Abstract

Soil degradation through erosion, salinization, and acidification represents one of the most critical threats to global agricultural sustainability and food security. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of these three primary degradation processes across diverse agricultural landscapes, examining their individual and synergistic impacts on soil health parameters. We conducted field surveys across 150 agricultural sites spanning three distinct agro-ecological zones over a two-year period (2022-2024). Soil samples were analyzed for physical, chemical, and biological properties including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter content, nutrient availability, and microbial activity^1^. Results indicate that erosion affects 45% of surveyed sites with topsoil loss rates averaging 12.3 t ha^-1^ year^-1^, while salinization impacts 28% of sites with EC values exceeding 4 dS m^-1^. Acidification was observed in 38% of locations with pH values below 5.5^2^. Combined degradation processes showed exponentially increased negative impacts on crop productivity, with yield reductions of up to 67% in severely affected areas. Correlation analysis revealed significant interactions between degradation types, with erosion-acidification combinations showing the strongest negative synergy (r = -0.78, p < 0.001). The study demonstrates that integrated assessment approaches are essential for understanding complex soil degradation patterns and developing effective mitigation strategies for sustainable agricultural management^3^.