When you are doing soil quality assessment you will come across these two terms soil quality and soil health. What are their differences?
Both terms are used interchangeably. Depending on the definition used, this may be correct. The distinction could be understood by looking at the disciplinary origin: soil quality comes from land evaluation/agronomy and is used to indicate the biological, physical and chemical quality of soil for a certain land use. Soil health comes from ecology and emphasises the biological aspects of a healthy soil and might in narrow definitions be used to indicate the soil ecosystem's inherent capacity to suppress pathogens. A healthy soil will have a higher biodiversity and support an improved soil quality.
Soil quality has been defined by the Soil ScienceSociety of America Ad Hoc Committee on soil quality (S-581) as ‘the capacity of a specific kind of soil tofunction, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintainor enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation’ (Karlen et al., 1997).
The terms soil quality and soil health will be used synonymously.
However use of the term soil quality will generally be associated with a soils’ fitness for a specificuse and the term soil health used in a broader sense to indicate the capacity of soil to function as a vital living system to sustain biological productivity, promote environmental quality, and maintain plant and animal health.
In this sense soil health is synonymous with sustainability. The quality of a soil includes an inherent component, determined by the soil’s physical andchemical properties within the constraints set by climate and ecosystem. In addition, soil quality includes a component affected by management and land-use decisions.
I agree with Dhanashree Pable. In practical condition, when we quantify soil quality OR Soil health we have to select some minimum dataset (MDS). In the minimum dataset, when more inherent soil parameters are used ,it will better to use soil quality. And if more number of dynamic soil parameters are use as MDS, then soil health will be more appropriate.
Soil quality and soil health are basically the same and are used synonymously. The term "Soil Quality" is used mainly by researchers and scientists, who like to quantify a quality index, i.e. soil quality index of this field is 4.
However, the term "Soil Health" is mainly used by the farmers, who like to qualify their soil, rather than just give a number. i.e. high, medium, low. In fact, at the end this is the farmers that are the end users of soil quality (or soil health) evaluations and researches. So, they relate much better with the term "Health" rather than "Quality" for their field's soil condition. Farmers routinely use the term HEALTH even for the conditions of their crops (poor, good, medium, ...). I strongly suggest that in your extension works with FARMERS use Soil Health rather than Soil Quality.
Good luck.
I agree with Luuk and I would emphasise that health can seen as a capacity to perform functions. While quality refers to a value, related to a use.
See Kibblewhite et al (2008) Soil health in agricultural systems for a details on soil's functions.
In addition, quality could refer to a more static and inherent status, while health is more dynamic and sensitive to management on the short term.
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