Soil health – What should the doctor order?

Abstract

The concept of soil health has been extensively reviewed in the scientific literature, but there is only patchy and inconsistent information available to farmers and growers who are concerned about the declining condition of their soils and are looking for appropriate test methods and management interventions to help reverse it. Although there are well-established laboratory methods for soil chemical analysis, and a range of laboratory and field methods for measuring soil physical properties, only now are methods starting to emerge for soil biological analysis. This study provides an overview of the methods that are currently available commercially (or are close to commercialization) for farmers and growers in the UK. We examine the science underpinning the methods, the value of the information provided and how farmers and advisors can use results from such assessments for informed decision-making in relation to soil management.

A soil quality index for evaluation of degradation under land use and soil erosion categories in a small mountainous catchment, Iran

“…Farmers frequently have the best knowledge of which soil properties are most relevant to their specific circumstances and, on this basis, it is beneficial to accommodate the experience and knowledge of farmers in testing and refining SQIs with a participatory approach (Bai et al 2018;Lima et al 2013;Palm et al 2014). Farmers typically rely on a combination of observations and chemical analyses to assess the state of their soils (Wood and Litterick 2017) and the testing of SQIs using easily assembled soil observational scores can support their credibility. For SQIs to be most useful in supporting multi-objective decisionmaking, however, they need to incorporate properties or components recognised by multiple stakeholders as a means of fostering dialogue and consensus-based decisions which are deemed credible (Drobnik et al 2018;Jónsson et al 2016;Sébastien and Bauler 2013;Turnhout et al 2007;Yu et al 2018b).…”

Are advisory services “fit for purpose” to support sustainable soil management? An assessment of advice in Europe

“…Increasing attention is being given by research and policy organizations to the role of soil management in meeting the global change pressures of food security, climate change, land use change and resource degradation (McBratney, Field, & Koch, 2014; Montanarella et al., 2016; Turpin et al., 2017; Weigelt, Müller, Janetschek, & Töpfer, 2015). At the same time, there has been a resurgence of interest within the farming community in a number of countries worldwide in protecting soil and, in particular, in the notion of soil health (Derner et al., 2018; Wood & Litterick, 2017). As part of this interest, the need to provide appropriate information, advice and support to farmers about sustainable soil management (SSM) has been identified at the international, European and national levels (Campbell, Lilly, Corstanje, Mayr, & Black, 2017; FAO, 2017; Frelih‐Larsen et al., 2016; McIntire, Herren, Wakhungu, & Watson, 2009), where SSM is defined as: “Soil management is sustainable if the supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural services provided by soil are maintained or enhanced without significantly impairing either the soil functions that enable those services or biodiversity” (FAO 2017).…”

Fertilizer Recommendation Methods for Precision Agriculture – A Systematic Literature Study

“…Systematic literature mapping (SLM) (Basso et al, 2007;Devkota et al, 2016;Frogbrook et al, 2006;Goulding, 2016;Haneklaus & Schnug, 2000;Kahabka et al, 2004;Khanna et al, 2000;Lambert et al, 2007;Lv & Chen, 2009;Nogara Neto et al, 2011;Olfs et al, 2005;Sapkota et al, 2014;Schirrmann & Domsch, 2011;Shukla et al, 2017;van Raij, 1983;van Raij et al, 2002;Wong et al, 2001;Wood & Litterick, 2017;Xu et al, 2014Xu et al, , 2017 Backward Snowballing (BSB) (Amaral & Molin, 2011;Buresh et al, 2010;Colaço & Molin, 2017;Duchesne et al, 2013;Stanger & Lauer, 2008) Forward Snowballing (FSB) (Arregui et al, 2006;Birrell et al, 1996;Blackmer, 1997;Bray & Kurtz, 1945;Coelho et al, 1992;Csathó et al, 2009;Dinnes et al, 2002;Dobermann & Cassman, 2002;Hinsinger, 2001;Hoeft & Peck, 1998;Janssen et al, 1990;Johnston et al, 2014;Molin et al, 2010;Pampolino et al, 2012;Pierce & Nowak, 1999;Raun & Johnson, 1999;…”

“…Precision agriculture (Ayoubi et al, 2012;Lambert et al, 2007;Robert, 2002;Sapkota et al, 2014;Schirrmann & Domsch, 2011;van Raij et al, 2002;Verhagen et al, 1995;Verhagen, 1997) Soil fertility (Chen et al, 2009;Frogbrook et al, 2006;Goulding, 2016;Molin et al, 2010;Schnug et al, 1998;Shukla et al, 2017;Wood & Litterick, 2017;Ziadi et al, 2013) Site-specific application (Atherton et al, 1999;Basso et al, 2007;Beckie et al, 1997;Bullock & Lowenberg-DeBoer, 2007;Devkota et al, 2016;Haneklaus & Schnug, 2000;Jin & Jiang, 2002;Kahabka et al, 2004;Khanna et al, 2000;Lambert et al, 2007;Meyer-Aurich et al, 2010;Molin et al, 2010;Nogara Neto et al, 2011;Robertson et al, 2012;Schnug et al, 1998;Stępień et al, 2013) Fertilizer recommendation methods (Adams et al, 2000;Amaral & Molin, 2011;Arregui et al, 2006;Beckie et al, 1997;Buresh et al, 2010;Coelho et al, 1992;Colaço & Molin, 2017;Csathó et al, 2009;Dinnes et al, 2002;…”