| As part of an agricultural conversion experiment in Pennsylvania, soil invertebrate ecosystems were compared in three treatments: Low Input System with Livestock (Treatment A), Low Input Cash Grain System (Treatment B), and Conventional Cash Grain System (Treatment C).;High rates of CO;Soil structural analysis showed that vetch incorporation caused an increase of large (8 mm) water stable aggregates in May. Soil aggregate arrays fluctuated most widely in Treatment C, and least in Treatment B. Soil structural stability increased in all plots through the season, and structural profiles were nearly identical for all treatments in November. Infiltration of water was most rapid in Treatment B, and least in Treatment C. Vetch incorporation increased soil moisture content during the spring. No specific interactions of soil aggregate structure and soil biota were detectable in any treatments. |
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