Soil spatial variability and steep pasture management considerations in an acid soil environment
1991
Boyer, D.G. | Wright, R.J. | Feldhake, C.M. | Bligh, D.P.
Management of pastures in steep terrain can be expensive in both time and equipment requirements. Management of those portions of pasture that will yield the most for minimum inputs requires a knowledge of the spatial patterns of the soil and atmospheric environments. A steep 2.4 ha unimproved pasture in southern West Virginia was studied to determine the spatial dependency of aboveground biomass production on soil characteristics. The predominant soil on the study site was Gilpin silt loam (fine-loamy, mixed mesic, Typic Hapludults) with an average A-horizon pH (1:1 H2O) of 4.6 (range 3.8 to 6.1). Three transects were laid out up and down the slope and one transect on the contour for measurement of soil characteristics at a one meter spacing. Plant aboveground biomass was measured at a two meter spacing on three of the slope transects and the contour transect. Although correlation analysis failed to find any strong relationships between biomass production and soil characteristics, cross-semivariogram analyses of biomass production and surface soil pH and extractable Al, Mn, and P indicated that a strong spatial dependency existed. Those relationships were used for identifying homogeneous areas of biomass production and associated soil characteristics by ordinary kriging.
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