Notice of Recommended Standard Methods for Use as Soil Health Indicator Measurements, 46703 [2018-19985]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 179 / Friday, September 14, 2018 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
[Docket No. NRCS–2018–0006]
Notice of Recommended Standard
Methods for Use as Soil Health
Indicator Measurements
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of
proposed technical note
‘‘Recommended Soil Health Indicators
and Associated Laboratory Procedures’’
for public review and comment.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given of the
intention of NRCS to issue a technical
note on a group of recommended
standard methods for soil health
indicators selected by a collaborative
multi-organizational effort, as described
in the document. USDA/NRCS and
partner efforts to assess soil health
problems and impacts of management
nationally, as part of conservation
planning and implementation, will be
facilitated if soil health indicators are
measured using a standard set of
methods. Soil health is defined as the
capacity of the soil to function as a vital
living ecosystem to sustain plants,
animals, and humans. Six key soil
physical and biological processes were
identified that must function well in a
healthy soil, and therefore would
especially benefit from measurement
methods standardization: (1) Organic
matter dynamics and carbon
sequestration, (2) soil structural
stability, (3) general microbial activity,
(4) C food source, (5) bioavailable N,
and (6) microbial community diversity.
The chosen methods met several criteria
including indicator effectiveness with
respect to management sensitivity and
process interpretability, ease of use, cost
effectiveness, measurement
repeatability, and ability to be used for
agricultural management decisions. The
soil health indicator methods included
are soil organic carbon (dry
combustion), water-stable aggregation
(Mikha and Rice, 2004), short-term
mineralizable carbon (Schindelbeck et
al., 2016), four enzymes: b-glucosidase
(Deng and Popova, 2011), N-acetyl-b-Dglucosaminidase (Deng and Popova,
2011), acid or alkaline phosphatase
(Acosta-Martı´nez and Tabatabai, 2011),
and arylsulfatase (Klose et al., 2011),
permanganate oxidizable carbon
(Schindelbeck et al. 2016), autoclaved
citrate extractable (ACE) protein
(Schindelbeck et al. 2016), and
phospholipid fatty acid analysis (Buyer
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:06 Sep 13, 2018
Jkt 244001
and Sasser 2012). Standard operating
procedures to be used in laboratories
have been provided in the appendices.
DATES:
Applicable Date: This is Applicable
September 14, 2018.
Comment Date: Submit comments on
or before December 13, 2018. A final
version of this technical note will be
published after the close of the 90-day
period and after consideration of all
comments.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
download the draft Technical Note at
https://go.usa.gov/xUFJE.
Comments should be submitted,
identified by Docket Number NRCS–
2018–0006, using any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail or hand-delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attention:
Regulatory and Agency Policy Team,
Strategic Planning and Accountability,
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Building 1–
1112D, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
NRCS will post all comments on
https://www.regulations.gov. In general,
personal information provided with
comments will be posted. If your
comment includes your address, phone
number, email, or other personal
identifying information (PII), your
comments, including PII, may be
available to the public. You may ask in
your comment that your PII be withheld
from public view, but this cannot be
guaranteed.
Dr.
Diane Stott, National Soil Health
Specialist, Soil Health Division, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, 915 W
State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907,
diane.stott@in.usda.gov.
Electronic copies can be downloaded
or printed from https://go.usa.gov/
xUFJE.
Requests for paper versions may be
directed to: Public Comments
Processing, Attention: Regulatory and
Agency Policy Team, Strategic Planning
and Accountability, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, 5601 Sunnyside
Avenue, Building 1–1112D, Beltsville,
Maryland 20705.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Signed this 28th day of August 2018, in
Washington, DC.
Leonard Jordan,
Acting Chief, Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–19985 Filed 9–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
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46703
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Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; License Transfer
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ACTION: Notice.
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bis.doc.gov.
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E:\FR\FM\14SEN1.SGM
14SEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 179 (Friday, September 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 46703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19985]
[[Page 46703]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
[Docket No. NRCS-2018-0006]
Notice of Recommended Standard Methods for Use as Soil Health
Indicator Measurements
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed technical note ``Recommended
Soil Health Indicators and Associated Laboratory Procedures'' for
public review and comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a
technical note on a group of recommended standard methods for soil
health indicators selected by a collaborative multi-organizational
effort, as described in the document. USDA/NRCS and partner efforts to
assess soil health problems and impacts of management nationally, as
part of conservation planning and implementation, will be facilitated
if soil health indicators are measured using a standard set of methods.
Soil health is defined as the capacity of the soil to function as a
vital living ecosystem to sustain plants, animals, and humans. Six key
soil physical and biological processes were identified that must
function well in a healthy soil, and therefore would especially benefit
from measurement methods standardization: (1) Organic matter dynamics
and carbon sequestration, (2) soil structural stability, (3) general
microbial activity, (4) C food source, (5) bioavailable N, and (6)
microbial community diversity. The chosen methods met several criteria
including indicator effectiveness with respect to management
sensitivity and process interpretability, ease of use, cost
effectiveness, measurement repeatability, and ability to be used for
agricultural management decisions. The soil health indicator methods
included are soil organic carbon (dry combustion), water-stable
aggregation (Mikha and Rice, 2004), short-term mineralizable carbon
(Schindelbeck et al., 2016), four enzymes: [beta]-glucosidase (Deng and
Popova, 2011), N-acetyl-[beta]-D-glucosaminidase (Deng and Popova,
2011), acid or alkaline phosphatase (Acosta-Mart[iacute]nez and
Tabatabai, 2011), and arylsulfatase (Klose et al., 2011), permanganate
oxidizable carbon (Schindelbeck et al. 2016), autoclaved citrate
extractable (ACE) protein (Schindelbeck et al. 2016), and phospholipid
fatty acid analysis (Buyer and Sasser 2012). Standard operating
procedures to be used in laboratories have been provided in the
appendices.
DATES:
Applicable Date: This is Applicable September 14, 2018.
Comment Date: Submit comments on or before December 13, 2018. A
final version of this technical note will be published after the close
of the 90-day period and after consideration of all comments.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the draft Technical Note at
https://go.usa.gov/xUFJE.
Comments should be submitted, identified by Docket Number NRCS-
2018-0006, using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attention: Regulatory and Agency Policy Team, Strategic Planning and
Accountability, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 5601 Sunnyside
Avenue, Building 1-1112D, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
NRCS will post all comments on https://www.regulations.gov. In
general, personal information provided with comments will be posted. If
your comment includes your address, phone number, email, or other
personal identifying information (PII), your comments, including PII,
may be available to the public. You may ask in your comment that your
PII be withheld from public view, but this cannot be guaranteed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Diane Stott, National Soil Health
Specialist, Soil Health Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, 915 W State Street, West
Lafayette, IN 47907, [email protected].
Electronic copies can be downloaded or printed from https://go.usa.gov/xUFJE.
Requests for paper versions may be directed to: Public Comments
Processing, Attention: Regulatory and Agency Policy Team, Strategic
Planning and Accountability, Natural Resources Conservation Service,
5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Building 1-1112D, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
Signed this 28th day of August 2018, in Washington, DC.
Leonard Jordan,
Acting Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-19985 Filed 9-13-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P