MANAGING SALINE SOILS : CANADIAN PRAIRIES

Transcription

1 MANAGING SALINE SOILS : CANADIAN PRAIRIES by Les Henry February 24, 2010 U of S : Soils & Crops February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 1

2 SNAPSHOT PROBLEM SOILS Acid, Calcareous, True Alkaki Saline, Solonetz Saline Soils - Details Later February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 2

3 PROBLEM SOILS ACID = PH< 6 : Add Lime: P Fert. Scott area SK; Peace R 1/3 of acres CALCAREOUS : High Lime TRUE ALKALI: PH> 8.5 Rare SALINE : Too Much Salt SOLONETZ : All of the Above February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 3

4 SOLONETZ= ALL OF ABOVE Ae=Acid Bnt = Sodic. Structure: deep plough Cca sa - Saline - reduced rooting depth February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 4

5 Available on Sask Ag Website February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 5

6 Saline Soils What Salts - and measurement Basic Mechanism of Salinization Groundwater Flow Mechanisms Reclaiming Saline Soils Managing Saline Soils Precision Farming and Saline Soils February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 6

7 THE SALTS - Solubility 20C HIGHLY SOLUBLE CaCl MgCl MgSO NaCl Na 2 SO Slightly Soluble CaSO 4-2 (Gypsym) Insoluble CaCO (Lime) February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 7

8 Measuring Soil Salinity - in lab Saturated Paste - is gold standard Non Saline 0-2 ms/cm ( or ds/m) OK Slightly Saline 2-4 Sensitive plants affected Moderately Saline 4-8 Most Ccrops affected Severely Saline 8-16 Only tolerant plants survive Very Severely Saline 16+ FORGET IT Many Labs use 1:1 or 1:2 Extract or suspension MAKE SURE YOU INTERPRET THE RIGHT DATA February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 8

9 Wilkie ~ 1980s February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 9

10 SOIL SALINITY IS A WATER PROBLEM * Water Table High - Suction Lift * Evaporation > precipitation February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 10

11 Mechanisms to Maintain High Water Table in Dry Times * Side-Hill Seep * Evaporitic( Bathtub) Ring around sloughs * Artesian Discharge WIND - can also salinize from the top - Old Wives Lake February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 11

12 OLD WIVES LAKE : OCTOBER 1987 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 12

13 Not Fog, Not Smog, Not Vog: Salt From Old Wives Lake February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 13

14 Side Hill Seep - Montana, Alberta, SW Sask Plant Alfalfa Here February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 14

15 Field Studies Dig a little Deeper- Think a little Broader Prof Soloninko Earl Christiansen February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 15

16 Highwood Bench, Fort Benton, Montana Salts still there after many years remediation February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 16

17 Evaporitic ( Bathtub) Ring February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 17

18 Duval Sask. Black is frozen kochia in saline rings around the sloughs Piezometric (pressure) surface of Hatfield Valley Aquifer system is the fundamental cause February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 18

19 EM = 35/24 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 19

20 EM 150/105 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 20

21 Artesian Discharge: Dominant Mechanism in Sask. Flowing Wells Common February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 21

22 University of Saskatchewan : Goodale Farm February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 22

23 RECLAIMING SALINE SOILS Kelley,W.P The reclamation of alkali soils. Calif. Ag Exten Bull #717. * Ca + Mg Salts - Drain + Leach * Na Salts - Saline-Sodic Add gypsum, drain and leach February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 23

24 RECLAIMING SALINE SOILS 1. Drainage 2. Leaching 3. See 1 PLUS 2 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 24

25 HARD WATER MAKES SOFT LAND SOFT WATER MAKES HARD LAND *Most of our saline soils have hard salts so gypsum is not required. * If we have hard water aquifer can use that water to leach February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 25

26 Tile Drainage Alone = No Solution February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 26

27 Leaching Alone Looks Good Short Term BUT?? February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 27

28 Water Table: Soon at Soil Surface February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 28

29 Outlook : CSIDC; Terry Hogg, Laurie Tollefson Drainage + Leaching = Long Term Solution February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 29

30 MANAGING SALINE LAND: SELL IT IN THE WINTER TIME February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 30

31 MANAGING SALINE LAND: Crop Rotation - Avoid Summerfallow Crop Selection Barley, Canola most tolerant Pea, Bean least tolerant Forages - Now have AC Saltlander AAFC Swift Current Current -Salt Tolerance Testing Facility:Harold Steppuhn Durum & Soft Wheat > CPS and CWRS YEAR A BIG FACTOR : RAIN IN MAY - SALTS GO AWAY February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 31

32 Alfalfa and the Water Table Paul Brown USDA Montana 1970s-1980s February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 32

33 Fast Forward : 2007 Rosewood Subdivision Saskatoon Hillcrest Cemetery : Flowing well drilled in 1962 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 33

34 South of Hillcrest Cemetery - Summerfallow: Water Truck Went Down : Water Table 1 meter February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 34

35 Same Land - Alfalfa for 7 Years Water Table > 8.9m February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 35

36 SALINE SOILS AND PRECISION FARMING Saline soils are very fertile - i.e. many nutrients. High soil test nitrate often saline Map saline soils on a quarter and fertilizer to add = ZERO February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 36

37 Mapping Saline Soils : Do Your Homework Much info about NW22 from office *Soil Maps - Framework to think in *Topographic maps, waterwell maps, geology maps *Old Municipal assessment *Air Photos and Satellite Imagery Google Earth February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 37

38 Old assessment - at U of S Archives - need to be scanned and made available *Old farmyard Salinity deductions February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 38

39 Soil Salinity map - made with assessment and other info *Colonsay Wynyard 72P NTS Sheet *Lanigan *Watrous *Wynyard Gordon FN *Craik *Strasbourg ( February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 39

40 Google Earth -from Sasktel??? Who Knows Access?? February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 40

41 Mapping Salinity with EM38 February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 41

42 Salinity Mapping with Veris Technology February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 42

43 THE END??????????????????? February 24,2010 Soil Salinity by Les Henry 43