Lehmann Johannes, Bossio Deborah A, Kögel-Knabner Ingrid, Rillig Matthias C
School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Nat Rev Earth Environ. 2020 Oct;1(10):544-553. doi: 10.1038/s43017-020-0080-8. Epub 2020 Aug 25.
Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans, and connects agricultural and soil science to policy, stakeholder needs and sustainable supply chain management. Historically, soil assessments focused on crop production, but today soil health also includes the role of soil in water quality, climate change and human health. However, quantifying soil health is still dominated by chemical indicators, despite growing appreciation of the importance of soil biodiversity, due to limited functional knowledge and lack of effective methods. In this Perspective, the definition and history of soil health are described and compared to other soil concepts. We outline ecosystem services provided by soils, the indicators used to measure soil functionality, and their integration into informative soil health indices. Scientists should embrace soil health as an overarching principle that contributes to sustainability goals, rather than only a property to measure.
Soil health is essential to crop production, but is also key to many ecosystem services. In this Perspective, the definition, impact and quantification of soil health are examined, and the needs in soil health research are outlined.
土壤健康是土壤作为一个维持植物、动物和人类生存的重要生命生态系统持续发挥作用的能力，它将农业和土壤科学与政策、利益相关者需求及可持续供应链管理联系起来。从历史上看，土壤评估侧重于作物生产，但如今土壤健康还包括土壤在水质、气候变化和人类健康方面的作用。然而，尽管人们越来越认识到土壤生物多样性的重要性，但由于功能知识有限且缺乏有效方法，土壤健康的量化仍主要由化学指标主导。在这篇观点文章中，我们描述了土壤健康的定义和历史，并将其与其他土壤概念进行比较。我们概述了土壤提供的生态系统服务、用于衡量土壤功能的指标，以及它们如何被纳入信息丰富的土壤健康指数。科学家应将土壤健康视为有助于实现可持续发展目标的首要原则，而不仅仅是一个可测量的属性。
土壤健康对作物生产至关重要，但也是许多生态系统服务的关键。在这篇观点文章中，我们探讨了土壤健康的定义、影响和量化，并概述了土壤健康研究的需求。
