Molecular Soil Biology 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 214-229 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 222 Increased management difficulty: Regularly measuring pH and soil moisture is a heavy burden on farmers. Later, it is planned to introduce a sensor system to achieve remote monitoring and help farmers save effort (Dilrukshi et al., 2018; Sabahy et al., 2024). 9 Limitations and Knowledge Gaps 9.1 Variation in results across soil types and climates Currently, there is not enough uniformity in the research on soil improvement of Leonurus japonicus in off-season planting. Some methods are very effective in one soil or climate, but the effect will be much worse in another place. In saline-alkali land, adding mixed amendments or biochar can increase organic matter, nitrogen and water retention capacity. However, these effects are greatly affected by the original soil conditions, management methods and local climate (Xuan et al., 2022; Huang et al., 2025; Raheem et al., 2025; Xu and Qu, 2025). Physical methods such as mulching or deep loosening also perform differently in different climates and soils. In some places, the improvement effect is not stable because the soil is too sticky, there is a lot of rain or the temperature is low (Raheem et al., 2025). There is currently no unified soil improvement technology standard applicable to different regions. We also lack cross-regional and cross-soil type comparative experiments and mechanism research. 9.2 Lack of long-term monitoring data Many studies focus only on short-term effects, such as how soil and yield change after applying organic fertilizers, microbial agents or biochar (Xuan et al., 2022; Li et al., 2023; Wei et al., 2024; Huang et al., 2025; Xu and Qu, 2025). However, the follow-up time is very short, and most experiments are less than 3 years. In such a short period of time, it is impossible to see whether soil improvement has a lasting effect in the long run, and it is also difficult to evaluate the long-term impact on soil ecology (Li et al., 2023; Raheem et al., 2025). Especially in the off-season planting of motherwort, we know too little about the long-term changes in microbial communities, soil nutrient dynamics, and continuous yield fluctuations. Therefore, our understanding of the later effects and sustainability of improvement measures is still very limited. 9.3 Uncertainty in microbial amendment interactions Microbial fertilizers and bio-organic fertilizers are indeed helpful for soil health and crop growth (Niu et al., 2021; Das et al., 2022; Li et al., 2023; Wei et al., 2024; Xie et al., 2025). But how they work is still unclear. Different strains, different ways of use, and different soil backgrounds will make the number, function, and enzyme activity of microorganisms in the soil different (Niu et al., 2021; Das et al., 2022; Wei et al., 2024; Xie et al., 2025). There are not many studies to explore whether microorganisms and organic fertilizers, inorganic fertilizers, or physical amendment methods help each other or conflict with each other. This makes it difficult for us to apply them accurately in field practice and it is not easy to formulate a complete set of technical solutions. 9.4 Suggestions for future empirical studies and trials In response to the above-mentioned issues, future research and experimental work needs to be more detailed and comprehensive. First, more comparative experiments can be conducted under different types of soil and different climatic conditions. Because we now know that the effects of improvement technologies vary greatly in different regions, but the specific reasons are not clear enough. Through systematic comparison, we can not only find the most appropriate improvement method, but also better understand the underlying mechanism (Xuan et al., 2022; Huang et al., 2025; Raheem et al., 2025; Xu and Qu, 2025). Secondly, long-term field monitoring points should be established, like observation stations, to regularly record the physical and chemical properties of the soil, microbial changes, crop yields and changes in the ecosystem. This long-term tracking is necessary because short-term experiments often cannot see the effects of improvement measures after three, five or even longer years (Li et al., 2023; Raheem et al., 2025). Third, it is necessary to further study how microbial amendments interact with soil and crop roots. This type of research can be combined with modern omics technologies, such as gene sequencing and microbial community analysis, to reveal the specific functional pathways of different microbial agents. This is also helpful for the subsequent precise use of microbial agents and improving fertilizer efficiency (Niu et al., 2021; Das et al., 2022; Wei et al., 2024; Xie et al., 2025). Furthermore, we can try to combine organic,
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