Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Agricultural Science/Crop & Soil Mgmt
Minor
N/A
2nd Student Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
2nd Student Major
Agr Science/ Agribusiness
2nd Student Minor
N/A
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Iin Handayani
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Shaping the Soil: A Comparison of Equine, Bovine, and Ungrazed Hay Fields
Brody Higgs, Taylor Wynn, and Scottie Berry
Mentor: Dr. Iin. P. Handayani, PhD.
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA
ABSTRACT
Kentucky raises grazing species for multiple reasons, including food, recreation, and show. The most common of them are equine and bovine. These animals graze many acres across the state of Kentucky and impact soil properties in their pastures. This study was conducted on three pasturelands across Caldwell and Calloway counties in Kentucky. The pastures consisted of a cow pasture, a horse pasture, and a hay field for control. Eight undisturbed soil cores were taken from each field, measuring 0-7.5 cm of topsoil. These undisturbed soil cores were individually tested and used to determine the bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MPR), and water retention (WR) of each field. The results show a BD range of (0.98 g/cm³) to (1.39 g/cm³), with the lowest value coming from the cow pasture (1.17 g/cm3) and the highest from the horse pasture (1.29 g/cm3). Although the horse pasture had the lowest individual result overall, it had the highest bulk density among the three pastures. The range of soil water holding capacity was from (25.37%) to (60.88%). The highest was found in the cow pasture (43.56%), and the lowest was in the horse pasture (31.93%). Similar trends were observed in the macroporosity, with the range from 23.24% to 57.91%. The data indicates the cow pasture having the highest macroporosity (40.28%) and the horse pasture had the lowest macroporosity (28.89%). The range of soil organic matter in all pastures was between 7.70% to 10.75%, with the highest value found in the cow pasture and the lowest in the horse pasture. Overall, these findings suggest that the cattle pasture had favorable soil quality as indicated by low bulk density, high water holding capacity, high macroporosity, and highest organic matter content.
Keywords: Bulk density, water holding capacity, macroporosity, pasture, soil organic matter.
Fall Scholars Week 2025
Research Poster Competition and Presentations, Soil/Crop Management (Agriculture) and Sustainability
Included in
Shaping the Soil: A Comparison of Equine, Bovine, and Ungrazed Hay Fields
Shaping the Soil: A Comparison of Equine, Bovine, and Ungrazed Hay Fields
Brody Higgs, Taylor Wynn, and Scottie Berry
Mentor: Dr. Iin. P. Handayani, PhD.
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA
ABSTRACT
Kentucky raises grazing species for multiple reasons, including food, recreation, and show. The most common of them are equine and bovine. These animals graze many acres across the state of Kentucky and impact soil properties in their pastures. This study was conducted on three pasturelands across Caldwell and Calloway counties in Kentucky. The pastures consisted of a cow pasture, a horse pasture, and a hay field for control. Eight undisturbed soil cores were taken from each field, measuring 0-7.5 cm of topsoil. These undisturbed soil cores were individually tested and used to determine the bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MPR), and water retention (WR) of each field. The results show a BD range of (0.98 g/cm³) to (1.39 g/cm³), with the lowest value coming from the cow pasture (1.17 g/cm3) and the highest from the horse pasture (1.29 g/cm3). Although the horse pasture had the lowest individual result overall, it had the highest bulk density among the three pastures. The range of soil water holding capacity was from (25.37%) to (60.88%). The highest was found in the cow pasture (43.56%), and the lowest was in the horse pasture (31.93%). Similar trends were observed in the macroporosity, with the range from 23.24% to 57.91%. The data indicates the cow pasture having the highest macroporosity (40.28%) and the horse pasture had the lowest macroporosity (28.89%). The range of soil organic matter in all pastures was between 7.70% to 10.75%, with the highest value found in the cow pasture and the lowest in the horse pasture. Overall, these findings suggest that the cattle pasture had favorable soil quality as indicated by low bulk density, high water holding capacity, high macroporosity, and highest organic matter content.
Keywords: Bulk density, water holding capacity, macroporosity, pasture, soil organic matter.