Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Agronomy
Minor
Unmanned Aerial Systems
2nd Student Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
2nd Student Major
Agronomy
2nd Student Minor
Unmanned Aerial Systems
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Iin Handayani
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Agricultural Fields of Western Kentucky
Kassidi Metcalf, Elizabeth Hiter, Sean Walters, & Anna Claire Griggs
Mentor Dr. I.P. Handayani
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
Abstract
Improving soil quality in Western Kentucky has been highlighted as a way to help mitigate the effects of modern agricultural practices and climatic effects. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different cropping and management practices on soil quality indicators for sustainability. The indicators of soil quality focused on in this experiment were soil water holding capacity (SWHC), soil water content at field capacity (SWFC), macroporosity, and total porosity. Bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil pH were also calculated. Four management practices were evaluated: continuous corn, field with manure applications (chicken litter), a pasture, and a conventional rotation with no cover crops (corn-soybean rotation). All of these sites were located in Calloway County on Murray State University farms (Pullen Farm, Hutson Farm, West Farm). Seven replications were taken at each location, with a disturbed and an undisturbed sample collected for each replication. The results of this study suggest that the field with consistent manure applications (chicken litter) has the best soil quality as indicated by the measured metrics, with SWHC being 38.06% , SWFC being 31.68%, macroporosity being 35.77%, and total porosity being 54.61%. The field with continuous corn appears to be the worst in terms of soil quality with SWHC being 33.35%, SWFC being 27.37%, macroporosity being 30.84%, and total porosity being 51.72%. These soil quality measures indicate which management practices are the most sustainable.
Key Words: bulk density, macroporosity, porosity, soil quality indicators, sustainability
Fall Scholars Week 2025
Research Poster Competition and Presentations, Soil/Crop Management (Agriculture) and Sustainability
Included in
Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Agricultural Fields of Western Kentucky
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Agricultural Fields of Western Kentucky
Kassidi Metcalf, Elizabeth Hiter, Sean Walters, & Anna Claire Griggs
Mentor Dr. I.P. Handayani
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
Abstract
Improving soil quality in Western Kentucky has been highlighted as a way to help mitigate the effects of modern agricultural practices and climatic effects. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different cropping and management practices on soil quality indicators for sustainability. The indicators of soil quality focused on in this experiment were soil water holding capacity (SWHC), soil water content at field capacity (SWFC), macroporosity, and total porosity. Bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil pH were also calculated. Four management practices were evaluated: continuous corn, field with manure applications (chicken litter), a pasture, and a conventional rotation with no cover crops (corn-soybean rotation). All of these sites were located in Calloway County on Murray State University farms (Pullen Farm, Hutson Farm, West Farm). Seven replications were taken at each location, with a disturbed and an undisturbed sample collected for each replication. The results of this study suggest that the field with consistent manure applications (chicken litter) has the best soil quality as indicated by the measured metrics, with SWHC being 38.06% , SWFC being 31.68%, macroporosity being 35.77%, and total porosity being 54.61%. The field with continuous corn appears to be the worst in terms of soil quality with SWHC being 33.35%, SWFC being 27.37%, macroporosity being 30.84%, and total porosity being 51.72%. These soil quality measures indicate which management practices are the most sustainable.
Key Words: bulk density, macroporosity, porosity, soil quality indicators, sustainability