Читать книгу Soil Health Analysis, Set - Группа авторов - Страница 39

There are several important questions associated with soil health research (Fig. 3.1). These include issues associated with more clearly defining the soil health concept, determining how to measure and quantify soil health at multiple scales, and using these principles to guide current and future soil and crop management decisions. As discussed in Chapter 2, questions regarding how to achieve effective soil management are not new (e.g., Bennett and Chapline, 1928; Hobbs, 2007; Janvier et al., 2007; Janzen, 2001; Karlen et al., 1997; Karlen et al., 2019; Magdoff and van Es, 2009; Stoll, 2003). Furthermore, several visual, in‐field, and laboratory methods for evaluating soil health have been developed over several decades. Answers to those questions are not simple because the living and dynamic nature of soils results in fiscal, human resource, intellectual, and other research constraints associated with sampling, analyzing, and interpreting how soil biological, chemical, and physical properties and processes affect soil health. Our objectives for this chapter are to provide practical definitions and examples of various approaches for addressing soil health, along with our assessment of current analytical methods, their limitations, and potential research topics that may clarify and help advance the concept.