Abstract
Historically, the US National Cooperative Soil Survey used soil properties to define soil capability and function primarily for farm, forestry, and grazing land practices. The maps, which are consolidated into an official web-based database, are derived from a framework of land classification, combined soil properties (both estimated and measured), and land management classification. The mapping was originally conceived as a practical tool to provide farmers and community planners with information on the basic soil resource for economic gain. For more than 75 years, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) has used land capability classification as a tool for planning conservation measures and practices on farms so that the land could be used without serious deterioration from erosion or other causes. The land capability classification is one of innumerable methods of land classification based on broad interpretations of soil qualities and other site and climatic characteristics. Modern soil surveys have evolved to portray soil interpretations and soil capability both geospatially and with data analysis. As the functionality of the National Soil Survey Information System (NASIS) and Soil Survey Geographic System (SSURGO) increases, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is advancing its interpretation program nationally to address security issues within the context of soil capability beyond land use and land cover. Soil capability for any potential human use or ecosystem service must be assessed within the context of soil properties, either measured or estimated. Using soil security as a framework (including capability, condition, capital, connectivity, and codification), soil interpretations of the US National Cooperative Soil Survey database may be tailored to address the questions of sustainability and climate change at local, regional, and global scales and to facilitate the transfer of technology to other countries and related scientific disciplines.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andrews SS, Karlen DL, Mitchell JP (2001) A comparison of soil quality indexing methods for vegetable production systems in Northern California. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 1760:1–21
Dobos RR, Sinclair Jr HR, Robotham MP (2012) User guide for the National Commodity Crop Productivity Index (NCCPI), Version 2.0. Available online http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/ref/
Eswaran H, Beinroth FH, Reich PF (2003) A global assessment of land quality. In: Wiebe K (ed) Land quality, agricultural productivity, and food security: biophysical processes and economic choices at local, regional, and global levels. Publ. Edward Elgar, Northampton, pp 111–132
Helms D (1992) The development of the land capability classification. Readings in the history of the soil conservation service. Soil Conservation Service, Washington, DC, pp 60–73
Kiniry LN, Criver CL, Keener ME (1983) A soil productivity index based upon predicted water depletion and root growth. Res. Bull. no. 1051. University of Missouri, Columbia
Kolivras KN, Johnson PS, Comrie AC, Yool SR (2001) Environmental variability and coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Aerobiologia 17:31–42
National Cooperative Soil Survey (2015) National cooperative soil characterization database. Available online at http://ssldata.nrcs.usda.gov.
Science Staff (2004) Soil and trouble. Science 304(5677):1614–1615. doi:10.1126/science.304.5677.1614 (Adapted from Major Land Resource Constraints map created April 2004 by P. Reich and H. Eswaran of USDA/NRCS Soil Survey Division, World Soil Resources, Washington, D.C., from WSR Soil Climate Map and FAO Soil Map of the World, 1995. GLASOD data (L. R. Oldeman et al., 1991) provided by K. Sebastian, IFPRI. Data on compaction in Europe from SOVEUR/ISRIC (2000).)
Soil Survey Staff (2010a) NASIS users guide. Chapter 19: Introducing interpretations. Available online. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/tools/?cid=nrcs142p2_053545
Soil Survey Staff (2010b) NASIS users guide. Chapter 21: Developing interpretation Criteria. Available online. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/tools/?cid=nrcs142p2_053545
Soil Survey Staff (2014) Soil habitat for saprophite stage of coccidioides. National Soil Information System. Results generated 6 February 2014.
Soil Survey Staff (2015) National soil survey handbook. Online Publication. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=nrcs142p2_054242. Accessed 12 May 2015.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2015) GM_430_402 – Part 402 – Soil Survey Available online at http:// http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/RollupViewer.aspx?hid=17074. Accessed 21 Apr 2015.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland (outside the USA)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Levin, M.J., Dobos, R., Peaslee, S., Smith, D.W., Seybold, C. (2017). Soil Capability for the USA Now and into the Future. In: Field, D.J., Morgan, C.L.S., McBratney, A.B. (eds) Global Soil Security. Progress in Soil Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43394-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43394-3_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43393-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43394-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)