Soil Fertility and Soil Health: A Complicated Nexus.

Recent developments in soil health have led to an increased interest in this tool for soil managment and crop production. Soil N and soil C are the two primary components that are quanitified using these methods and have a profound impact on nutrient cycling and nutrient availability for crop growth. A survey of Arkansas soils indicated a wide range in the soil health scores (6.5-25.2) across crop production systems, soil textures and long-term tillage practices. A strong correlation was found between the soil health score and indices of N availability, such as N-STaR, suggesting that increases in soil health may lead to increased plant available N in the soil profile.