John Quinton
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View article: Plant functional traits can guide the regeneration of soil fertility in Kenyan grasslands
Plant functional traits can guide the regeneration of soil fertility in Kenyan grasslands Open
Background and aims In mesic areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, grassland and soil degradation is widespread and accelerating through overgrazing, alien plant encroachment, and climate change. Selection of native plant species that help to regen…
View article: Inferring Soil Drydown Behaviour with Adaptive Bayesian Online Changepoint Analysis
Inferring Soil Drydown Behaviour with Adaptive Bayesian Online Changepoint Analysis Open
Continuous soil-moisture measurements provide a direct lens on subsurface hydrological processes, notably the post-rainfall "drydown" phase. Because these records consist of distinct, segment-specific behaviours whose forms and scales vary…
View article: Soil degradation assessment across tropical grassland of Western Kenya
Soil degradation assessment across tropical grassland of Western Kenya Open
Soils across sub-Saharan Africa are exposed to extensive degradation, reducing their ability to produce crops and support livestock. While there has been a significant research effort focussing on soil degradation in sub-Saharan croplands,…
View article: The Transport of Microplastics from Soil in Response to Surface Runoff and Splash Erosion
The Transport of Microplastics from Soil in Response to Surface Runoff and Splash Erosion Open
Erosion is hypothesized to be a significant process transporting microplastics (MPs) from soils to aquatic environments, however, the factors controlling this process are poorly understood. Using a novel combination of high-frequency photo…
View article: HESS Opinions: Floods and droughts – are land use, soil management, and landscape hydrology more significant drivers than increasing CO <sub>2</sub> ?
HESS Opinions: Floods and droughts – are land use, soil management, and landscape hydrology more significant drivers than increasing CO <sub>2</sub> ? Open
Floods, droughts, and heatwaves are increasing globally. This is typically attributed to CO2-driven climate change. However, at the global scale, CO2-driven climate change neither reduces precipitation nor adequately explains droughts desp…
View article: Multiple targeted grassland restoration interventions enhance ecosystem service multifunctionality
Multiple targeted grassland restoration interventions enhance ecosystem service multifunctionality Open
The need to combat widespread degradation of grassland ecosystem services makes grassland restoration a global sustainability priority. However, simultaneously enhancing multiple ecosystem services (i.e. ecosystem service multifunctionalit…
View article: Rhizosheath formation and persistence in winter cover crop mixtures in the field
Rhizosheath formation and persistence in winter cover crop mixtures in the field Open
Background and Aims While much research has focused on the benefits of cover crop diversity for crop productivity, there is limited evidence on how root diversity and species selection stabilise soil. Although cover crops can potentially i…
View article: Effect of Varying Biochar Particle Sizes and Concentrations on Soil Nutrient Retention and Microbial Activity
Effect of Varying Biochar Particle Sizes and Concentrations on Soil Nutrient Retention and Microbial Activity Open
This study aims to determine the effect of adding biochar to soil under different management systems, as well as soil nutrient availability in a temperate environment. We tested whether biochar could enhance the chemical and biological pro…
View article: Assessing the impact of some of the top-ranking soil properties associated with soil health&#160;
Assessing the impact of some of the top-ranking soil properties associated with soil health  Open
Soil health is essential for a well-functioning, healthy food web that is vital for sustaining agricultural productivity. Evaluating soil health involves the assessment of physical, chemical, and biological indicators that reflect the soil…
View article: A Novel Biodegradable Decomposition Sensor demonstrates the dynamic recovery of soil biological activity following climatic stress&#160;
A Novel Biodegradable Decomposition Sensor demonstrates the dynamic recovery of soil biological activity following climatic stress  Open
 Monitoring of the microbiological processes in the soil is important to understand and the impacts of agricultural practices on soil health. Evaluation of microbially-mediated soil processes usually involves manual sampling followed …
View article: Assessing grassland soil degradation through key soil physical and chemical properties in smallholder farms of Western Kenya
Assessing grassland soil degradation through key soil physical and chemical properties in smallholder farms of Western Kenya Open
In humid Africa, grassland degradation is widespread, with overgrazing as a major factor, affecting soil health and structure, and vegetation composition. Understanding this degradation is vital for targeted restoration. We assessed grassl…
View article: Advancing understanding of sustainable production on livestock farms: The importance of accurately assessing upland soil carbon stocks&#160;
Advancing understanding of sustainable production on livestock farms: The importance of accurately assessing upland soil carbon stocks  Open
Whilst it is generally understood that grasslands are able to store significant amounts of carbon and that much of our degraded agricultural soil has capacity to build carbon stocks and potentially mitigate on-farm emissions, to date, the …
View article: Long-term effects of tillage practices and future climate scenarios on topsoil organic carbon stocks in Lower Austria – A modelling and long-term experiment study
Long-term effects of tillage practices and future climate scenarios on topsoil organic carbon stocks in Lower Austria – A modelling and long-term experiment study Open
Conservation agriculture, with its reduced soil disturbance and enhanced cover, has the potential to increase carbon storage in the topsoil. However, it remains unclear how various tillage practices alter topsoil organic carbon (SOC) stora…
View article: Higher Plant Diversity Does Not Moderate the Influence of Changing Rainfall Regimes on Plant–Soil Feedback of a Semi‐Arid Grassland
Higher Plant Diversity Does Not Moderate the Influence of Changing Rainfall Regimes on Plant–Soil Feedback of a Semi‐Arid Grassland Open
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of severe droughts, but it remains unclear whether soil biotic conditioning by plant communities with varying species richness or functional group diversity moderate plant–soil feedback …
View article: A changepoint approach to modelling nonstationary soil moisture dynamics
A changepoint approach to modelling nonstationary soil moisture dynamics Open
Soil moisture dynamics provide an indicator of soil health that scientists model via drydown curves. The typical modelling process requires the soil moisture time series to be manually separated into drydown segments and then exponential d…
View article: Rainfall-induced lateral and vertical microplastic transport of varying sizes in agricultural fields
Rainfall-induced lateral and vertical microplastic transport of varying sizes in agricultural fields Open
Agricultural soils, particularly those utilizing plastic products for crop production, are increasingly recognized as sources of microplastics (MPs) to aquatic ecosystems.
View article: In-situ Decomposition Sensor Output Correlates with Soil Health Indicators
In-situ Decomposition Sensor Output Correlates with Soil Health Indicators Open
Monitoring of microbiological processes in soil is important for understanding and improving soil health and agricultural productivity. Despite its significance, microbiological measurements are currently difficult to make in-situ and in r…
View article: Mitigation measures designed to reduce soil compaction decrease the surface runoff, soil erosion and phosphorus losses from tramlines in agricultural fields
Mitigation measures designed to reduce soil compaction decrease the surface runoff, soil erosion and phosphorus losses from tramlines in agricultural fields Open
The use of tramlines or wheelings to carry out agricultural operations, such as spraying and fertilizer applications, is common across the world. They are often orientated up and down the slope and the soil that is driven on becomes compac…
View article: HESS Opinion: Floods and droughts – Land use, soil management, and landscape hydrology are more significant drivers than increasing temperatures
HESS Opinion: Floods and droughts – Land use, soil management, and landscape hydrology are more significant drivers than increasing temperatures Open
Floods, droughts, and heatwaves are increasing globally. This is typically attributed to CO2-driven climate change. However, at the global scale, CO2-driven climate change neither reduces precipitation nor adequately explains droughts desp…
View article: Novel Soil Decomposition Sensor: Field Studies and Design Improvements
Novel Soil Decomposition Sensor: Field Studies and Design Improvements Open
  The sensing of soil microbial and enzymatic activity continues to be a challenge, as current techniques are typically limited to the laboratory, and are time and labor intensive. In addition, such offsite assessments are not necessa…
View article: Construction and demolition mineral-based waste impacts soil functioning and ecosystem services
Construction and demolition mineral-based waste impacts soil functioning and ecosystem services Open
Over half of the world’s population live currently in urban areas with future projections estimating an increase to 68% by 2050,with a projected additional 1.2 million km2 of land to be converted to urban areas by 20301. Poor practic…
View article: A meta-analysis of global soybean plant growth and yield improvement in response to phosphorus addition
A meta-analysis of global soybean plant growth and yield improvement in response to phosphorus addition Open
Application of phosphorus (P) fertiliser to soybean accounts for a large proportion of the global consumption of P as an agricultural fertiliser. Despite this key a knowledge gap exists surrounding the mechanisms of P fertiliser uptake and…
View article: Influence of polymer age and soil aggregation on microplastic transport in soil erosion events
Influence of polymer age and soil aggregation on microplastic transport in soil erosion events Open
The transport of microplastics within and across terrestrial ecosystems is a critical factor controlling plastic pollution in the environment. However, our understanding of these transport processes remains extremely limited. Particular un…
View article: Sewage Sludge in Farmlands: A Gateway to Soil Microplastic Pollution?
Sewage Sludge in Farmlands: A Gateway to Soil Microplastic Pollution? Open
This study examines the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils, an emerging concern linked to the widespread application of sewage sludge. In the UK, 87% of sludge is disposed of through this route. To investigate this potenti…
View article: Can increased cover crop diversity bind more soil in the field and mitigate overland flow erosion?
Can increased cover crop diversity bind more soil in the field and mitigate overland flow erosion? Open
Agricultural intensification has simplified landscapes thereby reducing biodiversity, depleting natural resources, and threatening ecosystem services. Resilience to abiotic stress is therefore decreasing, creating uncertainty about effects…
View article: Modelling the effects of long-term tillage practices on soil organic carbon stocks in Pyhra
Modelling the effects of long-term tillage practices on soil organic carbon stocks in Pyhra Open
In contrast to conventional tillage, conservation practices can increase carbon storage in the topsoil. However, it remains unclear how soil organic carbon (SOC) changes under future climate, which would be essential striving towards susta…