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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420552
Research Project: Innovative Cropping System Solutions for Sustainable Production on Spatially Variable Landscapes

Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research

Title: Soil health comparison of perennial switchgrass and miscanthus with an annual corn-soybean rotation in varying topsoil depths from a long-term experiment

Author
item SUTTON, DYLAN - University Of Missouri
item Veum, Kristen
item DAVIS, MORGAN - University Of Missouri
item LORD, SAMUEL - University Of Missouri
item CLARK, KERRY - University Of Missouri
item Ransom, Curtis
item Sudduth, Kenneth
item Baffaut, Claire

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/2024
Publication Date: 10/26/2024
Citation: Sutton, D., Veum, K.S., Davis, M.P., Lord, S., Clark, K., Ransom, C.J., Sudduth, K.A., Baffaut, C. 2024. Soil health comparison of perennial switchgrass and miscanthus with an annual corn-soybean rotation in varying topsoil depths from a long-term experiment [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 11-13, 2024, San Antonio, Texas. Paper No. 161358. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2024am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/161358

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Topsoil depth in Midwestern claypan soils is one of the most significant drivers in varying productivity across different agricultural cropping systems. The comparison of perennial systems to annual row crop agriculture in field conservation has been a topic of interest for decades. Perennial systems have consistently been shown to have higher soil health metrics than that of conventional cropping systems due to greater above- and belowground inputs. In this study we evaluated the effect of topsoil depth among three cropping systems: a corn-soybean rotation, switchgrass, and miscanthus at the Soil Productivity Assessment for Renewable Energy and Conservation field located in the Central Claypan Region of Missouri, USA. Soil health analysis included soil respiration, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), four enzyme assays, total protein, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). Analysis of variance models were used to examine the effects of topsoil depth and cropping systems on soil health measurements. We hypothesized that the switchgrass and miscanthus treatments in all topsoil depths will have a higher mean POXC, SOC, TN, and higher quantity of enzymes. These results comparing perennial systems to traditional corn-soy rotations are important to track human influence on and degradation of soil health in agricultural systems and the potential for sustainable development.