Soil Quality Dynamics in Manure-Amended Systems
Summary
Soil quality in manure-amended systems is governed by complex interactions among chemical, physical and biological processes. The addition of animal waste products enriches soils with organic matter, essential nutrients and microbial life, thereby influencing structure, porosity and nutrient cycling. Over short to medium timescales, manure inputs can raise pH in acid soils, increase cation exchange capacity and enhance aggregate stability. At the same time, successive applications may lead to the accumulation of phosphorus, potassium and other elements beyond crop demand, potentially impairing long-term soil health and raising environmental concerns such as nutrient leaching and greenhouse-gas emissions. The balance of benefits and risks depends on manure composition, application rate, soil texture and management system—particularly the use of no-till or reduced-tillage regimes. Globally, improved understanding of these dynamics supports sustainable intensification, carbon sequestration and mitigation of nutrient losses, with practical applications ranging from smallholder horticulture to large-scale grain and forage production.
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Soil Quality Dynamics in Manure-Amended Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in soil quality dynamics in manure-amended systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Base saturation: Proportion of soil exchange sites occupied by basic cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺).
Cation exchange capacity (CEC): Total capacity of soil to hold and exchange positively charged ions.
Apparent nutrient recovery (ANR): Fraction of applied nutrient taken up by crop, expressed as a percentage.
No-till: Conservation tillage system where soil is left undisturbed, promoting structure and reducing erosion.
Aggregate stability: Resistance of soil aggregates to disintegration, linked to porosity and erosion control.
References
- ANIMAL MANURE AS FERTILIZER: CHANGES IN SOIL ATTRIBUTES, PRODUCTIVITY AND FOOD COMPOSITION. International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH (2019).
- Effects of Applying Liquid Swine Manure on Soil Quality and Yield Production in Tropical Soybean Crops (Paraná, Brazil). Sustainability (2019).
- Long-Term Effects of Animal Manures on Nutrient Recovery and Soil Quality in Acid Typic Hapludalf under No-Till Conditions. Agronomy (2022).
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