Cited by 660Soil Management and Crop YieldSoil Science and Environmental ManagementSustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis

Identifying critical limits for soil quality indicators in agro-ecosystems

Arshad, M.A., Martin, S.·2002·Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

Abstract

The maintenance of soil quality is critical to environmental sustainability. Although, several papers have been published on this subject, progress in soil quality monitoring has been slow. Knowledge and assessment of changes (positive or negative) in its status with time is needed to evaluate the impact of different management practices. Selection of key indicators and their critical limits (threshold values), which must be maintained for normal functioning of the soil, are required to monitor changes and determine trends in improvement or deterioration in soil quality for various agro-ecological zones for use at district, national and global levels. Many soil indicators interact with each other, and thus, the value of one is affected by one or more of the selected parameters. Interdependence of pH and nutrient availability, electrical conductivity and infiltration, etc. has been well documented by many researchers. Some researchers have proposed procedures for evaluating soil quality functions by combining and integrating specific elements into soil quality indices. These procedures allow for weighting of various functions, depending upon the user goals and socio-economic concerns. Although, selection of soil indicators will vary with societal goals, the followings seem to be suitable indicators for crop production in most cases: organic matter, topsoil-depth, infiltration, aggregation, pH, electrical conductivity, suspected pollutants must be identified to develop meaningful soil quality assessment. Also, monitoring soil indicators needs to set up sampling strategies allowing assessment of changes in soil quality which might be hidden by soil heterogeneity, by seasonal fluctuations or by analytical uncertainties. This paper describes the guidelines that can be followed to identify critical limits for the key indicators and the procedure for monitoring changes in soil quality trend.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0167-8809(01)00252-3

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  • Arshad and Martin list threshold levels for soil quality indicators, but this is rarely found in other publications on soil quality assessment.

    “Likewise, Arshad and Martin (2002) list threshold levels for soil quality indicators, but this is rarely found in other publications on soil quality assessment.”

    From Soil quality – A critical review (2018) · cites this paper as Arshad and Martin (2002)

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Authors
Arshad, M. A., & Martin, S.
Affiliations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (CA)
Corresponding author
Arshad, M.A.
Venue
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2002-02
Volume
88
Issue
2
Pages
153-160
ISSN
0167-8809 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2163640583
Cited by
660
References
20
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 28
FWCI
25.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Science and Environmental Management
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Sustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis
Keywords
soil quality indicators, critical limits, cut-off values, soil quality assessment, soil quality monitoring, soil quality index, soil organic matter, soil pH, electrical conductivity, infiltration, soil aggregation, soil respiration, crop yield, soil heterogeneity, sampling strategy, agroecosystems

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