Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Side soil covering and high-frequency low-volume irrigation improve cotton seedling emergence by altering soil physical properties and salinity","authors":"Fukui Gao ,&nbsp;Qisheng Han ,&nbsp;Jingsheng Sun ,&nbsp;Qingyao Zhao ,&nbsp;Guang Yang ,&nbsp;Xianbo Zhang ,&nbsp;Djifa Fidele Kpalari ,&nbsp;Huifeng Ning ,&nbsp;Hao Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The southern Xinjiang region is currently facing a situation of high per capita water resources but low per land water resources. With the expansion of agricultural irrigation areas and extensive water use, the actual water consumption has far exceeded the red line of total water use, and the existing water resources can no longer meet the needs of normal winter and spring irrigation. The aim of this study is to learn from the water-saving planting technology of dry sowing and wet emergence (DSWE) to promote the sustainable development of agriculture and optimize soil covering methods and irrigation management measures in Northern Xinjiang. A field experiment was conducted from 2021 to 2024. The local non-growing season drip spring irrigation mode (CK1, spring irrigation quota 90 mm) and conventional spring irrigation mode (CK2, spring irrigation quota 180 mm) were used as controls. For the DSWE planting technology, two soil covering forms of top sealing soil (TSS) and side sealing soil (SSS) were set up, and four irrigation quotas (G1: 30 mm, G2: 37.5 mm, G3: 45 mm, G4: 52.5 mm) were applied under each soil covering form. The results indicated that the TSS form was more effective in providing stable soil moisture and temperature conditions, whereas the SSS form significantly increased the cotton emergence rate and shortened emergence time by minimizing sowing depth and physical barriers. Crucially, the SSS form effectively mitigated the negative impacts caused by the increased sowing depth inherent in DSWE technology. By optimizing the SSS approach with precise, low-volume irrigation, we achieved cotton emergence performance comparable to conventional irrigation methods, while realizing water savings of over 40 % and up to 70 % compared with standard practices. This research provides a practical and highly efficient strategy for applying DSWE technology in water-scarce, saline environments, offering significant potential for mitigating agricultural water-use conflicts and promoting sustainable development in arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107025"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of management practices on soil organic matter composition evaluated by complementary analytical techniques: XANES and mass spectrometry","authors":"Peter K. Leinweber ,&nbsp;Riffat Rahim ,&nbsp;Edyta Hewelke ,&nbsp;Tom Regier ,&nbsp;Jerzy Weber","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impact of soil management practices on carbon (C) sequestration in soil organic matter (SOM) is insufficiently known. We studied relevant treatments, including manure application, legumes incorporation, their combination, conventional and no-tillage systems, as well as tillage with and without catch crops, at three long-term experimental sites in Poland. Bulk soil and humin fractions were analyzed by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and thermochemolysis-gas chromategraphy/mass spectrometry (TC-GC/MS). XANES and TC-GC/MS revealed treatment-specific molecular enrichments. Legume cropping enhanced total organic carbon (TOC) and enriched aromatic and aliphatic C structures, particularly at Skierniewice, contributing significantly to SOM stabilization. At Chylice, no-tillage preserved a higher aromatic C content, indicating a contribution of relatively stable compounds to SOM enrichment. At Swojec, the application of catch crops resulted in a balanced C profile with aliphatic C enrichments. Humin consistently exhibited greater aromatic and carboxylic C intensities compared to bulk soil, emphasizing its role as a relatively stable C reservoir. The findings demonstrate that for comparable climatic and soil conditions, no-till management is more efficient in enriching relatively recalcitrant aromatic SOM than the addition of organic matter through manure and legumes. No-till is therefore recommended as a first, immediately effective measure for SOM enrichment under Central European conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107009"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145730779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil strength after 21 years of conventional and organic cropping practices in the Mid-Atlantic region, USA","authors":"Harry H. Schomberg ,&nbsp;Kipling S. Balkcom ,&nbsp;Michel A. Cavigelli ,&nbsp;Kathryn E. White","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil compaction negatively impacts soil physical properties and crop yields and is influenced by organic matter inputs and tillage management. We evaluated cone index (CI) in five long-term organic and conventional cropping systems at the Farming Systems Project in Beltsville, MD (39.0°N, 76.9°W), to understand how different management systems influence soil strength. Measurements were collected prior to planting corn in 2017 using a tractor-mounted hydraulic five-probe penetrometer for three depths (0–15, 15–30, 30–50 cm) and three positions relative to the crop row (0, 22.5, and 45 cm). The two conventional systems, No-till (NT) and Chisel Till (CT), were both 3-yr corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat/soybean rotations. The three organic systems were comprised of: (Org2) 2-yr hairy vetch cover crop/corn-rye cover crop/soybean; (Org3) 3-yr hairy vetch cover crop/corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat; and (Org6) 6-yr corn-rye cover crop/soybean–wheat–alfalfa–alfalfa–alfalfa. Org2 and Org3 exhibited the lowest CI in the 0–15 cm depth, due to fall tillage before cover crop planting and weed control in the prior crop. In contrast, surface soil compaction in Org6 was similar to that in the conventional systems, attributed to alfalfa harvest machinery traffic over the past three years and absence of any tillage. At deeper depths (15–30 cm and 30–50 cm), the NT system consistently demonstrated lower CI compared to other systems. For tilled systems, maximum CI values at 15–30 cm were near or exceeded the root-restricting threshold of 2.5 MPa. The NT system potentially provided a larger rooting volume for water and nutrient uptake than tilled systems. Machinery traffic increased compaction, particularly at 22.5 cm from the crop row, likely due to tire sidewall pressure. Overall, the study found moderate effects of contrasting management system practices on soil strength.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107020"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145732409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depth-discrepant impact of winter cover crops on particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon in a subtropical paddy field","authors":"Zihan Zhang,&nbsp;Dongqiao Yang,&nbsp;Mengya Lu,&nbsp;Bin Zhang,&nbsp;Xueli Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Replacing winter fallow with cover crops can improve soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agroecosystems, with cover crop species potentially differing in their contributions to SOC formation and stabilization. However, how different crop species affect the accumulation of distinct SOC fractions (particulate organic C, POC; mineral-associated organic C, MAOC) and their contribution to SOC storage remain unclear, particularly in subsoils of paddy fields. Here, we investigated how POC and MAOC responded to different cover crop species (hairy vetch, <em>Vicia villosa</em> Roth., and winter wheat, <em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) in both topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (20–40 cm, 40–60 cm) in paddy soils. Our results revealed that different cover crops induced divergent responses in SOC fractions, contingently dependent upon soil depths. Both cover crops significantly stimulated POC accumulation (winter wheat: 41.3 %; hairy vetch: 46.1 %) relative to fallow in topsoil, while cover crop effects on POC gradually diminished in subsoil. Meanwhile, cover crops significantly increased contents of dissolved organic carbon and available phosphorus, particularly in deeper subsoil, which were key factors affecting SOC accumulation. POC and MAOC accumulation along soil depths differed significantly between different cover crops, suggesting a species-specific effect. Winter wheat significantly boosted MAOC in both topsoil and deeper subsoil, while hairy vetch induced a statistically nonsignificant increase in MAOC across three depths compared to fallow. These divergent responses of SOC fractions were closely related to cover crop-induced changes of microbial community composition, necromass accumulation and enzyme activity. Random forest analysis revealed that microbial necromass was the main factor defining MAOC in topsoil, whereas the Fe oxides was the main factor influencing subsoil MAOC accumulation. Overall, winter cover increased total SOC sequestration across 0–60 cm soil depths and more importantly, potential SOC stability (MAOC:POC) was enhanced in subsoil. These findings demonstrate a depth-discrepant impact of cover crops on POC and MAOC in paddy soils. Our work highlights the need to present POC and MAOC fractions into biogeochemical models to better predict responses of SOC to cover crop management practices in rice paddy ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107015"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145730835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phosphorus adsorption-desorption dynamics across a soil texture gradient in floodplain agricultural soilscape of the middle Yellow River, China","authors":"Xiaojun Nie ,&nbsp;Xingyu Du ,&nbsp;Tongqian Zhao ,&nbsp;Jinchan Zheng ,&nbsp;Xinyi Li ,&nbsp;Wenjing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Little attention has been paid to Phosphorus (P) adsorption-desorption in agricultural soilscape with varying soil textures under field-relevant P application practices. This study examined these processes in the Middle Yellow River floodplain landscapes, focusing on field-relevant P application rates and soil disturbance. At a field-relevant 10 mg P L⁻¹ rate, finer-textured ground soils (silty clay, loam, silty loam) exhibited an initial fast adsorption and gradual equilibrium and best obeyed the Elovich model, indicating chemisorption on heterogeneous surfaces. Coarse-textured loamy sand exhibited desorption–adsorption at ≤ 100 mg P L⁻¹ , transitioning to Elovich-type adsorption only at ≥ 200 mg L⁻¹ . Silty clay had the most available adsorption sites, loamy sand the fewest. As soil texture coarsened, P adsorption-desorption maximum potentials, binding strength and buffering capacity decreased, while its reversibility increased (26 % in silty clay to 54 % in loamy sand). At the field rate, P adsorption/desorption correlated with clay, sand, CaCO₃, and soil organic matter (SOM), with clay explaining 81 % of adsorption variance and sand 65 % of desorption variance (p &lt; 0.05). Undisturbed soil experiments showed higher adsorption at 5 mg P L⁻¹ addition but lower adsorption at 100 mg L⁻¹ for loamy sand and silty clay. Across textures undisturbed soils had very low P adsorption (1.3 %–10.1 % of ground soils) at field rates (5–30 mg P L⁻¹), underscoring soil disturbance’s impact and real-ideal disparity. These findings demonstrate that soil clay and sand contents dominate field-relevant P adsorption-desorption in agricultural soilscape with varying textures. Undisturbed soil’s P adsorption is minimal, which complements ground soil experiment-derived understanding. Texture-specific P management is vital for floodplain sustainable agriculture and aquatic protection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107007"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145731633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"While legume-based rotation influences the chemical composition of mineral-associated organic matter, tillage has little effect on its persistence","authors":"Paulina B. Ramírez ,&nbsp;Surendra Singh ,&nbsp;Stephen Machado ,&nbsp;Roser Matamala ,&nbsp;Shikha Singh ,&nbsp;Francisco Calderón","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Legume-based rotations are key to enhancing soil carbon (C) storage in stable forms such as mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM), improving soil health, and helping maintain long-term C stock. This study investigates how plant inputs and tillage practices influence the distribution, composition, and persistence of MAOM in wheat cropping systems when legumes are incorporated into the rotation. Soil samples were collected from Walla Walla silty loam of northeast Oregon, including conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) treatments in a long-term dryland winter wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum L</em>.) and spring pea (<em>Pisum sativum L</em>.) rotation experiment, with an adjacent grass pasture (GP) plot serving as the baseline. Bulk soil, particulate organic matter (POM), and MAOM fractions were scanned using mid-infrared (Mid-IR) spectroscopy and analyzed for total C and nitrogen (N) as well as radiocarbon age, aggregate stability, and mineralizable C. In WP systems, NT promoted greater C accumulation and stabilization in MAOM than CT, reaching levels similar to those under native GP conditions. Furthermore, our findings indicate that decades of continuous legume-based rotation were insufficient to restore total bulk C content to levels observed in the undisturbed reference site (GP) in the 0–30 cm layer, with increases limited to the surface layer. The Mid-IR data provided insights into how cultivation may alter the chemical composition of MAOM. An increase in amide bands was observed in GP, while legume-based rotation systems favored an abundance of aliphatic (C-H) components in the MAOM fraction. In cultivated soils, C in MAOM exhibited longer residence times under arable conditions than in grassland, while POM remained an actively cycled pool across all treatments. Despite variations in the chemical composition of MAOM across treatments, mineralizable C emissions from MAOM fractions remained statistically unchanged during the 96-hour incubation period. Our findings suggest that soil physical protection, enhanced by reduced tillage, is the primary factor influencing MAOM cycling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107014"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145732410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent responses of soil carbon dynamics to terracing under natural aridity in semi-arid regions","authors":"Shuaihao Mo ,&nbsp;Ying Wang ,&nbsp;Ziji Lv ,&nbsp;Xinhao Li ,&nbsp;Yanxing He ,&nbsp;Peidan Xu ,&nbsp;Shiwei Zhao ,&nbsp;Jinghua Huang ,&nbsp;Xuan Du ,&nbsp;Jinshi Jian","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drylands play a crucial role in global soil carbon (C) sequestration, with soil C dynamics jointly determined by soil organic C (SOC) and inorganic C (SIC). In addition to aridity’s control, soil C dynamics in drylands are also influenced by human activities, such as terrace construction, thereby augmenting the uncertainty in assessing and predicting soil C sequestration functions. Terraces converted from sloping farmland are an important agricultural land use type, but there has been limited research on the effects of terracing on SOC, SIC, and soil total C (STC) under varying aridity. Here, we selected four representative terracing sites on the Chinese Loess Plateau, two in regions with lower aridity and the other two in regions with higher aridity. SOC, SIC, and STC contents along with influencing variables were analyzed to investigate how terracing affects soil C dynamics under different aridity conditions. Results showed that both SOC and SIC contents synergistically increased following sloping farmland conversion to terraces under lower aridity conditions, thus contributing to an elevation in STC content. However, terracing increased SOC content yet reduced SIC content under higher aridity conditions, and SOC-SIC trade-offs caused fluctuation or even loss in STC content. Consequently, soil C dynamics in terraces exhibited divergent responses to shifts in aridity, and this effect intensified with the terraced age (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, soil pH emerged as the primary driver of C dynamics in terraced soils under different aridity conditions, with SOC and STC declining and SIC increasing significantly as pH increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). In addition, mineral protection enhanced SOC accrual under lower aridity conditions, as evidenced by a significant positive correlation between SOC and clay contents (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). SOC and SIC contents responded positively (<em>p</em> = 0.001) and negatively (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) to soil moisture variations under higher aridity conditions, respectively. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of simultaneously considering changes in both SOC and SIC when predicting and enhancing the C sequestration capacity of terraced soils in drylands, thus contributing to mitigating global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145731719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crop planting promotes the stabilization of straw-derived carbon in fertilized soil by regulating soil stoichiometry","authors":"Tengxiao Zhu ,&nbsp;Xiuwen Mei ,&nbsp;Yuping Li ,&nbsp;Shuangyi Li ,&nbsp;Tingting An ,&nbsp;Jingkuan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Straw returning to cropland is a sustainable management practices to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The dynamics of straw C transformation in soils have been widely studied, however, it is less clear how crop planting regulates the incorporation of added straw C into SOC pools via soil - microbial nutrients status. We designed two sub- treatments, including single application of ¹³C-labeled straw (S) and its combination with crop planting (SR) in each fertilization treatment, and then conducted a field micro- experiment for 510 days. Regardless of fertilization, the SR treatments increased the content of straw derived mineral associated organic C (¹³C-MAOC) by 53.19 % and that of straw- derived particulate organic C (¹³C-POC) by 27.45 % compared with S treatments on the 510th day. And the SR treatments averagely increased the contribution percentage of straw-derived C in total MAOC by 39.44 %, especially under NP soil. Structure equation modeling results indicated crop planting promotes the formation of straw-derived SOC by reducing soil nutrients (<em>r</em> = −0.141, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and soil nutrients stoichiometry (<em>r</em> = −0.232, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01); fertilization alleviates nutrient limitations by reducing soil nutrients stoichiometry (<em>r</em> = −0.432, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), microbial biomass stoichiometry (<em>r</em> = −0.701, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), and increasing soil nutrients (<em>r</em> = 0.584, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), thereby regulating the formation of straw C. Our results imply that crop planting contributes long-term incorporation of straw C to stable SOC pool via optimizing nutrients within soil-microbial system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107008"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145731635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategic deep tillage of deep sand soils impacts the sorption and biological availability of trifluralin","authors":"Tom J. Edwards ,&nbsp;Stephen L. Davies ,&nbsp;Ron J. Yates ,&nbsp;Michael T. Rose ,&nbsp;Benedict Arthur ,&nbsp;John G. Howieson ,&nbsp;Graham O’Hara ,&nbsp;Emma J. Steel ,&nbsp;David JM Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deep sand soils are inherently fragile with surface layers that are very low in organic matter and clay. Previous studies demonstrate that strategic deep tillage such as soil inversion and deep soil mixing can increase crop production on these soils in Southern Australia. However, the majority of the organic matter and nutrients are concentrated in the top organically stained layer and deep tillage incorporates 50–60 % of the organic layer into the subsoil below 200 mm. The physical composition of the soil (percentage of sand, silt, clay and organic matter) and the chemical properties of the soil (pH, nutrient levels, cation exchange capacity) can strongly influence the soil adsorption of trifluralin. Modest levels of organic matter and clay particles in the topsoil particularly following deep tillage equate to the scant attenuation of herbicides on sandy textured soils. Soil samples (0–100 mm) were collected from three experimental sites; two Arenic Solonetz soils near Esperance and one Arenic Arenosol soil near Geraldton in Western Australia. At all three sites, three experimental treatments were sampled; control (no tillage), deep mixed with a spader to 350 mm and soil inversion with a mouldboard plough to 350 mm. Soil samples were taken on two growing seasons post tillage at Geraldton, three post tillage at Esperance TJM and twelve post tillage at Esperance E1. Tillage reduced the measured soil-liquid partition coefficient (K_d) of trifluralin (p ≤ 0.05) at all three experimental sites. A greenhouse bioassay was developed to determine if soil changes from strategic tillage at one of the Esperance sites and the Geraldton site could be directly related to herbicide bioavailability at two of the experimental sites. Intact cores were used to maintain integrity of the field soils. Cores from both field sites demonstrated that soil inversion reduced the effective dose of trifluralin (p ≤ 0.01) for the bioassay species <em>Lens culinaris.</em> Together these experiments illustrate that strategic deep tillage can increase the bioavailability of trifluralin. These findings offer a valuable insight into the soil behaviour of trifluralin and can help farmers estimate the risk of phytotoxicity based on measurable soil characteristics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 106997"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil structural transformation under multiple freeze–thaw cycles with comprehensive morphological and topological analysis: The hypothesis of periodicity","authors":"Kirill D. Tolstygin ,&nbsp;Dmitry A. Kulygin ,&nbsp;Konstantin A. Romanenko ,&nbsp;Marina V. Karsanina ,&nbsp;Aleksey M. Cherkasov ,&nbsp;Aleksey Khlyupin ,&nbsp;Kirill M. Gerke","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freezing–thawing cycles significantly affect the dynamics of soil pore space structure, both directly and through indirect processes. Previous studies have reported varying observations and interpretations regarding the qualitative and quantitative changes in soil structure induced by these cycles. In this study, we conducted freeze–thaw experiments on three different disturbed soil samples. The samples were imaged with an X-ray scanner in their original state and after 1, 5, 10, and 20 freeze–thaw cycles. To process the obtained data, we employed two novel but essential methods: (1) a custom-built image registration technique to establish identical 3D regions of interest within the scans, and (2) a set of soil structural descriptors with high information content, incorporating both morphological and topological information — correlation functions, pore-network statistics, Euler numbers, and connectivity. Registration and careful consideration of individual grains within the soil structure enabled robust segmentation of grayscale images into solids and pores. Unlike most previous studies, we did not observe a steady or nearly monotonic change in structural metrics. Instead, we detected a type of chaotic behavior of these metrics between the freeze–thaw cycles. Using vector descriptors, we demonstrated that the experimental data can be interpreted as hypothetical oscillatory changes within soil structure. This finding leads us to hypothesize that disturbed soils — and possibly natural soils after multiple cycles — undergo periodic structural dynamics. The novel idea behind this hypothesis is simple: as at some point the same temperature impact will not produce the same effect, the structure disturbance will stagnate. From the original state, soils exhibited the strongest structural degradation due to freeze–thaw cycles, whereas in subsequent cycles the dynamics involved both dispersing and aggregating processes, as observed in the X-ray tomography images. We conclude by discussing the necessary future research to confirm or refute this hypothesis and emphasize why soil structure in such experiments should be described using a novel class of vector metrics with high information content, which also subsume most classical soil structural metrics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 106980"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}