Microbial Indicators of Soil Quality

Abstract

Soil quality is an elusive term; however, the quality of a soil can greatly impact land use, sustainability, and productivity. Soil microbial processes are an integral part of soil quality and a better understanding of these processes and microbial community structure is needed. Microbial biomass, respiration, and labile nutrient pool size have generally been used as intrinsic parameters of a soil's microbial status. These analyses may not fully identify inherent differences in soil quality, especially if environmental conditions or manmade pertubations alter microbial community structure. Assessment of microbial community structure is necessary to determine the long-term effects of stress on soil quality. Measurement of microbial diversity should include nucleic acid and fatty acid phospholipid profiles as well as substrate utilization patterns. Microbial indicators will allow us to characterize the ecological status of the soil microbial community. For soil quality indicators to be successful, integration with other soil parameters is essential.