Characterization of Soil Quality Indicators: a Study

The definition of soil quality encompasses physical, chemical and biological characteristics, and it is related to fertility and soil health. Many indicators can be used to describe soil quality, but it is important to take into account sensitivity, required time, and related properties, than can be explained. Properties related to organic matter content, such as C/N ratio, organic carbon fractions (humic acids, fulvic fraction); enzymatic activity (β glucosidase, urease, aryl sulfatase, phosphatases) or aggregate stability, can be used as soil quality indicators. They provide early information about mineralization processes, nutrient availability and fertility, as well as effects resulting from changes in land use, or agricultural practices (e.g. tillage or application of different types of organic matter). In this context, biological properties have been used as soil quality indicators, because of their relationship with organic matter content, terrestrial arthropofauna, lichen, microbial community (biomass or functional groups), metabolic products as ergosterol or glomalin and soil activities as microbial respiration and enzyme production.