Soil Science Society of America Journal publishes basic and applied soil research covering all areas of soil science in agricultural, forest, wetlands, and urban settings. Soil Science Society of America Journal is an international, comprehensive venue for interdisciplinary soil scientists, biogeochemists, and agronomists. It is the flagship journal of Soil Science Society of America.

Featured Article

Long-term continuous maize: Impacts on the soil microbiome and implications for residue management

Long-term continuous maize: Impacts on the soil microbiome and implications for residue management

Photo by Alison Vogel

Researchers found that residue sizing, applied ammonium sulfate, and a microbial spray combined to reduce the continuous maize yield penalty and that long-term rotation had a greater influence on soil fungal, not bacterial, communities. Read more.

Browse Articles

Spatial distribution, drivers and future trends of soil organic carbon in cropland of China

Shihang Zhang, Yusen Chen, Xiaobing Zhou, Bo Zhu, 
  •  24 March 2025

Core Ideas

  • The mean stocks of SOCD0–20 cm (where SOCD is soil organic carbon density) and SOCD0–100 cm were 5.64 and 14.91 Pg, respectively.
  • eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model exhibited higher comprehensive performance than other models in cropland.
  • Soil factors were more important in controlling the variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) than other variables.
  • Higher C emission scenarios result in a more pronounced decline in SOC stock in cropland.

Open access

Assessing cropping system effects on carbon footprint on the Canadian prairies

Sisi Lin, Kui Liu, Reynald Lemke, 
  •  20 March 2025

Core Ideas

  • Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions differed among study regions, with high emissions in the wetter study region.
  • Diversified cropping system reduced GHG emissions, particularly in the semiarid and sub-semiarid sites.
  • Soil health cropping system improved soil organic carbon during the 4-year rotation period at all three study sites.
  • Higher GHG emissions in the market-driven cropping system were due mainly to greater nitrogen fertilizer rates.
  • Both soil health and diversified systems achieved net CO2 withdrawal.

Open access

Maize–common bean intercropping effects on nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake, and soil properties in southern Ethiopia

Tigist Yimer, Girma Abera, Sheleme Beyene, Shimelis Gizachew, Frank Rasche, 
  •  19 March 2025

Core Ideas

  • Cropping system determines N-fixing potential of legume.
  • There is trade off in increasing yield and increasing nutrient uptake (depletion) in intercropping systems.
  • Common bean Intercropping has limited effect on nutrient use efficiencies of maize.
  • Long-term experiments should be conducted to accurately quantify the impact of intercropping on soil properties.

Effects of composted cattle manure and cover crops on winter wheat performance and soil fertility

Christina M. Helseth, Urszula Norton, 
  •  19 March 2025

Core Ideas

  • Precipitation varied over the course of the 5-year study, ranging from above average to drought.
  • Composted cattle manure (compost) and cover crop growth can add organic matter to soil and improve soil health.
  • Soil carbon and nitrogen improved by 32% and 17%, respectively, with a single addition of 45 Mg ha−1 of compost.
  • A single application of 45 Mg ha−1 of compost significantly increased plant-available phosphorus by 111%.
  • Residue from cover crops slightly raised the levels of inorganic nitrogen during wheat growth versus bare fallow.

Open access

Advances in technology for using Indicator of Reduction in Soils (IRIS) to quantify porewater sulfide levels in the coastal zone

M. C. Rabenhorst, J. Wyss-Gallifent, J. D. Kim, C. E. Park, B. M. Wessel, 
  •  16 March 2025

Core Ideas

  • Porewater sulfide levels can be rapidly measured in coastal (marsh and subaqueous) soils using Indicator of Reduction In Soils (IRIS) films
  • Tools have been developed for deploying IRIS for porewater sulfide analysis in subaqueous soils.
  • Ecologically relevant porewater sulfide concentrations in soil map units correlate with O horizon presence.
  • We have developed an open source library of standard images for porewater sulfide analysis available for use.

Open access

Biochar and Soil Physical Properties

Humberto Blanco-Canqui, 
Open access

Numerical Solution of Richards' Equation: A Review of Advances and Challenges

Matthew W. Farthing, Fred L. Ogden, 
Open access

Field trial guidelines for evaluating enhanced efficiency fertilizers

Sarah E. Lyons, D. Brian Arnall, Dana Ashford-Kornburger, Sylvie M. Brouder, Erik Christian, Achim Dobermann, Stephan M. Haefele, Jason Haegele, Matthew J. Helmers, Virginia L. Jin, Andrew J. Margenot, Josh M. McGrath, Kelly T. Morgan, T. Scott Murrell, Deanna L. Osmond, David E. Pelster, Nathan A. Slaton, Peter A. Vadas, Rodney T. Venterea, Jeffrey J. Volenec, Claudia Wagner-Riddle, 

Core Ideas

  • Many enhanced efficiency fertilizers lack published field trial data to support efficacy claims.
  • Common field trial protocols were developed for evaluating enhanced efficiency fertilizers.
  • Proper experimental design and minimum datasets support large-scale impact and end-user confidence.
  • Appropriate agronomic and environmental measures should support product efficacy claims and recommendations.

Open access

The soil health assessment protocol and evaluation applied to soil organic carbon

Márcio R. Nunes, Kristen S. Veum, Paul A. Parker, Scott H. Holan, Douglas L. Karlen, Joseph P. Amsili, Harold M. van Es, Skye A. Wills, Cathy A. Seybold, Thomas B. Moorman, 

Core Ideas

  • Response of soil health (SH) indicators to land use and management is site-specific.
  • Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE) is proposed as a flexible tool.
  • The SHAPE builds upon conceptual frameworks established by the SMAF and CASH protocols.
  • The SHAPE provides SH interpretation for soil peer groups based on edaphic and climatic factors.
  • This tool provides knowledge about the status of soils in response to agronomic practices.

Open access

Comparing Four Methods of Measuring Soil Organic Matter in North Carolina Soils

Wayne R. Roper, Wayne P. Robarge, Deanna L. Osmond, Joshua L. Heitman, 

Articles with the most citations published in the Last 5 Years according to CrossRef. The citation counts listed reflect the total number of all citations to date.

REVIEW & ANALYSIS

The processes of preferential flow in the unsaturated zone

John R. Nimmo, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20143
SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION
Open access

The soil health assessment protocol and evaluation applied to soil organic carbon

Márcio R. Nunes, Kristen S. Veum, Paul A. Parker, Scott H. Holan, Douglas L. Karlen, Joseph P. Amsili, Harold M. van Es, Skye A. Wills, Cathy A. Seybold, Thomas B. Moorman, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20244
SOIL PHYSICS & HYDROLOGY
Open access

Soil structure recovery following compaction: Short‐term evolution of soil physical properties in a loamy soil

Thomas Keller, Tino Colombi, Siul Ruiz, Stanislaus J. Schymanski, Peter Weisskopf, John Koestel, Marlies Sommer, Viktor Stadelmann, Daniel Breitenstein, Norbert Kirchgessner, Achim Walter, Dani Or, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20240
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT & SOIL & PLANT ANALYSIS
Open access

Ammonia volatilization, nitrous oxide emissions, and corn yields as influenced by nitrogen placement and enhanced efficiency fertilizers

Alex L. Woodley, Craig F. Drury, Xueming Y. Yang, Lori A. Phillips, Daniel W. Reynolds, Wayne Calder, Tom Okello Oloya, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20079
SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION
Open access

Crop rotation enhances soybean yields and soil health indicators

Ikechukwu V. Agomoh, Craig F. Drury, Xueming Yang, Lori A. Phillips, W. Daniel Reynolds, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20241
SOIL PHYSICS & HYDROLOGY
Open access

Carbon‐sensitive pedotransfer functions for plant available water

Dianna K. Bagnall, Cristine L. S. Morgan, Michael Cope, Gregory M. Bean, Shannon Cappellazzi, Kelsey Greub, Daniel Liptzin, Charlotte L. Norris, Elizabeth Rieke, Paul Tracy, Ezra Aberle, Amanda Ashworth, Oscar Bañuelos Tavarez, Andy Bary, R. Louis Baumhardt, Alberto Borbón Gracia, Daniel Brainard, Jameson Brennan, Dolores Briones Reyes, Darren Bruhjell, Cameron Carlyle, James Crawford, Cody Creech, Steven Culman, William Deen, Curtis Dell, Justin Derner, Thomas Ducey, Sjoerd Willem Duiker, Miles Dyck, Benjamin Ellert, Martin Entz, Avelino Espinosa Solorio, Steven J. Fonte, Simon Fonteyne, Ann-Marie Fortuna, Jamie Foster, Lisa Fultz, Audrey V. Gamble, Charles Geddes, Deirdre Griffin-LaHue, John Grove, Stephen K. Hamilton, Xiying Hao, Z. D. Hayden, Julie Howe, James Ippolito, Gregg Johnson, Mark Kautz, Newell Kitchen, Sandeep Kumar, Kirsten Kurtz, Francis Larney, Katie Lewis, Matt Liebman, Antonio Lopez Ramirez, Stephen Machado, Bijesh Maharjan, Miguel Angel Martinez Gamiño, William May, Mitchel McClaran, Marshall McDaniel, Neville Millar, Jeffrey P. Mitchell, Philip A. Moore, Amber Moore, Manuel Mora Gutiérrez, Kelly A. Nelson, Emmanuel Omondi, Shannon Osborne, Leodegario Osorio Alcalá, Philip Owens, Eugenia M. Pena-Yewtukhiw, Hanna Poffenbarger, Brenda Ponce Lira, Jennifer Reeve, Timothy Reinbott, Mark Reiter, Edwin Ritchey, Kraig L. Roozeboom, Ichao Rui, Amir Sadeghpour, Upendra M. Sainju, Gregg Sanford, William Schillinger, Robert R. Schindelbeck, Meagan Schipanski, Alan Schlegel, Kate Scow, Lucretia Sherrod, Sudeep Sidhu, Ernesto Solís Moya, Mervin St. Luce, Jeffrey Strock, Andrew Suyker, Virginia Sykes, Haiying Tao, Alberto Trujillo Campos, Laura L. Van Eerd, Nele Verhulst, Tony John Vyn, Yutao Wang, Dexter Watts, David Wright, Tiequan Zhang, Charles Wayne Honeycutt, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20395
SOIL FERTILITY & PLANT NUTRITION

Nitrous oxide emissions and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat: Nitrogen fertilization timing and formulation, soil nitrogen, and weather effects

Shakila K. Thilakarathna, Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez, Dick Puurveen, Len Kryzanowski, Germar Lohstraeter, Leigh-Anne Powers, Ningyu Quan, Mario Tenuta, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20145
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

A comparison between fatty acid methyl ester profiling methods (PLFA and EL‐FAME) as soil health indicators

Chenhui Li, Amanda Cano, Veronica Acosta-Martinez, Kristen S. Veum, Jennifer Moore-Kucera, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20118
SOIL PHYSICS & HYDROLOGY

Gas permeability and water retention of a repacked silty sand amended with different particle sizes of peanut shell biochar

Zhongkui Chen, Chaowei Chen, Viroon Kamchoom, Rui Chen, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20130
SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION
Open access

X‐ray computed tomography–measured soil pore parameters as influenced by crop rotations and cover crops

Jasdeep Singh, Navdeep Singh, Sandeep Kumar, 
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20105

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