Browsing by Subject "Soil conservation"
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Item A ridge and clod wind erosion model(Texas Tech University, 1986-12) Arika, Caleb NyaangaTillage to create a cloddy, ridged soil surface in areas lacking residue or any form of vegetation cover, has been determined to be an effective method for wind erosion control. Emergency tillage during a dry, windy period creates a rough soil surface which helps reduce soil blowing until vegetative cover can be established or other more permanent control practices are adopted. A wind tunnel study on clods and ridges showed clods to be a more effective wind erosion control method than ridges. This points out the need for inclusion of clod cover as a separate and important factor in studies on wind erosion mechanics, erosion control, and estimates of^soil loss with equations such as the current USDA wind erosion equation. The data from this study verified a new erosion model under development at Texas Tech University. A conflict between the two literature reviewed was explained.Item A welfare evaluation of post-Conservation Reserve Program alternatives(Texas Tech University, 1993-12) Johnson, Phillip N.The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a long-term (10 year) cropland retirement program with natural resource, conservation, and farm income support goals. CRP enrollment totals 36.53 million acres nationally. Texas enrollment totals 4.12 million acres, with 3.12 million acres in the Texas High Plains Region (THPR). Future policy regarding CRP lands will impact CRP land owners, the federal budget, environmental quality, and soil erosion levels. The effect of post-CRP policy on environmental quality and soil erosion should be considered along with the net governmental costs and land owner benefits in determining the appropriate policy toward CRP lands when the current contracts expire. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of specified post-CRP policy alternatives by combining the interest of agricultural producers, land owners, consumers, and environmental quality in a welfare economics framework. The study area chosen for this study was Hale County, Texas. Hale County is located in the central part of the THPR. CRP enrollment in Hale County totals 99,161 acres with an average annual rental rate of $40 per acre. The reduction in crop base acres totaled 91,230 acres for corn, cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat.Item An outline on teaching soil and water conservation in vocational agriculture(Texas Tech University, 1950-08) Toland, Tommy H.The soil is one of our greatest and most important natural resources. Industrial, laboring, and professional people as well as the farmer all have a groat stake in the county*a land. Today they are all much concerned about Americans productive soil and water resources because they realize they are the bases of our wealth.Item Land application of combined sludge and secondary effluent(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Brooks, Wade AllenThe effect of sewage sludge on soil, plant tissue, infiltration of the soil, and total biomass producation was studied. The crops grown for the project were alfalfa, wheat, and sorghum. For alfalfa the application rates were 0, 17.9, and 35.9 mt/ha (0, 8, and 16 ton/acre). There were two plots of wheat and sorghum, one had raw sludge applied and the other had lime-stabilized sludge applied. The application rates for the raw sludge plots were 0, 9.0, 17.9, 26.9, and 35.9 mtOia (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 ton/acre). The application rates for the lime-stabilized plots were 0, 9.0, 17.9, and 26.9 mt/ha (0, 4, 8, and 12 ton/acre). The was an accumulation of metals in the soil but with the pH^S.O the metals should be relatively immobile. The plant tissue showed an increase in micronutrients for the project. Infiltration and total biomass production did not increase significantly with an increase in application rate. In the next year or two years the total biomass production should begin to increase, because the organic nitrogen should be converted to ammonium nitrogen by soil bacteria.Item Management system effects on water infiltration and soil physical properties(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Halfmann, Deanna M.; Zobeck, Ted M.; Zartman, Richard E.; Ramsey, Ralph H.Soil and water conservation are important issues on the Southern High Plains because of limited rainfall and windy conditions. Alternative management styles of ranching and farming may help conserve our natural resources by allowing for increased water infiltration and improving soil physical properties. The management system effects on water infiltration and soil physical properties were analyzed at two locations. A clay loam soil consisting of an integrated livestock-cropping system was analyzed near New Deal, TX. No-till dryland and irrigated cotton systems, a conventional tillage dryland cotton system, CRP, and native range were analyzed on a loamy fine sand near Wellman, TX. The testing methods included soil bulk density, soil moisture, soil penetration resistance, double-ring infiltrometers to measure water infiltration rates under saturated conditions at both sites, and tension infiltrometers to measure unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at the Wellman site. The results at New Deal indicated that the penetration resistance and bulk density are associated by depth, not management system. The penetration resistance increased with each depth, reached its maximum value at the 15 cm depth, then lowered slightly at 20 cm and remained fairly constant throughout the bottom 20 to 30 cm depth. The bulk density increased though the top 15 cm depths, and then lowered through the 15 to 30 cm depth. The water infiltration rates seemed to be independent of the penetration resistance and bulk density because the management systems with the highest resistance and bulk densities did not have the lowest infiltration rates. At the Wellman site, a trend seemed to develop among cropping systems. The native range had the lowest penetration resistance and bulk density, and the highest infiltration rate under saturated conditions. The conventional tillage dryland cotton system had the highest penetration resistance and bulk density, and the lowest infiltration rate under saturated conditions. The no-till and CRP systems seemed to fall in the middle tier for penetration resistance, bulk density, and infiltration rates. The no-till irrigated cotton and CRP systems were more comparable to the native range, while the no-till dryland cotton system was more comparable to the conventional tillage dryland cotton system.Item The effect of cropping and erosion on the control of organic matter in certain soil types of West Texas(Texas Tech University, 1949-08) Burnett, EarlNOT AVAILABLEItem Urban growth in Central Texas : soils and single-family home development(2011-08) Fasnacht, Steven Benjamin; Moore, Steven A., 1945-; Dooling, SarahThis study investigates the potential impacts on soils from development practices associated with new single-family residential home construction in the extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Pflugerville, Texas. My research question is: Are regulations that directly focus on soil conservation advisable within Pflugerville’s ETJ, and what areas of development ought to be primarily targeted by these regulations in order to better ensure the long-term stability of soil health and the minimization of soil loss? The rationale for this question is based on the city’s projected future population growth, the projected future demand for single-family residences, as well as the development and management practices typically associated with new single-family residential development in the ETJ of Pflugerville. I hypothesize that due to Pflugerville’s proximity to Austin and Round Rock, in addition to the relative abundance of available land to the east of the city of Pflugerville, that it is likely to continue experiencing sustained population and residential development growth, particularly in the form of new single-family residences in the ETJ. A population projection was conducted up to the year 2030, which in conjunction with average persons-per-household and single-family home permitting data, estimates potential consumer demand for single-family residences. The imperative to prevent soil loss is conceptually linked to ecosystem service benefits resulting from healthy and intact soils, such as improved water quality and the regulation of peak flow rates during storm events. Single-family residential development is evaluated in terms of conventional on-the-ground construction practices gathered from interviews with developers of single-family homes in the Pflugerville ETJ, as well as planning and regulatory specialists. These analyses are intended to inform regulatory and decision making processes regarding the importance and potential integration of soil preservation and conservation at the individual construction site level.