Mushrooms traditionally collected from forests and now more cultivated have recently become the products of the fifth-largest agricultural sector in China. It was estimated that more than 25 million farmers in China are currently engaged in the collection, cultivation processing and marketing of mushrooms. The total value of mushroom products amounted to 149 billion RMB Yuan (24 billion USD) in 2011. The raw materials have expanded from a few hardwoods to a variety of woods and increasing more into agricultural residues and wastes. The average annual growth rate has been over 10% over the past 30 years in China. This paper describes the rapid growth of mushroom cultivation and its contribution to food security and rural sustainable development. The roles of bio-innovation, technological dissemination, and marketing are also examined. Mushrooms could potentially be very important in future food supplies and in new dimensions of sustainable agriculture and forestry.

Soil phosphorus (P) loss risk and environmental impact can be assessed by different soil test indicators such as soil P storage capacity (SPSC), a site-specific and reliable measurement of soil P status. In this study, the changing trends of soil P saturation ratio (PSR) and SPSC in red soil (equivalent to Ultisol) were discussed after 10 consecutive additions of P solution with 20 mg P L⁻¹, and the relationships between Olsen-P, CaCl₂-P, and PSR, SPSC also were evaluated. Results showed that the soil PSR was increased to 0.22 at the end of P addition, and the accumulated P was high to 1625 mg kg⁻¹. The threshold PSR of the red soil was determined to be 0.10, and the SPSC significantly decreased from 242.0 mg kg⁻¹ to −382.1 mg kg⁻¹ with the increase of P addition times. When SPSC = 0, the accumulated P in red soil was 487.7 mg kg⁻¹. Therefore, there existed four stages for the soil P management in red soil according to the changes of SPSC and Olsen-P: short supply stage of soil P (SPSC>88 mg kg⁻¹ and Olsen-P ≤ 20 mg kg⁻¹), stable supply stage of soil P (68 mg kg⁻¹< SPSC≤88 mg kg⁻¹ and 20 mg kg⁻¹< Olsen-P ≤ 40 mg kg⁻¹); over supply stage of soil P (0< SPSC≤68 mg kg⁻¹ and 40 mg kg⁻¹< Olsen-P ≤ 108 mg kg⁻¹), and the high loss risk stage of soil P (SPSC≤0 and Olsen-P > 108 mg kg⁻¹). In the last stage, P fertilization must be stopped and environmental protection measures must be taken immediately.

Commercial fertilizers and organic materials can alter aggregate distribution and aggregate-associated organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and the C/N ratio. This study investigated the relationships between soil dry aggregate (DA) and water-stable aggregate and OC, TN, and C/N ratio as impacted by the long-term (1988–2009) application of chemical fertilizers, fertilizers plus rice straw (RS), and fertilizers plus pig manure (PM) in red soil in South China. Compared with those of the preexperiment in 1988, SOC was increased by 3.21 ± 0.55 g kg⁻¹, 5.16 ± 0.62 g kg⁻¹, and 5.77 ± 0.20 g kg⁻¹, and TN was increased by 0.35 ± 0.04 g kg⁻¹, 0.49 ± 0.03 g kg⁻¹, and 0.61 ± 0.01 g kg⁻¹ across 21 years for the control, RS, and PM treatments, respectively. The long-term application of PM significantly increased the macro-size DA (>0.25 mm) by 7.9% and water-stable aggregate by 5.9% because of higher soil OC and TN contents; RS, however, only increased DA by 4.9%. Addition of RS and PM influenced the C and N concentrations and C/N ratio in the aggregates, but there were no clear trends across aggregate size fractions. The contents of soil OC and TN were positively correlated with the amount of macroaggregates (>0.25 mm). Aggregate-associated OC was positively related to the aggregate-associated TN and C/N ratio. In general, PM had a greater effect than RS on the accumulation of soil OC and TN and the improvement of soil aggregation. Thus, long-term combined application of chemical fertilizer and organic materials, such as RS and PM, was an effective approach to enhance OC and TN accumulation in the bulk soil and aggregates, but the accumulation pattern was dependent on aggregate size.

Efficient utilization of agricultural soil phosphorus (P) and mitigation of loss risks necessitate a precise evaluation of soil P storage capacity (SPSC). This study compared the effectiveness of four soil test P methods (Oxalate, Bray, Olsen, and Mehlich-1) to accurately estimate SPSC and simplify P loss risk assessment of soils located in a typical red soil in the Sunjia Watershed, Yingtan, Jiangxi Province, China. The extraction efficiencies of these methods for Fe, Al, P, and P saturation ratio (PSR) were compared, and conversion equations between SPSC_Ox (extracted using Oxalate) and soil test P (Bray, Olsen, and Mehlich-1) were derived through fitting analysis. The results underscored Oxalate as the optimal extractant for gauging P loss risk in red soils. Structural equation modeling (SEM) unveiled the substantial impact of amorphous iron-aluminum oxides (Fe_o, Al_o) on SPSC, with Fe_o exerting a more pronounced influence than Al_o. Among soil physicochemical properties, total carbon emerged as the most influential, and a strong interaction was noted between the physicochemical properties and Fe_o and Al_o. The study delineated three crucial P concentration ranges for practical P management in red soils. When Bray-P < 48.2 mg kg^–1, the soil acted as a P sink with no P loss risk, allowing for continued P application to augment crop yield. Conversely, within 48.2 mg kg^–1 < Bray-P ≤ 55.2 mg kg^–1, the soil attained its maximum secure P capacity; further P application significantly escalated the peril of P loss. Subsequently, when Bray-P > 55.2 mg kg^–1, the soil turns into a source of P release. This signifies an escalated risk of P loss, demanding the immediate implementation of environmental protective measures.