Local research perspective on management zone delineation

Doon Pauly Agriculture and Forestry, [email protected] 403-381-5830 Soil Basics

• Unlike plants or animals, soils do not occur as distinct or easily separable entities • “Soils” are a continuum – Of changing properties or behaviour from one position on the landscape to the next – Variation usually related to one of the soil forming factors: Parent Material, Climate, Biota, Topography, Time

Variable Rate Fertilizer Study

•½ mile transect

•16 sampling sites VRF sites and crops 2010-2013

Site 2013 2012 2011 2010 Wheat Wheat Canola - Magrath Barley Wheat Wheat - Raymond Wheat Wheat Canola Flax Wilson Canola Wheat Wheat - Wheat Canola Wheat -

Claresholm Slope Year Slope*Year N 0.1451 0.017 0.3305 P 0.0123 0.1982 0.9172 K <0.0001 0.8892 0.8672 S <0.0001 0.0006 <0.0001 OM 0.0001 0.0758 0.0293 pH 0.0012 0.0827 0.1825 Coaldale N 0.0335 0.0098 0.3532 P 0.0532 0.6599 0.281 K 0.0123 0.1965 0.0594 S 0.755 0.1792 0.0422 OM 0.478 0.9467 0.1483 pH 0.3749 0.0011 0.4361 Magrath N 0.0425 <0.0001 0.2774 P 0.0001 0.0455 0.3971 K 0.0005 0.2955 0.0212 S 0.0008 0.0005 0.1261 OM 0.0006 0.583 0.7466 pH 0.0678 0.1126 0.3504 Raymond N <0.0001 <0.0001 0.0004 P <0.0001 0.2368 0.0162 K <0.0001 0.4318 0.4606 S 0.2698 <0.0001 0.2781 OM 0.0001 0.1452 0.3019 pH <0.0001 0.4377 0.4915 Vegreville N 0.0791 0.0007 0.059 P 0.8845 0.6461 0.9094 K 0.5861 0.2403 0.138 S 0.9136 0.6979 0.6781 OM 0.8412 0.0265 0.6945 pH 0.9381 0.6952 0.3694

941 80

14 PO4 940 70 9 939 60 - 13 (0 P 15 938 50

1 7 16 - 937 6 8 40 lbs/ac 6") 10 Elevation 936 2 5 12 30 PO4 Elevation (m) 935 20 11 934 10 3 4 933 0 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 900.00 1000.00 Distance meters

941 1600 14 940 1400

9 (0 K 939 13 1200

15 -

938 1000 lbs/ac 6") 1 7 16 937 6 8 800 10 Elevation 936 2 5 12 600 K Elevation (m) 935 400 11 934 200 3 4 933 0 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 900.00 1000.00 Distance meters 941 6 14 (0 Matter Organic 940 9 939 13 5 938 15 1 7 16 937 6 8 4 10 Elevation 936 2 5 12

Elevation (m) 935 3 OM

11 - 6") 934 3 4 933 2 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 900.00 1000.00 Distance meters

1030 5 14 16 1029 (0 Matter Organic 13 15 6 1028 4 2 4 5 12 1027 7 8 Elevation 3 1026 9 11 3 OM

Elevation (m) 1 - 10 6") 1025

1024 2 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 Distance meters 1119 6 1118 1 2 (0 Matter Organic 1117

1116 3 5 1115 1114 Elevation 4 11 12 1113 9 4 OM

Elevation (m) 5 -

10 6") 1112 6 7 1111 8 1110 3 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 Distance meters Soil summary

• We observed measurable differences in soil properties the majority of the time. P, K, pH and OM especially • Generally predictable but not all the time • Most of our sites had “good/healthy” OM even on upper slope positions Some questions

• Productivity should be different on these different soils, shouldn’t it? • Fertilizer management should be different for these different soils, shouldn’t it? N P2O5 K2O S Micro 0 25 0 0 0 30 25 0 0 0 60 25 0 0 0 90 25 0 0 0 120 25 0 0 0 150 25 0 0 0 60 ESN 25 0 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 90 25 50 0 0 90 25 50 20 0 90 25 50 20 3 B, 4 Zn + 4 Cu Site-Year Treatment Slope T*S Claresholm ‘11 0.5835 0.0089 0.7321 Claresholm ‘12 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.9973 Claresholm ‘13 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.9998 Coaldale ‘11 0.6952 <0.0001 0.9945 Coaldale ‘12 0.0883 0.0180 0.1987 Coaldale ‘13 0.0028 0.0018 0.9999 Magrath ‘11 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.8307 Magrath ‘12 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.9091 Magrath ‘13 <0.0001 0.0001 0.9996 Raymond ‘10 <0.0001 0.0380 0.0240 Raymond ‘11 <0.0001 0.0003 0.9145 Raymond ‘12 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.1284 Raymond ‘13 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.9999 Vegreville ‘11 0.0054 0.8371 0.9803 Vegreville ‘12 <0.0001 0.1647 0.5148 Vegreville ‘13 0.0016 <0.0001 0.9699 Flax yield response to N at Raymond in 2010

3.00

2.50

2.00

1.50 Low

Mid Yield Mg/ha Yield 1.00 Upper

0.50

0.00 0 30U 30E 60U 60E 90U 90E 120U 120E Wheat yield response to N at Raymond in 2012

6

5

4

3 LOW MID

2 HILL Yield (Mg/ha) Yield

1

0 0 30 60 90 120 150

kg N/ha Wheat yield response to N at Claresholm in 2012

6

5

4 LOW

3 MID

Yield (Mg/ha) Yield UPPER 2

1

0 0 30 60 90 120 150

kg N/ha Conclusions (or maybe Conclusions?)

• Measurable P,K, pH, OM differences due to topography • Significant N treatment and topography effects • Based on the conditions we experienced, topography alone could not adequately delineate management zones • Productivity differences do not necessarily require different fertilization • VRF requires management zones that respond to fertilization differently Acknowledgements

• Funders: Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund, Agrium, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Innovates Bio- Solutions • Research Team and Technicians Ross McKenzie, Eric Bremer, Rob Wolf and Western Tractor, Allan Middleton, Pat Pfiffner, Darryle Thiessen, Chris Hietamaa, Adele Harding, Colin Enns, Virginia Nelson, Len Kryzanowski, Rob Dunn, Deb Werk