Global Trends in Soil Organic Carbon Research in Citrus Orchards: A Bibliometric Analysis

Soil organic carbon (SOC), plays a central role in the sustainability of citrus orchards by improving soil quality, agricultural productivity, and contributing to climate change mitigation. This study aimed to analyze, through a bibliometric approach, the temporal evolution, geographical distribution, methodological frameworks, and main research themes related to SOC in citrus orchards. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases using a set of keywords including “citrus”, “soil organic carbon”, “carbon sequestration”, and “soil organic matter”. Initially, 600 articles were identified. The PRISMA methodology was applied, followed by manual screening to exclude studies not directly related to the research topic, resulting in a final dataset of 77 articles published between 2003 and 2025. Bibliometric analyses were conducted in the R environment using the bibliometrix package, assessing indicators of scientific production, impact, collaboration, spatial distribution, keyword co-occurrence, and the integration of chemical, physical, and biological soil attributes. The results indicated an average annual growth rate of 11.96%, highlighting the rapid expansion of research in this field. Scientific production showed a strong geographical concentration, led by China and Brazil. Chemical indicators were included in 100% of the studies, while 46.7% adopted integrated approaches (chemical, physical, and biological), indicating a transition toward more holistic soil health assessments. The thematic analysis revealed a predominance of studies focused on SOC, soil quality, vegetation management, conservation practices, and microbial processes. Overall, the findings reinforce the strategic role of citrus orchards as key systems for carbon sequestration and the development of sustainable agricultural practices.