University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Soil quality in long-term corn and soybean rotations

Hoss, Mollie Jo

Content Files
HOSS-THESIS-2017.pdf

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

Description

Title
Soil quality in long-term corn and soybean rotations
Author(s)
Hoss, Mollie Jo
Issue Date
2017-04-25
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Villamil, Maria
Committee Member(s)
  • Davis, Adam
  • Nafziger, Emerson
Department of Study
Crop Sciences
Discipline
Crop Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2017-08-10T20:32:59Z
Keyword(s)
  • Soil quality
  • Soil health
  • Corn
  • Soybeans
  • Crop rotation
  • Mollisol
  • Alfisol
  • Illinois
  • Soil
  • Macronutrients
  • Micronutrients
  • Soil organic matter
  • Nitrogen
Abstract
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.
Graduation Semester
2017-05
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97716
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2017 Mollie Hoss

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Crop Sciences