Biofunctool®, a multifunctional approach of soil health related to soil biota activities
Résumé
In a context of global soil biodiversity loss, we need to find
effective way to measure the functions supported by biodiversity. This
constitutes the main challenge of soil health assessments,
particularly in the agroecological transition context. The most shared
definition of soil health is based on the ability of soil to function
(Karlen et al., 1997) and to provide ecosystem services. However, most
methods focus on stock measurements rather than functions. Also,
measurements are usually performed in the laboratory, reflecting the
potential level of soil functions rather than true field performance.
To overcome these methodological limitations, a new framework is
proposed to assess soil health based on functional methods that
considers the links between abiotic and biotic soil compartments. This
method, called Biofunctool®, incorporates nine rapid, cost-effective,
and in-field indicators to evaluate three main soil functions: C
transformation, nutrient cycling, structure maintenance. The capacity
of the set of indicators to assess the impact of land management on
soil health will be illustrated in various agroecological contexts in
the tropics. Biofunctool® allows to better understand the impacts of
agricultural practices on soil functions driven by soil biodiversity
and could be in the future included in environmental analyses.
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