Soil health practices have different outcomes depending on local soil conditions

Authors: DEVINE, SCOTT - University Of California, Davis; Steenwerth, Kerri; O'GEEN, ANTHONY - University Of California, Davis

Submitted to: California Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/6/2021
Publication Date: 4/22/2022
Citation: Devine, S.M., Steenwerth, K.L., O'Geen, A.T. 2022. Soil health practices have different outcomes depending on local soil conditions. California Agriculture. 76(1):46-55. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2022a0005.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2022a0005

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pursuit of soil health has increased awareness of soil as a complex system teeming with life. Many soil health principles encourage agricultural practices that may increase soil organic matter (SOM), such as applying compost, growing cover crops, and reducing tillage, but SOM also varies inherently according to environmental controls, regardless of management. California’s diverse soilscape needs a framework to recommend place-based, soil health practices and evaluate their outcomes. We developed a starting point for this soil health conceptual framework, using cluster analysis to group soil survey data comprising hundreds of unique soil names into seven soil health regions. Each region is distinguished by inherent, semi-dynamic soil properties. Regions either have performance limitations, such as root restrictive horizons, salinity, and shrink-swell behavior, or have relatively homogenous, coarse-to-loamy textured soils ideal for agriculture. The conceptual framework highlights relatively high SOM levels achieved under vineyard alley soils that clearly differ by soil health region. The framework also helps explain different outcomes at several long-term agricultural experiments in soils without performance limitations, demonstrating the utility of a regional soil health approach.