Is intensive management associated with low soil carbon in Irish farms? Implications for developing indicators of farm soil health and nature value

• DOI: 10.15212/ijafr-2023-0112
• Publication Date: 2024-12-12T04:20:18Z
• Authors: S. Hodge; A. Lee; S. Ruas; R. Rotchés-Ribalta; K.A. Ahmed; S. Maher; M. Larkin; J. Stout; J. Moran; M. Gormally; D. Ó hUallacháin; B. White
• Keywords: Value (mathematics); Soil carbon

Ecologically functioning soils are increasingly viewed as a key component of sustainable agriculture, means sequestering carbon and major contributor to farmland biodiversity. It is generally considered that intensively managed agricultural systems associated with reduced soil health require high chemical inputs maintain nutrients. important, therefore, clarify which parameters exhibit clear differences between high- low-intensity farm management and, subsequently, might then be meaningful indicators health. This study investigated 30 physico-chemical properties collected from 31 Irish farms. Although several showed the two areas (Counties Sligo Wexford), much smaller subset among intensively, intermediately extensively The clearest patterns were shown by several, co-correlated, carbon-based properties, all lower in farms under intensive management. average total content was <5%, we suggest this used an initial threshold indicator degraded and/or low-carbon for In general, our adds additional support use health, but further work needed ascertain whether different calibrations required regions types. wider ecological capacity, could included suite environmental indicators, such habitat heterogeneity, floral richness invertebrate diversity, already proposed measures nature value.