Modifying the SMAF to Interpret Ecosystem Functions Using EPIC Output.

Soil quality plays multiple roles in the agricultual ecosystem and environmental management. We took an effort to add environmental and ecological consideration through the further modification of the current soil quality tool, the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), in the National Soil Quality Assessment Project (NSQAP),  a compoent of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). Based on the National Nutirent Loss and Soil Carbon Database (NNLSCD) that are generated from USDA Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) and EPIC simulation outputs, soil and site-specific inidicators were first screened by correlation and factor analysis for national croplands. Then, their scoring curves for ecosystem functions (e.g. productivity, leaching, erosoion) were established. Soil quality indices for producivity and environment were calculated. The scoring curves and soil quality indices will be validated and improved with the NNLSDC database and the soil data collected in the project. The soil quality indices were antispated to assist in national soil conservation and enviromental management.