The WCSS 2026 partners with leading international journals to launch four special issues highlighting cutting-edge research in soil science. We cordially invite submissions from scholars worldwide.

1. Deciphering Global Soil Nitrogen Cycling: Methodological Innovations, Microbial Mechanisms, and Sustainable Management

Journal: Nitrogen Cycling
Link: https://www.maxapress.com/nc/specials/174

Submission Deadline: 31 December 2026

This special issue aims to bring together cutting-edge studies that decipher soil nitrogen cycling from methodological, process-based, microbial, environmental, and management perspectives. We welcome original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and case studies that provide novel insights into nitrogen transformation processes, microbial mechanisms, environmental consequences, and sustainable nitrogen management in agricultural, forest, grassland, wetland, urban, and other terrestrial ecosystems. 

Topics suitable for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

1.  Methodological innovations in soil nitrogen cycling research

2.  Microbial mechanisms of nitrogen transformation processes

3.  Emerging and overlooked nitrogen cycling pathways

4.  Coupling of nitrogen with carbon, phosphorus, iron, and other elemental cycles

5.  Modeling, scaling, and prediction of nitrogen fluxes

6.  Sustainable nitrogen management and governance

2. Conservation and Restoration of Black Soils in Agro-ecosystems

Journal: European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS)
Link: https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/13652389/call-for-papers/si-2026-000028

Submission Deadline: 31 October 2026

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest research on conservation and sustainability of black soils under agricultural utilization. It will showcase innovative management practices that enhance soil health. We specifically seek case studies on restoration from diverse black soil regions worldwide. These contributions will highlight successful techniques and implementation challenges. The issue will also explore the role of black soils in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Our goal is to foster dialogue among scientists, farmers, and policymakers. This collaboration will develop effective conservation and sustainable use strategies.

Topics of interest for this call for papers include but are not restricted to the following:

1. Innovative management practices and conservation tillage for enhancing black soil fertility and health;

2. Mechanisms and strategies for soil organic carbon sequestration and stabilization in black soils;

3. Microbial drivers of organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling in black soil agro-ecosystems;

4. Erosion process and effective soil-water conservation technologies to control erosion and restore degraded black soils;

5. Case studies on successful restoration techniques, challenges, and climate resilience of black soils.

3. Mitigating the Impacts of Land Use Change through Conservation Management

Journal: Soil Use and Management

Link: https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/14752743/call-for-papers/si-2025-001332

Submission deadline:  1 August 2026      

The selected papers will mainly report the latest achievements in research focused on conservation, restoration and improvement of land use and its change through conservation managements, focused on promoting the sustainability of managed and natural ecosystems.

Topics for this call for papers include but are not restricted to:

1. Advances in the understanding of the interactions between soil and land use change by conservation management

2. Conservation management practices to enhance soil health

3. The role of conservation management in reclamation and restoration of degraded soil

4. Soil health assessment

5. Soil degradation by land use change

6. Impacts of land use changes on soil functions

7. Soil carbon sequestration

8. New and repurposed soil amendments

9. Cover crops, crop rotation and fallow

10. Biochar, manure, FGD gypsum, and other agro or industry byproducts

11. No-till, reduced till and minimum till

12. Water-saving irrigation, smart irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling

13. Others (in accordance with the scope of the special issue). Work on one or all soil disciplines (i.e., soil chemistry, physics and hydrology, biology and microbiology) are welcome.

4.Soil Organic Carbon Monitoring and Management: Integrating Science, Technology, and Practice for Sustainable Ecosystems 

Journal: Land Degradation and Development (LDD)
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/1099145x/homepage/call-for-papers/si-2026-000048

Submission deadline:  30 November 2026      

This Special Issue aims to bring together contributions emerging from these two complementary thematic sessions and from broader international collaborations. We welcome studies that compare laboratory, proximal, and remote sensing approaches and advance new frameworks for calibration, data integration, and uncertainty reduction. Research that maps SOC from plot-level observations to regional and national inventories is strongly encouraged. We also seek papers addressing practical SOC enhancement strategies, including regenerative agriculture, ecological restoration, and climate-smart land-use practices. Governance analyses, socio-economic assessments, and policy innovations are highly relevant for linking SOC science with land-degradation solutions. Case studies from global partnerships—including the Australia–China Carbon Partnership—will demonstrate scalable pathways for low-cost carbon accounting and sustainable land systems. By integrating biophysical, technological, and social perspectives, this Special Issue aims to strengthen international cooperation, support early-career researchers, and deliver actionable science for soil restoration and sustainable development. In doing so, it will create a coherent “Soil Carbon Thematic Cluster” that advances global efforts toward climate resilience, ecosystem health, and land-degradation neutrality.

Topics for this call for papers include but are not restricted to:

1. SOC Monitoring, Measurement, and Data Integration

2. Advances in laboratory, proximal, and remote sensing methods for SOC assessment

3. Multi-scale SOC mapping from plot measurements to regional and national inventories

4. Data fusion, calibration strategies, and uncertainty reduction in SOC quantification

5. SOC Dynamics, Land Degradation, and Restoration

6. Biogeochemical processes driving SOC stability, cycling, and sequestration under land degradation

7. SOC responses to land-use change, erosion, climate variability, and restoration practices

8. SOC as an indicator for land health, ecosystem resilience, and degradation neutrality goals

9. SOC Management, Governance, and Climate-Smart Pathways

10. Sustainable land management practices that enhance SOC stocks across ecosystems

11. Socio-economic and policy drivers shaping SOC adoption and carbon accounting frameworks

12. Low-cost SOC solutions using MIR, vis–NIR, and AI tools for climate-smart agriculture

Final program：23WCSS Congress Full Program-Final updated.pdf