In Tunisia, climate change impacts that lead to the degradation of soil resources are considered to be a major limiting factor on socio-economic development. These impacts are exacerbated by the intensive plowing and cultivation practices used by Tunisian farmers, which expedite the depletion of soil organic matter (SOM), leading to changes in the physio-chemical properties of soil and consequently promoting soil erosion. In fact, the decrease in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks affects soil’s fertility and the ability to regulate climate change. The objective of this study, which was conducted in Le Krib in the Siliana region of northwestern Tunisia, was to evaluate the effects of two cropping systems, consisting of durum wheat (Triticum aestivum) and oats (Avena sativa), and two types of tillage, no-till (NT) and mouldboard plowing (MP), on different soil aggregate classes (>2000 µm, 2000–250 µm, 250–180 µm, 180–53 µm and <53 µm) and soil physio-chemical properties, as well as the resulting effects on the carbon and nitrogen concentrations in these aggregates. The results showed that the carbon content of all soil aggregate classes was influenced by interactions between the previous crop and tillage regime. The clay-silt fraction had higher carbon concentrations under no-till and mouldboard plowing management. Furthermore, the previous crop and tillage type and their interactions had significant effects on nitrogen concentrations in micro-aggregates. The highest nitrogen concentrations (2846.6 ppm) were found in micro-aggregates in soils where the previous crop was durum wheat and mouldboard plowing was used, while the lowest concentrations (1297 ppm) were obtained in soils where the previous crop was oats and mouldboard plowing was used.

The overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in crop farming has led to a decrease in crop quality and negative impacts on soil and the environment. It is crucial to adopt alternative strategies to maintain soil and environmental quality while enhancing crop growth and yield. To explore this, a study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effect of Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 alone, as well as in association with mycorrhizae (Rhizophagus irregularis) and endophytic fungus (Serendipita indica), on the growth, yield, and nutrient status of snap bean plants. At harvest, the rhizobial strain CIAT 899 demonstrated the highest effectiveness. It significantly increased the number of nodules in both Contender and Garrafal Enana varieties by 6.97% and 14.81%, respectively, compared with the control without inoculation. Furthermore, the results indicated that co-inoculation of Rhizobium and symbiotic fungi had positive effects on nitrogen content, phosphorus availability, and overall plant growth. Regardless of the variety, plants inoculated with R. tropici CIAT 899 and Serendipita indica exhibited the highest values for plant growth parameters. This combination resulted in 168% and 135% increases in root dry biomass, as well as 140% and 225% increases in the number of pods for Contender and Garrafal Enana, respectively, compared with the control at harvest. Additionally, this study highlights the potential benefits of combining R. tropici with either Serendipita indica or Rhizophagus irregularis in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. These symbiotic microorganisms demonstrated synergistic interactions with snap bean plants, leading to improved mineral nutrition and enhanced growth. Overall, these findings suggest that utilizing these symbiotic microorganisms can effectively enhance the mineral nutrition and growth of snap bean plants.

Soil degradation poses a major challenge for agricultural and socio-economic development in Tunisia. The conventional intensive cultivation practices commonly used by farmers cause rapid depletion of soil organic matter, which is adversely affecting the physio-chemical properties of soil and is accelerating soil erosion. The decrease in soil organic carbon stocks is a major factor aggravating the impacts of climate change.

Adopting sustainable agricultural practices is considered as an effective strategy to mitigate climate change and to improve soil health and crop production.This study aims to assess the impact of tillage systems (no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT)), crop rotation (faba beans - oat and faba beans - durum wheat) and nitrogen fertilization rates (0, 20 and 40 kg N.ha⁻¹) on soil properties and growth and yield of fenugreek. Soil samples were collected at two stages: at the 50% blossoming stage and after harvest and fenugreek quality and yield and its components were measured.The results showed that tillage systems and crop rotation treatments had great influence on soil properties. In general, the highest soil organic carbon (SOC) (13.4 and 14.2 g.kg⁻¹), total nitrogen (1.0 and 1.1 g.kg⁻¹), nitric nitrogen (75.73 and 62.42 mg.kg⁻¹), ammonium-nitrogen (14.90 and 19.08 mg.kg⁻¹). were recorded in no tillage practice with durum as a previous crop at 50% blossoming and harvest stage respectively. Exception for SOC, the highest nitrogen fertilization rate improved most of soil variables at both growth stages. Greater biomass and grain protein content were obtained under NT system and 40 kg N.ha⁻¹. Previous crops had no effect on grain protein content. Also, there was a significant synergy among soil fertility and fenugreek production. Conservation tillage, durum wheat previous crop and highest nitrogen fertilization rate gave the best aboveground biomass, yield and yield attributes performances. Overall, NT associated with durum wheat as a previous crop and nitrogen fertilization (40 kg N.ha⁻¹) are the suitable combination to improve both soil quality, and fenugreek yield.