Download or read book The Effect of Soil Cation Balancing on Soil Properties and Weed Communities in an Organic Rotation written by Katie Jo Linder and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic farmers rely on many methods for weed control. While cultural practices are considered to be important, tillage, cultivation and hand weeding are paramount. Soil balancing is a cultural approach to weed management that is frequently discussed but poorly understood. Likewise organic-approved herbicides are of great interest to some farmers but of uncertain efficacy. Soil balancing is an approach to soil management based upon the “Basic Cation Saturation Ratio” (BCSR) hypothesis, which postulates that an ideal soil has a base saturation ratio of ~70% Ca, ~10% Mg, and ~5% K. The effects of soil balancing and the efficacy of approved natural-product herbicides on weeds have not been adequately investigated. A long-term field experiment was initiated to determine the effects of various soil balancing amendments, gypsum plus limestone, limestone only, and an amendment obtained from a local company (Green Field Farms Cooperative) on crop, weed, and soil parameters. Respecting organic herbicides, a greenhouse experiment was initiated to determine the efficacy of cinnamon oil, manuka oil, lemongrass oil, clove oil, citric acid, acetic acid, and a mixture of citric acid and garlic oil on three broadleaf weeds and two grasses. In the soil balancing experiment, balanced levels of Ca, Mg, and K base saturation were not achieved following two years of amendment application, although changes in soil pH, Ca, Mg, P, and S were measured over the course of the experiment with the specific amendments applied. Soil amendment led to higher levels of K, Ca, S, Mo, Cu, and Mn in corn and soybean foliage in 2014, and S in 2015, there were no treatment effects on grain yield or quality. Conclusions about the effect of soil balancing on weed communities could not be made because balance was not achieved; moreover, there were not clear treatment effects on weeds. However, a rotational effect was observed. Clover plots had the fewest weeds in 2015 because fewer weed seedlings emerged under the nearly complete cover of the clover that had been established in the spring of 2014. The 2015 corn, planted in 2014’s clover/oat plots, had the greatest number of weeds, likely resulting from a heavy infestation in clover/oats plots in 2014. Regarding the natural-product herbicide experiment, essential oils generally performed better than acids. Of the species evaluated, hairy galinsoga was the most difficult to control. Manuka oil had the greatest efficacy across species and experiments. Cinnamon oil and lemongrass oil had similar efficacy to manuka oil on common purslane and common lambsquarters, but generally did not control weeds as well as manuka oil. Although most weeds recovered by 2 WAT, dry weights were reduced in comparison to untreated plants.

Download or read book Effects of Soil Balancing Treatments on Soils Vegetable Crops and Weeds in Organically Managed Farms written by Andrea S. Leiva Soto and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Ohio, many organic farmers use the term 'balancing' to express the rationale of using a wide variety of soil amendments to improve soil quality and plant health. Soil balancing or the base cation saturation ratio (BCSR) approach is a method first proposed more than 100 years ago that aims to achieve the 'ideal soil'. William Albrecht in the 1970’s concluded that if saturation of the major exchangeable cations is 65-85% for Ca, 6-12% for Mg, and 2-5% for K, plant nutrition will be balanced. Research conducted by Zwickle et al. (2011) indicated that many organic farmers believe balanced soils produce higher quality crops and have diminished weed infestations compared to unbalanced soils. For many farmers, soil balancing includes using amendments thought to enhance soil biology and increase the soil’s capacity to store and release minerals needed by plants. Combined mineral and these organic/bio-active soil products can be very costly, as much as US $1000-1250/ha in the first year. While farmers believe they are benefiting from these expenditures, there is no objective evidence to confirm their belief. I conducted on-farm studies at six locations in Northeast Ohio, with the overall goal of determining the effect of gypsum, with or without "biological stimulants", on the soil microbial community, crop quality, weed populations, and soil chemical characteristics. Soil seed bank and soil health/biological properties were measured, including soil respiration, active carbon, protein content, microbial biomass, and complete mineral analysis. Crop foliage for nutrient analysis, and crop quality was determined after harvest. Differences in final soil nutrient levels, base saturation, crop and weed community effects were influenced more by the farm than by the treatments applied. After two years, soil sulfur levels were significantly higher in plots amended with gypsum. Failure to detect treatment response by other mineral amendments suggests the relatively narrow differences between the mineral blend applied to all plots and the soil balancing treatments. Crops foliage tended to be deficient in K and Mg regardless of the treatment applied. Marketable yield of butternut squash at one farm was higher in plots treated with gypsum and biological stimulant (BIO) compared to gypsum alone. The polar:equatorial diameter ratio of cabbage heads from plots amended with gypsum and BIO, were always closer to the ideal ratio compared to those from control plots. Active carbon (POXC) at one farm was higher in plots treated with gypsum. The weed seed bank density was lower at, one farm in plots treated with gypsum alone compared to the control and BIO treatment. The most important finding of this research is that farmers who attempt to balance soils must pay very careful attention to not induce deficiencies of K and Mg while raising Ca saturation. These findings are also in general agreement with those of previous investigators that a soil balancing approach is costly with questionable benefits. However, this experimentation shares a shortcoming with those earlier works, in that the term of research may have been too short to demonstrate beneficial outcomes.

Download or read book Effects of the Base Cation Saturation Ratio Approach to Soil Management on Weeds and Crop Yield and Improved Methodology for Measuring Soil Aggregate Stability written by Andrea S. Leiva Soto and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Midwestern organic farmers in their focus on improving soil quality for crop production attempt to balance their soil’s calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) saturation levels by applying calcium-rich amendments. For most soils, this practice based on the base cation saturation ratio (BCSR) hypothesis, requires repeated applications of calcitic limestone and or gypsum to increase Ca to approximately 65% of a soil’s saturation capacity and reduce Mg saturation to less than 20%. Expected and claimed benefits of this practice of soil balancing include improved soil structure, decreases in weed pressure, and increases in crop yield. We applied various Ca and Mg rich minerals in a corn-soybean-small grain rotation in two Ohio soils over several years. Our treatments were designed to contrast the effects of different Ca to Mg ratios on the weed community and on soil properties. Our research is the first to provide evidence that Ca:Mg ratios in the soil can reduce density of weed seeds found in the soil. At the silt loam soil, broadleaf and grass seedbank densities were on average about 25% and 40% lower after the second year of gypsum applications, respectively, across crops. Weed emergence for the same soil showed a similar response. At the clay loam soil, grass seedbank densities were on average about 40% higher after the third year of epsom application across crops. Our experimental design enabled us to also investigate the claim of soil balancing proponents and farmers that the increases in crop yield they experienced were due to higher Ca:Mg ratios rather than pH correction. We examined crop yield in response to both pH and Ca and Mg saturation levels over 6 years and concluded that balancing the soil Ca and Mg levels did not impact corn or soybean yields but managing soil acidity did. Our results confirm that correcting excess acidity remains the fundamental reason to apply limestone as a tool to improve crop yields. Previously reported research from our project had failed to demonstrate improvement in soil structure resulting from the use of the BCSR approach. Nevertheless, validated and efficient methods to assess impacts on soil aggregation are a crucial need in research efforts to better understand aspects of soil resilience to environmental and man-made stresses. The wet sieving method is a common method used to measure aggregate stability. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding procedures used before, during, and after the wet sieving process. We evaluated various contrasting procedures on eight Ohio soils, having between 7 to 78% sand content, including pre-wetting vs not pre-wetting samples prior to wet sieving, using deionized water vs tap water for wet sieving, sand correcting water stable aggregates after wet sieving (not correcting for sand vs correcting for sand the same size as the aggregate vs correcting all sand), and pre-sieving vs not pre-sieving soil samples prior to wet sieving. Not pre-wetting soil samples prior to wet sieving increased aggregate slaking, while using deionized water or tap water had almost the same effect. Pre-sieving soils before wet-sieving resulted in more water stable aggregates compared to not pre-sieving soils, with less variability across soils. Sand correcting water stable aggregates using the same sieve used for the aggregate separation can lower the variability between soils and have better analytical precision than correcting for all sand sizes or not correcting for sand. Our study confirms observations by soil balancing practitioners on weeds dynamic as increases in soil calcium reduced weed seedbank density while increases in soil magnesium increased weed seedbank density. In contrast, our study shows that for corn, increases in yield were positively related to soil pH and not to changes in soil Ca:Mg ratio. For soil aggregate stability measured by wet sieving, both pre-sieving soil samples prior to wet sieving and sand correcting water stable aggregates with the same aggregate sieve, resulted in lower variability across soils and better analytical precision.

Download or read book Crop Rotation on Organic Farms written by Charles L. Mohler and published by Natural Resource Agriculture and Engineering Service (Nraes). This book was released on 2009 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Microbial Ecology in Sustainable Agroecosystems written by Tanya E. Cheeke and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-07-17 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While soil ecologists continue to be on the forefront of research on biodiversity and ecosystem function, there are few interdisciplinary studies that incorporate ecological knowledge into sustainable land management practices. Conventional, high fossil-fuel input-based agricultural systems can reduce soil biodiversity, alter soil community structure and nutrient cycling, and lead to greater dependence on energy-intensive practices. Microbial Ecology in Sustainable Agroecosystems brings together soil ecologists, microbial ecologists, and agroecologists working globally to demonstrate how research in soil ecology can contribute to the long-term sustainability of agricultural systems. The book identifies five key areas of research that can be combined to support and direct sustainable land management practices: agriculture, biodiversity, ecosystem services, integrated soil ecology research, and policy. Topics include: A broad range of soil microbial processes in terms of the importance of microbial heterogeneity Inputs by soil microorganisms into wheat-farming systems The importance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in making nutrients more available to crops The benefits and environmental problems associated with the use of crops genetically modified with Bacillus thuringiensis The incorporation of soil ecological or microbial ecological theory into agricultural practice to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability Challenges in sustainable agricultural research and the need for coalescing new avenues of research in agriculture and soil ecology The contributors range from long-time ecological researchers to graduate students and early career scientists, representing a wide spectrum of experience, ages, diversity, and research interests in this area. They cover the diversity and complexity of microbial activity and interactions in soil systems and the many ways in which microorganisms may be manipulated and managed to improve the functions of crop rhizospheres and thereby maximize crop yields and overall productivity. These recommendations can be used to direct and influence agricultural and environmental policy and guide future research in sustainable agricultural systems management.

Download or read book Plant induced soil changes Processes and feedbacks written by Nico van Breemen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book by soil scientists and ecologists reviews how and why plants influence soils. Topics include effects on mineral weathering, soil structure, and soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics, case studies of soil-plant interactions in specific biomes and of secondary chemicals influencing nutrient cycling, the rhizosphere, and potential evolutionary consequences of plant-induced soil changes. This is the first volume that specifically highlights the effects of plants on soils and their feedbacks to plants. By contrast, other texts on soil-plant relationships emphasize effects of soil fertility on plants, following the strongly agronomic character of most research in this area. The aspects discussed in this volume are crucial for understanding terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemistry and soil genesis. The book is directed to terrestrial ecologists, foresters, soil scientists, environmental scientists and biogeochemists, and to students following specialist courses in these fields.

Download or read book Plant Soil Interactions written by Michel-Pierre Faucon and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2021-08-31 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant–soil interactions play an important role in the functioning of ecosystems. This book presents recent research advances on the effects of soil factors on plant communities and the role of ecological complementarity and species diversity in soil properties and ecosystem services. It addresses cultivated, degraded and natural soils, in fields as well as in greenhouse experiments, at different latitudes. It may be found useful by researchers, students and practitioners.

Download or read book A Grower s Guide to Balancing Soils written by Bill McKibben and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether you're a serious home gardener or a full-time farmer, A Growers Guide for Balancing Soils will help you expand your understanding of the science behind plant nutrition. It all starts with the soil, but, as you'll read, just spreading compost and hoping for the best isn't a strategy for success. Drawing on 40 years of experience using the Albrecht philosophy of balancing soils, William McKibben will walk you through a data-driven, time-tested process that starts with soil analysis, but doesn't stop there. Productive soil that has the right balance of bio-available minerals and maximizes crop production and quality is the goal, and McKibben outlines a common-sense approach for how to get there.For example, readers will learn how to:? build a more complete soil-health management system;? balance pH consistently across your fields with mineral balancing;? create more resilient crops by knowing how soil health affects disease and pest pressure;? and convert raw testing data into real action. For both organic and conventional farmers, A Growers Guide for Balancing Soils dives deep into how macro-nutrients such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and sulfur - along with potassium and micronutrients (cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc) - affect the development of healthy crops. It's a problem-solver's handbook for building soil health.

Download or read book The Importance of Soil Organic Matter written by Alexandra Bot and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2005 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil organic matter - the product of on-site biological decomposition - affects the chemical and physical properties of the soil and its overall health. Its composition and breakdown rate affect: the soil structure and porosity; the water infiltration rate and moisture holding capacity of soils; the diversity and biological activity of soil organisms; and plant nutrient availability. This document concentrates on the organic matter dynamics of cropping soils and discusses the circumstances that deplete organic matter and their negative outcomes. It then moves on to more proactive solutions. It reviews a "basket" of practices in order to show how they can increase organic matter content and discusses the land and cropping benefits that then accrue.--Publisher's description.

Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 1922 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Instant Insights Regenerative Techniques to Improve Soil Health written by Dr April Leytem and published by . This book was released on 2024-05-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed overview of the use of regenerative techniques to improve soil health, including the use of compost and crop rotations.

Download or read book The Effect of Crop Rotation Sequence on Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Levels of a Charity Clay written by Richard Cleveland Zielke and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Crop Rotation Effects on Soil Aggregation and Organic Matter of Wheeling Loam Soils written by Indra Deva Sahay and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Effect of Long term Rotations on the Active Fraction of Organic Matter and Soil Tilth written by Kenneth J. Greer and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Effect of Soil Type on the Cation Exchange Properties of Soils written by D. Riley and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Soil Quality Assessment for an Alfisol Undergoing Alternative Organic Weed Management Systems written by Jill E. Souliere Staples and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As organic agriculture farmland continues to increase on a global scale with 6.5 million hectares added during 2014-2016, the increased number of organic producers will be expected to fulfill sustainability obligations. However, tillage is the dominant practice for weed control in organic agriculture, but because tillage reduces soil organic carbon (SOC) and can alter soil properties this leads to soil degradation and erosion. This study utilized propane flaming, hot water spraying, cultivation, and between-row mowing for suppression of weeds. Furthermore, the use of summer cover crops (SCC), representing an opportunity to benefit annual cropping systems by improving soil quality without drastically altering management practices, was also studied. Alternative weed treatments were integrated into an organic system that included grain crops and winter cover crops in a two year rotation, consisting of corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Post-wheat harvest practices consisted of SCC and double crop soybean (DCS). Other organic practices included compost application, crimped cover crops, and tillage after harvest. Multiple soil quality indicators were analyzed for the three properties of soil, physical, biological, and chemical. Crimped cover crop plots with hot water spray had highest overall soil quality indicator values. Soil physical properties achieved optimal values under mowing. Flaming had decreased soil quality indicator values similar to the cultivation treatment; however this showed potential improvement in soil quality when combined with high compost rates. Hot water spray had significant yield results in soybeans, but was not as effective in corn. SCC had higher overall soil quality indicator values compared to a cultivated DCS. However, with minimal cultivation and high compost rates DCS had similar soil biological values to SCC. Combined with additional organic practices, alternative weed practices can conserve and sustain soil. Inclusion of a SCC has potential to build soil productivity within a grain row-crop rotation.

Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 1810 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: