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Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Table of Contents
Soil Research

Soil Research

Volume 52 Number 8 2014

SR14112Opportunities and constraints for biochar technology in Australian agriculture: looking beyond carbon sequestration

Balwant Singh, Lynne M. Macdonald, Rai S. Kookana, Lukas van Zwieten, Greg Butler, Stephen Joseph, Anthony Weatherley, Bhawana B. Kaudal, Andrew Regan, Julie Cattle, Feike Dijkstra, Mark Boersma, Stephen Kimber, Alexander Keith and Maryam Esfandbod
pp. 739-750

Biochar offers significant potential for long-term carbon storage and other beneficial effects in soils. However, there is uncertainty about the benefits at realistic application rates of biochars and the lack of knowledge about other benefits in soils. In this review, we have identified opportunities as well as challenges in the adoption of biochar technology particularly in relation to Australia.

SR13219Tolerance of young seedlings of different tree species and a cereal to poor soil aeration

Gausul Azam, Robert S. Murray, Cameron D. Grant and Ian K. Nuberg
pp. 751-759

Young plants that tolerate poor soil aeration are more likely to establish and survive under variously waterlogged conditions. The sensitivity to waterlogging of seedlings of different tree species and a reference crop was evaluated in terms of their root and shoot growth and soil water use, and we found significant variation in species performance. The findings suggest there is plenty of scope for genetic improvement of both native and domestic plants grown on soils that experience extended periods of waterlogging.

SR14103Using X-ray fluorescence core scanning to assess acid sulfate soils

Ulrike Proske, Henk Heijnis and Patricia Gadd
pp. 760-768

Acid sulfate soils are problematic for agriculture and infrastructure. We demonstrate a new approach that can help to detect different horizons in these soils in a fast and cost-effective manner. By using this method, the depth of acid sulfate soils can be roughly estimated and this knowledge can guide subsequent detailed or targeted analyses.


Monitoring soil salinity over time is a crucial issue in Saharan oases to anticipate salinisation related to insufficient irrigation management. This project tested the ability of electromagnetic conductivity surveys to describe, by means of regression-tree inference models, spatiotemporal changes in soil salinity. The monitoring surveys revealed both the seasonal dynamics and spatial variability of salinity at different depths.

SR14076Temporal variability in rill erodibility for two types of grasslands

Guang-hui Zhang, Ke-ming Tang, Zhen-ling Sun and X. C. Zhang
pp. 781-788

Soil erosion is one of the most significant processes causing grassland degradation. The temporal variations in rill erodibility were detected in two grasslands and one bare soil, and rill erodibility of grassland was much less than bare soil due to the influence of root system and could be well estimated from the measured erodibility of bare soil and root density. The results are helpful to understand soil erosion mechanism and to simulate the temporal variation in rill erodibility for grassland.

SR14020Development and calibration of a soil carbon inventory model for New Zealand

Stephen J. E. McNeill, Nancy Golubiewski and James Barringer
pp. 789-804

A statistical model for organic carbon (C) and C change in soil in New Zealand is described for inventory reporting purposes. We consider whether new explanatory layers reduce the uncertainty of the soil C gained/lost from land use change. We show that the uncertainty of soil C estimates is reduced, but the uncertainty of soil C change estimates are not reduced using this method.


Nitrogen fertiliser is a major expense in modern cropping so farmers need to maximise the uptake of applied nitrogen into their crop. We measured the loss of nitrogen as volatilised ammonia when nitrogen fertiliser was applied to the soil surface; an average of 11% from urea on fallowed soil and 5% in wheat crops. Surface spreading of nitrogen fertiliser in autumn-winter on medium-heavy clay cropping soils of the northern Australian grains region should not result in major nitrogen loss.

SR14111Transport of arsenic in some affected soils of Indian subtropics

Indranil Das, Koushik Ghosh, D. K. Das and S. K. Sanyal
pp. 822-832

An Indian subtropical soil, contaminated through arsenic (As)-laden groundwater irrigation, facilitates the entry of As into the human food-chain, thereby affecting millions of people. The study covers the fate of As in soil during the course of its travel, while our findings revealed the activities of soil clay, clay minerals, organic matter and iron/aluminium in containing the toxin (As). Such findings may add valuable information to evolve the appropriate management practices for reducing As mobility in soil-crop system.

SR14129Nitrous oxide emission from two acidic soils as affected by dolomite application

Muhammad Shaaban, Qian Peng, Shan Lin, Yupeng Wu, Jinsong Zhao and Ronggui Hu
pp. 841-848

Global warming is a main issue and much attention is being paid to this topic. Agricultural soils are regarded as main source of global warming since a large magnitude of greenhouse gases is released to atmosphere. Greenhouse gas emission, especially nitrous oxide gas, could be controlled through soil management strategies such as application of dolomite to acidic soils.

Committee on Publication Ethics

Best Student-Led Paper

The Best Student-Led Paper published in 2022 has been awarded to Rima Hadjouti.

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