Legacy Knowledge on Landscape Soil Carbon—Concentrated Organic Input to Selected Sites Comes With the Expense of Soil Health of Larger Areas
Abstract
ABSTRACT Xu et al. show that high organic input and N‐balancing fertilization improve soil health at the soil plot scale; however, the effects of allocating C and N on soil health at the landscape or region scale are not considered. Historical soil management systems show that such a depletive redistribution leads to local agricultural improvements, but at the expense of soil health of the landscape or region. Hence, any contemporary suggestions of soil fertilization systems need to avoid historical mistakes and to be considered novel and sustainable. One option derived from legacy knowledge is to rely on crop rotation and intercropping regimes to improve soil health.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Agricultural Science and Fertilization
Soil Management and Crop Yield
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
- Volume
- 189
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 181–183
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN