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Soil Gases and Temperatures: A Beef Cattle Feedlot Compared to Alfalfa
Author(s) -
Norstadt Fred A.,
Porter Lynn K.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1984.03615995004800040017x
Subject(s) - feedlot , methane , carbon dioxide , soil gas , chemistry , zoology , environmental science , biogas , growing season , soil test , soil water , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , soil science , agronomy , ecology , geology , biology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Dry wells or caissons were used in an alfalfa field and at two locations in a feedlot pen to insert instrumentation and sampling devices to characterize the soil profiles. Soil gas compositions and temperatures studied for a 9‐yr period were strikingly dissimilar among the three sampling sites, yet each location had certain consistent properties unique to it. Two distinct areal‐wise soil‐zones had developed in the feedlot pen—one anaerobic and one aerobic. Only the anaerobic, feedbunk site produced methane (CH 4 ). High soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and low oxygen (O 2 ) contents were found there and at the pen center. Dinitrogen (N 2 ) content at the feedbunk site was consistently less than in air which was attributed to a positive CO 2 and CH 4 pressure from biological sources. The main effects of location and year interacted with either depth or season for the common gases O 2 , N 2 , and CO 2 at the three caisson sites. The main effects of depth, season, and year on O 2 and CO 2 were separated at the feedbunk site by excluding the other locations from data analysis. A first order interaction of season by year for N 2 and CH 4 showed the dependence of those gases on seasonal temperature change modified by years. A significant influence of the caissons on nearby soil temperature gradients was not detected. There were significant positive correlations between soil gas compositions and temperatures for CO 2 at all locations and for CH 4 at the feedbunk site. Soil N 2 content was negatively correlated with soil temperature at both the feedbunk and center sites. These and other complementary results indicate that anaerobic soil conditions beneath a continuously‐maintained, intact, moist manure pack would minimize possible nitrate nitrogen (NO ‐ 3 ‐N) formation and contamination of soil and groundwater.