Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Exploring Soil-Tree Interactions After Applying Organic Matter Amendments To Peach Orchards In The Subtropical Climate Of The Southeastern United States, Brian Lawrence
All Dissertations
Soil disturbance from the cultivation and intensive management of orchards in hot and humid subtropical climates can reduce soil organic matter (OM). This research explored how the addition of OM amendments impact soil and tree parameters in two field studies and how proximity to OM may elicit unique genomic response of peach roots in a split-root pot study. The first field study applied two rates of compost (1x and 2x) and subsequently reduced fertilizer applications annually to a virgin and replant orchard location. While both compost rates successfully replaced fertilizers, only the 2x rate in the replant location increased soil …
Soil Mesofauna And Microbial Community Response To Mixed Biochar And Compost Application In A Skagit Silt Loam, Jameson Goff
Soil Mesofauna And Microbial Community Response To Mixed Biochar And Compost Application In A Skagit Silt Loam, Jameson Goff
WWU Graduate School Collection
I sampled Skagit silt loam soils from a field trial at the WSU NWREC where biochar and compost were added to potato crops in late spring pre-planting. Soil mesofauna were sampled at mid and late-summer, while soil microbes were sampled at late summer exclusively. Soil treatments included mixed biochar and compost, compost-only, and an unamended control. Mesofauna were extracted with Berlese funnels and sorted to functional groups. F:B ratios and total microbial C were determined using microbiometer test kits. To test whether biochar and compost induced changes to soil mesofauna communities, I used permutational ANOVA. Differences in F:B ratios and …