SEMWISE: A National Soil Health Scoring Framework for Agricultural Systems

Authors: Deel, Heather; Moore, Jennifer; Manter, Daniel

Submitted to: Applied Soil Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/2024
Publication Date: 1/16/2024
Citation: Deel, H.L., Moore, J.M., Manter, D.K. 2024. SEMWISE: A National Soil Health Scoring Framework for Agricultural Systems. Applied Soil Ecology. 195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105273.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105273

Interpretive Summary: Soil health is an essential part of agricultural productivity, food security, and ecological sustainability. Critical functions of a healthy soil include supporting the production of food and fiber, filtering and storing water, recycling nutrients, and a habitat for a diverse and active biological community. Like human health, soil health cannot be directly measured. Instead, a suite of soil biological, chemical, and physical properties is evaluated and interpreted to evaluate soil health. These properties are not only influenced by management but also inherent properties that aren’t affected by management such as soil texture and climate. Thus, comparing soil health across the country or regions remains challenging. We aimed to answer the question if it was possible to design a tool that could facilitate comparisons of soil health indicators at a national scale. To answer this question, we utilized soil health data collected from over 600 samples across 28 U.S. states representing 52 different crops and grazing lands and developed SEMWISE, a Structural Equation Model for Well-Informed Soil Evaluation. SEMWISE incorporates seven soil health indicators into individual and collective ratings that adjust for regional differences in soil clay content and climate, allowing for a widely applicable framework that can detect management responses at local and national scales. We also developed the first known soil health management index (SHMI), that evaluated multiple agricultural practices at the system level using the soil health principles to minimize soil disturbance, increase plant diversity, and provide continuous living roots and soil cover. The SEMWISE and SHMI frameworks were robust, sensitive, and scalable for detection of soil health differences at national and local levels, and in cropland and rangeland systems.

Technical Abstract: Soil health is an essential part of agricultural productivity, food security, and ecological sustainability. In the U.S., national, state, and local programs invest millions of dollars each year to support soil health and climate-smart agricultural practices. While several methods for measuring soil health are available, the ability to interpret soil health metrics across regions and agricultural ecosystems remains challenging. There is not yet a nationally scaled framework that incorporates important soil health indicators, soil health principles, and influential variables like climate and soil texture in one model. Here, we introduce SEMWISE, a Structural Equation Model for Well-Informed Soil Evaluation, that was developed from 600 samples across 28 U.S. states representing 52 different crops and grazing lands. SEMWISE incorporates seven soil health indicators (aggregate stability, water capacity, soil organic matter, active carbon, autoclaved-citrate extractable protein, respiration, and quantitative-PCR) into individual and collective ratings that adjust for regional differences in soil clay content and climate, allowing for a widely applicable framework that can detect management responses at local and national scales. Furthermore, we developed the first soil health management index (SHMI), that evaluates the agricultural system using the soil health principles to minimize soil disturbance, increase plant diversity, and provide continuous soil cover and living roots. The SEMWISE and SHMI frameworks were robust, sensitive, and scalable for detection of soil health differences at national and local levels.