Young plants that tolerate poor soil aeration are more likely to establish and survive under variously waterlogged conditions. The sensitivity to waterlogging of seedlings of different tree species and a reference crop was evaluated in terms of their root and shoot growth and soil water use, and we found significant variation in species performance. The findings suggest there is plenty of scope for genetic improvement of both native and domestic plants grown on soils that experience extended periods of waterlogging.

Acid sulfate soils are problematic for agriculture and infrastructure. We demonstrate a new approach that can help to detect different horizons in these soils in a fast and cost-effective manner. By using this method, the depth of acid sulfate soils can be roughly estimated and this knowledge can guide subsequent detailed or targeted analyses.

Monitoring soil salinity over time is a crucial issue in Saharan oases to anticipate salinisation related to insufficient irrigation management. This project tested the ability of electromagnetic conductivity surveys to describe, by means of regression-tree inference models, spatiotemporal changes in soil salinity. The monitoring surveys revealed both the seasonal dynamics and spatial variability of salinity at different depths.

Soil erosion is one of the most significant processes causing grassland degradation. The temporal variations in rill erodibility were detected in two grasslands and one bare soil, and rill erodibility of grassland was much less than bare soil due to the influence of root system and could be well estimated from the measured erodibility of bare soil and root density. The results are helpful to understand soil erosion mechanism and to simulate the temporal variation in rill erodibility for grassland.

Nitrogen fertiliser is a major expense in modern cropping so farmers need to maximise the uptake of applied nitrogen into their crop. We measured the loss of nitrogen as volatilised ammonia when nitrogen fertiliser was applied to the soil surface; an average of 11% from urea on fallowed soil and 5% in wheat crops. Surface spreading of nitrogen fertiliser in autumn-winter on medium-heavy clay cropping soils of the northern Australian grains region should not result in major nitrogen loss.

An Indian subtropical soil, contaminated through arsenic (As)-laden groundwater irrigation, facilitates the entry of As into the human food-chain, thereby affecting millions of people. The study covers the fate of As in soil during the course of its travel, while our findings revealed the activities of soil clay, clay minerals, organic matter and iron/aluminium in containing the toxin (As). Such findings may add valuable information to evolve the appropriate management practices for reducing As mobility in soil-crop system.

Ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from sugarcane is less than 1% of the applied fertiliser nitrogen. Water-filled pore space, which was a main driver of N₂O emissions, did not seem to influence the measured emissions of NO_x or NH₃.

Global warming is a main issue and much attention is being paid to this topic. Agricultural soils are regarded as main source of global warming since a large magnitude of greenhouse gases is released to atmosphere. Greenhouse gas emission, especially nitrous oxide gas, could be controlled through soil management strategies such as application of dolomite to acidic soils.