Sustainable improvements in productivity and profitability of structurally weak or dispersive texture contrast soils have proved elusive. Blade loosening to a depth of approximately 300 mm with a machine that has little draft and near-zero soil disturbance increased crop production and maintained an unsaturated and stable root zone. The blade loosener could be mounted on seeders operating in a controlled traffic farming regimen, and thus provide a sustainable means of raising the productivity and profitability of farming structurally weak texture contrast soils.

The effect of tillage practices on θ(ψ) during a long fallow period was studied under three different tillage systems: conventional, reduced and no-tillage. Tillage practices had a significant effect on θ(ψ) and related parameters, whereas soil depth did not influence θ(ψ). The first effective rainfall events promoted recovery of the soil pre-tillage θ(ψ) shapes.

Organic carbon (OC) concentration is often very low in sands. Clay addition to these soils can increase soil OC concentration through increased input of OC from increased plant biomass and increased stabilisation of OC by binding to clays. A soil-sampling methodology for organic carbon in clay-modified soil was developed, and clay modification was shown to increase OC concentrations and stocks compared with unmodified control soil.

Soil organic carbon density (SOCD) had a moderate spatial dependence with a nugget-to-sill ratio of 60.72% and a range of 182 m in the Jinjing catchment of subtropical China. The spatial variation of SOCD was affected by land use types (woodlands, paddy fields and tea fields) and topography (elevation, slope, topographic wetness index). A geographically weighted regression model improved the accuracy in predicting SOCD than ordinary kriging, inverse distance weighted, multiple linear regression, and linear mixed-effects models.

We determined (1) the effects of different sugar cane management on the C and N content of soil organic matter (SOM) fractions; (2) the effects of crop management, soil texture, depth and different organic matter additions on changes in ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N isotope composition; and (3) the amount of SOC derived from different sources. Green cane combined with organic system is a strategy for long-term storage of total C and N in the SOM fraction associated with <53-µm organomineral and the light fraction.

Rotations rice-upland crops and upland crop monocultures alleviated soil compaction. New cropping systems improved soil physical properties at plow pan and enhanced the degree of soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil. Rice-upland crop systems can be solution to avoid further degradation of paddy soil. The present study contributes to current knowledge towards maintaining optimum soil quality and supporting sustainable rice production area in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

To gain insight into the relative effects of two locust control insecticide applications, we monitored litter decomposition and microbial functional diversity responses to chemical and biopesticide treatment methods. Results suggested there is little evidence of an effect of our pesticide application methods on arid-zone litter decomposition or microbial functional diversity, thus supporting the status of the biocontrol agent (Metarhizium acridum) or ultra-low volume fipronil barrier treatments as low-hazard locust control applications in arid Australia.

Phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in plant production. However, excessive application of P as a fertilizer can lead to accumulation in the environment and pose potential threat. The present study examines the solubility of phosphorus in long-term cultivated calcareous soils. The findings indicate that P applied as a fertilizer can be immobilized via different ways. However, when the soil becomes saturated with P, any additional P dissolves and moves freely with water either directly to a stream or downward into the groundwater.

Field experiments were conducted for two consecutive seasons with four fertilisers namely inorganic fertiliser (NPK), starch-coated urea (SCU), neem-coated urea (NCU), and urea alone (UA) in a tropical wheat ecosystem. The SCU, NCU, and UA treatments decreased the total N₂O emissions by 23%, 12%, and 4%, respectively, over the application of NPK. The application of SCU in wheat ecosystem is suitable as a means of reducing N₂O emissions without affecting grain productivity.