Influence of different agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon accumulation and the soil biodiversity

General introduction

The aim of this research is to develop a tool to evaluate the effect of agricultural management practices on soil quality. We design a Soil Quality Index (SQI) to provide a logical representation of soil improvement or degradation from different management practices as well as changes in soil quality over time. We also examine the possible causal relationship between improved soil quality and crop productivity.

Recent legislative restrictions and the trend toward sustainable agricultural farming systems are reducing the input of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. This implies a greater reliance on the self-regulating processes of the soil such as supply of nutrients, water regulation and disease suppression.

Research approach

Several long-term field experiments that simulate different agricultural management practices (e.g. crop rotation, compost application, etc.) are intensively sampled and potential chemical, physical and biological indicators for soil condition are identified. By integrating these indicators, a soil quality index (SQI) is calculated. The relationship between crop performance and the calculated SQI is then investigated further.

Relevance/Valorisation

With the new emphasis on sustainable agriculture, tools for assessing soil quality are needed to ensure sustainable agriculture and to evaluate the effects of management practices on soil processes. This SQI could help policymakers to evaluate the usefulness of certain management practices in increasing overall soil quality. Further, after thorough validation, the SQI could help give farmers advice about choosing soil-quality-enhancing management practices suitable to their situation and their desired functional goals. This research is also useful for goal-oriented policymaking and evaluation of policies and efforts made by the agriculture industry to improve soil quality.