Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Optimizing organic fertilizer nitrogen substitution to enhance growth, nutrient uptake, and use efficiency in Zanthoxylum armatum","authors":"Fozia Dost Muhammad ,&nbsp;Yuxin Xie ,&nbsp;Yuanjia Gong ,&nbsp;Muhammad Asghar Ali ,&nbsp;Shuaijie Lu ,&nbsp;Wenkai Hui ,&nbsp;Jingyan Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107057","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107057","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective nitrogen (N) management is crucial for sustainable plant cultivation. However, the optimal level of organic fertilizer nitrogen (OFN) substitution remains unclear, particularly for <em>Zanthoxylum armatum</em>. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of seven OFN substitution levels (0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, and 100 %) on plant growth, nutrient absorption, nutrient use efficiency (NUE), and soil fertility, using a pot experiment, a membership function was used to calculate comprehensive evaluation value (CEV) and estimate the OFN substitution levels. The results showed that fertilization increased plant height, basal diameter, N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and soil enzyme activities (invertase, phosphatase, and catalase). The 10 %–50 % OFN substitution significantly improved N, P, and K use efficiency from 14.3 %, 7.6 %, and 16.6–15.7 %–41.9 %, 7.6 %–20.7 %, and 30.0 %–40.6 %, respectively. The CEV ranged from 0.351 (control) to 2.247 (40 % OFN). The relationship between OFN substitution level and CEV was well-estimated by a quadratic regression model (<em>y</em> = -0.00027 <em>x</em>² + 0.03004 <em>x</em> + 1.22894, <em>R</em>² = 0.716, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01), with the optimal OFN substitution level for <em>Z. armatum</em> determined as 55.6 %. The CEV was significantly correlated with plant biomass, nutrient absorption, MBC, and soil enzyme activities, as well as with plant N and K content, but not with alkali-hydrolysable N and available K content, urease activity, or plant P content. This study supports the reduction of fertilizer application, improves fertilizer efficiency and soil fertility, and promotes sustainable agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107057"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925538","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":"Conservation tillage enhances phosphorus use efficiency by regulating root distribution and soil phosphorus stratification in the black soil region of Northeast China","authors":"Jie Zhang,&nbsp;Yalin Li,&nbsp;Baoguo Li,&nbsp;Hu Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Low mobility and bioavailability of phosphorus (P) constrain fertilizer use efficiency in the black soil region of Northeast China (NEC). Conservation tillage (CST) has been shown to improve soil structure and nutrient bioavailability and therefore has the potential to increase P use efficiency. In this study, we evaluated the effects of CST and conventional tillage (CT) on P use efficiency—quantified through both fertilizer-based partial factor productivity (PFP-P) and uptake-based utilization efficiency (PUtE)—maize dry matter, and P content, root vertical distribution, and soil physicochemical properties based on field experiments at three representative sites in the black soil region of NEC. Compared to CT, CST significantly increased PFP-P (+15.3 %) and PUtE (+25.3 %), promoted grain dry matter accumulation, and enhanced P translocation from vegetative organs to grains. CST decreased the stratification ratio (0–10 cm / 10–50 cm) of total P (TP) and Olsen-P by 24.9 % and 49.5 %, respectively (except at the XL site), thereby alleviating surface P enrichment. CST also increased average root biomass by 28.5 % and significantly enhanced the root distribution ratio (20–30 cm / 0–50 cm) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), suggesting an improved soil-root configuration for accessing subsoil P. Redundancy analysis showed that variations in P efficiency were primarily associated with Olsen-P stratification, root distribution patterns (20–30 cm), soil penetration resistance (20–30 cm), and SOM (0–10 cm), which together explained over 86.0 % of the variance. Overall, CST improved maize P use efficiency by synchronizing root-soil-P interactions, providing scientific insight and practical strategies for sustainable agriculture in the black soil region of NEC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107060"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925537","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":"Hydrophobic high-frequency vibration collaborative strategy for reducing resistance and soil adhesion of tillage tools in lime concretion black soil","authors":"Kuan Qin ,&nbsp;Ding Zhang ,&nbsp;Biao Ma ,&nbsp;Weidong Gao ,&nbsp;Chengmao Cao ,&nbsp;Xu Zhu ,&nbsp;Junjie Lu ,&nbsp;Wei Wang ,&nbsp;Jun Ge ,&nbsp;Qichun Feng ,&nbsp;Huaizhi Liu ,&nbsp;Siliang Liu ,&nbsp;Yan Sun ,&nbsp;Liangfei Fang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil-engaging components in the lime concretion black soil farming in the Huang Huai Hai region of China often face significant challenges due to strong resistance caused by soil adhesion. Soil adhesion to tillage tools under high moisture conditions presents a major challenge for vibration-based drag reduction methods. Conversely, surface-modified hydrophobic tillage tools exhibit relatively limited drag reduction efficiency in low-moisture soils. Herein, a hydrophobic high-frequency vibration drag reduction strategy was proposed. By combining a thin-layer hydrophobic rubbery coating with high-frequency vibration, this approach reduced the interfacial interaction between moist soil and the modified soil-engaging components, as well as the internal friction among soil particles. Specifically, a robust cross-linked physical network was formed by the rigid styrene segments and alloys, and the thin-layer (0.2 millimeter) coated rubbery styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) was adhered firmly to soil-engaging components, achieving an adhesion energy of 37.21 J/m². With the integration of high-frequency vibration, the hydrophobic soil-engaging components demonstrated a low adhesion amount of 0.27 g/cm² and a drag reduction rate of 32.16 % in the soil at 21 % moisture content. All in all, this work provides significant theoretical and technical support for efficient adhesion reduction and drag reduction of agricultural machinery soil-engaging components in the Huang Huai Hai region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107061"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925526","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":"Drought-rehydration enhances yield through optimized soil multifunctionality in drip-irrigated spring wheat in arid regions","authors":"Rongrong Wang ,&nbsp;Guang Shi ,&nbsp;Shuting Bie ,&nbsp;Ziqiang Che ,&nbsp;Yiling Ma ,&nbsp;Guiying Jiang ,&nbsp;Jianguo Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107056","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107056","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drought–rehydration cycles are key drivers of soil biogeochemical processes in arid agroecosystems, yet the mechanisms regulating soil–microbe–plant interactions under such conditions remain insufficiently understood. We hypothesized that mild drought imposed at critical phenological stages could stimulate soil biochemical processes and microbial functional activity, thereby supporting spring wheat productivity and economic return. To test this hypothesis, a two-year split-plot field experiment was conducted using a drought-tolerant variety (Xinchun 6, XC 6) and a drought-sensitive variety (Xinchun 22, XC 22), with drought applied at the tillering (T) and jointing (J) stages. Three irrigation regimes were established based on field capacity (FC): normal irrigation (75–80 % FC, CK), mild drought (60–65 % FC, T1 and J1), and moderate drought (45–50 % FC, T2 and J2), each maintained for 7 days followed by rehydration. Mild drought at the tillering stage (T1) produced the most pronounced positive effects after rehydration. Compared with CK, T1 significantly improved soil chemical properties, enhanced key enzyme activities related to carbon and nitrogen cycling, and increased microbial biomass. Microbial alpha diversity was also elevated under T1, suggesting improved community stability and functional redundancy. Following rehydration, enhanced microbial activity likely accelerated nutrient mineralization, thereby supporting dry matter recovery and allocation to grain. As a result, grain yield increased by 1.89–2.32 %, while net revenue increased by 10.19–12.07 %. The drought-tolerant variety XC 6 consistently showed greater agronomic and economic benefits than XC 22, indicating that variety selection can amplify the positive effects of mild drought–rehydration management. Overall, mild drought at the tillering stage followed by rehydration represents a water-efficient irrigation strategy that maintains yield and profitability while enhancing soil biochemical functioning and system resilience. This approach offers a practical pathway for sustainable spring wheat production in arid regions, although long-term monitoring is required to assess the persistence of these ecological benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107056"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926008","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 thickness and variation rate of mollic epipedon in the drylands of northeastern China over the past 40 years","authors":"Lixia Ma ,&nbsp;Zhang Gao ,&nbsp;Wenyou Hu ,&nbsp;Dongsheng Yu ,&nbsp;Jun Jiang ,&nbsp;Decheng Li ,&nbsp;Lei Gao ,&nbsp;Feng Liu ,&nbsp;Changkun Wang ,&nbsp;Yongcun Zhao ,&nbsp;Yuguo Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Jia ,&nbsp;Xinhua Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2026.107058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Clarifying the thickness and its temporal variation rate of the mollic epipedon across cultivated lands in northeastern China is crucial for the protection of Mollisols and food security. However, accurately determining the thickness and its variation of the mollic epipedon is challenging due to the lack of comprehensive datasets and the spatial mismatch of sampling sites from different time periods. This study mainly aimed to determine the spatiotemporal variation in mollic epipedon thickness in the drylands of northeastern China over the past 40 years. We developed a method to identify the thickness of the mollic epipedon from 4410 soil profiles collected in the 1980s. In the 2020s, a rapid survey method was proposed to measure the thickness of the mollic epipedon. We then developed spatial predictive models of mollic epipedon thickness for the 2020s and 1980s, respectively, using random forest algorithms. Finally, we evaluated the thickness and variation of the mollic epipedon for drylands over the past 40 years by combining data from sampling sites and spatial distributions. Results indicate that both the identification method (R² = 0.80, N = 69) and the rapid survey method (R² = 0.91, N = 69) for mollic epipedon thickness perform well. The spatial prediction models also perform well for both the 2020s and 1980s, with R² (RMSE) values of 0.94 (9.1 cm, N = 732) and 0.94 (8.8 cm, N = 4410), respectively. The spatial distributions indicate a decreasing trend in mollic epipedon thickness from north to south in both periods, with an average thickness of 45.0 cm in the 2020s and a thinning rate of 0.25 cm per year over the past 40 years. Findings from sampling sites support the spatial distribution of variation rate for mollic epipedon thickness (R² = 0.78, N = 69). The thickness and variation rate of the mollic epipedon are related to soil type and slope position. The mollic epipedon thickness is largest for the soil type of Hapli-Udic Isohumosols and smallest for Hapli-Udic Argosols, with the thinning rate largest for the former soil type (0.38 cm/y). The thinning rate decreases with slope position, with average rates of 0.38 cm/y, 0.27 cm/y, and 0.13 cm/y for upper, middle, and lower slope, respectively. This is the first large-scale assessment of thickness and variation of the mollic epipedon in northeastern China over the past 40 years, utilizing extensive sampling data and machine learning methods. These findings provide valuable technical and data support for the conservation of Mollisols.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107058"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925509","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":"Regenerative agriculture effects on biomass, drought resilience and 14C-photosynthate allocation in wheat drilled into ley compared to disc or ploughed arable soil","authors":"Nichola Austen ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Short ,&nbsp;Stefanie Tille ,&nbsp;Irene Johnson ,&nbsp;Richard Summers ,&nbsp;Duncan D. Cameron ,&nbsp;Jonathan R. Leake","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Regenerative agriculture practices including leys and no-tillage facilitate biological reassembly of soil aggregates, increasing water, carbon and nutrient storage, but how this effects crop biomass, photosynthate partitioning, and drought resilience is unclear. To address this, we took monoliths growing semi-dwarf and taller wheat genotypes from 3-year plots that were ploughed or disc cultivated, or direct-drilled into a grass-clover ley and applied 35 kg N ha⁻¹. Half the monoliths received a spring drought, then all were watered and the wheat ¹⁴CO₂ pulse-labelled at stem elongation. The ley soil had lower bulk density, stored more water, and the taller wheat genotype maintained 8-fold higher proportion of water-stable macroaggregates despite unexpectedly having the smaller root biomass. Yields on the ley soil (3.74 t ha⁻¹) were 77 % −123 % higher than on ploughed and disc cultivated soils, and unaffected by genotype or drought, despite its &gt; 70 % reduction in root biomass. Of the ¹⁴C initially retained in wheat, 72 % was in shoots, with root allocation decreasing by 75–90 % in droughted ley soil, and at harvest soil retained &lt; 1 % of the ¹⁴C, with significantly lower values for taller wheat, and ley. We conclude that soil health regeneration in the ley enhanced wheat yields, but reduced photosynthate allocation to root biomass under drought. Although taller wheat maintained better macroaggregation in ley soil, this was not explained by root biomass or photosynthate allocation and unexpectedly failed to increase soil ¹⁴C sequestration. We find no evidence that ley regeneration of macroaggregation enhances soil C sequestration under wheat, despite higher yields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107016"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925525","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":"Spatial variation of soil erosion resistance impacted by ephemeral gully on long gentle sloping cropland in the Mollisol region of China","authors":"Jun Jing ,&nbsp;Guanghui Zhang ,&nbsp;Yi Zhang ,&nbsp;Shukun Xing","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107046","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ephemeral gully erosion (EGE) is a major driver of cropland soil degradation, exerting substantial impacts on soil properties and crop growth. These changes, in turn, profoundly alter soil erosion resistance (SER). Although SER is critical for soil conservation, its spatial patterns and driving mechanisms in long, gently sloping (LGS) cropland under the influence of EGE remain insufficiently understood. The aims of this study were to quantify the spatial variation in SER and to identify the influencing factors on a representative LGS cropland in the Mollisol region of Northeast China. Based on in-situ field sampling and controlled flume tests, the spatial heterogeneity of SER under EGE conditions was quantified. The dominant influencing factors and their interactive mechanisms were identified, and a stepwise regression model was developed to estimate rill erodibility (K_r). Results showed that SER varied significantly across slope positions but did not differ markedly between gully positions. K_r linearly increased with decreasing gully position, while critical shear stress (τ_c) first decreased and then increased, with variation ranges of −2.36 % to 50.00 %. Both K_r and τ_c showed quadratic relationships with slope position, with K_r peaking at the middle slope and τ_c at the upper slope. Dominant factors affecting K_r included clay content, sand content, soil cohesion (Coh), mean weight diameter (MWD), root mass density (RMD), and straw mass density (SMD), which collectively explained 79 % of the spatial variability. Notably, SMD had a significant regulatory effect on Coh, RMD, and MWD, and indirectly reduced K_r via these pathways (standardized path coefficient = −0.263). The developed K_r estimation model (<em>K</em>_<em>r</em> <em>= 0.212MWD</em>^{<em>−2.405</em>}<em>RMD</em>^{<em>−0.502</em>}) exhibited good predictive performance (R² = 0.860; NSE = 0.863) but requires further validation under field conditions. The findings provide important theoretical support for site-specific erosion control strategies and contribute to the improvement of process-based soil erosion models at the hillslope scale in Mollisol regions of Northeast China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107046"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925508","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":"Enhancing predictive modeling of interrill and rill erosion susceptibility in the Eastern Mediterranean using stacking ensemble machine learning algorithms","authors":"Hazem Ghassan Abdo ,&nbsp;Sahar Mohammed Richi ,&nbsp;Hoang Thi Hang ,&nbsp;Jasem A. Albanai ,&nbsp;Javed Mallick","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion assessment is essential for effective conservation planning, particularly through the development of accurate susceptibility maps using advanced modeling techniques. Despite this importance, the Eastern Mediterranean remains underexplored in terms of hybrid modeling approaches for predicting interrill and rill erosion in environmentally sensitive areas. This study aims to develop a robust spatial prediction model for soil erosion susceptibility in the Eastern Mediterranean using a stacking ensemble machine learning framework. The performance of Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) models was evaluated individually and in stacked combinations based on 751 erosion and non-erosion events and 15 erosion-related conditioning factors. The results identified slope and land use/land cover (LULC) as the most influential drivers of soil erosion. Among the standalone models, XGBoost showed the highest predictive performance, while the hybrid XGB–RF ensemble achieved the best overall accuracy and reliability. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid modeling in enhancing soil erosion prediction and provide a reliable decision-support tool for sustainable land management. The proposed approach offers valuable insights for preventive planning and natural resource protection in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Syria, and represents an important step toward improved erosion modeling in complex topographic and climatic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107053"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902288","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 pH adjustment and the neutralizing effect reshape the rhizobial community in the legume rhizosphere","authors":"Kaili Xia ,&nbsp;Shengyi Ouyang ,&nbsp;Xi Mo ,&nbsp;Yaxuan Gao ,&nbsp;Jinlong Liu ,&nbsp;Yingxiang Wang ,&nbsp;Changfu Tian ,&nbsp;Xiaolin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107050","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107050","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding microbial community assembly is pivotal in microbial ecology. Rhizobia, functioning as legume endosymbionts or free-living soil bacteria, sustain nitrogen fixation in crucial food and forage crops. However, in contrast to the well-studied rhizobia within root nodules, the ecological drivers governing rhizosphere rhizobial community assembly under environmental perturbations, particularly those assessed using the <em>rpoB</em> gene - an essential housekeeping gene valued for its ability to provide species- and strain-level phylogenetic insights remain unresolved. This study first integrated a meta-analysis of <em>rpoB</em> gene high-throughput sequencing data from legume rhizospheres across China, revealing soil pH and longitude as dominant biogeographical drivers. We then investigated the assembly patterns of rhizospheric rhizobial community in response to directed pH adjustment (HCl/NaOH/H₂O treatments) using soils of contrasting pH origins (Jiangxi acidic soil, Shandong neutral soil, and Xizang alkaline soil) and host plants (alfalfa, faba bean, and soybean) via controlled experiments. Phenotypic result demonstrated that pH neutralization increased nodule occupancy. High-resolution <em>rpoB</em> sequencing revealed that pH neutralization increased the alpha diversity of the Pan-<em>Rhizobium</em> community, while pH shifts in general led to simplified co-occurrence networks. Mechanistically, community assembly analysis demonstrated that pH shift promoted deterministic processes by selectively enriching pH-specialized taxa: <em>Brarhizobium</em> under acidity and <em>Rhizobium</em>/<em>Mesorhizobium</em> under alkalinity. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for predicting rhizobial community responses to environmental changes in legume-rhizobia symbiosis, enabling pH-targeted soil management strategies to enhance agricultural sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107050"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925527","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 conversion of natural grassland to cropland drives thermodynamic destabilization of subsoil DOM over decades","authors":"Yuxin Yan,&nbsp;Yumei Peng,&nbsp;Jia Shi,&nbsp;Chunpeng Huo,&nbsp;Zhongmin Fan,&nbsp;Xiang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.107051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The conversion of natural grassland to cropland is a widespread practice that threatens soil carbon stocks. However, its impact on the dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM), particularly the thermodynamic stability of subsoil DOM, remains poorly quantified. This study investigated the distribution and biochemical characterization of DOM and its transformation processes following 11 and 40 years of conversion from natural grassland to agricultural land on a Haplic Chernozems soil in northern China. The post-conversion agricultural management was no-tillage, focused on rain-fed cultivation of wheat and oats. The chemical characterization of DOM was conducted using UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry combined with PARAFAC analysis and substrate-explicit modeling. The results showed a critical depth-dependent shift of DOM content and stability: while topsoil (0–20 cm) dissolved organic carbon (DOC) decreased by 88 %, its thermodynamic stability increased. Conversely, subsoil (80–100 cm) DOC increased by 1.8-fold, yet this accumulated pool was characterized by lower molecular weight, enrichment of a blue-shifted humic-like component (C2), and significantly higher thermodynamic degradability. Molecular-level evidence revealed that this destabilization was primarily driven by the transformation of complex subsoil organic matter into labile DOM, a process strongly linked to nutrient enrichment. Although derived from a single representative soil type, our findings provide a mechanistic framework for assessing carbon vulnerability in agroecosystems following land-use change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 107051"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902299","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}