Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Corn Production Systems
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Agronomy
Minor
Unmanned Aerial Systems
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Iin Handayani
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Corn Production Systems
Scottie Berry
Mentor: Dr. Iin. P. Handayani, PhD.
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA
ABSTRACT
One of the biggest issues with farmers today is trying to find ways to increase crop yields. There are many things farmers can do, but one of the best ways to help with this is by assessing soil quality. Soil quality refers to the functionality and productivity of the soil. In this experiment, six different cropland fields were tested, each of them currently being prepared for corn production. These fields consist of corn on a double cropping system (CDC), corn on a no till system (CNF), corn on a strip till system (CST), corn on a no till system with poor drainage (CNTPD), corn on a no till system with high slope (CNHS), and corn a on strip till system with high slope (CSTHS). Four undisturbed soil cores were taken from each field, at the depth of 0 to 7.5 cm. These undisturbed soil cores were individually tested and used to determine the bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MPR), water holding capacity (WHC), and water at field capacity (WFC) for each field. The disturbed samples were tested and used to determine soil organic matter (SOM) and soil pH in water solution. The results showed that soil organic matter shows little difference among the fields. However, water holding capacity, bulk density, and soil pH have more variability among the croplands, which can control crop production. Quantitative results will be presented on the poster.
Keywords: Bulk density, macroporosity, soil organic matter, soil pH, water holding capacity
Spring Scholars Week 2026
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Corn Production Systems
Assessing Soil Quality Indicators in Corn Production Systems
Scottie Berry
Mentor: Dr. Iin. P. Handayani, PhD.
Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA
ABSTRACT
One of the biggest issues with farmers today is trying to find ways to increase crop yields. There are many things farmers can do, but one of the best ways to help with this is by assessing soil quality. Soil quality refers to the functionality and productivity of the soil. In this experiment, six different cropland fields were tested, each of them currently being prepared for corn production. These fields consist of corn on a double cropping system (CDC), corn on a no till system (CNF), corn on a strip till system (CST), corn on a no till system with poor drainage (CNTPD), corn on a no till system with high slope (CNHS), and corn a on strip till system with high slope (CSTHS). Four undisturbed soil cores were taken from each field, at the depth of 0 to 7.5 cm. These undisturbed soil cores were individually tested and used to determine the bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MPR), water holding capacity (WHC), and water at field capacity (WFC) for each field. The disturbed samples were tested and used to determine soil organic matter (SOM) and soil pH in water solution. The results showed that soil organic matter shows little difference among the fields. However, water holding capacity, bulk density, and soil pH have more variability among the croplands, which can control crop production. Quantitative results will be presented on the poster.
Keywords: Bulk density, macroporosity, soil organic matter, soil pH, water holding capacity