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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312998
Title: Stratification of soil organic matter and its importance on soil and water quality

Author
item Franzluebbers, Alan

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/9/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Soil organic matter is a key component of soil quality that sustains many important soil functions by providing the energy, substrates, and biological diversity to support biological activity, which affects aggregation (important for habitat space, oxygen supply, and preventing soil erosion), infiltration (important for leaching, runoff, and crop water uptake), and decomposition (important for nutrient cycling). Lack of residue cover and exposure of soil to high-intensity rainfall results in poor aggregation, reduced plant water availability, erosion, and off-site impacts of sedimentation and loss of soil nutrients to receiving water bodies. This presentation describes the development of the stratification ratio concept and its implementation in evaluating soil quality on farmers’ fields.