The development of soil structure, characterized by fractal geometry, improves plant-rooting development and improves water retention, drainage, and air permeability. However, due to this function to increase fertility, excessive intensive cultivation contributes to environmental load. The amount of nitrogen in rivers in agricultural watersheds is significantly related to the surplus nitrogen in the watershed, and since the nitrogen load increases with the increase in the crop field proportion, it is important to manage the surplus nitrogen in crop field. On the other hand, since wetlands have reduced the surplus nitrogen in the watershed through the purification of nitrate nitrogen in river water, it is possible to reduce the environmental load by optimizing land use. Replacing a part of chemical fertilizer application with organic fertilizer application increased soil organic carbon and contribute to the prevention of global warming without reducing crop yield. In Japanese grasslands, the annual application of 3.5tC ha-1 of compost offset greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the continuous use of compost mitigated soil acidification and suppressed N2O emissions. I investigated the impact of greenhouse gas emissions associated with agricultural development on permafrost and peat soils, which are the world's soil carbon reservoirs. In eastern Siberia, disturbance of taiga forests caused permafrost melting and increased CH4 emissions. Drainage of peatland reduced CH4 emissions, but increased CO2 and N2O emissions due to peat decomposition, which was exacerbated by the application of chemical fertilizers. It was essential to keep the groundwater level at -20 cm to -40 cm to suppress greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental load means that soil health is being damaged. It is necessary to develop agricultural techniques to maintain and restore soil health. In particular, organic matter management can restore soil structure by increasing soil organic matter, and also reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer used, which has the effect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, excessive continuous use of organic fertilizer can increase nitrogen loads. It has been pointed out that the relationship between cover crops and tillage is also important for organic matter management. Regional research is increasingly essential.

Although it has been recognized that soil structure formation affects soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, experimental data elucidating the relation between mechanical properties of soil structure and soil organic matter (SOM) stability are lacking. This study assesses the link between aggregate stability and SOM stability in lowland and hilly land soils of Central Europe. Overall, 39 topsoil samples were taken. Besides determining basic properties and nutrient availability, stability of soil aggregates was quantified using wet sieving (WS) and rainfall simulation (RS) procedures. The samples were analyzed by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). Besides significant correlations with basic soil properties and contents of selected nutrients, the aggregate stability data were linked to thermal processes, such as water desorption and SOM degradation. The RS values were significantly correlated (r > 0.7, p < 0.001) with the rate of water desorption (T < 200 degrees C) and SOM degradation (200 - 570 degrees C). Observed correlation pattern, with multiple maxima, suggests that aggregate stability is supported by clay and several SOM fractions, each showing different thermal stability. Significant correlations observed bellow 200 degrees C indicate that properties controlling soil specific surface area (SOM and clay) are important also for the aggregate stability. The 78 % of the variance observed in aggregate stability testing was explained by multilinear regression using weight loss rates recorded at selected temperatures (80, 130, 248, 401 and 455 degrees C) as predictors. We observed different relations between exothermic energy values, soil aggregate stability and thermal stability of SOM (SOC). Exothermic heat flux normalized with respect to SOC mass (energy density) indicates presence of stable organic fraction, as it showed correlation also with clay, which has positive effect on SOC stabilization. This is in line with the positive correlation between SOC energy density and aggregate stability. On contrary, normalizing the heat with respect to SOM mass indicates the content of labile organic components, as the correlations with clay or aggregate stability were insignificant. The TG-DSC data revealed that hilly land soils are depleted in fresh organic material, which is due to their genesis and the erosion intensified by tillage.

Soil organic matter (SOM) usually occurs in mineral-associated or particulate forms, with significant variations in the physical and chemical properties among different forms of organic matter. In soil mechanics, there has been focusing on the influence of SOM content on the macroscopic engineering properties of soil. To date, limited knowledge exists regarding the influence of SOM occurrence form on soil engineering properties. In this study, soil samples with different SOM contents w(u) were manually prepared, and the contents of various occurrence forms of SOM were measured using Fu's method. Direct shear tests were conducted under drained and undrained conditions to elucidate the variation in ultimate shear strength and shear strength parameters with SOM content w(u), while also examining the impact of SOM occurrence form on the shear strength of organic soil. The experimental outcomes are as follows. The internal friction angle undergoes a notable decrease with increasing w(u) under undrained conditions, which can be categorized into three distinct stages: a significant decline (Stage I), a transition phase (Stage II), and a stable change (Stage III). w(u) corresponding to the endpoint of stage I approximates the threshold w(u,2), suggesting that the pronounced reduction in internal friction angle with w(u) augmentation primarily occurs in organic soils dominated by mineral-associated SOM. Stage III emerges approximately after w(u) > 25%. Under drainage conditions, the internal friction angle diminishes with w(u) augmentation, yet its variation is independent of the occurrence form of SOM. No discernible correlation exists between cohesion of organic soil and occurrence form of SOM under drained and undrained conditions. Mechanism analysis reveals that mineral-associated SOM facilitates lubrication and diminishes friction between soil particles under undrained conditions. When the content of particulate form SOM reaches a critical threshold, the mechanical properties of the soil transforms from a frictional material to a colloidal material. Nevertheless, under drainage conditions, SOM's susceptibility to compression results in the soil skeleton ultimately comprising primarily mineral soil particles, regardless of SOM content or occurrence form.

There is still a need to investigate the relationships between glycophytes and halophytes and the many biotic and abiotic factors in their natural environments. Therefore, we study the effects of the type of environment on the ecophysiological responses and condition of the glycophyte Elder Sambucus nigra L., the macrophyte Common Reed Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., the facultative halophyte Weeping Alkaligrass Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Parl, and the obligate halophyte Common Glasswort Salicornia europaea L. in a saline-disturbed anthropogenic region of central Poland. We analyzed the effects of salinity, acidity, and soil organic matter on shoot length, lipoperoxidation, and proline in roots and green parts, and evaluated plant responses to environmental disturbance, which allowed for the comparison of adaptation strategies. The studies were carried out in (1) sodium production (near sodium factories), (2) anthropogenic environments (waste dumps, agroecosystems, calcium deposits, post-production tanks), (3) wetland environments (near river channels and riparian areas), and (4) control (natural, unpolluted environments). Green parts of plants are better suited to indicate environmental stress than roots. Their higher structural MDA membrane damage is related to the transport of toxic ions to the shoots by a rapid transpiration stream in the xylem. We found high salinity to be the main factor inducing growth and found it to be correlated with the high pH effect on proline increase in glycophytes (Elder, Reed) and Weeping Alkaligrass, in contrast to Common Glasswort. We suggest that proline accumulation allows osmotic adjustment in the green parts of reeds and alkaligrasses, but may have another function (in Elder). Common Glasswort accumulates large amounts of Na+, which is energetically more effective than proline accumulation for osmotic adjustment. Organic matter affects plant growth and proline levels, but soil salinity and pH alter nutrient availability. Plant distribution along the salinity gradient indicates that Elder is the most salt-sensitive species compared to Reed, Alkaligrass, and Glasswort. Salinity and the lack of control of thick reeds, which compete with other plant groups, affect the distribution of halophytes in saline environments.

Permafrost stability is significantly influenced by the thermal buffering effects of snow and active-layer peat soils. In the warm season, peat soils act as a barrier to downward heat transfer mainly due to their low thermal conductivity. In the cold season, the snowpack serves as a thermal insulator, retarding the release of heat from the soil to the atmosphere. Currently, many global land models overestimate permafrost soil temperature and active layer thickness (ALT), partially due to inaccurate representations of soil organic matter (SOM) density profiles and snow thermal insulation. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of SOM and snow schemes on ALT simulations at pan-Arctic permafrost sites using the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) land model (ELM). We conducted simulations at the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) sites across the pan-Arctic domain. We improved ELM-simulated site-level ALT using a knowledge-based hierarchical optimization procedure and examined the effects of precipitation-phase partitioning methods (PPMs), snow compaction schemes, and snow thermal conductivity schemes on simulated snow depth, soil temperature, ALT, and CO2 fluxes. Results showed that the optimized ELM significantly improved agreement with observed ALT (e.g. RMSE decreased from 0.83 m to 0.15 m). Our sensitivity analysis revealed that snow-related schemes significantly impact simulated snow thermal insulation levels, soil temperature, and ALT. For example, one of the commonly used snow thermal conductivity schemes (quadratic Sturm or SturmQua) generally produced warmer soil temperatures and larger ALT compared to the other two tested schemes. The SturmQua scheme also amplified the model's sensitivity to PPMs and predicted deeper ALTs than the other two snow schemes under both current and future climates. The study highlights the importance of accurately representing snow-related processes and peat soils in land models to enhance permafrost dynamics simulations.

This study investigated the microstructure transformation observed in an aging diesel -contaminated soil after thermochemical treatment (DT 150 degrees C + PS ) to explore its impact on engineering reusability. Three thermal remediation procedures (i.e., DT 150 degrees C , DT 350 degrees C , and DT 550 degrees C ) were selected as the control group. The results show that: (a) Pyrolytic carbon was produced in the DT 350 degrees C and DT 550 degrees C , while none was produced in DT 150 degrees C and DT 150 degrees C + PS ; (b) Iron -based minerals and organic matter in DT 150 degrees C + PS , DT 350 degrees C , and DT 550 degrees C were combusted and decomposed to release the Fe(II) substances; under stronger oxidation environments, Fe(II) substances would further transform into more stable Fe(III) substances; and (c) Halloysites and illites were formed in DT 350 degrees C , palygorskites and cordierites were formed in DT 550 degrees C , and oxidation in DT 150 degrees C + PS produced the sulfate minerals. The formed sulfate minerals in the DT 150 degrees C + PS sample filled pores and provided the skeleton strength, resulting in high unconfined compressive strength and poor permeability. Using a self -developed assessment model, only the DT 150 degrees C + PS sample showed an improvement (calculated as 2.96 x 10 - 5 ) in engineering performance and other methods led to the deterioration of soil mechanical properties. Thermochemical treatment is more suitable for engineering reuse, and this study can provide a theoretical basis for evaluating the greener reusability of contaminated soil after thermal or thermochemical remediation.

Permafrost soils in the northern hemisphere are known to harbor large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM). Global climate warming endangers this stable soil organic carbon (SOC) pool by triggering permafrost thaw and deepening the active layer, while at the same time progressing soil formation. But depending, e.g., on ice content or drainage, conditions in the degraded permafrost can range from water-saturated/anoxic to dry/oxic, with concomitant shifts in SOM stabilizing mechanisms. In this field study in Interior Alaska, we investigated two sites featuring degraded permafrost, one water-saturated and the other well-drained, alongside a third site with intact permafrost. Soil aggregate- and density fractions highlighted that permafrost thaw promoted macroaggregate formation, amplified by the incorporation of particulate organic matter, in topsoils of both degradation sites, thus potentially counteracting a decrease in topsoil SOC induced by the permafrost thawing. However, the subsoils were found to store notably less SOC than the intact permafrost in all fractions of both degradation sites. Our investigations revealed up to net 75% smaller SOC storage in the upper 100 cm of degraded permafrost soils as compared to the intact one, predominantly related to the subsoils, while differences between soils of wet and dry degraded landscapes were minor. This study provides evidence that the consideration of different permafrost degradation landscapes and the employment of soil fractionation techniques is a useful combination to investigate soil development and SOM stabilization processes in this sensitive ecosystem.

Both acid and alkaline purple soils in China are increasingly affected by Cd contamination. The selection of fastgrowing trees suitable for remediating different soil types is urgent, yet there is a severe lack of relevant knowledge. In this study, we conducted a controlled pot experiment to compare the growth, physiology, and Cd accumulation efficiency of two widely recognized poplar species, namely Populus deltoides and P. x canadensis, under Cd contamination (1 mg kg-1) in acid and alkaline purple soils. The objective was to determine which poplar species is best suited for remediating different soil types. Our findings are as follows: (1) the total biomass of both poplars remained largely unaffected by Cd pollution in both soil types. Notably, under Cd pollution, the total biomass of P. deltoides in acid purple soil was 1.53 times greater than that in alkaline purple soil. (2) Cd pollution did not significantly induce oxidative damage in the leaves of either poplar species in both soil types. However, in acid purple soil, Cd contamination led to a 21% increase in NO3- concentration and a 44% increase in NH4+ concentration in P. x canadensis leaves, whereas in alkaline purple soil, it led to a 59% increase in NH4+ concentration in P. deltoides leaves. (3) Cd concentrations in all root orders of P. x canadensis were significantly higher than those in P. deltoides, especially in the first three root orders, under alkaline purple soil. The total Cd accumulation by P. x canadensis in Cd-polluted alkaline purple soil was 2.18 times higher than that in Cdpolluted acid purple soil, a difference not observed in P. deltoides. (4) redundancy analysis indicated that the sequestration effect of higher soil organic matter on Cd availability in acid purple soil was more pronounced than the release effects caused by lower pH. In conclusion, P. x canadensis is better suited for remediating alkaline purple soil due to its higher capacity for Cd uptake, while P. deltoides is more suitable for remediating Cdcontaminated acid purple soil due to its better growth conditions and greater Cd enrichment capability.

The climate changes have caused more extreme precipitation and drought events in the field and have exacerbated the severity of wet-dry events in soils, which will inevitably lead to severe fluctuations in soil moisture content. Soil moisture content has been recognized to influence the distribution of heavy metals, but how temporal changes of soil moisture dynamics affect the release rates and lability of heavy metals is still poorly understood, which precludes accurate prediction of environmental behavior and environmental risk of heavy metals in the field. In this study, we combined experimental and modeling approaches to quantify copper release rates and labile copper fractions in two paddy soils from southern China under different moisture conditions. Our kinetic data and models showed that the release rates and lability of copper were highly associated with the soil moisture contents, in which, surprisingly, high soil moisture contents effectively reduced the release rates of copper even with little changes in the reactive portions of copper in soils. A suite of comprehensive characterization on soil solid and solution components along the incubation suggested that soil microbes may regulate soil copper lability through forming microbially derived organic matter that sequestered copper and by increasing soil particle aggregation for protecting copper from release. This study highlights the importance of incorporating soil moisture dynamics into future environmental models. The experimental and modeling approaches in this study have provided basis for further developing predictive models applicable to paddy soils with varying soil moisture under the impact of climate change.

With the development of the economy, the contradiction between population, resources, and the environment has become more and more prominent. How to make full use of limited cultivated land resources to increase food production while reducing damage to the environment is an important issue facing agricultural production. Maize plays an essential role in ensuring global food security. Furthermore, planting density is a key agronomic factor affecting maize yield. Although soil organic matter (SOM) is an important indicator of soil fertility. Whether there are different agronomic optimal planting densities of maize under varying SOM contents remains unknown. Furthermore, there is limited understanding on whether optimizing maize planting density based on SOM further improves grain yield and resource use efficiency. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of SOM and planting density on maize grain yield. We also determine the relationship between SOM and agronomic optimal planting density (AOPD) and compare the grain yield, economic benefits, and resource use efficiency of sowing under uniform conventional planting density (SUD) versus optimized planting density based on SOM (SOD). The results showed that AOPD and its corresponding yield increased linearly with the increase in SOM. Compared with SUD, the yield of the two experimental sites under SOD increased by 2.3 % and 5.5 %, respectively, and the economic benefits increased by 0.5 % and 4.9 %, respectively. The average energy use efficiency, energy mass productivity, and energy economic productivity of the two experimental sites under SOD were all higher than those of SUD. These results demonstrate that it is theoretically feasible to optimize maize planting density based on the spatial heterogeneity of SOM. SOD is a potentially sustainable maize production method that can fully utilize the resources of cultivated land to increase grain yield and economic benefits.