4.7 Article

Natural and managed soil structure: On the fragile scaffolding for soil functioning

Journal

SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
Volume 208, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2020.104912

Keywords

Soil structure; Soil organic carbon; Tillage; No-till; Soil aggregates; Land use

Categories

Funding

  1. Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [IZ32Z0_164150]
  2. Swedish Farmers' Foundation for Agricultural Research (Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning, SLF) [O-19-23-309]
  3. Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [IZ32Z0_164150] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)

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Soil structure in natural and managed systems plays a critical role in crop growth, productivity, and stability of soil organic carbon. It is influenced by biological activity, climate, and soil minerals, and can be quantified by metrics such as net primary productivity and soil organic carbon levels.
Soil structure in natural systems is a product of complex interactions between biological activity, climate and soil minerals that promote aggregation and accumulation of biopores. In arable lands, the management of soil structure often requires the mechanical fragmentation of hardened soil to improve seedbed, control weeds and bury plant residue. Despite difficulties in defining and quantifying soil structure, its critical role is evidenced by loss of productivity when natural structure is perturbed (e.g. compaction) and the long history of tillage in agriculture. To overcome persistent ambiguities among scientific disciplines regarding definition and function of soil structure, we propose a framework for distinguishing managed and natural soil structure based on their different formation processes and functions. Natural soil structure preserves ecological order and legacy that promotes biopore reuse, stabilizes foodwebs and protects soil organic carbon (SOC). The contribution of net primary productivity of natural lands to soil structure forming processes makes it a useful (surrogate) metric of soil structure. The benefits of managed soil structure for crops are quantified indirectly via comparisons with no till farming under similar conditions. The levels and trends of SOC are useful metrics for the status of natural and managed soil structure. The systematic consideration of soil structure state in natural and arable lands using suitable metrics is a prerequisite for rational decisions related to land management and ensuring sustainable functioning of a fragile and central resource such as soil.

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