Sources Flashcards
What is a source about soil degradation in the UK?
(Rust et al., 2022)
- English water companies spend £21 mil on addressing soil erosion
- Improving soil health is not only environmentally imperative but economically as well.
- In the UK survey, the most common reason given for soil degradation was due to intensive agriculture
- Followed by farmers ‘needed to change’ and they have a lack of knowledge
What is a source about agroforestry?
(Steinfeld et al., 2023)
- Tested agroforestry complexity index (ACI)
- ACI is based on tree species richness, stem density and pruning & mulching frequency
- Found increasing agroforestry complexity increases nutrient cycling and SOC
- By improving litter C stocks and soil C stocks
FIGURE
What is a source about a mixed wheat cultivar field trial?
(Touse-Fandos et al., 2025)
- Showed mixing wheat cultivars with distinguished traits enhances associational resistance for aphid and weed control
- Soil management practices influence the performance of wheat monocultures and mixtures.
- Shows crop diversity not only improves soil health but other processes as well, such as pest control.
What is a source about the economic optimisation of soil management?
(Kik et al., 2024)
- Study applied bio-economic model FARManalytics
- Integrates chemical, physical, biological indicators of soil quality and an economic calculation framework
- Helps to identify approaches that balance profitability and environmental sustainablility
- Such as optomising crop roations, soil management or fertiliser use
- Model reveals that farm income could be increased but up to 704 Euros per hectare a year
- The modelling ensures that economic improvements do not come at the expense of soil health.
