Murray State University
Linking Carbon Sequestration and Soil Physical Properties in Agroecosystems
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Agronomy
Institution
Murray State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
I.P Handayani, PhD; M. Taylor, PhD
Department
HSOA Dept. of Ag Sciences
Abstract
The largest carbon (C) pools in the biosphere is in the soils. Thus, soils have the greatest potential of C sequestration to help mitigating global climate change impacts. Soil physical properties and the content of soil carbon affect crop productions. Soil water holding capacity and available water content control the growth of plant roots as well as the soil aeration. Carbon content provides the food and energy for soil microorganisms which can improve biological-chemical conditions of the growing media and plant health. The present study determined C sequestration potential and soil physical properties of various agroecosystems including woodlands, croplands, grasslands, CRP lands, and crop rotation systems in Kentucky and Illinois. Soil properties analyzed were soil organic C, soil compaction as measured by penetrometer and bulk density, soil color, soil water holding capacity, soil water content at field capacity, macro-porosity and aggregate stability. Soil samples were collected from various agroecosystems at the depths of 7.5 cm and 15 cm in Calloway County, Kentucky and Jefferson County in Illinois. Wood and sod areas were used as references for comparing between undisturbed and disturbed ecosystems. The data was analyzed using ANOVA one-way analysis with LSD test at 5% of level of significance to observe the significant difference among the fields and depth. The findings of this research will contribute to the knowledge of Climate Change Science as related to Soil Quality in temperate areas, particularly under silt- and clay loam soils. The detailed results on the dynamics of soil properties and the potential of carbon sequestration at various agricultural fields will be presented in the poster.
Keywords: Bulk density, Carbon Sequestration, Color, Porosity, Soil Carbon, Water Holding Capacity
Linking Carbon Sequestration and Soil Physical Properties in Agroecosystems
The largest carbon (C) pools in the biosphere is in the soils. Thus, soils have the greatest potential of C sequestration to help mitigating global climate change impacts. Soil physical properties and the content of soil carbon affect crop productions. Soil water holding capacity and available water content control the growth of plant roots as well as the soil aeration. Carbon content provides the food and energy for soil microorganisms which can improve biological-chemical conditions of the growing media and plant health. The present study determined C sequestration potential and soil physical properties of various agroecosystems including woodlands, croplands, grasslands, CRP lands, and crop rotation systems in Kentucky and Illinois. Soil properties analyzed were soil organic C, soil compaction as measured by penetrometer and bulk density, soil color, soil water holding capacity, soil water content at field capacity, macro-porosity and aggregate stability. Soil samples were collected from various agroecosystems at the depths of 7.5 cm and 15 cm in Calloway County, Kentucky and Jefferson County in Illinois. Wood and sod areas were used as references for comparing between undisturbed and disturbed ecosystems. The data was analyzed using ANOVA one-way analysis with LSD test at 5% of level of significance to observe the significant difference among the fields and depth. The findings of this research will contribute to the knowledge of Climate Change Science as related to Soil Quality in temperate areas, particularly under silt- and clay loam soils. The detailed results on the dynamics of soil properties and the potential of carbon sequestration at various agricultural fields will be presented in the poster.
Keywords: Bulk density, Carbon Sequestration, Color, Porosity, Soil Carbon, Water Holding Capacity