Pedosphere 36(3): 710--721, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Large-scale farming enhances soil health in contrast to smallholder management: Insights from a field survey |
Xin LI1,2, Dong WU1, Yaping HUANG1, Xiao YANG3, Gilles COLINET2, Caroline DE CLERCK2, Wenju ZHANG1 , Minggang XU1,4, Jeroen MEERSMANS2 |
1State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China/Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China);
2 Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux AgroBio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux 5030 (Belgium);
3 State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China);
4 Soil Health Laboratory in Shanxi Province, Institute of Eco-Environment and Industry Technology, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| As an effective approach to achieve sustainable utilization of arable land resources, large-scale farming (LF) has been promoted to improve agricultural production efficiency and economic benefits with intensive and advanced management practices. However, further evaluation is needed to determine whether LF can effectively improve soil health without increasing soil contamination. Soil health under LF was compared with that under smallholder management (SM) using 39 physical, chemical, biological, and environmental indicators. Large-scale farms with commercial organic compost application and conventional fields under SM in southeastern China were chosen in a field survey. Results showed that aggregate stability, soil organic matter (SOM), available nutrients, and microbial biomass were significantly higher under LF than under SM. Large-scale farming with organic compost altered microbial community and structure with a higher ratio of fungi to bacteria (F/B) and a lower ratio of the Gram-positive to the Gram-negative bacteria (G+/G-). The soil fertility and biological inices were 36.5% and 24.2% higher under LF than under SM, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in soil environmental indices between the two management practices. Edaphic indicators, including bulk density, penetration resistance, mean weight diameter, SOM, dissolved organic carbon (C), earthworm biomass, gram-negative bacteria, and bacteria, were identified by network analysis as key indicators of soil health assessment. The soil health index (SHI), based on these indicators, was 23.4% higher under LF than under SM, with higher structural stability, total and active organic C, and abundances of soil fauna and microorganisms. Similarly, the farmland quality index and SHI based on all indicators were 4.2% and 38.3% higher under LF than under SM, respectively. Overall, LF was cost-effective in enhancing soil health by improving soil fertility and microbial biomass through the application of specific commercial organic compost, without increasing soil pollution risks. This emphasizes the advantages of LF in sustainable agricultural production through organic inputs. |
| Key Words: conventional field|earthworm|microbial community|minimum data set|organic compost application|soil fertility|soil function|soil organic carbon |
| Citation: Li X, Wu D, Huang Y P, Yang X, Colinet G, De Clerck C, Zhang W J, Xu M G, Meersmans J. 2026. Large-scale farming enhances soil health in contrast to smallholder management: Insights from a field survey. Pedosphere. 36(3): 710-721. |
|
View Full Text
|
|
|
|
