ABSTRACT

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the primary determinant of soil functionality. Soil organic carbon (SOC) accounts for 50% of the SOM content, accompanied by nitrogen, phosphorus, and a range of macro and micro elements. As a dynamic component, SOM is a source of numerous ecosystem services critical to human well-being and nature conservancy.  Important among these goods and services generated by SOM include moderation of climate as a source or sink of atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases, storage and purification of water, a source of energy and habitat for biota (macro, meso, and micro-organisms), a medium for plant growth, cycling of elements (N, P, S, etc.), and generation of net primary productivity (NPP). The quality and quantity of NPP has direct impacts on the food and nutritional security of the growing and increasingly affluent human population.

Soils of agroecosystems are depleted of their SOC reserves in comparison with those of natural ecosystems.  The magnitude of depletion depends on land use and the type and severity of degradation. Soils prone to accelerated erosion can be strongly depleted of their SOC reserves, especially those in the surface layer. Therefore, conservation through restorative land use and adoption of recommended management practices to create a positive soil-ecosystem carbon budget can increase carbon stock and soil health.

This volume of Advances in Soil Sciences aims to accomplish the following:

  • Present impacts of land use and soil management on SOC dynamics
  • Discuss effects of SOC levels on agronomic productivity and use efficiency of inputs
  • Detail potential of soil management on the rate and cumulative amount of carbon sequestration in relation to land use and soil/crop management
  • Deliberate the cause-effect relationship between SOC content and provisioning of some ecosystem services
  • Relate soil organic carbon stock to soil properties and processes
  • Establish the relationship between soil organic carbon stock with land and climate
  • Identify controls of making soil organic carbon stock as a source or sink of CO2
  • Connect soil organic carbon and carbon sequestration for climate mitigation and adaptation

chapter 1|18 pages

Enhancing Fertilizer Use Efficiency by Managing Soil Health

Emerging Trends
ByAmit Roy

chapter 2|46 pages

Conservation Agriculture

Carbon and Conservation Centered Foundation for Sustainable Production
ByDon C. Reicosky, Amir Kassam

chapter 3|26 pages

Relating Soil Organic Carbon Fractions to Crop Yield and Quality with Cover Crops

ByUpendra M. Sainju, Rajan Ghimire, Jun Wang

chapter 4|36 pages

Global Spread of Conservation Agriculture for Enhancing Soil Organic Matter, Soil Health, Productivity, and Ecosystem Services

ByAmir Kassam, Emilio Gonzalez-Sanchez, Rosa M. Carbonell-Bojollo, Theodor Friedrich, Rolf Derpsch

chapter 5|28 pages

The Effects of Soil Organic Matter and Organic Resource Management on Maize Productivity and Fertilizer Use Efficiencies in Africa

ByShamie Zingore, Samuel Njoroge, Stephen Ichami, Kokou Adambounou Amouzou, James Mutegi, Regis Chikowo, Sudarshan Dutta, Kaushik Majumdar

chapter 6|16 pages

Cover Cropping for Managing Soil Organic Carbon Content

ByAmitava Chatterjee

chapter 7|20 pages

Fertilizer Use in the North China Plains for Improving Soil Organic Matter Content and Crop Yield

ByXiangbin Kong, Xiaobing Sun, Ming Lei

chapter 8|12 pages

Managing Rain-fed Rice Farms for Improving Soil Health and Advancing Food Security

A Meta-Analysis
ByAbhishek Jangir, Gaurav Mishra, G.W. Sileshi, Gulab Singh Yadav, Arun Jyoti Nath

chapter 9|32 pages

Soil Organic Matter

Bioavailability and Biofortification of Essential Micronutrients
BySunil Mandi, Somanath Nayak, Yashbir Singh Shivay, Bal Ram Singh

chapter 10|24 pages

Raising Soil Organic Matter to Improve Productivity and Nutritional Quality of Food Crops in India

ByR. S. Antil, R. P. Narwal, B. R. Singh

chapter 11|20 pages

Role of Legumes in Managing Soil Organic Matter and Improving Crop Yield

ByAhmad Latif Virk, Gulab Singh Yadav, Xin Zhao, Zheng-Rong Kan, Jian-Ying Qi, Naeem Ahmad, Rattan Lal, Hai-Lin Zhang

chapter 12|26 pages

Managing Soil Organic Carbon in Croplands of the Eastern Himalayas, India

ByAnup Das, J. Layek, Gulab Singh Yadav, R. Lal, S. Saha, R. Singh, M. A. Ansari, S. Babu, K. P. Mohapatra, S. Devi, B. K. Kandpal, P.K. Ghosh

chapter 13|34 pages

Soil Organic Carbon Restoration in India

Programs, Policies, and Thrust Areas
ByRam Swaroop Meena, Sandeep Kumar, Seema Sheoran, Manoj Kumar Jhariya, Rajan Bhatt, Gulab Singh Yadav, Kodigal A. Gopinath, Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao, Rattan Lal

chapter 14|26 pages

No-Till Farming in the Maghreb Region

Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Sequestrating Carbon in Soils
ByRachid Mrabet, Rachid Moussadek, Mina Devkota, Rattan Lal

chapter 15|42 pages

No-Till Farming for Managing Soil Organic Matter in Semiarid, Temperate Regions

Synergies, Tradeoffs, and Knowledge Gaps
ByQiuping Peng, David R. Huggins