Soil Health

Soil health refers to the ability of the soil to achieve its full potential and be productive under the intended land use.

Soil characteristics influence plant growth and environmental sustainability.

• physical - soil hardness, water holding & drainage

• chemcial - nutrients, acidity, salinity

• biological - organic matter, beneficial micro-organisms

Healthy soils are easy to work, friable, hold water and nutrients well and free-draining.

Good soils allow healthy root growth for good crop establishment with less disease and weed pressure which saves the grower money and effort.

Poor soils require more fertiliser imput and more time & effort for land management.

The attached 6 page fact sheet (pdf 429 kb), describes the properties of both Good and Poor soils as well as providing two instructive case studies.

Key Points :

A healthy soil is sustainable, productive and profitable :

• Soil health constraints can reduce plant growth, health and yield

• Soil health can be measured by chemical, physical & biological tests

• Management of soil health can correct the limitations of the soil

See Also :

Soil Health: Economic and Environmental Benefits - brochure

Healthy Soils Ute Guide- AusVeg website

Soil Health Knowledge Bank website

Soil health for vegetable production in Australia - report