DOCSLIB.ORG

Soil Management Guide

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Soil Management Guide Soil Management Guide REVISED 2008 This document can be cited as follows: Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, 2008. Soil Management Guide. Table of Contents 1. Understanding the Soil Landscapes of Manitoba 5 Introduction 5 What is soil? 5 Why are soils important? 6 Soil variation 7 Why are there so many different soils found throughout Manitoba? 7 How were soils formed? 8 What are the basic soil properties? 11 Texture 11 Structure 13 Colour 14 Bulk Density 14 Drainage 15 Calcium Carbonate Content 16 How do we organize and classify soils? 17 2. Using Soil Survey Information 25 What is soil survey? 25 What are soil survey reports? 26 Map Information 26 Why is map scale important? 27 Why are detailed soil survey reports required for in-fi eld assessments? 30 Options for data collection when detailed soil survey information is unavailable 30 Interpretive maps 31 Agriculture capability for Manitoba 31 How does agriculture capability compare to the crop insurance Soil Productivity Index ratings? 33 Irrigation suitability 34 Soil suitability for irrigated potato production 34 Other assessment ratings 34 Provincial soil concept 40 Newdale Series (NDL) 41 3. Water Use and Moisture Management 42 Soil moisture defi nitions for plant growth 42 Soil moisture defi nitions for other purposes 45 Reporting soil moisture 45 SOIL MANAGEMENT GUIDE 1 Water movement through soil 46 Basic water movement principles and rules of thumb 47 How far will an inch (25 millimetres) of water move into a soil profi le? 47 Water management strategies 50 4. Nutrient Management 52 Why is nutrient management necessary? 52 Leaching of nitrate-nitrogen to groundwater 52 Phosphorus runoff into surface waters 53 Stream and drain order criteria 55 Regulation of Manure Nutrient Management in Manitoba 56 Basics of nutrient management 59 Challenges to nutrient management 61 Riparian management 61 5. Soil Salinity 63 Background 63 Conditions required for soil salinity 65 Crop response to salinity 67 Consult soils report 69 Site visit 69 Field symptoms 69 Measuring salinity in the fi eld 70 Measuring salinity in the laboratory 72 Recommendations 73 Primary salinity 73 Secondary salinity 73 Follow-up monitoring 75 6. Drainage Management 76 Background 76 A. Surface Drainage 77 B. Tile Drainage 77 Consult soils report 80 Site visit 81 Laboratory analysis 82 Recommendations 82 A. Surface drainage 82 B. Tile drainage 82 Follow-up monitoring of drained fi elds 83 2 SOIL MANAGEMENT GUIDE 7. Soil Erosion 84 A. Wind erosion 84 Background 84 Quick facts 84 Consult soils report to assess risk of wind erosion 85 Conduct site visit to assess risk/evidence of wind erosion 85 Recommendations 87 B. Water Erosion 88 Background 88 Quick facts 89 Consult soils report to assess risk of water erosion 89 Conduct site visit to assess risk/evidence of water erosion 90 Recommendations 90 C. Tillage Erosion 91 Background 91 Quick facts 92 Consult soils report to identify areas prone to tillage erosion 94 Site visit to identify areas prone to tillage erosion 95 Recommendations to reduce tillage erosion 95 Follow-up monitoring 97 8. Tillage, Organic Matter and Crop Residue Management 98 A. Tillage 98 Defi ning Tillage Systems 98 B. Organic Matter Depletion 100 Consult soils report 101 Site Assessment 102 Recommendations 102 Follow-up monitoring 102 C. Crop Residue Management 103 Spring 103 Summer 104 Fall 105 Snow Trapping Potential (STP) 105 If You Must Burn 106 Winter 107 Spring (Year 2) 108 9. Soil Compaction 109 Background 109 Consult the soils report to assess compaction 111 Conduct a site visit to assess compaction 111 Recommendations to prevent and correct soil compaction 112 Follow-up monitoring 113 SOIL MANAGEMENT GUIDE 3 10. Soils Information for Planning Purposes 114 Introduction 114 A. Land Use Planning 115 B. Section A of the Environmental Farm Plan 116 Recommendations 117 C. integrated Watershed Management Planning 119 11. Greenhouses Gases in Agriculture 121 What is climate change? 121 What are the agricultural contributions to climate change? 122 What are “Carbon Sinks”? 124 Land management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 124 Soil management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 125 Nutrient management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 126 Composting manure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 127 12. Other Applications of Soils Information 129 13. Summary 130 14. References 131 15. Glossary 137 16. Appendices 143 A. Detailed Soil Survey Protocol (1:20 000 scale) 143 B. How to Use a Soil Survey Report 144 C. Other Sources of Land Information 146 D. Sources of dilute hydrochloric acid 147 E. Drinking water quality guidelines for humans, livestock 147 F. Determining Soil Texture By Feel 148 G. Generalized Surface Texture of Soils in Southern Manitoba 149 H. pH Status of Manitoba Soils 150 I. Organic Carbon Status of Manitoba Soils 151 J. Calcium Carbonate Content of Manitoba Soils 152 K. Unit Conversion Table 153 4 SOIL MANAGEMENT GUIDE 1 Understanding the Soil Landscapes of Manitoba Introduction Soil management, or soil conservation, deals with some aspect of protecting soil resources and using soils in a sustainable manner. Effective soil conservation in agriculture hinges on fi ve basic principles: 1. Keeping soil in place by reducing tillage practices 2. Maintaining or improving soil quality parameters, such as organic matter, bulk density, earthworms, desirable soil structure, etc. 3. Managing and protecting water supplies 4. Planning a crop rotation system made up of crops that are profi table and protect soil quality 5. Applying only the amount of inputs needed to achieve reasonable crop production targets This publication focuses on the fi rst three principles. Additional information on items #4 and #5 are found in the Soil Fertility Guide, Field Crop Production Guide and Guide to Crop Protection published by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and in other agronomy-related publications. To fully appreciate and understand the principles of soil management, one must understand the soil itself. The fi rst part of the guide deals with how soils are formed and classifi ed. The latter section uses these principles to identify certain soils (under certain conditions) that would benefi t the most from a particular soil conservation practice. What is soil? Soils comprise the uppermost layer of the earth’s surface. They were developed by the action of climate on rock and sediments under the infl uence of organic life. The fi rst interest in the soil was related to its ability to produce plants for food and fi bre. In this context, soil is defi ned as the collection of natural bodies on the earth’s surface supporting or capable of supporting plants (Brady, 1984). CHAPTER 1 – UNDERSTANDING THE SOIL LANDSCAPES OF MANITOBA 5 Why are soils important? Soils are required for food production and for fi ltration of water. However, only 1/16 of the earth’s surface has soil that is suitable for growing crops. Of the 160 million acres (65 million hectares) in Manitoba, only 19 million acres (7.7 million hectares) have potential for agriculture. Much of this land has been settled over time, and is either being lost to urbanization or being mismanaged so that erosion, salinity, compaction and organic matter losses have made the soil less productive. Over a 10 year period from 1991 to 2001, approximately 36,600 acres (14,640 hectares) of land in Manitoba has been subdivided into building lots for non-agricultural land uses (Land Use Planning Group, 2003). Table 1.1. Relative area of various segments of Manitoba Million Acres Million Hectares (approx.) (approx.) Total Area – Manitoba 160 65 Total Land Surface - Manitoba 136 55 Total Land Area – Agro-Manitoba 26 10.5 Land in Farms – Agro-Manitoba 19 7.7 Improved Land (Crops, Fallow, Pasture) 13 5.3 Unimproved Pasture 4 1.6 Other (e.g. yard sites, etc.) 2 0.8 (Source: Manitoba Agriculture Yearbook 2003). Table 1.2. Land use data within agro-Manitoba as based on satellite imagery from 1999-2002 (Manitoba Conservation – Manitoba Remote Sensing Centre, 2002). Land use Total Total (ac) (ha) Agricultural Cropland 12,161,607 4,921,648 Trees 6,279,339 2,541,167 Water Bodies 620,708 251,193 Grassland/Rangeland 6,001,550 2,428,751 Wetlands 2,222,681 899,491 Forages 1,038,032 420,078 Urban & Transportation 828,344 335,220 Total 29,152,261 11,797,548 6 SOIL MANAGEMENT GUIDE “ In the past, many industrial developments were put on poor soils because the land was (inexpensive), but in the future information on soils and the environment must be consid- ered much more carefully to avoid repeating past mistakes. Many of our (waste disposal) problems can be solved and mistakes avoided by increased use of soil maps together with other environmental information.” (Olson, 1984). The fi rst step in sustainable soil management is ensuring that the soil will support the land use activity. For example, only the better agricultural soils in Manitoba will support grain and vegetable production, while more marginal agricultural soils will support forage and pasture-based production. For this reason, agricultural develop- ment should only occur in areas where the soil resource will support the agricultural activity. The only way to do this is to understand the soil resource that is available. Soil variation Soils vary signifi cantly in their properties. They may be deep in some places, shallow in others, black or gray in colour, sandy or clayey in texture. Although the soil mantle covering Manitoba is far from uniform, all soils have some common factors. For example, all soil is a mixture of organic and mineral material plus water and air. While the major components remain the same, the proportion of each component in this mixture varies from soil to soil.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Soil Properties and Pre-Columbian Settlement Patterns in The
    SOIL, 1, 65–81, 2015 www.soil-journal.net/1/65/2015/ doi:10.5194/soil-1-65-2015 SOIL © Author(s) 2015. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Soil properties and pre-Columbian settlement patterns in the Monumental Mounds Region of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazon U. Lombardo1,2, S. Denier1, and H. Veit1 1Universität Bern, Geographisches Institut, Hallerstrasse 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland 2CaSeS research group, IMF-CSIC, C/Egipciaques, 15-08001 Barcelona, Spain Correspondence to: U. Lombardo ([email protected]) Received: 5 May 2014 – Published in SOIL Discuss.: 15 May 2014 Revised: – – Accepted: 26 September 2014 – Published: 6 January 2015 Abstract. In the present paper we explore to what degree soil properties might have influenced pre-Columbian settlement patterns in the Monumental Mounds Region (MMR) of the Llanos de Moxos (LM), Bolivian Amazon. Monumental mounds are pre-Hispanic earth buildings and were preferentially built on mid- to late Holocene palaeolevees of the Grande River (here denominated PR1), while levees of older palaeorivers (PR0) were only sparsely occupied. We dug two transects across PR0 and PR1 levee–backswamp catenas and analysed them for grain size, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and Corg. Our data show that PR1 soils, where the density of mounds is higher, have far greater agricultural potential than PR0 soils, which are affected by aluminium toxicity in the backswamps and by high levels of exchangeable sodium in the levees. This study provides new data on the soil properties of the south-eastern Bolivian Amazon and reinforces the hypothesis that environmental constraints and opportunities exerted an important role on pre-Columbian occupation patterns and the population density reached in the Bolivian Amazon.
    [Show full text]
  • Paxton Soil Series Is Named for the Town of Paxton in Worcester County Massachusetts Where It Was First Described
    Paxton Massachusetts State Soil Soil Science Society of America Introduction Many states have a designated state bird, flower, fish, tree, rock, etc. And, many states also have a state soil – one that has significance or is important to the state. The Paxton is the offi- cial state soil of Massachusetts. Let’s explore how the Paxton is important to Massachusetts. History The Paxton soil series is named for the town of Paxton in Worcester County Massachusetts where it was first described. The series was established in 1922, described in the Soil Survey of Worcester County in 1927, and then in 1991 it was designated as the official state soil of Massachusetts. Created by the movement of glaciers thousands of years ago, Paxton soils can be found throughout New England and are exemplified by scenic rolling hills dotted with dairy farms. It is considered one of the most productive soils for agricul- ture in New England. What is Paxton Soil? Paxton soil is made of well drained loamy soils formed on wind deposited material that sits on top of rock deposited by glaciers. Classified as a coarse-loamy soil, Paxton soils possess soil particles that are at the larger end of the textural spectrum. Being composed of material scraped from the surface of the landscape over which glaciers traveled, its mineral composi- tion is varied. The rocks contributing to Paxton soils include schist, gneiss, and granite. The clays in its composition have good cation-exchange ca- pacity, although the pH of these soils is low. A cation is a positively charged ion (such as an atom or molecule) which influences the soil’s ability to hold onto essential nutrients and provides a buf- fer against soil acidification.
    [Show full text]
  • The Soil Survey
    The Soil Survey The soil survey delineates the basal soil pattern of an area and characterises each kind of soil so that the response to changes can be assessed and used as a basis for prediction. Although in an economic climate it is necessarily made for some practical purpose, it is not subordinated to the parti­ cular need of the moment, but is conducted in a scientific way that provides basal information of general application and eliminates the necessity for a resurvey whenever a new problem arises. It supplies information that can be combined, analysed, or amplified for many practical purposes, but the purpose should not be allowed to modify the method of survey in any fundamental way. According to the degree of detail required, soil surveys in New Zealand are classed as general, . district, or detailed. General surveys produce sufficient detail for a final map on the scale of 4 miles to an inch (1 :253440); they show the main sets of soils and their general relation to land forms; they are an aid to investigations and planning on the regional or national scale. District surveys, for maps, on the scale of 2 miles to an inch (1: 126720), show soil types or, where the pattern is detailed, combinations of types; they are designed to show the soil pattern in sufficient detail to allow the study of local soil problems and to provide a basis for assembling and distributing information in many fields such as agriculture, forestry, and engineering. Detailed surveys, mostiy for maps on the scale of 40 chains to an inch (1 :31680), delineate soil types and land-use phases, and show the soil pattern in relation to farm boundaries and subdivisional fences.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Potential Soil Carbon Sequestration Land-Use Management for Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    A Guide to Potential Soil Carbon Sequestration Land-Use Management for Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions By H.W. Markewich and G.R. Buell Terrestrial carbon sequestration has a potential role in reducing the recent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) that is, in part, contributing to global warming. Because the most stable long-term surface reservoir for carbon is the soil, changes in agriculture and forestry can potentially reduce atmospheric CO2 through increased soil-carbon storage. If local governments and regional planning agencies are to effect changes in land-use management that could mitigate the impacts of increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is essential to know how carbon is cycled and distributed on the landscape. Only then can a cost/benefit analysis be applied to carbon sequestration as a potential land-use management tool for mitigation of GHG emissions. For the past several years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been researching the role of terrestrial carbon in the global carbon cycle. Data from these investigations now allow the USGS to begin to (1) “map” carbon at national, regional, and local scales; (2) calculate present carbon storage at land surface; and (3) identify those areas having the greatest potential to sequester carbon. Ongoing efforts of the USGS to achieve these objectives are: • compilation and synthesis of site-specific data needed to estimate carbon storage and inventory in soils, reservoir sediments, wetlands, and lakes of the conterminous United States; • characterization of present-day carbon storage by Black Mountain Range, western North Carolina—an area landscape feature and environment; and of high carbon soils—looking north from summit of Mount Mitchell, highest peak in eastern United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix D Soil Series Descriptions
    Appendix D Soil Series Descriptions Soil Series Descriptions Soil Orders Mollisols — This order covers a considerable land area of western and southern Minnesota and is the basis for the state's productive agricultural base. The formative syllable, oll, is derived from the Latin word mollis, or soft. Its most distinguishing feature is a thick, dark-colored surface layer that is high in nutrients. It occurs throughout the former prairie areas of Minnesota. The Latin term for soft in its name is descriptive in that most of these soils usually have a rather loose, low-density surface. Three suborders of mollisols occur in Minnesota: Aquolls, Udolls, and Ustolls. Alfisols — This order covers a large land area in Minnesota, part of which is now cultivated and part forested. Alf is the formative element and is coined from a soil term, pedalfer. Pedalfers were identified in the 1930s as soils of the eastern part of the United States with an accumulation of aluminum and iron. The alf refers to the chemical symbols for aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe). Alfisols are primarily fertile soils of the forest, formed in loamy or clayey material. The surface layer of soil, usually light gray or brown, has less clay in it than does the subsoil. These soils are usually moist during the summer, although they may dry during occasional droughts. Two suborders of alfisols occur in Minnesota: Aqualfs and Udalfs. Histosols — The formative element in the name is ist and comes from the Greek word histos, which means tissue. This is an appropriate association because these soils are formed from plant remains in wet environments like marshes and bogs.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Classification Problems of Sandy Soils in Subboreal Zone (Central Europe, Poland)
    Diversity and classification problems of sandy soils in subboreal zone (Central Europe, Poland) Michał Jankowski Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland, Email [email protected] Abstract The aim of this study was to present some examples of sandy soils and to discuss their position in soil systematics. 8 profiles represent: 4 soils widely distributed in postglacial landscapes of Poland (Central Europe), typical for different geomorphological conditions and vegetation habitats (according to regional soil classification: Arenosol, Podzolic soil, Rusty soil and Mucky soil) and 4 soils having unusual features (Gleyic Podzol and Rusty soil developed in a CaCO 3-rich substratum and two profiles of red-colored Ochre soils). According to WRB (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2007), almost all of these soils can be named Arenosols. Considering their individual morphological features (stage of development, sequence of horizons) and different ecological value, most of the studied soils should be classified into other Reference Soil Groups or even distinguished in individual units. Key Words Soil classification, Soil geography, Soil morphology, Arenosols, Podzols, Sand. Introduction Soils developed from loose quartz sands generally represent the least fertile mineral soils in the World. According to WRB soil classification (IUSS Working Group WRB 2007), one genetic variant - Podzols - is distinguished as individual unit from that textural group of soils. Most of the other sandy soils can only be classified as Arenosols, irrespective to their development rate, soil horizons sequence or ecological properties. Such arrangement does not reflect the real diversity of sandy soils, especially in comparison to the number of divisions covering soils of heavier texture.
    [Show full text]
  • Alteration of Rocks by Endolithic Organisms Is One of the Pathways for the Beginning of Soils on Earth Received: 19 September 2017 Nikita Mergelov1, Carsten W
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Alteration of rocks by endolithic organisms is one of the pathways for the beginning of soils on Earth Received: 19 September 2017 Nikita Mergelov1, Carsten W. Mueller 2, Isabel Prater 2, Ilya Shorkunov1, Andrey Dolgikh1, Accepted: 7 February 2018 Elya Zazovskaya1, Vasily Shishkov1, Victoria Krupskaya3, Konstantin Abrosimov4, Published: xx xx xxxx Alexander Cherkinsky5 & Sergey Goryachkin1 Subaerial endolithic systems of the current extreme environments on Earth provide exclusive insight into emergence and development of soils in the Precambrian when due to various stresses on the surfaces of hard rocks the cryptic niches inside them were much more plausible habitats for organisms than epilithic ones. Using an actualistic approach we demonstrate that transformation of silicate rocks by endolithic organisms is one of the possible pathways for the beginning of soils on Earth. This process led to the formation of soil-like bodies on rocks in situ and contributed to the raise of complexity in subaerial geosystems. Endolithic systems of East Antarctica lack the noise from vascular plants and are among the best available natural models to explore organo-mineral interactions of a very old “phylogenetic age” (cyanobacteria-to-mineral, fungi-to-mineral, lichen-to-mineral). On the basis of our case study from East Antarctica we demonstrate that relatively simple endolithic systems of microbial and/or cryptogamic origin that exist and replicate on Earth over geological time scales employ the principles of organic matter stabilization strikingly similar to those known for modern full-scale soils of various climates. Te pedosphere emergence is attributed to the most ancient forms of terrestrial life in the Early Precambrian which strongly aided the abiotic decay of rocks.
    [Show full text]
  • Agricultural Soil Compaction: Causes and Management
    October 2010 Agdex 510-1 Agricultural Soil Compaction: Causes and Management oil compaction can be a serious and unnecessary soil aggregates, which has a negative affect on soil S form of soil degradation that can result in increased aggregate structure. soil erosion and decreased crop production. Soil compaction can have a number of negative effects on Compaction of soil is the compression of soil particles into soil quality and crop production including the following: a smaller volume, which reduces the size of pore space available for air and water. Most soils are composed of • causes soil pore spaces to become smaller about 50 per cent solids (sand, silt, clay and organic • reduces water infiltration rate into soil matter) and about 50 per cent pore spaces. • decreases the rate that water will penetrate into the soil root zone and subsoil • increases the potential for surface Compaction concerns water ponding, water runoff, surface soil waterlogging and soil erosion Soil compaction can impair water Soil compaction infiltration into soil, crop emergence, • reduces the ability of a soil to hold root penetration and crop nutrient and can be a serious water and air, which are necessary for water uptake, all of which result in form of soil plant root growth and function depressed crop yield. • reduces crop emergence as a result of soil crusting Human-induced compaction of degradation. • impedes root growth and limits the agricultural soil can be the result of using volume of soil explored by roots tillage equipment during soil cultivation or result from the heavy weight of field equipment. • limits soil exploration by roots and Compacted soils can also be the result of natural soil- decreases the ability of crops to take up nutrients and forming processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Prairie Wetland Soils: Gleysolic and Organic Angela Bedard-Haughn Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan
    PS&C Prairie Soils & Crops Journal Agricultural Soils of the Prairies Prairie Wetland Soils: Gleysolic and Organic Angela Bedard-Haughn Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan Summary Gleysolic and Organic soils are collectively referred to as “wetland soils”. They are found in wet low-lying or level landscape positions. Gleysolic soils are found throughout the agricultural Prairies, in association with Chernozemic and Luvisolic soils. In semi-arid regions, they are frequently tilled in dry years and can be very productive due to their relatively high levels of soil moisture and nutrients. In the Prairie Provinces, Organic soils tend to be mostly associated with the Boreal transition zones at the northern and eastern perimeter of the Prairies. With proper management, these can also provide productive agricultural land, particularly for forages. Introduction Soils of the Gleysolic and Organic orders are collectively referred to as “wetland soils”. Soil maps of the agricultural region of the Canadian Prairies seldom have areas mapped as dominantly Gleysolic8 or Organic9; however, these soils are found throughout the region wherever climate and/or topography have led to persistent water-saturated conditions. Gleysols are mineral soils with colors that reflect intermittent or prolonged anaerobic (i.e., saturated, low oxygen) conditions (Fig. 1A). Organic soils reflect permanent anaerobic conditions, which lead to soils that are made up of variably decomposed plant residues, mostly from water-tolerant (i.e., hydrophytic) vegetation (Fig. 1B). Figure 1: A) Humic Luvic Gleysol, Saskatchewan and B) Typic Fibrisol (Organic), Manitoba7. Of the some 100,000,000 ha covered by the Canada Land Inventory (CLI) in the Prairie Provinces12, Gleysolic soils occupy less than 15% of the Prairie ecoregions and up to 40% in the Mid-Boreal (boreal = “northern”) Upland (Alberta) and Interlake Plain (Manitoba) ecoregions12.
    [Show full text]
  • World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014 International Soil Classification System for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps
    ISSN 0532-0488 WORLD SOIL RESOURCES REPORTS 106 World reference base for soil resources 2014 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps Update 2015 Cover photographs (left to right): Ekranic Technosol – Austria (©Erika Michéli) Reductaquic Cryosol – Russia (©Maria Gerasimova) Ferralic Nitisol – Australia (©Ben Harms) Pellic Vertisol – Bulgaria (©Erika Michéli) Albic Podzol – Czech Republic (©Erika Michéli) Hypercalcic Kastanozem – Mexico (©Carlos Cruz Gaistardo) Stagnic Luvisol – South Africa (©Márta Fuchs) Copies of FAO publications can be requested from: SALES AND MARKETING GROUP Information Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (+39) 06 57053360 Web site: http://www.fao.org WORLD SOIL World reference base RESOURCES REPORTS for soil resources 2014 106 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps Update 2015 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2015 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO.
    [Show full text]
  • Agricultural Soil Carbon Credits: Making Sense of Protocols for Carbon Sequestration and Net Greenhouse Gas Removals
    Agricultural Soil Carbon Credits: Making sense of protocols for carbon sequestration and net greenhouse gas removals NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS About this report This synthesis is for federal and state We contacted each carbon registry and policymakers looking to shape public marketplace to ensure that details investments in climate mitigation presented in this report and through agricultural soil carbon credits, accompanying appendix are accurate. protocol developers, project developers This report does not address carbon and aggregators, buyers of credits and accounting outside of published others interested in learning about the protocols meant to generate verified landscape of soil carbon and net carbon credits. greenhouse gas measurement, reporting While not a focus of the report, we and verification protocols. We use the remain concerned that any end-use of term MRV broadly to encompass the carbon credits as an offset, without range of quantification activities, robust local pollution regulations, will structural considerations and perpetuate the historic and ongoing requirements intended to ensure the negative impacts of carbon trading on integrity of quantified credits. disadvantaged communities and Black, This report is based on careful review Indigenous and other communities of and synthesis of publicly available soil color. Carbon markets have enormous organic carbon MRV protocols published potential to incentivize and reward by nonprofit carbon registries and by climate progress, but markets must be private carbon crediting marketplaces. paired with a strong regulatory backing. Acknowledgements This report was supported through a gift Conservation Cropping Protocol; Miguel to Environmental Defense Fund from the Taboada who provided feedback on the High Meadows Foundation for post- FAO GSOC protocol; Radhika Moolgavkar doctoral fellowships and through the at Nori; Robin Rather, Jim Blackburn, Bezos Earth Fund.
    [Show full text]
  • Drained Organic Soils Under Agriculture
    Geoderma 355 (2019) 113911 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Geoderma journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/geoderma Drained organic soils under agriculture — The more degraded the soil the higher the specific basal respiration T ⁎ Annelie Säuricha,1, Bärbel Tiemeyera, , Axel Dona, Sabine Fiedlerb, Michel Bechtolda,2, Wulf Amelungc, Annette Freibauera,3 a Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Bundesallee 65, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany b Institute for Geography, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany c University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Nussallee 13, 53115 Bonn, Germany ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Handling Editor: Ingrid Kögel-Knabner Drained peatlands are hotspots of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural soils. As a consequence of Keywords: both drainage-induced mineralisation and anthropogenic mixing with mineral soils, large areas of former Carbon dioxide peatlands under agricultural use underwent a secondary transformation of the peat (e.g. formation of ag- Peatland agriculture gregates). These soils show contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) at the boundary between mineral and organic Heinemeyer incubation soils. However, the carbon (C) dynamics of such soils have rarely been studied so far. The aim of the present Anthropogenic disturbance study was to evaluate the vulnerability of soil organic matter (SOM) to decomposition over the whole range of − Peat-sand-mixing peat-derived soils under agriculture including very carbon rich mineral soils (76–526 g kg 1 SOC). A total of 62 soil samples covering a broad range of soil and site characteristics were selected from the sample set of the German Agricultural Soil Inventory.
    [Show full text]