Globally, mineral extraction and landfill has resulted in an abundance of degraded land with poor soil health. We found that natural recolonisation of reclaimed landfill by soil animals occurred rapidly where original site topsoil was stockpiled, reapplied, and revegetated following best practice guidance. Our findings also show the value of recording a range of soil invertebrate indicator groups when investigating land reclamation practices, as different soil animals respond to soil disturbance in unique ways.

The understanding of how short-term nitrogen addition affects the composition, diversity, and function of soil microbial community in a desert steppe is incomplete. This study assessed the effects of a 2-year N addition on the structure and function of the soil microbial community in a desert steppe. We found that 2 years of N addition altered microbial community structure and function, and the prokaryotic community was more sensitive to N than the fungal community.

The presence of high levels of sodium in soils (‘sodicity’) can result in significant soil dispersion issues leading to deterioration of soil structure, reduced water flow and increased erosion. Gypsum addition is the most common treatment for soil sodicity. A new test was developed to inform the rate of gypsum addition necessary to prevent soil dispersing. It is hoped the test will help improve management of soil sodicity problems.

We know that grasses, especially Brachiaria in intercropping with corn, have increased productivity, beyond protecting the soil. However, much is already known about the positive effect of Azospirillum inoculation in corn, but little is known about the effect on Brachiaria. The objective of this work was to verify how the inoculation affects the Brachiaria rhizosphere’s microbiota. As a result, we found that inoculation alters the relative abundance of many bacterial genera.

This research presents an integrated evaluation approach combining a set of methodological approaches under non-controlled conditions to investigate phosphate retention properties on lateritic soil samples. The approach builds on previous work and shows the influence of redox and ionic mechanisms on the formation of iron phosphate precipitates and inner-sphere and ternary surface complexes. The contribution of this research lies in its implications for phosphate modelling and challenges related to phosphate cycling for crop production and environmental impacts on lateritic Ferralsols.

Soil salinity exists in a large part of the cultivated areas worldwide and is expected to be exacerbated with significant effects on food supply for the world’s population. Models based on the soil properties measured by a dielectric sensor were developed that could be used for recording, estimating, and mapping soil salinity. The models could provide important information for the restoration of saline soils, as well as for improving and preventing their degradation.

The elevated cadmium concentration in permanent pasture soils poses a risk to food safety. This study tested whether using full inversion tillage during pasture renewal could reduce cadmium concentrations in two contrasting New Zealand soils (Alfisol vs Andisol), and found that this decreased soil and plant cadmium concentrations in the Andisol. Full inversion tillage has potential to reduce topsoil cadmium concentration when the stratification degree of total soil cadmium concentration is remarkable.