Usability of soil survey soil texture data for soil health indicator scoring

Soil textural information is an important component underlying other soil health indicators. Soil texture analysis is a common procedure, but it can be labor intensive and expensive. Soil texture data typically are available from the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database, which may be an option for determining soil health texture groups (SHTG). The SSURGO database provides soil texture information in the soil map unit (SMU) name, taxonomic class category (family), and detailed values (≤ 2 mm soil fraction) of percent sand, silt and clay by soil horizon. The objective of this study was to examine the possibility of using SSURGO data for SHTG at the 147-ha Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm in New York state as an alternative for soil texture data determined manually on collected soil core samples. Comparative results revealed that representative values for soil texture from the SSURGO database generally matched measured mean values for all SMUs.     

Assisting nonsoil specialists to identify soil types for land management: an approach using a soil identification key and toposequence models

Conventional soil survey information is often unclear except to specialists. An approach using soil toposequences and a soil identification key was used to aid the translation of soil survey information into a form suitable for a nonspecialist audience with a case study from Brunei. Soil Taxonomy was used to characterize the major soil types; however, to assist end users, a complementary special‐purpose soil classification system was developed in the form of a soil identification key using plain language terms in English that were also translated into Malay. Easily recognized soil features such as depth, colour and texture were used to categorize soils to match Soil Taxonomy classes. To complement the soil identification key, conceptual soil toposequence models presented the soil distribution patterns in a visual format that local land users understood. Legacy soil survey information along with a widespread distribution of 172 soil sites from 35 traverses in 16 study areas provided a dataset to develop and test soil toposequence models and the soil identification key which both proved reliable and robust. The approach demonstrated in Brunei could be applied to other countries and landscapes.     

Using webinars to extend the reach of soil learning in New South Wales: A first look

Increasingly knowledge is shared using new web‐based channels. The use of these channels is relatively new in the realm of soil science. However, they may prove to be very useful for connecting time‐poor, geographically dispersed audiences in an efficient and cost‐effective way. There has been limited study of this form of knowledge sharing for natural science (let alone soil science). In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) has coordinated the Soil Network of Knowledge (SNoK) monthly webinar over 3 years, with over 40 webinars targeting an audience of next users of soil information. Aggregated data collected from these webinars indicated that the majority of information is used for professional development by participants. Whether this will eventually lead to on‐ground practice change because of the improved professional and technical knowledge of participants is still a moot point and will require further investigation over time. The information collected on attendance and participation showed that webinars are a good way to connect with some target audiences such as other government bodies that have a historical relationship with NSW DPI. However, other target audiences that NSW DPI has always found difficulty in engaging, such as private advisers, require more active overtures to drive participation. The growing subscriber base is encouraging.     

Automated soil map compilation

Abstract

A soil map is eonventionally prepared by an experieneed surveyor via the following three steps; (1) establishment of taxonomie class, (2) alloeation of sam pie into one of the classes, and (3) delineation of homogeneous areas in terms of mapping unit. These steps involve some degree of arbitrariness; thus soil maps prepared by two surveyors are never identical. The aim of this study is to define a eertain proeedure of soil map eompilation, by introdueing numerical handling of soil data, to obtain a reproducible and easy-to-prepare soil map, with the help of the funetions of the eomputer-based Soil Data Management System (COSMAS).

The authors applied Hayashi's theory of quantification No. 3 to numerical representation of soil profiles based on the pattern of eombination of various soil attributes relevant to soil classification. The following four soH types were recognized in the seattergram plotted using numerical va lues assigned to the soH profiles; Gley Lowland SoH, Gray Lowland Soil, Brown Lowland Soil and Pseudogley SoH. Then, using these numerical values, diseriminant analysis was carried out to classify each profile into one of the above-defined soil types. As a result, 89.7% of the observed profiles were assigned to the same soil types as assigned by a surveyor in the filed. Area delineation for each mapping unit on the basis of soil type assignment and probabHity of membership of a respective soil type group at a sampled si te was automatieally performed by an "AUTOMAP" program whieh was newly developed for COSMAS for graphic representation of soil data. The numerically prepared soi! map showed reasonable agreement with the surveyor's. A wide range of users of soil survey data can prepare various maps using the procedure proposed in this paper.     

Vermicompost and humic fertilizer improve coastal saline soil by regulating soil aggregates and the bacterial community

Soil salinity, poor soil structure and macronutrient deficiencies are three important limitations responsible for poor crop yields in coastal saline soils. Here we used humic fertilizer and vermicompost to ameliorate salt-induced stress by regulating the soil bacterial community and aggregates in different growth stages of winter wheat. Soil salinity, aggregates, nutrient availability, the soil bacterial community from next-generation high-throughput sequencing, and wheat yield were determined in this study. The results indicated that humic fertilizer and vermicompost could efficiently alleviate salt accumulation (by 16.8–41.1 and 13.3–42.7%, respectively) in topsoil by inhibiting resalinization and increase the proportion of soil macroaggregates (by 26.7–85.9 and 31.6–105.5%, respectively) in the wheat growth stages. Skermanella, Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas were the dominant genera in the study soil. Humic fertilizer and vermicompost could improve soil total N (by 4.7–15.6 and 2.4–25.2%, respectively), available P (by 15.9 and 7.3–64.4%, respectively), and exchangeable K (by 3.9–18.4 and 0.7–12.1%, respectively) by increasing the abundance of Arthrobacter and Pedobacter, consequently improving shoot biomass (by 41.1 and 52.8%, respectively) and grain yield (by 45.1 and 60.2%, respectively) of wheat. Therefore, vermicompost and humic fertilizer ameliorate salt-induced stress in coastal saline soil through the integrated improvement of soil physical, chemical and biological properties.     

Preparing a soil carbon inventory of Saxony‐Anhalt,Central Germany using GIS and the state soil data base SABO_P

To obtain information on regional soil carbon (C) stocks, we prepared a soil C inventory for the central German State Saxony‐Anhalt. We used the State Soil Database SABO_P ( S achsen‐ A nhalt Bo den_ P rofildatenbank), which contains data from 3,600 soil profiles with 16,300 individual soil horizons and combined it with a geographic information system (GIS ArcView). Soil C stocks down to a depth of 100 cm were compiled for the three major soil regions of Saxony‐Anhalt (soil region 2: river valleys and floodplains; soil region 4: pre‐Weichselian moraines, and soil region 6: loess‐covered areas), which represent 83 % of the total state territory. The three major soil regions in Saxony‐Anhalt comprise on average 12.7 (soil region 2), 8.9 (soil region 4), and 12.8 kg C m^–2 (soil region 6). Total C content of the area investigated was 191 tg. The typical soils of the region, Haplic Chernozems, contain on average 13.9 kg C m^–2. With few exceptions, soil C did not vary significantly within identical taxonomic groups among different soil subregions. However, Chernozems of soil subregion 3 (Wanzlebener Löß‐Plateau; 19.8 kg C m^–2) contain significantly more C than the Chernozems of soil subregions 9 (Pollebener, Gerbstedter and Lettewitzer Löß‐Plateau; 12.1 kg C m^–2) and 15 (Barnstädter Löß‐Plateau 12.2 kg C m^–2). The spatial distribution of C stocks in Saxony‐Anhalt was represented in a map which suggests the existence of a strong link between the geomorphologic position of a given soil and its capacity to store organic C. Within the same taxonomic unit, finer textured soils stored more carbon than coarse‐textured ones.     

On‐Ground extension of soil information to improve land management

The NSW Soil Knowledge Network (SKN) is a small group of senior ex‐government soil scientists concerned that more needs to be done to improve soil management and stem land degradation with on‐ground extension and training workshops. Widespread attendance and positive feedback from SKN training courses and workshops indicate their extension success and confirm a strong demand for practical independent soil management advice aided by government‐based databases to enhance on‐site workshops. We argue that effective soil knowledge transfer requires interaction and discussion between soil scientists and land managers. This can bridge the gap between data and useful knowledge about soil and land management. The workshop format, where specific soil management issues of specific interest, such as soil acidity, nutrient management or soil sodicity, are discussed between land managers and soil scientists, has been a useful approach. A major concern is that soil scientists with knowledge and practical experience are getting older and fewer in number but few replacements are being appointed in private or government agencies. Also, despite soil electronic data and information being freely available, many land managers and advisors have difficulties accessing and translating soil data into relevant land management decisions. Dialogue with SKN members helps solve this problem because of their hands‐on and face‐to‐face approach with their audiences. The combination of data with effective soil knowledge transfer is successfully exhibited at SKN workshops for advisory groups and the ‘pits and kits’ field days as shown in the paper.     

Priorities towards national-level soil protection: a survey of soil stakeholders in Scotland

Abstract. Soil protection policies are being developed in many countries, particularly those in the European Union where pan-national regulatory frameworks now exist. We report an analysis of a survey of the views of a wide range of stakeholders in the soil resource of Scotland, including representatives of rural and urban land users, public bodies and authorities, non-governmental environmental organizations, and soil scientists based in Scotland. The four soil issues considered of particular importance were soil pollution, soil erosion, loss of soils to development, and loss of biodiversity. Comments were strongly polarized, either strongly promoting issues or indicating lack of awareness, on a set of topics: the loss of valued soils, loss of archaeological sites, and changes in terrestrial carbon store. It is argued that an integrated approach is required to implement any future soil protection strategies, and that special attention should be paid to monitoring long-term changes and to provision of soil survey data from urban areas.     

Impact of soil solarization on the ciliate community structure of a greenhouse soil

Soil solarization is an ecologically friendly method of controlling various plant pathogens and pests, but also affects non-pathogenic members of the soil biota. Here, we studied the impact of soil solarization on the community structure of soil ciliates using a culture-independent molecular approach, namely denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of targeted 18S rRNA gene fragments. Greenhouse soil with added organic fertilizers was solarized for 33 days at an average temperature of 47–48°C. Solarization caused a drastic change in the ciliate community. The variation between replicates was large, which suggested that the distribution of ciliates was spatially heterogeneous in the soil, probably due to their decreased numbers. In contrast, non-solarized soil had a stable and homogeneous ciliate community during the experimental period. In solarized soil, most of the original ciliate community recovered 76 days after solarization. Sequence analysis of DGGE fragments indicated that both r-selected and K-selected species of ciliates were affected by solarization but recovered with time after solarization. Our results demonstrated both the vulnerability and resilience of the ciliate community to soil solarization and also the utility of using molecular-based analysis of ciliate communities as bioindicators of soil stress caused by solarization.     

The soil antibiotic resistome

Antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microorganisms is considered to be an important and urgent public health problem. Rapid and large-scale development of antibiotic resistance at a global level actually means a return to the pre-antibiotic age. The soil resistome conception includes all genetic components of antibiotic resistance that are present in a given natural microbial community. Soil (as a natural habitat) is a reservoir of resistant microorganisms and contains corresponding genetic information about antibiotic resistance.     

The challenge for the soil science community to contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by 193 Governments at the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015 for achievement by 2030. These SDGs present a roadmap to a sustainable future and a challenge to the science community. To guide activities and check progress, targets and indicators have been and are still being defined. The soil science community has published documents that describe the primary importance of soil for SDGs addressing hunger, water quality, climate mitigation and biodiversity preservation, and secondary relevance of soil for addressing several other SDGs. Soil scientists only marginally participated in the SDG discussions and are currently only peripherally engaged in discussions on targets or indicators. Agreement on several soil‐related indicators has still not been achieved. Involvement of soil scientists in SDG‐based studies is desirable for both developing solutions and increasing the visibility of the soil profession. Inputs into policy decisions should be improved as SDG committee members are appointed by Governments. Possible contributions of soil science in defining indicators for the SDGs are explored in this paper. We advocate the pragmatic use of soil–water–atmosphere–plant simulation models and available soil surveys and soil databases where “representative” soil profiles for mapping units (genetically defined genoforms) are functionally expressed in terms of several phenoforms reflecting effects of different types of soil use and management that strongly affect functionality.     

Digital soil resource inventories: status and prospects

Abstract. This article presents an inventory of digital soils data and supporting information available or publicized on the World Wide Web. The amount and quality of digital soil survey information at global, national, regional, and local scales is increasing dramatically. Some is freely available on-line, some is available on CD-ROM and only publicized, not distributed, on the Web. The world is completely mapped at small scale. Many regions are covered by medium-scale inventories, especially using the SOTER methodology. Large-scale digital data are limited to the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe, but there is discrepancy with respect to their philosophies of public access to foundation data such as soil maps. Remaining problems include the lack of metadata, limited interpetations for professionals who are not soil specialists, and geodesic incompatibility with other digital data. The frequent reorganization of websites leads, at best, to user frustration and, at worst, to the disappearance of information.     

Effect of tillage treatments upon soil tests for soil acidity,soil phosphorus and soil potassium at three soil depths

Abstract

Soil samples were obtained at 0–3, 3–6, 6–9 and 0–9 inch depths from experimental plots receiving five tillage treatments. Each of two samplers composited approximately six one‐inch cores from each plot. Soil samples were analyzed for acidity, P and K using routine analysis procedures in the University of Illinois Soil Testing Laboratory.

Few significant differences were attributed to sampler and it was concluded that samplers using similar sampling techniques were obtaining soil samples from the same population.

No significant differences in soil acidity at different depths were observed. The different tillage methods did significantly affect soil P at the 0–3 inch depth, but had no significant effect on soil P at deeper depths. Different tillage methods also significantly affected soil K values at different depths.     

A soil science renaissance

The renaissance was an intellectually-rich period following a period of stasis in the medieval period. Something analogous appears to be currently taking place in soil science where novel approaches to thought are combined with a revival of ideas from the past. Renewed interest in agriculture (food, feed, fuel) and numerous publications have brought soils back onto the global research agenda. The need for up-to-date and fine resolution soil information and the revival of soil research has been highlighted and prioritised in several recent studies by the UN and other international organizations. Soil erosion, nutrient depletion and pollution are key issues that have been brought up in many recent reports - in most cases in relation to environmental degradation, climate change and world-food production. There is also an increased interest in soils in the popular press and media, and soils have entered the policy arena in many countries and several continents. We guestimate that about €3.2 billion is annually spent on soil research in Europe, North America, and some of the main countries in Asia and Oceania. For the global soil science community, there are challenges ahead to address the questions raised in these reports. There is a whole set of new techniques and methodologies in the wings waiting to take centre stage. There is a direct need to educate a new generation of soil scientists and to increase the influx of soil science students in many universities. The soil science community should benefit from the current upsurge in soil science, but the community has to deliver the goods and information that is wanted and much needed.     

利用侵蚀模型普查黄土高原土壤侵蚀状况

土壤侵蚀普查对于土地资源保护和自然灾害防治具有重要意义。为了测试抽样方法和土壤侵蚀模型在土壤侵蚀普查中的适用性,该文以陕西吴起县为试点,采用1%均匀抽样方法,调查39个抽样单元的土壤侵蚀影响因子,使用中国侵蚀预报模型CSLE(Chinese soilloss equation)估算土壤侵蚀模数,并与基于遥感数据的水蚀分级分类方法进行比较。两种方法估算的全县平均土壤侵蚀模数分别为4571和5504t/(km2a),但不同分级侵蚀强度的面积和空间分布存在较大差异。抽样方法在土地利用与覆盖、水土保持措施及土壤特性方面获得的信息量大于遥感方法,同时对于区域具有很好的代表性;使用模型估算土壤侵蚀考虑的影响因子与分级方法相比,还包括了土壤可蚀性、坡长因子以及水土保持措施因子等,由此计算的土壤侵蚀模数和强度具有更高的可信度。因此,虽然基于抽样方法和土壤侵蚀模型的土壤侵蚀普查方法也存在一定的问题,但与土壤侵蚀分类分级方法相比具有明显的优越性。     

Digital soil mapping in Germany—a review

Digital soil mapping as a tool to generate spatial soil information provides solutions for the growing demand for high‐resolution soil maps worldwide. Even in highly developed countries like Germany, digital soil mapping becomes essential due to the decreasing, time‐consuming, and expensive field surveys which are no longer affordable by the soil surveys of the individual federal states. This article summarizes the present state of soil survey in Germany in terms of digitally available soil data, applied digital soil mapping, and research in the broader field of pedometrics and discusses future perspectives. Based on the geomorphologic conditions in Germany, relief is a major driving force in soil genesis. This is expressed by the digital–soil mapping research which highlights the great importance of digital terrain attributes in combination with information on parent material in soil prediction. An example of digital soil mapping using classification trees in Thuringia is given as an introduction in digital soil‐class mapping based on correlations to environmental covariates within the scope of the German classification system.     

Legume–barley intercropping stimulates soil N supply and crop yield in the succeeding durum wheat in a rotation under rainfed conditions

Legume–cereal intercropping is increasingly being appreciated in dryland areas, where severe climatic conditions and intensive agricultural practices, generally dominated by continuous cereal cultivation, determine depletion of soil nutrient resources and decline of soil fertility. This research aimed to assess whether and to what extent a newly introduced legume-based intercropping system is able to ameliorate the biological fertility status of an arable soil in a way that is still noticeable during the succeeding durum wheat cropping season in terms of changes in bacterial community structure, soil C and N pools, and crop yield. A field experiment was carried out under rainfed conditions in Southern Italy on a sandy clay loam soil cultivated with durum wheat following in the rotation a recently established grain legume (pea, faba bean)–barley intercropping. Soil chemical, biochemical and eco-physiological variables together with compositional shifts in the bacterial community structure by LH-PCR fingerprinting were determined at four sampling times during the durum wheat cropping season. Soil fertility was estimated by using a revised version of the biological fertility index. Results showed that even though the microbial biomass was significantly altered, the preceding legume intercrops stimulated C-related functional variables thus leading to an increased release of mineral N, which was larger in crop treatments succeeding pea-based than faba bean-based intercropping. The increased N made available in soil enabled the succeeding durum wheat to achieve an adequate grain yield with a reduced N-fertilizer use. Soil type and environmental conditions rather than crop treatments were major determinants of bacterial community structure. The biological fertility status was not varied, suggesting that in intensively managed rainfed areas long-term crop rotations with intercropped legumes are needed to consistently ameliorate it.     

土壤质地空间预测方法比较

土壤质地作为成分数据（compositional data）的一种,其空间插值需满足非负、定和、误差最小和无偏估计4个条件。采用成分克里格法（compositional Kriging）和基于对数比转换的普通克里格法对土壤质地各颗粒组成进行空间预测,均方根误差（root mean squared errors,RMSE）和标准化克里格方差（mean squared deviation ratio,MSDR）分别被用来衡量不同方法的预测精度及模型拟合效果。研究结果表明：对数比转换的普通克里格法和成分克里格法能够保证插值结果满足成分数据插值的4个条件;成分克里格法预测的各土壤颗粒组成的RMSE最小,预测精度最高,其黏粒RMSE值相对于非对称对数比转换的普通克里格法提高将近17%;成分克里格法的变异函数拟合效果总体上好于其他两种预测方法,预测结果极差更宽,更能反映土壤质地各颗粒组成与高程、母质和水域分布的关系。     

Bacterial communities are more dependent on soil type than fertilizer type, but the reverse is true for fungal communities

The soil microbial community is strongly influenced by a wide variety of factors, such as soil characteristics and field management systems. In order to use biological indicators based on microbial community structure, it is very important to know whether or not these factors can be controlled. The present study aimed to determine whether soil type or fertilization has a greater influence on the soil microbial community based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of 12 experimental field plots containing four different soil types, Cumulic Andosol, Low-humic Andosol, Yellow Soil and Gray Lowland Soil, kept under three different fertilizer management systems since 2001 (the application of chemical fertilizer, the application of rice husk and cow manure, and the application of pig manure). Bacterial DGGE analysis using 16S rRNA genes and fungal DGGE analysis using 18S rRNA genes revealed that the bacterial community was related to the soil type more than the fertilization; however, the fungal community was related to the fertilization more than the soil type. These results might suggest that the fungal community is easier to control by fertilization than the bacterial community. Thus, we propose that indicators based on the fungal community might be more suitable as microbial indicators for soil quality.     

土壤含水率与土壤碱度对土壤抗剪强度的影响

土壤含水率和土壤碱度是表征土壤物理化学性质的两个重要参数。通过室内三轴不固结不排水试验,研究了土壤含水率和土壤碱度对土壤抗剪强度的影响。试验处理采用5种土壤碱度(土壤可交换钠百分比ESP=0、5、10、20、40)和4种土壤质量含水率(0.05、0.10、0.20以及饱和含水率0.34)水平。试验结果显示,土壤黏聚力随着土壤含水率的增加基本上呈先增大后减小之趋势;当土壤含水率在0.10附近时黏聚力达到其最大值。土壤内摩擦角随着土壤含水率的增加而线性减小。土壤碱度对土壤黏聚力的影响机理较为复杂,其影响效果随土壤含水率的增加而减小;但土壤碱度对土壤内摩擦角的影响较小。土壤碱度对土壤抗剪强度的影响程度明显地小于土壤含水率对其的影响程度。