VISUAL SOIL ASSESSMENT (VSA)
Field Guides

Annual crops
Olive orchards
Orchards
Vineyards
Wheat

Full pdf 10Mb

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
Rome, 2008

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention or omission of specific companies, their products or brand names does not imply any endorsement or judgement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the:

Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch
Communication Division - FAO
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
or by e-mail to: [email protected]

This publication is funded by FAO in collaboration with the Agronomy and Crop Science Research and Education Center
of the University of Teramo, Italy.

The VSA Method

The maintenance of good soil quality is vital for the environmental and economic sustainability of annual cropping. A decline in soil quality has a marked impact on plant growth and yield, grain quality, production costs and the increased risk of soil erosion. Therefore, it can have significant consequences on society and the environment. A decline in soil physical properties in particular takes considerable time and cost to correct. Safeguarding soil resources for future generations and minimizing the ecological footprint of annual cropping are important tasks for land managers.

Often, not enough attention is given to:

the basic role of soil quality in efficient and sustained production;
the effect of the condition of the soil on the gross profit margin;
the long-term planning needed to sustain good soil quality;
the effect of land management decisions on soil quality.

Visual Soil Assessment is based on the visual assessment of key soil ‘state’ and plant performance indicators of soil quality, presented on a scorecard. With the exception of soil texture, the soil indicators are dynamic indicators, i.e. capable of changing under different management regimes and land-use pressures. Being sensitive to change, they are useful early warning indicators of changes in soil condition and as such provide an effective monitoring tool.


Part 1    Soil management of Annual Crops [ ISBN 978-92-5-105937-1 ]  :: [1,6 Mb]

Part 2    Soil management in Olive Orchards [ ISBN 978-92-5-105938-8 ] :: [1,6 Mb]

Part 3    Soil management in Orchards [ ISBN 978-92-5-105939-5 ]  :: [1,2 Mb]

Part 4    Soil management in Vineyards [ ISBN 978-92-5-105940-1 ]  :: [1,9 Mb]

Part 5    Soil management in Wheat  [ ISBN 978-92-5-105941-8 ] :: [1,8 Mb]

Part 6    Soil management in Pastures - Part 1  [ ISBN 978-92-5-105941-8 ] :: [1,5 Mb]

Part 7    Soil management in Pastures - Part 2  [ ISBN 978-92-5-105941-8 ] :: [615 Kb]

Part 8    Soil management in Maize - Part 1  [ ISBN 978-92-5-105941-8 ] :: [1.5 Mb]

Part 9    Soil management in Maize - Part 2  [ ISBN 978-92-5-105941-8 ] :: [765 Kb]