Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Effects of continuous straw and equivalent straw-derived biochar application on soil multifunctionality, crop productivity, and greenhouse gas emissions","authors":"Junsheng Lu ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuezhi Liu ,&nbsp;Xinyue Zhu ,&nbsp;Penghai Su ,&nbsp;Tiantian Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Incorporating straw or straw-derived biochar is recognized as a promising strategy to enhance soil quality and promote sustainable agricultural development. However, the sustained effects of straw and biochar amendments on crop productivity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil multifunctionality remain controversial, largely due to the lack of comparative studies between raw straw and biochar produced from an equivalent amount of straw. To address this issue, a five-year field experiment was conducted with three treatments—CK (no incorporation), SI (continuous raw straw incorporation), and BI (continuous incorporation of biochar derived from an equivalent amount of straw)—to evaluate whether converting raw straw into biochar for soil application provides greater benefits in mitigating GHG emissions and improving soil quality, crop yield, and water productivity. The results showed that both SI and BI significantly improved soil physical (bulk density, porosity, field capacity), chemical (pH, organic carbon, nutrient levels), and biological (microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen) properties, leading to increases in soil ecosystem multifunctionality by 222.8 % and 251.8 %, respectively, compared with CK. Additionally, SI consistently elevated N₂O emissions, whereas BI generally reduced N₂O emissions relative to CK. Both SI and BI increased CO₂ emissions and significantly enhanced crop yield, with SI and BI increasing grain yield by 8.3 % and 25.6 %, and water productivity by 12.2 % and 24.8 %, respectively, in the maize-wheat rotation system compared to CK. As a consequence, SI and BI increased the global warming potential (GWP) by 22.4 % and 6.1 %, respectively, while SI increased greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) by 12.6 % and BI reduced it by 16.1 %, relative to CK. Notably, continuous incorporation of straw and biochar resulted in a cumulative effect (residual effect + current-season effect) on N₂O and CO₂ emissions. The residual effect on N₂O and CO₂ emissions persisted for 3 and 4 years, respectively, under SI, and extended up to 7 years for both gases under BI. Overall, these findings demonstrate that converting straw into biochar for soil incorporation not only enhances soil quality and sustains high crop productivity but also contributes to mitigating GHG emissions. This study highlights the importance of considering long-term dynamics in straw and biochar management and underscores biochar's potential as a sustainable strategy for climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107033"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145823028","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":"Long-term green manure incorporation increases soil carbon sequestration and improves aggregate stability by changing organic carbon components","authors":"Yulu Chen ,&nbsp;Li Huang ,&nbsp;Shaomin Huang ,&nbsp;Tengfei Guo ,&nbsp;Shuiqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Doudou Guo ,&nbsp;Xiao Song ,&nbsp;Shijie Ding ,&nbsp;Muhammad Mehran ,&nbsp;Yongqiang Yang ,&nbsp;Ke Yue ,&nbsp;Sumiao Su ,&nbsp;Mingjian Geng ,&nbsp;Huimin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the most labile fraction of soil organic carbon (SOC), plays a vital role in ecosystem functioning and soil productivity. However, the influence of long-term green manure application on DOC composition and its role in soil aggregate formation and carbon stabilization remains unclear. This study investigated changes in DOC composition and their effects on aggregate stability and carbon sequestration in two rice-green manure rotation trials long-5 years in Jingzhou (JZ) and 36 years in Qiyang (QY), China. Treatments included rice-winter fallow (WF), rice-Chinese milk vetch (MV), rice-oilseed rape (RP), and rice-ryegrass (RG). At the JZ test site, 5-year MV incorporation slightly improved aggregate stability, measured by mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD), but without significant changes. In contrast, at QY, 36-year MV and RG incorporation significantly enhanced both MWD and GMD. Green manure addition increased SOC and DOC contents and enhanced the molecular complexity of DOC, reflected by higher molecular weight, aromaticity, and humification degree. DOC was primarily derived from plant residues and microbial metabolites, with green manure application enhancing microbial contributions. Fluorescence spectroscopy identified three DOC components: bioavailable, humic-like, and protein-like. While DOC composition at JZ remained largely unchanged after 5 years of MV incorporation, 36 years of MV and RG incorporation at QY facilitated the transformation of protein-like into humic-like components. SOC, humic-like DOC, and the humification index (HIX), were the key drivers of aggregate stability, showing direct positive effects on aggregate MWD. Humic-like DOC indirectly promoted SOC accumulation through increased DOC aromaticity and enhanced humification. Our findings highlight the central role of humic-like DOC in enhancing SOC sequestration and soil aggregate stabilization, underscoring the long-term benefits of green manure in sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107024"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145823027","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":"Unearthing profits: The impact of ripping depth on cost-benefit dynamics in south-eastern Australia's sandy soils","authors":"Muhammad Masood Azeem ,&nbsp;Therese McBeath ,&nbsp;Jackie Ouzman ,&nbsp;Chris Saunders ,&nbsp;Rick Llewellyn","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107032","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deep ripping, a tillage practice that loosens compacted soil layers below 30 cm, has gained traction in south-eastern Australia's sandy soils due to recognition of its ability to overcome constraints to crop production and advances in machinery that allow the operation to be deeper and more effective. While it has the potential to improve productivity, deep ripping requires significant investment and exhibits variable effectiveness across locations, seasons, and timeframes. Despite its growing adoption, robust economic assessments of different ripping depths have been limited. This study evaluates the economic performance of deep ripping at varying depths using data from 162 treatment-site-years collected between 2014 and 2021 across on-farm trials in the southern Australian cropping zone (250–400 mm annual rainfall). Cost–benefit analysis combined with Monte Carlo simulations was used to estimate probabilistic outcomes under different scenarios and uncertainty levels. Results show that 73 % of cases yielded a positive net present value (NPV) and benefit–cost ratio (BCR), with NPV outcomes ranging from –$406 to $1218 per hectare. A cumulative grain yield gain of approximately 1 tonne per hectare was generally required to achieve a positive NPV. Ripping to depths between 40 and 60 cm—targeting the layers most restrictive to root exploration—produced higher economic returns than shallower ripping (e.g., 30 cm).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107032"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145823029","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":"Effect of construction activities-altered soil bulk density on spoil heap rill erosion and morphological characteristics","authors":"Zhihua Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuhui Guo ,&nbsp;Li Li ,&nbsp;Honghu Liu ,&nbsp;Wenfeng Ding ,&nbsp;Wenjian Tang ,&nbsp;Jigen Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spoil heaps, resulting from excavation and backfilling at construction sites, are highly susceptible to soil detachment and transport, leading to rill development, while large-scale infrastructure activities continually alter the soil bulk density. However, the mechanisms by which soil bulk density affects rill erosion on spoil heaps remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate how soil bulk density governs rill morphology and hydraulic parameters on spoil heaps by conducting multiple flume tests under different flow discharges (3, 5, and 7 L min⁻¹), slope gradients (10, 20, and 30°), and soil bulk densities (1.2, 1.5, and 1.8 g cm⁻³). Close-range digital photogrammetry was utilized to obtain surface elevation information, which was used for constructing a digital elevation model (DEM). The results showed: 1) soil bulk density significantly affected the soil erosion resistance of spoil heaps: as it increased from 1.2 to 1.8 g cm⁻³, soil erodibility decreased, while critical shear stress increased from 4.17 to 6.47 Pa and critical stream power from 1.23 to 2.13 N m⁻¹ s⁻¹; 2) soil bulk density significantly suppressed rill development as it increased from 1.2 to 1.8 g cm⁻³, reducing the mean rill density by 19.4 %, the mean rill width-depth ratio by 48.2 %, and the mean rill inclination angle by 30.5 %; 3) rill depth was the best morphological predictor of sediment yield (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01), and among the four derived morphological indicators, the degree of rill dissection was the optimal predictor of rill erosion and morphology, followed by the rill inclination angle, the rill width-depth ratio, and the rill density. This study would enhance understanding of the complicated interactions between soil bulk density and morphological development on spoil heaps, and provides strategic erosion control plans for their management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107026"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145813857","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":"Iron-bound organic-carbon dynamics in a fertilized Agriustoll","authors":"Wen Zhihao,&nbsp;Zhai Bingnian,&nbsp;Jia Hanzhong,&nbsp;Li Ziyan","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Iron-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC) is an important form of soil organic carbon (SOC), and understanding the mechanisms that underlie its formation is crucial for elucidating soil carbon cycling processes. Here, multiple inorganic leaching solutions were used to extract different types of iron minerals from soil under different nitrogen application rates. The results show that fertilization drives the activation of soil iron minerals by regulating root growth and microbial community composition. Iron mineral activation was highest under moderate nitrogen supplementation, but manure application also regulates iron mineral form. EEMs (Excitation-Emission-Matrix Spectra) analysis was also used to determine the molecular structure of Fe-OC, revealing that different types of iron minerals have a significant fractionation effect on organic carbon. To investigate the processes mediating this fractionation, FT-ICR MS (Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry) was employed to determine Fe-OC structure. This analysis revealed that fractionation was jointly determined by both iron-mineral and organic-carbon structure. This study reveals the mechanisms by which fertilization of regulates the formation of Fe-OC in temperate soils, improving understanding of the relationship between Fe-OC formation and fractionation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107027"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784836","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":"Cover cropping and minimum tillage improved microbial functional resilience to compaction stress in an acidic soil","authors":"Apsara Amarasinghe ,&nbsp;Chengrong Chen ,&nbsp;Lukas Van Zwieten ,&nbsp;Michael T. Rose ,&nbsp;Mehran Rezaei Rashti","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107031","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable agriculture requires maintaining soil health, yet conventional management (CM) practices may not protect soils from stresses such as compaction. This study compared microbial resilience to compaction in two soils collected from sugarcane farms under improved management (IM: minimum tillage, cover cropping and stubble retention) and CM (conventional tillage, no cover crop and stubble retention) practices. Samples were placed in 96-well deep-well plates and compacted using a bespoke device to achieve bulk densities of 0.9 (control), 1.1 (low), and 1.2 g cm⁻³ (moderate). Microbial resistance was assessed 14 days after compaction, and resilience 14 days after stress relief. Under low and moderate compaction, IM soils showed 49.5 % and 45.7 % higher CO₂ emission resistance indices (i.e., the ability of soil to maintain microbial respiration under compaction stress) than CM, indicating greater stability. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were 56.2 % and 47.9 % higher in IM soils under low compaction, compared to CM. Soil microbial metabolic quotient (<em>q</em>CO₂) was similar across compaction levels within each system, but was 19.5 %–36.3 % lower in IM soils than CM at equivalent compaction, indicating lower microbial stress under IM. Fourteen days after stress relief, <em>q</em>CO₂ in moderately compacted CM soil increased by 41.1 % and 25.0 % compared to control and low compaction. In contrast, IM soil under moderate compaction had 40.6 % lower <em>q</em>CO₂ than CM. The CM showed no effects of compaction on hot water extractable organic carbon content, while compaction of IM showed a 13 % decline compared to its control. Hot water extractable total nitrogen did not vary with compaction within the management systems but was 12 %–15 % higher in IM than CM under the same compaction during the resistance phase. Total mineral nitrogen was unaffected by compaction treatments under each system but was 11 %–13 % higher in IM than CM during resistance phase. These findings highlight the potential of improved management practices to sustain soil health and resilience under compaction stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107031"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784838","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":"Iron fractionation-directed mechanisms of soil organic carbon: A geochemically-grounded hypothesis and validation","authors":"Fei Xie ,&nbsp;Yuanqing Tang ,&nbsp;Jin-E. Wei ,&nbsp;Yangzheng Liu ,&nbsp;Weifang Chen ,&nbsp;Chengmei Liao ,&nbsp;Changwei Lü","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) by reactive iron (Fe) minerals is a critical yet poorly quantified process in the global carbon cycle. To elucidate the specific mechanisms of Fe-mediated OC (organic carbon) fractionation, we employed a sequential chemical extraction protocol on &lt; 53 μm soil fractions to isolate distinct Fe phases. This method was rigorously validated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to correlate the extracted Fe species with specific mineral phases. A key methodological advancement was the developmen of a novel approach to quantify OC co-extracted with each Fe phase, enabling the first direct assessment of MAOC (mineral-associated organic carbon) partitioning to specific mineral hosts. Operationally, citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite (CBD) extraction targeted reactive Fe (Fe_HR) minerals (e.g., lepidocrocite, goethite, maghemite), while 12 M HCl dissolved poorly reactive Fe (Fe_PR) phases (e.g., ankerite, magnetite, illite, montmorillonite). The residual silicate-bound Fe (Fe_U), such as grossular, riebeckite, mica, and orthoclase remained in the final residue. Our results revealed a quantitative partitioning of MAOC: Fe_U-OC dominated (47.9 %), indicative of long-term geological inheritance via physical occlusion within silicate matrices. Fe_PR-OC (36.3 %) was stabilized predominantly by micropore confinement in low-activity minerals and cation bridging, effectively shielding OC from redox-driven dissolution. In contrast, Fe_HR-OC constituted the smallest fraction (15.8 %) but was the most dynamic, with its concentration strongly correlated with precipitation-induced Fe (oxyhydr)oxide transformation and vegetation diversity, leading to the formation of mineral-organic complexes. Mechanistically, we identified three distinct stabilization pathways: (1) reactive Fe/Al-(hydr)oxides bound OC mainly through chemical complexation or co-precipitation at high-surface-area mineral surfaces; (2) low-activity Fe/Al-(hydr)oxides associated with OC via physical adsorption; and (3) Fe_U-OC through physical encapsulation within silicate mineral frameworks and lattice-defects. These findings provide a mechanistic and quantitative framework for predicting the persistence of Fe-OC associations under changing environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107029"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784837","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":"Benchmarking soil potassium extraction methods and establishing critical thresholds for wheat production in Inceptisols","authors":"Shubhadip Dasgupta ,&nbsp;Rajat Pandit ,&nbsp;Sudip Sengupta ,&nbsp;Arup Dey ,&nbsp;Kallol Bhattacharyya ,&nbsp;Sanjay Srivastava ,&nbsp;Owais Bashir ,&nbsp;Kiran Lata ,&nbsp;Somsubhra Chakraborty ,&nbsp;Nicola Senesi ,&nbsp;Abdessalam Ouallali ,&nbsp;Mohamed Beroho ,&nbsp;Shuraik Kader","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate assessment of plant-available potassium (K) in soils is crucial for optimizing crop nutrition and enhancing the efficiency of fertilizer use. This study systematically benchmarked ten widely used soil K extractants, Calcium Chloride (CaCl₂), Ammonium Acetate (NH₄OAc), Ammonium Bicarbonate-Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid (AB-DTPA), Morgan's extractant (Morgan), Calcium acetate lactate extractant (Ca-AL), Kelowna extractant (Kelowna), Olsen extractant (Olsen), Modified Kelowna extractant (Kelowna-2), Nitric Acid (HNO₃), and Sodium Tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) to identify the most effective method for quantifying available K and defining critical thresholds for wheat production in Inceptisols. Pot trials were conducted on soils from twenty Inceptisol series in the Gangetic alluvial plains of Eastern India using five K fertilizer rates that simulates the wide K variability in real field situations. Among the tested methods, NaTPB emerged as the most reliable extractant, showing the strongest correlation (R² = 0.83, P &lt; 0.05) with Bray’s percent yield (BPY) and a critical K threshold of 1110.3 kg ha⁻¹. CaCl₂ also demonstrated high accuracy (R² = 0.82). Multivariate analysis revealed that NaTPB-extractable K was significantly influenced by soil clay content and electrical conductivity, which together explained 76.9 % of its variability. Furthermore, NaTPB effectively captured K from multiple pools, including water-soluble, exchangeable, and non-exchangeable pools, providing a more comprehensive index of plant-available K. A critical K concentration of 0.35 % in wheat grain was identified as the threshold for optimal yield, offering a practical benchmark for site-specific K management. By integrating chemical extraction, crop response modeling, and soil property analysis, this research presents a novel and scientifically robust framework for assessing K fertility. With the successful implementation in Eastern India, the findings have benchmarked broader applicability to Inceptisols in other agroecological regions, providing a scalable diagnostic approach for sustainable nutrient management. This study makes a significant contribution to precision agriculture and global efforts to optimize fertilizer recommendations through the development of improved soil testing methodologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107017"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784847","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":"The improved integral suspension pressure method for particle size analysis agrees well with the standard hydrometer method","authors":"Sára Poláchová,&nbsp;Martin Kovář,&nbsp;Lukáš Jačka","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Particle size distribution (PSD) is a fundamental property of soil, influencing its physical and chemical properties. Consequently, PSD is commonly used to estimate other critical but harder-to-measure soil properties, such as hydraulic conductivity and soil water retention characteristics. Traditionally, PSD is determined using standard sedimentation methods, such as the pipette or hydrometer method. These conventional methods are, however, currently being replaced by innovative automated techniques, including approaches that measure pressure changes in suspensions. This study compares the standard hydrometer method (HM) with the improved integral suspension pressure method (ISP+), both of which operate on the same physical principle. Measurements were performed on fourteen soil types of varying texture, with identical sample pretreatment. For each type, four PSD analyses were carried out by the HM and four by the ISP+, yielding 112 analyses in total. The two methods showed strong agreement for clay fraction (R² = 0.987; RMSE = 1.62 %) as well as the sand (R² = 0.996; RMSE = 1.65 %) and silt fraction (R² = 0.987; RMSE = 2.11 %). The strong correspondence in clay is particularly important, as it is corrected by oven-drying in ISP+ and represents a direct rather than an indirect estimate as in the case of silt. According to paired t-tests, there is no statistically significant difference between the methods. Although pretreatment and handling are similar to HM, ISP+ provides more detailed PSD data and can support more efficient laboratory workflows than standardized methods, representing a reliable alternative for routine soil texture determination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107021"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784846","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":"Rainfall simulations on granite-derived red soils: How jute geotextile mulching regulates erosion dynamics and sediment sorting","authors":"Shimin Ni ,&nbsp;Yang Zhou ,&nbsp;Chongfa Cai ,&nbsp;Junguang Wang ,&nbsp;Ziqiang Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water-induced soil erosion severely endangers the sustainability of granite-derived red soil regions in southern China, where jute geotextiles hold promise for erosion control—yet their mechanisms in regulating erosion dynamics and sediment sorting remain poorly understood. This study investigated the erosion mitigation performance and underlying mechanisms of jute geotextile mulching through rainfall simulations, employing a 2 m × 1.2 m soil plot with four soil horizons (eluvium-A, illuvium-B, transitional-BC, parent material-C), two rainfall intensities (60 and 90 mm h⁻¹), two slope gradients (5.56 % and 16.67 %), and three mulching treatments (bare control-CK, low-coverage-6.54 % and high-coverage-13.08 % jute geotextiles). Runoff, soil loss, flow hydrodynamics, and sediment sorting characteristics were analyzed to quantify treatment effects. High-coverage geotextiles could significantly reduce runoff coefficients by an average of 22.75 % and sediment loss by 50.01 % relative to CK. Hydrodynamically, jute geotextile could reduce mean flow velocity by 36.30 % and stream power by 22.75 %, facilitating a laminar-dominated flow regime (<em>Re</em> &lt; 800) and suppressing transitions to supercritical flow. Sediment particle-size distribution (PSD) analysis revealed that clay-silt fractions (&lt; 0.05 mm) were preferentially transported (enrichment ratio &gt; 1), while sand-gravel fractions (&gt; 0.05 mm) were retained in place (enrichment ratio &lt; 1). This selectivity was amplified by high-coverage geotextiles, enabling an increase of clay enrichment ratio by 0.27–0.51 and a reduction of sediment mean weight diameter (<em>MWD</em>) by 0.09–0.17 mm, thereby promoting fine-particle enrichment and delaying sediment coarsening. Additionally, as rainfall progressed, a potential sediment transport mechanism was observed, namely the shift of sediment transport mode from initial suspension-saltation (fine-particle-domination) to later saltation-rolling (coarse-particle-domination). Importantly, this transition was delayed by jute geotextiles via intercepting coarse particles and sustaining fine-particle production. In conclusion, jute geotextiles can effectively mitigate sheet erosion in granite-derived red soils by regulating runoff energy and enhancing sediment sorting. Further research should prioritize optimization of geotextile grid density and synergies between geotextile mulching and local quartz gravels to balance erosion control efficacy, ecological benefits, and economic feasibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107023"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784845","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}