Influence of agroforestry buffers on soil hydraulic properties relative to row crop management
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Thesis
Subject
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Agroforestry (AgB) and grass (GB) buffers have been developed as a part of the management system for row crop areas in temperate regions to improve soil and water quality and diversify farm income. The objectives of this experimental study were to evaluate the effects of agroforestry and grass buffers relative to row crop management on soil hydraulic properties for a claypan soil. The experimental watersheds for this study are located at the Greenley Memorial Research Center in Knox County near Novelty, Missouri. The soils in the study area were mapped as Putnam silt loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Albaqualf). The paired watersheds for the study area were under no-till management with a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation since 1991. The agroforestry buffer watershed and grass buffer watershed had vegetative buffer strips planted between row crop areas which were 4.5m wide and 36.5 apart (lower slope positions were 22.8 m) with vegetation composed of grasses, legumes, and trees. Throughout the grass buffer and agroforestry buffer strips, redtop (Agrostis gigantea Roth), brome grass (Bromus spp.), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) were planted in 1997. For the agroforestry buffers, pin oak (Quercus palustris Muenchh), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolar Willd.) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) trees were planted at 9 m intervals for species in the center of the grass buffer strips at 3 m intervals between trees. Soil core samples (76 mm diam. by 76 mm long) were taken from four 10 cm depth increments with six replicates in June 2014 and hydraulic properties (saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water retention, pore-size distributions, and bulk density) were conducted using these soil core samples. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found among the treatments for bulk density, with the row crop treatment having higher values compared to the buffer treatments. Trends also showed higher saturated hydraulic conductivity for the agroforestry buffer treatment compared to the row crop treatment for the 0 to 10 and 30 to 40 cm soil depths. These buffer treatments slightly improved soil hydraulic properties after 17 years for this claypan soil. Although the claypan horizon will dominate the surface hydrology, buffers may provide some benefits by reducing runoff, soil loss and nutrient loss from row crop management.
Table of Contents
DOI
PubMed ID
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
Access is limited to the campuses of the University of Missouri.