Soil Science Commons^™

Effect Of Foliage And Root Carbon Quantity, Quality, And Fluxes On Soil Organic Carbon Stabilization In Montane Aspen And Conifer Stands In Utah, Antra Boča

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Soil organic carbon (SOC) positively affects many soil properties (e.g., fertility and water holding capacity), and the amount of carbon (C) in soil exceeds the amount in the atmosphere by about three times. Forest soils store as much C as is found in trees. Tree species differ in their effect on SOC pools. Quaking aspen forests in the Western US often store more stable SOC in the mineral soil than nearby conifers. During the last decades a decline in aspen cover, often followed by conifer encroachment, has been documented. A shift from aspen to conifer overstories may negatively affect the …

Influence Of Prescribed Burning On Upland Soil Properties In Mark Twain National Forest, Southeast Missouri Ozarks, Megan Lynn Hente

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In the Mark Twain National forest there is a collaborative effort to restore parts of the forest to its original shortleaf pine-oak woodland areas by using a combination of silviculture and prescribed fire. The purpose of this project is to assess the effects of prescribed burning on upland forest and soil physical properties that influence erosion processes across a gradient of burned sites of different ages and unburned sites. A combination of geospatial, field, laboratory, statistical (one-way ANOVA) and modeling (USLE) methods were used to assess the effects of prescribed burns on forest and soil characteristics in Big Barren Creek …

Draft Nuclear Genome Sequence Of The Liquid Hydrocarbon–Accumulating Green Microalga Botryococcus Braunii Race B (Showa), Daniel R. Browne, Jerry Jenkins, Jeremy Schmutz, Shengqiang Shu, Kerrie Barry, Jane Grimwood, Jennifer Chiniquy, Aditi Sharma, Thomas Daniel Niehaus, Taylor L. Weiss, Andrew T. Koppisch, David T. Fox, Suraj Dhungana, Shigeru Okada, Joe Chappell, Timothy P. Devarenne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Botryococcus braunii has long been known as a prodigious producer of liquid hydrocarbon oils that can be converted into combustion engine fuels. This draft genome for the B race of B. braunii will allow researchers to unravel important hydrocarbon biosynthetic pathways and identify possible regulatory networks controlling this unusual metabolism.

Catalyzed Synthesis Of Zinc Clays By Prebiotic Central Metabolites, Marcelo I. Guzman, Ruixin Zhou, Kaustuv Basu, Hyman Hartman, Christopher J. Matocha, S. Kelly Sears, Hajatollah Vali

Chemistry Faculty Publications

How primordial metabolic networks such as the reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle and clay mineral catalysts coevolved remains a mystery in the puzzle to understand the origin of life. While prebiotic reactions from the rTCA cycle were accomplished via photochemistry on semiconductor minerals, the synthesis of clays was demonstrated at low temperature and ambient pressure catalyzed by oxalate. Herein, the crystallization of clay minerals is catalyzed by succinate, an example of a photoproduced intermediate from central metabolism. The experiments connect the synthesis of sauconite, a model for clay minerals, to prebiotic photochemistry. We report the temperature, pH, and concentration dependence …

Accelerated Increase In The Arctic Tropospheric Warming Events Surpassing Stratospheric Warming Events During Winter, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Yen-Heng Lin, Ming-Ying Lee, Jin-Ho Yoon, Jonathan D.D. Meyer, Philip J. Rasch

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

In January 2016, a robust reversal of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) took place associated with a rapid tropospheric warming in the Arctic region; this was followed by the occurrence of a classic sudden stratospheric warming in March-April. The succession of these two distinct Arctic warming events provides a stimulating opportunity to examine their characteristics in terms of similarities and differences. Historical cases of these two types of Arctic warming were identified and validated based upon tropical linkages with the Madden-Julian Oscillation and El Niño as well as those documented in previous studies. Our results indicate a recent and accelerated increase …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Grassland Conversions To Experimental Forest On Groundwater Recharge In The Nebraska Sand Hills, Zablon A. Adane

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Sand Hills grasslands provide the greatest groundwater recharge rates in the High Plains Aquifer. However, the grasslands and their ecological services have become vulnerable to land use change and degradation. This study used a series of field data to investigate the effects of grassland conversions to forest on recharge rates in a century-old experimental forest in the Sand Hills. The results show that the impact of grassland conversion on recharge was dependent on the species and plantation density. Estimated recharge rates beneath the dense plantations represent reductions of 86–94% relative to the native grassland. Results of ¹H …

Alicyclic And Aromatic Carboxylic Acids In Soil Organic Matter: An Investigation Of Potential Origin And Association With Plutonium Using Advanced Analytical Techniques, Nicole Didonato

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Carboxylic acids are a defining component of soil organic matter, responsible for many of the physical and chemical properties, including metal-organic matter interactions, which govern its role as an important constituent of soils. However, there is a shortage of detailed molecular level information regarding orientation and structural arrangement of carboxylic acids within soil organic matter. This dissertation utilizes electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICRMS) as well as solid-state and multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to investigate the molecular formula composition within several organic matter sources and the primary structures that feature carboxylic acids. Soil organic matter …

Modeling The Movement Of Septic Water Chloride Through A Soil Profile, Shawkat Kochary, Tom Byl, Bahzad Noori

Civil and Architectural Engineering Faculty Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate the movement of chloride through a vadose zone located under failed and non-regulated septic tanks of Duhok city, Kurdistan of Iraq, potentially contaminating its groundwater. A physical vadose model (PVM) of a vertical flow direction was built in the laboratory to represent the city soil profile. The size of the PVM was 210 × 122 × 9.7 cm (height, width, and depth). Preliminary soil tests were conducted to better represent the lithology of study area. The PVM was then packed with regional silt clay soil, after modifying its texture, using an innovative …

Responses Of Terrestrial Ecosystem Phosphorus Cycling To Nitrogen Addition: A Meta-Analysis, Qi Deng, Dafeng Hui, Samuel Dennis, Chandra Reddy

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Aim

Anthropogenic additions of nitrogen (N) are expected to drive terrestrial ecosystems toward greater phosphorus (P) limitation. However, a comprehensive understanding of how an ecosystem's P cycle responds to external N inputs remains elusive, making model predictions of the anthropogenic P limitation and its impacts largely uncertain.

Location

Global.

Time period

1986-2015.

Major taxa studied

Terrestrial ecosystems.

Methods

We conducted a meta-analysis including 288 independent study sites from 192 articles to evaluate global patterns and controls of 10 variables associated with ecosystem P cycling under N addition.

Results

Overall, N addition increased biomass in plants (+34%) and litter (+15%) as …

Carbon Sequestration By Australian Tidal Marshes, Peter I. Macreadie, Q. R. Oliver, J. J. Kelleway, Oscar Serrano, P. E. Carnell, C. J. Ewers Lewis, T. B. Atwood, J. Sanderman, J. Baldock, R. M. Connolly, C. M. Duarte, Paul Lavery, A. Steven, C. E, Lovelock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Australia’s tidal marshes have suffered significant losses but their recently recognised importance in CO2 sequestration is creating opportunities for their protection and restoration. We compiled all available data on soil organic carbon (OC) storage in Australia’s tidal marshes (323 cores). OC stocks in the surface 1 m averaged 165.41 (SE 6.96) Mg OC ha − 1 (range 14 – 963 Mg OC ha − 1). The mean OC accumulation rate was 0.55 ± 0.02 Mg OC ha − 1 yr − 1. Geomorphology was the most important predictor of OC stocks, with fluvial sites having twice the stock of OC …

Results Of Test-Hole Drilling For Observation Well Planning In The Upper Loup Natural Resources District, Fall 2016, Douglas Hallum, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The High Plains Aquifer underlies much of Nebraska (Figure 1). It is the primary source of groundwater within the Upper Loup Natural Resources District (ULNRD) of central Nebraska (Figure 2). Water derived from the aquifer is an important natural resource for the area and supplies water for recreation, wildlife and agriculture, as well as domestic, municipal, and industrial uses. A general lack of water level observations in the region (Figure 3), recently developed groundwater irrigated acres along the upper Calamus River (Figure 4), falling spring water levels measured in existing irrigation wells (Figure 5), and a stable to falling stream …

Quantifying The Short-Term Dynamics Of Soil Organic Carbon Decomposition Using A Power Function Model, Weiping Zhou, Jinhong He, Dafeng Hui, Weijun Shen

Biology Faculty Research

Introduction

Soil heterotrophic respiration (R _h, an indicator of soil organic carbon decomposition) is an important carbon efflux of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the dynamics of soil R _h and its empirical relations with climatic factors have not been well understood.

Methods

We incubated soils of three subtropical forests at five temperatures (10, 17, 24, 31, and 38 °C) and five moistures (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% water holding capacity (WHC)) over 90 days. R _h was measured throughout the course of the incubation. Three types of models (log-linear, exponential, and power model) were fitted to the measurements …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2016, 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.

Kentucky Alfalfa Awards History, Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The Kentucky Alfalfa Awards Program was initiated in 2000 at the 20th Anniversary of the Kentucky Alfalfa Conference. The Awards Program is funded annually from revenues generated each year for the Silent Auction during the Annual Conference.

Photo Highlights Of The 36th Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference, Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Alfalfa Conference Speakers From The Beginning, Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Save The Date! [Announcement], S. Ray Smith, Krista Lea

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is an announcement of upcoming events.

Selecting Summer Annual Varieties Using Yield And Digestibility, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Although cool-season grasses can provide ample and high quality forage for grazing livestock in the spring and fall, forage growth during the summer months is often restricted by high temperatures (Figure 1). In contrast warm-season annual grasses are most productive during the summer months and do not reach peak growth until temperatures approach 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer annual grasses such as forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) can provide high quality summer grazing for ruminant livestock in many regions of the United States.

The Economics Of Hay Quality, Madeline L. Dant, Kenneth H. Burdine, Brandon Sears

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Hay quality is often discussed when one considers the viability of cash hay operations. A great deal is known about how production impacts quality and how quality impacts animal performance. This knowledge certainly has economic implications, but the economics of hay quality has primarily been evaluated from the animal performance perspective. Analyzing the economics of hay quality from the cash hay producer’s prospective becomes more difficult due to data limitations.

There are approximately 2.5 million acres of hay produced in Kentucky annually. The vast majority of this hay is grass type hay that is produced and fed on beef cattle …

What Is New In Seed Coatings, Bill Talley

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Seed Coatings started many centuries ago when the Chinese wrapped their rice seed in a mud ball when planting their rice fields. The ball would keep the seed from floating to the top when they flooded their fields. Seed treatment of Alfalfa first began with preinoculation of the seed to make it more convenient to plant. The farmer did not have to go through the process of inoculating the seed himself, and this was a great improvement at the time. In 1975 Ramsey Seed in California acquired technology from a New Zealand company to begin coating seed with a buildup …