Abstract
Soil health assessment can be a critical soil testing tool that includes biological and physical indicators of soil function related to crop and environmental health. Soil health indicator minimum data sets should be regional and management goal specific. The objective of this study was to initiate the steps to develop a soil assessment tool for irrigated orchard soils in Central Washington, United States including defining objectives, gathering baseline data and selecting target indicators. This study measured twenty-one biological, physical and chemical properties of soils in irrigated Central Washington apple orchards including indicators of water availability, root health, fertility, and biological activity. Soil factors were related to fruit yield and quality. Principal components and nonlinear Bayesian modeling were used to explore the relationship between soil health indicators and yield. Soil indicators measurements in Washington state orchards varied widely but generally had lower organic matter, available water capacity, wet aggregate stability and higher percent sand than in other regions. Linear mixed effects models for available water capacity and percent sand showed significant effects on yield, and models for root health ratings and Pratylenchus nematodes had moderate effects. The minimum dataset of soil health indicators for Central Washington orchards should include measurements of water availability (available water capacity, percent sand) and of root health (bean root health rating, Pratylenchus nematodes) in addition to standard fertility indicators to meet stakeholder management goals.
Highlights
Soil health refers to the ability of soil to perform key ecosystem functions: sustaining plant growth, minimizing erosion, regulating water flow, and filtering toxic materials [1,2,3,4,5]
Available water capacity (AWC) is a measure of the porosity of soil in a range important for water retention measured by the amount of water the soil can hold between field capacity and the wilting point [10, 63]
While AWC in different soil texture classes is higher in this dataset than the averages found in Cornell’s Comprehensive Assessment Soil Health (CASH) database (Coarse: 0.15 g g-1, Medium: 0.21 g g-1), the percentage of sites with coarse soil (47%) is higher than the 31% found in Northeastern and Midwestern soils [13]
Summary
Soil health refers to the ability of soil to perform key ecosystem functions: sustaining plant growth, minimizing erosion, regulating water flow, and filtering toxic materials [1,2,3,4,5]. A soil health framework allows us to assess the immediate relationship between soil and yield, and track long-term impacts of soil erosion on crop productivity. The terms soil quality and soil health are generally interchangeable in the literature and can be considered equivalent [6]. In this paper we use the term soil health.
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