The key process in understanding carbon dynamics under different ecosystems is quantifying soil CO₂ efflux. However, this process can change annually as it depends on environmental variables. The results of this paper present the effects of root network, soil temperature, and volumetric water content on soil CO₂ efflux, which were investigated on Retisol of two types of land uses in Western Lithuania in 2017–2019: forest and grassland. It was determined that the average soil CO₂ efflux in the grassland was 32% higher than in the forest land. The CO₂ efflux, average across land uses, tended to increase in the following order: 2017 < 2018 < 2019. Dry weather conditions with high temperatures during the vegetation period governed the soil CO₂ efflux increase by 14%. Soil temperature (up to 20 °C) and volumetric water content (up to 23–25%) had a positive effect on the soil CO₂ efflux increase on Retisol. We established that the root’s activity plays one of the main roles in the CO₂ production rate—in both land uses, the soil CO₂ efflux was influenced by the root length density and the root volume.

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides, but is still in the spotlight due to its controversial impact on the environment and human health. The main purpose of this study was to explore the effects of different glyphosate usages on harvested grain/seed contamination. Two field experiments of different glyphosate usage were carried out in Central Lithuania during 2015–2021. The first experiment was a pre-harvest application, with two timings, the first according to the label (14–10 days), and the other applied 4–2 days before harvest (off-label), performed in winter wheat and spring barley in 2015 and 2016. The second experiment consisted of glyphosate applications at label rate (1.44 kg ha⁻¹) and double dose rate (2.88 kg ha⁻¹) at two application timings (pre-emergence of crop and at pre-harvest), conducted in spring wheat and spring oilseed rape in 2019–2021. The results suggest that pre-emergence application at both dose rates did not affect the harvested spring wheat grain or spring oilseed rape seeds—no residues were found. The use of glyphosate at pre-harvest, despite the dosage and application timing, led to glyphosate’s, as well as its metabolite, aminomethosphonic acid’s, occurrence in grain/seeds, but the amounts did not reach the maximum residue levels according to Regulation (EC) No. 293/2013. The grain storage test showed that glyphosate residues remain in grain/seeds at steady concentrations for longer than one year. A one year study of glyphosate distribution within main and secondary products showed that glyphosate residues were mainly concentrated in wheat bran and oilseed rape meal, while no residues found in cold-pressed oil and wheat white flour, when glyphosate used at pre-harvest at the label rate.

The establishment of the harmful pathogen Fusarium graminearum in different agroecosystems may strongly depend on the ability of the soils to suppress its development and survival. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different soil tillage systems (i.e., conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no-tillage) on soil fungistasis against F. graminearum. Soil samples were collected three times during the plant growing season in 2016 and 2017 from a long-term, 20-year soil tillage experiment. The F. graminearum in the soil samples was quantified by real-time qPCR. The soil fungistasis was evaluated by the reduction in the radial growth of F. graminearum in an in vitro assay. The antagonistic activity of the soil bacteria was tested using the dual culture method. The F. graminearum DNA contents in the soils were negatively correlated with soil fungistasis (r = –0.649 *). F. graminearum growth on the unfumigated soil was reduced by 70–87% compared to the chloroform fumigated soil. After the plant vegetation renewal, the soil fungistasis intensity was higher in the conventionally tilled fields than in the no-tillage. However, no significant differences were obtained among the tillage treatments at the mid-plant growth stage and after harvesting. 23 out of 104 bacteria isolated from the soil had a moderate effect, and only 1 had a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of F. graminearum. This bacterium was assigned 100% similarity to the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Hy7 strain (gene bank no: JN382250) according to the sequence of the 16S ribosome subunit coding gene. The results of our study suggest that the presence of F. graminearum in soil is suppressed by soil fungistasis; however, the role of tillage is influenced by other factors, such as soil biological activity, type and quantity of plant residues and environmental conditions.

To prevent the degradation of light-textured soils, it is advisable to use them for grasslands. These soil management systems help with the faster accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), thereby improving the soil’s properties and reducing carbon emissions from agricultural land. In this experiment, we studied the distribution of multi-component perennial grass roots in the Arenosol profile and their impact on SOC sequestration in temperate climate zones. Our research aimed to identify differences in root biomass at depths of 0–15 cm, 15–30 cm, and 30–50 cm and to assess their correlation with SOC and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the soil. The roots, shoots, and soil samples of fertilized and unfertilized grasslands were collected at the flowering stage and after the final grass harvest two years in a row. Our findings revealed that, in sandy loam Arenosol rich in stones, 12.4–15.9 Mg ha⁻¹ of root biomass was accumulated at 0–50 cm of soil depth. The application of NPK fertilizers did not significantly affect grass root biomass, but significantly affected shoot biomass. Most roots (84–88%) were concentrated in the 0–15 cm layer. On average, 5.10–6.62 Mg ha⁻¹ of organic carbon (OC) was stored in the roots of perennial grasses within 0–50 cm of soil depth. We found that the SOC content in the 0–50 cm soil layer correlated more strongly (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) with C accumulated in the roots of the corresponding layer than with shoot biomass (r = 0.41, p = 0.04). However, a significant correlation was found between DOC and shoot biomass (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) and between DOC and the biomass of residues (r = 0.71, p < 0.001), explaining the significant increase in DOC in the 30–50 cm soil layer and indicating the leaching of mobile soil organic matter (SOM) substances from the above-ground biomass using fertilizers.

Soil treatments have a significant influence on the agricultural and environmental productivity of agricultural practices. Arable lands are one of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that are influenced by the chemical and physical properties of the soil and are an essential contributor to climate change. We aim to evaluate the long-term management of agricultural practices, such as different tillage systems, cover crops, and glyphosate, on GHG emissions and soil physical properties. The field trial involved three tillage systems (conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT)), along with variations in cover cropping (with and without cover crops) and glyphosate application (with and without glyphosate). These treatments were implemented during the cultivation of oilseed rape in 2022 as part of a cropping sequence consisting of five crops: winter wheat; winter oilseed rape; spring wheat; spring barley; and field pea. Greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)) were directly measured using a closed static chamber system. Through the examination of these management techniques, the soil’s physical properties over the studied period were assessed for their impact on GHG fluxes. The findings of the study reveal that N₂O emissions were relatively low during the first month of measurement, with significant differences (p < 0.05) observed in the interaction between cover crop and glyphosate treatments. Additionally, N₂O emissions were notably elevated in the reduced (0.079 µg m⁻² h⁻¹) and conventional tillage (0.097 µg m⁻² h⁻¹) treatments at the second month of measurement. Regarding CH₄, increased emissions were observed in the reduced tillage and cover crop treatments. CO₂ emissions exhibited variability across all of the investigated treatments. Notably, GHG fluxes spiked at the second measurement, signifying the maximum uptake of nutrients by the main plants during the growth phase. Greenhouse gas emissions leveled off across all of the treatments following the harvest, marking the end of the cultivation period. The influence of the deployed techniques varied across the determined physical parameters of the soil. The incorporation of cover crops contributed to improved water content and, further, to electrical conductivity. Glyphosate use showed no direct impact on physical properties of the soil while the different tillage treatments had varying effects on the distribution of the physical properties of the soil with respect to the degree of disturbance or tillage-induced changes. Additionally, GHG emissions were strongly correlated with precipitation at one week and two weeks before sampling, except for CO₂, which showed a weaker correlation at two weeks before GHG sampling. The findings indicate that reduced and conventional tillage methods might adversely affect greenhouse gas emissions and plant functionality, particularly concerning nutrient release and uptake, especially in temperate climate conditions.

In order to control the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, it is necessary to select the appropriate crop rotation and tillage intensity depending on the soil type and climatic conditions. However, their implementation in agricultural management methods has been insufficient until now. The main objective of this study was to investigate the changes and dependences in soil net CO₂ exchange rate (NCER) and main physico-chemical parameters under different tillage (conventional (CT) and no tillage (NT)) and crop rotation systems. Cropping systems significantly affected the amount of nutrients, but did not affect pH and organic carbon; otherwise, tillage vs. cropping systems had no significant effects on the soil chemical parameters analyzed. The data revealed that in NT treatments, the NCER was 28% higher than in CT. Different crop rotations also revealed a significant effect on NCER from the soil. Carbon dioxide fluxes increased in cropping systems where a higher share of catch crops were included. In NT systems, a comparatively higher soil moisture content was registered. In addition, the rotations with catch crops produced a higher (by 1–3%) soil moisture content. The temperature of the soil surface was not significantly affected by tillage or cropping systems; nevertheless, a trend towards higher soil surface temperatures in CT was determined, which might be affected by enhanced air circulation in the pores. Soil NCER increase correlated negatively with higher soil surface moisture content, while its relationship was positive with soil surface temperature increase. In general, soil surface temperature and moisture were the most significant factors in explaining the fluctuation in NCER from Cambisols in Lithuania under moderate climatic conditions.