ABSTRACT

This study aims to identify soil quality indicators, assess soil quality index (SQI), and validate them with crop yield for India’s two contrasting Agro-ecological Sub-Regions (AESRs). For this, 340 and 85 soil samples (0–15 cm) from AESRs 6.1 (semi-arid dry) and 18.4 (sub-humid dry) were analysed for 26 soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify soil quality indicators, and the SQI and relative SQI (RSQI) were calculated using the weighted index method. We identified soil pH, active carbon pool (ACP), and available Zn as common indicators for both the AESRs apart from specific indicators. The SQI of AESR 6.1 soils under cotton and sugarcane were higher (0.48–0.75) than the AESR 18.4 soils under rice (0.26–0.70). Among the indicators, EC (35%), CEC (24%), pH (23%), clay (17%), and ACP (14%) significantly contributed to the SQI. The strong relationship of RSQI with the yield of cotton (R² = 0.52), sugarcane (R² = 0.68), and rice (R² = 0.64) indicated that the selected indicators are representative to measure soil quality. We conclude that AESR specific soil quality indicators are appropriate for the evaluation and monitoring of agroecosystem functions.

摘要

本研究旨在确定土壤质量指标，评估土壤质量指数 (SQI)，并通过印度两个对比鲜明的农业生态分区 (AESR) 的作物产量对其进行验证。为此，分析了来自 AESR 6.1（半干旱干旱）和 18.4（半湿润干旱）的 340 和 85 个土壤样本（0-15 厘米）的 26 种土壤物理、化学和生物特性。采用主成分分析法（PCA）识别土壤质量指标，采用加权指数法计算土壤质量指数和相对质量指数（RSQI）。我们将土壤 pH 值、活性碳库 (ACP) 和有效锌确定为除特定指标外的两个 AESR 的共同指标。棉花和甘蔗下 AESR 6.1 土壤的 SQI 高于（0.48-0.75）水稻下 AESR 18.4 土壤（0.26-0.70）。指标中，EC（35%）、CEC（24%）、pH（23%）、粘土（17%）、ACP (14%) 对 SQI 做出了重大贡献。RSQI 与棉花产量（R²  = 0.52)、甘蔗 (R ²  = 0.68) 和水稻 (R ²  = 0.64) 表明所选指标对衡量土壤质量具有代表性。我们得出结论，AESR 特定土壤质量指标适用于评估和监测农业生态系统功能。