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September 2, 2026Eurasian Soil Science

Soil Quality Assessment Using Principal Component Analysis under Natural and Conventional Farming Systems in the Himalayas, India

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Authors

ADA. DhimanRSR. SharmaGRG. Rathore

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Overview

Comparative study reveals superior soil quality and nutrient retention in natural farming versus conventional farming, indicating enhanced long-term agricultural sustainability.

Key Points

  • To evaluate the impact of natural farming versus conventional farming on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, and compute a comprehensive soil quality index using principal component analysis.
  • Collected 300 soil samples across six administrative blocks in Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, India, comprising 150 samples each from natural farming and conventional farming systems.
  • Assessed soil physical characteristics, organic carbon, bioavailable macronutrients, DTPA-extractable micronutrients, and biological enzymatic activities.
  • Applied principal component analysis to derive minimum dataset indicators and compute the overall soil quality index for both management systems.
  • Natural farming soils demonstrated lower bulk density, higher porosity, improved water-holding capacity, and elevated organic carbon compared to conventional farming.
  • Bioavailable macronutrients (N, P, K, S), micronutrients, and biological activities were consistently higher under natural farming, with the exception of urease activity.
  • Principal component analysis accounted for 84.7% of variance across five indicators in natural farming and 89.1% across six indicators in conventional farming, with natural farming achieving overall higher soil quality index values.

Cite This Study

Dhiman et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a97e2b1c562ede874ec6e91https://doi.org/10.1134/s1064229326601630
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