Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Shankle, Mark

Committee Member

Shanmugam, Shankar Ganapathi

Committee Member

Cox, Michael

Committee Member

Jones, Keri

Committee Member

Tewolde, Haile

Date of Degree

8-7-2020

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agronomy

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Abstract

Soil microorganisms are important for the stabilization and preservation of a good soil structure. Management practices can affect the diversity and population of microorganisms, which could beneficially change soil properties and promote a more sustainable dryland system. This study was established near Pontotoc, MS on Atwood silt loam to evaluate the impacts of cover crops and fertilizer sources on selected biologically related soil properties in a no-tillage, dryland soybean system. Soil analyses included total carbon and nitrogen, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EE-GRSP), water stable aggregate (WSA) and soil pH. Cover crop biomass and percent groundcover, soybean leaf area index (LAI), plant height, and yield were also determined. Results indicated that fertilizer source did have an impact on total nitrogen, EE-GRSP and soybean yield. A positive impact on soil properties is expected with the use of cover crops if studied for a longer period of time.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/18041

Sponsorship

Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB)

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