{"id":43389,"date":"2024-03-11T09:10:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T09:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=43389"},"modified":"2024-09-13T13:13:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T12:13:24","slug":"improving-soil-health-how-vineland-is-protecting-canadas-soil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/improving-soil-health-how-vineland-is-protecting-canadas-soil\/43389\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving soil health: How Vineland is protecting Canada\u2019s soil"},"content":{"rendered":"
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is a uniquely Canadian results-oriented organisation dedicated to horticulture science and innovation. Delivering innovative products, solutions, and services, the Centre provides an integrated and collaborative cross-country network that advances Canada\u2019s research and commercialisation agenda.<\/p>\n
As part of this dedicated effort, Vineland advocates for improving and maintaining soil health, sustainability<\/a> and food security. Crucial to global agricultural productivity, water conservation, and a sustainable food supply, our soil must be protected. Experts from the Centre elaborate on the how and why.<\/p>\n Soil health is defined as the ongoing ability of soil to function as a vital ecosystem for plants, animals, and humans. It is a living, breathing system determined by physical (e.g. texture, bulk density), chemical (e.g. available nutrients) and biological factors (e.g. organic matter, soil respiration). Soil carbon, a vital aspect of the biological property, is crucial in soil health, productivity and sustainability.<\/p>\n Carbon naturally exists in all soils, but levels vary based on factors such as production practices, soil disturbance, and texture. Enhancing microbial life using organic matter input and improved production practices helps build soil carbon, an essential component for agricultural productivity and farm sustainability. Soil carbon:<\/p>\n Prioritising the development of soil carbon enhances sustainable farming by reducing fertiliser and irrigation needs, fostering plant growth and sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n Water conservation and soil erosion are interconnected. To better understand their relationship, let\u2019s revisit the essence of soil. Soil is comprised of four key components: Minerals (e.g. sand, silt, clay), organic material, water, and air. When we look at healthy soil, 50% of the soil should consist of water and air, often referred to as \u2018open space\u2019, \u2018pore space\u2019 or, more specifically, \u2018soil porosity\u2019. One cubic metre of healthy soil can store up to 0.5m\u00b3 of water (or 500L).<\/p>\n Healthy soil can act like a sponge, absorbing and storing rainwater for prolonged periods. This stored water then becomes accessible to plants. This is critical for plant growth, especially for the newly planted, establishing vegetation facing water limitations, which can determine their success or failure.<\/p>\n Compacted soil prevents water from entering pore spaces, leading rainwater to become surface runoff or stormwater runoff. As it travels downhill, it carries loose soil particles, causing soil erosion and soil loss. Massive erosion results in muddy streams flowing into rivers. To minimise soil erosion, a focus on upstream soils is crucial. Enhancing porosity by reducing soil compaction enables the absorption of rainwater into the soil, decreasing surface runoff and the risk of erosion.<\/p>\n Improving soil health, including absorbency, in urban environments can save on costs for watering and tree replacement programmes, while contributing toward the establishment of healthy and resilient urban trees that can grow to canopy height and contribute vital ecosystem services, including heat mitigation, urban cooling, air filtration, and shading.<\/p>\n Good soil health results from the proper balance of physical, chemical, and biological properties that mutually regulate one another, forming a sustainable foundation for plant growth. Degradation of one soil parameter adversely affects the others, as evident in soils with low organic matter. Soil organic matter, comprising living organisms and organic residues, enhances soil porosity and reduces bulk density, facilitating increased water and air entry. This environment supports micro-organisms that break down organic matter and release nutrients, like nitrogen, for plant uptake. The absence of organic matter leads to negative impacts, such as nutrient deficiency, heightened compaction and reduced soil microbial activity.<\/p>\n Trees are large, long lived organisms that require greater soil volume, investment during the three to five-year establishment phase, and long-term maintenance as compared to other ornamental and landscape plants. Where soil is heavily compacted, low in organic matter, or has typical urban issues like high salt content resulting from the use of de-icing salts, trees often cannot penetrate and establish adequate root systems to support effective growth, limiting their ability to become large, healthy trees. Poor soil health often leads to the gradual decline and eventual removal of newly planted trees in the urban environment, typically occurring over five to ten years as the tree exhausts the limited resources available in unmaintained urban soil and eventually dies.<\/p>\nHow do soil carbon levels impact soil health and agricultural productivity, and how does this affect sustainability?<\/h3>\n
\n
How does the use of absorbent soil contribute to water conservation and soil erosion prevention?<\/h3>\n
What are the key characteristics of soil that promote healthy tree growth, and how do you study this?<\/h3>\n