Cropping system is a key determinant of soil health after accounting for environmental and edaphic variability

Summary

• Propensity score weighting revealed actual impacts of cropping system on soil health. • Grazed pastures had higher organic matter and carbon indicators than row crops. • Soil pH and PSR were elevated in row crop systems. • Cropping system consistently affected carbon-based indicators. • The relative importance of environmental and edaphic variables was indicator-specific. Soil health assessment is critical for understanding and promoting sustainable soil management practices. Soil health assessment methods incorporate a variety of inherent environmental and edaphic properties, including climate variables and texture, as well as cropping system. However, these inherent properties often vary systematically among cropping systems and potentially confound the effects of cropping system on so