This is the application of operations, practices, and treatments to protect soil and enhance its performance. It includes controlling traffic, avoiding excessive tillage, managing pests and nutrients efficiently, selecting adequate crops and rotations, keeping the soil covered, increasing diversity (crops, soil, landscape), managing irrigation efficiently, adding organic matter.
Sustainable agriculture is the efficient production of safe, high-quality agricultural product, in a climate smart way that protects and improves the natural environment, the social and economic conditions of the farmers and local communities.
The main components of sustainable farming: soil management, crop management, water management, disease/pest management and waste management.
Soil compaction due to agricultural vehicle traffic is recognized as one of the major threats to soil productivity, and soil ecological and hydrological functioning. This video provides an overview of the different recovery techniques: mechanical (tillage), biological (“biosubsoiling”) and natural methods.
In the past, the choice was often made to mechanically crack the compacted soil. This resulted in short-term improvement but recompaction occurred several years later. The main disadvantage of mechanical methods is that often the complete soil structure is disturbed, which strongly reduces the mechanical strength and moisture delivery capacity. Most promising for the long-term melioration of compacted arable land is the use of deep-rooting plants: biosubsoilers.
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Fertilization strategies for abating N pollution at the scale of a highly vulnerable and diverse semi-arid agricultural region (Murcia, Spain) - Sanz-Cobena A. et. al. 2023
Improved descriptions of soil hydrology in crop models: The elephant in the room? - Jarvis, N. et al. - 2022
Fungal biomass and microbial necromass facilitate soil carbon sequestration and aggregate stability under different soil tillage intensities - Sae-Tun, O. et al. - 2022
Agricultural management affects active carbon and nitrogen mineralisation potential in soils - Hendricks, S. et al. - 2022
Expansion of olive orchards and their impact on the cultivation and landscape through a case study in the countryside of Cordoba (Spain) - Guzman, G. et al. - 2022
The legacy of microbial inoculants in agroecosystems and potential for tackling climate change challenges - Liu, XP. et al. - 2022
A well-established fact: Rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration - Angers, D. et al. - 2022
The causes of the selection of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) in relation to ecosystem functioning and a research agenda to explore them - Lata, JC. et al. - 2022
‘Resources, Infrastructure and Capabilities Inventory (RICI)’ is an online platform for policy stakeholders. RICI provides access to a pool of specialized scientists and experts at local, regional and national level across Europe. The online inventory is the ‘Yellow pages’ on expertise on soil science in relation to questions for policy matters.