SOIL HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF THE NATURALAND TRUST MARIETTA BOTTOMS AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION SITE, MARIETTA, SC

Soil management is essential to agriculture, yet many agricultural soils face significant degradation from factors such as erosion, contamination, and loss of organic matter. Degradation is the result of poor agricultural practices associated with intensive, industrial farming such as tilling, fertilizer and pesticide use, and leaving the soil bare. Regenerative farming methods, such as no till, cover crops, and residue retention, are used to improve soil health as determined by physical, biological, and chemical attributes. The purpose of this study was to assess soil health of Entisols in the 19.8 ha Naturaland Trust Marietta Bottoms Agricultural Demonstration Site in Marietta, SC. Historically, this farmland was degraded by intensive industrial agriculture. Recently, management methods have included cover crops, residue retention, and reduced tillage in order to improve soil health in all the farmed fields. Samples were collected at 71 locations in organic vegetable, conventional corn/soybean fields, and a fallow field. Soils were analyzed for soil health properties, inherent soil properties, soil micro- and macronutrients, and microbial diversity. The concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) were significantly higher in the fallow field (20 mg C/g, 1.4 mg N/g) than for the organic and conventional fields (13 mg C/g, 1.0 mg N/g). Aggregate stability was significantly higher in the fallow field (42%) compared to the organic and conventional fields (30%). SOC was correlated to SON, CEC, Ca, and Mg, but not aggregate stability or other nutrients. The organic field, in general, had the lowest micronutrient concentration. The fallow field had the lowest P and bulk density. Soil color ranged from dark brown to strong brown with very fine, granular texture, and had an average pH of 6.6. The diversity of bacteria and fungi for organic, conventional, and fallow fields was similar. Compared to other Entisol agricultural lands, the Naturaland Trust soils had equal or better soil health. The results suggest leaving a field fallow can significantly improve soil health over time by increasing SOC and that regenerative management practices may also improve soil health. As the fallow and organic fields are new, this research also provides a baseline for future research tracking soil health.