Agricultural intensification is placing tremendous pressure on the soil’s capacity to maintain its functions leading to large-scale ecosystem degradation and loss of productivity in the long term. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find early indicators of soil health degradation in response to agricultural management. Our purpose was to review the literature in which a wide perspective of soil quality and the complex task of its assessment, considering the inherent and dynamic factors, are introduced. It focuses on the possibilities of applying and integrating the accumulated knowledge in agro-ecological land evaluation in order to predict soil quality. Landuse change, especially from conservation agriculture ecosystem (CA) to intensive agriculture, is negatively impacting soil quality and sustainability. Soil biological activities are sensitive indicators of such land-use impacts. Land use and management practices affect microbial properties in topsoil but have no effects in subsoil. Total organic C and N contents as well as microbial biomass were significantly higher in CA compared with conventional farming. The tillage treatments significantly influenced soil aggregate stability and OC distribution. Soil OC and MBC were at their highest levels for – mm aggregates, suggesting a higher biological activity at this aggregate size for the ecosystem. | Soil quality indicators, building soil organic matter and microbial derived inputs to soil organic matter under conservation agriculture ecosystem: A review
