Agricultural & Environmental Letters最新文献

Haque, M. A., Minemura, Y., Sazawa, K., Kuramitz, H., & Wada, N. (2025). Interaction of organic nitrogen and C/N ratio enhances soil microarthropod abundance. Agricultural & Environmental Letters, 10, e70034. https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.70034

The third author's first name “Kazuto” was incorrectly listed as “Kazuo.” The correct spelling of the author's name is “Kazuto Sazawa” and has been corrected in both the byline and the Author Contributions’ section and also in the ORCID list at the end of the pdf version of the article.

We apologize for this error.

As interest in the impact of climate-smart agricultural practices grows, it is increasingly important to understand how much practice adoption to expect, how long it will take for certain practices to be adopted, and where adoption of these practices may be most likely. Many current mitigation potential estimates for climate-smart agricultural practices assume instantaneous, 100% adoption of practices across all croplands, failing to reflect realistic conditions. However, tools like the Adoption Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT) can help explain and clarify practice adoption dynamics and therefore right-size mitigation potential estimates. Here, we reviewed and compiled papers that reported ADOPT-derived predicted peak adoption rates (PPAR) and predicted time to peak (PTTP) adoption for various agricultural innovation types. We summarize PPAR and PTTP across innovations and farmer motivations, providing insights on practice adoption and highlighting the utility of understanding predicted adoption rates and timing of agricultural innovations.

Organic management is widely regarded as an effective strategy to prevent soil degradation in agroecosystems. In this study, we investigated the abundance of soil microarthropods in a multi-cropping system by comparing organic and conventional management practices. A total of 189 soil samples were collected from 63 agricultural sites cultivating three crops: paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.), soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], and vegetables [Cucurbita moschata (Duch.) Poir., Solanum melongena L., etc.]. An averaged generalized linear mixed model revealed that both organic management and vegetable cropping were associated with significantly higher microarthropod abundance. We also detected a positive interaction between the soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and organic nitrogen content, indicating that organically enriched soils provide favorable conditions for microarthropods. Our findings demonstrate that agricultural management practices, cropping systems, and soil nutrient profiles collectively shape the abundance of soil microarthropods.

We evaluated a geospatially explicit phosphorus (P) use efficiency (PUE) monitoring method in crop fields using proximal sensing, field observations, and machine learning. Corn (Zea mays L.) yield and grain protein content were measured using an Ag Leader yield monitor and a CropScan sensor near Riesel, Texas. Topsoil P (0–15 cm) and grain P levels were analyzed for samples collected at strategic field locations. A random forest model was trained to predict PUE using soil electrical conductivity (EC_a) from a Veris instrument and topographic variables as predictors (R² = 0.78, root mean squared error = 0.01). CropScan sensor effectively estimated grain P content, supporting field-wide PUE upscaling. EC_a and elevation were the primary drivers of PUE variation. The resulting maps are valuable for monitoring PUE in crop fields and guiding variable-rate fertilizer applications. This scalable approach provides a robust framework for monitoring nutrient dynamics and efficiency, informing precision management strategies to enhance yield and sustainability in crop production systems.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed critical amino acid (CAA) content is a key quality factor for buyers worldwide, yet its spatial variability remains unclear. This study evaluated the correlation between growing latitude and CAA content in soybean seed using published data. Pearson's r values were extracted, converted to Fisher's Z as an effect-size metric, and analyzed using a random-effects model. Lysine, cystine, methionine, and tryptophan showed no significant correlations, while threonine exhibited a significant negative correlation with absolute latitude (Z = −0.50, p = 0.04). Subgroup analysis revealed additional significant correlations for lysine in soybean meal (Z = −0.74, p = 0.04) and for threonine (chemical methods to measure CAAs: Z = −0.58, p = 0.03; studies conducted outside the United States: Z = −0.78, p = 0.02). The absence of consistent correlations across multiple soybean-growing regions worldwide suggests that latitude alone should not determine a buyer's purchasing decision regarding soybean CAA content.

Biosolids are commonly used as soil amendments; however, repeated application of biosolids results in phosphorus (P) accumulation, elevating environmental risks by increasing P loss through runoff and leaching. Predicting soil P loss after ceasing biosolids application remains challenging. In a laboratory experiment, 80 leaching events were applied to sandy soils with biosolids application histories from active use to 15 years post-application. Soils with recent applications showed an early peak in P release that later stabilized, while those with legacy applications exhibited lower but more consistent P release. These results suggest that fresh biosolids contained a highly mobile P fraction that depletes over time, leaving behind more fixed P that may persist for decades. These P release trajectories could be reasonably modeled by two-pool exponential decay models. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of biosolids aging in regulating P dynamics and identify the hot moments in P loss in biosolids-impacted systems.

Cover crop mixtures provide ecosystem services, but species’ relative abundance in mixtures is challenging to manage. We report on an 11-year experiment where our main objective was to use species selection and seeding rate adjustments over time to increase the evenness of mixtures. Replacing rye with triticale and red clover with crimson clover while adjusting seeding rates resulted in mixtures that were more even and closer to the desired composition (greater legume biomass) than the original communities. For example, the first version of a six-species mixture produced biomass composed of 81% grass, 5% brassica, and 14% legume, but after adjustments, subsequent versions contained 25% grass, 10% brassica, and 65% legume biomass. Substituting a less aggressive grass for a dominant grass and a more aggressive legume for a weaker legume better balanced the mixture to meet farmers’ ecosystem service goals, as did reducing the proportion of grass seed in the mixtures.