New approaches for evaluation of soil health, sensitivity and resistance to degradation

Humberto Aponte,Yakov Kuzyakov,Anna Yudina,Tida Ge,Irina Kurganova,Kazem Zamanian,Hattan Alharbi,Anna Gunina,Lilit Ovsepyan,Xingliang Xu,Thomas Guillaume,Yu Luo,Jing Tian

doi:10.15302/j-fase-2020338

Abstract

Assessment of soil health requires complex evaluation of properties and functions responsible for a broad range of ecosystem services. Numerous soil quality indices (SQI) have been suggested for the evaluation of specific groups of soil functions, but comparison of various SQI is impossible because they are based on a combination of specific soil properties. To avoid this problem, we suggest an SQI-area approach based on the comparison of the areas on a radar diagram of a combination of chemical, biological and physical properties. The new approach is independent of the SQI principle and allows rapid and simple comparison of parameter groups and soils. Another approach analyzing the resistance and sensitivity of properties to degradation is suggested for a detailed evaluation of soil health. The resistance and sensitivity of soil properties are determined through comparison with the decrease of soil organic carbon (SOC) as a universal parameter responsible for many functions. The SQI-area and resistance/sensitivity approaches were tested based on the recovery of Phaeozems and Chernozems chronosequences after the abandonment of agricultural soils. Both the SQI-area and the resistance/sensitivity approaches are useful for basic and applied research, and for decision-makers to evaluate land-use practices and measure the degree of soil degradation.

Highlights

Soils are a fundamental part of the biosphere and contribute essentially to cycles of all biophilic elements, ecosystem productivity and stability, and are the cradle of life on our planet
Evaluation of soil health, i.e., its multifunctionality and ability to provide a broad range of ecosystem services, remains challenging as no universal soil quality indices (SQI) have been developed and likely cannot be generated
The absence of universal SQI is connected with the fact that each quality indicator is specific and is aimed at a limited number of certain soil functions

Summary

Introduction

Soils are a fundamental part of the biosphere and contribute essentially to cycles of all biophilic elements, ecosystem productivity and stability, and are the cradle of life on our planet. Referred to as soil quality[1], is commonly defined very broadly as “the capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem and land-use boundaries to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant and animal health”[2,3] This definition reflects many linkages between soil functions and soil-based ecosystem services. Various approaches for evaluation of soil degradation, quality and health have been suggested to overcome this limitation[1] Most of these approaches are based on the combinations of few chemical, physical and biological soil properties with or without weighting factors and will be termed soil quality index (SQI). The second approach, the resistance-sensitivity approach, reflects the sensitivity of the individual soil parameters to degradation as related to the decrease of organic carbon content

Calculating SQI-area to compare approaches

Sensitivity and resistance of soil parameters to degradation

Conclusions