Submission due date: December 31st, 2024

Introduction

Increasing food production for a growing population while reducing environmental impacts is a global consensus and makes it urgent to scale up sustainable/regenerative practices in agriculture. Given this scenario, healthy soils have been widely recognized as the basis for overcoming the major challenges of the 21st century, contributing to food security, water quality, maintaining biodiversity, carbon sequestration and combating climate change. Due to this relevance, research on soil health has grown exponentially in recent years, with 75% of the knowledge produced in the last 10 years. Despite this significant growth in scientific production on soil health in recent years, developing theoretical and practical approaches to assessing and monitoring soil health has been considered a frontier in soil science, particularly, in tropical regions. The reason for this is the great challenge of assessments that consider the great variability of edaphoclimatic conditions, management practices and other specific local characteristics that affect the soil multifunctionality.

This special collection will be associated with the “CCarbon Soil Health Symposium: from the field to the socioeconomical & political perspectives”, promoted by the Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture – CCARBON at University of São Paulo in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. However, the special issue is not exclusive to participants of the Symposium. All submissions are welcomed.

Topics:

• Methodological advances and new approaches for assessing soil health
• Soil health management, including impacts of regenerative agriculture practices, carbon farming and biological products
• Changes on soil chemical, physical and/or biological indicators in natural and anthropized ecosystems
• Public policies to promote soil health 

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Dr. Maurício Roberto Cherubin, University of São Paulo (USP) - “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ) and Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture – CCARBON, University of São Paulo (USP) 
       E-mail: [email protected]

       Areas of Expertise: Soil health; soil management; soil carbon; conservation agriculture; ecosystem services

Dr. Carlos Roberto Pinheiro Junior, University of São Paulo (USP) - “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ)

       E-mail: [email protected]

      Areas of Expertise: Soil carbon; pedology; land use capability

• Dr. Lucas Pecci Canisares, University of São Paulo (USP) - “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ)
       E-mail: [email protected]
      Areas of Expertise: Biogeochemistry; Soil C and N cycle; Microbial Ecology.


• Prof. Dr. Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri, University of São Paulo (USP) - “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ) and Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture – CCARBON, University of São Paulo (USP) 
       E-mail: [email protected]
      Areas of Expertise:  Soil health; soil management; soil carbon; conservation agriculture; ecosystem services




All manuscripts will be peer reviewed and will be expected to meet the usual standards required for publication in Experimental Agriculture.


Please submit your manuscript here and indicate that it is intended for inclusion in the Special Collection. Instructions for Authors can be found at Preparing your materials. 

Submission due date: December 31st, 2024

Image courtesy of Prof. Maurício R. Cherubin