3 reasons P.E.I.'s soil is in decline

Jan 04, 2018

A 20-year study of soil health on P.E.I. is showing an overall decline in organic matter.

The study was launched by the provincial Department of Agriculture in 1998. Over the course of three-year cycles soil samples have been taken from 600 sites around the Island and compared over the years.

"Our general soil health is starting to decline, so obviously it is a major concern," said Barry Thompson of the provincial Agriculture Department.

"What we're doing is not only are we kind of having a drop in organic matter, we're actually losing our water-holding capacity."

Agriculture Canada researcher Judith Nyiraneza identified three main causes for the decline.

Increased erosion in heavy rain events.
A declining number of livestock operations, providing less manure for the soil.
Frequent tillage.

"This is an average," said Nyrianeza of the trend.

"There may be some farmers who are doing better and some who are doing worse than the overall trend."

Source : CBC

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.