In long-term no-tillage soils with controlled-traffic farming, occasional strategic tillage for weed control can have negative environmental effects. In a field study, greenhouse gas emissions and water, sediment and nutrient loss in runoff after heavy rainfall were measured as being similar or higher immediately after strategic tillage compared with no-tillage systems, particularly on a sodic soil. The trade-offs between weed control, erosion and greenhouse gas emissions should be considered as part of any tillage strategy.

Cork oak decomposition dynamics in montado were compared under three land uses (grassland, shrubland and woodland). According to land uses, the study highlighted important differences in cork oak leaf fall, litter quality and litter decomposition. The main results showed a faster nutrient cycling occurring in montados with a high tree density and a dense shrub layer, thus lower decomposition rates occurred in the more disturbed sites.

Gravel mulch had a significant effect on water use by suppressing soil evaporation, which translated to improved water use efficiency for canola. Gravel mulching has a favourable effect on the soil water balance, reinforcing it as a viable management option for soil water conservation, especially in arid and semiarid lands where plant available water is a major limiting factor for crop growth.

Soil compaction by machinery in modern agriculture may affect important functions taking place in the upper part of the non-tilled subsoil. We studied the effects of realistic field traffic on soil pores at 0.3 m depth and found that wheel loads higher than approximately 3 Mg were critical to sustained soil functions. Freeze–thaw and dry–wet processes were only partly able to ameliorate the compaction damage, which calls for an increased focus on the threat of subsoil compaction.

Food production in Australia is extremely dependent on healthy soils. Our current methods of intensive farming, however, often leave soils depleted, thereby hindering long-term crop growth. This study identified a group of beneficial fungi that could enhance soil health and provide us with a new and environmentally friendly method by which soil health, and therefore plant growth, could be improved.

Native plants are being widely reintroduced into agricultural landscape matrices in lowland New Zealand, where they provide both perimeter buffer zones and pathways to environmental receptors. The cultural and ecological benefits of integrating natural ecosystems into farmland are well established, but little is known of their potential role in ameliorating significant environmental concerns. This study shows that litter incorporated into soil from native plants modifies soil characteristics and may help ameliorate concerns associated with nitrate leaching and greenhouse gases emissions.

What is the fate of fertiliser nitrogen in cotton crop production? What is the amount of nitrogen that the soil contributes to cotton crop production? These are fundamental questions for plant and soil management. The present findings indicate that the soil supplies significant amounts of nitrogen to the crop, and management of this nutrient pool is critical.

Plant yields are limited by unfavourable changes in inherent soil properties. Herein, the inherent soil properties were studied through soil–landform relationship in a part of semi-arid tropical (SAT) Deccan Plateau in India, and subsoil sodicity and poor saturated hydraulic conductivity were identified as major plant yield-limiting factors. There is scope for upscaling the results of the present study to similar SAT areas around the world.

In semihumid dryland farming areas of China, crop production is commonly affected by seasonal water deficit and has become a widespread issue. A four-year field trial was conducted to determine the impacts of different mulching patterns on rainfall-harvesting planting on spring corn. The results showed that rain-harvesting planting can improve soil moisture storage and availability in the furrow and increase corn yield. Thus, this method can be applied as an efficient cultivation pattern in the present as well as other similar areas.

Long-term effects of different nutrient supply options on soil organic C (SOC) fractions and crop yields under a rice–wheat system were investigated. Conjoint use of organic manure and green gram residue with fertilisers enhanced the lability of SOC, whereas incorporation of cereal crop residues increased passive pools of SOC. Very labile and labile pools of SOC were significantly correlated with crop yields.