Download or read book On farm Assessment of Soil Properties Under Different Management Practices in West Central Ohio written by Reed M. Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The west-central region of Ohio is one of the most productive agricultural regions of the state and has notable economic importance. Past and projected climatic changes bring a significant amount of variability into the future productivity of this specific region and place an importance on protecting soil resources. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of common management practices, including Best Management Practices (BMPs), in West-Central Ohio on key soil properties supporting overall soil quality, the productivity of soils under such practices, and the feasibility of using the Soil Management and Assessment Framework (SMAF) to evaluate soil quality in the region. On-farm study sites were established representing examples of conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT), no-till with manure application (NT-M), and no-till with cover crops (NT-CC) common to the region. Significant differences were found among all measured soil properties, except available water capacity (AWC), steady state infiltration, and water stable aggregation (WSA). Despite this, evidence was found to support improved aggregate stability under cover crops. The NT and NT-CC sites were shown to have increased large pore formation, mean weight diameter (MWD), and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) even though they possessed higher bulk density in the upper soil profile. The distribution and concentration of soil organic carbon (SOC) were both affected under the BMPs studied. Particularly at the NT site, an increase in the SOC concentration and stock was seen in the 0-10 cm depth but below this point the CT site had equal to greater SOC concentrations and stock when compared to the no-till sites. The NT-CC site was found to have the lowest overall SOC stock but conclusions concerning the results from the lower soil depths were limited due to variability within the subsoil or past management at the NT-CC site. Differences were found in yield and calculated harvest index (HI) for both corn and soybean crops. Corn production and HI were found to be significantly higher at the NT-CC site when compared to all other sites and the NT and NT-M sites were found to produce the highest soybean yields and HI. Significant differences were found among SOC, MBC, and pH indicator scores but not among the total SQI scores. No significant correlation was found between yield and total SQI scores, but the bulk density indicator was found to be most highly correlated with total SQI and relative yields. In addition, un-scored bulk density data were positively correlated with relative yields, suggesting that the SMAF unfairly penalized sites with elevated bulk density. The improvements in soil properties observed within the upper soil profile, at the NT-CC and NT sites, are suspected to play an important role in maintaining soil quality under variable and changing climate conditions. It was concluded, due to the inaccurate evaluation of bulk density and the fact that no correlation between total SQI scores and relative yields was produced, the broadly designed SMAF was not able to applicably evaluate soil quality in the specific region of West-Central Ohio.
Download or read book On farm Soil Health Assessment in Ohio and Farmer Perception of Soil Health Data written by Prabhjot K. Singh and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil health indicators are commonly used by researchers to understand how various soil properties are functioning. However, many new indicators have not been applied on working farm conditions and it is not well understood how these novel indicators may be useful to farmers in their management decision-making. This research took an integrated approach combining social science methods and biophysical soil testing to understand the use and value of soil health indicators to farmers in Ohio. A total of 19 soil health parameters were measured and reported back to farmers to discuss how these data could inform their future management decisions and to understand which indicators are most useful to farmers. Interviews were conducted with 20 row crop farmers to gather their insights on the utility of soil health indicators, as well as their management decisions following the 2019 growing season. Ultimately, the research evaluated how soil health indicators varied across selected fields the farmer deemed best and most challenging. This research also assessed which indicators aligned best with farmer perceptions of the soil health data and if the soil health indicators influenced adoption of new management practices among farmers. Findings from the research indicate that biological soil health indicators such as soil protein, respiration (MinC), and permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) were able to distinguish between best and most challenging field, were more sensitive indicators than others, and were most aligned with farmer perceptions of their fields. Additionally, this study found that while farmers found many biological indicators insightful, they did not provide sufficient information to alter any change in management. Overall, this study highlights the importance of interdisciplinary work by integrating social and natural sciences to gain a comprehensive assessment of farmers’ perceptions and practices in relation to agricultural soil health. In doing so, the research addresses a vital issue in Ohio specifically and the Midwest more generally
Download or read book Soil Health Indicators for Sustainable Agriculture in the United States and Malawi written by Xinyi Tu and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maintaining SH (SH) is critical for sustainable field crop production. The first step to understanding drivers is evaluating the effects of climate, soil edaphic properties, and management practices from an on-farm study across a regional scale on SH. Thus, I integrated on-farm research, farmer participatory approach, and statistical analysis to understand the SH drivers in the United States and Malawi. In summary, I assessed the SH indicators through two perspectives with various statistical models: 1) understand various viewpoints on SH assessment; and 2) integrating Bayesian statistical analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis to determine the drivers of SH and yield in Michigan, U.S. and the Central and Southern region of Malawi.SH is assessed through soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. However, researchers used various minimum laboratory SH dataset, resulting in the inconsistency in research studies. On-site SH evaluations recommended by extension educators were not always adopted by farmers. In this chapter, we compared the common indicators in laboratory analysis and on-farm evaluation through literature review and used a Likert Scale to understand farmers' views in Michigan. Maintaining SH (SH) is critical for sustainable field crop production. The first step to understanding drivers is evaluating the effects of climate, soil edaphic properties, and management practices from an on-farm study across a regional scale on SH. Thus, the farmer participatory approach and statistical analysis were integrated to understand the SH drivers in the United States and Malawi. In summary, SH indicators were assessed in this study through two perspectives with various statistical models: 1) understand various viewpoints on SH assessment; and 2) integrating Bayesian statistical analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis to determine the drivers of SH and yield in Michigan, U.S. and the Central and Southern region of Malawi.SH is assessed through soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. However, researchers used various minimum laboratory SH datasets, resulting in inconsistency in research studies. On-site SH evaluations recommended by extension educators were not always adopted by farmers. In Chapter 1, a Likert study was employed to understand farmers' views of common soil health indicators in Michigan. The results showed that the concept of SH assessment should be consistent and clear in research studies and extension education materials.Soil degradation is the most challenging yield-limiting factor in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without the information of current soil carbon status, farmers do not have sufficient information for deciding the appropriate management practice. Malawi's rain-fed maize system is a representation of the rain-fed maize cropping system in East Africa. In Chapter 2, soil analyses were conducted on 1108 focal plots in Central and Southern Malawi to better understand the current total and labile soil carbon status. Bayesian statistical approaches were employed to evaluate environmental and management drivers for soil total and labile carbon on Malawi smallholder fields. Overall, clay content and the vegetative cover are positive drivers for soil total and labile carbon.To better understand the SH across the regional scale in the Midwest United States, an on-farm study of 242 focal plots was conducted in Michigan. In Chapter 3, participatory monitoring and Bayesian linear regression models were used to investigate the impact of various drivers on SH indicators under a range of conditions in the state of Michigan. Location effects were observed, with each of the three regions differing in their climate, soil edaphic properties, and management practices. Overall, climate and soil edaphic properties were the dominant drivers of SH, management practices, which also play a critical role, especially in enhancing soil biological indicators.When evaluating SH, multivariate statistical analysis is generally used due to the inherent correlation among the variables. In Chapter 4, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were adopted to evaluate the 1) interrelationship of various SH indicators; and 2) drivers of the variation across focal plots and local clusters. Besides the high correlated SH indicators, independent variables provide valuable information. The key determinant of SH indicators is geographical clusters. Farmers' management practices should be site-specific and goal-oriented considering the tradeoff between residual nitrogen and soybean yield.
Download or read book NBS Special Publication written by and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 838 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soils and Fertilizers written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 1054 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biogeosciences and Wine the Management and Environmental Processes that Regulate the Terroir Effect in Space and Time written by Simone Priori and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-08-02 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 1732 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soil Fertility Management in Sub Saharan Africa written by W. Graeme Donovan and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World Bank Technical Paper No. 408. This report is a critical review of the technical, economic, and institutional constraints on improving soil fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the actions recommended to address them. Action plans prepared for Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Mali examine the demand for and supply of mineral fertilizers, the exploitation of local mineral resources, the prevention of soil erosion and increasing soil-water retention, and soil fertility management using organic technologies and management practices.
Download or read book Report summaries written by United States. Environmental Protection Agency and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 1584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hydraulic Research in the United States and Canada 1974 written by Pauline H. Gurewitz and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Agronomie written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 914 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soil Acidity and Plant Growth written by A Robson and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil Acidity and Plant Growth emerged from concerns over increasing acidification of soils under improved pastures over wide areas of southern Australia. While the book has its origin in the problems of acidification of Australian soils under pastures, the authors examine soil acidity within a much broader framework, making their views relevant to all agricultural and natural ecosystems on acid soils. The book's first two chapters discuss the chemistry of soil acidity and the ecological processes leading to it. This is followed by separate chapters on biological responses to soil acidity, covering mineralization of soil nitrogen, incidence of plant diseases, plant mycorrhizal associations, symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes, and genetic variability in plant response to toxicities. The remaining chapters focus on the correction of soil acidity problems by liming. These include studies on the rates of application and effectiveness of liming materials; and the development and use of computer modelling procedures to help researchers identify the effects and interactions of soil pH on component processes and to provide assistance to farmers in the management of long-term subterranean clover pastures.
Download or read book Agrindex written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 1280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hydraulic Research in the United States and Canada written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Journal of Soil and Water Conservation written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 818 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vol. 25, no. 1 contains the society's Lincoln Chapter's Resource conservation glossary.
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1989-10 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Conference Papers Index written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 702 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Monthly. Papers presented at recent meeting held all over the world by scientific, technical, engineering and medical groups. Sources are meeting programs and abstract publications, as well as questionnaires. Arranged under 17 subject sections, 7 of direct interest to the life scientist. Full programs of meetings listed under sections. Entry gives citation number, paper title, name, mailing address, and any ordering number assigned. Quarterly and annual indexes to subjects, authors, and programs (not available in monthly issues).
