Soil Changes Resulting from Cropping

Abstract

Abstract The need to document further the changes in soil properties from various cropping systems and the uniqueness of a long‐time cultivated field adjacent to buffalograss ( Buchloe dactyloides ) pasture prompted us to evaluate soil‐property changes of a Keith silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, mesic, Aridic Argiustolls), characteristic of that pasture and field. In the fall of 1973, we broke the sod of the buffalograss pasture for analysis. Soil samples were obtained from the pasture (newly broken sod) and the adjacent cultivated field. The wet aggregates from the pasture were stabler as compared with the cultivated field for both flash and vacuum wetting. However, the dry aggregates from the cultivated field were slightly stabler than those from the pasture. The average clod densities were 1.7 and 1.3 g cm ‐3 from the tilled and pasture soils, respectively. The pasture soil was also much more permeable. The constant infiltration rate (after 6 hours of infiltration) averaged 0.95 and 0.13 cm hr ‐1 for pasture and cultivated soils, respectively. Because of the general deterioration of many of the physical properties of its soil, the cultivated field will require special management consideration.