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Full-Text Articles in Plant Sciences
The Use Of Biological Soil Health Indicators To Quantify The Benefits Of Cover Crops, Alexander Wu
The Use Of Biological Soil Health Indicators To Quantify The Benefits Of Cover Crops, Alexander Wu
Masters Theses
Soils provide many essential functions that support the world. With a decline in soil health, these functions also decrease in efficiency, and can threaten the health of billions of people around the world. Typically, soil health tests do not use biological indicators, however microbes drive and perform vital functions to increase soil health. One way to increase soil health is through the use of cover crops to reduce soil erosion during fallow periods, increasing soil organic matter, as well as collecting nutrients from soil into their biomass. These cover crops are then terminated through various methods such as herbicides, disk …
Use Of Uav Imagery And Nutrient Analyses For Estimation Of The Spatial And Temporal Contributions Of Cattle Dung To Nutrient Cycling In Grazed Ecosystems, Amanda Shine
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Nutrient inputs from cattle dung are crucial drivers of nutrient cycling processes in grazed ecosystems. These inputs are important both spatially and temporally and are affected by variables such as grazing strategy, water location, and the nutritional profile of forage being grazed. Past research has attempted to map dung deposition patterns in order to more accurately estimate nutrient input, but the large spatial extent of a typical pasture and the tedious nature of identifying and mapping individual dung pats has prohibited the development of a time- and cost-effective methodology. The first objective of this research was to develop and validate …
Decomposition And Nutrient Release Of Different Cover Crops In Organic Farm Systems, Jianru Shi
Decomposition And Nutrient Release Of Different Cover Crops In Organic Farm Systems, Jianru Shi
School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Cover crops act as green manure adding organic matter to agricultural-soils. For legume green manures to be an effective nitrogen (N) source for organic farming systems, their N release must be in synchrony with crop N demand. The objectives of this study were 1) determine the decomposition rates of three common cover crops (white clover, (Trifolium repens,L ) red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and soybean (Glycine max L) in order to determine when most N was released and its synchrony with subsequent corn crop uptake; 2) we focused on the effect of cover crops on soil …
Effects Of Elevated Atmospheric Co2 On Root Growth, Turnover And Decomposition In A Scrub Oak Ecosystem, John Joseph Dilustro
Effects Of Elevated Atmospheric Co2 On Root Growth, Turnover And Decomposition In A Scrub Oak Ecosystem, John Joseph Dilustro
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are increasing and predicted to double this century. The implications of this rise on vegetation structure and function are not well understood. Measurement of root growth response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide is critical to understanding soil carbon input. I investigated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on fine root growth and decomposition using open top chambers with both ambient and elevated (700 PPM) CO2 treatments in an oak-palmetto scrub ecosystem at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Minirhizotron tubes were installed in each elevated and control chamber to allow observation of roots. Each tube was sampled …