Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The importance and capabilities of soil are often overlooked. It has an exceedingly complex ecosystem that is still not fully understood, but looking into soil properties can provide a clearer picture of what goes on below the surface. Understanding the influence of land covers and soil management allow for better understanding of how the soil ecosystem works which in return provides insight into how to create a more sustainable form of agriculture. Different ecosystems greatly impact soil properties. Soil physical properties are considered sensitive indicators of perturbation due to soil management practices and land covers. The four ecosystems that were investigated include forest and grassland as the natural ecosystems while the agricultural systems were conventional tillage and no-till systems. Samples were collected at two depths, 0-6cm and 6-12cm to measure bulk density, water holding capacity, field capacity, macroporosity, soil organic matter, and biomass which were all compared by land use, depth, and land use x depth. Aggregate distribution and aggregate soil organic matter were also measured and compared by land use, depth, mesh size, land use x depth, and land use x mesh size. After being analyzed there was a statistically significant difference between land use, depth, and land use x depth in bulk density, water holding capacity, field capacity, macroporosity, soil organic matter, and biomass. Aggregate size distribution was statistically different in distribution when compared by mesh size and land use x mesh size while aggregate soil organic matter showed a significant difference in all comparisons.

Year manuscript completed

2016

Year degree awarded

2016

Degree Awarded

Master of Science

Department

Agriculture

College/School

Hutson School of Agriculture

Thesis Advisor

Iin P. Handayani

Committee Chair

Iin P. Handayani

Committee Member

David Ferguson

Committee Member

Alyx Xhultz

Committee Member

Brian Parr

Document Type

Thesis

Included in

Soil Science Commons

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