Drylands, covering 41% of the Earth's land surface, play a critical role in global food production and environmental conservation. However, this potential is constrained by low inherent soil fertility, drought and soil degradation exacerbated by global changes. Soils and water management technologies and efficient use of natural resources, including biological and mineral amendments emerge as major strategies developed for promoting healthy soils and sustainable production in dryland agroecosystems. Soil amendments occur in many forms including manure, compost, plant residue, cover crops, biochar, microbial inocula, biostimulant products, sand or clay addition etc. These amendments have the potential to support sustainable food production by increasing yield while maintaining the level of soil biomass, recycling carbon and nutrients, improving soil fertility, structure and water retention capacity, providing microclimate conditions, maintaining biodiversity and regulating water, moisture and nutrient cycles. They are associated with varied socio-economic dimensions including cost, availability, and quality of amendments but also the benefits of adopting soil amendments for resilience and well-being of smallholders in drylands.
A holistic understanding of how soil amendments interact with soil and water management technologies is vital for evaluating changes in soil properties, processes, and functions in dryland agro-ecosystems. This approach is necessary for identifying barriers and avenues for achieving land degradation neutrality and sustainable global food production .
This special issue seeks recent and innovative research that explore the impacts of soil amendments on soil properties, processes and functions in dryland agroecosystems across various regions. It will focus on the following scientific themes: 1) the influence of soil amendment practices on soil health, hydrological processes and agroecosystem functioning; 2) the potential of novel soil amendments to restore soil functions and ecosystem services; 3) advances in monitoring and modelling techniques to assess how soil amendments affect carbon sequestration or loss; (4) socio-economical aspects of managing soil amendments and 5) the assessment of soil health indicators under diverse environmental conditions.
We welcome and encourage contributions on soil amendments in dryland ecosystems from throughout the world.
Lead Editor
Oumarou MALAM ISSA, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD, France),
Guest Editors
1. Xavier MORVAN, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne (France)
2. Mohamed El Mazlouzi, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne (France)
3. Elena Baldi, University of Bologna (Italy)
4. Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, A.C. (IPICYT, Mexico)
