Building a hospital for soil health diagnosis and treatment: a modelling approach

With the extensive discussion of soil health, more attention has been paid to the contribution of soil to ecosystem services, that is, soil functions, including: primary productivity; water purification & regulation; climate regulation & carbon sequestration; soil biodiversity & habitat provision; and nutrient cycling. Enhancing soil multifunctionality requires evaluation of the current soil function status and optimized soil management practices. In this study, we developed models specific to the North China Plain agroecosystem to assess soil health and suggest interventions for farm management on a field scale, building upon the framework of the EU Soil Navigator models. Qualitative multi-attribute decision models in a hierarchy tree structure for each soil function were established using the Decision EXpert (DEX) integrative methods, based on the knowledge extracted from literature review, expert opinions, and data mining. A soil health dataset was collected from long-term field experiments and the Science and Technology Backyard in Quzhou County to provide data support for model calibration and validation. The models incorporate soil properties, climate conditions, and field management data as model input to assess the performance of the five soil functions at Low, Medium, and High levels and provide a list of soil health mitigation measures. The models will serve as a practical tool for end-users like farmers, land-owners and researchers to evaluate and optimize the soil conditions in their fields, and would ideally be organized like a hospital for soil health diagnosis and treatment.