| Title | Approaches to assessing the quality of rangeland soils |
| Publication Type | Conference Paper |
| Year of Publication | 1994 |
| Authors | Herrick JE, Whitford WG |
| Conference Name | American Society of Agronomy Meeting |
| Date Published | November 13-18, |
| Keywords | assessing quality, Chihuahuan Desert, rangeland soils |
| Abstract | Soil quality can be defined as the soil’s capacity to perform selected functions, to resist degradation, and to recover following disturbance. It depends on interactions between the soil, soil fauna, and vegetation, and, therefore, may serve as a useful integrated indicator of overall ecosystem condition. Definitions of ecosystem condition, however, depend on management objectives. We will present an approach for calibrating indicators of semiarid rangeland soil quality for a variety of management objectives. This integrated approach will be illustrated with preliminary data from a study of semiarid rangeland in the Chihuahuan Desert. These data, together with other recent studies, suggest that spatial patterns may be as useful as average values of soil properties in assessing soil quality for noncultivated systems. |
Jornada
Science-based management strategies for sustainability of agriculture and other land uses
