Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis

In this study, we have analyzed the relationships of four manageable soil properties, soil texture, and climate variables on the scores of visual indicators of 132 soils across Europe and China. Correlations differed in acid-to-neutral and alkaline soils, both in strength and direction, which gave r...

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Main Author: Fernando Teixeira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIMS Press 2024-02-01
Series:AIMS Geosciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/geosci.2024007?viewType=HTML
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author Fernando Teixeira
author_facet Fernando Teixeira
author_sort Fernando Teixeira
collection DOAJ
description In this study, we have analyzed the relationships of four manageable soil properties, soil texture, and climate variables on the scores of visual indicators of 132 soils across Europe and China. Correlations differed in acid-to-neutral and alkaline soils, both in strength and direction, which gave rise to the different rankings of the importances of the explanatory variables for each visual indicator. In alkaline soils, higher soil pH values significantly affected the score of the visual indicators and dominated other variables for most visual indicators; in acid soils, only the "presence of a tillage pan" was affected by pH, and, for most visual indicators, soil organic matter (SOM) and labile organic carbon (LOC) dominated other manageable variables. In both soil reaction groups, climate variables covaried similarly in terms of direction but with different significances for different indicators; the dominance of the variables was dependent on soil reaction. Eight out of 16 visual indicators (eight per reaction group) had a statistically significant dominant explanatory variable (soil property or climate variable). The soil pH must be accounted for when interpreting visual indicators of soils with more extreme pH (both acid and alkaline).
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spelling doaj.art-c2efca51041d4a6391b743131cbe98e62024-04-18T01:18:54ZengAIMS PressAIMS Geosciences2471-21322024-02-0110110712510.3934/geosci.2024007Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysisFernando Teixeira0Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, PortugalIn this study, we have analyzed the relationships of four manageable soil properties, soil texture, and climate variables on the scores of visual indicators of 132 soils across Europe and China. Correlations differed in acid-to-neutral and alkaline soils, both in strength and direction, which gave rise to the different rankings of the importances of the explanatory variables for each visual indicator. In alkaline soils, higher soil pH values significantly affected the score of the visual indicators and dominated other variables for most visual indicators; in acid soils, only the "presence of a tillage pan" was affected by pH, and, for most visual indicators, soil organic matter (SOM) and labile organic carbon (LOC) dominated other manageable variables. In both soil reaction groups, climate variables covaried similarly in terms of direction but with different significances for different indicators; the dominance of the variables was dependent on soil reaction. Eight out of 16 visual indicators (eight per reaction group) had a statistically significant dominant explanatory variable (soil property or climate variable). The soil pH must be accounted for when interpreting visual indicators of soils with more extreme pH (both acid and alkaline).https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/geosci.2024007?viewType=HTMLnew zealand visual soil assessment methodvsaexplanatory variablesspearman correlationssemi-partial correlations
spellingShingle Fernando Teixeira
Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
AIMS Geosciences
new zealand visual soil assessment method
vsa
explanatory variables
spearman correlations
semi-partial correlations
title Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
title_full Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
title_fullStr Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
title_full_unstemmed Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
title_short Determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
title_sort determining the relative importance of climate and soil properties affecting the scores of visual soil quality indicators with dominance analysis
topic new zealand visual soil assessment method
vsa
explanatory variables
spearman correlations
semi-partial correlations
url https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/geosci.2024007?viewType=HTML
work_keys_str_mv AT fernandoteixeira determiningtherelativeimportanceofclimateandsoilpropertiesaffectingthescoresofvisualsoilqualityindicatorswithdominanceanalysis