Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time

Integrated crop-livestock systems can have subtle effects on soil quality over time, particularly in semiarid regions where soil responses to management occur slowly. We tested if analyzing temporal trajectories of soils could detect trends in soil quality data which were not detected using traditio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: J. Ryschawy, M. A. Liebig, S. L. Kronberg, D. W. Archer, J. R. Hendrickson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3597416
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832564281323814912
author J. Ryschawy
M. A. Liebig
S. L. Kronberg
D. W. Archer
J. R. Hendrickson
author_facet J. Ryschawy
M. A. Liebig
S. L. Kronberg
D. W. Archer
J. R. Hendrickson
author_sort J. Ryschawy
collection DOAJ
description Integrated crop-livestock systems can have subtle effects on soil quality over time, particularly in semiarid regions where soil responses to management occur slowly. We tested if analyzing temporal trajectories of soils could detect trends in soil quality data which were not detected using traditional statistical and index approaches. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to assess the evolution in ten soil properties at three sampling times within two production systems (annually cropped, perennial grass). Principal component 1 explained 33% of the total variance of the complete dataset and corresponded to gradients in extractable N, available P, and C : N ratio. Principal component 2 explained 25.4% of the variability and corresponded to gradients of soil pH, soil organic C, and total N. While previous analyses found no differences in Soil Quality Index (SQI) scores between production systems, annually cropped treatments and perennial grasslands were clearly distinguished by cluster analysis. Cluster analysis also identified greater dispersion between plots over time, suggesting an evolution in soil condition in response to management. Accordingly, multivariate statistical techniques serve as a valuable tool for analyzing data where responses to management are subtle or anticipated to occur slowly.
format Article
id doaj-art-9a9113f819a940e39885c7f7c2349f8a
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-7667
1687-7675
language English
publishDate 2017-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Applied and Environmental Soil Science
spelling doaj-art-9a9113f819a940e39885c7f7c2349f8a2025-02-03T01:11:27ZengWileyApplied and Environmental Soil Science1687-76671687-76752017-01-01201710.1155/2017/35974163597416Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over TimeJ. Ryschawy0M. A. Liebig1S. L. Kronberg2D. W. Archer3J. R. Hendrickson4Université de Toulouse, INRA, INP-ENSAT, UMR 1248 AGIR, 31324 Castanet-Tolosan, FranceUSDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554-0459, USAUSDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554-0459, USAUSDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554-0459, USAUSDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554-0459, USAIntegrated crop-livestock systems can have subtle effects on soil quality over time, particularly in semiarid regions where soil responses to management occur slowly. We tested if analyzing temporal trajectories of soils could detect trends in soil quality data which were not detected using traditional statistical and index approaches. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to assess the evolution in ten soil properties at three sampling times within two production systems (annually cropped, perennial grass). Principal component 1 explained 33% of the total variance of the complete dataset and corresponded to gradients in extractable N, available P, and C : N ratio. Principal component 2 explained 25.4% of the variability and corresponded to gradients of soil pH, soil organic C, and total N. While previous analyses found no differences in Soil Quality Index (SQI) scores between production systems, annually cropped treatments and perennial grasslands were clearly distinguished by cluster analysis. Cluster analysis also identified greater dispersion between plots over time, suggesting an evolution in soil condition in response to management. Accordingly, multivariate statistical techniques serve as a valuable tool for analyzing data where responses to management are subtle or anticipated to occur slowly.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3597416
spellingShingle J. Ryschawy
M. A. Liebig
S. L. Kronberg
D. W. Archer
J. R. Hendrickson
Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
Applied and Environmental Soil Science
title Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
title_full Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
title_fullStr Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
title_full_unstemmed Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
title_short Integrated Crop-Livestock Management Effects on Soil Quality Dynamics in a Semiarid Region: A Typology of Soil Change Over Time
title_sort integrated crop livestock management effects on soil quality dynamics in a semiarid region a typology of soil change over time
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3597416
work_keys_str_mv AT jryschawy integratedcroplivestockmanagementeffectsonsoilqualitydynamicsinasemiaridregionatypologyofsoilchangeovertime
AT maliebig integratedcroplivestockmanagementeffectsonsoilqualitydynamicsinasemiaridregionatypologyofsoilchangeovertime
AT slkronberg integratedcroplivestockmanagementeffectsonsoilqualitydynamicsinasemiaridregionatypologyofsoilchangeovertime
AT dwarcher integratedcroplivestockmanagementeffectsonsoilqualitydynamicsinasemiaridregionatypologyofsoilchangeovertime
AT jrhendrickson integratedcroplivestockmanagementeffectsonsoilqualitydynamicsinasemiaridregionatypologyofsoilchangeovertime