ABSTRACT

Soil quality is defined as the ability of soil to function as an essential living system within land-use boundaries. The quantification of soil quality under agricultural systems to estimate the impact of management intensity on soil productivity is crucial for the timely identification of adverse effects of management practices. Farmers’ experience and indigenous knowledge provide a simple method of characterizing the status and detecting any variations in soil quality. The precise evaluation of soil quality requires the selection and interpretation of soil indicators associated with soil functions, which cannot be measured directly. A valid SQI assists in the interpretation of data from varied soil measurements and reveals whether management or land-use are having desired outcomes for productivity and environmental protection. The review will examine the concept of soil quality, associated computation, and assessments, and lastly the impact of management practices on the soil quality with an overall purpose of recognizing the practices that improve soil quality.

摘要

土壤质量被定义为土壤在土地利用范围内作为基本生命系统发挥作用的能力。量化农业系统下的土壤质量以估计管理强度对土壤生产力的影响对于及时识别管理实践的不利影响至关重要。农民的经验和本土知识提供了一种简单的方法来描述现状和检测土壤质量的任何变化。土壤质量的精确评价需要选择和解释与土壤功能相关的土壤指标，而这些指标无法直接测量。有效的 SQI 有助于解释来自不同土壤测量的数据，并揭示管理或土地利用是否在生产力和环境保护方面取得了预期的成果。