Uncovering soil dynamics: biological and physicochemical responses tosustainable and conventional practices in agroecosystem management.

Among today’s global challenges, soil degradation requires urgent solutions. Studying soil ecological dynamics and comparing different farming practices offers valuable insights into soil health, guiding the development of resilient agroecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of diverse farming practices on soil biological and physicochemical properties through a two-year field experiment involving a wheat–chickpea rotation and pollinator-friendly plant mixes compatible with EU Common Agricultural Policy ecoschemes. The experiment was conducted in Caselle in Pittari (Salerno, Italy) with three replicates and six treatments: wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Ardito,) under sustainable management with organic amendment (P1); chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in rotation with P1 (P2); wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Ardito) under conventional management with mineral fertilizer (NPK) (P3); O.P. RUSTICO mix (P4); O.P. ECO-5 PLUS mix (P5); and native spontaneous species (P6). Soil samples were collected before sowing (controls) and at flowering (F) and analyzed in the first year through bulk soil physicochemical analysis and enzymatic activity on rhizosphere (MRP) and rhizosheath (MRS), using Italian Ministry protocols. PCA explained 59% of the total variance of data, revealing a clear distribution pattern alongside the first two components. PC1 (37%) was mainly influenced by biological activity and organic matter, while PC2 (22%) reflected soil textural and chemical properties. Sustainable management (P1) aligned with biological indicator vectors (β-GLU, DHA, URE, organic C), while conventional plots (P3) appeared more scattered or shifted toward the mineralogical components. Controls differed clearly from flowering samples. F-MRP-P3 and F-MRS-P3 were separated from most of the dataset, located in a PCA region opposite to representing enzymatic activities and organic nutrients, appearing to represent mineral-dominated soil with lower biological activity, associated with conventional management conditions. F-MRP-P4 and F-MRS-P4 separated from the other, driven by clay, CSC, magnesium, and pH, indicating a soil mineral nutrition improvement over other treatments. The PCA findings were also strengthened by cluster analysis and chi-square testing, which revealed a statistically significant association between cluster grouping and treatment type (p = 0.041). These preliminary results confirm that sustainable management practices have a measurable impact on soil quality by promoting both biological activity and chemical balance. This study was carried out within the Agritech National Research Center and received funding from the European Union Next-GenerationEU (PIANO NAZIONALE DI RIPRESA E RESILIENZA (PNRR) – MISSIONE 4 COMPONENTE 2, INVESTIMENTO 1.4 – D.D. 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022). This manuscript reflects only the authors’ views and opinions, neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be considered responsible for them.