ABSTRACT Rock fragments (RFs; mineral particles with diameter ≥ 2 mm) are a ubiquitous component of soils and strongly influence hydrothermal processes by altering pore structure and physical properties. However, the nonlinear and dynamic responses of soil hydrothermal processes to variations in rock fragment content (RFC) remain poorly understood. In this study, controlled soil column experiments were conducted using five RFC levels (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 kg kg −1 ) to investigate soil hydrothermal dynamics during sequential moistening and heating events. Soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature (ST) were continuously monitored at 10 and 20 cm depths to quantify key hydrological and thermal response indicators. The results showed clear nonlinear responses of both hydrological and thermal processes to RFC. SWC, moistening‐induced increment in SWC (ΔSWC), wetting front velocity (V wf ), ST, heating‐induced increment in ST (ΔST), and temperature peak difference (ΔPst) all increased initially and then decreased with increasing RFC, whereas temperature response time lag (ΔTst) showed the opposite trend. Most indicators exhibited response transitions around RFC = 0.2 kg kg −1 , suggesting enhanced water and heat transfer under intermediate RFC conditions. These responses were accompanied by concurrent changes in soil pore structure and associated hydraulic and thermal properties, including total porosity, air‐entry value, hydraulic conductivity, and thermal diffusivity. At intermediate RFC levels, RFs may improve pore connectivity and maintain a more favorable balance between water retention and air‐filled porosity, thereby promoting water movement and heat transfer within the soil profile. In contrast, higher RFC levels were associated with lower pore continuity and higher air‐filled porosity, which may weaken both hydrological and thermal responses. Overall, the results indicate that RFC regulates coupled soil water and heat transfer through its effects on pore structure and associated transport properties under controlled conditions. These findings provide experimental evidence and process‐based insights for improving the representation of hydrothermal processes in RF‐rich soils within land surface models.
ABSTRACT Chamber‐based methods are essential field techniques for monitoring soil greenhouse gas (GHG) worldwide, providing key quantitative insights into total carbon stock fluxes and are essential to assess the impacts of climate change. Both commercial chambers with high‐resolution gas analyzers and low‐cost alternative systems have been widely deployed. However, the operation of all systems introduces biases either during the monitoring, by local disturbances, or during the data postprocessing with user‐defined decisions that may contribute to uncertainties in flux estimates and limit comparability across studies. In this paper, we develop a new Flux Calculation Schema (FCS) specifically designed to minimize user arbitrariness by introducing flexible time parameters (deadband and cutoff) that are optimized using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) framework. This adaptive approach accounts for variations in chamber designs and environmental conditions, while quantifying system uncertainty. Using synthetic datasets, we demonstrate that the FCS reduces bias from user‐defined settings and provides robust uncertainty estimates under both commercial and low‐cost configurations. We further demonstrate the practical benefits of the approach using a field case application, where the FCS provides uncertainty‐aware flux estimates under heterogeneous conditions and highlights when instrument limitations or transient disturbances dominate the inferred signal. This enables transparent quality control, supports reproducible post‐processing across deployments, and improves comparability of flux time series collected with different monitoring solutions. By moving toward a stochastic workflow, this method improves uncertainty‐aware quantification of chamber‐based soil gas fluxes and offers scalable, reproducible post‐processing as high‐frequency, continuous measurements become more widely available.
ABSTRACT Photosynthetic carbon fixed by moss crusts is a major carbon input to desert ecosystems. Understanding its transformation within moss crusts is crucial for revealing the mechanisms of desert soil carbon cycling and assessing carbon source–sink dynamics. Here, an in situ 13 CO 2 pulse‐labeling experiment was conducted in the Mu Us Sandland to investigate the transformation of photosynthetic carbon in moss crust–soil systems. Samples of moss plant tissue, soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were collected at 1, 4, 10, 22, 35, 50, and 70 days after labeling to quantify changes in 13 C atom percent excess and absolute 13 C content. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were also analyzed to identify microbial groups involved in carbon transformation. The results showed that (1) photosynthetic carbon exhibited a clear decreasing trend with soil depth, following the order: moss plant tissue (80.72‰) > crust layer (−5.51‰) > underlying soil layer (−25.70‰); (2) 13 C in MBC peaked on Day 1 then declined, while 13 C in SOC gradually increased, reaching its maximum on Day 35; (3) PLFA markers for Gram‐negative (G−) bacteria and fungi increased significantly after labeling, both peaking on Day 35; and (4) redundancy analysis revealed significant positive correlations between G− bacteria and fungi with 13 C‐SOC, and negative correlations with 13 C‐MBC. G− bacteria and fungi were the primary drivers of photosynthetic carbon transformation, contributing 34.1% and 20.6% of the explained variance in the RDA, respectively. Overall, photosynthetic carbon was progressively transformed from MBC into stable SOC, highlighting the efficacy of the soil microbial carbon pump (MCP) through the accumulation of microbial necromass during moss biocrust development, with G− bacteria and fungi playing dominant roles.
ABSTRACT Phosphorus (P) nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as a promising alternative to conventional water‐soluble inorganic P (WSP) fertilizers, based on the hypothesized advantages of higher mobility and bioavailability in soils. However, systematic quantification of the mobility and bioavailability of P NPs in soils remains lacking. The transport (saturated and unsaturated), diffusion, and plant response of spherical polyacrylic acid‐coated nano‐hydroxyapatite (PAA‐nHAP) and WSP were evaluated in two low‐P soils: an alkaline sand (Alk) and an acidic sandy clay loam (Ac), targeting scenarios where P is surface‐applied without incorporation into the root zone. After systematically comparing 36 one‐site or two‐site kinetic models in HYDRUS‐1D, a model selection process was established for the first time. The results showed that two‐site kinetic models can capture the transport pattern, with distinct retention mechanisms across soils: reversible and time‐dependent at both sites for the Alk soil; reversible and depth‐dependent at one site and irreversible and time‐dependent at the other for the Ac soil. Because of the air‐water‐solid or air‐water interface, greater retention of the PAA‐nHAP was observed in the unsaturated transport than in the saturated transport. The diffusion capacity of the PAA‐nHAP was lower than that of the WSP in both soils, primarily due to NPs aggregation. Tomato bioassays further demonstrated that the bioavailability of PAA‐nHAP was not superior to, and in most cases, lower than that of conventional P fertilizers. The limited fertilization efficacy of the PAA‐nHAP was attributed to the low solubility of hydroxyapatite and the restricted diffusion of aggregated NPs, which prevented the macroscale transport advantage from translating into sustained plant‐available P supply. The framework of this study can be used to assess the agronomic benefits of nanofertilizers and the environmental risks posed by NPs in surface soils.
ABSTRACT Handheld colorimeters are a relatively novel tool in soil science that allow the objective measurement of soil color, potentially even in situ. Here we set out to assess the measurement reproducibility of two low‐cost colorimeters under simulated field conditions. We study the spatial distribution of a distinctly red soil in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany by means of a color survey on near‐surface soil samples. These soils in general can be classified as Rhodic Arenosols (Chromic/Rhodic) and are characterized by increased concentrations of total iron and the reddening iron oxides hematite and presumably maghemite. The process of a regionally uncharacteristic iron oxide dynamic was termed para‐rubefication in the past and its exact workings under real pedogenic conditions are subject to discussion and ongoing research. We show that using the Nix Pro 2 and Nix Mini 3 colorimeters results in almost equally reliable color measurements on ungrounded, moist soil samples with direct device‐soil contact. Using colorimeters enables the direct application of other color notation systems like CIELab, without converting Munsell colors. This is shown to be beneficial when detecting redness in soils via a modified qualitative soil redness index, as the comparably broad Munsell hue chips can potentially obscure fainter traces of redness in soils. Our soil redness survey shows that para‐rubefication appears to be a heavily localized process on shoulder‐ and backslope positions that becomes active within several meters horizontally and several decimeters vertically. This study promotes the use of novel sensor technology in soil science and gives a first high resolution mapping of the para‐rubefication process, facilitating further research into the complex iron‐oxide dynamics and spatial distribution of affected soils.
ABSTRACT Aerobic composting of food waste for field application is considered a low‐carbon agricultural management practice relative to conventional farmers' practice, however, it poses a risk of exacerbating N 2 O emissions, particularly in subtropical acidified vegetable soils. The nitrification inhibitor DMPP (3,4‐dimethylpyrazole phosphate) can mitigate this issue, but its efficacy is contingent upon application rates and specific soil‐climate conditions. We conducted a two‐season field experiment with pakchoi and swamp cabbage in subtropical China to evaluate the effects of two DMPP application levels on soil nitrogen (N) availability, crop N uptake, yield, and N 2 O emissions under partial substitution of chemical fertilizer N with food waste aerobic compost (FWC) N. Five treatments were established: no N control (CK), conventional chemical fertilizer N (CF), 30% chicken manure N + 70% CF (MF), 30% FWC N + 70% CF (FWF), and FWF supplemented with DMPP at 2% or 5% of total CF N applied. Over the two seasons, cumulative N 2 O emissions from the CF treatment reached 21.0 kg N 2 O‐N ha −1 . Both MF and FWF significantly increased emissions, indicating that organic N substitution enhances N 2 O release. Both DMPP dosages reduced emissions from FWF; however, the 5% dosage excessively inhibited nitrification, limiting nitrate supply and threatening yield. Notably, during the swamp cabbage season, the 2% DMPP treatment maintained yield while increasing leaf nitrate content, aboveground N uptake, and NUE (N use efficiency) by 34.6%, 22.4%, and 17.2%, respectively, and reduced N 2 O emissions by 29.1%, compared to the FWF treatment. These results suggest that DMPP is not the more the better, a 2% DMPP application, rather than excessive application, is crucial for achieving cleaner and more sustainable nutrient management in subtropical Chinese vegetable fields.
ABSTRACT Soil health is best understood as a palimpsest of past land uses and therefore requires a long‐term perspective. Although human activity has shaped soils for millennia, soil health frameworks do not systematically incorporate the retrospective approaches that are now standard in many environmental disciplines. As a result, contemporary soil health indicators are often interpreted without recognising the deeper historical processes that have contributed to them. The palimpsest framework is an effective way to apply a long‐term perspective to soil health. Drawing on established uses of the palimpsest in archaeology and geology, the framework conceptualises soil properties as complex features shaped by both modern and historical management practices. Two case studies demonstrate how centuries‐old land uses remain measurable in present‐day soil nutrient levels and biodiversity, illustrating the practical value of this approach. Adopting a palimpsest perspective has several implications: it reframes how soil degradation is defined, is a fresh perspective on soil memory, and provides clearer guidance for soil management policies. Integrating archaeological knowledge into soil health assessments therefore offers a robust pathway toward more accurate interpretations and more sustainable soil use.
ABSTRACT Soil is the foundation of life itself, and without healthy soils our day‐to‐day lives would be forever changed. A significant proportion of soil science focuses on the topsoil, overlooking much of the soil profile. If soil science is to fully serve society, we must expand our understanding to the full soil–bedrock continuum, extending beyond the top 30 cm into the deeper profile that includes weathered bedrock. This argument has been raised before, with many scientists calling for whole‐profile sampling and characterization, yet these calls have gone largely unheeded, and recent studies suggest we may even be narrowing our focus to shallower depths. In this opinion, we present the case for studying the full soil profile by examining its historical treatment, current paradigms, and we highlight some of the opportunities that are being missed. To fully understand and steward the systems that underpin life: we must be willing to go deeper in our sampling, in our thinking, and in our collaborations across disciplines.
ABSTRACT Soil salinization poses a major threat to both the global environment and the sustainability of viticulture. This study proposes a synergistic remediation strategy using desulfurized gypsum combined with organic amendments—biochar and lignite. Through integrated incubation, pot, and 2‐year field experiments, we clarify the underlying process mechanisms, focusing on two aspects: enhancing the efficiency of calcium–sodium ion exchange and achieving sustained regulation of soil fertility. The results show that the organic amendments significantly improved the replacement efficiency of sodium ions by calcium ions from the gypsum. They also enhanced soil biochemical activity by promoting organic matter mineralization (e.g., the peak CO 2 emission increased by 79% compared to the control). In the presence of grapevines, the stability of the calcium‐sodium exchange and soil fertility was maintained through rhizosphere microenvironment regulation and carbon input. Improvements in plant physiological indicators further confirm the systemic optimization of the soil environment. The 2‐year field experiment further confirms the long‐term stability of this strategy. It consistently reduced the soil sodium adsorption ratio (by 49% compared to the control) and salt content (e.g., water‐soluble Na + decreased by 27%), with no significant secondary salt accumulation observed. Concurrently, the physiological indicators of the grapevines showed lasting improvement. This study demonstrates that the synergistic effect of desulfurized gypsum and organic amendments effectively optimizes the soil ionic composition through calcium‐sodium exchange, while the input of organic materials and micro‐ecological regulation continuously improve soil fertility. Thus, it provides a comprehensive, mechanism‐explicit, and operationally feasible solution for the sustainable management of salinized vineyard soils.
ABSTRACT Vegetation restoration is one of the most effective measures to mitigate or prevent land degradation. Long‐term vegetation restoration will inevitably have an impact on soil properties. However, studies on the prediction of soil hydraulic properties such as field capacity (FC) under long‐term revegetation on a regional scale are still limited. This study investigated 243 sampling sites across China's Loess Plateau and measured FC values at depths of 0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm. MODIS raw images and four algorithms were used to develop predictive models for predicting FC and mapping FC distributions during 2001–2020. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the factors driving FC changes. The results showed that Random Forest achieved the highest prediction accuracy for FC at depths of 0–10 cm ( R 2 = 0.43, RMSE = 0.050 cm 3 cm −3 , IQR = 0.053 cm 3 cm −3 ) and 10–20 cm ( R 2 = 0.56, RMSE = 0.042 cm 3 cm −3 , IQR = 0.075 cm 3 cm −3 ), while Backpropagation Neural Network provided the best results at a depth of 20–40 cm ( R 2 = 0.54, RMSE = 0.048 cm 3 cm −3 , IQR = 0.072 cm 3 cm −3 ). From 2001 to 2020, the FC generally increased across the region, with an average annual growth rate of 0.002 cm 3 cm −3 ( p < 0.01). Mean FC of 0–40 cm increased from 0.223 cm 3 cm −3 in 2001 to 0.251 cm 3 cm −3 in 2020. The most significant increase occurred in the southern and southeastern regions. The Leaf Area Index was identified as the primary factor influencing FC changes, with a direct impact path coefficient of 0.65 in the 0–40 cm. These findings indicate the effectiveness of vegetation restoration in enhancing the soil hydraulic properties and provide a scientific basis for sustainable land management and water‐resource allocation in the Loess Plateau.
ABSTRACT Rainfall‐driven pulses of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are key but often overlooked components of the annual carbon and nitrogen budgets. This study aimed to quantify the effect of three barley‐based production systems on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics during the summer fallow, with particular emphasis on the impact of rainfall events on GHG fluxes and the activity of functional genes associated with N 2 O production in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem. The systems included conventional tillage with bare fallow (T), no‐till with spontaneous vegetation (NT), and no‐till with a preceding vetch ( Vicia sativa ) cover crop (NT‐V), each evaluated at the initial (I) and final (F) stages of the fallow. Gas fluxes were measured before and after natural rainfall events using a static chamber protocol consisting of one measurement 24 h before the rainfall and four subsequent measurements up to 168 h after. Emission peaks following rainfall accounted, on average, for 28% of total CO 2 ‐C and 38% of N 2 O‐N emissions during the fallow, with flux magnitude increasing proportionally with rainfall intensity. Conservation practices (NT and NT‐V) consistently exhibited higher post‐rainfall emissions, microbial biomass, and labile carbon pools than T, reflecting greater substrate availability rather than poorer environmental performance. Functional gene analyses revealed that nitrification and denitrification potentials responded to both soil management and rainfall intensity, with NT‐V maintaining higher microbial activity throughout the fallow. Overall, these results highlight the importance of accounting for short‐term post‐rainfall emissions when assessing the environmental performance of soil management practices in dryland agroecosystems.
ABSTRACT Waterlogging of aerobic soils can induce microbially catalysed reductive dissolution of iron oxides and the subsequent mobilisation of associated carbon. Additionally, the resulting shift in microbial metabolism and community structure may eventually affect the accrual of microbially derived carbon into soils. It remains, however, unknown whether temporary anaerobic conditions significantly influence soil carbon cycling in cultivated boreal mineral soils, which are increasingly prone to off‐season waterlogging due to climate change. We investigated the effects of off‐season waterlogging on carbon–mineral associations and microbial carbon immobilisation and community structure in a 1.5‐year greenhouse experiment conducted with intact soil profiles (monoliths) from two agricultural fields in southern Finland. The experiment comprised three cycles of alternating warm growing seasons and cold off‐seasons. Spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) was cultivated in all monoliths for the growing seasons, while Tall Fescue ( Festuca Arundinacea ) was under‐sown into half of them as an overwintering cover crop. During the off‐seasons, half of the monoliths were subjected to waterlogging for 7 weeks. We found that waterlogging induced shifts in microbial communities favouring anaerobic taxa capable of iron reduction. Despite this, repeated waterlogging had no significant impact on the iron‐associated or the total mineral‐associated carbon, nor the microbial residue carbon content in either soil. However, waterlogging reduced belowground carbon inputs by limiting cover crop root growth in the subsoil. Overall, our findings suggest that off‐season waterlogging of cultivated mineral soils in a cold humid climate does not compromise their ability to stabilise carbon in mineral‐associated forms.
ABSTRACT Switzerland has a wide diversity of soil types that are subject to pressures of varying intensity and scale. Localised pressures such as compaction, sealing or heavy metal accumulation threaten both short‐ and long‐term soil fertility and food production. Large‐scale trends such as the intensive use of fertilisers or continued cultivation of organic soils can have effects on the ecosystem functioning of an entire region. Many of these pressures are concentrated on the Swiss plateau, which covers only about one third of the country and contains both the densest population and the most productive soils. We here review the main soil challenges of Switzerland and examine to which extent these challenges are addressed by different legal frameworks. Soil erosion, contamination as well as nutrient availability and use efficiency are all best described in the scientific literature and regulated by policies. In contrast, for several pressing soil challenges such as soil organic carbon loss, biodiversity loss or soil compaction only limited policy instruments are in place. We also report on the key findings of the 5‐year EJP SOIL project that aimed to address several of these soil challenges in research projects of different scale. We discuss the key findings relevant for Switzerland, and outline their implications for various stakeholder groups, including researchers, policy makers, farmers, land managers and advisors. This not only enhances the value of the research outputs for stakeholders but also demonstrates how a research programme of this scale can directly benefit different national stakeholder groups.
ABSTRACT Soil contamination standards are widely assumed to provide consistent protection of human health and ecosystems, but there are substantial inconsistencies in terminology used and threshold concentrations set across national frameworks. These inconsistencies limit the accuracy, comparability and reliability of soil assessments and can lead to uneven risk evaluation. The paper identifies key methodological and regulatory sources of divergence and proposes a harmonised, function‐based framework that standardises terminology, differentiates for assessment endpoints, incorporates soil properties and background levels, aligns analytical methods with data use, and promotes end‐to‐end workflow standardisation and quality control. Implementing these measures would improve confidence in soil datasets, support more robust and comparable risk assessments, and enable more consistent and scientifically defensible soil policy.
ABSTRACT A widespread use of climate‐smart soil management practices is needed to meet the challenges posed to farming by climate change. However, it is individual farmers who choose to use such practices or not. Their choices depend on many different factors such as social norms, policy incentives, economic factors, or environmental and local requirements. Understanding norms can thus provide valuable insights into farmers' (potential) use of climate smart soil management practices. In this study, the ‘good farmer’ concept serves to investigate the norms that farmers hold with respect to their profession. To do so, we use a qualitative research approach and analyse the content of semi‐structured interviews with farmers in four case study regions located in Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden. Analysing the views of farmers from different climatic zones in Europe is, to the best of our knowledge, unique. We first identify and describe the characteristics and symbols that are used to define a ‘good farmer’ and then compare them across contexts. The most frequently mentioned characteristics and symbols across regions are open‐mindedness and a willingness to learn, attentiveness and adaptiveness to soil and weather conditions, and being able to time work well, but also having neat and tidy farms and fields. These results are relatively congruent across the case study regions. Economic aspects of farming—for example, being a good businessperson that acts in an economically strategic way—are mentioned in all regions but emphasised especially in the Spanish case study region. We conclude that farmers hold several norms that likely benefit the use of climate‐smart soil management practices, such as openness to change, attentiveness and long‐term orientation. Other norms are either ambivalent (e.g., norms related to farm economics and business management) or might present barriers (e.g., the importance given to tidy fields) for their uptake. Therefore, we recommend policy incentives which address these norms, such as open mindedness and adaptiveness, rather than focusing primarily on economic incentives. We draw policy recommendations such as revising policy measures to incorporate such norms. For example, we advocate for the establishment and continuation of farmers' networks to foster peer‐to‐peer learning within communities.
ABSTRACT Climate change, population growth, and intensifying land use are exerting increasing pressure on soil resources worldwide. Despite growing knowledge of soil degradation processes, the relationship between soil threats and the effectiveness of management practices remains poorly synthesized. Here we present a comparative assessment of soil expert perspectives on soil threats and mitigation practices based on a survey of 162 soil experts from 38 countries. Across tropical, arid, and temperate climates, soil experts evaluated the importance of soil threats and the perceived effectiveness and use of key soil management practices, whereas also highlighting examples of locally adapted innovations. Across all responses, the most important soil threats were organic matter decline (overall rating of 4.2 on a five‐point scale), soil erosion (4.1), and biodiversity loss (3.9), indicating broad agreement on the primary drivers of soil degradation. Mitigating management strategies (crop diversification, reduced tillage, organic inputs, and agroforestry) were consistently perceived as effective across climates (scores from 3.7 to 4.0); however, their implementation was not as widespread (2.6 to 3.2). Differences among climate groups were detectable for some soil threats, such as the higher perceived importance of organic matter decline in tropical climates and the greater relevance of salinization in arid climates. Soil experts also highlighted locally developed climate‐smart farming systems, including Milpa intercropped with fruit trees in alternating strips (MIAF), Zero‐budget natural farming, and agrivoltaic systems, with potential for upscaling and wider application across contexts. Overall, this global soil expert survey identifies common priorities in soil threats and management practices across three major climate groups, while illustrating how local environmental and socio‐economic conditions shape the selection of sustainable soil management practices. These findings provide a comparative perspective to inform future research, monitoring, and soil management strategies.
Initial soil carbon (C) status affects microbial utilization for plant residue and changes the retention of plant- and microbial-derived C in soils. Soil aggregates stabilize organic C components through physical protection and mineral adsorption. Nevertheless, the information about how crop straw incorporation affects aggregates-associated organic C sources and composition is limited, especially in soils with different initial C status. Here, the initial low (LC) and high C (HC) Mollisols were incubated with or without the addition of maize straw (followed as 12 t ha(-1)) for 360 days in Northeast China. The SOC content in the topsoil (0-20 cm) of LC and HC was 15.5 and 25.2 g kg(-1), respectively. The effect of inherent soil C on the accumulation of lignin phenol and microbial necromass and the chemical composition of organic C within soil aggregates (macroaggregates, > 0.25 mm; and microaggregates, < 0.25 mm) was investigated after adding maize straw. Maize straw addition increased the concentration of total lignin phenol within macroaggregates by 39% in LC soil but decreased that concentration within both macroaggregates and microaggregates by 18% and 41% in HC soil, respectively. These results indicated that straw addition had a positive significance in enhancing the contribution of plant lignin components to macroaggregates-associated organic C in initial low C soil. Moreover, maize straw addition increased the contribution of amino sugar to organic C within macroaggregates and increased the relative proportion of O-alkyl C in organic C within microaggregates in both LC and HC soils, indicating that independent of initial soil C status, microbial necromass and labile organic C components played differential roles in mediating aggregate-associated organic C in soils following maize straw addition. Overall, changes in aggregate-associated organic C in both initial low and high C soils following straw amendment were depicted by organic C molecular composition alteration.
ABSTRACT The growing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has driven advancements in digital agricultural technologies, which is also reflected in the emerging development and market release of agricultural field robots in the last decade. Climate‐smart sustainable soil management plays a key role in sustaining soil functions related to productivity, water and nutrient cycling, biodiversity and long‐term resilience. The integration of autonomous field robots, for which mechanical weeding is currently the dominant application, into future field mechanization offers potential solutions to enhance climate‐smart, soil‐focused management. Based on limited existing research, this review synthesizes experimental studies quantifying robot‐induced changes in crop production, soil properties and functions. We propose a framework in which autonomous mechanical weeding robots affect soil functions via two interacting pathways: (1) altered machinery intensity and its traffic patterns, and (2) repeated shallow soil disturbance associated with mechanical weeding interventions. The empirical evidence is skewed toward productivity‐related outcomes (18 of 22 studies), primarily weeding efficiency, while soil physical, hydrological, and biogeochemical functions have rarely been quantified (5 studies). Existing research largely reflects mechanism linked to pathway 1, whereas cumulative effects of repeated mechanical disturbance remain insufficiently assessed. Significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the role of weeding robots in diversified cropping systems and their effects on soil functions such as water regulation, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil as habitat and overall soil health. Addressing these gaps includes not only technical aspects of weeding robotics, for example implement or pathway optimization. It also requires the multiannual evaluation of soil property changes, such as compaction, carbon sequestration and aggregate composition, and continuous soil monitoring to align with EU soil health targets and global sustainability goals.
ABSTRACT In this commentary, we argue that the soil profile represents an indispensable window into the soil system. The soil profile is a vertical section of the soil body that represents a pattern in the landscape. The description and interpretation of the layers and horizons from the surface to the parent material or bedrock is the language of soil scientists to record and communicate the story of the soil. The story tells the evolution (genesis) of the soil and explains the resulting physical, chemical, and biological properties. The exposed profile can therefore help in determining the soil's potential to provide ecosystem services as well as its suitability for different land‐use applications. Efforts to classify soils globally across different climates and land management by soil profiling have contributed extensively to soil mapping and have enabled stakeholders to make informed decisions for sustainable land management. Despite its utility and significance, the soil profile has almost become a “lost language” within soil science. Pedology, as a subject within which soil profiling was once vehemently instructed and practiced, has notably declined in the past decade. The number of fully trained pedologists has dwindled, and investment in training the next generation in the art of profiling has declined. The trained pedologist may represent something of an endangered profession, yet soil profiling has allowed and continues to allow vital discoveries to be made about the soil system. This commentary traces the progress and trends on the study of soils over the century, considering their genesis, functions, and degradation captured by a profile. We chart the transformative contributions of remote and proximal sensing to advance soil science in the past decades, and how these findings have been used to ensure more sustainable and resilient land management practices. Furthermore, in chronicling the evolution of soil profiling, we aim to set out an inspiring roadmap for the next generation of pedologists to motivate them to “pick up the shovel” and engage with profiling without fear. Profile characterization is not only science but also literacy. Now that soil degradation has become a priority concern, careful observation and description of the profile are more important than ever, not only for diagnostic purposes but also as a historical record of the current, unique state of the soil.
