Haney RL, Haney EB, Smith DR, Harmel RD, White MJ. 2018. The soil health tool—theory and initial broad-scale application. Applied Soil Ecology 125(12):162-168

Summary

This paper sets out the theoretical framework underpinning the Haney Soil Health Tool, a composite scoring system designed to integrate biological and chemical soil health indicators into a single actionable metric for farmers and agronomists. The authors apply the tool across a broad dataset of agricultural soils, likely drawn from USDA Agricultural Research Service networks, to demonstrate its practical utility and capacity to differentiate soil health status across varied management systems. The paper represents a foundational methodological contribution to soil health assessment, emphasising biologically active fractions of soil carbon and nitrogen as key indicators.

UK applicability

The tool was developed and validated under US soil and climatic conditions, and its composite scoring thresholds may not transfer directly to UK soils; however, the underlying principles — particularly the use of water-extractable organic carbon and nitrogen and CO2 respiration as biological activity proxies — are broadly applicable and of relevance to UK soil health monitoring frameworks, including those under the England Soil Health Action Plan.

Key measures

Soil health score (composite index); water-extractable organic carbon (mg/kg); water-extractable organic nitrogen (mg/kg); CO2 respiration (mg CO2-C/g soil); microbial activity indices

Outcomes reported

The study presents the theoretical basis of the Haney Soil Health Tool and reports its initial application across a broad range of agricultural soils, evaluating biological, chemical and physical soil health indicators. It likely reports composite soil health scores derived from measures of microbial activity, water-extractable organic carbon and nitrogen, and CO2 respiration.

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