Soil Health Analysis, Set. Группа авторов

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Название Soil Health Analysis, Set
Автор произведения Группа авторов
Жанр Биология
Серия
Издательство Биология
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9780891189909



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about soil resources; (3) society’s priorities and demands on soil resources are changing; and (4) soil resource and land use decisions are made in a human or institutional context (Warkentin and Fletcher, 1977). They also stated that because of inherent differences among soils, there is no single measurement that will always be useful for evaluating soil quality (Karlen et al., 2003a).

      Another 1980s soil and crop management challenge influencing SOM, erosion, and crop productivity was the suggested harvest of crop residues for off‐site bioenergy generation (Paul et al. 1980; Blevins et al. 1983; Elliot and Papendick, 1986). This was spurred by the 1970s energy crisis, and although a portion of the crop residue remaining after grain harvest had traditionally been harvested and used for animal feed or bedding, off‐site transport of the crop residues was the critical issue being questioned (Karlen et al., 1984). On‐farm use resulted in recycling of nutrients and organic matter via manure disposal, but off‐site transport would likely prevent closing field‐specific carbon cycles.

      Soil Quality Assessment

      The soil tilth review (Karlen et al., 1990) prompted advancement of soil quality/soil health concepts through a Rodale Foundation workshop (Rodale Institute, 1991) that was described by Haberern (1992) as coming “full circle” in reference to J. I. Rodale’s 1942 vision of a “soil‐care revolution.” Rodale had stated that greater awareness to soil health was needed to create “a healthy society, a country of prosperous farms, and healthy, vigorous people.” An important outcome of the Rodale workshop was consensus regarding the need for soil assessments that went beyond productivity and included environmental quality, human and animal health. There was also a realization that assessing and monitoring soil health was complicated by the need to consider multiple soil functions and integrate physical, chemical and biological attributes (Papendick and Parr, 1992; Parr et al., 1992; Warkentin, 1995). Discussions regarding subtle differences between inherent and dynamic soil quality indicators were another important outcome of the Rodale workshop.

      Soil quality activities around the world expanded rapidly during the early 1990s, driven in part by increasing recognition of the role soils had in buffering and mitigating factors affecting environmental quality (Warkentin, 1992). However, the true global driver and inspiration for the advancement of soil health or quality was Dr. John W. Doran, to whom this book series is dedicated. His perspective stating that “soil health, or quality, can be broadly defined as the capacity of a living soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and promote plant and animal health” (Doran, 2002) is to us, the ultimate goal for soil health. He also emphasized that soil health will change over time due to natural events or human impacts.

      Other developments included a symposium sponsored by the North Central Region Committee No. 59 that focused on SOM at the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) meetings. That event led to the SSSA publishing two books that became known as the “blue” (Doran et al., 1994) and “green” (Doran and Jones, 1996) soil quality guides that are the precursors for this two‐volume series. Doran (2002) also provided important insight stating that although soils have an inherent quality associated with their physical, chemical, and biological properties, their sensitivity to climate and management practices means that land manager decisions ultimately determine soil health. He continued stating a pivotal role for scientists is translating scientific information regarding soil functions into practical tools that land managers can use to evaluate the sustainability of their management practices. Soil health indicators thus became the tools for making the assessments, but there is no single indicator or technology that will always be appropriate.

      Soil health assessment has also been advanced by the NRCS, through databases at the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL), National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, NE that currently have analytical data for more than 20,000 U.S. pedons and at least 1,100 more from other countries (Brevik et al., 2017). Collectively, morphological descriptions are available for about 15,000 pedons (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/research/?cid=nrcs142p2_053543#:~:text=Summary,1%2C100%20pedons%20from%20other%20countries) (verified 6‐12‐2020).

      The NRCS also has extensive data on basic soil properties, landscape characteristics, and interpretations for use and management. Those databases, describing inherent soil properties, provide a resource to match various land uses with inherent ability of individual soils to perform critical functions (Karlen et al., 2003a). Building upon those resources, the NRCS created several cross‐cutting teams during the 1990s, including the Soil Quality Institute (SQI) whose scientists developed many of the first‐generation soil quality/soil health scorecards, assessment tools, and information packets. The SQI compiled soil quality information for NRCS staff to help them integrate soil quality concepts into conservation planning and resource inventory activities for their stakeholders (SQI, 1996). The SQI also provided leadership and collaboration for research studies designed to evaluate soil quality indicators at several scales, including Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) sites within four Major Land Resource Areas (Brejda et al., 2000a, 2000b, 2000c).

      One of the first comprehensive soil quality/health assessments was used to quantify benefits of the CRP. Following passage of the 1985 Food Security Act, that program took 14.7 million hectares (36.4 million acres) in 36 states out of production (Skold, 1989). Recognized as environmentally sensitive or highly erodible land (HEL), the primary goal was to reduce soil erosion. Secondary CRP goals included: protecting the nation's ability to produce food and fiber, improving air and water quality, carbon sequestration,