The Gates Farm Long-Term Soil Health Research Site: What, How and Results To-Date...

The Gates Farm Long-Term Soil Health Research Site: What, How and Results To-Date...

G.S. Abawi Department of Plant Pathology

G.S. Abawi Department of Plant Pathology

Goals for Gates Farm:Goals for Gates Farm:

Establish a long-term soil health research site to promote multi-disciplinary research

Assess the impact of soil management practices on soil quality...

Crop rotation, cover crops, and tillage

Living laboratory for hands-on training

Long-term soil health research site

Located at NYSAES, Geneva, NY

14-acre site (previously in cabbage production)

Split-split plot design with 4 reps3 tillage treatments (plow, no-till, strip-till)

3 cover crop treatments (none, rye, vetch)

2 crop rotations (continuous vegetable vs. soil-building

crops)

Rep 1 Rep 2

Rep 3 Rep 4

CROP ROTATION:

COVER CROP:

Continuous vegetable

Veg w/ soil-building crops

No cover

Rye cover crop

Vetch cover crop

Strip-till

Plow till

No-till

Each block is 400ft x 120ft

N

No-tillRye cover

Vetch cover

No coverPlow till

Strip-till

REP 3

NYSAES, Geneva, NY

Gates Farm:Crop Rotations

Gates Farm:Crop Rotations

Continuous vegetable rotation

Soil-building rotation

2003 Bean Bean

2004 Beet Field corn

2005 Sweet corn Oats/sweet clover

2006 Peas? Soybean?

2007 Bean Bean

Gates Farm:Cover CropsGates Farm:Cover Crops

Continuous vegetable rotation

Soil-building rotation

Fall 2003No cover, Rye grain,

VetchNo cover, Rye grain,

Vetch

Fall 2004 No cover (late harvest) No cover (late harvest)

Fall 2005No cover , Rye grain,

VetchBarley/sweet cover

Vegetable Soil-building

Vetch

No cover

Rye grain

Strip-Tillage EquipmentStrip-Tillage Equipment

Ridge Building and Planting EquipmentRidge Building and Planting Equipment

No-till planting equipmentNo-till planting equipment

Soil Health IndicatorsSoil Health IndicatorsTier 1 indicators

Water stable aggregates (2.0 - 0.25 mm)

Bulk density

Available water capacity

Texture by feel

Field penetration resistance

Root heath bioassay

Active Carbon

PMN

Standard chemical analysis

Physical Chemical

Biological

Results so far....Results so far....

Minimal changes in soil physical indicators (bulk density, aggregate stability, penetration resistance, etc.)• Suggests a minimum transition period• May reflect reduced sampling in spring 2005

Significant changes in soil biological indicators• Soil microbes are able to respond to

environmental changes more rapidly

Soil Bioassay w/ Bean for Assessing Soil HealthSoil Bioassay w/ Bean for Assessing Soil Health

Soil collectionSoil collection

Root rot severity rating (1 = healthy to 9 =

primary roots rotted)

Root rot severity rating (1 = healthy to 9 =

primary roots rotted)

Beans grown in greenhouse5 to 6 weeks

Beans grown in greenhouse5 to 6 weeks

Bean roots are washedBean roots are washed

Bean seed planted in field soil

Bean seed planted in field soil

Ro

ot

rot

seve

rity

rat

ing

No

ne

Rye

Vet

ch

No

ne

Rye

Vet

ch

No

ne

Rye

Vet

ch

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Tillage and cover crop system

Plow-till Strip-till No-till

Root health assessment NYSAES, Gates Farm 2004 and 2005.Root health assessment NYSAES, Gates Farm 2004 and 2005.

2004 – back2005 – front

Gates Farm: Plow-Till, Vetch Cover Crop 2004 Gates Farm: Plow-Till, Vetch Cover Crop 2004

Date: 2-8-04

INDICATORS Measured ValuesAverage

Rela RATING CONSTRAINTCONSTRAINT

Sub-optimal

50th Pecentile

Optimal

Root Rot Rating 7.88 0Root Health

Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen 3.00 0

Nitrogen Release and Microbial

Activity

Organic Matter (%) 3.80 1

Aggregate Stability 0.25 - 2mm (%) 24.18 1

Bulk Density (g/cc) 1.38 1

Available Water Capacity (m/m) 0.13 0

Water storage

3

Slope (%): 1%

Silt SoilsSoil Quality Rating Model by Cornell Soil Health Team

OVERALL QUALITY

Farm: Gates, GenevaField: Plow-Till Vetch

Soil Type: Silt Loam

Soil Texture: Silt Drainage: Good Percentile

out of 12 ( Low:0-4; Medium:5-8; High:9-12)

0 - Low; 1 -Medium; 2 -High

Date: 2-8-04

INDICATORS Measured ValuesAverage

Rela RATING CONSTRAINTCONSTRAINT

Sub-optimal

50th Pecentile

Optimal

Root Rot Rating 6.00 1

Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen 5.58 2

Organic Matter (%) 3.54 1

Aggregate Stability 0.25 - 2mm (%) 23.05 1

Bulk Density (g/cc) 1.48 0

Root Proliferation, Hardsetting and

Crusting

Available Water Capacity (m/m) 0.13 0

Water storage

5

Slope (%): 1%

Silt SoilsSoil Quality Rating Model by Cornell Soil Health Team

OVERALL QUALITY

Farm: Gates, GenevaField: Zone-Till Vetch

Soil Type: Silt Loam

Soil Texture: Silt Drainage: Good Percentile

out of 12 ( Low:0-4; Medium:5-8; High:9-12)

0 - Low; 1 -Medium; 2 -High

Gates Farm: Strip-Till, Vetch Cover Crop 2004 Gates Farm: Strip-Till, Vetch Cover Crop 2004

Gates Farm: Yield DataGates Farm: Yield Data

2004 Yields 2005 Yields

Tillage System

Beet

root wt (lb/10ft)

Field corn

top wt (lb/ 10 plants)

Sweet corn (ears/10ft)

Number Wt (lb)

No-till/ ridge till

12.5 a 22.3 a 13.2 a 8.3 a

Plow till 11.7 a 24.8 a 9.7 b 4.9 bStrip-till 8.3 b 22.1 a 12.5 a 7.6 aP -value 0.0038 0.1116 0.0008 <0.0001

2004 Yields 2005 Yields

Cover crop

Beet

root wt (lb/10ft)

Field corn

top wt (lb/ 10 plants)

Sweet corn (ears/10ft)

Number Wt (lb)

Vetch 12.7 a 25.0 a 12.1 a 7.2 a

No cover crop 10.5 ab 21.8 b 11.9 a 7.1 a

Rye grain 9.3 b 22.4 ab 11.4 a 6.5 a

P -value 0.0437 0.0452 0.8194 0.7084

Gates Farm: Yield DataGates Farm: Yield Data

1

2

3

4

5

Plow-till Strip-till No-till

NoneRyeVetch

Gro

wth

/vig

or/

colo

r

Vigor ratings of sweet corn under different tillage systems and cover crops (1=least, 5= greatest vigor).

NYSAES, Gates Farm 2005. 19 July 05.

Vigor ratings of sweet corn under different tillage systems and cover crops (1=least, 5= greatest vigor).

NYSAES, Gates Farm 2005. 19 July 05.

Tillage system

Cover crop

The Gates Farm: The Gates Farm: What’s next... What’s next...

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Research Labs David Wolfe George Abawi Harold van Es Janice Thies Renuka Rao

Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators

New York Grower Cooperators

The Farm Research Unit Staff - NYSAES

Soil Health Team (partial list)

Funding Sources:Funding Sources:

NE-SARENE-SARE

NYS/CU IPMNYS/CU IPM

FFF Hatch ProgramFFF Hatch Program

CCE/Smith-Lever CCE/Smith-Lever

NNY – Ag & Markets ProgramNNY – Ag & Markets Program

Funding Sources:Funding Sources:

NE-SARENE-SARE

NYS/CU IPMNYS/CU IPM

FFF Hatch ProgramFFF Hatch Program

CCE/Smith-Lever CCE/Smith-Lever

NNY – Ag & Markets ProgramNNY – Ag & Markets Program