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Title:   Author  item
                                            Lehman, R

                                                         - *Michael*item
                                            Cambardella, Cynthiaitem
                                            Stott, Dianeitem
                                            Acosta-Martinez, Veronicaitem
                                            Manter, Danielitem
                                            Buyer, Jeffreyitem
                                            Maul, Judeitem
                                            Smith, Jeffreyitem
                                            Collins, Harolditem
                                            Halvorson, Jonathanitem
                                            Kremer, Robertitem
                                            Lundgren, Jonathanitem
                                            Ducey, Thomasitem
                                            Jin, Virginia
  Submitted to: Sustainability
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2015
                                    Publication  Date: 1/23/2015
                                    Citation: Lehman, R.M., Cambardella, C.A., Stott, D.E., Acosta Martinez, V., Manter, D.K., Buyer, J.S., Maul, J.E., Smith, J.L., Collins, H.P., Halvorson, J.J., Kremer, R.E., Lundgren, J.G., Ducey, T.F., Jin, V.L., Karlen, D.L. 2015. Understanding and enhancing soil health: the solution for reversing soil degradation. Sustainability. 7(1):988-1027.Interpretive Summary: Healthy soils are the foundation for maintaining production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel.  Soils around the world are being degraded by development pressures and poor management.  Improved management of soils can reverse soil degradation and ensure a productive future for this non-renewable resource.  Management that improves soil health will mitigate degradation and loss of function by arable soils.  We seek to improve recognition of soil health and to increase public and private research efforts that advance soil health globally.  We define soil quality/soil health (which we consider to be interchangeable terms), characterize healthy soil resources, and relate the significance of soil health to agroecosystems and their functions. We examine how soil biology influences soil health and how biological properties and processes contribute to sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services. We continue by examining what can be done to manipulate soil biology to: (i) increase nutrient availability for production of high yielding, high quality crops, (ii) protect crops from pests, pathogens, weeds, and (iii) manage other factors limiting production and ecosystem services.   Next we look to the future by asking what needs to be known about soil biology that is not currently recognized or fully understood.   Finally we make projections regarding which of the unknown factors could be addressed using emerging research tools.
                                Technical Abstract: 	This special issue of Sustainability documents both the magnitude and global prevalence of soil degradation and helps illustrate (1) various factors contributing to the problem, (2) its past and current impacts, and (3) projected consequences to humankind if degradation of our fragile soil resources is not reversed before our global population grows beyond 9.5 Billion. Our objective is to provide an optimistic strategy for reversing soil degradation by increasing public and private research efforts on the concept of soil health. We begin by defining soil quality/soil health (which we consider to be interchangeable terms), characterizing healthy soil resources, and relating the significance of soil health to agroecosystems and their functions. We examine how soil biology influences soil health and how biological properties and processes contribute to sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services. We continue by examining what can be done to manipulate soil biology to: (i) increase nutrient availability for production of high yielding, high quality crops, (ii) protect crops from pests, pathogens, weeds, and (iii) manage other factors limiting production and ecosystem services. Next we look to the future by asking what needs to be known about soil biology that is not currently recognized or fully understood. This includes making projections regarding which of the unknown factors could be addressed using emerging research tools. We conclude, based on our perceptions of how new knowledge regarding soil biology will help make agriculture more sustainable and productive, by recommending research emphases that should receive first priority through enhanced public and private research in order to reverse the trajectory toward global soil degradation.


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