Deciphering Organic Amendment Mechanisms for Soil Health, Nutrient Cycling, and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Climate-Smart Agriculture

Organic amendments are increasingly recognized as important components of sustainable soil management because of their potential to improve soil health, enhance carbon sequestration, regulate nutrient cycling, and support crop productivity. Materials such as compost, manure, crop residues, biochar, digestate, and organic fertilizers can alter soil physical structure, chemical properties, microbial communities, and biochemical processes. However, the responses to organic amendments are highly dependent on amendment characteristics, soil conditions, climate, cropping systems, and nutrient management. Importantly, the mechanisms linking amendment inputs with carbon stabilization, nutrient transformations, microbial functioning, plant nutrient acquisition, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain incompletely understood. A mechanistic understanding of these interconnected processes is therefore essential for designing effective organic amendment strategies that simultaneously improve soil health, enhance carbon storage and nutrient availability, maintain crop productivity, and minimize environmental impacts.This Research Topic aims to advance the mechanistic understanding of how organic amendments regulate soil processes and contribute to climate-smart agricultural systems. We particularly seek studies that move beyond reporting changes in soil properties or crop yield to identify the biological, biochemical, and physicochemical mechanisms underlying these responses. Contributions may investigate amendment-driven changes in soil organic matter formation and stabilization, carbon sequestration, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, microbial communities and functions, extracellular enzyme activities, nutrient-use efficiency, soil aggregation, and plant-soil-microbe interactions. Studies addressing the mechanisms controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including CO2, CH4, and N2O, and the potential trade-offs between carbon sequestration, nutrient availability, crop productivity, and environmental impacts are especially encouraged. Research integrating molecular, isotopic, biochemical, multi-omics, modeling, or other advanced approaches is welcomed. The overarching goal is to identify key mechanisms and management pathways through which organic amendments can improve soil health, enhance carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling, increase crop productivity, and reduce GHG emissions.We welcome Original Research and Review addressing organic amendment-soil-plant-microbe interactions. Specific themes include: (i) organic amendment effects on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties;(ii) mechanisms of carbon sequestration and soil organic matter stabilization; (iii) nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrient cycling processes; (iv) microbial communities, functional genes, and extracellular enzyme activities; (v) soil aggregation and organo-mineral interactions; (vi) plant nutrient acquisition and nutrient-use efficiency; (vii) CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions and their underlying mechanisms; (viii) interactions between organic amendments and mineral fertilizers; (ix) soil-plant-microbe feedbacks;(x) modeling, isotopic, molecular, and multi-omics approaches for elucidating soil processes. Studies providing clear mechanistic insights and linking soil processes with crop productivity and environmental outcomes are particularly encouraged. Topic editors: Muhammad Tauseef Jaffar, Huayi Chen, Hao Chen, Jianguo Zhang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86751/deciphering-organic-amendment-mechanisms-for-soil-health-nutrient-cycling-and-greenhouse-gas-mitigation-in-climate-smart-agriculture