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Het Bedrijvennetwerk Bodemmetingen van de PPS Beter Bodembeheer is in het najaar 2018 opgezet met als doel om bodemmetingen op praktijkbedrijven te testen en te kijken naar de samenhang van bodemindicatoren onderling en met de bedrijfsvoering. De 16 bedrijven vertegenwoordigen de variatie in de akkerbouw in Nederland en vormen daarmee een land dekkend netwerk. De deelnemende bedrijven zijn geselecteerd en geworven in afstemming met de sectororganisaties. Bij elk bedrijf hebben we met de ondernemers twee percelen geselecteerd voor uitvoering van de metingen. In het najaar van 2019 zijn meer dan 30 verschillende bodemindicatoren gemeten op twee percelen van elk bedrijf vanuit de werkpakketten rond organische stof, bodembiologie en bodemweerbaarheid en meten van bodemkwaliteit in de PPS Beter Bodembeheer. Deze metingen zijn in najaar 2020 en 2021 herhaald op dezelfde percelen. Hierbij zijn zowel alle indicatoren uit de BLN-indicatorset gemeten, zowel met de klassieke meetmethodes als de alternatieve (goedkopere en/of snellere) meetmethodes als een aantal andere indicatoren. Hiernaast zijn ook teeltgegevens en historische gegevens van de percelen verzameld. Doel van de metingen was om 1) een beter zicht te krijgen op de toepasbaarheid van de indicatoren en meetmethoden in de BLN, 2) alternatieve indicatoren en meetmethoden te testen, 3) een beter inzicht te krijgen in de relatie tussen indicatoren onderling, de indicatoren en de fysieke omstandigheden (bodemtype, klimaat, grondwater) en de indicatoren en het management, 4) na te gaan welke set aan indicatoren leidt tot een goed beeld van de integrale bodemkwaliteit mede gezien ook het management en de fysieke omstandigheden. In dit rapport worden de resultaten gericht op de eerste twee doelen gepresenteerd. De meetwaarden van de indicatoren worden voor alle percelen gepresenteerd met referentiewaarden en streefwaarden indien beschikbaar. Daarnaast is er gekeken waar beschikbaar hoe de klassieke en de alternatieve methoden zich tot elkaar verhouden. Waar mogelijk is een vergelijk tussen de metingen van 2019 en 2021 gemaakt.

Dit rapport geeft de resultaten van een literatuurstudie dat bij aanvang van het project Bodemverdichting Verdiept (BoVer) is uitgevoerd. Op basis hiervan zijn ideeën voor vervolgonderzoek afgeleid.

The International Society of Precision Agriculture defined precision agriculture as follows: ‘Precision Agriculture is a management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual data and combines it with other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production’ (www.ispag.org). Bouma (2007) stated more concisely that precision agriculture aims at adjusting and fine-tuning land and crop management to the needs of plants within heterogeneous fields. Besides a reactive approach, using yield maps and sensors, Bouma (2007) also promotes the proactive approach in which simulation models for plant growth and soil processes can be used to predict optimal timing of management practices. The attention required for crop modelling is evident, as high yields of good quality mean a good profit for the farmers. This profit can be increased if the use of resources, such as fertilizers, land management practices and irrigation water, is minimized. Minimizing the use of resources means that we are at the cutting edge. For example, we are balancing between adding too much or too little water and fertilizers. This requires good knowledge on the interaction of soil–water–plant–atmosphere processes.

Climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soil is critical to improve soil health, enhance food and water security, contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity preservation, and improve human health and wellbeing. The European Joint Programme for Soil (EJP SOIL) started in 2020 with the aim to significantly improve soil management knowledge and create a sustainable and integrated European soil research system. EJP SOIL involves more than 350 scientists across 24 Countries and has been addressing multiple aspects associated with soil management across different European agroecosystems. This study summarizes the key findings of stakeholder consultations conducted at the national level across 20 countries with the aim to identify important barriers and challenges currently affecting soil knowledge but also assess opportunities to overcome these obstacles. Our findings demonstrate that there is significant room for improvement in terms of knowledge production, dissemination and adoption. Among the most important barriers identified by consulted stakeholders are technical, political, social and economic obstacles, which strongly limit the development and full exploitation of the outcomes of soil research. The main soil challenge across consulted member states remains to improve soil organic matter and peat soil conservation while soil water storage capacity is a key challenge in Southern Europe. Findings from this study clearly suggest that going forward climate-smart sustainable soil management will benefit from (1) increases in research funding, (2) the maintenance and valorisation of long-term (field) experiments, (3) the creation of knowledge sharing networks and interlinked national and European infrastructures, and (4) the development of regionally-tailored soil management strategies. All the above-mentioned interventions can contribute to the creation of healthy, resilient and sustainable soil ecosystems across Europe.

Runoff data is crucial for development of water resources. Runoff data is however rarely available for ungauged catchments, especially in developing countries. Geomorphological instantaneous unit hydrographs (GIUH) models can be used for predicting runoff in poorly gauged catchments, but a challenge with these models is estimating the dynamic velocity parameter. In this study, three GIUH models were developed based on estimation of flow velocity using calibration of Manning’s n (GIUH-cal), peak discharge (GIUH-pq) and 30-min rain intensity (GIUH-I30). The objectives of this study were to (a) assess suitability of a GIUH model for simulating runoff in Gule catchment, northern Ethiopia and (b) evaluate performance of three velocity parameter estimation methods in simulating runoff using GIUH models. Runoff hydrographs of the GIUH models matched well with observed hygrographs for most rain events. The GIUH-cal model had the best performance, 18 out of 20 rain events resulting in Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) values of 0.53 to 0.95. The GIUH-pq and GIUH-I30 models performed satisfactorily with 12 of the 20 rain events resulting in NSE values greater than 0.50. Overall, the GIUH models underestimated peak discharge compared to observed data. The GIUH models were moderately sensitive to changes in flow velocity. Peak discharge and time to peak discharge were highly sensitive to changes in flow velocity. The developed GIUH models could be used for simulating flood hydrographs of the Gule catchment. Particularly, the GIUH-I30 model will be very useful for estimating direct surface runoff in the absence of streamflow data.

Vegetation restoration serves as a long-term and important strategic initiative in ecologically-fragile locations worldwide, while the ecological effects of long-term vegetation restoration must be thoroughly investigated to support ecological restoration in these regions. The Loess Plateau is a typical area where the eco-environment has been improved by vegetation restoration in China, wherein four representative sites: the P. tabulaeformis planted forest, P. orientalis planted forest, R. pseudoacacia planted forest and the natural Secondary forest were selected as examples of typical planted and natural forests in this study. To analyze the ecological benefits of different vegetation restoration types and discuss a more sustainable pattern of afforestation in the future, soil properties in 0–100 cm, vegetation attributes at four synusiae, and hydrological regulation functions (the rainfall distributions of 23 rainfall events and 10 years of soil water storage) were measured and compared. The results showed that: (1) the soil properties of natural Secondary forest, in particular, soil water-retention capacities, were better than those of the planted forests; (2) the biomass of arborous synusia in natural Secondary forest was less than that in the planted forests, whereas it was significantly higher at shrub and herbaceous synusiae; (3) there were differences in rainfall redistribution among the natural and planted forests examined in this study, and the natural forest exhibited the highest soil water storage (414.33 mm) during the last decade; (4) according to the structural equation model (SEM), the vegetation attributes at arborous and herbaceous synusiae had the most direct and total effect on the hydrological regulation functions in the ecosystems. The results indicate that afforestation should be conducted in a way of near-natural restoration, which can provide guidance for future vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau and other ecologically vulnerable areas.

There is a need for precise irrigation strategies to reduce leaching and water use, whilst avoiding drought exposure. A model-based prediction and visualization method is proposed to help estimate the precise required irrigation dosage and frequency to achieve desired leaching fraction and drought exposure as a multi-objective optimization problem. The method produces a contour plot that shows the estimated leaching and drought exposure under uncertain evapotranspiration. Three sandy soils and three clay soils were examined for a total of 6 different soils, which included a clay soil case with protected Chrysanthemum cultivation. The results illustrate the usefulness of this type of visualization in decision support. Predictions indicate that compared to a conventional irrigation strategy, leaching could be reduced by 40% and water use by 9% whilst maintaining a low drought exposure (below 1%). Furthermore, predictions indicate that reducing evapotranspiration uncertainty would require an irrigation frequency increase (∼20%) or a total irrigation dosage increase (∼10%). Compared to clay soils, sandy soils require a higher frequency irrigation (more than once per 2 days) to prevent drought exposure. The proposed model-based framework and visualization method provides a useful understanding of low-risk irrigation strategies that account for evapotranspiration uncertainty, while reducing water use and minimizing leaching, giving valuable insights to agricultural professionals and policymakers alike. Additionally, the developed framework has the potential to be used as a core for decision and control tools developed for sustainable agriculture and water resource management.

Soil compaction due to agricultural vehicle traffic is recognized as one of the major threats to soil productivity, and soil ecological and hydrological functioning. The size and weight of agricultural machinery have significantly increased during the last decades which is likely to have increased compaction levels. The recently published report of the mission board for soil health and food, “Caring for soil is caring for life” (European Commission, 2020) estimates that the area of land failing soil health due to compaction is 23-33% (7% of which outside agricultural area). Preventing soil compaction is important because the effects of structural decay can affect yields for decades and the decreased infiltration and storage capacity. Once a soil becomes compacted, there are several techniques to solve this. However, the question is which techniques are available, how long they are effective and under what conditions they are best used. In this research, which is part of the EJP SOIL SOILCOMPAC project, an extensive literature review was conducted and combined with data from current recovery field experiments. An overview is made of past and running experiments on recovery methods in different countries to characterize the rate of recovery by different processes and the relative importance of the recovery mechanisms across pedo-climatic zones. The review includes mechanical (tillage), biological (“biosubsoiling”) and natural (soil physical processes) methods. The research was made on the compacted subsoil below the plough layer (25-50 cm b.s.). This means that the focus is on arable farming however most of the recovery techniques can also be applied to grassland.

The report describes what regenerative and conventional agriculture can mean in a Dutch context and shows the actual and potential benefit of regenerative agriculture compared to conventional agriculture with respect to soil carbon sequestration for a practical case study of a Dutch farm on marine clay soils in the Netherlands. Het rapport beschrijft wat regeneratieve en conventionele landbouw kan betekenen in de Nederlandse context. Daarnaast laat het rapport de feitelijke en potentiele voordelen van regeneratieve akkerbouw ten opzichte van conventionele akkerbouw zien met betrekking tot bodemkoolstofvastlegging voor een praktische case study op een Nederlandse boerderij op zeeklei.

Climate change has caused the soil temperature of the upper 100 cm to increase by an average of 1.5 ̊C over the past forty years and will continue to increase by 1.2°C over the next thirty years. The rate of increase is strongly determined by vegetation. For example, bare soil will warm much faster and more strongly than grass-covered soil. Thus, nature developers can influence soil temperature through vegetation, but the type of measure on will define the effect. An integrated understanding of temperature and water dynamics in the soil-crop-atmosphere system is urgently needed to better understand the risks of soil temperature elevation and to appropriately adapt cropping and nature development systems to these integrated climate effects. Klimaatverandering is er de oorzaak van dat de bodemtemperatuur van de bovenste 100 cm van de bodem de afgelopen veertig jaar met gemiddeld 1.5°C is toegenomen en de komende dertig jaar nog met 1.2°C zal stijgen. De mate van stijging wordt sterk bepaald door de vegetatie. Zo zal kale grond veel sneller en sterker opwarmen dan met gras begroeide grond. Een natuurbeheerder kan dus invloed uitoefenen op de bodemtemperatuur via de vegetatie, maar daarbij zal de maatregel op de vegetatie leidend zijn. Er is dringend behoefte aan een integraal begrip van warmte en water in de bodem-gewas-atmosfeerdynamiek om de risico’s van bodemtemperatuurverhoging beter te begrijpen en om de teeltsystemen en natuurbeheersystemen op passende wijze aan te passen aan deze samengestelde klimaateffecten.

Watervision Agriculture (in Dutch: Waterwijzer Landbouw) is used to quantify the effects of hydrology and climate on agricultural crop production. To assess the extent to which the instrument is adequate, validation is required. Some of the results are described in this report. The crop development simulated by Watervision Agricultural was compared with local observations obtained from experimental farms and on a regional and national level with satellite images of the vegetation index. Also a comparison with the so called HELP-tabel was made. Waterwijzer Landbouw is het instrumentarium waarmee effecten van hydrologie en klimaat op landbouwkundige gewasproductie kan worden gekwantificeerd. Om in te schatten in hoeverre het instrument voldoet is validatie nodig. Enkele resultaten zijn beschreven in dit rapport. Modelresultaten van Waterwijzer Landbouw zijn vergeleken met waarnemingen van lokale datasets afkomstig van proefbedrijven. Op regionaal en landelijke niveau is een vergelijking gemaakt met satellietbeelden van de Groenmonitor. Ook is er een vergelijking gemaakt met de resultaten van de HELP- tabel.

The climate is changing. Due to the special structure of the soil and subsoil, the water system on the Winterswijk plateau is extra sensitive to this, with the result that streams of ecological value, such as the Ratumse brook, run dry. The challenge is to create a more robust water system that responds less sensitively to weather extremes: streams with a higher basic discharge, smoothed discharge peaks that can supply sufficient groundwater for nature, agriculture and other uses well into the growing season. For the Ratumse beek, research is being carried out into whether a diversion of the lower course of the river contributes to a climate-robust water system and what the ecology’s response to this could be. Het klimaat verandert. Het watersysteem op het Winterswijks plateau is hier door de bijzondere opbouw van bodem en ondergrond extra gevoelig voor, met als gevolg dat beken van ecologische waarde, zoals de Ratumse beek, droogvallen. De uitdaging is om een robuuster watersysteem te creëren dat minder gevoelig reageert op weersextremen: beken met een hogere basisafvoer, afgevlakte afvoerpieken die tot ver in het groeiseizoen voldoende grondwater kunnen leveren voor natuur, landbouw en andere gebruiksfuncties. Voor de Ratumse beek is onderzocht of een verlegging van de benedenloop bijdraagt aan een klimaat-robuuster watersysteem en wat de respons van de ecologie daarop kan zijn.

In the northwest Ethiopian highlands, Fagita Lekoma district, farmers’ are practicing different land use systems such as crop land use, fodder land use, tree based land use and a combination these land use systems. Acacia decurrens based small-scale agroforestry (SSA) land use system is commonly practiced. However, the economic advantage of the A. decurrens based SSA land use system is not yet investigated. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the productivity and economic benefit of the A. decurrens based SSA land use system. Within the district, five investigation sites were selected where A. decurrens based SSA land use system (LUS) widely applied. The study was designed in five treatments with five replications and the test crop was Teff (Eragrostis teff, E. abyssinica) and the test agroforestry tree was A. decurrens. The treatments were; (1) Sole crop (Teff) LUS, (2) Sole fodder LUS, (3) Crop—A. decurrens intercropped LUS, (4) Fodder—A. decurrens intercropped LUS, and (5) Sole A. decurrens LUS. The result shows that the Teff—A. decurrens intercropped, fodder—A. decurrens intercropped, and sole A. decurrens LUSs, respectively, were found to provide better income for small-holder farmers. The Teff—A. decurrens intercropped LUS provided 1.3 and 1.2 times more income than the sole Teff and sole Acacia LUSs, respectively. The fodder—A. decurrens intercropped LUS provided 11 times more income than the sole fodder LUS. These are the main reasons motivating farmers to change the sole Teff and sole fodder LUSs to mixed/intercropped LUS. In general, A. decurrens intercropped based SSA land use system was found to provide better income for small-holder farmers. Hence, the mixed land use system is recommended to be practiced by farmers and could be up-scaled to other areas having similar agro-ecological situations.

De Bodemkaart van Nederland, schaal 1:50.000, is onderdeel van de Basisregistratie Ondergrond (BRO), eencentrale registratie met publieke gegevens over de Nederlandse ondergrond. Wageningen Environmental Research(WENR) onderhoudt dit bestand voor het ministerie van LNV.Dit rapport presenteert verbeterde en recente informatie over de bodem, het voorkomen van veen en landvormenin de gemeente Vijfheerenlanden, die is ingewonnen bij de actualisatie van de Bodemkaart en GeomorfologischeKaart in 2022.---Update of the soil map of the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden: Remapping the spatial distribution of peat soilsThe Soil Map of the Netherlands at scale 1:50.000 is part of the Dutch National Key Registry of the Subsurface(BRO), the central registry of public data on the subsurface of the Netherlands. Wageningen EnvironmentalResearch (WENR) maintains this map for the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.This report presents improved and updated information on soils, the occurrence of peat and landforms in themunicipality of Vijfheerenlanden, that was collected during the update of the Soil Map and Geomorphological Map in2022

Soil organic matter (SOM) stocks are crucial for soil fertility and food provision and also contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, assessing SOM changes in cropping systems is difficult due to the varying quantity and quality of input data. SOM processes have been described by several models, but these are complex and require high amounts of input data. In this work, we identified and selected frameworks that simulate SOM pools and stocks as well as the effects of different management practices. We also required that the frameworks be easily accessible for farm-related end users and require limited and accessible amounts of input data. In all, six frameworks met our inclusion criteria: SOCRATES (Soil Organic Carbon Reserves and Transformations in EcoSystems), CCB (CANDY and-Carbon Balance), AMG, CENTURY, CQESTR, and RothC (Rothamsted Carbon Model). We collected information on these frameworks and compared them in terms of their accessibility, the model time steps used, the nutrient cycles included in the simulation, the number of SOM pools, and the agricultural management options included. Our results showed that CCB was the most robust of the frameworks considered, while AMG, CQESTR, and RothC performed the least well. However, all frameworks have strengths which may match the specific requirements and abilities of individual users.

Landslides are natural hazards that can cause catastrophic life losses and damage to infrastructures and communities. In Iran, landslide exposure has been predominantly increasing in the Zagros Mountains, notably along the lifelines, such as road networks. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the landslide vulnerability of a 6682 km road network in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, using a two-step methodology comprised of: (1) landslide susceptibility mapping using four machine learning methods—boosted regression trees (BRT), multiple discriminant analysis (MDA), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and random forest (RF); and (2) mapping road exposure to landslides using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that computed the weight for four buffer zones (0–50, 50–150, 150–300, and > 300 m) from the road network. The combined results of steps 1 and 2 produced a map of the road network vulnerability to landslides that demonstrated that 9.7 km (13.6%) of the road network was located in the very-high vulnerability class. Specifically, the roads of the Ardal and Kohrang counties have been found to be the most vulnerable to landslide risk. The finding of this study could be useful for decision-makers and civil engineering to better manage road networks in terms of landslide risk and community resilience in the aftermath of major landslides.

In a context of a rapidly changing livability of towns and countryside, climate change and biodiversity decrease, this paper introduces a landscape-based planning approach to regional spatial policy challenges allowing a regime shift towards a future land system resilient to external pressures. The concept of nature-based solutions and transition theory are combined in this approach, in which co-created normative future visions serve as boundary concepts. Rather than as an object in itself, the landscape is considered as a comprehensive principle, to which all spatial processes are inherently related. We illustrate this approach with three projects in the Netherlands in which landscape-based visions were used to guide the land transition, going beyond the traditional nature-based solutions. The projects studied show that a shared long-term future landscape vision is a powerful boundary concept and a crucial source of inspiration for a coherent design approach to solve today&rsquo, s spatial planning problems. Further, they show that cherishing abiotic differences in the landscape enhances sustainable and resilient landscapes, that co-creation in the social network is a prerequisite for shared solutions, and that a landscape-based approach enhances future-proof land-use transitions to adaptive, circular, and biodiverse landscapes.

Soils form the basis for agricultural production and other ecosystem services, and soil management should aim at improving their quality and resilience. Within the SoilCare project, the concept of soil-improving cropping systems (SICS) was developed as a holistic approach to facilitate the adoption of soil management that is sustainable and profitable. SICS selected with stakeholders were monitored and evaluated for environmental, sociocultural, and economic effects to determine profitability and sustainability. Monitoring results were upscaled to European level using modelling and Europe-wide data, and a mapping tool was developed to assist in selection of appropriate SICS across Europe. Furthermore, biophysical, sociocultural, economic, and policy reasons for (non)adoption were studied. Results at the plot/farm scale showed a small positive impact of SICS on environment and soil, no effect on sustainability, and small negative impacts on economic and sociocultural dimensions. Modelling showed that different SICS had different impacts across Europe—indicating the importance of understanding local dynamics in Europe-wide assessments. Work on adoption of SICS confirmed the role economic considerations play in the uptake of SICS, but also highlighted social factors such as trust. The project’s results underlined the need for policies that support and enable a transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in a coherent way. article-number: 780 ispartof: Land vol:11 issue:6 status: published

Recent research established a link between environmental alterations due to agriculture intensification, social damage and the loss of economic growth. Thus, the integration of environmental and social dimensions is key for economic development. In recent years, several frameworks have been proposed to assess the overall sustainability of farms. Nevertheless, the myriad of existing frameworks and the variety of indicators result in difficulties in selecting the most appropriate framework for study site application. This manuscript aims to: (i) understand the criteria to select appropriate frameworks and summarize the range of those being used to assess sustainability; (ii) identify the available frameworks to assess agricultural sustainability; and (iii) analyze the strengths, weaknesses and applicability of each framework. Six frameworks, namely SAFA, RISE, MASC, LADA, SMART and public goods (PG), were identified. Results show that SMART is the framework that considers, in a balanced way, the environmental, sociocultural and economic dimensions of sustainability, whereas others focused on the environmental (RISE), environmental and economic (PG) and sociocultural (SAFA) dimension. However, depending on the scale assessment, sector of application and the sustainability completeness intended, all frameworks are suitable for the assessment. We present a decision tree to help future users understand the best option for their objective.

Soil erosion is a serious ecological problem in Mediterranean areas. The IntErO model based on the erosion potential method (EPM) and the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) have been used to assess soil erosion in several basins. This study aimed to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of these methods for evaluating sediment production and deposition rates in the Arbaa Ayacha basin, Morocco, in order to estimate sediment fluxes on a catchment scale. Our findings suggest that the basin is strongly exposed to erosion owing to geological formations, slope and land use, with average losses of about 28.4 t ha−1 year−1. Erosion processes were evaluated at the erosion production (Eocene marly formations) and sedimentation zones (Quaternary terraces). The results of these models may be useful to address soil and water management in this region and to assess the impact of a river dam that will be built in the basin.

Field studies that investigate sediment transport between debris‐flow‐producing headwaters and rivers are uncommon, particularly in forested settings, where debris flows are infrequent and opportunities for collecting data are limited. This study quantifies the volume and composition of sediment deposited in the arterial channel network of a 14‐km2 catchment (Washington Creek) that connects small, burned and debris‐flow‐producing headwaters (

Soil erosion, rapid geomorphological change and vegetation degradation are major threats to the human and natural environment. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can be used as tools to provide detailed and accurate estimations of landscape change. The effect of flight strategy on the accuracy of UAS image data products, typically a digital surface model (DSM) and orthophoto, is unknown. Herein different flying altitudes (126-235 m) and area coverage orientations (N-S and SW-NE) are assessed in a semi-arid and medium-relief area where terraced and abandoned agricultural fields are heavily damaged by piping and gully erosion. The assessment was with respect to cell size, vertical and horizontal accuracy, absolute difference of DSM, and registration of recognizable landscape features. The results show increasing cell size (5-9 cm) with increasing altitude, and differences between elevation values (10-20 cm) for different flight directions. Vertical accuracy ranged 4-7 cm but showed no clear relationship with flight strategy, whilst horizontal error was stable (2-4 cm) for the different orthophotos. In all data sets, geomorphological features such as piping channels, rills and gullies and vegetation patches could be labeled by a technician. Finally, the datasets have been released in a public repository.

There is growing international interest in better managing soils to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content to contribute to climate change mitigation, to enhance resilience to climate change and to underpin food security, through initiatives such as international ‘4p1000’ initiative and the FAO's Global assessment of SOC sequestration potential (GSOCseq) programme. Since SOC content of soils cannot be easily measured, a key barrier to implementing programmes to increase SOC at large scale, is the need for credible and reliable measurement/monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) platforms, both for national reporting and for emissions trading. Without such platforms, investments could be considered risky. In this paper, we review methods and challenges of measuring SOC change directly in soils, before examining some recent novel developments that show promise for quantifying SOC. We describe how repeat soil surveys are used to estimate changes in SOC over time, and how long‐term experiments and space‐for‐time substitution sites can serve as sources of knowledge and can be used to test models, and as potential benchmark sites in global frameworks to estimate SOC change. We briefly consider models that can be used to simulate and project change in SOC and examine the MRV platforms for SOC change already in use in various countries/regions. In the final section, we bring together the various components described in this review, to describe a new vision for a global framework for MRV of SOC change, to support national and international initiatives seeking to effect change in the way we manage our soils., Since soil organic carbon (SOC) changes are difficult to measure, a key barrier to implementing programmes to increase SOC is the need for credible and reliable measurement/monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) platforms. We review methods for measuring SOC change directly in soils, examine novel developments for quantifying SOC change and describe how surveys, long‐term experiments and chronosequences can be used for testing models and as benchmark sites in global frameworks to estimate SOC change. We review MRV platforms for soil organic carbon change already in use and describe a new vision for a global framework for MRV of SOC change.

The Netherlands is party to the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) and is, thereby, committed to report about the progress made towards the objectives of this convention. This project explored the shortcomings of the existing UNCCD methodology, and how it could be adapted to take the specific conditions in the Netherlands into account. In this project, we aimed to assess the suitability of the UNCCD SDG 15.3 monitoring and reporting methodology for the Dutch context, and which additional tools could be added to this methodology to enable a more realistic assessment of the actual Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) status and evolution in the Netherlands. Nederland is verplicht om aan de UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) te rapporteren over de voortgang die is gemaakt omtrent de doelstellingen van de conventie. In dit project is onderzocht hoe de standaard UNCCD methodologie kan worden aangepast om rekening te houden met de specifieke omstandigheden in Nederland. Daarbij ging het om de beoordeling van de geschiktheid van de UNCCD SDG 15.3 methode voor monitoring en rapportage voor de Nederlandse context en welke aanvullende tools aan deze methodologie kunnen worden toegevoegd voor een realistische beoordeling van de Land Degradation Neutrality status en ontwikkeling in Nederland.

In the last years, the environmental impacts of cosmetics production have received growing interest from consumers, industries and the scientific community. Therefore, the selection and evaluation of more sustainable ingredients for cosmetic preparations need greater attention. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the environmental impact of snail secretion filtrate (LX360®), which could be used as an alternative cosmetic ingredient. The Carbon Footprint (CF) was used to quantify the kgCO2eq per liter of the LX360® produced in a rearing system farm that follows circularity economy and regenerative agriculture principles. The study computes the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock change due to the implementation of regenerative agricultural practices. The CF of the production system was up to 1.76 kg CO2eq L−1, where the extraction stage contributed most. Findings on SOC stock showed a significant increase compared to the previous land-use. The net sequestered CO2 into the soil amounts to 2.07 kg CO2eq L−1; therefore, the production of LX360® showed a positive carbon balance (0.31 kg CO2eq L−1). The application of regenerative agriculture in snail rearing systems positively affects SOC sequestration, and it should be considered as a best management practice for the restoration of degraded land.

In the context of the Peat Innovation Program, the effect of pump-controlled submerged drains (pressure drains or AWIS) and trench infiltration on the groundwater table was investigated in 2018 to 2021. Submerged drains lie below ditch level and can both drain and infiltrate. In the case of pressure drains,additional facilities increase the pressure difference between surface water level and groundwater table and this enhances the functioning of the drains. On the test plots where the pressure drainage system functioned well, the groundwater level could be kept at a significantly higher level during the growing season with pressure drains. This could also be achieved with trench infiltration, but the measure was less effective than pressure drains. Both measures have the potential to reduce ground level subsidence and greenhouse gasemissions. In het kader van het InnovatieProgramma Veen (IPV) is in 2018 tot en met 2021 het effect van pompgestuurde onderwaterdrains (drukdrains of AWIS) en greppelsinfiltratie op de grondwaterstand onderzocht. Onderwaterdrains liggen onder slootpeil en kunnen zowel draineren als infiltreren. Bij drukdrains wordt met extra voorzieningen het drukverschil tussen oppervlaktewater en grondwaterstand vergroot en dit versterkt de werking van de drains. Op de proefpercelen waar het drukdrainsysteem goed functioneerde kon in het groeiseizoen met drukdrains de grondwaterstand op een significant hoger peil gehouden worden. Ook met greppelinfiltratie kon dit gerealiseerd worden, maar de maatregel was minder effectief dan drukdrains. Beide maatregelen hebben potentie om maaiveldvelddaling en broeikasgasemissie te verminderen.

Circularity is a necessity for the future of our society but individual households often find it difficult to contribute to this transition. This paper presents possible future visions of circular (and climate-neutral) households, inside and outside the house, regarding their contributions to the circular society, and taking into account food, energy, waste, household devices, and recreation. We combined expert interviews and a literature review to (1) explore imaginable futures for circular households, and (2) make a qualitative evaluation of the inside- and outside-house influences of households on a climate-neutral and circular society. Interviewees were selected to represent different scientific backgrounds. The four household types were organized according to more local or global, and collective or individual, levels: (1) the Househood (centering around neighborhoods); (2) the HouseNet (connecting households); (3) the Sharing Household (sharing goods between households); and (4) the Designing Household (input from circular-by-design products). The analysis shows that households can become more circular by connecting developments in social, ecological, and technological systems, such as those in price dynamics, policies, or land-use design. However, barriers and limitations need attention, including: (1) public awareness and willingness to change; (2) economic models; (3) waste; and (4) social justice.

Climate change increases the occurrence and severity of droughts due to increasing temperatures, altered circulation patterns, and reduced snow occurrence. While Europe has suffered from drought events in the last decade unlike ever seen since the beginning of weather recordings, harmonized long-term datasets across the continent are needed to monitor change and support predictions. Here we present soil moisture data from 66 cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNSs) in Europe (COSMOS-Europe for short) covering recent drought events. The CRNS sites are distributed across Europe and cover all major land use types and climate zones in Europe. The raw neutron count data from the CRNS stations were provided by 24 research institutions and processed using state-of-the-art methods. The harmonized processing included correction of the raw neutron counts and a harmonized methodology for the conversion into soil moisture based on available in situ information. In addition, the uncertainty estimate is provided with the dataset, information that is particularly useful for remote sensing and modeling applications. This paper presents the current spatiotemporal coverage of CRNS stations in Europe and describes the protocols for data processing from raw measurements to consistent soil moisture products. The data of the presented COSMOS-Europe network open up a manifold of potential applications for environmental research, such as remote sensing data validation, trend analysis, or model assimilation The dataset could be of particular importance for the analysis of extreme climatic events at the continental scale. Due its timely relevance in the scope of climate change in the recent years, we demonstrate this potential application with a brief analysis on the spatiotemporal soil moisture variability. The dataset, entitled "Dataset of COSMOS-Europe: A European network of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Soil Moisture Sensors", is shared via Forschungszentrum Julich: https://doi.org/10.34731/x9s3-kr48 (Bogena and Ney, 2021)., Earth System Science Data, 14 (3), ISSN:1866-3516, ISSN:1866-3508

Water retention and hydraulic conductivity of soils are dependent on texture and structure. In case clay ismixed in a sandy top soil this will change its texture and structure. In this study the water retention andhydraulic conductivity characteristics are determined for samples with clay mixed in sand and compared tothose for sand. Waterretentie en doorlatendheid van een bodem zijn afhankelijk van de textuur en structuur. Wanneer kleidoor de bovenlaag van een zandgrond wordt vermengd, veranderen de textuur en structuur van dezebovengrond. In deze studie zijn de waterretentie- en doorlatendheidskarakteristieken van met klei verrijktezandmonsters vergeleken met die van zand.

In the Regiodeal Bodemdaling Groene Hart deals with the subsidence of ground level in relation to a fixed level such as NAP. This ground level has developed over decades because of processes in soft soil layers in the Holocene. However, over shorter periods, time series of changes in the height of ground level rarely show a simple downward trend. The height change is dynamic with periods of rise and fall, especially in areas with peat and/or clay near ground level, such as in the Groene Hart. In peat areas, this can involve movements of up to approximately 10 cm. In this study, a model was developed to calculate the dynamics of the ground level because of shrinkage/swelling and compaction/expansion. The first model design was tested using data from the NOBV site in Rouveen. Het onderzoek in de Regiodeal Bodemdaling Groene Hart richt zich op de daling van het maaiveld ten opzichte van een hoogtereferentievlak zoals het NAP, die in de loop van jaren tot decennia tot stand komt door veenoxidatie, rijping en compactie van bodemlagen in het pakket Holocene afzettingen. Over kortere perioden laten tijdreeksen van de hoogteverandering van het maaiveld en ondiepe bodemniveaus echter zelden een simpele dalingstrend zien. De hoogteverandering is dynamisch, met perioden van stijging en daling, met name in gebieden met veen en/of klei nabij maaiveld zoals in het Groene Hart. In veengebieden kan het gaan om bewegingen tot circa 1 decimeter. In dit onderzoek is een model ontwikkeld om de dynamiek van het maaiveld als gevolg van krimp/zwel en compactie/expansie te berekenen. De eerste modelopzet is getoetst op basis van data van de NOBV-site Rouveen.

PurposeThe transition to a low carbon future is an emerging challenge and requires the planning and designing of sustainable energy landscapes – landscapes that provide renewable energy while safeguarding the supply of other ecosystem services. The aim of this paper is to present the application of an ecosystem services trade-off assessment in the development of sustainable energy landscapes for long-term strategic planning in a case study in Schouwen-Duivenland, The Netherlands.Design/methodology/approachThe application consists in three activities: in (1) stakeholder mapping hot spots of ecosystem services and renewable energy technologies in a workshop, (2) landscape design principles being discussed by a focus group, (3) experts gathering the information and proceeding with an assessment of the potential synergies and trade-offs.FindingsThe case study indicates that (1) deploying the ecosystem services framework in planning and design can enhance the development of sustainable energy landscapes, (2) diversified and accurate spatial reference systems advance the trade-off analysis of both regulating and cultural ecosystem services and (3) the involvement of local stakeholders can advance the trade-off analysis and, ultimately, facilitates the transition to a low-carbon future with sustainable energy landscapes.Originality/valueThe originality of this research lies in the creation of an approach for the deployment of ecosystem services in the planning and design of energy transition. This is useful to advance energy transition by enhancing research methods, by providing methods useful for planners and designers and by supporting communities pursuing energy self-sufficiency in a sustainable manner.

Climate change has caused an increase of the soil temperature of the top 100 cm of 1.5 C on average over the past 40 years. This increase leads to an acceleration of various soil processes such as mineralization, denitrification and peat oxidation. Soil temperature is one of the many factors that play a role in the development of natural vegetation. There is also a strong interaction between the vegetation and the soil temperature, whereby the effect of vegetation on soil temperature exceeds that of soil temperature on vegetation. This means that soil temperature depends very much on the local microclimate. Further research should clarify the extent to which the soil temperature will continue to rise in the future and what the consequences will be for the design and management of nature reserves. Klimaatverandering is er de oorzaak van dat de bodemtemperatuur van de bovenste 100 cm de afgelopen veertig jaar met gemiddeld 1,5 ̊C is toegenomen. Deze verhoging leidt tot een versnelling van diverse bodemprocessen zoals mineralisatie, denitrificatie en veenoxidatie. Bodemtemperatuur is een van de vele factoren die meespelen in de ontwikkeling van natuurlijke begroeiingen. Daarbij is er een sterke interactie tussen de vegetatie en de bodemtemperatuur, waarbij het effect van vegetatie op de bodemtemperatuur groter is dan dat van de bodemtemperatuur op de vegetatie. Dat betekent dat bodemtemperatuur erg afhankelijk is van het microklimaat ter plekke. Nader onderzoek moet duidelijk maken in hoeverre de bodemtemperatuur in de toekomst verder gaat stijgen en wat de gevolgen daarvan zijn op de inrichting en het beheer van natuurgebieden.

As part of the expertise development within the WOT, and in collaboration with a number of other knowledge institutes, we worked in recent years on the Natural Capital Model. This model consists of a set of ecosystem service models and is designed to determining the biophysical state of the natural capital in the Netherlands (mapping), as well as estimating the effects of existing and new policy and future developments on this natural capital (modelling). The model determines the potential societal demand for goods and services and to what extent ecosystems in the Netherlands meet this demand. The aim of this report is to present the technical underpinning of the latest version of the Natural Capital Model, including model assumptions, data requirements and data outputs. With the right input, the model can generate figures and spatial maps for the thirteen ecosystem services provided by urban, rural and natural areas: drinking water production, wood production, biomass for energy production, pollination, soil fertility, water retention, urban cooling, water purification, pest control, carbon sequestration, air quality regulation, outdoor recreation and natural heritage. This report is written following the Status A quality criteria of the WUR. Status A quality is about model quality, describing the model, assumptions, and assessing validation, calibration and uncertainty analysis. Actually obtaining Status A, applying the model and improving the individual ecosystem service models will be a priority for the coming years. Als onderdeel van de Kennisontwikkeling binnen de WOT is er in samenwerking met een aantal andere kennisinstituten de afgelopen jaren gewerkt aan het Natural Capital Model. Dit model bestaat uit een set van ecosysteemdienstmodellen en is ontworpen om zowel de biofysische toestand (mapping) van het natuurlijk kapitaal in Nederland te kunnen bepalen, als het effect in te kunnen schatten van bestaand en nieuw beleid en van toekomstige ontwikkelingen van dit natuurlijk kapitaal (modellering). Het model bepaalt de potentiële maatschappelijke vraag aan goederen en diensten en de mate waarin ecosystemen in Nederland aan deze vraag kunnen voldoen. Het doel van dit rapport is om de technische onderbouwing van de meest recente versie van het Natural Capital Model te presenteren, inclusief model-aannamen, benodigde gegevens en resultaten. Met de juiste input kan het model cijfers en ruimtelijke kaarten voor dertien ecosysteemdiensten genereren voor stedelijke, landelijke en natuurlijke gebieden: drinkwaterproductie, houtproductie, biomassa voor energieproductie, bestuiving, bodemvruchtbaarheid, waterberging, verkoeling in de stad, waterzuivering, plaagonderdrukking, koolstofvastlegging, luchtzuivering, groene recreatie en natuurlijk erfgoed. Dit rapport is geschreven conform het Status A-kwaliteitssysteem van de WUR. Status A-kwaliteit gaat over modelkwaliteit en beschrijft de modellen, aannames, validatie, kalibratie en onzekerheden. Het daadwerkelijk verkrijgen van deze A-status, het toepassen van het model en het verbeteren van de afzonderlijke ecosysteemdienstmodellen heeft prioriteit voor de komende jaren.

For many decades, soil scientists have produced spatial estimates of soil properties using statistical and non-statistical mapping models. Commonly in soil mapping studies the map quality is assessed through pairwise comparison of observed and predicted values of a soil property, from which statistical indices summarizing the quality of the entire map are computed. Often these indices are based on average error and correlation statistics. In this study, we recommend a more appropriate and effective method of map evaluation by means of Taylor and solar diagrams. Taylor and solar diagrams are summary diagrams exploiting the relationship between statistical indices to visualize differentiable aspects of map quality into a single plot. An important advantage over current map quality evaluation is that map quality can be assessed from the combined effect of a few statistical quantities, not just on the basis of a single index or list of indices. We illustrate the use of common statistical indices and their combination into summary diagrams with a simulation study and two applications on soil data. In the simulation study nine maps with known statistical properties are produced and evaluated with tables and summary diagrams. In the first case study with soil data, change in the quality of a large-scale topsoil organic carbon map is tracked for a number of permutations in the mapping model parameters, whereas in the second case study several maps of topsoil organic carbon content for the same area, made by various statistical and non-statistical models, are compared and evaluated. We consider that in all cases better insights in map quality are obtained with summary diagrams, instead of using a single index or an extensive list of indices. This underpins the importance of using integrated summary graphics to communicate on quantitative map quality so as to avoid excessive trust that a single map quality index may suggest.

Forest fires impact on soil, water, and biota resources. The current forest fires in the West Coast of the United States (US) profoundly impacted the atmosphere and air quality across the ecosystems and have caused severe environmental and public health burdens. Forest fire led emissions could significantly exacerbate the air pollution level and, therefore, would play a critical role if the same occurs together with any epidemic and pandemic health crisis. Limited research is done so far to examine its impact in connection to the current pandemic. As of October 21, nearly 8.2 million acres of forest area were burned, with more than 25 casualties reported so far. In-situ air pollution data were utilized to examine the effects of the 2020 forest fire on atmosphere and coronavirus (COVID-19) casualties. The spatial-temporal concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) were collected from August 1 to October 30 for 2020 (the fire year) and 2019 (the reference year). Both spatial (Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression) and non-spatial (Negative Binomial Regression) analyses were performed to assess the adverse effects of fire emission on human health. The in-situ data-led measurements showed that the maximum increases in PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 concentrations (μg/m3) were clustered in the West Coastal fire-prone states during August 1 – October 30, 2020. The average concentration (μg/m3) of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and NO2 was increased in all the fire states severely affected by forest fires. The average PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3) over the period were recorded as 7.9, 6.3, 5.5, and 5.2 for California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington in 2019, increasing up to 24.9, 13.4, 25.0, and 17.0 in 2020. Both spatial and non-spatial regression models exhibited a statistically significant association between fire emission and COVID-19 incidents. Such association has been demonstrated robust and stable by a total of 30 models developed for analyzing the spatial non-stationary and local association. More in-depth research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between forest fire emission and human health.

This report describes the use of local models within the Grow with the Flow (GwtF) project. The aim of this is to show farmers the added value of local modelling compared to the regional model approach and to map out for water boards what is needed to model the water system (at plot level). The local models are set up with the SWAP model (Soil, Water, Atmosphere and Plant). The models have been validated for the catchment area of the Aa en Maas water board, where soil moisture has been measured on several locations and other data are available. The validation provides insight into which situations the local model is able to approach reality and also if the local model can be made more field specific. There are many sides to this, including more detail, flexibility in parameterization, the ability to take feedback into account, and more possibilities to calibrate the model (resulting in a better match with measured data). Dit rapport beschrijft het gebruik van lokale modellen binnen het project Grow with the Flow (GwtF). Dit heeft als doel om voor de telers de meerwaarde van lokale modellering in beeld te brengen ten opzichte van een regionale modelaanpak en voor waterschappen in beeld te brengen wat nodig is om het watersysteem (op perceelsniveau) te modelleren. De lokale modellen zijn opgezet met het model SWAP (Soil, Water, Atmosphere, Plant). De modellen zijn gevalideerd voor het stroomgebied van waterschap Aa en Maas, waar bodemvocht is gemeten op verschillende locaties en andere gegevens beschikbaar zijn. De validatie geeft inzicht voor welke situaties het lokale model in staat is de werkelijkheid te benaderen en tevens hoe het lokale model perceel-specifieker gemaakt kan worden. Daar zitten vele kanten aan, waaronder meer detail, flexibiliteit in parametrisatie, de mogelijkheid om feedback mee te nemen en meer mogelijkheden om het model te kalibreren (om te komen tot een betere overeenkomst met meetgegevens).

This short note was initially prepared as an outline for the project team of the research project ‘Deltas under Pressure’ (DuP) to structure activities and increase impact in the search for possible transition pathways for food systems in a delta environment. The overall aim is to present an overarching framework that clarifies the linkages between the different disciplines in analysing such pathways. This work was supported by the ‘Transition Pathways’ project that is part of the same research programme ‘Food and Water Security’. By placing research in context, the framework helps to increase the impact of research activities as the connections between the different research activities and critical intervention points become evident. The framework might also be helpful for other stakeholders, like policymakers, private sector parties, NGOs, farmers groups, and individuals involved.

International audience; The major event that hit Europe in summer 2021 reminds society that floods are recurrent and among the costliest and deadliest natural hazards. The long-term flood risk management (FRM) efforts preferring sole technical measures to prevent and mitigate floods have shown to be not sufficiently effective and sensitive to the environment. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) mark a recent paradigm shift of FRM towards solutions that use nature-derived features, processes and management options to improve water retention and mitigate floods. Yet, the empirical evidence on the effects of NBS across various settings remains fragmented and their implementation faces a series of institutional barriers. In this paper, we adopt a community expert perspective drawing upon LAND4FLOOD Natural flood retention on private land network (https://www.land4flood.eu) in order to identify a set of barriers and their cascading and compound interactions relevant to individual NBS. The experts identified a comprehensive set of 17 barriers affecting the implementation of 12 groups of NBS in both urban and rural settings in five European regional environmental domains (i.e., Boreal, Atlantic, Continental, Alpine-Carpathian, and Mediterranean). Based on the results, we define avenues for further research, connecting hydrology and soil science, on the one hand, and land use planning, social geography and economics, on the other. Our suggestions ultimately call for a transdisciplinary turn in the research of NBS in FRM.

Hoogheemraadschap de Stichtse Rijnlanden (HDSR) is een voorloper op het gebied van aanleggen van onderwaterdrainage/infiltratie om bodemdaling in veenweidegebieden te remmen. Dit gebeurt in de vorm van pilotprojecten waarin op relatief grote schaal onderwaterdrainage/infiltratie wordt aangelegd. Om de effecten op waterbeheer inzichtelijk te maken, is het nodig meer kennis en inzicht te krijgen in de verandering door onderwaterdrainage/infiltratie van de afvoer van water vanuit het perceel richting de sloot.De hypothese is namelijk dat, naast wateraanvoer, onderwaterdrainage/infiltratie ook zorgt voor een versnelde afvoer richting de sloot. HDSR ziet dit graag verder onderbouwd en gekwantificeerd voor hun beheergebied.

Om de landbouwschade (in de vorm van gewas-opbrengstderving) als gevolg van grondwaterwinning te berekenen, maakt de ACSG (Adviescommissie Schade Grondwater) gebruik van onder andere een gedetailleerde bodem- en grondwatertrappenkaart. Het vervaardigen van deze kaarten is specialistenwerk en kost tijd. Omdat het aantal én de omvang van de landbouwschadeprojecten toenemen, is er behoefte aan een karteermethode met een kortere doorlooptijd. Het doel van deze opdracht is om een aantal alternatieve karteerscenario’s te ontwikkelen die een kortere doorlooptijd hebben en om de nauwkeurigheid en efficiëntie ten opzichte van de huidige methode te analyseren. Voor elk scenario is de opbrengstderving als gevolg van de waterwinning berekend met Waterwijzer Landbouw. De scenarioresultaten zijn vervolgens ten opzichte van de huidige methode geanalyseerd met behulp van een kosten-batenanalyse.

Soil classification is based on both the properties of the soil material and the pedogenetic pathways responsible for those properties. Because soil properties are linked to soil function and potential, information on soil classification has formed the basis for empirical interpretations of mapping units in terms of limitations or suitabilities for a wide range of land uses. In this way, a soil type acts as an accessible "carrier of information" presenting "the story of.". Though valuable for broad land-use assessments, these empirical interpretations of soil functionality are inadequate to answer modern interdisciplinary questions focused on sustainable development. Four case studies are presented showing various quantitative approaches focusing on soil functions contributing to ecosystem services in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal, demonstrating that: (i) the use of soil surveys and associated databases feeding soil-water-atmosphere-plant simulation models can contribute to defining soil functions and ecosystem services; (ii) hydropedological characterization of soil types can allow a strong reduction in the number of landscape units to be considered, improving practical applicability; (iii) pedotransfer functions can successfully link soil data to modeling parameters; (iv) functionality requires expression of soil management effects on properties of a given soil type, to be expressed by phenoforms; (v) only models can be applied to explore important future effects of climate change by running IPCC scenarios; and (vi) the most effective level of soil classification--acting as carriers of information when defining soil functionality--will differ depending on the spatial scale being considered, whether local, regional or higher.

Coherent improvements in crop varieties and crop husbandry and soil management practices are needed to increase global crop production in a sustainable manner. However, these practices are often discussed separately, and as a result there is little overview. Here, we present a database and synthesis of 154 meta-analysis studies related to ten main crop husbandry and soil management practices, including crop type and rotations, tillage, drainage, nutrient management, irrigation and fertigation, weed management, pest management, crop residue management, mechanization and technology, and landscape management. Most meta-analysis studies were related to tillage (55), followed by crop type and rotations (32), nutrient management (25), crop residue management (19), and irrigation and fertigation (18). Few studies were related to landscape management (6) and mechanization and technology (2). In terms of outcome, studies focused on crop yield and quality (81), soil quality (73), and environmental impacts (56), and little on economic effects (7) or resource use efficiency (24). Reported effects of alternative practices, relative to conventional practice, were positive in general. Effect sizes were relatively large for environmental effects (nutrient leaching, greenhouse gas emissions), and small for soil quality (except for soil life) and crop yield. Together, meta-analysis studies indicate that there is large scope for increasing cropland productivity and minimizing environmental impacts. A roadmap is provided for integration and optimization of all ten practices, and recommendations are formulated to address the gaps in meta-analysis studies.

Irrigation and fertilisation are often over-applied, which exceeds crop requirements. Surface fertigation, a technique of applying pre-dissolved fertilisers together with irrigation water, seems to be a viable way to improve the on-farm performance in the North China Plain (NCP). Thus, we conducted a field experiment based on farmers’ practices from 2017 to 2019. Moreover, we calibrated and validated SWAP-WOFOST-N, a seasonal integrated agro-hydrology and crop growth model, to assess the effects of different practices on yield, water and nitrogen use efficiency (WUE and NUE) and resource loss. Lastly, we developed various scenarios using the model to determine improved strategies. The results showed that the SWAP-WOFOST and extended Soil-N model offered satisfactory accuracy when compared with field measured data for the tested domain of the hydrological and nitrogen cycle; farmers’ current irrigation and fertilisation practices resulted in low WUE and NUE, but the practice of split top-dressing nitrogen did not show significant improvement in the surface irrigation system; WUE, NUE and nitrogen loss were closely related to irrigation practices. We further concluded that an optimised irrigation practice combined with an optimal fertigation scenario is the feasible strategy to achieve sustainable crop yield, high WUE and NUE and reduced nitrogen loss.

Soils and their properties play an important role in land evaluation studies. Often such studies focus on larger scales ranging from watersheds up to the national scale or even larger. Soil properties are often known at smaller scales, sometimes at the level of individual soil samples. The aim of this study is to show how point information on soil hydraulic properties, i.e., water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics, can be upscaled via soil textural classes to a soil physical units map of a region or nation. Base information is the Dutch soil map (1:50,000) and the hydraulic properties of individual soil samples. All individual soil samples for which hydraulic properties were measured were divided based on their texture into eighteen top-soils and eighteen sub-soils. For each of these thirty-six groups geometric average water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics were derived. In total 368 derived soil profiles are distinguished in the Dutch soil map consisting of soil layers that are linked to the thirty-six texture groups. For each soil profile eight static hydraulic properties were calculated. The soil profiles were then clustered based on these properties into seventy-nine clusters or units, which then make up a soil physical units map for the Netherlands. It has been demonstrated that dynamically simulated transpiration reduction for the clustered situation is similar to obtained for all individual soil profiles. At the Dutch national scale, the difference in simulated transpiration reduction between runs using all 368 soil profiles or the 79 soil physical units was less than 2.5 % percentage-points in 96 % of all plots or less than 5 % percentage-points in 99 % of all plots. Similar good correspondence was obtained for other water balance terms as well, including actual transpiration, actual evaporation at the soil surface, degree of saturation at 15 and 30 cm depth, the integrated water flux at 100 cm depth and surface runoff.

Rainfall that exceeds the soil's maximum infiltration rate is prone to runoff, and the excess rainfall will flow toward open water systems. Nutrients, pesticides or other contaminants may be transported along with this overland flow, thus contaminating surface waters. There are various measures that can be implemented to prevent or reduce runoff, which involve either improving the soil's infiltration capacity or temporarily storing more water at the field scale. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two mitigation measures, i.e., micro-dams and edge-of-field trenches, in reducing the total number of runoff events and the runoff volume for specific rainfall events. For this purpose, numerical simulations were performed with a deterministic soil–water–atmosphere–plant model for reference situations and for situations involving either of the two mitigation measures. The mitigation measures are implemented as a change in the ponding threshold height above which the model predicts runoff. For this purpose, we considered several soil / groundwater level / crop / intrinsic field soil surface storage situations that are common in the Netherlands. For ridge-furrow cropping systems, micro-dams are more effective than edge-of-field trenches. Depending on the soil type (excluding sand), the minimum effectiveness is 70% and may be >90% in specific situations. For the edge-of-field trench, the reduction in runoff events was mostly in the 24–35% range, while the effectiveness for the runoff volume for a rainfall event that typically occurs once per year was in the 13–48% range (excluding sand). Due to the relatively high hydraulic conductivity at saturation for the sandy soils, runoff was simulated in only a few cases for these soils. The effectiveness was evidently dependent on intrinsic field soil surface storage and soil types, varied slightly between crop types and was very similar across the groundwater level classes considered.

Forest land has a vital role in our planet ecosystem health. Forest areas are under natural and human pressure worldwide. Pests may have irreparable damages to vegetation cover; Tortrix viridana is one of the most important pests in the western forests of Iran and is mainly hosted by oak trees. In this study the performance of Sentinel-2 images to detect infected oaks by T. viridana in the Zagros forest habitat was considered. Vegetation indices (VIs) were extracted from affected and non-affected areas by T. viridana. The indices indices included normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), infrared percentage vegetation index (IPVI) and inverted red-edge chlorophyll index (IRECI) which were extracted from Sentinel-2 satellite images. The results of the present study show that VIs in affected and non-affected areas of the study site have significant differences at 99% of confidence level. In addition, the Spearman’s correlation coefficients between the VIs values in the affected and non-affected were 0.213, 0.213, 0.168 and 0.121 for IPVI, NDVI, IRECI and SAVI, respectively. This shows that Sentinel-2 images can be used to detect pests in forest areas.