C-FARM: Midwest

Crop of soybean under no-tillage practice in Delaware county. Photo by Yadunath Bajgai

By Yadunath Bajgai

Soil sampling tasks for C-FARM project in 2024 continued until early July. Apart from a few sites in Pickaway and Wyandot counties, most of the sampling this year were done in Delaware and Coshocton counties. The soil series covered are Blount, Warsaw, Pewamo, Eldean, Spinks, Gilpin and Coshocton. Soil samples were collected by a team of researchers led by Dr. Scott Demyan and supported by Alex Ogg and Yadunath Bajgai. Dr. Klaus Lorenz and Dr. Vairton Radmann have been kind enough to join the sampling team for several days. 

Coarse fractions of the soil samples drastically vary among sites and soil series. These differences influence the effective soil bulk density which could be used for calculation of soil carbon stock. Photo by Yadunath Bajgai Main cultivated land sampled were in corn-soybean rotation or corn-corn under no-till, minimum till and plow till practices. Wherever available, adjacent forests and meadows were sampled to make a comparison. Both core samples and bulk samples were collected as per C-FARM sampling protocol. Soil samples are being processed and undergoing or will soon under laboratory analyses. Core samples are used for determination of bulk density, water-holding capacity and hydraulic properties of the soil samples. Dr Noor Us Sabah is currently analyzing soil samples to determine particle size distribution of C-FARM samples. Apart from the chemical properties, soil aggregates stability, and strength, porosity, particle density are also being analyzed in the laboratory to decipher the effect on land management.