Browsing by Author "Acosta-Martínez, Veronica"
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Item Interactions of soil order and land use management on soil properties in the kukart watershed, kyrgyzstan(2012) Sakbaeva, Zulfiia; Acosta-Martínez, Veronica; Moore-Kucera, Jennifer (TTU); Hudnall, Wayne (TTU); Nuridin, KarabaevSurveys of soil properties related to soil functioning for many regions of Kyrgyzstan are limited. This study established ranges of chemical (soil organic matter (SOM), pH and total N (TN)), physical (soil texture), and biochemical (six enzyme activities of C, N, P, and S cycling) characteristics for nine profiles from the Kukart watershed of Jalal-Abad region in Kyrgyzstan. These profiles represent different soil orders (Inceptisols, Alfisols, and Mollisols) and land uses (cultivated, nut-fruit forests, and pasture). The Sierozem (Inceptisols) soils had the highest pH and contained the lowest SOM and TN contents compared to the Brown, Black-brown, and Meadow-steppe soils (Alfisols and Mollisols). Enzymatic activities within surface horizons (0-18 cm) typically decreased in the following order: forest > pasture > cultivated. Enzyme activity trends due to land use were present regardless of elevation, climate, and soil types although subtle differences among soil types within land use were observed. The significant reductions in measured soil enzyme activities involved in C, N, P, and S nutrient transformations under cultivation compared to pasture and forest ecosystems and lower values under Inceptisols can serve as soil quality indicators for land use decisions in the watershed. © 2012 Zulfiia Sakbaeva et al.Item Soil health within transitions from irrigation to limited irrigation and dryland management(2022) Bhandari, Krishna B. (TTU); Acosta-Martínez, Veronica; Pérez-Guzmán, Lumarie; West, Charles P. (TTU)The decline in groundwater supply in the Texas High Plains is forcing some growers to convert center-pivot irrigated cropland to dryland production. Transitioning toward reduced water input can lead to declines in soil health. We assessed short-term changes in soil health indicators in two transition scenarios: (a) from high irrigation method to low irrigation method (center pivot to subsurface drip) and (b) from high irrigation method to dryland (center pivot to dryland), in comparison to continuous center-pivot management. We monitored changes in chemical and biological indicators in four fields for each transition scenario and in three pivot-irrigated fields. There were declines in soil water content, potassium (K), sodium (Na), and soil organic carbon with transition from irrigation to reduced irrigation and dryland. Severe drought in the final year revealed reduced amounts of multi-enzyme activities, total ester-linked fatty acid methyl ester (EL-FAME), and total fungi. Transitioning to low water-input management in this environment complicates efforts to maintain microbial components of soil health. Longer-term comparisons are needed to detect slow changes in soil health indicators on producers’ fields.