The Importance of Crop Types and Grassland on Soil Health Indicators in Agricultural Landscapes

Sustainability of agricultural practices depends on maintaining and improving soil health, which is shaped by crop diversity and grassland presence. Key soil health indicators such as organic matter content (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water holding capacity (SWHC), Macroporosity, bulk density (BD) and soil pH were analyzed to access the contributions of specific crops and grasslands to soil quality. The study examined the influence of various crop types and grasslands on key soil health indicators within agricultural landscapes. The study was conducted at Pullen Farm and West farm in Murray, Kentucky, to evaluate the impact of monoculture and crop rotation fields, along with grasslands. Crop fields included undisturbed and disturbed soil samples from corn (monoculture), soybean (rotation with corn), beans and tobacco field while grasslands included Miscanthus and Mexican feather grass. Undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were collected from the 0-7.5 cm topsoil layer from both the fields to measure soil health indicators. The data was statistically analyzed using Microsoft excel. The results showed maize (5.45), and tobacco crop field (5.41) had most acidic soils while Mexican feather grass (5.85) and miscanthus soil (6.61) had pH closer to neutral pH. Miscanthus and Mexican Feather Grass fields have the highest SOM (5.55 and 6.12%), SOC (3.22 and 3.55%), total porosity (55% and 56%) and lowest bulk density (1.17 g/cm3 and 1.19 g/cm3) respectively. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating sustainable land management practices, such as integrating grasslands or cover crops, into agricultural systems. Keywords: Crop diversity, Perennial grasslands, Soil health indicators, Soil organic matter, Sustainable agriculture