Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Environmental and Soil Sciences

Major Professor

Forbes Walker

Committee Members

Daniel Yoder, Donald Tyler

Abstract

We investigated, under long-term no-till in western Tennessee, the effects of rotating the low-input crops cotton and soybeans with the high-input crop corn, compared to continuous monocultures of cotton and soybeans, and of using the winter cover crops (WCCs) winter wheat and hairy vetch, compared to winter fallow, on key indicators of soil health concerning vegetative cover and labile SOM. The line-transect method was used to measure percent vegetative cover. Dry weight of surface crop residue and aboveground living plant biomass (WCCs and winter weeds) was obtained. The living plant biomass was analyzed for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) by dry combustion to determine C/N ratios. The sand-sized POM-C fraction at 0 to 5 and 5 to 15 cm was physically fractionated and analyzed for C by dry combustion. The inclusion of corn in rotation with cotton significantly increased aboveground crop residue quantity, aboveground winter weed biomass quantity, total aboveground biomass quantity, percent vegetative cover, and POM-C at 0 to 5 cm. The inclusion of corn in rotation with soybeans significantly increased aboveground crop residue quantity and POM-C at 0 to 5 cm, but significantly decreased aboveground winter wheat biomass quantity, total aboveground biomass quantity under winter wheat, aboveground winter weed biomass C/N ratio, and POM-C at 5 to 15 cm. The use of WCCs did not significantly increase total aboveground biomass quantity under most cropping sequences, and significantly reduced aboveground crop residue quantity, aboveground winter weed biomass quantity, and percent vegetative cover. The WCCs generally did not affect POM-C at either depth, though they significantly increased POM-C at 5 to 15 cm under continuous soybeans. Compared to winter wheat, hairy vetch significantly increased aboveground winter weed biomass quantity and percent vegetative cover. Our results demonstrate that the inclusion of corn in rotation with cotton is highly effective, while inclusion of corn in rotation with soybeans and the use of WCCs are ineffective in improving soil quality by increasing vegetative cover and the labile pool of SOM under these conditions.

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