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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421026
Research Project: Innovative Cropping System Solutions for Sustainable Production on Spatially Variable Landscapes

Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research

Title: Variability and management sensitivity of soil health indicators across diverse soils, climates, and agricultural systems

Author
item DYNARSKI, KATHERINE - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item ADELEKE, EKUNDAYO - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item KANDANOOL, DIVYA - Orise Fellow
item Veum, Kristen
item WILLS, SKYE - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2024
Publication Date: 11/8/2024
Citation: Dynarski, K.A., Adeleke, E., Kandanool, D., Veum, K.S., Wills, S.A. 2024. Variability and management sensitivity of soil health indicators across diverse soils, climates, and agricultural systems[abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 11-13, 2024, San Antonio, Texas. Paper No. 160206. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2024am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/160206

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dynamic Soil Properties for Soil Health (DSP4SH) is a group of projects coordinated by the Soil and Plant Science Division as part of the USDA-NRCS Science of Soil Health. DSP4SH projects represent a nationwide effort to measure a common set of soil health metrics across a range of soil types, management systems, and climates, and characterize context-specific reference values of these properties, with the goal of supporting the inclusion of soil health metrics in soil survey products. We present findings from ten initial DSP4SH project sites, representing soil health metrics collected across the continental US in diverse systems ranging from tilled cropland on deep Mollisols to forests on highly weathered Ultisols. At each location, soil profiles representing business-as-usual agriculture, soil health management agriculture, or perennial reference ecosystems were sampled to 100 cm depth and a common set of soil health indicators, including soil organic carbon, aggregate stability, total protein, and respiration, were measured. Absolute values of soil health indicators were variable across sites, and principal components analysis showed that indicator values were more closely related to soil series than management, supporting the need for context-specific soil health interpretation. Despite the diversity in production systems, climates, and soil types studied and the subsequent wide range in indicator values, the DSP4SH comparative framework was effective. Relative values of nearly all indicators examined were significantly greater in reference sites compared to business-as-usual sites. Use of the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation to score aggregate stability, organic carbon, and total protein values followed the pattern of reference sites > soil health management sites > business-as-usual sites. These findings suggest that broad management groupings can effectively discriminate among production systems, validating this approach for a soil survey context.