The biological influences on soil properties are strongest near the surface, while the geochemical influences on soil properties increase with depth. Enhanced soil organic matter increases soil aggregation and water-holding capacity, provides an additional source of nutrients, and reduces P fixation, toxicities of Al and Mn, and leaching of nutrients (Baligar and Fageria, 1999). Some of the important factors which decide the biological behavior of soil are: 1. Changes in soil properties that occur in the short term (<1 year) include changes in soil water status, bulk density, porosity, pH, redox conditions, microbial biomass, or community composition (Santos et al., 2019). Air and soil temperatures increased from March to May, as expected given the normal annual variation in temperature. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, Quantifying and Managing Soil Functions in Earth's Critical Zone, The Role of Mineral Nutrition on Root Growth of Crop Plants, Soil fertility: Plant nutrition vis-à-vis fruit yield and quality of stone fruits, Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences (Second Edition), Composting and Formation of Humic Substances. Residue retention in NT and PT. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified clay content, bulk density, climatic conditions (precipitation and evapotranspiration), organic matter (OM), and its decomposition rates as the most important factors that controlled soil structure development. For example, arable areas in semi-arid regions can experience very high rates of soil erosion following land-cover changes (Zheng, 2006) such as deforestation (Beach, 1998) or wildfire (Abney et al., 2017; Carroll et al., 2007). This concerns soil properties related to the microbial and faunal activity in soil. A group of macroanimals in the soil are numerous, and they are as follows: earthworms, rodents (prairie dogs, moles, gophers, etc. For example, phosphatases are important in the P cycle because they provide P for plant uptake by releasing PO4, and acid phosphatase can provide a potential index for a soil to mineralize organic P. β-glucosidase catalyzes the conversion of cellulose to glucose, and as such important energy sources for micro organisms. Depending on the disturbance, it is not uncommon to observe changes in soil nutrient availability, base cation concentrations, cation exchange capacity, soil structure, and soil organic matter within 1–10 years (Berhe et al., 2012). A high concentration in the soil signifies a low pH, whilst a low concentration equals a high pH. Sources: Data adapted from Liang et al. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong determinant of soil fertility through its positive effects on soil structure and soil chemical and biological properties which in turn stimulate primary production. The by-products of this microbial consumption are CO2, H2O, and a variety of other compounds, collectively known as humus. Table 1.7. (2010) concluded that reduced tillage or NT practices had no effect on levels of SOC sequestration in the paddy fields, but crop residues and animal manure applications enhanced SOC over periods of about 20–40 years. The assessment showed that while pasture soils are less vulnerable to adverse impacts on soil quality than crop lands, they are not completely resilient to withstand the negative impacts of the feed and grazing pressure (Cuttle, 2009; Sparling et al., 2004). Oil palm thrives in the same region as humid, tropical lowland forests where it originates. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Hypothetical outcomes for a dynamic soil quality assessment. The plasticity of soil depends on the … Soils and other substances with a pH below 6 are called acidic, whilst those with a pH above 6 are known as base or alkaline. During decomposition, the organic forms of nutrients in the litter are converted to inorganic forms that can be absorbed by the growing plants. The form in which macro-elements and micro-elements occur in the soil depends on the pH. Repeated measurement of soil properties is termed ‘dynamic soil-quality assessment.’ By repeatedly measuring a soil property, the direction and magnitude of change can be assessed and management practices can be adjusted (Figure 1). Similar to crop yield, the data on CA from China also indicate a differential response of tillage systems to SOC concentration in the soil profile. The SOC of 0–30 cm was the average value of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm. 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