TITLE:
An Alternative Reclamation System of Stony Soils: A Case Study
AUTHORS:
Pietro Toscano
KEYWORDS:
Stony Soil Reclamation, Soil Quality, 4.0 Precision Agriculture, Agro-Industrial Crops
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
29,
2025
ABSTRACT: The “sustainability” concept means a process or state that can be maintained indefinitely in time and space at a defined level. In agricultural management, the concept of sustainability is also associated with the soil quality and productivity, and related to the physical, chemical, and biological fertility of the active layer. Since soil is a non-renewable resource, agriculture “4.0” must therefore avoid its exploitation and degradation in the intensification of cropping systems, according to the principles of marginal productivity in the use of production factors. However, in many agricultural lands, over the fine earth fractions, there are high coarse fractions percentages that hinder the functionality of cultivation machines and increase their wear. In this study, a deep burial reclamation trial was carried out, as alternative to stone removal and on-site crushing, to constitute a cultivation layer with a higher percentage of fine earth, with the aim of improving in long term the soil quality and workability, the efficiency of cultivation machines and the crop yield. The results obtained confirmed the achievement of set goals, avoiding the drawbacks of the other soil destoning systems, making the proposed method viable for a wide range of potential users, both for the implementation of precision farming systems and the recovery of productivity of stony soils.