Regional monitoring of agricultural soils

Monitoring of the chemical-physical and biological properties of agricultural soils

In Emilia-Romagna, several campaigns aimed at characterizing the quality of agricultural soils have been carried out, funded by the Regional Directorate for Agriculture through the Rural Development Programme (RDP) funds.

Extension Service soil analyses (SACT)

The SACT data consist of analytical results relating mainly to the surface layers of agricultural soils (0 to 30/40 cm). During the 1980s and 1990s, samples were collected by technicians from farmers’ organizations and agricultural producers’ cooperatives, under the coordination and with financial support from the Region. These data (especially those from the early years) are characterized by locations that were not always precisely recorded, laboratories that were not always identified, and soil type assignments that were made retrospectively.

Since 1999, several survey and analysis campaigns have been commissioned to external contractors and funded directly by the Region through the RDP. The objectives of these campaigns are to update and enhance the regional knowledge base on soils, consisting of the regional soil database, soil maps (including soil maps at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 as well as thematic maps), and soil-related web mapping services. They also provide updated data for the preparation of fertilization plans available through the Soil Catalogue.

At each site (minimum area of 5,000 m²), 10 subsamples are collected and mixed into a single composite sample. At the center of the field, a borehole is drilled to a depth of 150 cm for soil characterization. The soil parameters analyzed include texture, pH, total and active calcium carbonate, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium. At some sites, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and electrical conductivity (1:5) were also determined.

Survey Periods	Number of Samples	Areas Covered
1999–2001	658	Plain
2001–2003	406	Plain
2011–2013	1,738	Plain
2018–2023	2,270	Plain and hills

Table 1. SACT surveys.

Figure 1. Location of SACT sites by survey period.

The data have been made available on the regional web platforms at the end of each year of activity. They can also be viewed through a WMS service at the URL https://servizigis.regione.emilia-romagna.it/wms/suoli.

Soil Monitoring Network

Soil monitoring consists of the systematic determination of soil variables in order to record their variations over time and space (FAO/ECE, 1994).

A Soil Monitoring Network (SMN) is defined as a set of sites or areas where changes in soil characteristics are documented through the periodic assessment of a range of soil parameters.

The Emilia-Romagna Region does not currently have an institutional soil monitoring network, unlike other environmental parameters such as water, air and noise, whose monitoring networks are managed by ARPAE (Regional Enviromental Agency). The European Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive (2025/2360) aims to establish a soil health monitoring network that will complement the LUCAS network. Member States are required to implement the Directive by 2028; however, the network of designated sites (including agricultural, forest and urban areas) will be managed at the Soil District level rather than by individual regions.

To support the evaluation of the effectiveness of RDP agri-environmental measures on soil quality (particularly regarding the increase and sequestration of organic carbon), the Regional Directorate for Agriculture decided, beginning in 2018, to establish a monitoring network based on the following criteria:

Participation of farms in specific agri-environmental measures (integrated pest management, organic farming, conservation agriculture, and maintenance of permanent grasslands);
Representation of the main agricultural soil types of plains and hilly areas;
Representation of the main land uses, including orchards and vineyards, arable land, rotational grasslands, and permanent grasslands.

The monitored parameters are similar to those collected in the SACT datasets, with the addition, at selected sites, of biological quality assessments through the study of microarthropod communities using the QBS-ar index (Parisi 2001; Parisi 2005), as well as the determination of metal and metalloid contents.