a toolbox for creating and using homemade tools to ...€¦ · soil structure – dirt cake soil...
TRANSCRIPT
A Toolbox for Creating and Using Homemade Tools to Demonstrate and/or Assess Soil Health
Most Valuable Tool in Agriculture
Soil Regeneration Demonstration and Assessment
1. Demonstration Activities
2. Assessment Activities
a. Basic Soil Health Tests
b. Biological Soil Health Tests
DEMONSTRATIONS How Much Soil is Available to Grow Food?
Healthy Soil Pieo New Soil Organic Matter Model
o Soil Particle Size Distribution
Sponge and Bucket - Soil Water Movement
Soil Erosion - Rainfall Simulatoro Floor Model
o Tabletop Model
Soil Macroaggregate Scale Model
Energy Soil Model
Soil Structure – Dirt Cake
Soil Aggregates - Edible Stability
How Much Soil Is There?
Courtesy of: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Syracuse, NY, USDA and Dr. Elissa Levine at NASA
HOW MUCH SOIL IS THERE?
Mountains, Deserts, Arctic, Antarctic
15%
Land for Human Use or Too Wet, Dry or Rocky
12% Soil3%
Water70%
How Much Soil Is There?
Courtesy of: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Syracuse, NY, USDA and Dr. Elissa Levine at NASA
By comparison to the entire apple, or planet Earth, this small piece of skin is a tiny, fragile resource to support a human
population of over 7 billion.
Sponge and BucketInfiltration, Water Holding Capacity, and Porosity
Sponge with more porosity is saturated first
Gravitational water or water which flows out of pores
Pore space holds more water
Soil Energy ModelResidue Decomposition Model
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Soil Energy ModelResidue Decomposition Model
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Soil Energy ModelResidue Decomposition Model
Rainfall Simulator
TEST
SOIL STRUCTURAL STABILITY
No Till
Conventionally Tilled
SOIL CLODS
AGGREGATE STABILITY
CT, SW-F NT, SW-WW-SF Moderately-grazed pasture
WSA = 14% WSA = 47% WSA = 93%
Aggregate Stability
Soil Regeneration Demonstration & Assessment
Assessment ActivitiesBiological Soil Health Tests1. Estimating Microbial Activity via Respiration
a. Solvita Burst Testb. Soil Your Undiesc. It’s a Tea Party/Reading Tea Leaves
2. Observing Soil Microorganismsa. Staining and Measuring Mycorrhizal Colonizationb. Extracting Nematodes and Protozoac. Extracting Soil Microorganisms
STAINING MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND ASSESSING COLONIZATION
• Lye or Drain Cleaner to Clear the Roots
• Vinegar to Acidify
• Stain with Ink
ON-FARM INOCULUM PRODUCTIONDOUDS ET AL, 2005
