r-SoilFunctionality

Generally, soil functionality is characterized by its capability to sustain microbial activity, nutritional element supply, structural stability and aid for crop production. Since soil functions can be linked to 80% of ecosystem services, conservation of degraded land should strive to restore not only the capacity of soil to sustain flora but also ecosystem provisions. The primary ecosystem services of soil are carbon sequestration, food or biomass production, provision of microbial habitat, nutrient recycling. However, the actual magnitude of soil functions provided by agricultural land uses has never been quantified. Nutrient supply capacity (NSC) is a measure of nutrient dynamics in restored land uses. Carbon accumulation proficiency (CAP) is a measure of ecosystem carbon sequestration. Biological activity index (BAI) is the average of responses of all enzyme activities in treated land over control/reference land. The CAP parameter investigates how land uses may affect carbon flows, retention, and sequestration. The CAP provides a signal for C cycles, flows, and the systems' relative operational supremacy.