Are SSURGO organic matter estimates reliable for cold arid steppes? Implications for rangeland soil health

摘要

The SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database)-based Web Soil Survey (WSS) is a geospatial tool for managers to assess soil properties and make management decisions, presumably without field sampling. To determine whether WSS percent organic matter (%OM) estimates were reliable in cold arid rangelands, we sampled soils at a northern mixed-grass prairie site and a sagebrush-steppe site in Wyoming, USA. Loss on ignition testing was used to determine soil %OM. Field samples contained higher %OM than WSS %OM estimates and did not covary with WSS %OM estimates. Baseline sampling is necessary prior to management in order to detect %OM changes.