There is a need for assessing changes in soil quality at regional or national scales. A cooperative NRCS-ARS project was developed to test procedures for assessing soil quality within four MLRA using the NRI framework. Results for MLRA 67 are reported here. ORG ratio did not vary among the different land uses.
Aggregation is a measure of erosion resistance and also promotes infiltration and root development.
Larger aggregates were found in pasture, CRP and range soils than in cropped soils. Aggregate MWD was weakly correlated with organic C content. The continuous wheat-fallow and rotated wheat systems show the results of long term cultivation and have declined in soil quality. Under CRP management, soil organic C has increased, but is not yet equivalent to levels found in the native range and pasture. N are similar to cropped soils.