The Integrated Soil Health Index

Abstract:

Soil health has a long tradition primarily rooted in an agricultural perspective, but renewed interest has focused on a wide range of ecosystem services provided by soils. In general, ecosystem services are inherently difficult to measure directly due to high cost and high spatial and temporal variability; therefore, a wide range of soil health indicators have been identified to serve as proxy measurements. Several challenges still remain in soil health assessment for landowners, and perhaps the most significant is the need for a strong, quantitative basis for interpretation of soil health indicators. It is widely recognized that climatic and edaphic factors are key determinants in soil characteristics; yet we seek to quantify the effects of land use to promote sustainable management practices. To address these needs, the Integrated Soil Health Index (ISHI), a Bayesian, model-based interpretive framework, is under development by a team of USDA, University of Missouri, and Cornell University scientists. The ISHI simultaneously accounts for inherent site-specific factors at the continental scale and is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. The soil organic carbon scoring curves have been recently completed. Ultimately, the ISHI will provide a wide range of regionally-relevant indicator options to facilitate large-scale soil health monitoring for sustainable land management.