Evaluating Soil Properties of Silt Loam between No Till Cropland and Pasture: Study Case from Ballard, Graves, and Hickman Counties

Ballard and Hickman County is home to silt loams in the northern and eastern parts of the county due to the Ohio and Mississippi River. Graves County’s silt loam is a product of windblown glacial loess thousands of years ago. Silt loam soil contains around 50% silt and less than 27% clay. The annual flooding and windblown loess are the cause of minerals into these soils, making them perfect for canola, corn, pasture, soybeans, and wheat production. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of different agriculture land systems on selected soil properties including soil organic matter (SOM), soil water holding capacity (SWHC), macroporosity (MP), and bulk density (BD). Soil samples from topsoil were collected from older grass pasture B, newer grass pasture B, no-till corn B, no-till beans B, no-till corn C, no-till corn G, no-till soybeans Ca, no-till soybeans C and no-till soybeans Ca. There were 24 undisturbed and 24 disturbed soil samples. The results showed that the range of SOM varied from 4.31% to 8.61%, with the highest found in older grass (8.61%) and the lowest was in the no-till corn G (4.31%). Soil Water Holding Capacity varied from 34.61% to 44.07%, with the highest field being no-till soybeans C (44.07%) and the lowest being no-till corn G (34.61%). Macroporosity spanned from 31.80% to 41.07%, with the highest field being newer grass (41.07%) and the lowest being no-till corn G (34.61%). Bulk Density fluctuated from 0.96 g/cm3 to 1.52 g/cm3, with the highest being no-till beans (1.52 g/cm3) and the lowest being no-till corn B (0.96 g/cm3). Overall, this data helps show the difference in pasture ground and rowcrop ground in various counties and how it relates to soil health. Keywords: Bulk Density, Macroporosity, Silt Loam, Soil Organic Matter, Soil Water Holding Capacity