A method for measuring Prince Edward Island soil quality

Prince Edward Island (PEI) has a land area of 575,000 hectares and its land scape is undulating. About half the land is cleared, the other half under n atural forest. The long term effect of intensive farming practices on soil health is becoming a matter of concern as it is felt that soil quality may deteriorate through continuous agrichemical inputs and loss of productive t opsoil through erosion. This study was established to: set up a process to measure soil quality, establish soil quality indicators, measure soil quali ty on an on-going basis and report results to the public. The sampling loca tions were selected on a 4 km x 4 km grid across PEI. A total of 232 agricu ltural sampling locations were selected and located by GPS (Global Position ing System). A cluster of up to five samples was taken at each location, de pending on land use. One sample will be taken at the selected GPS coordinat es and the other four, 100 metres due south, north, west and east respectiv ely. In the 232 sampling locations selected, the actual number of samples t aken will be 796. One third of the sampling locations are being sampled eac h year, starting in 1998. Three groups of parameters are being measured: Ph ysical Parameters (depth of A and B horizons soil type, length and degree o f slope, position of sample on slope, crops grown, crop rotation and type o f tillage), Chemical Parameters (Organic Matter, Total Carbon, pH, Phosphor us, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Boron, Zinc, Sulfur, Manganese, Iron, So dium, CEC, and Base Saturation), Microbial Parameters (microscopic observat ion, enzyme assays). The analyses of the collected data focuses on determin ing the existence of statistically significant relationships among the meas ured variables. The methods to be applied include logistic and linear regre ssion, examination of correlations, as well as methods specifically designe d for spatial or geographic data. GIS (Geographical Information System) map s of PEI are being be developed to show patterns of the various parameters measured. As data collection proceeds over time, time series methods or lon gitudinal methods of regression will also be employed to determine if the r elationships or associations observed in the initial data hold up over time . This project will provide information to policy makers, researchers and t he general pubic about Prince Edward Island current soil quality and the tr ends in soil quality over time.