Summary
This 24-year field experiment in northern Vietnam demonstrates that organic matter inputs—particularly cow manure combined with crop residue retention—substantially enhance soil health and rice productivity in gleyed paddy soils. Using the Biofunctool assessment framework, the authors show that organic matter additions increased the soil health index by 22% and rice yield by 90% relative to unfertilised controls, with labile organic carbon emerging as the most sensitive indicator of carbon transformation. Rice yield exhibited strong positive correlations with both the overall soil health index (ρ = 0.80) and carbon transformation functions (ρ = 0.75), whilst soil macrofauna communities showed little response to management practices.
UK applicability
Whilst these findings are specific to tropical gleyed paddy soils in Vietnam, the underlying principles regarding long-term organic matter management and soil carbon dynamics may have limited direct applicability to UK arable and pastoral systems, which operate under different climatic, edaphic and hydrological conditions. UK farming could nevertheless draw insights on integrated soil health assessment methodologies and the importance of residue retention for yield sustainability.
Key measures
Soil health index (Biofunctool, eight integrated indicators); labile organic carbon; macroporosity; water infiltration; nitrate availability; soil macrofauna communities; rice yield (t ha⁻¹); correlation coefficients (ρ) between yield and soil functions
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil health indicators (carbon transformation, nutrient cycling, soil structure) using the Biofunctool integrated assessment, soil macrofauna communities, and rice yield across six management treatments over 24 years. Key findings included effects of organic matter additions and crop residue retention on soil health indices and corresponding yield increases.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.