ABSTRACT
Effective management of soil resources requires operational, standardized ways to measure and monitor the quality of these resources. Health commonly refers to well-being, but the more technical definition that is generally accepted among crop and soil scientists is “the capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans”. A less-appreciated aspect of soil health degradation derives from the trend of specialization among farming systems. Soil system services are supported by soil functions, e.g., the ability of the soil to facilitate the development of plants and biota and to store as well as release water, nutrients, and carbon. Biological, physical, and chemical processes in the soil are assessed primarily through soil health indicators. Soil health indicators assess a range of soil characteristics and how they may have changed over time. A soil system's health can be assessed in the field through general appearance or semiquantitative measurements.
