Indicators and Quality Indices of Soil (QIS) Producer’s Barley in the Southern State of Hidalgo, Mexico
Judith Prieto Méndez, Francisco Prieto García, Otilio A. Acevedo Sandoval, María A. Méndez Marzo

Abstract
The aim of this study was to propose and establish indicators and quality index of soil (QIS) to enable rapid assessments and estimates in feedlot soils of the southern state of Hidalgo, Mexico. An indicator is a variable that summarizes or simplifies relevant information by which a phenomenon or condition of interest is made visible and quantified, measured and communicated. They are known various methods that allow widespread use of indicators and benchmarks for assessing environmental quality, land quality, sustainable development, risk, vulnerability, territorial planning, among others. Consideration was given eight indicators were standardized on a 0-1 scale, representing respectively the worst and best condition from the standpoint of quality, regardless of the absolute values measured for each indicator. The maximum and minimum values for some attributes were set to optimal conditions. The QIS found in this region was 0.48 which places it in kind of moderate quality. This value is strongly influenced by low values of soil organic carbon (SOC), as property that is affecting these soils. This decrease of SOC is also the main cause of the low values of aggregate stability and infiltration and an indicator of the values of bulk density. These changes affect the physical properties of soil surface condition leading to increased erosion processes, with consequent loss of thickness of the surface horizon, reflected by the indicator.

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