ABSTRACT Xu et al. show that high organic input and N‐balancing fertilization improve soil health at the soil plot scale; however, the effects of allocating C and N on soil health at the landscape or region scale are not considered. Historical soil management systems show that such a depletive redistribution leads to local agricultural improvements, but at the expense of soil health of the landscape or region. Hence, any contemporary suggestions of soil fertilization systems need to avoid historical mistakes and to be considered novel and sustainable. One option derived from legacy knowledge is to rely on crop rotation and intercropping regimes to improve soil health.
Christian Ahl (Mon,) studied this question.