Impact of promising agricultural management practices
| Main authors: | Fernando Teixeira and Gottlieb Basch |
| iSQAPERiS editor: | Jane Brandt |
| Source documents: |
Barão, L. and Basch, G. (2017) Selection of sites for testing "soil improving" measures. iSQAPER Project Milestone 6.1 26 pp |
In this section of iSQAPERiS we look at the impact of promising innovative agricultural practices on soil quality in the iSQAPER case study sites. Our purpose is to provide the research-based evidence that is used in the development of SQAPP to enable the app to make recommendations for agricultural management practices based on their effects on soil quality and mitigation of soil threats.
Two field campaigns were made. In 2016, pairs of sites using promising soil quality improving agricultural management practices (AMPs) and conventional management practices (controls) were selected at 132 different locations, across 8 pedoclimatic zones (6 in Europe and 2 in China) under different farming systems (arable, permanent and pastures) and covering different soil types.
»Farming systems, pedo-climatic zones and AMPs
In 2018, 20 of the original 132 pairs of sites were selected for an extended visual soil and assessment and measurement of additional soil properties.
»Identification of experimental sites in which to measure impact of AMPs
»Soil quality assessment and analysis methods
Three sets of analyses were carried out to find what correlations there are between
- VSA soil indicators and measured soil properties,
»Correlation between VSA soil indicators and measured soil properties - the VSA indicators themselves,
»Correlation between VSA soil indicators - and the AMP groups, VSA soil indicators and measured soil properties.
»Correlation between AMP groups, VSA soil indicators and measured soil properties
The impact of a selection of AMPs on the 8 soil threats (erosion, compaction, salinisation, SOM decline, biodiversity, acidification, nutrient status, contamination) was assessed for most of the case study sites.
»Measured impact of innovative AMPs on soil threats
Finally the links between soil properties, either assessed visually or measured, and AMPs are summarised for use in SQAPP
»Recommendations for SQAPP