Physical and Chemical Parameters of Common Soils in the Central Plateau Region of Haiti

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dc.contributor.authorStewart, Ryan E.en
dc.contributor.committeechairThomason, Wade E.en
dc.contributor.committeememberMulvaney, Michael J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberHodges, Steven C.en
dc.contributor.departmentCrop and Soil Environmental Sciencesen
dc.coverage.countryHaitien
dc.coverage.spatialThe Central Plateau Regionen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:35:02Zen
dc.date.adate2012-05-23en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:35:02Zen
dc.date.issued2012-04-20en
dc.date.rdate2012-05-23en
dc.date.sdate2012-05-04en
dc.description.abstractSoil degradation is a common occurrence in Haiti that is mainly caused by the cultivation of marginal lands and deforestation, which both contribute to the excessive erosion rate seen in the country today. The Central Plateau of Haiti is a mountainous region in which a majority of the population is rural and practices subsistence agriculture on hillsides and steeply-sloping land. Essential plant nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), are commonly a limiting factor in crop production, yet fertilizer is unavailable or is too expensive for smallholder farmers to purchase. This study was conducted to a) evaluate organic matter and nutrient stocks of various soils in the Central Plateau region, along with other chemical and physical characteristics and b) to evaluate the phosphorus-scavenging ability of commonly-grown crops to isolate those that may benefit subsequent smallholder yields. Soils from four locations in the Central Plateau were assessed for organic matter in labile and non-labile fractions as well as for cation exchange capacity (CEC), total organic carbon (C) and N, pH, texture, and other characteristics. Results indicated that most of the soil (92%) was contained within aggregates, and organic matter was mainly present in stable, slowly-decomposing fractions. Seven species were evaluated in a controlled-environment pot experiment for bulk and rhizosphere soil P and pH, plant dry weight, and above- and below-ground P tissue content as indicators of the species' ability to solubilize P from the soil. Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC) produced the most biomass and was able to take up the most P, though lablab (Lablab purpureous (L.) Sweet), took up comparable amounts of P.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.description.notesLTRA-6 (A CAPS program for the Central Plateau of Haiti)en
dc.identifier6989en
dc.identifier.otheretd-05042012-152635en
dc.identifier.other6989_Stewart_RE_T_2012.pdfen
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05042012-152635/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/32199en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartStewart_RE_T_2012.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectorganic matter fractionsen
dc.subjectPhosphorusen
dc.subjectHaitien
dc.subjectCentral Plateau Regionen
dc.subjectrhizosphereen
dc.subjectSoil degradationen
dc.subjectSubsistence productionen
dc.subjectSoil organic matteren
dc.subjectSoilen
dc.subjectSoil fertilityen
dc.subjectPhosphorous uptakeen
dc.subjectCation exchange capacity (CEC)en
dc.subjectBiomassen
dc.subjectField Scaleen
dc.titlePhysical and Chemical Parameters of Common Soils in the Central Plateau Region of Haitien
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineCrop and Soil Environmental Sciencesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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