Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation

• Published in: Applied sciences Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 4146
• Main Authors: Castellini, Mirko, Diacono, Mariangela, Gattullo, Concetta Eliana, Stellacci, Anna Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-05-2021
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural practices; Agricultural production; Agriculture; Biodegradation; Biodiversity; Biogas; Biological properties; Conductivity; Contaminants; Corn; Crops; Crude oil; Environmental degradation; Farmers; Horticulture; Hydraulics; Hydrophobicity; Infrared spectra; Investigations; Methods; Moisture content; Near infrared radiation; Oil pollution; organic agriculture; Organic carbon; Organic farming; Organic matter; Organic soils; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Production capacity; Repellency; Salinization; Sediment pollution; Soil amendment; Soil compaction; Soil conservation; Soil contamination; Soil degradation; Soil improvement; Soil management; soil organic carbon; Soil pollution; Soil properties; Soil water; soil water repellency; Spectrum analysis; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable development; Tungsten; Italy; China
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app11094146

Soil degradation is one of the most topical environmental threats. A number of processes causing soil degradation, specifically erosion, compaction, salinization, pollution, and loss of both organic matter and soil biodiversity, are also strictly connected to agricultural activity and its intensification. The development and adoption of sustainable agronomic practices able to preserve and enhance the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and improve agroecosystem functions is a challenge for both scientists and farmers. This Special Issue collects 12 original contributions addressing the state of the art of sustainable agriculture and soil conservation. The papers cover a wide range of topics, including organic agriculture, soil amendment and soil organic carbon (SOC) management, the impact of SOC on soil water repellency, the effects of soil tillage on the quantity of SOC associated with several fractions of soil particles and depth, and SOC prediction, using visible and near-infrared spectra and multivariate modeling. Moreover, the effects of some soil contaminants (e.g., crude oil, tungsten, copper, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are discussed or reviewed in light of the recent literature. The collection of the manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides a relevant knowledge contribution for improving our understanding on sustainable agriculture and soil conservation, thus stimulating new views on this main topic.