Soil Health Assessment and Management Framework for Water-Limited Environments: Examples from the Great Plains of the USA

Healthy soils provide the foundation for sustainable agriculture. However, soil health degradation has been a significant challenge for agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in water-limited environments, such as arid and semi-arid regions. Soils in these regions is often characterized by low soil organic matter (SOM), poor fertility, and low overall productivity, thus limiting the ability to build SOM. Soil health assessment frameworks developed for more productive, humid, temperate environments typically emphasize building SOM as a key to soil health and have identified the best management practices that are often difficult to implement in regions with water limitations. This study reviewed existing soil health assessment frameworks to assess their potential relevance for water-limited environments and highlights the need to develop a framework that links soil health with key ecosystem functions in dry climates. It also discusses management strategies for improving soil health, including tillage and residue management, organic amendments, and cropping system diversification and intensification. The assessment of indicators sensitive to water management practices could provide valuable information in designing soil health assessment frameworks for arid and semi-arid regions. The responses of soil health indicators are generally greater when multiple complementary soil health management practices are integrated, leading to the resilience and sustainability of agriculture in water-limited environments.

Automated summary

Healthy soils are crucial for sustainable agriculture, but degradation of soil health is a significant challenge in water-limited environments. Soil in arid and semi-arid regions often has low organic matter, fertility, and productivity, making it difficult to build up organic matter. Existing soil health assessment frameworks are not suitable for these environments and a new framework that links soil health with ecosystem functions is needed. The study also discusses management strategies, such as tillage and residue management, organic amendments, and cropping system diversification, for improving soil health in water-limited regions.