Readings

What is Soil Quality? USDA NRCS (2001).

Conservation Tillage Fact Sheet: Soil Quality Indicators for Whole-farm Management in the Central Great Plains. R.Bowman et al. (2004).

Soil Quality – Agronomy. Technical Notes. USDA – NRCS

Key Questions

What is soil quality?
How do we compare inherent and dynamic soil quality?
What are the indicators of soil quality?
How does soil organic matter influence the physical, chemical, and biological indicators for soil quality?
What is the relationship between bulk density and soil compaction?
What is the relationship between soil structure and water holding capacity?
What are the good cultivation practices for managing soil quality? How are they useful in maintaining or enhancing soil quality?

What three factors greatly influence soil quality?
What are the important soil quality indicators? How are they related to soil quality?
What are the field indices for soil quality? Why are they important?
What are the recommendations for improving soil quality?
How do we link conservation tillage to the indicators mentioned in the reading?

How do field operations and the erosion factor affect organic matter content in soil?
What are the other factors that affect organic matter content in soil?
When is the calculated SCI less reliable? What other factors would one consider if the goal was to improve the soil quality?
True or false: When SCI is near 0, the farmer need not worry too much as it means that the organic matter content in the soil is being maintained.
What factors should one consider while deciding on crop rotation?
What is the effect of incorporating organic residue into soils through tillage operations using a moldboard plow?
Why does using a sod crop in rotation reduce compaction and soil erosion?
What are the benefits of including legumes in crop rotation?

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