The response of soil quality indicators to conservation management

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Bolinder ◽  
D. A. Angers ◽  
E. G. Gregorich ◽  
M. R. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Light Fraction ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Soil C

The response of soil quality attributes to management practices across a diverse range of farming systems is key to identifying a robust minimum data set (MDS). The objectives of this study were to compare the response and consistency of different soil organic matter (SOM) attributes to changes in soil management practices in eastern Canadian agroecosystems. Soil samples (0–10 cm) were obtained at sites of several replicated experiments throughout eastern Canada, and 16 paired comparisons were selected to determine the effect of conservation (no-tillage, rotations, organic amendments) versus conventional (fall moldboard plowing, continuous cropping, no organic amendments) management practices. A sensitivity index was calculated for each of the attributes by dividing the values for conservation treatments with their conventionally managed counterparts (i.e., Conservation/Conventional). The index showed that light fraction (LF) N (1.58) and macro-organic matter-N (MOM-N) (1.54) were the most sensitive SOM attributes to conservation management practices. Light fraction-C (LF-C), macro-organic matter-C (MOM-C) and microbial biomass-C (MB-C) also showed high sensitivity to conservation management (1.48, 1.34 and 1.44, respectively). The sensitivity index for carbohydrates, whole soil C and total N were 1.23, 1.16 and 1.17, respectively. However, the Friedman two-way analysis of variance test indicated that the sensitivity of the different attributes to conservation management was site specific. For example, although LF-N was highly ranked, it did not respond as frequently as most of the other attributes. A non-parametric sign test showed that whole soil C and N provided the most consistent response to conservation management. The average sensitivity index was highest for the amendment (1.82) followed by the tillage (1.26) and rotational (1.14) conservation management practices, suggesting that organic amendments had the greatest impact on most of the attributes. These results suggest that for eastern Canadian soils, use of MOM-C and MOM-N, MB-C and whole soil C would provide a useful, easy to measure and robust MDS. Key words: Soil quality indicators, response, conservation management

Labile soil carbon fractions as indicators of soil quality improvement under short-term grassland set-aside

Soil Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Jason M. Lussier ◽  
Maja Krzic ◽  
Sean M. Smukler ◽  
Katarina R. Neufeld ◽  
Chantel J. Chizen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Size Fraction ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Aggregate Size ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Soil C

Grassland set-asides (GLSA) are fields that are taken out of intensive annual crop production and seeded with a mixture of grasses and legumes for one to four years to improve soil quality. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (i) the relationships among soil organic carbon (SOC), permanganate oxidisable C (POXC), dilute-acid extractable polysaccharides (DAEP) and aggregate stability to determine if they may be used as proxies for one another, (ii) whether these indicators could be used to predict aggregate stability, (iii) if differences in soil quality after short-term GLSAs, detected with aggregate stability, could instead be detected with POXC or DAEP and (iv) potential use of diffuse Fourier transform spectroscopy (FT-MIR) to predict POXC, DAEP and aggregate stability in the Fraser River Delta region of British Columbia, Canada. There were strong relationships among SOC, POXC and DAEP, but the relationship between DAEP and SOC (R2 = 0.60, P < 0.0001) was less strong than that observed between POXC and SOC (R2 = 0.71, P < 0.0001). All three soil C fractions were significantly predicted with the 2–6 mm aggregate size fraction but the correlations for DAEP (R2 = 0.43) and POXC (R2 = 0.36) were stronger than that for SOC (R2 = 0.29). Predictions of soil quality indicators using FT-MIR produced R2 = 0.92 for POXC, R2 = 0.93 for DAEP and R2 = 0.62 for the 2–6 mm aggregate size fraction. These results suggest that FT-MIR holds promise as a low-cost method to determine labile soil C fractions that are better proxy soil quality indicators for aggregate stability than SOC.

scholarly journals Relationships between soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic substances of soils under integrated farming, livestock, and forestry

Revista CERES ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marihus Altoé Baldotto ◽  
Lílian Estrela Borges Baldotto
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Humic Substances ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Redox Properties ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Integrated Farming ◽  
Soil Carbon Stocks

ABSTRACT Once it is stabilized in the soil, organic matter minimizes limitations of Brazilian Oxisols, such as low cation exchange capacity, low nutrient availability, toxicity due to high aluminum content, and phosphate adsorption. Moreover, humified organic matter fractions are bioactive. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the biostimulant ability of compounds present in soil carbon stocks to develop sustainable technologies for tropical agriculture based on renewable natural resources. The objective of this research was to correlate some soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic acids isolated from integrated farming, livestock, and forestry systems aiming to understand the mechanisms involved in plant stimulation by humified organic matter. Carbon stocks and their stability were determined from oxidation by dichromatometry and iodometry, respectively. Bioactivity was assessed using yield data of corn indicator plants. The results indicated that when native-like forests were reintroduced instead of pastureland, soil carbon stocks and their stability increased along with overall improvements in soil fertility, chemical and physical properties, and soil biodiversity. The bioactivity of humic substances isolated from soils used in integrated crop, livestock, and forestry management was higher than that of soils derived from pastures or eucalyptus alone.

scholarly journals Physical soil quality indicators for monitoring British soils

Solid Earth ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1003-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Corstanje ◽  
Theresa G. Mercer ◽  
Jane R. Rickson ◽  
Lynda K. Deeks ◽  
Paul Newell-Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Soil Monitoring ◽  
Soil Water Retention

Abstract. Soil condition or quality determines its ability to deliver a range of functions that support ecosystem services, human health and wellbeing. The increasing policy imperative to implement successful soil monitoring programmes has resulted in the demand for reliable soil quality indicators (SQIs) for physical, biological and chemical soil properties. The selection of these indicators needs to ensure that they are sensitive and responsive to pressure and change, e.g. they change across space and time in relation to natural perturbations and land management practices. Using a logical sieve approach based on key policy-related soil functions, this research assessed whether physical soil properties can be used to indicate the quality of British soils in terms of their capacity to deliver ecosystem goods and services. The resultant prioritised list of physical SQIs was tested for robustness, spatial and temporal variability, and expected rate of change using statistical analysis and modelling. Seven SQIs were prioritised: soil packing density, soil water retention characteristics, aggregate stability, rate of soil erosion, depth of soil, soil structure (assessed by visual soil evaluation) and soil sealing. These all have direct relevance to current and likely future soil and environmental policy and are appropriate for implementation in soil monitoring programmes.

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