Contemporary soil health research (2020–2025) and its implications for India’s Soil Health Card framework: A systematic review

Background Soil health assessment has become increasingly important for sustainable agricultural management and climate resilience. India’s Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme is widely regarded as one of the largest soil diagnostic programs. However, its alignment with current soil health research, especially when it comes to factors other than chemical fertility indicators, remains unclear. Objectives This systematic review synthesizes contemporary soil health research published between 2020 and 2025 to evaluate emerging trends in soil health indicators and examine their relevance and alignment with the existing SHC framework. Method A PRISMA-2020-compliant systematic review was conducted to identify field-based peer-reviewed Indian studies published between 2020 and 2025. Trends in soil health indicators, management approaches, analytical frameworks, and their implications for SHC-based soil monitoring were systematically assessed and compared. Result Across 116 studies selected between 2020 and 2025, chemical indicators accounted for the majority of the assessment of soil health in India, with inconsistent incorporation of physical (66.4%) and biological (63.8% microbial; 39.7% enzymatic) domains. While single-domain indicators were uncommon (8.6%), fully integrated assessments (chemical-physical-biological) made up 56.9% of studies, indicating a shift toward multidimensional evaluation. Further, significant regional and management-specific variation in indicator choice was also noted across agroecological contexts. Conclusion The fertility-centric design of the SHC Scheme limits its ability to reflect modern soil health knowledge, despite successfully resolving nutrient imbalances. However, its capacity to promote long-term soil health and sustainability might be improved by broadening its coverage to gradually integrate relevant variables that are increasingly employed in modern research.