This paper presents an investigation into the capability of dispersive potential as a soil specific determination of C_TH in Vertosols. The practicality of dispersive potential as a method was found to be unsuitable for soils irrigated with marginal quality saline-sodic water. Therefore there is still a need to develop an efficient method to determine the C_TH.

There is a need for an effective and transparent method for extracting DNA from soils, especially considering the increasing use of DNA analysis in analysing soil microbial community properties. Here we present a procedure that uses common materials at one-fifth the cost of selected popular commercial kits.

Although treading damage is a major problem on many pastoral farms, there are few methods to access the severity and extent of this damage. In this study, we describe a new spatially smart technique for accessing treading damage, the pugometer, and compare this with three existing methods. The most appropriate method to access treading damage depends on context. In its current form the pugometer will be a useful research tool, whereas farmers may find it more practical to employ visual scoring methods.

Biochars affect degradation of soil-applied herbicides. The effect of wheat and rice straw biochars on pyrazosulfuron-ethyl degradation and soil microbial parameters was evaluated. This study suggests that at 0.5% dose the rice and wheat biochars had a marginal effect on persistence of herbicide/metabolites and had no inhibitory effect on the soil dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate and acid and alkaline phosphatase activities; thus, agronomic application of these biochars can be suggested.

Preferential flow increases soil infiltrability and thereby alleviates surface runoff-induced soil erosion and sediment deposition in reservoirs. Dye tracing method was applied at different slope positions in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area to quantify preferential flow and lateral water mixing. Root distribution, soil texture, soil pore structures, soil organic content, and agriculture management together determine the spatial distribution and degree of preferential flow.

Long-term qualitative and quantitative responses of carbon in semi-arid soil cropped annually with winter wheat are still poorly understood. Wheat production effects on carbon fractions were evaluated, and the findings suggest that no-tillage can restore historic carbon and quality of degraded surface soils. Reduced decomposition in no-tillage can minimize carbon emissions into the atmosphere and enhance environmental quality.

Land degradation due to land-use change such as shifting cultivation (jhum) is one of the major causes of soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion. SOC can be portioned into different pools, which are required to yield information regarding soil health, C buildup and sequestration and little is known on the impact of shifting cultivation on different C pools. SOC increased with the length of the fallow period and decreased due to burning and cultivation. The very labile C pool was most sensitive among the different C pools and can act as a soil health indicator in the jhum lands of hilly agroecosystems.

Can digestate from biogas production and biochar improve the biological activity and antioxidant capacity of the soil? The work investigates the value of digestate and biochar as amendments when applied to soil in combination. The addition of biochar to digestate limits the soil biological activity, so enriching the C sink by reducing CO₂ emission into the atmosphere.

Stabilisation and protection of SOC in macroaggregates and microaggregates represents an important mechanism for reducing the rate of SOC decomposition over time. We measured soil C and N levels in aggregates from a chronosequence (0–40 years) of subtropical leucaena–grass pastures. This pasture system facilitated the formation of more stable, occluded particulate organic matter within macroaggregates for immediate SOC storage in the Vertosol.

The portable X-ray fluorescence equipment (pXRF) allows for a rapid soil chemical characterization. This work aimed to evaluate the pXRF performance on oxides quantification in several tropical soils. Fe and Ti oxides were accurately quantified via pXRF. Our findings highlight the importance and versatility of pXRF for rapid and environmentally-friendly analysis of soils in tropical regions.