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Soil Quality
Improving how your soil works
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Soil Quality Highlights
Soil
Quality: Managing Cool, Wet Soils -
Soil Quality - Agronomy Technical Note No. 20 focuses on limiting physical disturbance and increasing crop diversity
to
increase soil function in cool, wet soils.
Soil
Quality Physical Indicators: Selecting Dynamic Soil Properties to Assess
Soil Function -
Soil Quality Technical Note
No. 10 provides an overview of soil quality indicators, with an
emphasis on physical soil properties. A matrix is provided to help users
select reliable physical indicators for assessing specific soil
functions. Information sheets are available for
Aggregate Stability,
Available Water
Capacity,
Bulk Density,
Infiltration,
Slaking,
Soil Crusts, and
Soil
Structure and Macropores (and are linked in the matrix). They
discuss the inherent and dynamic factors affecting the property,
suggest management practices for improvements, and provide a reference to a
measurement method.
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Soil Quality is defined as how well soil does what we want it to do.
Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests,
productive rangeland, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes.
Included in these pages are a
glossary,
and information about
soil organic matter
and
soil biology.
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Soil quality assessment is the process of measuring the management induced
changes in soil as we attempt to get soil to do what we want it to do.
The ultimate purpose of assessing soil quality is to provide the information necessary
to protect and improve long-term agricultural productivity, water quality, and
habitats of all organisms including people. These pages provide
guidelines for soil quality assessment,
information on building a
soil quality test
kit and developing a soil quality thunderbook and
soil quality cards.
Soil Quality
Indicator Information Sheets are available for physical and
biological soil properties. |
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How well we manage soil quality in a large part helps determine how
well the soil does what we want it to do. This section offers
guidance on managing soil quality by landuse, including
cropland,
grazing lands,
forested land, and
urban areas. Considerable
information is also provided on
organic
farming. |
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These pages include links to
a wealth of information on soil quality. Documents on all aspects
of soil quality, including NRCS Technical Notes and Information Sheets
are ready to download and print. Links to other parts of the NRCS Web
site are included, as well as links to university web sites and
organizations working on soil quality issues. |
Soil Quality web site last modified:
06/15/2009
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Soil Quality
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