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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127641
Title: EVALUATION OF SOIL HEALTH INDICATORS IN DIFFERENT LAND USES

Author
item ZHANG, J - GUANZHOU, CHINA
item GREEN, V - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item MCFEE, W - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item Stott, Diane

Submitted to: International Soil Conservation Organization Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/30/2001
Publication Date: 12/31/2001
Citation: ZHANG, J., GREEN, V.S., MCFEE, W.W., STOTT, D.E. EVALUATION OF SOIL HEALTH INDICATORS IN DIFFERENT LAND USES. CD-ROM. BEIJING, CHINA: INTERNATIONAL SOIL CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS. 2001.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: It is well known that soil health plays an important role in environmental sustainability and food security, but measuring soil health is still uncert An evaluation of soil health indicators was conducted using soil from five land uses: forest land, grassland, farmland in corn, farmland in soybean and urban construction land. With the exception of the construction site all of the soils were from the A horizon of Aquic Argiudolls taken from Agronomy Research Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. The following indicators of soil health were selected and analyzed in the laboratory: bulk density, field moisture content, pH, total carbon and nitrogen, carbon and nitrogen mineralization rates, soil respiration, microbial biomass, the structure of the soil microbial community using the fatty acid methyl ester analysis (FAME) and soil enzyme activities (fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, b-glucosidase, arylamidase, acid phosphatase, and arylsulfatase). The experimental data showed that the selected indicators of soil health are sensitive, and all were more favorab in the forest and grassland than in soybean and corn cropland. The least favorable values were in the soil from the construction site. It is clear that land use can influence soil health and these indicators are sensitive to cropping practice.