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Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems

Publication ,  Journal Article
Richter, DDB; Hofmockel, M; Callaham, MA; Powlson, DS; Smith, P
Published in: Soil Science Society of America Journal
March 1, 2007

To meet economic and environmental demands for about 10 billion people by the mid-21st century, humanity will be challenged to double food production from the Earth's soil and diminish adverse effects of soil management on the wider environment. To meet these challenges, an array of scientific approaches is being used to increase understanding of long-term soil trends and soil-environment interactions. One of these approaches, that of long-term soil experiments (LTSEs), provides direct observations of soil change and functioning across time scales of decades, data critical for biological, biogeochemical, and environmental assessments of sustainability; for predictions of soil productivity and soil-environment interactions; and for developing models at a wide range of scales. Although LTSEs take years to mature, are vulnerable to loss, and have yet to be comprehensively inventoried or networked, LTSEs address a number of contemporary issues and yield data of special significance to soil management. The objective of this study was to evaluate how LTSEs address three questions that fundamentally challenge modern society: how soils can sustain a doubling of food production in the coming decades, how soils interact with the global C cycle, and how soil management can establish greater control over nutrient cycling. Results demonstrate how LTSEs produce significant data and perspectives for all three questions. Results also suggest the need for a review of the state of our long-term soil-research base and the establishment of an efficiently run network of LTSEs aimed at soil-management sustainability and improving management control over C and nutrient cycling. © Soil Science Society of America.

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Published In

Soil Science Society of America Journal

DOI

ISSN

0361-5995

Publication Date

March 1, 2007

Volume

71

Issue

2

Start / End Page

266 / 279

Related Subject Headings

  • Agronomy & Agriculture
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

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Richter, D. D. B., Hofmockel, M., Callaham, M. A., Powlson, D. S., & Smith, P. (2007). Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 71(2), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2006.0181
Richter, D. D. B., M. Hofmockel, M. A. Callaham, D. S. Powlson, and P. Smith. “Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems.” Soil Science Society of America Journal 71, no. 2 (March 1, 2007): 266–79. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2006.0181.
Richter DDB, Hofmockel M, Callaham MA, Powlson DS, Smith P. Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 2007 Mar 1;71(2):266–79.
Richter, D. D. B., et al. “Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems.” Soil Science Society of America Journal, vol. 71, no. 2, Mar. 2007, pp. 266–79. Scopus, doi:10.2136/sssaj2006.0181.
Richter DDB, Hofmockel M, Callaham MA, Powlson DS, Smith P. Long-term soil experiments: Keys to managing Earth's rapidly chancing ecosystems. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 2007 Mar 1;71(2):266–279.

Published In

Soil Science Society of America Journal

DOI

ISSN

0361-5995

Publication Date

March 1, 2007

Volume

71

Issue

2

Start / End Page

266 / 279

Related Subject Headings

  • Agronomy & Agriculture
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences