Soil Quality Indicators for Sustainable Agriculture
Keith C Cameron, Lincoln Soil Qua lily Research Centre, Lincoln University, Canterbury
Objective
To identify and define soil quality indicators which can he used to provide sound policy advice on the sustainability of New Zealand agriculture, by:
- conducting a critical review of the international literature to identify potential soil quality indicators which could be used under New Zealand conditions;
- holding a symposium with invited national and international experts to further develop relevant indicators;
- developing a research strategy to test and monitor these indicators in the field.
Research Team
Dr Les Basher, Landcare Research Ltd
Dr Mike Beare, Crop and Food Research Ltd
Dr Keith Cameron, Lincoln University
Ms Brigid Casey, Lincoln University
Professor Ian Cornforth, Lincoln University
Mr Lins Kerr, Lincoln Ventures Ltd
Dr Ron McLaren, Lincoln University
Dr Mister Metherell, Agkesearch Ltd
Definition of Soil Quality
The capacity of a soil to sustain biological production, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant and animal health.
Approach - Risk Assessment Approach
Land management issues that currently present the greatest risk are given the greatest priority. This approach is useful where there is a wide range of land forms, soil types and land uses and where research resources are limited. Priorities are necessary to ensure that only the most serious problems are investigated initially. Attempting to cover a wide range of problems with limited resources usually results in little progress being made with any of them.
Methods
In order to ensure that sustainable agricultural systems are developed, it is essential that credible indicators of soil quality are urgently developed. Soil quality is a function of various soil attributes (physical, chemical, and biological) which respond to land management and vary in space and time (e.g., organic matter, porosity, fertility). It is important that the soil quality indicators encompass all soil attributes relevant to a particular landuse activity. International research has started to identify the minimum data sets required to monitor soil quality and this research programme is designed to identify and define soil quality indicators which can be used for the main agricultural sectors in New Zealand. This will be achieved by the following steps:
- Identify the main processes affecting sustainability within each major agricultural sector (e.g., soil erosion under intensive cultivation)
- Identify the implications of these processes to sustainable agriculture (e.g., erosion causes a loss of our soil resource and reductions in water holding capacity, fertility, plant yield)
- Identity suitable indicators of the effects of these processes and any predictors of the risk of these processes occurring (e.g., reduced topsoil depth, reduced aggregate size and stability, reduced organic matter levels, reduced plant yield and cover)
- Identify scientific support for these indicators. This will be achieved by conducting a critical review of the international literature.
- Identify indicators of greatest value and utility, and their interrelationships. This will be achieved by hosting a symposium with invited national and international experts (Lincoln University, February 1996). All participants will receive copies of the literature review before arriving.
- Develop a research framework to test the priority indicators.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
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PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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