Summary
This paper synthesises findings from the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements (NAPESHM), which assessed over 30 soil health measurements across 124 long-term agricultural research sites to establish a parsimonious indicator set. The authors propose soil organic carbon concentration, aggregate stability, and 24-hour carbon mineralisation potential as a minimum, cost-effective suite that reflects management-driven changes in soil functioning rather than inherent properties, with potential for scaling soil health assessments across the continent.
Regional applicability
Whilst this study focuses on North American soil and climate contexts, the methodology and indicator selection framework may have relevance for United Kingdom soil health monitoring programmes, particularly for arable and mixed farming systems. Transferability would require validation against UK soil types, climates, and management practices, especially given differences in soil parent material and temperate conditions compared to broader North American contexts.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon concentration, aggregate stability, 24-hour carbon mineralisation potential, available water-holding capacity (estimated via pedotransfer functions)
Outcomes reported
The study identified and validated a minimum suite of three soil health indicators—soil organic carbon concentration, aggregate stability, and 24-hour carbon mineralisation potential—that effectively assess soil functioning across North American agricultural systems. These indicators can be supplemented with pedotransfer functions to estimate changes in available water-holding capacity.
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