soil health and the scoop & dump method of … health in perennial landscapes and scoop &...
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Soil Health
in Perennial Landscapes
and
Scoop & Dump Method of
soil Remediation
By
Dr. Nina Bassuk & Miles S. Sax
Cornell University
Section of Horticulture
Effects of the Scoop & Dump Soil Remediation Technique
on Soil Quality
Scoop & Dump Technique
• Apply 6-8” of compost to compacted soil• Use backhoe bucket to dig down to 18”• Mulched added every year to replenish organic matter
Study Sites
= Study Site (n=6) = Control (n=4)
Scoop & Dump Unamended Std. Err. P Value72.41 34.90 4.88 <.0001
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Agg
rega
te S
tab
ility
(%
)Aggregate Stability (%) (n=30)
Scoop & Dump Unamended Std. Err. P Value8.43 3.23 0.58 <.0001
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Org
anic
Mat
ter
(%)
Organic Matter (%) (n=30)
Scoop & Dump Unamended Std. Err. P Value1022.47 361.60 51.51 <.0001
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Act
ive
Car
bo
n (
mg
/kg-1
)Active Carbon (mg/kg-1) (n=30)
Scoop & Dump Unamended Std. Err. P Value0.23 0.15 0.01 <.0001
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
Scoop & Dump Unamended
AW
HC
(m
/m)
Available Water Holding Capacity (n=30)
Scoop & Dump Unamended Std. Err. P Value27.53 3.11 4.41 .0005
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Scoop & Dump Unamended
PM
N (
mg
/kg-1
) Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen (mg/kg-
1) (n=30)
Resistance (Penetrometer)
Treatment Mean St. Dev.Scoop & Dump 9.74 2.24
Unamended 3.44 1.65
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
Scoop & Dump Unamended
De
pth
(in
)Average Depth of Root Limiting
Resistance ( >300 PSI)
S&D Unam. Std. Err.
0.89 1.47 0.06
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Bu
lk D
en
sity
(g
/cm
3)
Bulk Density (g/cm3) (n=30)
Texture Bulk Density
Sand 1.75 (g/cm3)
Silt & Clay 1.40 (g/cm3)
Root Limiting Bulk DensityAvg. Bulk Density
Scoop & Dump Over Time
Bulk Density
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Bu
lk D
en
sity
(g
/cm
3)
Year Since Disturbance
Bulk Density (g/cm3) Over time (R2= 0.50, P<.0001, n=30)
Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen
0
50
100
150
200
250
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
PM
N (
mg
/kg-1
)
Year Since Disturbance
PMN (mg/kg-1 ) Over Time (R2=0.61, P<.0001, n=30)
Active Carbon
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Act
ive
Car
bo
n (
mg
/kg-1
)
Year since Disturbance
Active Carbon (mg/kg-1) Over time (R2=0.57, p<.0001, n=30)
Soil Container Study
S&D Unam Std. Err. P-value
933.18 579.89 59.14 0.0002
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Leaf
Are
a (c
m2)
Leaf Area (cm2) by Treatment (n=30)
S&D Unam Std. Err. P-value
6.44 5.21 0.27 0.012
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Drr
y W
eig
ht
roo
ts (
g)Dry Weight Roots (g) by Treatment
(n=30)
S&D Unam Std. Err. P-value
10.17 7.03 0.63 0.0015
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Scoop & Dump Unamended
Dry
We
igh
t Sh
oo
ts (
g)Dry Weight Shoots (g) by treatment (n=30)
(p=0.0015)
Texture Bulk Density
Sand 1.75 (g/cm3)
Silt & Clay 1.40 (g/cm3)
Avg. Bulk Density Root Limiting Bulk Density
S&D Unam Std. Err. P-value
0.97 1.68 0.05 <.0001
0
0.3
0.6
0.9
1.2
1.5
1.8
2.1
Scoop&Dump Unamended
Bu
lk D
en
sity
(g
/cm
3)
Bulk Density (g/cm3) by Treatment (n=30) (p<.0001)
= Scoop & Dump = Unamended
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
DryweightShoots(g)
BulkDensity(g/cm3)
LinearRegressionDryWeightShoots(g)byBulkDensity(g/cm3)(R2=0.52)(n=30)(p<.0001)
Root Limiting Bulk Density
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
DryW
eightRoots(g)
BulkDensity(g/cm3)
LinearRegressionDryWeightRoots(g)byBulkDensity(g/cm3)(R2=0.29)(N=30)(p=0.021)
Root Limiting Bulk Density
= Scoop & Dump = Unamended
= Scoop & Dump = Unamended
Ficus benjamina as a Street Tree
Photo courtesy Jonathan Wright- Mexico
