Scientists said today at the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry that a type of acacia tree with an unusual growth habit-unlike virtually all other trees-holds particular promise for farmers in Africa as a free source of nitrogen for their soils that could last generations.

Grassed waterways are placed in agricultural fields where runoff water tends to concentrate because they can substantially reduce soil erosion. Mapping techniques that help identify where erosion channels will likely form could help farmers and conservation professionals do a better job of designing and locating grassed waterways in agricultural fields.

The practice of no-till has increased considerably during the past 20 yr. Soils under no-till usually host a more abundant and diverse biota and are less prone to erosion, water loss, and structural breakdown than tilled soils.

With the rising use of residue from corn crops in producing cellulosic ethanol, new methods of tillage and careful application of fertilizer are needed to prevent soil erosion.

Soil variation occurs across multiple geographic scales ranging from vast climatic regions of the Earth to a 50 acre farm field to the molecular world of soil nano-particles in a pinch of soil

A UC Riverside-led study in the Mojave Desert, Calif., has found that soils under “desert pavement” have an unusually high concentration of nitrate, a type of salt, close to the surface.

The dirt under our feet is being so changed by humans that it is now appropriate to call this the "Anthropocene (or man-made) Age," says a new worldwide overview by Duke University soil scientist Daniel Richter.

Every year in the world an estimated 20 million hectares of arable land are rendered infertile simply owing to water-induced erosion. It is therefore crucial to understand how these processes arise in order better to protect the layer of a few tens of metres of fertile soil essential for plant growth and therefore for sustaining agriculture.

Agricultural soil erosion is not a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to research published online today (October 25) in the journal Science. The study was carried out by an international team of researchers from UC Davis, the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the University of Exeter in the U.K.

Agricultural soil erosion is not a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to research published online today (25 October) in Science. The study was carried out by an international team led by researchers at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, the University of Exeter, UK, and the University of California, Davis.

When soils are too acidic, aluminum that is locked up in clay minerals dissolves into the soil as toxic, electrically charged particles called ions, making it hard for most plants to grow. In fact, aluminum toxicity in acidic soils limits crop production in as much as half the world's arable land, mostly in developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America.