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Monitoring soil quality of arable land: Microbiological indicators

    Publication: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The aim of this review is to present a foundation of present knowledge and to describe existing strategies for the development and implementation of monitoring systems for soil quality of arable land, based on soil-quality indicators. In the review viewpoints are discussed on the soil-quality concept, suggested frameworks for its assessment, and possible methods for the selection and evaluation of quality indicators. These sections are in general terms, without emphasis on chemical, physical or biological soil properties. The potential value of including microbiological indicators in a monitoring system is discussed thoroughly. Several possible microbiological indicators are suggested, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Strategies for the selection and sampling of monitoring sites are reviewed, and the treatment of samples before analyses is also discussed. In conclusion, a framework for using microbiological indicators in a Swedish monitoring system is suggested.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1-24
    Number of pages24
    JournalActa Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B: Soil and Plant Science
    Volume49
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1999

    Keywords

    • biological indicators
    • microbial indicators
    • minimum data set
    • soil health
    • soil microbiology
    • soil sampling

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