beyond the rhetoric - charles sturt university€¦ · ˝beyond the rhetoric ˛ mudgee microscope...
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“Beyond the Rhetoric” Mudgee Microscope Group A CASE STUDY: A cooperative approach by land managers to better understand and manage for soil biological health
Watershed Landcare Inc
PO Box 575
Mudgee NSW 2850
P. 02 6372 4321
M. 0417 074 673
www.watershedlandcare.com.au
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Contents
1. Foreword ...................................................................................................... 3
2. Preface ......................................................................................................... 3
3. Mudgee Microscope Group – how it began................................................... 3
4. Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) - today................................................... 4
5. Objectives of MMG ....................................................................................... 4
6. MMG meeting format ................................................................................... 4
7. Methodologies ............................................................................................. 5
7a. Microscope Qualitative Assay ......................................................................... 6
7b. Calico Strip ..................................................................................................... 7
7c. Soil Health Card .............................................................................................. 8
7d. Soil Chemistry Testing ..................................................................................... 8
8. Other activities to date ................................................................................. 9
9. Future meetings... both confirmed and wish list ......................................... 10
10. Recommendations .................................................................................. 10
11. Useful links ............................................................................................. 11
12. Appendices ............................................................................................. 11
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1. Foreword It gives me great pleasure to provide the foreword to this Case Study, “Mudgee Microscope Group: A cooperative approach by land managers to better understand and manage for soil biological health”. As a grape grower and a winemaker I understand soil health is the foundation for good viticulture and I’m excited about future work connecting soil health to wine quality.
Andrew Stein Robert Stein Winery President - Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association
2. Preface This case study has been prepared by Watershed Landcare for the NSW Wine Industry Association - Grassroots Program. We would like to thank the NSW WIA for the opportunity to document our achievements to date and also Duncan Farquar from the National Wine Grape Industry Centre for his guidance in compiling this case study.
A collation of experience, methods, questions and findings over the past three years, this case study has been written for the benefit of other land managers in Australia interested in soil biology, and hopes to save “reinvention of the wheel” when first taking steps to improve soil biological health.
Watershed Landcare is a community Landcare group that covers the towns and surrounding villages of Mudgee, Rylstone and Gulgong in NSW’s central west region. The activities of Watershed Landcare are driven by a diverse membership of land managers and businesses who share a common interest in repairing and improving the natural resources of our region.
A group of Watershed Landcare members, known as the Mudgee Microscope Group, share a particular interest in understanding and managing for soil biological health, and the impact this has on the quality of produce. Members include producers of wine grapes, olives, cereals, lamb, beef, goat and wool along with a number of other emerging agricultural industries.
3. Mudgee Microscope Group – how it began A local interest in soil biological health was sparked back in winter 2007 when Dr Elaine Ingham from the Soil Foodweb Institute ran a 4-day Soil Symposium, educating more than 60 farmers about the soil food web, and applications for compost and compost tea.
Following the symposium, a group of Watershed Landcare members decided they wanted to continue using the microscope to study soil microorganisms, and maintain a network with like-minded land managers to gain a better understanding on how to manage for soil biological health. And so the Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) was formed.
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4. Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) - today MMG is a group of land managers who meet on a monthly basis to contribute to an open-minded forum on soil health, in particular soil microbiology.
The number of landholders attending MMG has steadily increased over the past 3 years with now just over 40 on the member list. Meetings range from 4-40 participants depending on guest speakers / availability of landholders and location of meeting.
We encourage diverse input from members and guest presenters that builds on the Groups’ knowledge base. Whilst members represent a range of industries and management styles (organic/conventional etc), they share a common aim to learn about how land management impacts on soil health properties (physical, chemical, and in particular biological) and monitor how this influences quality parameters of produce.
MMG includes five wine grape growing businesses that use a range of production methods from conventional to organic / biodynamic and both irrigated and dry land.
5. Objectives of MMG • To continue to use the microscope and other practical
tools/methods to learn about soil biology • Evaluate and improve soil health via consistent methodology
and documentation • To build on the combined knowledge of the MMG via
individual contributions and meeting activities • To meet new people, learn from others and savor good food
and wine!
6. MMG meeting format Our monthly meetings take place from February – November each year with intake of new members in either the February or July meetings. There is a “minimum knowledge” requirement to attend MMG in the form of a one-day course on soil biology such as a Soil Food Web workshop or the NSW I&I “Soil Life: An Introduction to Soil Biology” workshop. Both streamlining intake and stipulating minimum knowledge is important to keep meeting activities and discussion focused and progressive. Monthly meetings take place in a range of locations including member properties and the Australian Rural Education Centre.
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Meetings contain the following components: • Microscope work • Learning about and conducting other methods of
assessing soil health and soil biology • Guest speakers (in particular those with experience
with soil biology) • Individual member presentations that include:
o Where am I now with my soil health o Where I want to be in 3 years (MISSION
STATEMENT) o What management methods I want to use
to achieve this o How I see MMG assisting me with this o How I can contribute to MMG (PORTFOLIO
OF INTEREST)
7. Methodologies Land managers can be notoriously anecdotal with their monitoring and evaluation of management impacts on soil properties. So, whilst the following details how “in theory” we have undertaken these methods, our documentation of results has, in the past, been compromised by exceptions / forgotten steps / incorrect / inconsistent sampling techniques. Up until recently, this has hampered with our ability to make meaningful comparisons and evaluations of what MMG members are doing on the ground. Organic / biological / biodynamic farming in particular can be rife with ‘faith based’ attitudes where on-ground actions are justified simply because people believe they should work. This is one of the reasons MMG was formed and why a culture of getting “beyond the rhetoric” with consistent methodology and documentation is being encouraged amongst the group. Over the past three years MMG have explored a number of tools/techniques to evaluate soil biological health:
a. Microscope qualitative assay: as per Soil Food Web methods (2007)
b. Calico strip c. Soil Health Card (developed by SoilCare Inc.) d. Soil chemistry testing (including both Total and
Exchangeable nutrients) The following description of methodologies also details positives of these techniques along with any observed weaknesses / questions / issues we’ve identified and future plans for improvement / change.
Early images...
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7a. Microscope Qualitative Assay This technique is based on Soil Food Web methods (2007) and involves making observations of 4 groups of soil organisms – bacteria / fungi / protozoa / nematodes – in a soil solution under the microscope. Method
• Soil cores collected from site (sample depth recorded) • Solution of 1:5 soil (or compost) to tap water (or filtered tank
water) • Sample is shaken for 5 minutes • Drop of solution is placed on slide • 20 random observations are recorded (at x400 total
magnification) with some images photographed • Observations recorded estimate population of bacteria and
presence/absence of fungal structures, protozoa and nematodes (type also, if identifiable, for the latter two) See appendix for copy of the MMG QA form with interpretive guidelines sourced and adapted from the Soil Food Web Institute
• We have recently commenced using a stain with the soil solution. A mixture of Lactic Acid + Cotton Blue stains chitin found in fungal hyphae which makes it easier to see and differentiate from other structures (that don’t contain chitin) in the sample
Positives • Actually seeing soil micro organisms is a powerful and
inspiring tool that introduces land managers to this ‘other world’. Using the microscope is the reason behind why MMG was formed – we found it hugely interesting!
• Protozoa and nematodes relatively easy to see and quantify • Photographs enable us to capture and share images of soil
organisms Negatives
• Not the cheapest method. A cheap, half-decent microscope costs around $1200+
• Whilst this method only takes about 15 minutes (excluding soil sampling time) it has rarely been completed consistently and regularly by MMG members to gain any meaningful data
• Bacteria qualification very coarse – MMG members have raised questions as to how meaningful this is
• Protozoa and nematodes – MMG members need further training to distinguish different types (eg: bacterial feeding / root feeding nematodes)
• Fungal structures difficult to differentiate and identify with certainty
• Lots of ‘unknown’ structures • Sometimes difficult to see organisms at all in the 1:5 soil
solution due to soil type
More recent images...
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• Droplet can distribute solids/organisms in the solution unevenly on the slide. Therefore, even 20 random observations are possibly unrepresentative sometimes
• Other structures not resembling fungal hyphae are being stained. Chitin also found in other organisms
• “Friends / foes” in soil biology all depend on desired plant/soil objectives. We lack confidence in making assumptions based on what we are seeing under the microscope
Future plans • Improve identification skills of higher soil micro-organisms (eg;
nematodes) as indicators of total soil biomass and biodiversity • Use a Neubauer chamber to develop a more quantitative
method • Collaborate with a nematologist • Collaborate with a soil microbiologist to learn how to use keys
to identify different kinds of microflora/fauna • Explore staining types and techniques • Develop a MMG microscopy manual including images of
micro-organisms
7b. Calico Strip This method has been used more recently as a ‘less technical’ method of assessing soil health. The basic premise behind this method (sourced from both NSW DPI “Soil Biology Basics” and Tuckombil Landcare Soil Health Card) is that a piece of calico, representing a source of carbon, is broken down at a rate that correlates to the level of biological activity in a soil. Method Cut unbleached and washed calico into 20cm squares. Using a felt tip pen, draw a line across the square 5cm from one edge. Make a cut in the ground to a depth of 15cm with a spade and, again using the spade, insert the calico so that the marked line coincides with the soil surface. Arrange the top 5cm calico vertically in the litter layer, if present. Use at least 5 calico strips at each test site and leave in place for three weeks. Gently retrieve and rinse in a kitchen sieve to remove the attached soil. Place over a piece of graph paper and estimate the percentage area of the calico that has completely decomposed. The more the calico has rotted away, the healthier the community of soil organisms. (Source: Soil Health Card, pp. 6, www.tuckombillandcare.org.au) Positives
• Very visual, comparable results • Inexpensive
Negatives • Landholders need a reminder to retrieve after 3 weeks. The
whole idea is to compare, and this is rendered useless if the length of time varies
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• ‘Installation’ of calico strips not always easy and could affect results (i.e. variable smearing / compaction / cultivation levels of soil profile in contact with calico strip)
• Landholders must remember to wash the calico prior and use the same weight fabric (lots of different kinds of calico available now)
• Calico sometimes not decomposed at all. Tensile testing has been suggested
Future Plans • We have since found out that this method is not always a
reliable indicator of soil biological health • Tensile testing to commence if we’re to continue with this
method
7c. Soil Health Card This method of assessing soil health can be found on the Tuckombil Landcare website www.tuckombillandcare.org.au The Soil Health Card was developed by Tuckombill Landcare and NSW DPI as part of their project “The Good Soil” and involves 10 tests that assess different aspects of soil health. Five repetitions are conducted at each site with the final averaged score giving land managers a quantitative indicator of soil health that can be compared to other sites. See attached copy of the Soil Health Card for details. Positives
• Most of the 10 tests are easily quantifiable, i.e. not vulnerable to subjective estimates
• The final ‘score’ is a useful and easily identified way of comparing sites
• User friendly introduction to scientific methodology (involving replicates and accurate instructions)
• Inexpensive – includes instructions on how to make testing equipment from materials landholders have access to
Negatives • Unlikely many land managers would persist conducting this
method on a consistent regular basis to build up a soil health trend over time. So far we’ve conducted these tests with the assistance of a grant to fund someone to help/oversee tests in the field
Future Plans • Develop a Soil Health Card specific for wine grape growing and
pastures in the Central West region
7d. Soil Chemistry Testing Involves standard lab testing of micro / macro nutrients, CEC, pH, OM, OC% etc. In recent tests we also requested total nutrient levels in addition to exchangeable levels. The idea of this is to see what is ‘locked up’ and how much is being released into the exchangeable pool as a result of biological health. However we need further technical support clarification for the use/understanding of this information.
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Positives • Landholders familiar with some of the information in these
reports (pH, OM, major nutrients) Negatives
• A good understanding of soil chemistry interactions by landholders (and agronomists) required to make applied use of this information
• Cost - $150 per test including the total nutrient analysis, but not including sample collection
• Consistency of sample collection paramount for comparisons between sites and over time to be made
Future Plans • Workshop on soil chemical / physical / biological interactions • Workshop on understanding soil chemistry test results • More work on testing different carbon fractions
8. Other activities to date Farm visits
• “Lowe Family Wine Company” – MMG has its roots here with many of our early meetings taking place in the cellar door
• Mudgee Compost Services • “Winona”, Gulgong – twice we’ve been to the amazing
property of Colin Seis, with pasture cropping trials and diverse native grasses and legumes
• “Gundooee Organics”, Leadville – inspiring property of Rob Lennon, grass grower feeding organic wagyu cattle. This visit also focused a bit on biodynamic methods
• “Coffin Creek Organic Angus” – biodynamic property • Australian Rural Education Centre – MMG often meets here.
AREC have a composting program Guest Speakers
• Mike Parish – Resource Consulting Services, ex-farmer and current “Health Food” store owner. Mike spoke on soil health and its connection to human health
• Paul Taylor – Trust Nature, spoke on regenerative agriculture and opportunities that exist with municipal green waste and compost teas
• Iain Stevenson – ex microscopy lecturer at UTS ran through basic microscopy technique
• Gina and Mike Byron – ex pathologists, now farmers, ran us through basic microscopy technique
• Jane Aikin – Soil Health Ecology, an environmental scientist working on rehabilitation of soil and vegetation communities using flyash from coal fired power stations for. Jane showed us the ‘buried slide’ method, where slides are placed in the soil to culture organisms in a ‘natural’ state.
• ASSSI – Australian Society of Soil Science ran their August 2009 regional forum in Mudgee with MMG.
• Michael & Louisa Kiely – Carbon Farmers of Australia
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DVD’s • Polyface Farm
Workshops Many MMG members have attended at least one of the following:
• Soil Foodweb Institute – 4 day Soil Symposium • Soil Foodweb – 2 week Soil Foodweb Interactions Course • NSW I&I Soil Life: An introduction to Soil Biology
Individual Presentations Every few meetings we have one or two of our members give the following presentation:
• Where am I now with my soil health • Where I want to be in 3 years (MISSION STATEMENT) • What management methods I want to use to achieve this • How I see MMG assisting me with this • How I can contribute to MMG (PORTFOLIO OF INTEREST)
9. Future meetings... both confirmed and wish list
• Joel Salatin – 9th December (Mudgee) • Carole Hungerford (Oct 2010) – soil health to human health • John Feehan – dung beetles • Food Inc. screening • Guest speakers – mycologist / nematologist etc • “Krinklewood” biodynamic vineyard in Hunter Valley • A property growing and measuring carbon (eg; Winona) • A large scale property successfully implementing biological
farming practices
10. Recommendations The following recommendations outline activities we wish to pursue in the immediate future to respond to the ever-growing interest in soil health by Mudgee Wine Grape Growers.
• Nematode Benchmarking Survey of Mudgee Vineyards – applying research that uses nematodes at indicator organisms for soil health
• Adapt Soil Health Card for vineyards (SHC-V) and include a grower practices survey
• Collect regional data on soil health (with SHC-V) and grower practices
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11. Useful links http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/soils/biology/soil-biology-basics http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au http://www.agron.iastate.edu/~loynachan/mov/ http://www.csiro.au/resources/pfrc.html http://www.tuckombillandcare.org.au
12. Appendices I. MMG Soil Biology Qualitative Analysis form – adapted
from Soil Foodweb Institute form II. Soil Health Card www.tuckombillandcare.org.au
III. Compiled results – Soil Health Card IV. Compiled results – Soil chemistry testing (preliminary
collation) V. MMG Member Profiles
a. Jane Wilson – Tinja Organics (former Co-Director Lowe Family Wine Company)
b. Bruce Browne – Mount Frome Organic & Biodynamic Vineyard
Mudgee Micro Group Soil & Compost:
Soil/Compost/TeaQualitative AssayAdapted from the Soil Foodweb Inst. Form
Compost Tea:
Property: Sample depth:
Date: No. cores
Sample ID:
ObservationsB F N P1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Rating:
assess undiluted, or dilute but adjust results as above.
Mix 1:5 ratio soil or compost to water. Shake gently 5 minutes and assess. If further dilution required to see sample clearly, adjust results so different samples can be compared.
tick box
Guidelines (Source: Soil Foodweb Institute)
%
Comments (diversity, thickness, colour, species)
Excell
ent
Very G
ood
GoodAdeq
uate
PoorBad
Guidelines (Source: Soil Foodweb Institute)
Bacteria>500 >500 >500 25-500 <25 <25
Fungi100% 50% 20% 5% 5% 0%
Protozoa100% 50% 25% 10% 0% 0%
Nematodes
up to 5% maybe maybe maybe 0% 0%
1. Introduction This soil health card was developed for the Northern Rivers Region of NSW as an extension activity of the Good Soils Project, a joint undertaking of Tuckombil Landcare Inc and NSW Agriculture in partnership with the Natural Heritage Trust.
The card was developed through a series of workshops held at Wollongbar TAFE. Primary producers representing a range of industries and one urban gardener attended the workshops. The process was facilitated by staff of Wollongbar TAFE and NSW Agriculture. Participants are acknowledged individually on the back of the health card folder. The aim was to develop a practical tool that all landholders in the Northern Rivers Region can use to monitor the health of their soils. As the core of the card, the team came up with a list of 10 straightforward visual tests that require simple equipment and can be carried out by one person in the field.
The soil health card lists the 10 tests and provides space for you to rate your own soils after carrying out the tests. By testing regularly and keeping the cards, you can build up a record of your soil health, and understand the effect of management practices on soil health.
Regular testing will show improvements in response to more sustainable management such as use of mulch in orchards, or minimum tillage in crop rotations, and allow early detection of developing soil problems. Test results can also be used as the basis for discussion about management changes with other landholders and with agricultural advisers.
This card is not intended to replace any soil testing that you may already carry out. It is another tool to help you understand your soils and their productivity. Maintaining soil health in the short term will undoubtedly increase the sustainability of farming into the future.
‘A basic soil audit is the first and sometimes the only monitoring tool used to assess changes in the soil. Unfortunately, the standard soil test done to determine nutrient levels (P, K, Ca, Mg, etc.) provides no information on soil biology and physical properties. Yet most of the farmerrecognized criteria for healthy soils include, or are created by, soil organisms and soil physical properties. A better appreciation of these biological and physical soil properties, and how they affect soil management and productivity, has resulted in the adoption of new soil health assessment techniques.’
National (USA) Sustainable Agriculture Information Service http://attra.ncat.org
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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2. How to use your soil card 1. Read all the information first. This will help you go out into the paddock ready for action.
2. When to test Best results will be obtained in autumn, two to ten days after good rain. To allow comparison of results from year to year, sample at the same time of year and under similar conditions. Avoid taking samples from overly wet soils or during drought, at times of extreme high or low temperatures and within a few weeks of fertiliser or lime applications.
3. Prepare your equipment. You will need to make 3 simple pieces of test equipment, using the instructions on Sheet 4, and gather together all the other items listed in the equipment list on page 3.
4. Decide where you will test. We recommend you start with two sites, one to represent your ‘best’ soil and the other your ‘worst’ area. This will give you a good overview of how the tests relate to soil conditions on your land. You can then select other areas to get a broader understanding of the health of your soil.
5. Decide how many cards you need. At each site you select, you may want to use more than one card if • there is more than one soil type within the selected area • conditions under row crops are quite different in the interrow (eg light, groundcover,
traffic) • conditions in the paddock are quite different along the fence line (eg stock trampling,
cultivation); completing one card for each situation will provide an interesting comparison
• for comparison perform one test in an undisturbed area outside but adjacent to the orchard
6. Carry out the tests. Each card lists the 10 tests and has space on the back for you to draw a sketch map of the site and show the test sites. Once you are familiar with the tests it will take you around 20 minutes to carry out one set of tests. Each card has room for you to record up to five sets of tests at the site. We recommend that you do the five sets of tests as they will provide a broad picture of the soil conditions at the selected site.
7. Review your test procedure. As you become more familiar with the test procedures and your soils, check whether the sites you have selected are the best sites for the information you need. Also review the way you do your tests to ensure consistency. Make notes as you go to remind yourself next time.
8. Review your results and follow up on low scores. Line up your test sheets for areas you wish to compare and look for similarities and differences among your scores for the 10 tests. Can you explain the differences? If you have neighbours also undertaking tests, get together with them and compare notes. Where you have low scores in the results, refer to sheet that lists possible causes; obtain and read the literature linked to those tests in order to find out how you might improve your soil health.
9. Make sure the test date is on all your soil health cards before you file them.
10. Make a note in your diary to repeat the tests after 6 or 12 months.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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3. Test preparations
EQUIPMENT
• homemade wire quadrat (see Sheet 4) • homemade penetrometer (see Sheet 4) • homemade infiltrometer tube (see Sheet 4) • clipboard and pencil • one soil health card for each set of tests planned • spade • heavy duty plastic sheet, 1m x 1m (approx.) • soil pH kit (available from rural stores) • small, wide mouthed jar with a lid, marked to show 125 ml level • 500 ml measure • container of water (allow 1250 mls water per sample point if soil is dry or 750 ml if soil is
moist) • watch with a second display
SAMPLING PROCEDURE
Suggested layout of sample points:
in pasture and in an orchard
Notes
• Start from an identifiable point (eg. paint on fence post).
• Stay within a single soil type for each card.
• Sketch a plan of the sample points on the back of the assessment sheet and mark any soil type boundaries.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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4. Homemade equipment 1. WIRE QUADRANT (Test 1) A quadrant is simply a frame that shows a known area when placed on the ground. It is used to obtain an accurate measure of anything found there. You will use it to assess the amount of plant cover and then again to record the variety of animal life in the leaf litter.
Take a wire coat hanger and open it out to form a square (each side will be approximately 24 cm in length).
2. PENETROMETER (Test 2) A penetrometer is a device to test the compaction of the soil. While you can buy sophisticated penetrometers for hundreds of dollars, you can make your own inexpensive version. Take a 50 cm length of 3.15mm/10 gauge high tensile wire; use 12 cm of the length to make a handle and on the remaining 25 cm make file marks every 2.5 cm from the end.
Metal rod (50 cm long, 3.15mm diameter) with file marks every 2.5 cm starting from end of rod.
Shaft 38 cm long
Handle, 12 cm curved into a loop
3. INFILTROMETER RING (Test 3)
An infiltrometer measures the rate at which a fixed volume of water soaks into the soil. You will need a 150 mm diameter PVC pipe cut to 11 cm length. Bevel the bottom end to make it easier to push into the soil.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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5. The soil tests
WARNING: Soil naturally contains many microbes, some of which can cause infection or disease. Wear gloves if you have injuries or abrasions on your hands.
1. Ground cover Throw your coat hanger quadrant onto the ground at random and estimate the proportion of bare soil within the frame. Subtract this from 100% to calculate ground cover. Examine surface litter or mulch to estimate its depth. On the test sheet note the grade which best matches your soil. Both ground plants and mulch contribute organic matter to the soil that will feed soil animals and microbes. Roots of ground plants also help maintain good soil structure.
2. Penetrometer Push your homemade penetrometer into the soil as deep as you can with modest effort. Record the depth of penetration on your assessment sheet. If you hit a rock or tree root, choose another spot. The easier it is to penetrate the soil, the better the deep root development and water infiltration.
3. Infiltrometer If the top 7 cm of soil is dry you must perform this test twice in each location and record the time of the second test for an accurate assessment. If the soil is saturated (field capacity) you will need to wait two days for drying before conducting the infiltrometer test.
• Clear the area of residue and trim the vegetation as close to the soil as possible without disturbing the soil.
• Push the infiltrometer ring 2 cm into the soil, avoiding cracks and other holes in the ground. The ring should be nearly level for accurate testing. Use your finger to gently firm the soil around the inside edge of the ring to prevent leakage of water here.
• Carefully pour 500 ml of water into the ring and note the time. • Stop timing when the surface is just glistening.
A higher rate of infiltration will mean your soil will absorb rainfall more quickly, resulting in less run off and erosion.
4. Diversity of soil life Throw your coat hanger quadrant on the ground in an area not disturbed be earlier tests. Examine the surface for soil animals and then carefully sift through the litter. Note how many different varieties of soil animals you see such as ants, beetles, spiders, slaters, millipedes, mites etc. It is the variety that is important, not the numbers a column of ants counts as one variety.
5. Root development With your spade cut a 20 cm square hole to a depth of 20 cm. Lift the soil out, trying to keep it in one block, and place it on the plastic sheet. Examine the distribution of plant roots and complete the card. The distribution of fine roots will show whether soil structure is restricting the plants’ access to nutrients.
6. Soil structure Break a small handful of soil away from near the original surface of the block you have dug up and examine the size and arrangement of the soil aggregates or ‘crumbs’ (discrete clumps of soil particles). Under firm finger pressure soil should be friable, breaking into crumbs varying in size up to about 10 mm. There should also be evidence of root penetration throughout. Poor structure may be seen either as overly solid soil (hard crumbs, soil layers or clods) or as very loose soil (absence of even small crumbs, as for example in beach sand). Good structure results in easy passage of air and water, an ability to hold water and superior resistance to erosion.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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7. Aggregate stability Select three or four peasized soil aggregates from about 10 cm depth, avoiding small stones. Drop the aggregates into 125 ml water in the small wide mouthed jar and allow to stand for one minute. Observe if the aggregates break apart or stay intact. If they are intact after one minute, gently swirl the bottle several times and observe again. If they are still intact, swirl the bottle vigorously and check again. The aggregates of a healthy soil are normally more stable than those of a less healthy one. Poor aggregate stability is associated with greater susceptibility to erosion. Repeat the test with a sample from a depth of 20 cm.
8. Earthworms Break up your entire soil block into crumbs and place any worms found into a jar. When done, count any worms that are longer than 25 mm, record on the sheet and return the worms to the hole. Higher numbers of earthworms indicate conditions that are favourable (more organic matter, high pH, low chemical residues). Mostly these are also conditions favourable for plant growth.
9. Soil pH Take two small samples of soil from the side of the hole, one from 5 cm and one from 20 cm depth. Test each sample for pH, following the instructions included in the kit. Acidity has a strong effect on the ability of plants to take up soil nutrients as well as upon the wellbeing of soil organisms.
10. Leaf colour Examining your crop, trees or pasture at the soil test site may reveal plant health problems not identified by the completed soil tests. In crops or orchards examine fully formed leaves about four leaves back from the growth tip. (Young leaves at the tip are often naturally pale or red leaves while old leaves nearer the stem may show mottling that is normal).
SOME EXTRA (OPTIONAL) TESTS
Calico strip test for soil microbes Microbes in the soil (bacteria, protozoans and fungi) play a major role in the break down of soil organic matter. Microbial activity can be estimated by measuring the rate of breakdown (‘rotting’) of calico. Cut unbleached and washed calico into 20 cm squares. Using a felt tip pen draw a line across the square 5 cm from one edge. Make a cut in the ground to a depth of 15 cm with the spade and, again using the spade, insert the calico so that the marked line coincides with the soil surface. Arrange the top 5 cm of calico vertically in the litter layer, if present. Use at least 5 calico strips at each test site and leave in place for three weeks. Gently retrieve and rinse in a kitchen sieve, to remove attached soil. Place over a piece of graph paper and estimate the percentage area of the calico that has completely decomposed. The more the calico has rotted away the healthier the community of soil organisms.
Bioturbation Bioturbation is the mixing of surface organic matter into the soil profile by organisms. On the side of the hole dug at Test 5, observe the distribution of the darker soil colouration that is due to organic matter in the profile. Note the depth to which you can detect this darker soil and record on your sheet.
Erosion Take a 50 cm length of 100 mm x 50 mm timber and place it on the ground, across the slope, near the bottom of a long incline. After each major rainfall event check the wood for a build up of soil on the upper side.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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SOIL HEALTH CARD RESULTS SHEET
Date: _________ Location / management: ______________________________________________________________(draw a sketch map overleaf)
Soil Type: ___________________ Productivity: ______________________ Days since 20mm Rain: ____ Soil Moisture: dry / moist / water logged
TEST SCORES (1 9) RESULT TEST
POOR 1 2 3
FAIR 4 5 6
GOOD 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 Av.
1. GROUND COVER Less than 50% ground cover (ground plants or mulch)
50% to 75% ground cover (ground plants or mulch)
More than 75% ground cover (ground plants or mulch)
2. PENETROMETER Wire probe will not penetrate. Wire probe penetrates with difficulty to less than 20 cm.
Wire probe easily penetrates to 20 cm.
3. INFILTRATION More than 7 minutes 3 to 7 minutes Less than 3 minutes
4. DIVERSITY OF MACROLIFE
Fewer than two types of soil animals.
Two to five types of soil animals.
More than five types of soil animals.
5. ROOT DEVELOPMENT Few fine roots only found near the surface.
Some fine roots mostly near the surface.
Many fine roots throughout.
6. SOIL STRUCTURE Mostly in clods or with a surface crust, few crumbs.
Some clods but also many 10 mm crumbs.
Friable, readily breaks into 10 mm crumbs.
7. AGGREGATE STABILITY 10 cm depth → 20 cm depth →
Aggregate broke apart in less than one minute.
Aggregate remained intact after one minute.
Aggregate remained intact after swirling.
8. EARTHWORMS 0 3 4 6 more than 6
9. SOIL pH 5 cm depth → 20 cm depth →
pH 5 or lower pH 5.5 pH 6 to pH 7
10. LEAF COLOUR Stunted plants, leaf discolouration.
Some variation in growth and colour.
Appropriate leaf colour and uniform plant growth.
NB Numbers resulting from the different tests are not intended to be combined to give an overall value of soil health.
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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SITE PLAN NOTES (Showing a permanent reference point, 5 sample points, soil type changes etc)
This document is available at www.tuckombillandcare.org.au www.soilcare.org.au
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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LOW TEST SCORES: SOME POSSIBLE CAUSES
Further information on many of the possible causes for low soil health scores may be found in the references given overleaf.
Test result Situation indicated Possible causes 1) Low ground cover
ground plants absent or growth is poor
unsuitable plant type(s), soil compaction, erosion, shading, trampling (especially when wet), overstocking
2) Low probe penetrability
soil is generally hard hard at the surface only hard layer at greater depth
compacted by traffic, livestock or by overworking. Organic matter content low. compacted by traffic or livestock, especially if soil is wet at the time compacted by heavy vehicles or ‘hard pan’ formed by soil inverting cultivators
3) Slow water infiltration
high proportion of clay particles lack of spaces, channels or burrows in soil
naturally high clay content of soil type, possible loss of topsoil soil compaction, poor soil structure, lack of earthworms, surface crusting
4) Low variety of soil fauna
lack of habitat or food for fauna poor soil structure presence of harmful chemicals
sparse litter, low soil organic matter, lack of soil spaces and channels frequency or intensity of tillage has been excessive mortality from recent use of insecticides or regular use of cumulative chemical(s) such as copper
5) Poor root development
hard soil lacking spaces poor plant nutrition root disease or attack
loss of topsoil, poor soil structure, soil compaction soil pH not suitable for crop, lack of major or minor nutrients presence of soilborne pathogen, rootfeeding nematodes or rootfeeding insects
6) Low earthworm count
pH unfavourable poor food supply lack of soil spaces predators or parasites present presence of harmful chemical
soil pH naturally low, pH reduced by use of acidifying fertilisers sparse litter and/or ground cover (and roots), low organic content, low populations of fungi and bacteria loss of topsoil, soil compaction, poor structure predators (such as flatworms) and parasites (eg parasitic fly may occur in ‘plague’ numbers mortality from recent use of insecticides or regular use of cumulative chemical(s) such as copper
7) Poor soil structure
powdery soil, few crumbs excessive clods
lack of soilbinding substances and processes, low soil organic matter (sparse ground cover), few worms topsoil loss, soil compaction, low organic matter, ‘puddling’ of wet soil by stock, excessive cultivation
8) High slaking soil particles disperse when wet 10 cm: topsoil loss, compaction, low organic matter, excess tillage 20 cm: poor mixing of soil by soil animals, acid conditions
9) Low pH high level of acidity 5 cm: excess of nitrogen from inorganic fertilisers and legumes, poor drainage, low organic matter 20 cm: shallow top soil, unused N leached from above, if pH is less than 4 consider acid sulfate soil (grey clay,
sometimes with yellow veins) 10) Poor leaf
colour unthrifty plant soil problem as indicated in tests 19, one or more essential nutrients deficient or unavailable (confirm via soil or
leaf analysis), low organic matter, disease, waterlogging
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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The Northern Rivers Soil Health Card is the result of many months work by northern rivers landholders working in conjunction with NSW Agriculture scientists and TAFE teachers. Tuckombil Landcare Inc. would like to thank the individuals and organisations who, by their concern for soil health, have contributed to this document.
Farmer/Industry Dave Forrest Macadamia and Native Foods Alan Graham Dairy Kirk Hickey Macadamia Mike Hogan Avocado Beth Hotson Macadamia Ian Hotson Macadamia Gary Lock Macadamia and Avocado Peter Morrissey Coffee David Roby Avocado and Vegetable Elliot Tuckwell Avocado and Custard Apple Bonnie Walker Avocado and Macadamia David Wilson Dairy Jodie Shelley Avocado, Citrus and Lemon Myrtle Mal Thompson Gardening
NSW Agriculture Justine Cox Tim Kingston Abigail Jenkins Rebecca LinesKelly Greg Reid Lukas Van Zwieten
TAFE Wollongbar Alan Coates Dave Forrest
The Soil Health Card online at
www,tuckombillandcare.org.au www.soilcare.org.au
www.richmondlandcare.org
Northern Rivers Soil Health Card
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Local sources for more information on soil health:
NSW Department of Agriculture publications available from Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar, NSW.
Soil Sense – Soil Management for NSW North Coast Farmers, 2000 Cost $20.00 This book is for farmers on New South Wales’ north coast, a narrow corridor between the Great Dividing Range and the sea, stretching from Tweed Heads to Taree. The closeness of the mountains to the sea gives the region a microclimate unlike anywhere else in New South Wales. Soil Sense has been compiled to help you understand your soil so that you can manage it productively. It outlines simple management techniques that you can use, but does not go into explanatory detail. Rather, the book is designed to give you enough information to be able to discuss your soil management options with your local agronomist or horticulturist.
Soil Health – The foundation of sustainable agriculture, 2001 Cost $20.00 This book is the proceedings of a workshop on the importance of soil health in agriculture. The workshop aimed to review NSW Agriculture’s soil health research and extension activities, identify general soil health issues, identify issues specific to different farming systems that need further attention and identify strategies to address these issues. The book is divided into sections on soil biology and its importance in healthy soils, soil chemistry and physics and their influence on soil health, and soil health and farm management.
Soil Management Leaflets and Soil Sense Notes free of charge • Soil management in orchards. • Soil management for dairy and beef grazing. • Soil management for bananas. • Soil management for sugar cane. • Soil management for commercial small crops. • What is Soil pH? • Don’t let nitrogen acidify your soil. • Which liming material is best? • Why worry about acidity? • How to interpret your soil test. • How earthworms help your soil. • Soil organic matter. • Protect your soil from compaction. • How cultivation affects your soil. • Check your soil structure. • Cation exchange capacity.
Online resources: NSW Agriculture www.agric.nsw.gov.au/publications Tuckombil Landcare www.tuckombillandcare.org.au SoilCare Inc www.soilcare.org.au
Suggested words and phrases for search engines: soil biota; soil organic matter; soil organic carbon; soil organisms; soil ecology; soil quality; soil health; soil fauna; earthworms; nutrient cycling.
The most reliable sources of information online will be found at university and government sponsored websites.
Disclaimers: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (2002). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information on which they rely is up to date, and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate
officer of NSW Agriculture or the users independent adviser.
Mudgee Microscope Group: A Regional Case StudyAppendix III - Soil Health Card Compiled Results
Property Gundooee GundooeeOrganic Vineyard
Conventional vineyard
Organic Vineyard
Conventional vineyard
Site - descriptionPerennial pasture Annual pasture
Undervine - permanent sward, slashed
Undervine - herbicided bare Midrow - slashed Midrow - slashed
Date SHC completed 7/05/2010 7/05/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010Soil type Clay loam Clay loam Loam Loam Loam Loam1. Groundcover 8.2 8.8 9.0 2.2 9.0 8.02. Penetrometer 6.8 6.6 9.0 8.8 6.6 5.63. Infiltration 6.6 8.9 8.6 8.4 4.0 3.44. Diversity of macrolife 6.4 4.8 5.2 2.4 4.0 3.85. Root development 7.7 6.4 6.8 2.8 5.8 5.26. Soil structure 7.6 7.7 7.0 4.4 6.6 4.47. Aggregate stability 10 cm 5.6 5.7 7.2 4.6 5.6 5.6
20 cm 5.9 5.7 6.2 3.4 4.4 4.08. Earthworms 0.4 0.2 3.8 1.2 2.8 0.89. Soil pH 5 cm 8.2 7.6 8.0 2.0 8.0 7.2
20 cm 8.6 8.0 8.4 1.0 8.4 7.610. Leaf colour 9.0 8.8 9.0 8.0 9.0 8.0
TOTAL SCORE 81.0 79.2 88.2 49.2 74.2 63.6
Additional notes:
Sustained history of farming in this paddock, with applications of super etc in the past
Undervine is a slashed sward of grasses / herbs / legumes, dominated by grasses
Conventional vineyard, herbicided 'clean' undervine. Application of lime at planting approx 12 yrs ago, and gypsum 2 years ago
NOTE: these are scores, not actual values (i.e. pH scores, not actual pH)
Watersheds' "Monitoring Soil Health" project has been made possible through the Central West CMA Small Grants for Community Groups
Mudgee Microscope Group: A Regional Case StudyAppendix IV - Soil Chemistry Testing Compiled Results
Gundooee Gundooee Organic VineyardConventional vineyard Organic Vineyard
Conventional vineyard
Site - description Perennial pasture Annual pasture
Undervine - permanent sward, slashed
Undervine - herbicided bare Midrow - slashed Midrow - slashed
Date SHC completed 7/05/2010 7/05/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010 16/06/2010Soil type Clay loam Clay loam Loam Loam Loam LoampH (1:5 water) 6.25 6.19 6.92 7.73 6.14 6.46Phosphorus ppm (total) 926 917 324 220 260 227Phosphorus ppm (Colwell) 77 109 22 23 7 11% exchangeable (Colwell) P - of total 8.32% 11.89% 6.79% 10.45% 2.54% 4.85%Calcium ppm (total) 8476 7230 2535 1484 1853 1303Calcium ppm (exchangeable) 6296 6952 1997 1092 1512 993% exchangeable Ca of total 74.28% 96.15% 78.78% 73.58% 81.60% 76.21%
OM % 8.18 7.63 3.45 1.75 2.87 1.82CEC 44.4 50.1 14.2 9.9 10.3 7.3Carbon % (total) 4.67 4.36 1.97 1.00 1.64 1.04Nitrate N ppm 5.6 22.9 4.1 3.0 5.2 3.8Ammonium N ppm 8.7 8.1 7.2 3.4 4.5 3.5Nitrogen % (total) 0.38 0.35 0.13 0.07 0.12 0.07C:N ratio 12.3 12.5 15.2 14.3 13.9 14.1
Additional notes:
Sustained history of farming in this paddock, with applications of super etc in the past
Undervine is a slashed sward of grasses / herbs / legumes, dominated by grasses
Conventional vineyard, herbicided 'clean' undervine. Application of lime at planting approx 12 yrs ago, and gypsum 2 years ago
Watersheds' "Monitoring Soil Health" project has been made possible through the Central West CMA Small Grants for Community Groups
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Appendix V – MMG Member Profiles Jane Wilson Tinja Organics Former Co-Director Lowe Family Wine Company Where am I now with my soil health I feel I’m a lot further down the path of achieving a healthy soil than I was 4 years ago – both with measurable soil parameters and visible differences in vine health and disease resilience. Now I’m planning ahead with a proactive soil health program, backed with a tailored biological foliar support, rather than reacting to vine health. My ecological farming aims starting are becoming more achievable through planning, measurement and monitoring. Vineyard management is not isolated from the rest of the farm / landscape. It links in with the whole farm ecosystem. I’m starting to incorporate Eco-Business into wine branding and have more recently started a small food label, taking organic beef to the Sydney farmers markets. The story behind the brand and its sustainability is a big driving force in people choosing to come to the farmers markets and meet farmers. People want to support sustainable farming. Where I want to be in 3 years I want to be running a smart farm with ecological restoration enacted. I aim to have organic matter lifted by 3% in vineyard and 1.5-2% on farm. I plan to integrate grazing animals from the wider farm into the vineyard (including chickens) and to have adaptable grazing units to be able to respond quickly to changes in seasons so I don’t have to shut down completely in drought / take a long time to get going again afterwards. The approach now is to improve fertility and initiate a change to ‘softer’ grass species in the vineyard area while maintaining ground cover and resilient native species on all grazing areas. Grazing management is now being fine-tuned to build diversity and ground cover by further subdividing paddocks, mixing species and moving grazers more frequently. I want to be successfully marketing farming, healthy soil and seasonal organic food direct to the public, bridging the city – country gap. What management methods I want to use to achieve this Time controlled grazing / slashing management to improve groundcover and increase biodiversity on the vineyard floor (and wider farm). Time controlled grazing is based on an understanding of species present and their physiology, using rest and pulse grazing to promote desired species.
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How I see MMG assisting me with this The group provides invaluable and critical networking and an open forum to discuss progress or workshop limiting factors. How I can contribute to MMG Setting up and monitoring a chicken tractor trial in a newly established Zinfandel block. Using my science-based background to assisting MMG to develop biological benchmarking in vineyards.
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Appendix V – MMG Member Profiles Bruce Browne Mount Frome Organic & Biodynamic Vineyard Where am I now with my soil health I’m now Certified Organic and Biodynamic with BFA Cert 10842BD. Originally, I went down the organic path to gain a market advantage – but have since become greatly interested in organics, and now biodynamics, as a fascinating form of agriculture. Before becoming organic, I allowed weeds/grass to grow undervine, which was then knocked down periodically with herbicide. I noticed a few years ago that permanent bare patches were starting to form that only grew moss and had very poor structure. I purchased an under-vine slasher which has allowed me to maintain living plant roots undervine. My soils have all improved, even the worst are better than a few years ago. Most of my soils have visible improvements to soil organic matter. I found Elaine Ingham’s seminar in 2007 an inspirational and fascinating introduction to soil health, in particular soil biology. Where I want to be in 3 years With the help of Biodynamic principals and tons of OM, I hope to continue improving my soils. What management methods I want to use to achieve this I will be focusing on using, and monitoring the effects of biodynamic preparations. How I see MMG assisting me with this In spite of formal training in microbiology (Roseworthy), 15 years with NSW AG Department, 10 years as a private consultant in agriculture and 20 years on my own farm, MMG continues to help me enormously. Every session I pick up ideas and practical insights from other innovators. I am finding the group is helping me gain and maintain confidence in putting Soil Food Web theory into practice. I view my farm differently now, I’ve become much more environmentally sensitive. A few highlights have been seeing the quality of feed at Col Seis’; Nickies’ tips about controlling Kikuyu; the health of Lowes’ vines in the drought; Nigel Whites’ biodynamic flow form in action and local veterinarian Dave Gardiners insight into sheep farming. How I can contribute to MMG
1. Monitor and talk about what I am doing 2. Share with others what I am reading and hearing 3. Listen to alternatives others are doing, and constructively
explore 4. Keep being open to, and enjoying, a little eccentricity. That’s
where progress comes from!