An Asian Journal of Soil Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Soil Quality Concepts and Assessment


Affiliations
1 Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India
2 Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Soil quality has become an internationally accepted science based tool for advancing the assessment, education and understanding of soil resources. Soil quality assessment is important for measuring changes in soil properties over time that helps to define effective management strategies, soil quality cannot be measured directly and there are different indicators (approaches) that can be used to quantify soil quality. These indicators signal desirable or undesirable changes in land and vegetation management that have occurred or may occurs in the future. Finally, various soil quality indexing approaches are available, that can be applied to deserve a range of critical test values within which soil quality and soil health accounts can be defined.

Keywords

Soil Quality, Concepts, Data Set, Parameters, Soil Quality Assessment.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Andrews, S.S. and Carroll, C.R. (2001). Designing a soil quality assessment tool for sustainable agroecosystem management. Ecological Applications, 11:1573–1585.

  • Andrews, S.S., Karlen, D.L. and Cambardella, C.A. (2004). The soil management assessment framework: A quantitative soil quality evaluation method. Soil Sci. Society of America J., 68 :1945-1962.

  • Arshad, M.A. and Martin, S. (2002). Identifying critical limits for soil quality indicators in agro-ecosystems.Agric., Ecosyst& Environ., 88 :153–160.

  • Barrios, E. Delve, R.J. Bekunda, M. Mowo, J. Agunda, J. Ramisch, J. Trejo, M.T. and Thomas, R.J. (2006). Indicators of soil quality: A South-South development of a methodological guide for linking local and technical knowledge. Geoderma, 135 : 248 - 259.

  • Doran, J.W. and Jones, A.J. (1996). Methods for assessing soil quality. Soil Sci. Society of America J. Special Publication 49. Soil Science Society of America., Madison, WI. 410.

  • Feller, C., Balesdent, J., Nicolardot, B. and Cerri, C. (2001). Approaching «functional» soil organic matter pools through particle-size fractionation. Examples for tropical soils. In: Lal R., Kimble, J.M., Follett, R.F. and Stewart, B.A. (eds) Assessment methods for soil carbon, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp. 53-67.

  • Giller, K. E. and Cadisch, G. (1997).Driven by nature:A sense of arrival or departure. In: Cadisch, G. and Giller, K. E (eds), Driven by nature: Plant litter quality and decomposition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK: 393-399pp.

  • Granatstein, D. and Bezdicek, D.F. (1992). The need for a soil quality index: local and regional perspectives. Am. J. Altern. Agric., 7 : 12–16.

  • Havlin, J.L., Beaton, J.D., Tisdale, S.L. and Nelon, W.L. (2005). Soil fertility and nutrient management: An introduction to nutrient management. 7th Ed. 515 pp. Pearson/ Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

  • Kang, G. S., Beri, V., Sidhu, B.S. and Rupela, O.P. (2005). A new index to assess soil quality and sustainability of wheatbased cropping systems. Biology & Fertil. Soils, 41: 389– 398.

  • Karlen, D.L., Andrews, S. S. and Doran, J.W. (2001). Soil quality: Current concepts and applications. Adv. Agron.,74: 1-40.

  • Lal, R. (1993). Tillage effects on soil degradation, soil resilience, soil quality and sustainability. Soil & Tillage Res., 27:1-8.

  • Larson, W.E. and Pierce, F. J. (1994). The dynamics of soil quality as a measure of sustainable management. Pages 37– 51 In: Doran, J. W., Coleman, D. C., Bezdicek, D. F. and Stewart, B. A. eds. Defining soil quality for a sustainable environment. SSSA Special Publication No. 35. SSSA Inc., ASA Inc., Madison, WI. 244 pp.

  • Murage, E.W., Karanja, N.K., Smithson, P.C. and Woomer, P.L. (2000). Diagnostic Kenya’s Central highlands. Agric. Ecosyst. & Environ.,79:1–8.

  • Mairura, F.S., Mugendi, D.N., Mwanje, J.I.,Ramisch, J.J., Mbugua, P.K. and Chianu, J.N. (2007). Integrating scientific and farmer’s evaluation of soil quality indicators in central Kenya. Geoderma, 139 : 134-143.

  • Parr, J.F., Pepandick, R.I., Hornick, S.B. and Meyer, R.E. (1992). Soil quality: attributes and relationship to alternative and sustainable agriculture. American J. Alternative Agric.,75-110.

  • Ricquier, J., Bramo, D. and Cornel, J.F. (1970). A new system of soil appraisal in terms of actual and potential productivity, FAO-AGL-TESR/70/6, Roam.

  • Seybold, C.A., Herrick, J.E. and Brejda, J.J.(1997). Soil resilience a fundamental component of soil quality. Soil Sci.,164:224-234.

  • Shukla, M.K., Lal, R. and Ebinger, M. (2006). Determining soil quality indicators by factor analysis. Soil & Tillage Res., 87:194-204.

  • Sparling, G., Parfitt, R.L., Hewitt, A.E. and Schipper, L.A. (2003). Three approaches to define desired soil organic matter contents. J. Environ .Qual., 32: 760-766.

  • Storie, R.E. (1954). Land classification as used in California for the appraisal of land for taxation purposes.Trans.5th Int.Congr.Soil Sci., 3 : 407-12.

  • Storie, R.E. (1976). Storie index soil rating (Revised 1978) Spec. Publ. Div. Agric. Sci. No. 3203, Univ. California.

  • Wang, X. and Gong, Z. (1998). Assessment and analysis of soil quality changes after eleven years of reclamation in subtropical china. Geoderma, 81 : 339-355.

  • Weinhold, B.J., Pikul, J.R., Leibig, M. A., Mikha, M.M., Varvel, G.E., Doran, J.W. and Andrews, S.S. (2006).Cropping system effects on soil quality in the Great Plains: Synthesis from a regional project. Renewable Agric. Food Syst., 21:4959.

  • Weinhold, B.J., Andrews, S.S., Kuykendall, H. and Karlen, D.L. (2008). Recent advances in soil quality assessment in the U.S. J. Indian Soc. of Soil Sci.,56 : 237-246.

  • Hillel, D. (1982). Introduction to soil physics. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/ 14 http://soils.usda.gov/.USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service.


Abstract Views: 828

PDF Views: 0




  • Soil Quality Concepts and Assessment

Abstract Views: 828  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

D. G. Padekar
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India
S. U. Mokhale
Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India
S. N. Gawande
Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India
P. D. Peshattiwar
Shri Shivaji College of Agriculture, Amravati (M.S.), India

Abstract


Soil quality has become an internationally accepted science based tool for advancing the assessment, education and understanding of soil resources. Soil quality assessment is important for measuring changes in soil properties over time that helps to define effective management strategies, soil quality cannot be measured directly and there are different indicators (approaches) that can be used to quantify soil quality. These indicators signal desirable or undesirable changes in land and vegetation management that have occurred or may occurs in the future. Finally, various soil quality indexing approaches are available, that can be applied to deserve a range of critical test values within which soil quality and soil health accounts can be defined.

Keywords


Soil Quality, Concepts, Data Set, Parameters, Soil Quality Assessment.

References