PAID ACCESS | Published on : 18-Apr-2026 | Pages: 73-91 | Doi : 10.37446/vol2book092025/73-91
Sustainable soil management is fundamental for ensuring long-term agricultural productivity, ecosystem resilience, and climate adaptation. The judicious application of fertilizers, encompassing both mineral inputs and organic amendments such as manure, critically influences soil physicochemical properties, microbial ecology, and nutrient dynamics. This study evaluates the long-term effects of manure and integrated fertilizer management on soil sustainability, with emphasis on soil organic carbon accumulation, microbial diversity, nutrient cycling efficiency, aggregate stability, and soil acid-base balance. Evidence from field trials and meta-analyses demonstrates that integrated nutrient strategies, combining organic and mineral inputs, enhance soil fertility while mitigating nutrient leaching, greenhouse gas emissions, and acidification risks. Manure amendments increase soil organic carbon content, stimulate functional microbial communities, and reinforce soil structural stability, thereby improving water retention, erosion resistance, and resilience under climate variability. In contrast, exclusive reliance on mineral fertilizers, although boosting short-term crop yields, may compromise microbial diversity, diminish long-term nutrient retention, and accelerate soil degradation. Site-specific and precision nutrient management emerge as essential tools for optimizing nutrient use efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. Collectively, these findings underscore that the strategic integration of manure and mineral fertilizers represents a sustainable intensification pathway, safeguarding soil health, preserving biodiversity, and supporting resilient agro ecosystems. The study provides evidence-based guidance for policymakers, agronomists, and land managers aiming to reconcile agricultural productivity with long-term soil conservation and ecosystem services.
Soil sustainability, Manure management, Integrated fertilization, Microbial diversity, Nutrient cycling, Soil organic carbon
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