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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Using Ancient Practices To Fix Modern Problems: The Effect Of Biochar On Einkorn Wheat And Soil Quality, Sarah L. Miller
Using Ancient Practices To Fix Modern Problems: The Effect Of Biochar On Einkorn Wheat And Soil Quality, Sarah L. Miller
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
As farmland soils become more and more depleted, the importance of effective soil amendments grows. Biochar is a potential soil and carbon amendment that could improve water and nutrient holding capacity and foster growth of beneficial microbes and fungi. Biochar does not contain nutrients but acts like a sponge, absorbing nutrients around it. It is so effective at holding nutrients that in the first year, if applied alone, it can make the nutrients unavailable to plants and lowers crop yields. To get the best results biochar must be saturated, also referred to as inoculated or charged, with nutrients. Once the …
Coffee Carbon Stocks, Pest And Diseases Under Varied Shade Management: A Review, Anna E. Nordseth
Coffee Carbon Stocks, Pest And Diseases Under Varied Shade Management: A Review, Anna E. Nordseth
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Coffee agroforestry systems have received increased attention in recent decades because of their capacity to improve agricultural sustainability. Coffee (Coffea arabica), one of the most economically important crops, is widespread throughout the tropics and can have serious environmental impacts. To ensure sustainable coffee production, it is critical that coffee systems are maintained to maximize carbon storage and minimize susceptibility to pests and diseases. This study reviews the history of coffee production, from forested coffee systems to industrial coffee monocultures. We describe the five classifications for coffee systems, and use them as a framework to compare aboveground carbon stocks …
The Effect Of Cattle Management On Soil Carbon: Implications For Climate Change, Kelly M. Livernoche
The Effect Of Cattle Management On Soil Carbon: Implications For Climate Change, Kelly M. Livernoche
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
In naturally occurring ecosystems, forests function as substantial carbon sinks, storing carbon in soil and in biomass that would otherwise exist in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The conversion of forested land to cattle pastures and their associated operational processes are noteworthy contributors to recent increases in global carbon emissions and subsequent climate change. However, appropriately managed cattle pastures have potential to be reservoirs for carbon. Rotational cattle pastures, where cattle are moved between enclosed sections of pasture, may improve soil carbon content compared to conventional practices. In rotational cattle pastures, a more even distribution of manure increases plant biomass, …