Soil quality in long-term corn and soybean rotations

Although soil quality is significant for crop productivity, input efficiency, and environmental stewardship, the effect of cropping systems on soil quality has not been examined very thoroughly for most cropping systems in the Midwest. Thus the advantages and disadvantages associated with standard agricultural practices, especially crop rotation, from the soil quality standpoint are either unknown or incomplete in most instances. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil properties under three common Illinois crop rotations more than ten years after establishment. Continuous corn (CCC), corn-soybean (CS), and corn-corn-soybean (CCS) rotations were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), with three or four replications at six University of Illinois Crop Sciences research centers, at Urbana, Monmouth, Perry, Dixon Springs, DeKalb, and Brownstown, with all phases present each year. We measured soil bulk density (BD), water aggregate stability (WAS), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (SOM), and plant-essential nutrients at the depths of 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, and 60-90 cm. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted, including stepwise selection and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA). These approaches helped to clearly separate and identify locations, reflecting the different soil types and environments at each site. Crop rotations had little to no discernible effect on any of the soil properties evaluated.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Crop Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Hoss, Mollie Jo

Contributors dc:contributor

• Villamil, Maria
• Davis, Adam
• Nafziger, Emerson

• Soil quality
• Soil health
• Corn
• Soybeans
• Crop rotation
• Mollisol
• Alfisol
• Illinois
• Soil
• Macronutrients
• Micronutrients
• Soil organic matter
• Nitrogen

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2017 Mollie Hoss

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97716

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/97716