The influence of soil management on soil health : an on-farm study
The capacity of a soil to provide ecosystem services without negative impacts on the environment is defined as soil health. Healthy soils are a fundamental resource for agricultural production and our ability to feed a growing global population. We must therefore increase our understanding of how...
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| Formato: | H3 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés sueco |
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SLU/Dept. of Soil and Environment
2018
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| Materias: |
| Sumario: | The capacity of a soil to provide ecosystem services without negative impacts on the environment
is defined as soil health. Healthy soils are a fundamental resource for agricultural
production and our ability to feed a growing global population. We must therefore increase
our understanding of how soil health is affected by soil management. This study investigated
soil health on 20 farms in the south of Sweden, using samples of topsoil from farm fields
and from unmanaged soil adjacent to the sampled field at each site. Soil health was assessed
using the following physical, chemical, and biological indicators: wet aggregate stability,
soil protein content, active carbon, soil respiration, and soil organic matter. We designed a
soil management index based on crop diversity, avoidance of mechanical soil disturbance,
and application of organic amendments, and evaluated its effect on individual soil health
indicators and overall relative soil health. The results of this study showed that soil health
was poorer in agricultural fields than unmanaged soils. Furthermore, a high soil management
index resulted in higher values for individual soil health indicators. However, soil health
indicators differed in how sensitive they were to soil management. We found that wet aggregate
stability and soil protein content had a high sensitivity to soil management. Active
carbon, soil respiration and soil organic matter content were less sensitive to soil management
and more dependent on soil texture. Lastly, the results show that a high soil management
index resulted in an improved overall soil health relative to the potential soil health
represented by the unmanaged soil. Our results show that it is possible to promote soil health
through high crop diversity, avoidance of mechanical soil disturbance, and application of
organic amendments |
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