The Impact of Tillage Systems on Soil Physical Properties in Bond County, Illinois.

Tillage practices profoundly influence soil physical properties.  Therefore, it is important to investigate a tillage system that sustains soil physical properties required for the ideal environment for crop growth. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the impact of conventional tillage and a tillage rotation on soil properties including organic matter (SOM), water holding capacity (WHC), pH, compaction, and aggregation and (2) to determine if these properties are differently affected by tillage practices in the northern, central, and western portions of Bond County, Illinois. All the values from different tillage practices were compared with the values from woodland areas to see the scaling factor between the disturbed and undisturbed soils. This information is important to observe the level of soil degradation after cultivating the soils.  Soil samples were collected from the depth of 0 to 7.5 cm and 7.5 to 15 cm from three areas and three different sites in Bond County, Illinois.  The samples were analyzed for SOM, WHC, bulk density, aggregate stability and acidity.  All the data was analyzed using one way ANOVA and least of significant difference test at α 5%.  The results show that all the properties were significantly affected by tillage practices, but the magnitude of differences varied among the soil properties.  Further results will be presented in the poster.

Keywords:  Aggregate stability, Bond County, bulk density, soil organic matter, tillage