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Indicators for assessment of soil quality: a mini-review

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Abstract

Soil quality is the competence of soil to perform necessary functions that are able to maintain animal and plant productivity of the soil. Soil consists of various physical, chemical, and biological parameters, and all these parameters are involved in the critical functioning of soil. There is a need for continuous assessment of soil quality as soil is a complex and dynamic constituent of Earth’s biosphere that is continuously changing by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Any perturbations in the soil cause disturbances in the physical (soil texture, bulk density, etc.), chemical (pH, salinity, organic carbon, etc.), and biological (microbes and enzymes) parameters. These physical, chemical, and biological parameters can serve as indicators for soil quality assessment. However, soil quality assessment cannot be possible by evaluating only one parameter out of physical, chemical, or biological. So, there is an emergent need to establish a minimum dataset (MDS) which shall include physical, chemical, and biological parameters to assess the quality of the given soil. This review attempts to describe various physical, chemical, and biological parameters, combinations of which can be used in the establishment of MDS.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Principal, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, for providing necessary facilities and Prof. G. R. Sapra (formerly at Department of Zoology, New Delhi) for his guidance and support. The support extended by the Principal, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, is thankfully acknowledged. The authors also thankfully acknowledge the financial support provided by CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) to Swati Maurya, Jeeva Susan Abraham, and UGC (University Grants Commission), to Sripoorna Somasundaram.

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This study was funded by CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) to Swati Maurya, Jeeva Susan Abraham, and UGC (University Grants Commission), to Sripoorna Somasundaram.

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  1. Department of Zoology, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi, 110019, India

    Swati Maurya, Jeeva Susan Abraham, Sripoorna Somasundaram, Ravi Toteja & Seema Makhija

  2. Department of Zoology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, Bapu dham, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, 110021, India

    Renu Gupta

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Maurya, S., Abraham, J.S., Somasundaram, S. et al. Indicators for assessment of soil quality: a mini-review. Environ Monit Assess 192, 604 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08556-z

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