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An Assessment of Soil Health and Productivity in Urban Gardens

Reeves, Jennifer E.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354207218

Abstract Details

2012, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environmental Science.
Expanding production is one strategy for increasing access to key foodstuffs in distressed neighborhoods. This study investigated urban soil health via nematode food web analysis and crop productivity via tomato fruit yield in urban gardens in Cleveland, Ohio, USA over two years. Results for the comparing community and market garden types indicate that the market gardens had significantly more soil organic matter (SOM) in 2011 and 2012; the market gardens in 2011 also had greater NH4+, NO3-, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN). In 2012 only the MBN was significantly greater in market gardens compared to community gardens. In 2011, the nematode food web analysis showed a greater numbers of total nematodes, bacterivores, plant parasitic nematodes, and omnivores in market gardens than the community gardens. In 2012, market gardens again had significantly more total nematodes, nematode genera, bacterivore and plant parasitic nematode trophic groups. Despite the greater SOM, N pools, and soil community presence in market gardens, there was no significant difference in the total yield of tomatoes/m2 produced in either year between the garden types. Results for comparing raised bed and flat bed production systems indicate that gardens with raised beds also had significantly more soil moisture content in both 2011 and 2012 as well as SOM in both 2011 and 2012. N pool comparison showed gardens with flat beds having higher NH4+ in 2011, but gardens with raised beds having higher NH4+ and MBN in 2012. However, in 2011, gardens with raised beds had greater numbers of total nematodes, bacterivores, plant parasitic nematodes, and omnivores as well as a higher MI, combined MI and SI while gardens with flat beds had greater numbers of fungal feeders and a higher EI. In 2012, only the gardens with raised beds had greater numbers of total nematodes and bacterivores; the gardens with flat beds had a higher CI. There was no significant difference in the total yield of tomatoes/m2 produced in either year between the production systems. In 2012, Celebrity tomatoes were planted in all gardens and their growth was monitored in addition to the fruit yield. The community garden plants had a significantly greater plant surface area, leaf surface area and leaf dry weight ratio than the market garden plants while the gardens with raised beds had greater plant height, plant surface area and leaf surface area than gardens with flat beds, which had greater leaf dry weight ratios than the gardens with raised beds. While some of the variation in results from 2011 to 2012 was likely due to drastic differences in the weather between these years, there was still a trend for market gardens and gardens with raised beds to have more ideal soil conditions for growing vegetable crops in urban gardening systems. It is likely that none of the gardens were nutrient limited and therefore had similar tomato fruit yields, between 1.47 and 15.72 kg/m2, which is comparable to national average yields in agroecosystems.
Parwinder Grewal, Dr. (Advisor)
Matthew Kleinhenz, Dr. (Committee Member)
Joseph Kovach, Dr. (Committee Member)
Environmental Science
urban; agriculture; gardens; soil; health; nematode; food web; Celebrity; tomato; sustainable; productivity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Reeves, J. E. (2012). An Assessment of Soil Health and Productivity in Urban Gardens [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354207218

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Reeves, Jennifer. An Assessment of Soil Health and Productivity in Urban Gardens. 2012. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354207218.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Reeves, Jennifer. "An Assessment of Soil Health and Productivity in Urban Gardens." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354207218

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.