Saline soils are part of the natural landscape of Western Canada. “They were here when we broke the land, they are part of the soil cycle and they’re here to stay,” says Nutrien Premium Fertilizer Technologies senior agronomist Lyle Cowell.
Salt can move down through the soil profile and outside the root system, but high water tables bring these primarily sulphate salts to the surface, causing management headaches for growers. In this interview from Ag In Motion earlier this month in Saskatoon, Sask., Cowell shares some tips on how growers can best manage saline soils.
The biggest challenge these soils present is how they can reduce seed and seedlings’ ability to absorb water, potentially stalling germination and pulling valuable moisture away from plant roots. Cowell says growing forage is the best option growers have to mitigate these impacts.
“If you can establish a long-term forage crop that is tolerant of salinity, and capable of germinating in a saline soil, then those forage roots will start to lower the water table,” says Cowell. Forages constantly use water, and with time, push salt down deeper into the soil profile.
Cowell notes that many forage crops are very saline tolerant: “You can take an area of a field that can barely grow a crop of canola or wheat, and suddenly you have a forage crop that is very productive.”
Cowell also discusses how growers can assess the yield potential of saline areas. In many cases, it makes sense to reduce nutrient applications in these areas and then identify high yield areas within the field where those nutrients can deliver a much greater return. Check out the report below.
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