The Cornell Soil Health Program Work Team started its activities in 2001. Since then, this interdepartmental effort has conducted extensive field sampling from growers' fields and research farms and compiled a soil health assessment database.

• Initiating 10 large, long-term demonstration trials in collaborating growers' fields.
  
  
• Creating six replicated, long-term research and training sites, including the Gates Farm large-scale long-term research site in Geneva , NY dedicated to assessing the impact of management practices on soil health.
  
  
• Developing a new soil health assessment protocol that examines six soil health indicators, unifying soil sampling for physical, chemical and biological measurements.
  
  
• Analyzing more than 1,000 samples from grower's fields and demonstration plots.
  
  
• Compiling a baseline soil health database.

Research publications

Recent soil health research publications arising from this Cornell Soil Health Progarm Work Team's research:

Peer reviewed Publications:

• Moebius-Clune, B.N., van Es, H.M., Idowu, O.J., Schindelbeck, R.R., Kimetu, J.M., Ngoze, S., Lehmann, J., Kinyangi, J.M., 2011. Long-term Soil Quality Degradation along a Cultivation Chronosequence in Western Kenya. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, in press.
  


• Moebius-Clune, B.N., O.J. Idowu, R.R. Schindelbeck, H.M. van Es, D.W. Wolfe, G.S. Abawi, Gugino, B.K., 2011. Developing Standard Protocols for Soil Quality Monitoring and Assessment. In: Bationo, A.; Waswa, B.; Okeyo, J.M.; Maina, F.; Kihara, J.M. (Eds.) Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa: Exploring the Scientific Facts. Springer. ISBN: 978-90-481-2541-8.
  
  
• Idowu, O.J., H.M. van Es, G.S. Abawi, D.W. Wolfe, R.R. Schindelbeck, B.N. Moebius-Clune, and B.K. Gugino. 2009. Use of an integrative soil health test for evaluation of soil management impacts. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24:214-224.
  
  
• O.J. Idowu, H.M. van Es, G.S. Abawi, D.W. Wolfe, J.I. Ball, B.K. Gugino, B.N. Moebius, R.R. Schindelbeck and A.V. Bilgili (2008) Farmer-Oriented Assessment of Soil Quality using Field, Laboratory, and VNIR Spectroscopy Methods. Plant & Soil 307:243-253.
  
  
• Bianca N. Moebius-Clune, Harold M. van Es, Omololu John Idowu, Robert R. Schindelbeck, Daniel J. Moebius-Clune, David Wolfe, George Abawi, Janice Thies, Beth Gugino, Robert Lucey (2008) Long-Term Effects of Harvesting Maize Stover and Tillage on Soil Quality. Soil Science Society of America Journal 72, 4: 960-969.
  
  
• B.N. Moebius, H.M. van Es, R.R. Schindelbeck, O.J. Idowu, J.E. Thies, D. J. Clune. (2007) Evaluation of Laboratory-Measured Soil Physical Properties as Indicators of Soil Quality. Soil Science. Soil Science 172, 11: 895-912
  
  
• Hively, W.D., H.M. van Es, R.R. Shindelbeck, B. Moebius, D. Grantham, T. Owiyo, A.V. Bilgili, W.D. Philpot, and S.D. DeGloria. 2007 Hyperspectral Analysis of Long-term Tillage Effects on Soil Reflectance, Nutrition, and Aggregate Stability. Soil&Tillage Research (in press).
  
  
• van Es, H.M., B.D. Kay, J.J. Melkonian, and J.M. Sogbedji. 2007. Nitrogen Management Under Maize in Humid Regions: Case for a Dynamic Approach. In: T. Bruulsema (ed.) Managing Crop Nutrition for Weather. Intern. Plant Nutrition Institute Publ. (in press).
  
  
• Schindelbeck, R.R., H.M. van Es, G.S. Abawi, D.W. Wolfe, T.L. Whitlow, B.K. Gugino, O.J. Idowu, and B.N. Moebius-Clune. 2008. Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Quality for Landscape and Urban Management. Landscape and Urban Planning 88:73-80.
  
  
• Moebius B.N., O.J. Idowu, R.R. Schindelbeck, H.M. van Es, D.W. Wolfe, G.S. Abawi, B.K. Gugino (2007) Developing Standard Protocols for Soil Quality Monitoring and Assessment. In Proceedings AfNet Symposium on Green Revolution in Africa September 17 - 21, 2007, Arusha, Tanzania (in press).

Extension and Outreach Publications:

• Robert Schindelbeck, John Idowu, Harold van Es. (2008) The Link Between Soil Health and Reduced Tillage. What's Cropping Up? 18, (3) 8-10. http://css.cals.cornell.edu/cals/css/extension/upload/WCUVol18No3_May-Jun2008-2.pdf
  
  
• Robert Schindelbeck, John Idowu, Harold van Es, George Abawi, David Wolfe, Beth Gugino (2008) How to Interpret and Use the Cornell Soil Health Test Report What's Cropping Up? 18, (1) 1-4. http://css.cals.cornell.edu/cals/css/extension/upload/WCUvol18no1jan-Feb2008.pdf
  
  
• John Idowu, Anu Rangarajan, Harold van Es and Bob Schindelbeck (2007) Zone Tillage, Fact Sheet #1, Reduced Tillage Fact Sheets, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY http://www.hort.cornell.edu/reducedtillage/ZTFactSheet_1.pdf
  
  
• John Idowu, Harold van Es, Robert Schindelbeck, George Abawi, David Wolfe, Janice Thies, Bianca Moebius, Beth Gugino, Dan Clune. (2007) The New Cornell Soil Health Test: Protocols and Interpretations. What's Cropping Up? 17, (1) 6-7. http://www.css.cornell.edu/extension/WCU/Vol17No12007Jan-Feb.pdf
  
  
• Gugino, B.K., Idowu O.J., Schindelbeck, R.R. van Es, H.M., Wolfe, D.W., Thies, J.E. and Abawi, G.S. 2007. Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual Edition 1.2. Cornell University, Geneva, New York. http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/extension/manual.htm
  
  
• John Idowu, Harold van Es, Robert Schindelbeck, George Abawi; David Wolfe; Janice Thies; Beth Gugino; Bianca Moebius; Dan Clune. (2006) Soil Health Assessment and Management: The Concepts. What's Cropping Up? Vol. 16 No 2 (a newsletter for field crops and soils in NY) http://www.css.cornell.edu/extension/WCU/Vol16No22006Mar-Apr.pdf
  
  
• John Idowu, Bianca Moebius, Harold van Es, Robert Schindelbeck, George Abawi; David Wolfe; Janice Thies; Beth Gugino; Dan Clune. (2006). Soil Health Assessment and Management: Measurements and Results. What's Cropping Up? Vol. 16 No 3 (a newsletter for field crops and soils in NY) http://www.css.cornell.edu/extension/WCU/Vol16No32006May-June.pdf