Soil Management
 

Table of Contents

Introduction

 

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Table of Contents for
Soil Management BMP Booklet

1 UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS 29 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
1 Introduction 30 Soil Structure
2 Soil Formation 32 Addressing Soil Structural Problems
7 Soil Physical Properties 32
  • Soil Crusting
7
  • Soil Texture
 34
  • Soil Compaction
9
  • Soil Structure
 40 Erosion
13
  • Soil Organic Matter
 42 Addressing Erosion Problems
16
  • Soil Water and Air
 42
  • Water Erosion
18
  • Soil Temperature
 44
  • Wind Erosion
20 Soil Chemical Properties 46
  • Tillage Erosion
20
  • Soil pH
 48 Other Soil Management Problems
21
  • Cation Exchange Capacity
 48
  • Droughty Soils
22
  • Soil Organic Matter
 50
  • Subsidence
23 Soil Biological Properties
 52
  • Wet Fields (or Naturally Poorly Drained)
24
  • Soil Organisms
 54 Best Management Practices for Soil
25
  • Earthworms and Ontario Soils
 54
  • Buffer Strips
25
  • The Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles and C:N Ratios
 55
56
  • Cover Crops
  • Crop Rotation
26
  • Soil Organisms and Soil Structure
 57
  • Drainage
28 Soils Information and Interpretations 59
  • Erosion Control Structures
    60
  • Green Manure Crops
    61
  • Irrigation
    62
  • Manure Management
    62
  • Other Organic Materials
    63
  • Reduced Tillage Systems
    65
  • Residue Management
    65
  • Strip Cropping
    66
  • Timely Tillage
    67
  • Wind Abatement Systems
    68
  • Windbreaks
   

 

 

UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS

 

INTRODUCTION

Soil is the basis of most crop production. If you manage the soils on your farm with care, you'll be rewarded with:

  • more consistent yields, even under adverse weather conditions
  • lower input costs
  • sustainable soils for years to come.
Well-managed soils can result in lower input costs and greater yields.
 
Well-managed soils also produce crops that have greater resistance to environmental stresses such as weather, and to many diseases such as root rot.
 
Soil is the basis of most crop production: manage it wisely.
 

The best management practices described in this booklet relate soil management to your entire crop production operation.

We'll look at how soil management benefits drainage, moisture storage, and crop yields. We'll also look at how good soil management helps reduce soil compaction, erosion, and runoff.

But first, it's back to the basics. This section provides an overview of the science that soil management is based on: what soil is, how it is developed, its physical, chemical, and biological properties, and how to find out more about the soils on your property.

A good understanding of the behaviour of soil and soil life will help you develop and use a soil management program that will serve you well in the long term.

Building on this knowledge base, the second half, "Putting It All Together", addresses in-field soil concerns and lays out best management practices for a variety of conditions.

Throughout the booklet, we'll be referring you to other booklets in the Best Management Practices series. (A full list is provided on the previous page.) For the big picture, we urge you to read these too.

 


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Last Updated: Sunday, May 03, 2009 12:24:50 PM