Version 1
: Received: 7 October 2023 / Approved: 9 October 2023 / Online: 10 October 2023 (03:23:37 CEST)
How to cite:
Mayassi, N.E.; Atallah, T.; Sukkariyah, B.; Zdruli, P. Assessment of Soil Management Practices Enhancing Soil Resilience in Small-Scale Agroecosystems: Case of Mount-Lebanon. Preprints2023, 2023100490. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.0490.v1
Mayassi, N.E.; Atallah, T.; Sukkariyah, B.; Zdruli, P. Assessment of Soil Management Practices Enhancing Soil Resilience in Small-Scale Agroecosystems: Case of Mount-Lebanon. Preprints 2023, 2023100490. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.0490.v1
Mayassi, N.E.; Atallah, T.; Sukkariyah, B.; Zdruli, P. Assessment of Soil Management Practices Enhancing Soil Resilience in Small-Scale Agroecosystems: Case of Mount-Lebanon. Preprints2023, 2023100490. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.0490.v1
APA Style
Mayassi, N.E., Atallah, T., Sukkariyah, B., & Zdruli, P. (2023). Assessment of Soil Management Practices Enhancing Soil Resilience in Small-Scale Agroecosystems: Case of Mount-Lebanon. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.0490.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Mayassi, N.E., Beshr Sukkariyah and Pandi Zdruli. 2023 "Assessment of Soil Management Practices Enhancing Soil Resilience in Small-Scale Agroecosystems: Case of Mount-Lebanon" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202310.0490.v1
Abstract
Soil resilience has become a central theme in research aimed at understanding the impacts of human activities on the environment and mitigating the negative effects of soil disturbance. To evaluate how soil management practices affect soil resilience, 26 small farms were studied in a mountainous district of Lebanon. Farms were categorized into conventional (C), neutral (N), and regenerative (R), based on the practices adopted including tillage, amendments, rotation, cover crops, residues management, and pest control. Common practices included intercropping (85%), residue retention (73%), cover crops (61%), and organic amendments (46%). Qualitative assessment of soil health used indicators from Latin American Society for Agroecology (SOCLA) as well as from ‘Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation’ of the FAO. The indicators aligned with the classification of farms into their respective C/N/R groups. The sustainability scores were 4.28 (Low) for conventional, 6.34 (Moderate) for neutral, and 7.88 (Good) for regenerative farms. Quantitative analysis determined for 15 selected farms showed significant differences in soil organic matter (1.86% C, 2.75% N, 3.32% R), soil respiration (156C, 296N, 380R mg C-CO₂. week⁻¹), and earthworm abundance/liter (2.92C, 4.24N, 5.72R). The Soil Quality Index (SQI) provided an accurate representation of the current soil health condition, with increment from 0.05, 0.27 (low), to 0.49 (good) in conventional, neutral, and regenerative farms, respectively. The research highlights that soil resilience is influenced by a combination of intricate factors, encompassing biotic interactions, as well as physical, chemical, and biological processes. Particularly in regions like the Mediterranean basin, adopting sustainable soil management practices contributes to enduring productivity while preserving the functional integrity and resilience characteristics of the soil.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
