About this Research Topic
Soils are a limited natural resource, which supports multiple ecosystem functions and associated services. Soils support human life through the production of food, wood, fiber, and the purification of water, and support the delivery of other diverse ecosystem services (ES).
The high demand for services provided by soils has transformed the global landscape. Soil ecosystems have been degraded by intensive agricultural production, nutrient mining activities, and erosion. The impact of such changes is projected to worsen with the increasing global population, which, according to United Nations projections, may reach 9.7 billion inhabitants in 2050. Sustainable soil management along with conservation and restoration initiatives, alongside changing society's consumption habits, are urgently needed to assure the provision of soil ecosystem services (SES). The absence of effective measures to prevent further soil degradation will lead to the intensification of climate change, hunger, and the spread of diseases.
Therefore, we should strive to develop sustainable practices to increase soil health and soil ecosystem services. The popularisation of soil additives such as zeolites, biochar, bentonite, and superabsorbent polymers (SAP), also known as hydrogels, and the relatively new water-absorbing geocomposites (WAG) with a sustainable composition, may improve soil health. Rejuvenating soils and soil ecosystem services with soil additives that are easily available and environmentally safe, is essential for improving soil health conditions.
Soil additives act as soil conditioners by alleviating stress, improving physical, chemical, and biological properties, enhancing soil ecosystem services, and improving the livelihood security of farmers whilst having a minimum negative impact on the environment. Biochar is a novel carbon-rich stable inert compound produced from biomass pyrolysis that enhances soil carbon, positively impacting on soil properties, crop yield, and the environment, and has been included in the agroecosystem for over a decade.
Soil additives may sustain or increase crop productivity at reduced production and environmental cost, thus, improving soil health, increasing water use efficiency and quality, and mitigating climate change impact.
The goal of the research topic is to increase the knowledge and data presentation of new soil additives, focussing on the practical role of soil additives in soil health improvement, advances in soil additives, and the characterization of different soil additives.
This research topic will accept all types of articles that explore:
• Novel soil additives for improving soil health and quality
• Scientific information about natural and synthetic soil additives
• Role of soil additives in the regeneration of soil ecosystem services
• Meta-analysis of soil additives to study their effects on soil health and soil degradation
The high demand for services provided by soils has transformed the global landscape. Soil ecosystems have been degraded by intensive agricultural production, nutrient mining activities, and erosion. The impact of such changes is projected to worsen with the increasing global population, which, according to United Nations projections, may reach 9.7 billion inhabitants in 2050. Sustainable soil management along with conservation and restoration initiatives, alongside changing society's consumption habits, are urgently needed to assure the provision of soil ecosystem services (SES). The absence of effective measures to prevent further soil degradation will lead to the intensification of climate change, hunger, and the spread of diseases.
Therefore, we should strive to develop sustainable practices to increase soil health and soil ecosystem services. The popularisation of soil additives such as zeolites, biochar, bentonite, and superabsorbent polymers (SAP), also known as hydrogels, and the relatively new water-absorbing geocomposites (WAG) with a sustainable composition, may improve soil health. Rejuvenating soils and soil ecosystem services with soil additives that are easily available and environmentally safe, is essential for improving soil health conditions.
Soil additives act as soil conditioners by alleviating stress, improving physical, chemical, and biological properties, enhancing soil ecosystem services, and improving the livelihood security of farmers whilst having a minimum negative impact on the environment. Biochar is a novel carbon-rich stable inert compound produced from biomass pyrolysis that enhances soil carbon, positively impacting on soil properties, crop yield, and the environment, and has been included in the agroecosystem for over a decade.
Soil additives may sustain or increase crop productivity at reduced production and environmental cost, thus, improving soil health, increasing water use efficiency and quality, and mitigating climate change impact.
The goal of the research topic is to increase the knowledge and data presentation of new soil additives, focussing on the practical role of soil additives in soil health improvement, advances in soil additives, and the characterization of different soil additives.
This research topic will accept all types of articles that explore:
• Novel soil additives for improving soil health and quality
• Scientific information about natural and synthetic soil additives
• Role of soil additives in the regeneration of soil ecosystem services
• Meta-analysis of soil additives to study their effects on soil health and soil degradation
Keywords: Soil additives, soil ecosystem services, soil health, soil degradation, Food security
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
