Soil quality card and soil test kits

Developing simple, achievable, and relevant tools to assess changes in soil quality

The terms “soil quality” and “soil health” are used interchangeably. There are many definitions of soil quality, but basically, it is the ability of the soil to:

  1. Absorb and hold water,
  2. Support plant and animal life,
  3. Act as an environmental buffer.

Soil quality is very important to all people. Healthy soil absorbs and holds more water, and has better physical, chemical, and biological properties.

The main issues related to soil quality assessment are: 1) the cost (financial & human) of traditional analysis methods in laborator, 2) the relevance of traditional indicators (scientist-based) to farmers

There is a need to define new indicators, methods and tools that would be simple, easy to measure, cost effective, and meaningful for both scientists and farmers.

As part of the WP2, the EFICAS project is testing two different tools:

1. A soil quality card based on field observations associated to a note ranking system
Indicator Indicator value
1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9
1. Crop Growth Uneven stand; stunted crop growth; discoloring common Some uneven stand; stunted growth; slight discoloring Even stand; vigorous & uniform crop growth
2. Soil Erosion Many gullies, 5-10 cm deep or more, crop damage, siltation Beginning signs of gullies, gullies < 5cm No visible signs of erosion
3. Water run-off/ Infiltration Excessive runoff; ponding on soil surface Some runoff; rain soaks in, some ponding Very little runoff /ponding; rain soaks into soil quickly
4. Crop Residue <30% of soil surface is covered with crop residue 30-60% of soil surface is covered with crop residue >60% soil surface covered with crop residue
5. Surface Soil Color White, light gray, or red Dark gray or light brown Dark brown or black
6. Soil surface smell Little or no odor Some odor, mineral odor Pungent, sweet “earthy” odor
7. Soil Structure Cloddy; hard; crusty; aggregates hard to break Somewhat blocky; Some visible crumbly structure Crumbly; mellow or loamy and easily worked
8. Soil Compaction/Crusting Severe compaction; cannot push probe into soil; crusting is prevalent Some or few restrictions; can push probe soil with force; some soil crusting Little to none; probe enters soil easily; no soil crusting
9. Biological Activity Few insects, worms, root channels or fungi in the soil Some insects, worms root channels or fungi in the soil Many insects, worms root channels or fungi in the soil
2) Soil test kits allowing a rapid in-situ assessment of soil organic matter (SOM), pH, and NPK contents based on colorimetry