Data/hora: 17/06/2024 02:18:07

Biblioteca(s): | Embrapa Florestas.
Data corrente: | 22/09/2008
Data da última atualização: | 25/09/2008
Autoria: | BOHANEC, M.; CORET, J.; GRIFFITHS, B.; ZNIDARSIE, M.; DEBELJAK, M.; CAUL, S.; THOMPSON, J.; KROGH, P. H.
Título: | ECOGEN soil quality index.
Ano de publicação: | 2008
Fonte/Imprenta: | In: INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON SOIL ZOOLOGY, 15; INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON APTERYGOTA, 12., 2008, Curitiba. Biodiversity, conservation and sustainabele management of soil animal: abstracts. Colombo: Embrapa Florestas. Editors: George Gardner Brown; Klaus Dieter Sautter; Renato Marques; Amarildo Pasini. 1 CD-ROM.
Idioma: | Inglês

Conteúdo:

ECOGEN (2002) was a research project evaluating the soil ecological and economic effects of
genetically modified crops. ECOGEN was funded by the European Commission in the period
2003-2007. An important goal of ECOGEN was to develop computer-based decision support
systems (DSS) for the assessment of economic and ecological impacts on cropping systems
including genetically modified crops. In the ecological impact assessment, special emphasis is
put on soil biology and estimating soil quality from the observed biological parameters. The
main aim was to produce a soil quality score based on soil biodiversity and function ? tailored to
determine effects of different maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems on these.
Methodologically, we have addressed this goal using model-based DSS, taking the approach
of qualitative multi-attribute modeling. Following this methodology, we developed hierarchical
models, consisting of qualitative attributes and utility (aggregation) functions, represented by
decision rules. These models are used to evaluate and analyse decision alternatives. The
development was supported by the software tool DEXi (http://kt.ijs.si/MarkoBohanec/dexi.html),
which facilitates the development of a tree of attributes, definition of aggregation rules, evaluation
of alternatives, what-if analysis, charting and reporting.
The specific model presented in this poster is called ESQI (ECOGEN Soil Quality Index). ESQI
assesses the impact of cropping systems on soil quality and can subsequently be used to assess
crop management options. Cropping systems are assessed qualitatively (using a 1-5 ordinal
scale) and relatively with respect to some reference plot or treatment. ESQI was developed as
a collaboration between ECOGEN soil experts and decision analysts. ESQI consists of 34
attributes, hierarchically structured into 8 levels. There are 21 input attributes, most of which
measure the richness and biomass of representative soil organisms. The assessment of soil
quality is based on two main indicators: (1) soil diversity (assessed through microfauna,
mesofauna and macrofauna richness) and (2) soil functioning (in terms of leaching, comminution,
mineralisation and plant growth). The model is fully operational and available through the web
site http://kt.ijs.si/MarkoBohanec/ESQI/ESQI.php.
In the poster, we present the structure of ESQI and illustrate its application through the web site.
We show some example assessments of crop management on soil quality in the case of using
conventional and Bt-maize at three field sites in France and Denmark (Bohanec et al., 2007).

Categoria do assunto: | --
Registro original: | Embrapa Florestas (CNPF)
Exemplares: | CNPF - (43656-1) - UPE - PL - -- - CD0305 -  -  - DIS