Soil Characteristics of a Permaculture Orchard in Western Kentucky.

Permaculture is the development of land use systems that are permanently sustainable and self-sufficient. Addressing conservation issues such as diminishing natural resources and changing environmental conditions, permaculture allows for adaptive and innovative methods of mixed and varied production for locally-grown horticulture. Our research consists of two stages. Stage one is to determine soil characteristics of a permaculture ecosystem. Stage two is to relate soil characteristics to measures of plant growth and productivity. We are currently in stage one. Sampling and analysis started in the fall of 2016 and continue through summer of 2017. In stage one, we are determining soil characteristics, such as water holding capacity (WHC), water content at field capacity (FC), soil organic matter (SOM), soil compaction (SC), and soil pH. The soil samples were collected from a vineyard, vegetable garden, blueberry patch, a black walnut and pecan mixed pasture, mixed fruit orchard, a control turf site, edible bamboo stand, and a hardy kiwi plot. In the fall of 2016, WHC of the sampled plots ranged from 57 to 87%, with FC ranging from 57 to 68%. Soil organic matter content ranged from 6 to 10%. Soil pH ranged from 4.9 to 7, with high variability found between plots. Soil compaction ranged from 15 to 225 PSI, with high variability observed between plots and sampling depths. Repeated measures, analysis, and interpretations will be discussed in the poster.