OnFarm Soil Monitoring for Water Resource Protection

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On-Farm Soil Monitoring for Water Resource
Protection
Evaluating Field Practice Impact on Soil Health
Quality
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service
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• Conduct a Field Assessment First

Use the Purdue Extension publication Field
Assessment for Water Resource Protection.
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Then, Monitor the Changes You Make

• Monitoring provides feedback
• Are you making progress?
• Are the changes you made creating positive
  results?

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Why Monitor Soils?

• Soil quality and health has direct links with
• Productivity
• Environmental quality.

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An On-Farm Soil Monitoring Approach

• Farmer driven
• Easy to do
• Increases soil quality knowledge
• Evaluates impact of practices
• Leads to better decision making

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Two Fundamental Approaches to Soil Monitoring

• Take measurements annually to identify trends
• Compare results with a baseline condition

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Monitoring Soil Quality Indicators on the Farm

• Water Infiltration Rate
• Earthworm Count
• Soil Aggregate Stability
• Soil Compaction Test
• Plant Residue Cover

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The Monitoring Kit

• Easy to put together
• Items usually already on hand
• Kit will fit in a five gallon bucket, plus a
  shovel

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Preparing to Monitor

• Obtain a copy of the publication, On-Farm Soil
  Monitoring for Water Resource Protection,
  (WQ-43)

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Preparing to Monitor

• Spring and Fall are best times to monitor
• Select sample sites that are representative of
  the entire field
• OR, a problem spot you are concerned about

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Preparing to Monitor

• Make copies of the record sheet
• Fill in cropping, management, soil and weather,
  and field history information on the record sheet

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Water Infiltration Rate

• Infiltration rate simulates how quickly it takes
  soil to absorb rain water.
• Shorter infiltration times are better since less
  runoff from the field will occur.

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Water Infiltration Rate Method

• Find a level spot.
• Carefully clear a work area by clipping any
  vegetation at the surface.
• Drive a 6 inch diameter ring (irrigation pipe or
  coffee can with both ends removed) into the soil
  3 inches deep.
• Line the ring with plastic wrap
• Pour in 1 pint of water (2 cups or 463 ml),
  remove plastic wrap and track the amount of time
  it takes for this water to infiltrate.

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Earthworms

• Earthworms improve infiltration and help aerate
  the soil.
• Cover crops, no-till field practices, and adding
  animal manure to fields all improve earthworm
  populations.

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Earthworm Counts
10 or more earthworms found per hole indicates a
healthy soil
Dig a 1 foot cubed hole, gently placing soil in a
five gallon bucket
Search through the soil for earthworms
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Soil Aggregate Stability

• Aggregate stability is the ability of an
  aggregate to resist disruption from water.
• Soil with poor aggregate stability can result in
  water quality problems.

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Soil Aggregate Stability Method
3 macro-aggregates place in
pint jar of water
gently swirl, observe
vigorously swirl, observe
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Soil Aggregate Stability
These aggregates survived vigorous swirling
A different soil dissolved after gentle swirling
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Soil Compaction

• Compacted soils result in less water infiltration
  and poorer plant root development.
• Deep-rooting plants, cover crops, and no-till
  cropping practices all help relieve compacted
  soils.

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Soil Compaction Method
Using a wire marking flag, or ¼ wire rod at 18
long, penetrate the soil 12 deep noting degree
of resistance and depth of any compacted layers.
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Plant Residue Cover

• Plant and residue cover protects the soil from
  adverse factors such as wind, rain, and direct
  sunlight
• Fields with bare spots or bare soil are at risk
  of erosion and runoff problems

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Plant Residue Cover Method

• Use a tape measure at least 25 feet long.
• Imagine a rain drop hitting the surface exactly
  at each foot mark.
• Would the rain drop hit a live plant, plant
  residue, or bare soil?
• Count the number of occurrences of plant and
  plant residue
• Enter the percent plant cover on the record sheet

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Enter the results on the record sheet
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Using the Results

• Monitor trends and changes in soil quality in the
  same field over time
• Make side-by-side comparisons (within the same
  soil types) of different management systems
• Compare field results to an undisturbed ecosystem
• Compare problem and non-problem areas within a
  field

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How to obtain materials

• Call toll free to Purdue Extension
• 1-888-EXT-INFO and ask for WQ-43.
• Click on Field Assessment at www.ces.purdue.edu/
  waterquality.
• Ask your County Extension Educator

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On-Farm Soil Monitoring Helps You

• Evaluate the impact of field practices
• Increase your soil quality knowledge
• Make better decisions about field cropping
  practices

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service