Assessment of soil quality has gained global attention as a means of restoring and maintaining sustainability. Environmental sustainability relies on improving soil quality, which is determined by its ability to perform essential functions. Soil quality, closely linked with soil health describes enduring ability of soil, functions as living ecosystem that supports plants, animals, and humans. Soil quality index, a conceptual framework encompassing different soil functions based on different goals to justify the 'fitness of the soil' accentuates the interconnectedness of environmental sustainability and agricultural systems. It serves as a bridge linking agricultural practices with broader aspects such as policy-making and the principles of sustainable supply-chain management. This review explores the core concept of soil quality, its assessment and indexing, tracing its evolution from past to present, impact of various factors and advancement in technologies and tools integrating complex data to enhance soil management strategies effectively.
Bhaduri et al. (Sun,) studied this question.