Assessment of the impact of sideration on the micro-relief structure of soil using image digitization and photogrammetric reconstruction of a conditional elevation map
Abstract
Purpose. The long-term effect (2014–2025) of systematic oilseed-radish green manuring on soil-surface microrelief was evaluated using a simplified photogrammetric approach based on normalized height maps and 3D surface reconstruction. T Methods. The study was conducted under long-term field experimental conditions. The initial non-green-manured control (2014), the non-green-manured control and periodically green-manured treatment evaluated in 2019, as well as the corresponding control and systematic green-manuring treatment evaluated in 2025, were compared. Photographic images of the soil surface were processed to obtain normalized relative-height maps and three-dimensional surface models. The main morphometric characteristics included mean surface height (Hmean), standard deviation of surface height (SDH), arithmetic mean roughness (Ra), root-meansquare roughness (Rq), and the height range between the 95th and 5th percentiles (H95–5). Results. The initial soil surface was characterized by Hmean = 0.442, SDH = 0.180, Ra = 0.144, Rq = 0.180, and H95–5 = 0.607 relative units. After five years without green manuring, SDH and Ra increased by 23.9% and 24.3%, respectively, while H95–5 increased by 25.4%. Under periodic green manuring in 2019, SDH and Ra were 23.9% and 22.9% higher, respectively, whereas H95–5 was 29.2% higher compared with the initial values. In 2025, the non-green-manured control was characterized by SDH = 0.206, Ra = 0.161, Rq = 0.206, and H95–5 = 0.804. Systematic green manuring over 12 years reduced Hmean by 13.1%, SDH by 7.2%, Ra by 9.0%, Rq by 7.2%, and H95–5 by 9.7% compared with the initial state. Relative to the 2025 non-green-manured control, the reductions were 15.0%, 19.0%, 18.6%, 19.0%, and 31.8%, respectively. The most pronounced effect was observed for H95–5. Findings. Systematic green manuring with oilseed radish exerted a long-term stabilizing effect on the relief structure of the soil surface. Repeated incorporation of green-manure biomass reduced the amplitude and spatial variability of microrelief, as confirmed by lower SDH, Ra, Rq, and H95–5 values. The simplified photogrammetric approach used proved suitable for the rapid quantitative characterization and three-dimensional visualization of soil-surface microrelief and may serve as an informative complementary tool for assessing structural changes in soils under long-term regenerative and soil-conserving agricultural practices.
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