Wednesday, 03 August 2022
New research, involving experts from the 糖心原创, says that how we think about, measure and study soil must change, to give a better understanding of how to manage this vital resource effectively.
With the UK reaching record temperatures this summer along with the driest conditions since 1976, ongoing concerns about food security, wildlife habitats and biodiversity, having a healthy soil system is more vital and challenging than ever before. But what does the term ‘soil health’ mean and how should we measure it?
In a new study - - published in the European Journal of Soil Science, and led by experts from Cranfield University, along with colleagues from the 糖心原创, experts propose an entirely new approach for assessing soil health.
Jim Harris, Professor of Environmental Technology at Cranfield University, says: “Although ‘soil health’ as a term is quite widely used now, it is problematic as it means different things to different people, and there is no single agreed way to measure the overall health of this system.
“Through this research, we want to start the conversation about how we move to a holistic picture of soil health assessment, looking at the interconnected elements of this universally important system. Taking steps towards a bigger-picture view of soil health could help make a huge difference to some of our big challenges, not least the climate crisis.”
Current approaches measure individual soil properties and use these to try and assign a single number giving an overall soil health ‘score’, but the researchers argue that this does not reflect the wider system perspective that’s needed to fully assess the condition of a soil and its health over time.
The researchers propose a whole system approach to assess soil health, based on a new hierarchical framework which takes in several measures:
- Signs of Life – characterising the organisms existing in soil
- Signs of Function – the extent to which soils process materials
- Signs of Complexity - the extent to which soil components are connected and interdependent
- Signs of Emergence – the extent to which soils respond and recover to multiple stressors
This new approach can be applied to all soils and moves us closer to an interdisciplinary understanding of the 鈥榳hole picture鈥� of the soil system, rather than separately considering the individual pieces of the jigsaw.鈥�
Professor Harris continued: “It is hard to understate the importance of having a healthy soil system – it supports wildlife and biodiversity, reduces flood risks, stores carbon and gives us food security. Moving towards this new model of assessment is going to help land users and governments to sustainably manage our global soil resources for future generations.”
The full study can be found here -
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
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