MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

Soil Health Monitoring

Today vs Tomorrow: Defining a More

Comprehensive View of Soil Health

Bryan Stevenson (and a host of others)

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

2

“The continued capacity of the soil

to function as a vital living

ecosystem that sustains plants,

animals and humans”

What is Soil Health?

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

3

• organic carbon

• pH

• water-stable aggregation

• crop yield

• texture

• Penetration resistance

• cation exchange capacity

• electrical conductivity

• nitrogen

• Phosphorus

• potassium

How do we measure it?

• carbon mineralization

• nitrogen mineralization

• erosion rating

• base saturation

• bulk density

• available water holding capacity

• infiltration rate

• micronutrients

Macroporosity

Contaminants

[ http://soilhealthinstitute.org/tier-1-indicators-soil-health/ ]

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

4

Where do we go from here…

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

5

• Industry realising they must be on board…

• Several major research initiatives:

− CRC for High Performing Soils

− US Soil Health Institute (NGO) / USDA Initiatives

− Trace elements in NZ (proposed MBIE)

− Soil Health MBIE

• Integrating Research

Opportunities:

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

6

Fonterra – Global Dairy Sustainability Framework

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

7

Objectives of Soil Health Monitoring

Objective Focus Attributes of Programme

SoE monitoring/ reporting

Quantitative assessment with

accurate and measurable

indicators

Broad coverage of all land uses

Considers a range of factors -production and environment

Regional/National Scale

Formalised management tools

Quantitative measurements of

specific land management

practices on soil health

Can be more targeted, but is often limited in application for specific land

management comparisons (e.g. conventional tillage vs no till practices)

Can be more focused on production values e.g. yield

Farm Scale

Guidelines to help explain basic concepts of soil health

(e.g. Visual Soil Assessment)

Often informal to provide

landowners with a simple, no-

or low-cost method to assess

soil properties under different

conditions on their property

Qualitative or semi-quantitative, but generally not suggested when quantitative

assessment needed

Limited range of indicators

Baseline sampling of soil resource

Geochemical sampling for trace

element excess or deficiency Broad coverage of managed land use areas

Often grid based sampling

Often related to parent material

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

8

Major Research Initiatives…

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

9

• Theme 2: Soil Performance Metrics

• Theme 3: Increasing Soil Fertility and Function

• Theme 4: Soil Management Solutions

CRC – High Performing Soils

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

0

• Reviewing current and new indicators

• Integration with in situ sensor technologies

• Data management and Apps for real-time reporting of soil performance

• Allophanic Soils as model for a high performing soil?

CRC Theme 2 – Soil Performance Metrics

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

1

The role of trace elements (TE) in

ecosystem health and resilience: future-

proofing sustainable land management

• Biological indicators

• Soil community resilience – native to

legacy contaminated sites

• Soil/plant root structure

• Movement of TE and impact in selected

aquatic ecosystems

• Exploring mauri and mana of whenua

and trace elements and mahinga kai

The role of trace elements (MBIE proposal-Cavanagh)

Outcomes

Identify ecological

limits for TE

Enable risk-based

management of TE and

kaitiakitanga

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

2

1. Soil Resilience (testing pedogenic thresholds)

2. Develop Māori Soil Health concepts – (Garth Harmsworth and Māori researchers)

3. Develop an Integrated Soil Health Framework

Soil Health MBIE Research Aims:

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

3

• Sampling land use chronosequences/paired sites to determine long term change in

soil properties (“inherent” as well as dynamic)

• Sampling across regions and soil orders

• Full profile sampling (not just topsoil)

• Land management pressures include: irrigation, grazing, cultivation, drainage…

Soil Resilience

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

4

Aligned sampling from irrigation SLMACC

Pumice

Brown

Pallic

Allophanic

Brown

Pallic

Recent

Brown

Recent

Brown

Pallic

Recent

Gley

Semi-Arid

Courtesy of Paul Mudge

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

5

Kaupapa Māori Research – Relevant frameworks

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

6

Integrating Research…

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

7

Soil Horizons - Issue 26, October 2017

Ja

nu

ary

1

8

MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

PA

GE

1

8

Development of an Integrated Soil Health Framework

Integrating new knowledge

into the existing monitoring

programme…