BISON BATTLE: SOILS VS. SALTS
REFORD MUNICIPALITY
Soilscape Analysis
Six Soil Map Units
Five Soil Management Units
-Flat Lake
-Hanley
-Scott
-Runway
-Scott-Hanley
Agroclimate
- Crop District 7B = Dark Brown Soil Zone
- Soil Water= Poor (25-49mm)
Average Rainfall:
April: 14.0
May: 14.0
June: 88.0
July: 18.0
August : 52.0
September: 0.0
October 1-21: 4.0
Landforms
Surface Deposits
siL - Silty lacustrine
siLv - Silty lacustrine veneer
U - Undifferentiated
Location
References
© 2013, Government of Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Agriculture. N.p.: Crown copyright. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/crops
Alberta agriculture and rural development. (2003). Agroclimatic Atlas of Alberta: Agricultural
Climate Elements. Edmonton, Canada: Government of Alberta. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www1.agriculture.alberta.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/webdoc3438
Saskatchewan Agriculture. (1989). The soils of reford(379) trampling lake(380) buffalo(409) rural municipalities saskatchewan (pp. 1-78). N.p.: Agriculture Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/publications/surveys/sk/sks211/sks211_report.pdf
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (1998). The Canadian System of Soil Classification (3rd ed., pp. 1-202). Ottawa, Canada: Government of Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from
http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/taxa/cssc3/index.html
Surface Forms
I - Inclined
U - Undulating
Summary
- Reford Municipality #379, sections 19,20,30,31 -39-19 W3
- Located Southwest of the town of Wilkie, Saskatchewan
- Airport in section 31
- CPR runs through section 19, 30 and 31
Map Units
Scott Soils
Hanley Soils
Map Units and Slope Classes
- Dark Brown Solonetic soils
- Poor agricultural capability
- Significant soil salinity
- Neutral to slightly acid
- Undulating landscape
- Gentle slopes
- Loam/Silt-loam surface texture
- Fair to poor agricultural soils
- Severe crop limitations
- Available soils moisture= 75mm
- Dark Brown soils
- Slightly to moderate acid
- Undulating landscapes
- Gentle to very gentle slopes
- Very fine sandy loam to silt loam
- Fair agricultural capability
- Moderate water holding capacity limitation
- Surface acidity limitation
- Capability class 3
- Available soil moisture= 60mm
Recommended land use: Pasture
Recommendations
Recommendations
Seed to forages of Ryegrass. This will increase organic matter and help draw down moisture.
Orchardgrass and kentucky bluegrass for low lying areas to manage high moisture and salinity.
Seed to salt-tolerant forages: Birdsfoot trefoil, sweetclover and alfalfa
Bromegrass should be seeded around low-lying areas
Avoid summerfallow in recharge areas
Avoid additions of manure as fertilizer
Questions?
Soils in the presentation area have severe limitations to crop growth.
Runway Soils
Scott-Hanley Soils
- Dark brown and solonetzic soils in North
- Very gently sloping
- Fair to poor agricultural capability
- Limitations moderately severe and very severe
- Soil salinity, alkalinity and insufficient moisture holding capacity limitations
- Loam texture
- Available soil moisture= 70mm
- Often wet, poorly drained
- Occasionally stoney or saline
- Developed in: meltwater channels, spillways or eroded till plains
- Gentle-steep slopes
- Usually non-arable
- Weakly developed
- Severe limitations for crop productivity
- Variable surface texture classes
- Available soil moisture= 70mm
Recommendations
Crop rotation: Legume- Cereal- Legume- Cereal
Crops: Year 1- Field peas (nitrogen fixing)
Year 2- Oats (acid tolerant)
Year 3- Field peas (nitrogen fixing)
Year 4- Barley (drought tolerant)
Deep plowing is recommended to displace sodium in B horizon
Recommendations
Seed to forages: Alfalfa, red clover, and birds foot trefoil
To avoid erosion, reduce conventional farming practices
Kentucky bluegrass and orchardgrass planted around gullies
- Most land will be used for forages of alfalfa and ryegrass
- Bromegrass seeded around low lying areas
- Orchardgrass or Kentucky bluegrass in severely saline areas
- Withhold use of manure to avoid adding more salts
- Avoid irrigation
- Avoid summerfallow
Flat Lake Soils
- Poorly drained and saline
- Located in depressional areas
- Loam to clay-loam surface texture
- Poor agricultural soils: 5-7
- Rarely suitable for forage
- Available soil moisture= 80 mm
- Not suitable for crops
Recommendations
Seed to forages: alfalfa, red clover, birdsfood trefoil
This will increase organic matter and soil structure and tilth
Kentucky bluegrass and orgardgrass planted around low-lying areas