Monday, November 5, 2007
19-1

Evaluating the Physical and Chemical Properties of Soils under Cogongrass.

Latasha Lyte, Tresia Walters, and Oghenekome Onokpise. Florida A&M Univ., Florida A&M University, Room 303 S Perry Paige, Tallahassee, FL 32307

Cogongrass was introduced to the United States by way of Alabama in 1912. In the 1920's it made its way to Mississippi and Florida. It is a weed in 73 countries and six continents. This is a C4 grass that generally grows to 0.15m in heavy clay soils, and 0.4m in sandy soil. However it grows better in acidic soils (pH 4.7). This invasive grass species can grow in rich or poor soil. Soil requirements generally occur on light –textured acid soils with a clay subsoil, but it can tolerate a wide range of soils from strongly acidic to slightly alkaline with a pH of 4.0-7.5, even though germination is promoted by a pH of less than 5.0. However, very little information exists for fully identifying soil properties in cogongrass ecosystems. Soil samples were collected from different sites in Leon County and evaluated for moisture content, organic matter content, pH, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, P, and Zn. Preliminary results indicate that there is a wide range of variation in both soil physical and chemical properties regardless of the site where cogongrass is found. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical and physical properties of soils in cogongrass ecosystems of Leon County, North Florida.