Current status and prospects of soil health research in China

Soil health is the foundation of the stability and health of terrestrial ecosystems, and a reasonable evaluation of soil health is directly related to the sustainability of agricultural production, the stability of ecological environment, and human health. In recent years, soil health research has increasingly become a core hotspot in the field of soil science research both at home and abroad. However, due to the diversity of ecosystem types, the extensiveness of spatial scales, the differences in land use patterns and agricultural structures, as well as the complexity of soil ecosystem functions, it poses great challenges to scientifically and accurately evaluate soil health. On the basis of summarizing the concept and development of soil health, this paper focuses on the mainstream soil health evaluation methods both at home and abroad, including methods based on soil health evaluation benchmarks, the Cornell method, soil functions-based methods, China's arable land quality (soil health) evaluation methods, and methods using machine learning and analytical diagnosis. On this basis, we preliminarily construct a soil health evaluation framework and general process suitable for China's national conditions, systematically elaborate on the application of soil health evaluation results, and the current soil health evaluation problems in China. Finally, we propose future research prospects for soil health, especially emphasizing the construction of a multi-objective collaborative evaluation system, innovation in adaptive evaluation methods across ecosystems and spatial scales, and the research and application of healthy soil cultivation technologies. These efforts aim to promote high-quality soil health research, thereby protecting and improving soil resources, supporting agricultural production, and maintaining environmental health.