Soil Health Information Resources
The USDA-NRCS defines soil health as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans”. They further state that “this definition speaks to the importance of managing soils so they are sustainable for future generations”. In a recent publication, the case was made that soil health vs. soil quality emphasizes the biological component of soil because health refers to something that is living; thus, the two are not necessarily synonymous using this criterion.
Understanding soil health involves assessing and managing a soil’s inherent properties of fertility, structure, microbial activity, etc. so that it functions to support optimal plant growth, both now and in the future. This means that changes in soil health must be constantly monitored so that soil is not degraded, but rather is managed using a set of practices that are sustainable both agronomically and economically, and that promote soil sustainability for the long term.
ForGround by Bayer is a program that provides resources that can be used as a guide to measuring and assessing soil health. A list of some of those resources follows.
Comparison of Soil Health Tests. Soil health tests measure biological, chemical, and/or physical soil properties. Some of the more popular soil health tests are:
• Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health [CASH] Test from Cornell Univ. measures and rates 12 different soil qualities and then combines them to provide an overall quality score for the soil represented by the tested sample.
• Haney Soil Health Nutrient Tool Test provides different measurements of N, P, and K in the soil so that their availability during the growing season can be estimated. The results of this test are used to provide a soil health score where an increasing number over time indicates improving soil health.
• Phospholipid Fatty Acid [PLFA] Test measures levels of certain fatty acids in the soil which can then by used to indicate the activity, type, and size of the soil microbial population.
• Soil Food Web Biology Test uses microscopy to determine the relative abundance of bacterial, fungal, and other types of microbes in the soil.
• Active Carbon [Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon–POXC] Test was developed by The Ohio State Univ. for farmers to use to measure biologically active organic matter or active carbon in the soil.
Guide to Visually Assessing Soil Health. This article provides a link to a printable soil health worksheet that can be used to assess variables that contribute to soil health.
Benefits of Mycorrhizae Fungi. This article provides information about how soil-borne mycorrhizae fungi can benefit crop plants by forming a symbiotic relationship with those plants. These fungi may grow either outside or inside the roots of the host plant.
Soil Organic Matter: Its Functions and Value. This article provides an overview of why soil organic matter [SOM] is an important component of a healthy soil, how it is formed, its value to overall soil health, and how it interacts with other soil properties to create and maintain a healthy soil.
Benefits and Management of Crop Rotation. This article provides a summary of the potential benefits and gains–to both the crops that are used in the rotation and the soil at the growing site–that may accrue from long-term use of this management practice. Some things to consider when using crop rotation as a management practice to enhance soil health are:
• It can help reduce the risk of adverse environmental stress to crops in the rotation, especially in dryland systems.
• The sequence of the crops grown in the rotation system will determine success of the rotation.
• It can help manage problem weeds that are specific to a crop in the rotation.
• It can be used to increase soil carbon sequestration.
• Will the choice of crops to be used in a rotation system match up with present equipment inventory?
Click here for additional resources-i.e. videos, articles, etc.–that are geared toward farmers who are now using or will use crop rotation as a management practice in their operation to improve soil health.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, June 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com