Abstract
Capturing in a database, differences in near surface soil properties (or quality) that are affected by use and management, for improving soil survey interpretations is needed. Easy to use, low cost, on-site measurements are needed to populate such a database. The objectives of this study were to evaluate on-site tests for their ability to detect differences in near surface soil properties as affected by long-term land use in Michigan. The comparisons were between forest and cropland; and within cropland, between contrasting management—long-term no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems. The on-site tests measured were soil respiration, infiltration rate, bulk density, soil water content, soil slaking, aggregate stability, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) of 1:1 soil–water mixture, and soil nitrates. On-site tests for bulk density, aggregate stability, slake test, and soil pH were able to detect significant differences between long-term CT and NT in cropland and between cropland and forest land. When differences were large as between forest and cropland, differences in soil nitrates, infiltration rate, and water content were significant. Bulk density, aggregate stability, resistance to slaking, and soil pH show promise as indicators of land use history, that could be used to estimate property ranges in a use-dependant soils database.
Published Version
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