Although frequently overlooked or omitted, ecosystem services provide an environment for the survival of life on earth, including humans. Soil is a critical compartment for ecosystem services composed of solids, gasses, water, and micro and macro flora and fauna. Soil functions include water holding capacity, nutrient holding and cycling, support for microbial life, carbon capture, and other many other unseen benefits. Within society a main use of soil is agriculture for growth of food, fiber, and other necessities for civilization. Agricultural practices can consist of different techniques, two common categories are conventional and conservation methods. Conventional tillage utilizes turning of the soil to prepare the seedbed and remove unwanted plants. In conservation methods the use of no tillage or reduce tillage is used, where the soil is minimally disturbed, and the seeds are inserted into small slits or openings. Aggressive tillage can affect soil ecosystem function and limit the quality of soil health by decreasing porosity, reducing microbial processes, and increasing erosion. Seven farm fields in Trumbull County, OH, were sampled to investigate the connection between agricultural method and soil quality characteristics that contribute to overall soil health and productivity. Composite soil samples consisting of 2.5 cm soil cores separated into top 15 cm layer and bottom layer were evaluated for organic matter, bulk density, soil texture, plant available phosphorus, pH, total nitrogen, salinity, and percent porosity using standard methods. The data composed of 32 samples, with 16 samples from the top layer and 16 from the bottom layer. The fields were ranked one to four, with a ranking of one indicating conventional methods to ranking of four with the highest amount of conservation practices applied. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, mean comparison, one-way ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis, and backwards linear regressions using SPSS statistical tool. There were few clear statistical differences between soil properties and the different fields from this exploratory project. Salinity stood out as the most significant differences with the salinity decreasing as more conservation methods were used in the field. Lower salinity can promote better plant productivity in a variety of crops and increase the availability of nutrients within soil. Principal component analyses (PCA) allow data to be visualized to identify trends or clusters. PCA showed the top 15 cm of higher ranked soils (three and four) clustered together with higher nutrient concentrations as compared to lower ranked soils. Backward regression was used to determine which parameters had the greatest influence on soil nutrient levels. The rank was a significant indicator of total nitrogen along with soil organic matter, pH, and salinity whereas plant available phosphorus was only determined by pH and soil organic matter. It is recommended to continue annual seasonal sampling of these fields to further develop the relationship between soil parameters and agricultural methods. Insight into this relationship and the human impacts to soil will aid in better decision making and land management.

Evaluation of Soil Quality and Conservation Versus Conventional Tillage Methods in Trumbull County

This book is a unified, condensed, and simplified version of the recently issued twin volumes, Fundamentals of Soil Physics and Applications of Soil Physics. Nonessential topics and complexities have been deleted, and little prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. An effort has been made to provide an elementary, readable, and self-sustaining description of the soil's physical properties and of the manner in which these properties govern the processes taking place in the field. Consideration is given to the ways in which the soil's processes can be influenced, for better or for worse, by man. Sample problems are provided in an attempt to illustrate how the abstract principles embodied in mathematical equations can be applied in practice. The author hope that the present version will be more accessible to students than its precursors and that it might serve to arouse their interest in the vital science of soil physics.

Shedrach Ugwu

Msc. Soil Physics and Conservation | Soil Carbon | Freelance Soil Health Specialist at Yield Naija™