Soil Quality in Various Farming Practices

Production agriculture deteriorates the soil, making sustainability difficult. This study compared three different forms of production agriculture: a no-till system, a conventional tillage system, and a grazing pasture and compared them to a field in fallow. This study was conducted in fields across Ballard and Carlisle County in Kentucky. A total of six replications were taken at each field, with three taken at 0-7.5 cm and three at 7.5-15 cm. The replications consisted of disturbed and undisturbed samples. The undisturbed samples measured bulk density, total porosity, soil water content, and macroporosity. The disturbed soil samples were used to measure pH, soil organic matter, and organic carbon. Using the field in fallow as the basis for comparison, the pasture regularly showed similar, if not improved soil quality metrics. No-till regularly scored better than conventional in most soil properties, with the exception of soil pH where the no-till field’s average pH was 5.4 at the first depth. The conventional tillage system had a pH of 6.1 at the first depth. Bulk density at the first depth showed that no-till and fallow were similar values, at 1.43 and 1.49 g/cm^3, respectively. In conclusion, production agriculture systems that minimally disturbed the soil surface improved soil properties. Key Words: Bulk density, production agriculture, silt loam, sustainability, tillage systems,