Modeling of Soil Functions for Assessing Soil Quality: Soil Biodiversity and Habitat Provisioning

Sustainable agriculture largely depends on soil biodiversity and requires efficient methods to assess the effectiveness of agronomic planning. Knowledge of the landscape and relative pedosite is enriched by data on the soil microarthropod community, which represent useful bio-indicators for early soil-quality detection in land-use change (LUC). In the hilly Maremma region of Grosseto, Italy, two areas, a >10ys meadow converted into a vineyard and an old biodynamic vineyard (no-LUC), were selected for evaluating the LUC effect. For maintaining soil vitality and ecosystem services by meadow, the vineyard was planted and cultivated using criteria of the patented “Corino method”. The aim was to evaluate the LUC impact, within one year, by assessing parameters characterizing soil properties and soil microarthropod communities after the vineyard was planted. The adopted preservative method in the new vineyards did not show a detrimental impact on the biodiversity of soil microarthropods, and in particular, additional mulching contributed to a quick recovery from soil stress due to working the plantation. In the short term, the adopted agricultural context confirmed that the targeted objectives preserved the soil quality and functionality.

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Participatory soil quality assessment: The case of smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr04021 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 793 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Teklu Erkossa ◽

Karl Stahr ◽

Thomas Gaiser

Keyword(s):

Quality Assessment ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Crop Production ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Soil Management ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Yield Data ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Soil Quality Assessment

The study was conducted at Caffee Doonsa (08°88′N, 39°08′E; 2400 m asl), a small watershed in the central highlands of Ethiopia, in order to identify farmers’ goals of soil management and the indicators they use in selecting soils for a certain function, and to categorise the soils in different quality groups with respect to the major functions. Thirty-six male farmers of different age and wealth groups participated in a Participatory Rural Appraisal technique. They listed and prioritised 12 soil functions in the area and itemised the soil quality indicators (characteristics). Based on the indicators, the soils in the watershed were classified into 3 soil quality (SQ) groups (Abolse, Kooticha, and Carii). The SQ groups have been evaluated and ranked for the major soil functions. For crop production, Abolse was graded best, followed by Kooticha and Carii, respectively. The grain and straw yield data of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) taken from the SQ groups confirmed the farmers claim, in that Abolse gave the highest grain yield (4573 kg/ha), followed by 4411 and 3657 kg/ha for Kooticha and Carii, respectively. Local insights should be included in systematic soil quality assessment, and in planning and implementation of various soil management interventions.

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Implications of Climate Change on Soil Functions: A Case for Achieving Local Coconut Sufficiency from Sustainable Agricultural Practices

10.20944/preprints202110.0272.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chinedu Egbunike ◽

Nonso Okoye ◽

Okoroji-Nma Okechukwu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Management Practices ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Environmental Consequences ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Climate change is a major threat to agricultural food production globally and locally. It poses both direct and indirect effects on soil functions. Thus, agricultural management practices has evolved to adaptation strategies in order to mitigate the risks and threats from climate change. The study concludes with a recommendation the coconut farmers should explore the idea of soil biodiversity in a bid to mitigate the potential negative impact of climate related risk on the farming. The study proffers the need for adopting sustainable agricultural practices to boost local coconut production. This can contribute to the simultaneous realisation of two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations: SDG 2 on food security and sustainable agriculture and SDG 13 on action to combat climate change and its impacts. The study findings has implications for tackling climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa and in particular Nigeria in order to boost local agricultural production and coconut in particular without negative environmental consequences and an ability to cope with climate change related risks.

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Soils

The Biology of Agroecosystems ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198737520.003.0005 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 67-90

Author(s):

Nicola P. Randall ◽

Barbara Smith

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Soil Formation ◽

Soil Biology ◽

Soil Processes ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Productive Land ◽

And Function ◽

Agriculture And Food

This chapter gives a basic introduction to soil formation and fundamental soil processes in agroecosystems. The types of soils found in agroecosystems and their importance for agriculture is explored, with a principal focus on soil biodiversity, i.e. soil-dwelling organisms, their variety and function, and the interaction between soil biology, agriculture, and food production. The chapter describes some of the issues associated with soils in agroecosystems. These include interactions between agricultural practices and soil erosion and soil quality issues such as salinization and desertification. The major challenges to maintaining ‘healthy’ soils on productive land are outlined, and approaches and techniques for managing soils described.

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Soil quality assessment of constructed Technosols: Towards the validation of a promising strategy for land reclamation, waste management and the recovery of soil functions

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111344 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 276 ◽

pp. 111344

Author(s):

Francisco Ruiz ◽

Maurício Roberto Cherubin ◽

Tiago Osório Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Land Reclamation ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Promising Strategy ◽

Soil Quality Assessment

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Assessing the impacts of land use and land cover changes on soil functions using landscape function analysis and soil quality indicators in semi-arid natural ecosystems

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2019.02.021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 177 ◽

pp. 260-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mojdeh Safaei ◽

Hossein Bashari ◽

Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi ◽

Reza Jafari

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Soil Quality Indicators ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Landscape Function ◽

Semi Arid

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Volumetric soil quality modelling with machine learning in a diverse agricultural landscape in Andalusia, Spain

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-791 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tobias Rentschler ◽

Martin Bartelheim ◽

Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla ◽

Philipp Gries ◽

Thomas Scholten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Soil Mapping ◽

Soil Profiles ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Depth Functions

<p>Soils and soil functions are recognized as a key resource for human well-being throughout time. In an agricultural and forestry perspective, soil functions contribute to food and timber production. Other soil functions are related to freshwater security and energy provisioning. In general, the capacity of a soil to function within specific boundaries is summarised as soil quality. Knowledge about the spatial distribution of soil quality is crucial for sustainable land use and the protection of soils and their functions. This spatial knowledge can be obtained with accurate and efficient machine-learning-based soil mapping approaches, which allow the estimation of the soil quality at distinct locations. However, the vertical distribution of soil properties is usually neglected when assessing soil quality at distinct locations. To overcome such limitations, the depth function of soil properties needs to be incorporated in the modelling. This is not only important to get a better estimation of the overall soil quality throughout the rooting zone, but also to identify factors that limit plant growth, such as strong acidity or alkalinity, and the water holding capacity. Thus, the objective of this study was to model and map the soil quality indicators pH, soil organic carbon, sand, silt and clay content as a volumetric entity. The study area is located in southern Spain in the Province of Seville at the Guadalquivir river. It covers 1,000&#160;km<sup>2</sup> of farmland, citrus and olive plantations, pastures and wood pasture (Dehesa) in the Sierra Morena mountain range, at the Guadalquivir flood plain and tertiary terraces. Soil samples were taken at 130 soil profiles in five depths (or less at shallow soils). The profiles were randomly stratified depending on slope position and land cover. We used a subset of 99 samples from representative soil profiles to assess the overall 513 samples with FT-IR spectroscopy and machine learning methods to model equal-area spline, polynomial and exponential depth functions for each soil quality indicator at each of the 130 profiles. These depth functions were modelled and predicted spatially with a comprehensive set of environmental covariates from remote sensing data, multi-scale terrain analysis and geological maps. By solving the spatially predicted depth functions with a vertical resolution of 5&#160;cm, we obtained a volumetric, i.e. three-dimensional, map of pH, soil organic carbon content and soil texture. Preliminary results are promising for volumetric soil mapping and the estimation of soil quality and limiting factors in three-dimensional space.</p>

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Importance of Soil Health and It’s Estimation by Remote Sensing and GIS

International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology ◽

10.22214/ijraset.2021.36568 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (VII) ◽

pp. 1262-1266

Author(s):

Ashish Kumar Singh

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Soil Health ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Remote Sensing And Gis ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Waste Land ◽

Sentinel 2

The soil quality is defined as the measurements of an essential organic and moving composition. To conserve the environment boundary with human health as well as to maintain the soils productivity are the main objective. In order to understand, it is important to differentiate between the soil heath and soil quality. The soil functions are generally related to soil quality however the living and organic stocks are of a non renewable resources, reutilizing the nutrients is presented by the soil health. Among this the Soil Organic Carbon is most important factor. In the soil SOC plays an important role in the productivity of the soil. In this research we conducted a study on the District of Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh by using Remote Sensing. A Sentinel-2 data has used for the analysis of Land Use and Land Cover purposes. The result concluded the highest and minimum measurement of SOC in Agricultural and waste land respectively. The main objective of this research, to describe the quality and characteristic of the soil and consider the reasons by which the soil quality get disturb, to discover the agricultural practices which directly affects the soil quality.

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Utilization of Soil Function Information for Assessing Soil Quality of Rice Field in the Quaternary-Tertiary Volcanic Transitional Zones in Central Java

Sains Tanah - Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology ◽

10.20961/stjssa.v16i2.35492 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 169

Author(s):

Ajun Prayitno ◽

Junun Sartohadi ◽

Makruf Nurudin

Keyword(s):

Soil Quality ◽

Paddy Soil ◽

Rice Field ◽

Clay Content ◽

Transitional Zone ◽

Data Sets ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Soil Function ◽

Information Approach ◽

Function Information

Soil quality information of the rice field in the Quaternary-Tertiary volcanic transitional zone has not been specifically reported. Research on the assessment of soil quality widely reported only focuses on the discussion of quantitative-qualitative techniques and the use of minimum data sets without paying serious attention to the soil functions. This study aimed to assess soil quality through qualitative and quantitative methods based on the soil function information approach. The study was conducted in the quaternary-tertiary volcanic transitional zone with special cases of thick soil, high clay content, low nutrient content, high erosion, and vulnerability to landslide, which affects soil quality and farmer cultivation practice. The qualitative soil quality approach was based on the local knowledge of the farmers. The quantitative soil quality indexing was performed with the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) method to obtain sensitive indicators. The results found that the characteristics of paddy soil had high clay content and thick topsoil layers. The paddy soil is commonly called as ngrawa/mbel soil. The minimum qualitative data sets included color, plant condition, texture, ease of tillage, and drainage. Meanwhile, the minimum quantitative data sets included Na-dd, Mg-dd, texture, bulk density, porosity, and permeability. Information on soil functions obtained included the availability of nutrients, rooting media, root penetration, water storage capacity, and soil permeability. The soil function information approach can be used to assess soil quality in the quaternary-tertiary volcanic transitional zone.

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Soil Macrofauna: A key Factor for Increasing Soil Fertility and Promoting Sustainable Soil Use in Fruit Orchard Agrosystems

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10040456 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 456 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Adriano Sofo ◽

Alba Nicoletta Mininni ◽

Patrizia Ricciuti

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Fertility Restoration ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Soil Macrofauna ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Chemical Action ◽

Fruit Orchard ◽

Orchard Soils

Soils and crops in orchard agrosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stresses. In many orchard soils, soil biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides are under threat from a range of natural and manmade drivers. In this scenario, sustainable soil use aimed at increasing soil organic matter (SOM) and SOM-related benefits, in terms of soil quality and fertility, plays a crucial role. The role of soil macrofaunal organisms as colonizers, comminutors and engineers within soils, together with their interactions with microorganisms, can contribute to the long-term sustainability of orchard soils. Indeed, the continuous physical and chemical action of soil fauna significantly affects SOM levels. This review paper is focused on the most advanced and updated research on this argument. The analysis of the literature highlighted that a significant part of soil quality and fertility in sustainably-managed fruit orchard agrosystems is due to the action of soil macrofauna, together with its interaction with decomposing microorganisms. From the general analysis of the data obtained, it emerged that the role of soil macrofauna in orchards agrosystems should be seriously taken into account in land management strategies, focusing not exclusively on fruit yield and quality, but also on soil fertility restoration.

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