Soil Science Commons^™

Effect Of Australian Pine (Casuarina Equisetifolia) Canopy Density On The Understory Plant Community On San Salvador, Bahamas, Jeffry Anderson, Anna Baumgartner

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Casuarina equisetifolia, or Australian pine, is an invasive angiosperm species on the island of San Salvador, The Bahamas. It was originally found only in Southeast Asia and Australia. This tree is unique in that its leaves are much reduced and occur in whorls around the photosynthetic branchlets. It has been established that this tree contributes to the increased erosion of sediment on the dunes of San Salvador (Sealey 1998). This study investigated several possible factors contributing to differences in the understory plant community which may contribute to this erosion including leaf litter density, shading, and soil pH. It is …

Does Wildfire And Cheatgrass Invasion In A Sage-Steppe Ecosystem Change Soil Texture?, Maeve Mccormick, Xavier Gagne, Jennifer Pierce

College of Arts and Sciences Presentations

Fire and land-use changes influence vegetation types and alter below-ground carbon storage and soil characteristics; additionally, shrub-steppe environments are prone to cheatgrass invasion and subsequent alterations in soil morphology and characteristics following fire. We compared soil particle size, texture, consistence, structure, color and pH among adjacent but distinct sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp.), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) communities established following a 1983 fire in Kuna Butte of southwestern Idaho, a site underlain by basalt and mantled with loess. Soil characteristics were compared in qualitative field soil profiles (two pits per vegetation type) …

Extending Sustainable Irrigation Opportunities To Socially And Historically Disadvantaged Farmers In The Alabama Black Belt To Support Commercial-Level Production, Raymon Shange, Richard Martin, Victor Khan, Kwesi Daniels, George X. Hunter, Gwendolyn J. Johnson, Steve Musser, William Puckett, Walter A. Hill

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

This paper focuses on providing sustainable irrigation opportunities to socially and historically disadvantaged farmers (SHDFs). The ability to provide steady production capacity through the use of renewable energy sources and microirrigation is innovative, in that it demonstrated how to develop and utilize a sustainable irrigation system in both energy and water conservation. This venture is also innovative in that it sought to provide SHDFs with irrigation in a state in which irrigation in agriculture is minimal, while at the same time, offsetting the energy costs that normally accompany irrigation. Several farmers are profiled in their participation in the irrigation program. …

Soils Series Map, Robert B. Gordon Natural Area, Martin Helmke, Ess 590/490 Students, West Chester University

Gordon Natural Area Soils Studies Documents

No abstract provided.

Salinity Risk Mapping For Assessing Carbon Farming Initiative Proposals: Decision Support And Data Requirements, Paul Raper, Peter Gardiner

Resource management technical reports

The Clean Energy Legislation passed by the Australian Parliament on 8 November 2011 links the carbon price to the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (the Act), proponents need to consider regional natural resource management (NRM) plans to ensure that tree plantings for carbon bio-sequestration maximise environmental benefits and avoid unintended adverse effects on biodiversity, water and agricultural production systems.

Soil Acidity : A Guide For Wa Farmers And Consultants., Chris Gazey, Stephen Davies, Ron Master

Bulletins 4000 -

Our first edition of Soil acidity: a guide for WA farmers and consultants in 2009 was a significant publication which brought together current knowledge on the management of soil acidity in WA in a user-friendly book. Three thousand printed copies were distributed and an interactive PDF on the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) website made it available to most WA farmers and consultants.

iLime is a decision tool to assist liming decisions.

Recent projects have extended our knowledge of the extent of the soil acidity problem in WA. When the first edition was published, we had good …

Cosmogenic Beryllium Cycling In A Natural Forest Setting, Grace Conyers

Open Access Theses

10 Bemet , or cosmogenic beryllium, has a long half-life of 1.4 million years and quick adsorption on soil particles, which may make it ideal for dating soil erosion in historical context. However, there are questions on about the fundamental assumptions of the retentivity of 10 Bemet . This manuscript explores these assumptions and the context of nutrient cycling in a natural forest setting.

To see if 10 Bemet was being cycled through the trees, and at what rate, we looked at the[10 Bemet ] in the soil, 4 species of trees, and their leaves. The isotopic ratio 10 Be/9 …

Effects Of Soil Moisture On The Temperature Sensitivity Of Soil Heterotrophic Respiration: A Laboratory Incubation Study, Weiping Zhou, Dafeng Hui, Weijun Shen

Biology Faculty Research

The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) is an important ecological model parameter and may vary with temperature and moisture. While Q10 generally decreases with increasing temperature, the moisture effects on Q10 have been controversial. To address this, we conducted a 90-day laboratory incubation experiment using a subtropical forest soil with a full factorial combination of five moisture levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% water holding capacity - WHC) and five temperature levels (10, 17, 24, 31, and 38°C). Under each moisture treatment, Rh was measured several times for each temperature treatment to derive Q10 based on …

Is Horizon Sampling More Powerful Than Depth Sampling?, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Comparative Analysis Of Two Successive Vintages Of Cabernet Sauvignon Must And Pre-Barrel Wine From Two Distinct Soil Types, Jon Garret Page

Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to determine if there were significant statistical differences in the response variables of Cabernet Sauvignon must and pre-barreled wine analyzed from two vintages from two distinct soil types.

Research was conducted at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo to examine the quantitative chemical analysis of 22 different response variables of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The same 22 variables were analyzed in must and pre-barreled wine samples harvested from both Calodo Clay Loam soil and Zaca Clay soil. The analyses were done at both California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and Vinquiry Inc. Labs. The results …

Quantitative Field Testing Heterodera Glycines From Metagenomic Dna Samples Isolated Directly From Soil Under Agronomic Production., Yan Li, Gary W. Lawrence, Shien Lu, Clarissa Balbalian, Vincent P. Klink

CALS Publications

A quantitative PCR procedure targeting the Heterodera glycines ortholog of the Caenorhabditis elegans uncoordinated-78 gene was developed. The procedure estimated the quantity of H. glycines from metagenomic DNA samples isolated directly from field soil under agronomic production. The estimation of H. glycines quantity was determined in soil samples having other soil dwelling plant parasitic nematodes including Hoplolaimus, predatory nematodes including Mononchus, free-living nematodes and biomass. The methodology provides a framework for molecular diagnostics of nematodes from metagenomic DNA isolated directly from field soil.

Photo Highlights From The 34th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Kentucky Alfalfa Conference

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Adjustments And Maintenance Of Haying Equipments, Clayton Geralds, John Mccoy, Cris Scudder

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Advances In Alfalfa Promotion, Bill Talley

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Kentucky grain farmers have experienced several successful years seeing high prices and good yields, with the exception of the drought in 2012. If you were insured in 2012, which most lenders required, you probably also came out with a profit during that challenging time. Alfalfa producers in Kentucky have also seen high prices and decent yields. While the drought of 2012 affected them, most still harvested an 80 % crop with extremely high prices and demand. The fact that alfalfa is a deep rooted plant, coupled with timely rains proved beneficial to this group.

Why Aren't Big Square Balers Used More In Kentucky?, Tom Keene

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The history of making hay dates back for centuries and centuries. When mankind began to grow crops and livestock rather than being nomadic, they had to have some type of forage to feed their livestock during the cold and winter months. Since that time there has been a slow and steady progression from harvesting material by hand to today’s modern hay making equipment that maximizes time, labor, fuel, etc. However some countries to this day still use the methods that are thousands of years old when it comes to hay making.

Alfalfa For Summer Grazing, Roy Burris, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is most commonly used as a hay crop in the United States. However, with proper management, it can be utilized as a grazing crop with very good results. Liveweight gains per acre are quite high for grazing beef cattle with total season grains of 500 to 800 pounds per acre being reasonable. The authors realized 732 lb/acre of gains on 16 acres of alfalfa in 1991, with beef steers at Princeton.

Lessons Learned In Australia--Uk Forages Study Tour, Traci Missun, S. Ray Smith, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

In September 2013, twenty Kentuckians traveled to Australia to tour farms and attend the International Grasslands Congress. The group included ten county agents, five farmers, four UK faculty/staff and a teacher. This study tour allowed participants to gain a new perspective of agriculture and how Australian farmers deal with adversity. Farmers there face many challenges each year with change in precipitation, ranging from severe drought to flooding. These challenges have forced them to incorporate different methods to be successful, including intensive grazing, use of overhead and drip irrigation for pasture and hay production, and fallow farming.

Alfalfa Baleage/Silage Preservatives: Do They Work? Are They Economical?, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

There are many variables with silage production including - type of silage operation (silo, bunk, tube, or wrapped bale), weather, packing or bale density, speed of covering. Therefore, no two silage crops are ever the same, which is why researchers are reluctant to give blanket statements regarding when and how to use silage inoculants. There has been a lot of good research though in recent years about the effect of silage inoculants under various management and conditions. What follows is an overview of this research and some general recommendations. Much of this overview was taken from a very good fact …

Role And Importance Of Alfalfa In Wku Teaching/Research/Farm Programs, Elmer Gray

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the oldest and most widely grown forage legume in the world and in Kentucky, where approximately 250,000 acres are produced. It has gained this top position through producing forage suitable for most classes of livestock, by being drought tolerant, and by fixing atmosphere nitrogen.

Foreword And Recipients Of Kentucky Alfalfa Awards [2014], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2013, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Warming, Soil Moisture, And Loss Of Snow Increase Bromus Tectorum’S Population Growth Rate, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Climate change threatens to exacerbate the impacts of invasive species. In temperate ecosystems, direct effects of warming may be compounded by dramatic reductions in winter snow cover. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is arguably the most destructive biological invader in basins of the North American Intermountain West, and warming could increase its performance through direct effects on demographic rates or through indirect effects mediated by loss of snow. We conducted a two-year experimental manipulation of temperature and snow pack to test whether 1) warming increases cheatgrass population growth rate and 2) reduced snow cover contributes to cheatgrass’ positive response to …

Limitations And Benefits To Cultivating Tobacco, Edwin L. Ritchey, Gary K. Palmer

Plant and Soil Sciences Research Report

Historically, between-row cultivation for weed control has been an integral part of tobacco production. In one season, a grower might perform five or more cultivations and several hand weeding operations for adequate weed control. Early herbicide chemistries would control some weeds, but not all, forcing the producer to cultivate and hand weed. The development of better herbicides improved the range of weeds controlled, sometimes to the point that cultivation for weed control was not warranted. Many producers are so accustomed to cultivating they have forgotten why cultivation was necessary. The decision to cultivate should largely be based on the presence …

Impact Of Climate Change On Wheat Production In Kentucky, Kathleen Russell, Chad Lee, Rebecca L. Mcculley, David Van Sanford

Plant and Soil Sciences Research Report

Summary:

• From 2002 to 2012, Kentucky winter wheat ranged in value from $52 million to $209 million.
• Climate change and variability have the potential to significantly impact this important economic enterprise within our state.
• This report summarizes the current state of knowledge of the potential of climate change to impact wheat production in Kentucky and surrounding states.

Soil Series Of The Gordon Natural Area, Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department Of Agriculture

Gordon Natural Area Soils Studies Documents

Official Soil Series Descriptions.

Available URL: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/classification/osd/index.html

[Accessed 28 April 2014]. USDA-NRCS, Lincoln, NE

Petrology And Pedology Of The Gordon Natural Area: A Collaborative Service-Learning Project, Martin Helmke, Corinne Trice, Leeann Srogi

Gordon Natural Area Geology Studies Documents

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2014, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Herbicide Systems For Dark Fire-Cured Tobacco, William A. Bailey, Tim Lax, Bobby Hill

Plant and Soil Sciences Research Report

Field experiments were conducted at Murray, KY in 2005, 2006, and 2007 to compare dark tobacco tolerance and weed control from various herbicide systems applied prior to transplanting. Herbicide treatments included sulfentrazone at 0.38 lb ai/A (12 oz/A Spartan 4F) applied pretransplant (PT), clomazone at 1 lb ai/A PT (2.67 pt/A Command 3ME), sulfentrazone at 0.38 lb ai/A plus clomazone at 1 lb ai/A PT, pendimethalin at 1.48 lb ai/A (3.6 pt/A Prowl 3.3EC) applied pretransplant incorporated (PTI), pendimethalin at 1.48 lb ai/A PTI followed by sulfentrazone at 0.38 lb ai/A PT, pebulate at 4 lb ai/A PTI (2.67 qt/A …

Boron Nutrition Of Burley And Dark Tobacco, Laura Ann Frakes Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The incidences of suspected Boron (B) deficiency have increased recently in Kentucky tobacco fields, potentially due to recent changes in management practices. The symptoms observed in the field include; hollow stalk, stunted growth, deformed or no bud formation, small slits on the lower leaf midrib and uncontrollable breaking of the midrib approximately two inches from the stalk. B is a micronutrient tobacco needs in minute amounts, however excessive additions of B could cause toxicity. The objectives of this work were to 1) establish critical points for B sufficiency, 2) describe and define B deficiency and toxicity symptoms and 3) develop …

The Influences Of Poultry Litter Biochar And Water Source On Radish Growth And Nutrition, Julia Allen, David E. Longer, Edward E. Gbur, Lichen Hao

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Many row-crop fields today have declined in soil fertility due to poor management practices and overuse of pesticides. Under these conditions, plant nutrient uptake can be sub-optimal. There are several soil amendments that can be used to improve soil quality and plant growth. This study focused on the addition of biochar to the soil and the use of structured water to enhance plant growth. Biochar is produced by pyrolysis of organic feedstocks. Previous studies which focused on biochar have shown an increase in plant yield, nutrient availability in the soil, and soil water holding capacity. Structured water is the liquid …