Dr Aminul ,very good response . Soil quality is such a wholesome term , that can accomodate any number of soil properties , but we need to keep those soil parameters as minimum as possible to eventually to be able to pinpoint those paramount properties influencing the  outcome of different cropping systems. I think , prior to that , we need a crop-based soil criteria for success of any crop , called crop-based soil analogue, which is so distinctively missing ...

Please have a look at these links and a PDF attachment.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223948355_Soil_quality_indicators_under_continuous_cropping_systems_in_the_Argentinean_Pampa

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26875075

Good luck

Article Soil quality indicators under continuous cropping systems in...

Scientists use soil quality indicators to evaluate how well soil functions since soil function often cannot be directly measured. Measuring soil quality is an exercise in identifying soil properties that are responsive to management, affect or correlate with environmental outcomes, and are capable of being precisely measured within certain technical and economic constraints. Soil quality indicators may be qualitative (e.g. drainage is fast) or quantitative (infiltration= 2.5 in/hr). Ideal indicators should: correlate well with ecosystem processes integrate soil physical, chemical, and biological properties & processes be accessible to many users be sensitive to management & climate be components of existing databases be interpretable.

Please see following link also for further details:

http://soilquality.org/indicators.html

Soil quality indicators provide a tool for evaluating the sustainability of soils. The most ideal indicators irrespective of cropping systems are:

1. Soil enzyme activities which involve in nutrient cycling

2. Carbon stocks that translated in improved soil physical condition

3. Beneficial microbial population for addition as well as recycling of nutrients

4. BD, MWD (mean weight diameter), Av. P, Av. K , N and dehydrogenase activity greatly influenced by the components of each cropping system.

Dear Dr. Islam,

Please have a look at the attached PDF document. I hope you'll find the article ''Soil quality indicators under continuous cropping systems in the arid ecosystem of India. African Journal of Agricultural Research 9(2): 285-293. Jan 2014'' relevant and useful.

Dear Aminul Islam,

To do a comparison of the cropping systems for their impacts it is imperative to 1) define your baseline soil condition 2) establish contrasting systems of cropping 3) reassay the soil condition at intervals after establishing your treatments. 4) keep up the work for the long term. 

The ability of your capacity to see soil changes will depend on the impact of your cropping systems variables and the time you apply your treatments. 

Some measurements are easier to see changes from long term treatment in shorter time frames. For instance while soil Carbon takes a number of years to see impact a assay of mineralizable Nitrogen can be sensitive is a shortened time frame. 

The ability to positive affect the soil condition generally depends on the ability to utilize crop rotation, cover cropping and organic amendment. The maximum impacts are found in legume centered systems with a animal component using recycled manure from the animal component as compost and adjusting the base soil conditions so deficiencies and excesses of nutrients are avoided. The avoiding of soil erosion is critical as uncovered soils will rapidly degrade. 

I am attaching the Rodale Farming System Trial booklet which shows the experimental basis for defining a system of agriculture that regenerates soil quality.  This trial was designed to remediate the soils and not to depend on synthetic chemical inputs to do so. It is a prime example of the value of long term farming systems approach and its power. 

Yes dear Islam soil quality indicators also aftected due regional factors (such as type of soil, cropping system, region, residue management, type of texture, type of tillage and other environmental factors. Some soil carbon quality indicator can be changed with short-term management such as MBC, DOC, EOC and some soil quality indicator SOC, SOM required  long-term studies. MWD, GMD and fractal dimensions of soil water stable aggregates can also affected by these factors. However, improvement in soil aggregation can be vary after 2-3 years as reported in published studies. furthermore you can find one paper who discussed about climatic factors "Climate and soil properties limit the positive effects of land use reversion on carbon storage in Eastern Australia"

Nice discussion..

Assessment of soil quality parameters using multivariate analysis in the Rawal Lake watershed by Firdous S, Begum S, Yasmin A published in Environ Monit Assess. 2016 Sep;188(9):533. doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5527-5. Epub 2016 Aug 23.

Abstract : Soil providing a wide array of ecosystem services is subjected to quality deterioration due to natural and anthropogenic factors. Most of the soils in Pakistan have poor status of available plant nutrients and cannot support optimum levels of crop productivity. The present study statistically analyzed ten soil quality parameters in five subwatersheds (Bari Imam, Chattar, Rumli, Shahdra, and Shahpur) of the Rawal Lake. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), cluster analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed to evaluate correlation in soil quality parameters on spatiotemporal and vertical scales. Soil organic matter, electrical conductivity, nitrates, and sulfates were found to be lower than that required for good quality soil. Soil pH showed significant difference (p 0.75) and indicated that these were the most influential parameters of first factor or component. Cluster analysis separated five sampling sites into three statistically significant clusters: I (Shahdra-Bari Imam), II (Chattar), and III (Shahpur-Rumli). Among the five sites, Shahdra was found to have good quality soil followed by Bari Imam. The present study illustrated the usefulness of multivariate statistical approaches for the analysis and interpretation of complex datasets to understand variations in soil quality for effective watershed management.

Methods for Assessing Soil Quality builds on two previous publications, Defining Soil Quality for a Sustainable Environment (SSSA Spec. Publ. 35, 1994) and Soil Health andSustainability (Doran et al., 1996). The papers in this publication evolved out of the workand collaboration of the North Regional Committee on Soil Organic Matter and SoilQuality (NCR-59) and the North Central Regional Committee on Impact of AcceleratedErosion on Soil Properties and Productivity (NC-174). PDF enclosed about the Methods of Soil Quality Assessment ...

Dear Islam,

There are two parts to the soil quality assessment, firstly assessing soil properties which results in a scoring of soil health, and secondly, assessing and scoring soil erosion activity, type and severity. The procedures for selecting and describing the sites for detailed assessment have been outlined in the above sections.

Soil Properties and Health: The tools for assessing soil properties and health

are taken from the VS-Fast methodology (McGarry, 2006) and selected VSA

methods of Shepherd (2000). Emphasis with VS-Fast is on the assessment, both

qualitative and quantitative, of soil physical condition conducted during field

visits. The core set of indicators used provides a robust, yet rapid and inexpensive

approach to assessing the following soil characteristics:

1. description of the soil sample (depth, texture, structure, colour, layering);

2.  aggregate size distribution;

3. soil crust;

4.  tillage and other pans;

5. biota (particularly earthworms and roots);

6. slaking and dispersion;

7.  pH;

8 water infiltration;

9 organic carbon;

10. soil and water salinity and sodicity

I concur with much of the comments given here. It requires identifying, qualifying and quantifying the soil variable(s)/properties as indicators and developing a matrix or score card. There are other soil variables that may have synergistic effects, implying more than one, two or more would interact differently under different cropping systems. I would chose the PCA and check how specific soil indicators/variables relate to each other in a scatter plot. You really would have to make a large database on all; mechano-phyiscal, chemical, biological properties or soil variables to find out what are the best indicators and correlate that to crop yield and cropping system

Dear David Lomeling

Thank you very much for your discussion regarding the indicators of soil quality. One thing I like to give emphasize on the fractionation of organic matter for identifying the quality of organic carbon. So far I know that all organic matters are not same. It varies with the sources of organic matter. So, the quality of organic matter might be one of the most determinants of soil quality indicators. 

Dr Aminul ,very good response . Soil quality is such a wholesome term , that can accomodate any number of soil properties , but we need to keep those soil parameters as minimum as possible to eventually to be able to pinpoint those paramount properties influencing the  outcome of different cropping systems. I think , prior to that , we need a crop-based soil criteria for success of any crop , called crop-based soil analogue, which is so distinctively missing ...

Though it is not a direct answer to your good queries, I am attaching a very recent paper ( pdf )on SQ index for your reference. This may help you in enriching some of your concepts.With best wishes-

Thanks Dilip Pal. Very important paper.