Abstract
Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.
Highlights
1.1 Concept of soil qualitySoil is a complex environmental medium with high heterogeneity where solid, liquid and gaseous components interact within a multitude of physical, chemical and biological interrelated processes
This paper aims to increase the understanding of Soil quality (SQ) through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health
This paper aims to provide new insights through the review of soil quality assessments in different scenarios linked to forest management, agricultural management, urban systems and land use changes
Summary
Soil is a complex environmental medium with high heterogeneity where solid, liquid and gaseous components interact within a multitude of physical, chemical and biological interrelated processes. The most integrative definitions are those established by Doran and Parkin (1994) and Harris et al (1996), who defined SQ as the capacity of a soil to function within the limits of use, landscape and climate (ecosystem) to protect air and water quality, and to sustain productivity and plants, animals and human health. Major concerns about the effect of land use or management are incorporated to select suitable indicators, providing evidence about the interrelationship between soil quality, environmental quality and human health. One of the greatest challenges for researchers is “translating science into practice” through identifying soil indicators capable of showing rapid changes in the performance of an ecosystem, needed by land managers and decision makers to assess the economic, environmental, social and health impacts of management practices
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