Synthesis of a National Soil Dataset Across Productive Land in Mexico: The Importance of Making Existing Data Accessible

Abstract

The lack of soil data is a complication that most soil scientists will encounter throughout their career; this critical aspect is exacerbated due to the excessive cost of soil surveying. Consequently, it is essential to develop strategies that guarantee the permanent accessibility of past soil sampling efforts. The main objective of this contribution is to release an entire dataset of soil samples surveyed by the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food (SAGARPA) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the year 2012. The dataset consists of more than 4000 compound samples surveyed on managed cropland. SAGARPAS's main objective was to generate a new index to assess and monitor the current and future state of soil when sustainable soil practices take place. A complete set of physicochemical properties was determined via laboratory analysis for all records in the dataset, namely: pH, EC, OM, BD, Sand, Silt, Clay, Texture, P, N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, CEC, Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), and including the calculation of the Sustainable Soil Land Use Subindex (SSLUS). We presented a reviewed dataset with the potential to contribute to a large variety of studies, ranging from agricultural pinpointing of the best conditions for crop production to digital soil mapping and modeling and agronomical studies. An additional key element of any data publishing effort is the promotion of adequate archival and mirroring practices by defining official servers that guarantee accessibility and safety of the information.