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Environmental Impacts of Agriculture > 5 - Soil Health (Guest Speaker) > Flashcards

5 - Soil Health (Guest Speaker) Flashcards

1
Q

Why should we build soil resistance?

A
  • Absorb precipitation and hold moisture
  • Allow for improved crop growth
  • Resist surface crusting and erosion
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2
Q

What are the 5 principles of Soil Health?

A
  1. Integrate Livestock
  2. Keep Soil Covered
  3. Keep living Roots/Plants in the Soil
  4. Maintain Plant Diversity
  5. Minimize Soil Disturbance
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3
Q

Leaving crop residue on soil surface helps protect from what five things?

A
  • Erosion
  • Evaporation
  • Heating
  • Surface Crusting
  • Weed Growth
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4
Q

What are the 3 main ways of minimizing Soil Disturbance?

A
  • Building SOM to improve structure
  • Reducing tillage
  • Use of Rotational grazing management
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5
Q

Tillage Erosion makes soil more susceptible to ________ and _________ erosion, ___________, and decreases ______________.

A

wind, water, crusting, infiltration rates

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6
Q

Tillage increases rate of _______________ loss.

A

Organic Matter

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7
Q

Soil Structure has a major influence on four points, what are they?

A
  1. Biological Activity
  2. Root Growth
  3. Seedling Emergence
  4. Water Movement
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8
Q

Soil Aggregation decreases the risk of erosion and is the #1 natural defence against __________________.

A

compaction

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9
Q

What are Root Channels also known as?

A

Biopores

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10
Q

How does tillage influence soil structure?

A

Tillage breaks up the path of root channels made by previous crops.

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11
Q

Tillage __________ large soil pores created by roots.

A

shears off

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12
Q

Heavily compacted areas can have increased ______________ problems.

A

salinity

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13
Q

True or False: Tillage can cause soil compaction.

A

True

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14
Q

What do heavy clay soils rely on?

A

Structure, for water movement

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15
Q

In the 1870 Wadsworth Wagon Trail, there was a ______% reduction in air and water permeability, and a ____% increase in bulk density.

A

50% and 10%

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16
Q

Plant Diversity has what two major positive influences?

A
  • Maintaining a diverse crop rotation
  • Introducing intercrops in the rotation
17
Q

What does a diverse crop rotation involves?

A

Rotating between root systems, residue amount, water usage, and legume / non-legumes.

18
Q

Maintaining living Plants / Roots have what two major influences on soil health?

A
  • Add perennial forages into annual rotations
  • Cover crops to extend growing season
19
Q

How does perennial forages into annual rotations maintain living plants / roots?

A
  • Eliminates tillage during forage years
  • Perennial legumes can provide N to future annual crops
20
Q

How do cover crops maintain living plants/roots?

A
  • Decrease susceptibility to compaction
  • Improve soil structure
  • Provide fall cover to decrease erosion
  • Target saline areas
  • Use up extra water in the fall
21
Q

Cover Crops provide soil erosion protection in fall, does the benefit outweigh the risk?

A

May become especially important as Manitoba increases our acreage of low residue crops, such as soybeans and peas.

22
Q

In what four ways does Livestock Integration improve soil health?

A
  • Grazing crop residue
  • Manage weed pressure
  • Recycle nutrients through manure deposition
  • Reduce nutrient export from fields
23
Q

SOM and Aggregate Stability are influence by which three topics?

A
  • Biological
  • Chemical
  • Physical
24
Q

Soil Health testing compares between similar ____________

A

soil types

25
Q

What can Traditional Soil Testings tell you?

A
  • Nutrient Supply
  • SOM
  • Salinity
  • pH
26
Q

The Soil Health Institute Endorsement targets what two key processes?

A
  • Carbon Mineralization
  • Nitrogen Mineralization
27
Q

A good Soil Health Testing needs to _________________ and be ______________.

A

identify treatment differences, stable over time

28
Q

Other methods of soil health testing (in field) can involve:

A
  • Counting earthworms
  • Observing Soil Structure
  • Smelling the soil

Environmental Impacts of Agriculture (9 decks)

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