The Effects of Land Utilization On Soil Physical Properties In White County Illinois.

Soil samples collected from White County Illinois have been evaluated for the effects of land utilization on soil physical properties. The study sites include (A) a corn, soybean rotation with secondary tillage for twenty plus years, (B) a sod/fallowed land for ten to fifteen years with prior pasture use, (C) an urban developed/disturbed soil horizon, (D) a corn, soybean, wheat rotation with secondary tillage for twenty years with the last five years having a corn, soybean, tobacco rotation with primary tillage every other year including the utilization of the mold board plow, and secondary tillage every year, (E) a corn, soybean rotation with primary tillage on a three year interval and secondary tillage every year, and (F) a forested land with an age over fifty years. Organic matter, bulk density, aggregate stability, and water infiltration were determined from soil depths of 0-7.5 cm, 7.5-15 cm, and 15-22.5 cm. The results of this study show that different land utilization changed soil properties at various magnitudes. Forested soil, as it is naturally occurring in this region, had higher retention of organic matter than those under regular cropping rotations and those influenced of urbanization. As a result of the elevated organic matter within this soil, there is a presence of other favorable characteristics such as high porosity, high aggregate stability, and high water infiltration. In conclusion, an undisturbed ecosystem possesses a better physical medium for plant growth compared to the land under urban development and the use of the primal mold board plow.