In This Section |
Soil
Management:
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| Author: | OMAFRA Staff |
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| Creation Date: | 15 January 2007 |
| Last Reviewed: | 15 January 2007 |
Often for any soil management problem, there are several best management practices to choose from or to use in combination.
In this section, best management practices are presented in more detail, in alphabetical order by subject, with a list of sources where you can find more information.
Buffer strips are permanent grass borders on field boundaries or along watercourses that help reduce soil input into streams.
Buffer strips can:
act
as filters to slow water and catch soil particlesBuffer strips have a place beside every watercourse or ditch, to stabilize the bank and reduce erosion. A 3-6 metre strip doesn't take much land out of production on the average farm.
For more information on design, grass species, and management, see Best Management Practices books, Farm Forestry and Habitat Management, Field Crop Production and Buffer Strips.
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Cover crops are crops grown to protect the soil when a crop isn't normally growing. Cover crops:
Many plant species are used as cover crops. When selecting a cover crop, keep in mind:
Legumes
such as clover are valuable as cover crops, due to the nitrogen they
produce and the different root structure. However, you must consider
the control measures you'll need for these.
See Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food factsheet, Cover Crops in Conservation Farming, Agdex 537. See also Best Management Practices books, Horticultural Crops and Field Crop Production.
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Crop rotation involves alternating forage or cereal crops with row crops. The forage or cereal crops are solid-seeded, while the row crops leave the soil exposed for much of the year and return little residue to the soil.
The forage and cereal crops have root systems that improve soil structure and return organic matter to the soil. Some of these crops also overwinter, providing valuable cover during the late winter and spring when erosion potential is greatest.
For more information, see Best Management Practices books, Field Crop Production and Horticultural Crops, and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Publication 811, Agronomy Guide for Field Crops.
Some soils in Ontario are naturally low lying or have high water tables and need drainage. Drainage benefits your crops and adds value to agricultural land.
Land can be drained in many ways. Talk to an experienced, licensed drainage contractor for cost-effective drainage options for your fields.
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Erosion control structures are measures taken to help control surface runoff to reduce soil erosion. These include:
These structures are usually used in combination with cultural techniques and conservation tillage systems to reduce water erosion.
Some of these structures require engineering. Consult your local Conservation Authority (see the white pages of your telephone directory) or Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food office (see the blue pages).
The
rock placed around the culvert helps to stabilize the ditchbank and
prevent the swirling action of water from eroding the field edge.
Refer to the Best Management Practices book, Field Crop Production, "Non-tillage Options". See also these three Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food factsheets:
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Green manure crops are short-term cover crops used to cover and protect the soil between crops, particularly after short-season crops such as peas.
Green manure crops are grown for the plant material produced, which can then be returned to the soil to maintain soil organic matter levels - an excellent source of foodstuff for soil life.
See Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs factsheet, Cover Crops in Conservation Farming, Agdex 537. See also Best Management Practices books, Horticultural Crops and Field Crop Production.
Irrigation is the practice of adding water to moisture-deficient soils to improve production.
Adequate moisture reduces crop stress and prevents disease. Over irrigation can lead to nutrient leaching and increased disease. You need to strike the right balance when planning an irrigation program.
Irrigation must be applied properly to be cost-effective and prevent harm to the environment:
There
are many types of irrigation systems. The main ones are sprinkler,
trickle, surface, or subirrigation. The most common ones used in Ontario
are trickle (drip) or sprinkler (overhead). The type you choose will
depend on the method of application, land slope, and crop to irrigate.
New irrigation technology (e.g. trickle) is more efficient, placing the moisture close to roots and reducing evaporation losses.
For more information, see Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food factsheets:
Irrigation Management, a Best Management Practices book, provides a full review of systems, scheduling information, and handy tips.
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The proper application of livestock manure can benefit soil by:
However, livestock manure must be handled properly to prevent pollution and loss and to ensure the greatest economic benefit.
For more information, see Best Management Practices books, Livestock and Poultry Waste Management and Nutrient Management. See also Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food factsheets:
Materials such as compost, cannery waste, sewage sludge, and other
organic wastes can help to build and maintain soil structure.
A word of caution though - if you plan to use materials from off farm sources you'll need an organic soil conditioning permit from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy
It's also wise to ensure that you know what is actually in the material. Some materials may contain contaminants that are harmful to plant or soil life.
Cannery waste such as apple pomace can help to improve soil structure by adding organic matter and a food source for soil life.
See the Best Management Practices book, Nutrient Management. Also contact your local office of Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy (see the blue pages of your telephone directory).
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Reduced tillage covers a wide range in tillage systems, including no-till, ridge-till, and reduced tillage forms like chisel plowing or "soil saving". These systems leave residue cover on the soil surface and help to:
Many management changes are required to make these systems work. For more information, see the Best Management Practices book, Field Crop Production.
Increasing the levels of crop residues left on the soil surface will:
Residue protects the soil in two ways:
Residue cover moderates soil temperature and encourages higher earthworm populations, which benefit the soil structure.
For more information on residue management, see the Best Management Practices book, Field Crop Production.
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Strip cropping is the practice of alternating strip widths of row crops with forages or cereal crops. There are four kinds of strip cropping:
The method you choose depends on the:
Strip
cropping is a highly effective way to reduce or prevent erosion. The
alternating strips of forage or cereal crops cover the soil and slow
water movement across the field.
See the Best Management Practices booklet, Field Crop Production; also the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs factsheet, Strip Cropping for Water Erosion Control, Agdex 573.
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Soils shouldn't be worked in the spring until the soil moisture conditions drop below the "lower plastic limit". This is the minimum moisture point at which soils begin to puddle and the maximum point at which soils are friable. Take the time to check soil moisture levels to the depth of tillage.
Besides the method described in the caption below, there is the "golf ball" test, where the soil is formed into a ball and tossed from hand to hand (a better method for medium- to coarse-textured soils). If the ball remains intact, the soil is considered unfit for tillage.
Working wet soil damages the soil. Smearing and compaction often result. Large lumps of soil that form during the first pass are often difficult to break down with subsequent tillage. A large number of tillage passes may be required to prepare the seedbed, which may still not provide enough seed-to-soil contact.
For silt loams and loams, a shallow tillage pass early in spring will encourage soil surface layers to dry out more quickly. This must be done with care to prevent compaction.
Finer-textured soils, such as clays and clay loams, should be allowed to dry out on their own before beginning spring tillage.
Coarse-textured soils are prone to wind erosion and excessive moisture loss: timely tillage will reduce the impact of this.
Waiting until proper soil moisture conditions occur can prevent long-lasting damage. If the soil is too wet, one tillage pass can significantly damage the soil structure.
It takes years to build good soil structure. Remember, be patient - it pays.
One way to determine soil moisture is to roll some soil between the hands. If a continuous roll or "worm" is formed, then the soil is too wet to till. If the soil produces friable crumbs when rolled in this fashion, then the ground is ready to work.
What do you think: are these two fields ready to be worked?
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Wind abatement systems are used with horticultural crops to protect tender plants. The practice includes using strips of cereal crops between beds or rows of crop. These strips slow wind and soil movement. Cereal strips can also reduce pest damage, and improve soil and air temperatures in the early spring.
There are various systems in use. For more information, see the Best Management Practices book, Horticultural Crops.
Grass
wind strips are flexible and can be adapted to most cropping systems.
Grass strips are particularly useful in areas where high land values
discourage the use of tree windbreaks.
Tree windbreaks can reduce wind damage and improve the production of crops and livestock. During early growth, holes in the windbreak should be replanted to prevent problems.
Planting trees in strategic areas on the farm will benefit crop production, because trees act as barriers to the wind, thereby:
For more information, see the Best Management Practices book, Farm Forestry and Habitat Management.
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