Identification of Regional Soil Quality Factors and Indicators I. Central and Southern High Plains

TLDR

The regional assessment of soil quality using the National Resource Inventory lacks established indicators. The study aimed to identify regional soil quality factors, assess their land‑use sensitivity, and select key attributes as indicators for regional assessment. Soils from representative NRI sites in the Central and Southern High Plains were analyzed for 20 attributes, and factor and discriminant analyses were applied to identify land‑use‑sensitive quality factors and indicators. Five factors were identified in the Central High Plains, with organic matter and color varying by land use, and TOC and total N emerged as the most sensitive indicators; in the Southern High Plains six factors were found, with water‑stable aggregate, TOC, and salinity varying, and TOC and WSA were the key indicators, with TOC consistently distinguishing land uses across both regions.

Abstract

Appropriate indicators for assessing soil quality on a regional scale using the National Resource Inventory (NRI) are unknown. Our objectives were to (i) identify soil quality factors present at a regional scale, (ii) determine which factors vary significantly with land use, and (iii) select soil attributes within these factors that can be used as soil quality indicators for regional‐scale assessment. Ascalon (fine‐loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustoll) and Amarillo (fine‐loamy, mixed, thermic Aridic Paleustalf) soils were sampled from a statistically representative subset of NRI sample points within the Central and Southern High Plains Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) and analyzed for 20 soil attributes. Factor analysis was used to identify soil quality factors, and discriminant analysis was used to identify the factors and indicators most sensitive to land use within each MLRA. In the Central High Plains, five soil quality factors were identified, with the organic matter and color factors varying significantly with land use. Discriminant analysis selected total organic C (TOC) and total N as the most sensitive indicators of soil quality at a regional scale. In the Southern High Plains, six factors were identified, with water stable aggregate (WSA) content, TOC, and soil salinity varying significantly with land use. Discriminant analysis selected TOC and WSA content as the most sensitive indicators of soil quality in the Southern High Plains. Total organic C was the only indicator that consistently showed significant differences between land uses in both regions.