Cropping system impacts on soil health metrics across Central Missouri soils

Authors: SVEDIN, JEFFREY - University Of Missouri; HENRY, MATTHEW - University Of Missouri; Kitchen, Newell; Veum, Kristen

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/9/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Soil health tests have emerged to measure benefits to soil function in response to cropping system management practices. Additionally soil health (SH) tests have been identified as tools to provide actionable management recommendations for farmers to improve soil function. While these tests are sensitive to management practices, they are also sensitive to inherit physical and chemical soil properties that naturally vary between soils. Further research is required to establish regional variability in SH tests and how management practices affect these threshold metrics before reliable farmer recommendations can be established. Soil health samples at 0-5 and 5-15 cm depths were collected in the spring prior to planting and fertilization at 432 sites across 98 fields in 2019-2020 across a diversity of central Missouri cropping systems and soil environments. Soil health tests included a 4-day soil respiration; permanganate oxidizable carbon, soil organic carbon, autoclaved citrate extractable protein content, Arylsulfatase activity, acid phosphatase activity, ß-D-Glucosidase activity, and ß-Glucosaminidase activity. This presentation will evaluate variability between major central Missouri soils for each soil health indicator and variability within similar soils as influenced by cropping system management practices.