Soil Science Commons^™

Nitrification Inhibitors, Wilbur Frye

Soil Science News and Views

Nitrogen often limits the production of nonlegume crops because of inefficiency of N fertilizers. In some cases, more than half the fertilizer N may be lost from the soil. Therefore, it is important to use it as efficiently as possible. One way in which N fertilizer efficiency may be improved is by slowing the nitrification process in the soil.

Soil Surveys In Kentucky, Harry Hudson Bailey

Soil Science News and Views

Fifty-four Kentucky counties have modern soil surveys (published 1959, or later) using the mapping and soil classification procedures of the National Cooperative Soil Survey. The cooperators in the program include the USDA-SCS, USDA-FS, Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.

Soil Drainage---Effects On Crop Production, Kenneth L. Wells

Soil Science News and Views

One of the major physical properties of soil which is important to crop production is drainage through the rooting zone. This characteristic greatly influences aeration in the rooting zone, and the degree of aeration greatly influences several important biochemical reactions of economic importance to crop production.

Effect Of Drilling Fluid Components And Mixtures On Plants And Soils, Parvin Pesaran (Djavan)

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The concern about the environment has required that the effects of drilling fluids (muds) on surrounding areas be known. This study was initiated to investigate the effects of various muds on plant growth and on soils.

In preliminary studies in Phase I (31 individual mud components), it was concluded that the obvious dominant effects on plant growth of detrimental drilling fluid components included excess soluble salts, excess exchangeable sodium percentage, possibly a high pH in some mixtures, and undesirable physical conditions. The latter resulted from the sodium and/or starch, gums, and bentonite.

Phase II, the second year's study of the …

The Accuracy Of Soil Mapping Units Of Certain Pachic And Cumulic Soils In Northern Utah, Behjat Badamchian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of mapping of pachic and cumulic soils in Cache County. The soil maps that were used for this study as the basemap were the Atlas sheets of the published soil survey of Cache County.

Five map units from Mendou, Nebeker, Avon, Hendricks and Winn which include almost 52 percent of the pachic and cumulic soils in the survey area were selected for this study. These five soils cover large areas when compared to other soil series and they are distributed throughout the county. All these map units were recognized as …

Effect Of Drilling Fluid Components And Mixtures On Plants And Soils, Shahnaz Honarvar (Asad Sangabi)

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Using greenhouse pot techniques, 32 drilling mud components were tested to see if, at a high rate of addition, they reduced plant growth. Green beans and sweet corn were the test plants. The excellent black, silt loam, slightly acidic, uncultivated Dagor soil (Cumulic Haploxeroll) was used for most tests. Rates used were considered to be abnormal level (high rate) and usual (low rate) amounts that might be added in commonly used drilling muds.

Drilling mud components that caused no observable or statistically significant reductions of plant yield are the following: Super Visbestos, (Asbestos), asphalt, Ben-Ex (a vinyl acetate and maleic …

1972 Progress Report: Soil As A Factor In Modelling The Phosphorus Cycle In The Desert Ecosystem, J. J. Jurinak, R. A. Griffin

Elusive Documents

The research conducted in 1972 emphasized a nutrient assay of soil from the Curlew Valley site, phosphorus inventory of the vegetation and rabbit droppings, and further chemical characterization of soil phosphorus, which also included determination of the kinetics and energetics of the calcium carbonate-phosphate system.

An Examination Of The Inorganic Nitrogen Status Of A Soil Of The Alaskan Coastal Tundra Plain, Norton R. Munn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This experiment was designed to measure in situ concentrations of NH₄⁺ and NO₃^--N in a soil of the arctic coastal tundra plain, to determine if nitrification was taking place in this soil and to determine if the vascular plants growing in this soil could assimilate NH₄⁺-N.

The extractable NH₄⁺-N concentration was approximately 40 μg/g in the 0₁ horizon and 10 μg/g in the 0₂ horizon. The NO₃^--N concentration was approximately 5 μg/g in the 0¹ horizon and 4 μg/g in the 0_{2 …}

Evaluation Of The Filter Paper Method For Estimating Soil Water Potential, Samir Al-Khafaf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The filter paper method for measuring soil water potential was evaluated. The method was calibrated using salt solutions (-1.4 bars to -22.4 bars), sample chamber psychrometer (-1 to -50 bars), pressure plate (-0.1 to -15 bars) and soil column at equilibrium (0 to -0.2 bars). It was found that the absolute temperature had little effect on the predicted soil water potential, but a temperature variation had a large effect. It was found that the temperature fluctuation must be small. The predicted water potential was influenced by the type of contact of the soil with the filter paper. It is suggested …

Capillary-Diffusion And Self-Diffusion Of Liquid Water In Unsaturated Soils, Ronald E. Phillips, V. L. Quisenberry Jr.

KWRRI Research Reports

Capillary-diffusion coefficients were measured by use of inflow and outflow methods. With both methods the capillary-diffusion coefficients decreased very rapidly with decreasing water content. The lighter textured soils were found to have the higher diffusion coefficients over the entire moisture content range studied, 0 to 1 bar tension.

Self-diffusion coefficients were measured over a moisture content range from air dryness to saturation using ³H as a tracer of water. Each of the soils gave the same diffusion characteristics when the self-diffusion coefficients were expressed as a function of either water content or average number of water layers on the …

Relationship Of The Soil Water Content And Microclimate To The Plant Growth Water Use Relationship Of Several Plants, Philip Dean Sandberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Studies involving field plots, lysimeters, and garbage can lysimeters showed that an intermediate soil water level produced the most growth for a given amount of water use by oats, corn, and barley. For crested wheatgrass the lowest water level produced the most growth per water used. Field plots which were covered with sheet metal between the rows produced more plant growth per water used than the uncovered plots for the crops used in this study. One year's data were obtained on the effect of positioning the garbage can lysimeters. One half of the cans were placed on the soil surface …

The Effect Of Alternate Wetting And Drying On The Ammonium And Nitrite Nitrogen Transformation In Soils, Virupax C. Baligar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Investigations were carried out to study the effect of alternate wetting and drying cycles on the mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification of soil nitrogen in two soils, in the presence or absence of added ammonium and nitrite. Soils were analyzed at the end of each drying cycle for total inorganic nitrogen, ammonium, and nitrite nitrogen. Gaseous products, i.e., ammonia, and the oxides of nitrogen (NO and NO₂) were collected in the course of drying for determination.

The drying cycles accelerated the rate of nitrogen mineralization in both soils and further increased the oxidation of applied and available ammonium. The …

Role Of Transition Metals In Nitrite Decomposition In Soil, J. S. Bajwa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Iron and copper increased the decomposition of nitrite significantly during the first two hours of reaction when 150 parts per million (ppm) of nitrite and nitrogen was added to an acidic soil. Manganese was found to have a slight effect. There was no additional effect of the added metals after two hours reaction time.

The higher concentration of metals was not effective in catalyzing the decomposition of the added nitrite in nitrogen. All the added nitrite nitrogen was not recovered and the deficit could be due to the formation of nitrogen gas.

A Comparative Study Of Boron Adsorption By A Calcareous And An Acid Soil, Namik M. Ali Rashid

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The adsorption of boron by Aiken clay loam and Vernal sandy loam was studied in the boron equilibrium concentration range of 0 to 40 ppm. Adsorption data were obtained at 11, 20 and 30°C. The data were analyzed by the application of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. It was concluded that, in both soils, the adsorption of boron occurred on three distinct sites or regions.

The acid ferrigenous Aiken soil had a higher adsorption capacity for boron than the calcareous Vernal soil when compared on a unit mass basis. On the unit area basis, however, the Vernal soil adsorbed more boron …

Cation Exchange And Transport In Soil Columns Undergoing Miscible Displacement, Sung-Ho Lai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A mathematical model was developed to predict the exchange of one cation by another in a soil column undergoing one dimensional cation solution displacement under steady state flow conditions. The model allowed prediction of both the solution and exchanger phase concentration of the cation in question.

The model consists of a material balance equation which is a parabolic type partial differential equation. The assumption was made that equilibrium was reached instantaneously between the cations in the solution phase and the exchanger phase. This assumption reduced the material balance equation to a form that allowed numerical solution providing the data concerning …

Salinity And Water Potential Sensor For Evaluation Of Soil Water Quality, Melvin Dee Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate response times of a salinity sensor and a soil psychrometer. Influences of pressure, temperature and molar concentration changes were to be measured.

Salinity sensor response times ranged from 50 to 130 minutes during solution adsorption while desorption response times were perhaps ten times as long. Temperature affected both response times and equilibrium values, but pressure did not affect either.

Soil psychrometer response times ranged from from 40 to 80 minutes for either adsorption or desorption of solution. However, other factors probably related to indirectness of measurement made the soil psychrometer fail to …

Nebraska Soil Association Map, 1969, Conservation And Survey Division

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Movement Of Atrazine In Soil Under Furrow Irrigation, Jyothi Veerabhadrappa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Movement of atrazine in response to furrow irrigations was studied using the samples of Timpanogos silt loam soil. Distribution in soil profile of surface applied herbicide was determined by drawing samples of water extracts through porous cylinders. Atrazine quantity was determined by spectrophotometer.

It was observed that the herbicide found in the water extracts was an indication of the quantity present in the soil. The herbicide moved readily with the applied water. Irreversible thermodynamic model could not be applied because of the initial and final boundary conditions. The pattern of movement was in conformity with the chromatographic theory.

The Course Or Behavior Of Applied Zinc To Soil Containing Different Levels Of Freshly Applied Organic Matter, Artnel Samuel Henry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Soil organic matter consists of a heterogenous mixture of plant, animal, and microbial material in various stages of decomposition. It possesses characteristics which at present are not very well known. Careful studies have been directed towards the behavior of organic matter as it affects plants directly and man indirectly. Consequently, much tire is devoted to its study from the point of metal inactivation and chelation, the earlier investigations failed to produce results worthy of the efforts expended, so a loss of interest in the continued pursuit of knowledge resulted, about two decades ago when it was learned that many polyvalent …

The Influence Of Soil Moisture Regimes And Atmospheric Environments On Transpiration And The Energy Status Of Water In Plants, Sampatrao A. Gavande

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant responses to different soil moisture regimes have been extensively studied. Because of interactions between the soil, plant and climatic factors, few convincing generalizations concerning the influence of soil water on the transpiration of water by plants have been established. Generally single factors or at most the interaction of two have been studied at any one time. Useful theories describing the conditions of water retention in plant tissues and movement of water through plants have been proposed. Equally useful theories have been suggested for describing the retention and transmission of water in soil. The integration of these theories and their …

Simultaneous Movement Of Water And Herbicides In Unsaturated Soils, Ming-Shyong Yang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since weed killers were developed in the early part of the decade beginning in 1940, herbicides have been increasing in use until they are now widely used to control weeds. The application of herbicides has thus become a regular agricultural and ecological practice.

Nitrite Reactions In Soil, John Otto Reuss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Losses of soil nitrogen that cannot be attributed to leaching or crop removal have been observed in many field experiments. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for these losses.

Pressure Dependence Of Soil Water Matric Potential, Bozorg Bahrani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The partial specific Gibbs¹ free energy or the chemical potential has been shown to be the most desirable thermodynamic function for describing soil-water systems. The absolute value of the chemical potential of soil water cannot be determined. If pure water at standard temperature and pressure is taken as the reference, the difference between the chemical potential of soil water and that of the reference can be measured and is called "soil water potential," which has the dimension of energy per unit mass.

The barometric pressure at the sea level has been accepted as the standard reference pressure. Thus, any …

The Influence Of Advective Energy On Evapotranspiration, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Evaporation and transpiration from the soil and plant, respectively, have received increasing attention from those who work with water supply, irrigation, and drainage.

A Soil And Vegetation Inventory And Analysis Of Three Nebraska Sandhills Range Sites, Donald F. Burzlaff

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

This study was undertaken to inventory the soils and vegetation of certain areas of the Sandhills and to seek edaphic characteristics that may be the limiting factor in the distribution of various plant species. Information of this nature will permit formulation of more accurate management practices because of a refinement in delineation of range sites.

Molybdenum Deficiency On Lighter Soils, Edgar Noel Fitzpatrick

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WIDESPREAD occurrences of molybdenum deficiency of subterranean clover have been observed on sandy and gfravelly surfaced soils in recent years, and present indications are that molybdenum will join copper and zinc as a major trace element deficiency of many of these soils.

Moisture And Temperature Effects On The Transformations Of Nitrogen From Applied Ammonium Sulfate In A Calcareous Soil, John Keith Justice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitrogen has commonly been a deficient element in the cultivated soils of the world since the beginning of agriculture. The general acceptance of the practice of using manures as a means of increasing plant growth, as shown by the records of ancient civilizations, attest to this fact. Since the time of von Liebig there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of this deficiency in soils. As a result of a better understanding of the problem and the increasing availability of commercial forms of nitrogen, a rapid increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizers has taken place in the …

The Effect Of Moisture And Temperature On Transformation Of Applied Ammonium Sulfate In Several Western Soils, Lloyd Richard Hossner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The conversion of ammonia nitrogen to nitrite and nitrate forms of nitrogen has aroused much attention in the past and continues to receive much of the energy of the present day researcher.

The Influence Of Soil Compaction Upon The Thermodynamics Of Soil Moisture, James E. Box Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The retention of water in soils is a very interesting subject. Soil-water research presents a great challenge to research workers. The challenge is broad in scope and extends from the field problems of large irrigation projects to the atomic scale of the solid-liquid interface.

If scientists are going to describe scientifically soil-water relations, they must ultimately utilize the instruments of science and the language of mathematics. To the end of the latter the mathematics of thermodynamics has been applied in these studies of water retention in soils.

A Manometric Method For The Determination Of Soil Carbonates In The Field, N. A. Polyzopoulos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In soil survey work the method now generally used to evaluate the carbonate content of the soil in the field is to observe the amount of effervescence that takes place when the soil reacts with dilute acid. The four degrees of effervescence usually recognized are designated by the symbols eo, e, es, ev and correspond roughly to a lime content of 0-0.5, 0.5-3, 3-15, and above 15 per cent, respectively. This, or course, is a very rough estimate and therefore a method is needed for the quantitative determination of carbonates in the field with a fair degree of accuracy. If …