Soil organic carbon (SOC) and mineral nitrogen (N_min), especially nitrates (NO₃⁻) in agroecosystems have attracted much attention over the past few decades due to their crucial roles in soil fertility, crop productivity, environmental quality, and/or climate change mitigation and adaptation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the contents of organic carbon, ammonium, and nitrate in soils under differentiated pH, texture, and fertilization rates. A large-scale environmental study was conducted in Polish arable lands. The spatial distribution of the sampling points reflected agricultural production conditions, variability of soil properties, and representativeness of textures that are characteristic of Poland. Our results indicated that SOC content was significantly affected by the soil pH and texture as well as mineral and organic fertilization. The same factors, except organic amendments, significantly supported mineral nitrogen concentration in the present study. The most important factors controlling SOC in the study were ranked as follows: soil pH > pre-crop N fertilization > crop N fertilization > N applied with manure > soil texture. In the case of N-NH₄ and N-NO₃, mineral fertilization was the most critical variable. The carbon and nitrogen governance in agroecosystems should consider the ranks of factors controlling their contents.

Soil acidification in agroecosystems is a natural process that could be accelerated, mainly by the inappropriate application of mineral fertilizers, or prevented, by sustainable management practices. On the basis of a three-year field study in a grassland agroecosystem, the impact of different rates of fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) on soil chemical parameters related to soil acidity was evaluated. It was found that high-rate fertilization with ammonium nitrate accelerated the soil acidification process, which was additionally intensified by the application of superphosphate and potassium salt. The sum of exchangeable base cations, the values of base saturation and hydrolytic acidity in the soil reflected the interactions between the applied NPK-fertilizer levels. Considering chemical parameters related to soil acidity studied in this experiment, it seems that the best strategies for mitigating soil acidification in grasslands are reducing nitrate leaching, changing fertilizer types and increasing the input of base cations.

This study used NDVI, ET, and LST satellite images collected by moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer and tropical rainfall measuring mission sensors to investigate seasonal and yearly vegetation dynamics, and also the influence of climatological factors on it, in the area of the Caspian...

In the years 2008-2011, an environmental study was conducted for Polish soils, focusing on the south-eastern Poland soils, as they exhibit significant acidification. This study aimed at assessing the current pH_KCl and the supply of basic macro- (P, K, Mg and S-SO₄) and microelements (B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) in the collected soil samples, and also at determining their relationship with the soil agronomic category, humus content and pH class. Soil reaction and humus and macronutrient content were positively correlated with the amount of colloidal clay and particles < 0.02 mm. In the majority of cases, the macro-element content in the soil was positively correlated with soil pH and humus content. As for microelements, a usually significant and positive correlation was found between the soil agronomic category and the content of manganese, iron and zinc, whereas for the content of boron and copper, no such relationship was observed. A significant and positive correlation between soil reaction and the content of manganese, iron and boron was also found. Such correlations were not observed in relation to copper and zinc content. Statistical analysis indicated that the content of boron and manganese depended to the greatest extent on the investigated physicochemical properties.

One unintended consequence of nitrogen use in agriculture is an increase in nitrate content in ground waters. Nitrogen content was evaluated in soil samples from specific hydrographic regions of Poland from the 60-90 cm soil layer, in which this nutrient is not readily available to the main root...