A series of short video clips, mostly made by the partners themselves, to explain the objectives of the iSQAPER project, SQAPP the soil quality app, soil quality and its assessment, give overviews of a number of agricultural management practices of proven benefit to soil quality and introductions to the iSQAPER study sites.

Note: All videos can also be viewed on the »iSQAPER YouTube channel


 

iSQAPER project and SQAPP

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Introducing the iSQAPER project and SQAPP

iSQAPER will provide information about how to improve soil quality while maintaining or increasing crop productivity. Through a mobile phone app land users will be able to access data on their soils and recommendations for management practices.    

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SQAPP - the soil quality assessment app

SQAPP - the soil quality assessment app developed by the iSQAPER research project - gives: freely available global access to soil maps and data at any location, for any user; assesses the most probable threats to soil quality with explicit links between soil quality status and agricultural management; provides target advice on how to improve soil quality status; and has the capacity for users to interact with the databases, uploading local data to refine the soil quality analysis and recommendations.   

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SQAPP - quick user guide

A quick tutorial on how to use SQAPP. How to: set your location; update the default field characteristics data with local data; provide details about crops grown, pesticides applied and management practices you are interested in; interpret and update the physical, chemical and biological soil properties data; interpret and update the soil threat data; view the soil quality summary information; find more details on and examples of the recommended agricultural management practices and provide feedback on those that are relevant. 

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SQAPP - an example of citizen science

SQAPP not only gives users access scientific information and data, but allows them to add their own local data to improve the soil quality assessment and tailor recommendations more appropriately.   

Importance of good soil quality

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The importance of good soil quality

Soil is a resource that that takes a long time to form and can easily degrade. Soil is not renewable on a human time scale. Soil provides us with food and regulates terrestrial ecosystems. Soil conservation is very important to maintain its quality and properties. The main objective of Interactive Soil Quality Assessment is to maintain soil quality for sustainable agriculture. For good health we must maintain the quality of the soil. Take care of soil to improve your life quality.

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Threats to soil quality

Soil erosion, decline in organic matter, soil compaction and loss of biodiversity are most common threats to the quality of agricultural soils and are often caused by the farming methods themselves.

Assessing soil quality

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Assessing soil quality in the Suining study site

Long term field trials of wheat and rice cultivation have taken place in the iSQAPER study site in Suining, China. Working with the farmers, iSQAPER scientists have monitored many different of soil quality under different agricultural practices.

Agricultural management practices that enhance soil quality

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Soils, CAP and the future of EU agriculture

Getting to the roots of sustainable land management: how the latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform could deliver much-needed improvements in environmental and climate action.

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Factors affecting soil quality

Soil quality is determined by a number of intrinsic properties as well as management practices resulting from human intervention.

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Impact of soil management on physical soil properties

This is a simulation of abundant summer rain and its impact on the tilled soils in terms of water infiltration capacity and erodibility. The result of this simulation is presented very clearly. It shows the difference between long-term conventional versus conservation soil tillage.

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Effect of agricultural management on soil life

Agricultural soil are under pressure from different agricultural management. For example the lack of organic inputs, heavy ploughing, monoculture and the use of agrochemicals. This pressure can negatively influence soil life, for example earthworms. This can lead to a decrease in soil structure and an increase in soil erosion. Different and alternative agricultural practices such as organic matter input reduced tillage, the use of diverse crop rotation and the use of organic agriculture can create a favourable environment for soil life. In this way, increasing the number of earthworms and increasing the health of our soils.

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Soil threats and approaches for their mitigation

Agricultural management practices that mimic natural ecosystems (such as minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and plant or crop diversity) are the most promising for increasing soil quality.

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Land management practices that protect Crete from degradation, GR

No or minimum tillage practices reduce surface and sediment runoff, increase soil water storage, increase organic matter content and result in higher biodiversity and lower olive oil production costs.

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Benefits of using catch crops, SI

Because they have a wide number of positive properties, catch crops represent an important element in sustainable integrated production on arable land under changing climate conditions. They are extremely useful in organic production, where nitrogen and carbon management is particularly important.

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Benefits of straw return, CN

Returning straw to the field, rather than burning it, improves soil structure and increases soil organic matter and nutrients.

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Alternatives to lime for reducing soil acidity, CN

In areas with no access to lime, animal manure and crop residues can provide an alterative means of reducing soil acidity.

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Minimum tillage, EE

Minimum (or reduced) tillage is now widely practiced in Estonia. Within appropriate crop rotations it can maintain soil structure, improve water infiltration and reduce compaction, fuel and labour costs.

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No-tillage, EE

The main benefits of no-till technology are reduced working time, fuel costs and produce costs, but also better soil structure. However, there is increased use of pesticides, pests and diseases compared to minimum and convention tillage.

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Nutrient cycle in organic farming, SI

Interviewed by a masters student, a farmer discusses how he composts and uses animal waste on his organic farm in the Ljubljana study site, Slovenia.

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Biochar as a soil improver, SI

Biochar is increasingly being used to improve soil quality. It increases porosity, aeration and water retention capacity. It optimizes pH, increases the cation-exchange capacity and the soil's adsorption capability, reducing nutrient leaching.

Introducing the iSQAPER study sites

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Organic dairy farming in GAEC de la Branchette, FR

Farmer Jean-Pierre Lemesle introduces GAEC de la Branchette an organic dairy farm in Brittany, France and one of the iSQAPER research project's study sites.

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Organic hop farming in Trzebieszów, PL

Farmer Sebastian Podstawka describes how he farms the only organic hop plantation in Poland. He uses compost, vegetation chips and intercropping to improve soil quality; microbial preparations and plant extracts for pest control; and plant fertilizers grown on the farm. He says that yields from his organically grown hops are comparable to conventionally grown ones, while he also gets improvements in soil structure and aggregation. There is no tillage pan and soil water regulation is also improved.

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Physical characteristics of iSQAPER study site on Crete, GR

The physical characteristics of Crete, elevation, slopes, rainfall, parent material and soils, combined with historic land management, make much of the island fragile and prone to desertification.

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Rock fragments and soil conservation Crete, GR

The presence of rock fragments on the soil surface has a significant effect on the reduction of erosion, protecting soils from degradation and conservation of soil water. This can result in an increase in crop production in Mediterranean climate conditions.

Tartumaa study site, Estonia

Less than 20% of the territory of Estonia is arable land in which the dominant uses are cereals, forage and fodder crops. There are intensively managed mixed dairy and arable farms, but also alternative and organic farms on the west coast and islands.

Soils in Estonia

Estonian soils face a number of degradation problems including unbalanced use of nutrients, decomposition of organic matter, compaction, erosion and acidification.

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Zala study site, Hungary

Zala study site is in a dominantly agricultural part of Hungary boardering Lake Balaton. To protect the lake, measures against soil erosion are taken as well as appropriate and moderate use of fertilizers.

 

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