Organic Matter and Infiltration Rate Differences in CRP and Conventional Till.

The Clermont, Jonesboro, and Westboro-Schaffer soil series are found widely across Southwestern Ohio. These soils are deep, poorly drained, and formed from Loess with underlying Illinoian glacial till. These soils are highly prone to compaction which causes excessive runoff and can lead to environmental issues. These soils are important to the region because they contribute to more than 292,000 acres of cropland. These soils are low in organic matter due to continuous conventional farming practices. We compared conventional till versus 22 years of continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) looking at organic matter and organic carbon at different depths. The conventional till is in a 2 year no-till soybean (Glycine max) and 1 year corn (Zea maze) rotation and the CRP is Big Bluestem (Anderopogon gerardii). We evaluated the accumulation of organic matter content in the CRP versus the conventional till. Grasslands build up soil fertility and increase infiltration due to the root bio mass built up by continuous grass land. It is not fully understood at what rate soil organic matter can increase in these poorly drained soils. We also looked at infiltration rates on the CRP versus conventional till. We hypothesize that continuous CRP builds up organic matter and organic carbon over time while conventional till will have the opposite result. Also that infiltration rates in conventional till will be much slower than CRP.