Authors:

Shawn Saturday

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Steep cropland areas are prone to soil erosion if conservation practices are not implemented. In addition to sediment and nutrient losses, soil properties might change during soil erosion, including soil moisture content, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC), which are important soil properties in soil fertility. This study investigates the changes in the above soil properties in two steep watersheds in corn-soybean rotations in central Indiana. Two small watersheds, ~ 1 ha each, from Meigs farm (Purdue University), were located, and soil samples were collected ~ 50 m in a transect from the top to bottom of the hill. Soil samples were collected from the top to the bottom of the hill of each watershed at 0-5 cm depth. Soil pH and EC were measured after samples were 2- mm sieved and air dried. Soil moisture content was measured in situ in the top 5 cms using a time domain reflectometry (TDR) instrument. Preliminary data show that at the top 0-5 cm soil depth, pH, EC as well as the soil moisture are higher at the bottom of the hill. The results suggest that the soil properties measured in this study depend on the location of the soil. Thus, best management practices are needed to address these issues in steep cropland areas. Keywords: [no keywords provided]

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Shawn Saturday