@conference {51453,
	title = {Approaches to assessing the quality of rangeland soils},
	booktitle = {American Society of Agronomy Meeting},
	year = {1994},
	month = {November 13-18, },
	pages = {Abstract 285},
	abstract = {Soil quality can be defined as the soil{\textquoteright}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.},
	keywords = {assessing quality, Chihuahuan Desert, rangeland soils},
	author = {Jeffrey E. Herrick and Walter G. Whitford}
}
