A comparison of soil pH and temperature at the UBC Farm

Abstract

Both soil pH and soil temperature have a strong impact on biochemical properties of soil and plant growth. The objective of this study is soil pH and temperature between forest and production fields at the UBC Farm. I measured pH and temperature at a depth of 10cm at random coordinates in each the forest and farm areas, sampling on two separate days due to time constraints. Forest soil (M = 4.70 ±0.18) was significantly more acidic than production area soil (M = 6.35 ±0.24). On day one, there was not a significant difference between the forest soil temperature (M = 8.63 ±0.38℃) and farm soil temperature (M = 8.72 ±0.58℃). However, on day two, the forest soil (M = 7.03 ±0.46℃) was significantly warmer than the production area soil (M = 5.93 ±0.31℃). There was also a significant interaction between location and day. The acidifying effect of coniferous tree species in the UBC Farm forest likely had an acidifying effect on the soil, and forest litter likely acted as a thermal insulator, keeping the forest soil warmer.