To show that intense management can increase the rate at which soil quality improves -To compare soil quality between two different management intensities (greenhouse beds and fallow fields) by testing the following soil properties: -% Soil Organic Matter (SOM) -pH -Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) -% base cation saturation ([Ca 2+ ], [Mg 2+ ]) Comparison of soil properties in raised bed greenhouse and adjacent fallow fields: effects of 3 years of intense organic management at the Jones Farm Ona Lindauer, Shannon Morris, Rob Stenger Research Project for Systems Ecology (ENVS 316) Fall ‘04 Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH Main Objective -Our two study areas were 1)intensively managed greenhouse beds (planted in April 2002 after leaf mulch and chicken manure fertilization) 2) unmanaged fallow fields (uncultivated since 2000) Methods Results & Discussion 1)Three years of intense management will give the greenhouse beds a higher SOM. 2)Higher SOM in greenhouse beds will lead to a higher CEC 3)Higher pH in greenhouse beds will lead to a higher % base cation saturation -Greater SOM content and higher pH mean more cation exchange sites for base cations to occupy. -Higher SOM found in intensively managed organic agricultural soils may have a higher CEC than soils which do not receive high inputs of organic material. -A higher pH may lead to a higher CEC. -The rate of soil quality improvement observed as a result of intensive soil management at the Jones Farm can be used to guide agricultural practices elsewhere. -The Jones Farm is an organic farm managed as part of the Oberlin Sustainable Agriculture Project since 2000, prior to which the farm was under conventional roundup-ready soybeans cultivation. -Soil quality has not been fully assessed since Current assessment could inform future management decisions in soil development. N F4 F3 F2F1 GA GB The Jones Farm located in Northeast Ohio with sample areas. GA and GB are the greenhouses. F1-4 are the fallow field sample sites. Comparison of average soil properties from averaged sub-plot data at Jones Farm, with standard error bars and base cation concentrations adjusted for scale. Differences in pH, % SOM, CEC, [Mg2+], and [Ca2+] between our two sample sites were all highly significant. Conclusion Hypotheses Background -We used standard techniques (Petersen 2004) to extract soil cations and assess CEC with sequential additions of NH 4 Cl and KCl. -CEC was measured from the ammonium extract using an ammonium probe, base cation concentrations were assessed using a Dionex Ion Chromatograph -% SOM was measured via combustion and pH was taken with a pH probe. Regression between SOM and CEC in soil samples from individual sub-sample plots at Jones Farm. R2 value shows the strength of the relationship. Regression between pH and CEC in soil samples from individual sub-sample plots at Jones Farm. R2 value shows the strength of the relationship. FieldGreenhouse R 2 = R 2 = Works Cited Petersen, J.E Methods for analyzing aquatic ecosystems, unpublished.