Soil Management, Soil Functions and Soil Fertility. - Results and Recommendations of an Interdisciplinary Workshop Sponsored by the Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart -

1994 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter R. Sauerbeck
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Functions

Participatory soil quality assessment: The case of smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands

Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teklu Erkossa ◽  
Karl Stahr ◽  
Thomas Gaiser
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Soil Quality Assessment

The study was conducted at Caffee Doonsa (08°88′N, 39°08′E; 2400 m asl), a small watershed in the central highlands of Ethiopia, in order to identify farmers’ goals of soil management and the indicators they use in selecting soils for a certain function, and to categorise the soils in different quality groups with respect to the major functions. Thirty-six male farmers of different age and wealth groups participated in a Participatory Rural Appraisal technique. They listed and prioritised 12 soil functions in the area and itemised the soil quality indicators (characteristics). Based on the indicators, the soils in the watershed were classified into 3 soil quality (SQ) groups (Abolse, Kooticha, and Carii). The SQ groups have been evaluated and ranked for the major soil functions. For crop production, Abolse was graded best, followed by Kooticha and Carii, respectively. The grain and straw yield data of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) taken from the SQ groups confirmed the farmers claim, in that Abolse gave the highest grain yield (4573 kg/ha), followed by 4411 and 3657 kg/ha for Kooticha and Carii, respectively. Local insights should be included in systematic soil quality assessment, and in planning and implementation of various soil management interventions.

scholarly journals Assessment and Governance of Sustainable Soil Management

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Helming ◽  
Katrin Daedlow ◽  
Bernd Hansjürgens ◽  
Thomas Koellner
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Arable Soils ◽  
Sustainable Soil Management ◽  
Production Conditions

The globally increasing demand for food, fiber, and bio-based products interferes with the ability of arable soils to perform their multiple functions and support sustainable development. Sustainable soil management under high production conditions means that soil functions contribute to ecosystem services and biodiversity, natural and economic resources are utilized efficiently, farming remains profitable, and production conditions adhere to ethical and health standards. Research in support of sustainable soil management requires an interdisciplinary approach to three interconnected challenges: (i) understanding the impacts of soil management on soil processes and soil functions; (ii) assessing the sustainability impacts of soil management, taking into account the heterogeneity of geophysical and socioeconomic conditions; and (iii) having a systemic understanding of the driving forces and constraints of farmers’ decision-making on soil management and how governance instruments may, interacting with other driving forces, steer sustainable soil management. The intention of this special issue is to take stock of an emerging interdisciplinary research field addressing the three challenges of sustainable soil management in various geographic settings. In this editorial, we summarize the contributions to the special issue and place them in the context of the state of the art. We conclude with an outline of future research needs.

Assessment of Soil Functions Affected by Soil Management

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Jörg Vogel ◽  
Ute Wollschläger ◽  
Katharina Helming ◽  
Uwe Heinrich ◽  
Matthias Willms ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Functions

scholarly journals Soil Fertility under Improved and Conventional Management Practices in Sanga, Kavrepalanchowk District, Nepal

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram K. Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Soil Management Practice ◽  
Upland Soils ◽  
Conventional Practice

A study was carried out to compare the fertility of soils under improved soil  management practice with that of prevailing conventional practice and to assess the farmers’ perception on the improved practice in the upland   farming system. The study was carried out in Nasikasthan Sanga of Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal. Soil samples were collected from fields under improved conventional practice. Samples were taken at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths and were analyzed for various physico-chemical properties to  compare the fertility status of the soils under both the practices. Altogether 68 farmers were interviewed to have information on farming practices and information pertinent to improved soil management practice being adopted by them. Results from soil physico-chemical analysis showed higher fertility of soils under improved practice in terms of more favorable pH level,  contents of exchangeable bases, available phosphorus and soil organic matter compared to prevailing conventional soil management practice. Moreover, majority of the farmers believed that soil fertility and physical condition of their upland soils had improved and that the productivity of major upland  crops had also increased after the adoption of improved soil management practice. Improved practice could play an important role in the sustainable management of upland soils in the mid hills of Nepal. It is however, desirable to conduct long-term research to further ascertain the effect of the practice on soil fertility of different soil types and land uses.Nepal Agric. Res. J. Vol. 9, 2009, pp. 27-39DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/narj.v9i0.11639 

scholarly journals Biophysical and socio-economic tools for assessing soil fertility: A case of western hills, Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Tripathi ◽  
JE Jones
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Fertility Management ◽  
Early Results

The middle mountain region of Nepal, which occupies some 30% of the total land, is the homeland of 45% of the total population, with agriculture being the main source of their livelihoods. Hill farming is primarily based on organic manure with livestock, forest and crops being major components of an integrated system. The aim of this study is to develop and promote improved methods for research and development organizations to identify cost-effective and appropriate soil fertility management strategies through; providing an improved understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic factors affecting the adaptability of sustainable soil management strategies in hillside systems, developing methodologies for evaluating soil fertility technologies and management systems for differently resource farmers in different farming systems, and strengthening the capability of local professionals in collaborating institutions to provide useful information to farmers. The work is placing emphasis on promoting cost-effective methods of soil fertility management, building on farmers' own knowledge and systems. Participatory techniques have been used for gaining a better understanding of fertility indicators, trends and existing soil management practices during 2000/01 in the western hills of Nepal. Farmers are now concerned that increasing amounts of chemical fertilizer at increasingly higher cost have to be applied, soils are becoming “harder” and production is declining. As a result farmers in four agro-ecological zones opted to either test methods for “improving” the quality of farm yard manure (FYM), or “improve” crop residue management. Early results show that through covering the FYM with black plastic sheets, yield increases of over 30% can be achieved. The use of participatory farm management techniques is providing a basis for local NGOs and farmers to evaluate their own experiments and develop soil fertility technologies and systems for their environments.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v1i0.7536 Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 1: 2010 pp.1-9

scholarly journals Cropping system effects on soil quality in the Great Plains: Synthesis from a regional project

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Wienhold ◽  
J.L. Pikul ◽  
M.A. Liebig ◽  
M.M. Mikha ◽  
G.E. Varvel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Environmental Function

AbstractSoils perform a number of essential functions affecting management goals. Soil functions were assessed by measuring physical, chemical, and biological properties in a regional assessment of conventional (CON) and alternative (ALT) management practices at eight sites within the Great Plains. The results, reported in accompanying papers, provide excellent data for assessing how management practices collectively affect agronomic and environmental soil functions that benefit both farmers and society. Our objective was to use the regional data as an input for two new assessment tools to evaluate their potential and sensitivity for detecting differences (aggradation or degradation) in management systems. The soil management assessment framework (SMAF) and the agro-ecosystem performance assessment tool (AEPAT) were used to score individual soil properties at each location relative to expected conditions based on inherent soil-forming factors and to compute index values that provide an overall assessment of the agronomic and environmental impact of the CON and ALT practices. SMAF index values were positively correlated with grain yield (an agronomic function) and total organic matter (an agronomic and environmental function). They were negatively correlated with soil nitrate concentration at harvest (an indicator of environmental function). There was general agreement between the two assessment tools when used to compare management practices. Users can measure a small number of soil properties and use one of these tools to easily assess the effectiveness of soil management practices. A higher score in either tool identifies more environmentally and agronomically sustainable management. Temporal variability in measured indicators makes dynamic assessments of management practices essential. Water-filled pore space, aggregate stability, particulate organic matter, and microbial biomass were sensitive to management and should be included in studies aimed at improving soil management. Reductions in both tillage and fallow combined with crop rotation has resulted in improved soil function (e.g., nutrient cycling, organic C content, and productivity) throughout the Great Plains.

scholarly journals Soil management shapes ecosystem service provision and trade-offs in agricultural landscapes

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1837) ◽  
pp. 20161369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Serena De Simone ◽  
Maurizia Sigura ◽  
Francesco Boscutti ◽  
Lorenzo Marini
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Trade Offs

Agroecosystems are principally managed to maximize food provisioning even if they receive a large array of supporting and regulating ecosystem services (ESs). Hence, comprehensive studies investigating the effects of local management and landscape composition on the provision of and trade-offs between multiple ESs are urgently needed. We explored the effects of conservation tillage, nitrogen fertilization and landscape composition on six ESs (crop production, disease control, soil fertility, water quality regulation, weed and pest control) in winter cereals. Conservation tillage enhanced soil fertility and pest control, decreased water quality regulation and weed control, without affecting crop production and disease control. Fertilization only influenced crop production by increasing grain yield. Landscape intensification reduced the provision of disease and pest control. We also found tillage and landscape composition to interactively affect water quality regulation and weed control. Under N fertilization, conventional tillage resulted in more trade-offs between ESs than conservation tillage. Our results demonstrate that soil management and landscape composition affect the provision of several ESs and that soil management potentially shapes the trade-offs between them.

scholarly journals Impacts of soil management practices on soil fertility in potato-based cropping systems in the Bolivian Andean highlands

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Javier Aguilera Alcón
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Chenopodium Quinoa ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Sheep Manure ◽  
Andean Highlands

Due to changes in climate and socioeconomic developments, current soil management practices in the Bolivian Andean Highlands may be increasing soil degradation thereby threatening food security. A study was established in four representative communities during the 2006-09 growing seasons to identify an integrated soil management strategy that may help to improve soil fertility and productivity by increasing soil organic matter. Soil samples collected from fields of different lengths of cropping (LC) and fallow (LF) showed that LC decreased and LF increased total (TOC) and active soil organic C (AOC), and total (TN), inorganic (TIN) and active soil N (AIN). Field trials established with combinations of soil inorganic fertilizers (SIF) and local and alternative soil organic fertilizers (i.e., cow and sheep manure, household compost and a biofertilizer) revealed that the cow and sheep manure combined with SIF significantly affected soil properties, such as pH, soil test P, TN, TIN and TOC, soil water content and bulk density and significantly increased the production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and a subsequent quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) crop. Results of testing a portable field method to assess N status of potato plant tissue suggest that use of the Cardy nitrate-N meter may have some promise for tissue testing for potato in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, where access to soil and plant tissue testing services is limited.

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