. In plants, silicon uptake and transport mechanisms have been clarified at the molecular level, with the identification of specific silicon transporter genes that regulate its accumulation in roots and shoots. Silicon deposition in plant tissues strengthens cell walls, improves mechanical stability, and enhances resistance against pests, diseases, drought, salinity, heavy metal toxicity, and temperature extremes. Advances in nano-silicon fertilizers and ...

  Agriculture is the backbone of global food security and rural livelihoods, playing a vital role in economic development, environmental stewardship, and social well-being. Modern agriculture integrates traditional knowledge with scientific innovations to enhance crop productivity, soil fertility, and water-use efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. Sustainable agricultural practices such as conservation tillage, crop diversification, integrated nutrient management, and precision farming help maintain soil health, conserve biodiversity, and improve resilience to climate change. Advances in biotechnology, digital agriculture, and climate-smart farming enable farmers to optimize inputs, reduce losses, and adapt to changing agro-climatic conditions. Agriculture also contributes to ecosystem services by supporting carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and landscape sustainability. By promoting resource-efficient and environmentally responsible farming systems, agriculture...

  Belowground interactions play a critical role in determining nutrient use eco-efficiency in cropping systems by regulating how plants access, transform, and retain essential nutrients in the soil environment. These interactions involve complex networks among plant roots, soil microorganisms, and soil physical and chemical properties. Root architecture and exudation patterns influence microbial activity by supplying carbon substrates that stimulate beneficial microbes such as mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria, which enhance nutrient mobilization, particularly of nitrogen and phosphorus. At the same time, microbial processes such as mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification govern nutrient availability and losses. In diversified cropping systems, including intercropping and crop rotations, complementary root traits and temporal niche differentiation reduce competition and improve overall nutrient capture. Improved belowground biodiversity also enhan...

  Microplastics released from the degradation of agricultural mulch films are increasingly recognized as influential factors in soil systems, with measurable effects on soil aggregation and microbial community structure. As mulch films fragment under ultraviolet radiation, temperature fluctuations, and mechanical disturbance, they generate microplastic particles that become incorporated into soil aggregates. These particles can act as physical binding agents, altering pore structure and promoting the formation of larger, more stable aggregates by interacting with soil organic matter and mineral surfaces. However, this apparent improvement in aggregation does not necessarily equate to enhanced soil health. Microplastics modify soil aeration, water retention, and nutrient diffusion, creating novel microhabitats that selectively favor certain microbial taxa while suppressing others. Changes in microbial diversity, enzyme activity, and functional groups involved in carbon and nutrient ...

  Reducing fertilizer inputs while maintaining crop productivity and profitability in acidic agricultural soils requires an integrated soil and nutrient management approach. One effective strategy is correcting soil acidity through the application of lime or other alkaline amendments, which improves nutrient availability, reduces aluminum toxicity, and enhances root growth, allowing crops to use applied nutrients more efficiently. Adopting site-specific nutrient management based on soil testing helps optimize fertilizer rates and avoid unnecessary applications. Integrating organic amendments such as compost, farmyard manure, green manure, and biochar improves soil structure, increases cation exchange capacity, and enhances nutrient retention in acidic soils. The use of acid-tolerant crop varieties and diversified crop rotations, including legumes, supports biological nitrogen fixation and reduces dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Precision farming tools, split fertilize...

 Vertical and urban farming are transforming the future of sustainable agriculture by enabling food production within cities using innovative, space-efficient technologies. By growing crops in vertically stacked layers, rooftops, or controlled indoor environments, these systems significantly reduce land use while optimizing water, nutrient, and energy efficiency through hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. Vertical and urban farms minimize transportation distances, lowering carbon emissions and ensuring fresher produce for urban populations. They also offer year-round production, reduced pesticide use, and resilience against climate variability, making them ideal solutions for feeding growing urban populations. By integrating smart sensors, automation, and renewable energy, vertical and urban farming contribute to food security, resource conservation, and climate-smart agriculture, positioning them as key pillars of a sustainable and resilient food system. #VerticalFarming #Ur...

 Soil compaction significantly affects root structural remodeling in herbaceous plants, altering their growth patterns, architecture, and physiological functions. Compacted soils reduce pore space, limiting oxygen availability and water infiltration, which forces roots to adapt by changing their morphology—such as increasing root diameter, reducing branching, or elongating in less dense soil zones. These structural modifications help plants maintain nutrient uptake and water absorption under stress conditions. Additionally, compaction can influence root-soil interactions, microbial associations, and overall plant resilience, ultimately affecting plant productivity and ecosystem stability. Understanding root structural responses to soil compaction is crucial for developing sustainable land management practices and improving crop performance under suboptimal soil conditions. Hashtags: #SoilCompaction #RootMorphology #HerbaceousPlants #PlantAdaptation #SoilHealth #RootArchitecture #...

  Soil Biology for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment focuses on the vital role of living organisms in soil—such as microorganisms, fungi, earthworms, insects, and plant roots—in maintaining soil health, agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability. These soil organisms drive key processes including nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, soil structure formation, and carbon sequestration, which collectively enhance soil fertility, water-holding capacity, and crop resilience to drought, pests, and diseases. Beneficial microbes like nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi naturally supply nutrients to plants, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and minimizing environmental pollution. Healthy and diverse soil biological communities also contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon, regulating greenhouse gas emissions, improving pollutant breakdown, and preventing soil erosion and land degradation. Sustainable practices such as cr...

 Agroecological approaches combined with smart nutrient management are transforming resilient land use and sustainable food systems in the face of climate change, land degradation, and resource scarcity. By integrating ecological principles with modern agronomic innovations, agroecology promotes diversified cropping systems, soil organic matter restoration, biological nutrient cycling, and efficient use of on-farm inputs. Smart nutrient management enhances these systems through precision application, site-specific nutrient planning, biofertilizers, organic amendments, and recycling of crop residues, ensuring balanced nutrient availability while minimizing losses to the environment. Together, these strategies improve soil health, boost nutrient-use efficiency, strengthen ecosystem services, and enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity, leading to stable yields, reduced dependency on synthetic inputs, and long-term food and nutritional security. This holistic approach supports climate-resi...