Life Sciences Commons^™

Long Term Observation Of The Grassland Vegetation Used Intensively Or Extensively And Ecologically, H.-D. Matthes, J. Matthes, W. Jentsch, V. Pastushenko

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The aim of the present paper was to study alterations of the grassland flora from 55 plots following a more extensive management under long term observation within 6 years. Extensification of grassland use leads to an increase of the numbers of plant species by 32%, “Red-list-species” included. The moisture number of the soils slightly increased and the reaction and nitrogen numbers decreased. Results are presented for different vegetation units.

Cover Crop Effects On Near-Surface Soil Aggregate Stability In The Southern Mississippi Valley Loess (Mlra 134), Chandler M. Arel

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Intensive agricultural cultivation within major land resource area (MLRA) 134, the Southern Mississippi Valley Loess, has led to soil erosion, soil compaction, and the overall destabilization of near-surface soil aggregates. The use of cover crops during the agricultural offseason has been shown to help alleviate soil compaction and provide stabilizing effects against soil erosion, which are particularly important as the silty soils of MLRA 134 have a large erosion potential. This study evaluated the effects of cover crop and no-cover crop treatment on silt-loam soils within MLRA 134. Treatments were implemented during Fall 2018 and Fall 2019 and consisted of …

A Method For Visualizing Water Flow Through Modified Root Zones, Dallas M. Williams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As the number of impervious surfaces in urban environments increases, the ability of modified root zones to infiltrate water is becoming more important. Current methods of tracing water flow through soil profiles include excavating large pits in situ or analyzing soil cores in the laboratory with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. While useful, these methods may not be suitable for urban settings or practical in every laboratory. We propose a new method that is less invasive, does not require extensive technical equipment and can reliably trace water movement through the soil profile in order to calculate flow rate based …

Plant Root Mass Fraction Response To Soil Resource Limitation In The Context Of Dry Mediterranean Rangeland, Guy Dovrat

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Root mass fraction (RMF) was proposed as a stable measurement of plant resource partitioning that can represent plant acquisition–conservation trade‐offs. We examined the effects of soil resources availability on RMF of abundant annual plant species of water-limited rangeland. We used data from controlled experiments in which nine species were grown under variable water and nitrogen availabilities and their root and shoot biomass were examined at flowering time. In legumes we examined also presence of N₂-fixation. In all of the species, reduced water and/or nitrogen availability was associated with increased RMF. However, the magnitude of variation in RMF found …

Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics After Pasture Installation In The Amazon Region, C. C. Cerri, M. Bernoux, C. E. P. Cerri

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The objective of this paper is to present the soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in a chronosequence made of a forest and pastures of different ages established in a Oxisol in the Western Brazilian Amazon Basin. The results of soil Carbon and Nitrogen stocks and gases fluxes were discussed. Stable ¹³C isotopic technique was used to calculate for a determinate age of pasture installation, the proportion of soil C remaining from the forest system and the proportion of soil C introduced by the grasses of the pasture system. The C lost from the original pool under the …

Nutrient Dynamics And Inventory In Tropical Grassland Ecosystem In Southern India, K. Karunaichamy, Kailash Paliwal

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The present study was to ascertain the distribution of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) in the different plant components and in the soil top 30 cm at Kalikesam in Western Ghats region of southern India. Magnesium concentration increased in the order: dead shoots > belowground > litter > aboveground live. Sodium concentration in live shoots was maximum in February (0.51%) and minimum in August (0.05%). Annually 8.94 g/m² Ca, 2.41g/ m² Mg and 2.30g/ m² Na was taken up by plants. The distribution of the three nutrients in plant/soil system indicated that the major portion of the nutrients …

Nitrogen Budgets On A Pasture Under Combined Utilization Of Grazing And Cutting, Y. Kurokawa, S. Yamamoto, Y. Iijima, M. Kitagawa, F. Omata, S. Sakamoto, H. Tanaka, S. Suzuki, T. Shioya

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Nitrogen budgets on a pasture being utilized for both grazing and cutting were investigated. A pasture containing tallfescue, orchard grass and white clover was divided into two areas: initially grazed (IA, 0.41ha) and grazed after cutting for hay (BA, 0.49ha). A herd of 4-5 cattle (heifers or steers of Japanese Black or Holstein) grazed at IA from 22 Apr. to 2 Jul. and grazed at both IA and BA from 3 Jul. to 21 Oct. 1999. The amount of N grazed from IA was 3 times higher than the sum of N of grazed herbage and harvested hay from BA. …

Optimization Of Dna Extraction From Difficult Sandy-Loam Soils, Anka Colo

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Ginseng is a high value perennial crop grown for its roots. A four-year cultivation cycle is required to obtain marketable ginseng roots, during which a condition called ginseng replant disease (GRD) develops. GRD is characterized by a severe root rot disease, and prevents the growth of newly planted ginseng in a former ginseng garden1. Microbiome analysis of ginseng garden soil will help our understanding of the formation of GRD and its severity. However, extracting DNA from the sandy-loam soils required for ginseng cultivation is difficult. Commercial kits are either too expensive or not applicable to the large volumes of soil …

The Analysis Of Ginsenosides In Ginseng Garden Soil, Karina Marie Kaberi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) produces natural products called ginsenosides. The biggest challenge Ontario commercial ginseng farmers face is ginseng replant disease. To understand the function of ginseng root exudates, ginsenoside accumulation and persistence over time were investigated. Currently, no reliable ginsenoside specific extraction method, characterizing the changes in soil chemistry exists. Ginsenoside extraction protocol optimization was required to determine how ginsenoside composition changed over time. Overall, protocol optimization resulted in a 30% increase in yield of ginsenosides compared to previous extraction protocols. In the ginseng gardens, ginsenoside accumulation occurs slowly and did not reach significantly measurable amounts until the …

Effects Of Traditional And Microbially-Focused Restoration Techniques On Soil Communities In Tallgrass Prairies, Zachary J. Whitacre

Masters Theses

Tallgrass prairies have virtually disappeared in many parts of their former range due to the conversion of this ecosystem to farmland. In more recent years there have been efforts to restore these prairies on reclaimed agricultural land. However, these restored prairies do not resemble their remnant counterparts in many ways, such as in soil microbial community composition and metrics related to carbon storage. In Chapter 1, I show that bacterial communities in a restored prairie and an adjacent remnant prairie in southwest Michigan differ in their immediate and longer-term responses to prescribed fire, a commonly used prairie restoration and maintenance …

Effects Of Am Fungi From Conventional And No-Till Michigan Crop Fields On Plant And Soil Health, Derek Bennett

Masters Theses

Centuries of conventional till (CT) management in agriculture has depleted soil organic matter (SOM) by over 50%. While only comprising 5% in most soils, SOM provides soil with fertility and productivity. To compensate for SOM depletion, producers have been forced to increase their reliance on fertilizer and irrigation to maintain yields. In the coming decades, climate change is expected to challenge food production and threaten an already fragile system. With no remaining land left to cultivate, conservation management strategies such as no-till (NT) look to restore SOM and increase the resilience of food production for an ever growing, increasingly food …

Does Integrating Crops With Livestock Production Impact Soil Properties And Crop Production?, Lindsey Anderson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Re-integrating crop and livestock production through cover crop (CC) and corn residue grazing could efficiently utilize resources and ensure profitability while improving environmental quality, but how this integration affects soils and crops is not well understood. We conducted two studies to address this. In the first study, we evaluated the impact of cattle (1.3-3.7 head ha^-1) grazing an oat (Avena sativa L.) CC on soil and crop yields in two adjacent irrigated no-till corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.) fields on silt loam soils in eastern Nebraska. Field I was grazed twice, while Field …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2020, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Soils Laboratory Manual: K-State Edition, Version 2.0, Colby J. Moorberg, David A. Crouse

NPP eBooks

The Soils Laboratory Manual, K-State Edition is designed for students in undergraduate, introductory soil science courses. The manual highlights the multidisciplinary aspects of soil science with laboratories focused on soil formation, classification, and mapping; soil physics, soil biology; soil chemistry; and soil fertility and management. The lab manual includes 16 different laboratories, each one starting with an introduction and pre-lab assignment, followed by in-lab activities, and complimented by a post-lab assignment. In-lab activities involve field trips, experiments, observation stations, or problem sets. Post-lab assignments include online quizzes, problem sets, or laboratory summary reports.

Version 2 of the lab manual exhibits …

Evaluation Of Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Furrow-Irrigated Rice On A Silt-Loam Soil In Arkansas, Jordan M. Slayden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the number one rice (Oryza sativa)-producing state in the United States, Arkansas also ranks fourth as the largest user of groundwater. Recently, due to the development of drought- resistant hybrid cultivars, the furrow-irrigated rice production system has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional flood-irrigated production with respect to conserving groundwater and maintaining yield. However, other environmental parameters, like greenhouse gas emissions, specifically nitrous oxide (N2O), have yet to be evaluated under furrow-irrigated rice. The objectives of this study were to i) evaluate the effects of site position (i.e., up-, mid-, and down-slope) and tillage treatment [i.e., conventional tillage …