Waste not, want not to achieve better water management. Nigel Simpson M:

Transcription

1 Waste not, want not to achieve better water management Nigel Simpson M:

2 Where there s a will: efficient use of fertilisers, manures and pesticides - using best practice adjusting machinery use, cropping and cultivation to improve soil structure and rain infiltration, reducing run-off and erosion protecting watercourses from contamination via sedimentation and pesticides Winter Water Storage

3 What does success look like? Action follows Knowledge = evidence, awareness, reason, Investment and/or saving needs will & resources To bring reward, success, satisfaction or survival = good husbandry = sustainable farming

4 Knowing quality when we see it How good is your land? Rented or owned soil structure, fertility, organic matter, ph, disease risks, drainage? How good is your planning? What you grow, where, when you do things, how you plant, apply inputs and harvest, who your advisor, your staff, others involved?

5 Knowledge gives power How good is your control? Of the weather, of your cultivations, of the fertiliser you buy, of the manures you may use and your pesticide use? How do you compare with others/ research? The answers will determine your results and if your business will survive 50 years.

6 Any reason to do different? Management Plans - required in many production protocols - can help you follow best practice for Soil, Nutrient Management, Manure Management and Crop Protection and Irrigation. Putting these in to action gives economic, environmental, social and sustainability benefits. Sustainable Satisfaction cleaner water and more profit.

7 If words don t convince you

8 The issues Soils - inherently leaky systems & plants are relatively inefficient at removing soil nutrients. Environmental issues include losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to water systems - 2 of the most significant nutrients applied to farmland. What you do affects these losses be it mineralisation of N from cultivations number of passes and aeration of soil, choice of beds or ridges, linking to organic matter loss, to use of manures timing accuracy of spreading, accurate nutrient calculation, use of cover crops, contour planting, tied ridges and use of any buffers/ pathway disruptors.

9 Erosion and Compaction Soil erosion moves suspended and particulate sediment to watercourses/ lakes, causing aquatic wildlife to suffer. Soil compaction can increase soil erosion, by reducing rate of water infiltration into soils, and/ or reducing drainage of water through the soil profile, not to mention yield effects & reducing efficiency of nutrient uptake.

10 Why look at soil risks? 1. Soils vary, fields vary, season vary and crops vary 2. We want optimum yields, from as little cost as possible and to minimise risk of getting it wrong. 3. Inherent soil problems fall in to 3 main categories compaction, erosion and organic matter potato growers are likely to suffer from at least 2 or all 3, and they are often linked. Local water quality reflects these soil problems, and any drainage or leaching of nitrates and pesticides.

11 Potatoes & Compaction - 1 Potatoes - highly sensitive to compaction - impedes root growth - restricts nutrient and water uptake, reduces crop canopy affecting yield and quality. Extra fertiliser application and irrigation will partially overcome the effects of soil compaction; but increase costs. Cambridge University Farms found of 602 commercial potato fields that two-thirds had a serious impediment to rooting.

12 Potatoes & Compaction - 2 In a BPC survey of 200 growers: Compaction was identified as the most likely soil structural problem for potato growers Compaction often due to cultivating land for seedbed preparation in less than ideal conditions. Can we be more timely? Similarly, remember harvesting affects following crop.

13 Is soil structure is satisfactory? Dig holes to about 55 cm depth to examine root extension and soil structure 18 months and 6 month before planting potatoes. If subsoiler is used, aim to achieve even loosening in dry soil across the profile and check this happens with a spade: THIS NOT

14 Symptoms of poor structure: 1. Densely packed soil. 2. Little pores within soil aggregates. 3. Dull blue grey/brown soil aggregates/plant remains. 4. Soil cracks travel horizontally. 5. Some roots travel sideways and/or thickened/ distorted. 6. Most roots travel mainly down cracks and earthworm channels rather than through the entire soil volume. 7. Layers of wetness in the soil. 8. Foul (sulphurous) smell to plant remains, particularly at plough depth.

15 Soil Plan 18 months ahead 1. To minimise field passes, wheelings & weights. 2. Check areas to be cropped as soon as you can. 3. Apply FYM and fertiliser in dry soil conditions. 4. If heavy plough when dry or frosted & produce broken, friable and level furrow. 5. Ensure any straw is thoroughly incorporated. 6. Use low ground-pressure tyres 7. Cultivate when dry as possible. 8. Is soil fit to plant? Check - dig 50 cm deep hole, if soil friable and falls away from spade then land is in good condition to cultivate.

16 Earth-shattering - Correction of seen compaction Don t make things worse. Compaction affects yield and increases nutrient loss to adjacent watercourses. 1.Use a spade to inspect areas where damage is likely. 2.Confirm depth of compaction - aim to cultivate 5 cm just below it. 3.Aim to lift and crack the compacted soil to promote natural self-structuring rather than just disrupt the soil, 4.Avoid wet soil conditions when you are likely to cause more damage - remember you are looking to crack the soil and not smear it, 5.Plan to remove compaction when necessary.

17 Do you? Apply FYM in autumn before potatoes Know if you have compaction ANYWHERE Stone or clod separate on ALL potato fields Ever start cultivating/ planting too early, on wrong field or not check smearing Cause ruts Why not? Apply FYM a year earlier to reduce leaching / drain losses over-winter. Check all fields in at least 4 places, subsoil when soil dry at correct depth and try prevention / discipline this is better than cure Avoid it where possible as costly & slow, destructures soil, may cause a pan & loss of Organic Matter. Check all fields 1 and 15-18mths before planting, to put in priority order for planting, check before machines go on with a spade to 55cm depth see if any plastic. Delay for 4 days if rain requires. Use lower ground pressure tyres e.g. Xeobib, minimise weights, get off & change timings.

18 Do you? Ever harvest too late on any fields See run-off down wheelings on slopes of less than 5% (1 in 20) Ever grow potatoes on slopes of greater than 1 in 8 (12%) Irrigate on slopes > 4% (1 in 25) Use slug pellets, bentazone or for volunteers apply clopyralid Feel potatoes are a threat to your soil, earthworms & water Why not? Plan harvest schedule according to soil texture, with examination of soils compaction and assess likelihood of problems to minimise risk. Try planting across the slope but avoid crabbing, if go up & down slope try disrupting wheelings. Unless no connectivity to water - find another field! Use Aqueel/ Dammer-dyker/ Tied Ridges, & use chisel plough to disrupt wheelings. Match irrigation to infiltration rate. Match varieties to risk on slug-risk fields, check slug thresholds, and check spreader calibration. Avoid spills in yards/ roads/ tracks. Think about a biobed. Look at what you can do different, talk to your agronomist & see CASE STUDIES on ARF website.

19 Any need to change? Please assess your risks & problems - using maps and field visits. Risks from water, and soil, to water, wildlife, houses and your soil. Risks from: field location, flooding, gateways, roads/tracks, effects of slope, field operations - de-stoning/ de-clodding, ph, fertility... Remedy soil structure, organic matter, and worm activity. Consider changes - to tramlines, controlled traffic, use of CFE, ELS/ HLS to reduce risks on & off fields.

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21 Soil Management Plan/ SPR

22 Manure Management Plan (MMP) Adjust manure applications and maximise crop yield /nutrient capture to minimise losses to the environment. Use NIRS testing or include Uric acid analysis. Use MANNER software to calculate the availability of manure nitrogen to crop - before applying manure to check the likely effect of spreading using application rate/ analysis, planned cultivations and likely weather.

23 MMP cont d If planning to use manures or slurries, prepare a Manure-spreading Risk Map for each field to assess pollution risks. This avoids manure applications where too risky and records relevant features such as the direction of slopes and the location of watercourses and boreholes. If fields already high in P, plan heaps elsewhere.

24 Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) You d think all plan fertiliser use according to soil fertility, manure inputs, crop requirements and irrigation. Maybe not all do it accurately and few minimise post-potato crop losses, especially of N. Please review.

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27 Phosphate Issues Av. excess phosphate applied is around 95kg/ha use varies from 0 (Index 4) kg/ha (Index 2); on 1 / 3 potato area kg applied in manures; offtake 1kg/T of yield. Runoff events can occur when the soil is left bare over-winter, during land preparation and via drainage highways after ridging, resulting in soil particles with high P content entering watercourses.

28 Phosphate & Sediment Catchment sediment yield via losses through the tile drain network on a silty clay loam soil in Herefordshire were estimated to be as high as 60% (Walling et al., 2002). On some drained fields sediment may originate from the topsoil, before being transported through the soil (Chapman et al., 2005; Foster et al, 2005). Ref. Building the Evidence Base: Potatoes a Low Impact Food Crop?

29 Components of a farm water management plan: 1. Minimise run-off and soil erosion maximise infiltration capacity. E.g. on suitable soils use a depressional roller. 2. On slopes, consider Tied Ridges /contour planting/ chisel plough wheelings. 3. As part of the field risk assessment ensure there are uncropped areas/grass buffer strips at the base of slopes to slow and catch water.

30 Components of a farm water management plan: 4. Use irrigation scheduling. Maintain and check irrigation kit to minimise leakages. 5. Manage water extraction to maximise benefit especially if water short. Consider wildlife. 6. Consider winter water storage, if one of the 57% of potato holdings without a reservoir in E Anglia Rural Economy Grants coming in 2012 > 25K to 1m.

31 Surface after an Aqueel

32 Winter Storage reservoirs Give you control in climate change especially in worse droughts. "Once the water is in your reservoir it is yours to use as and when you wish" Need to overcome financial constraints, to make long term investment, talk to EA, local conservation interests, planners, a consultant, consider legal & safety issues. Consider rainwater harvesting - any grants?

33 5 Benefits of a reservoir 1. Greater flexibility, security and control of your own water resource 2. Additional abstraction in catchments closed to new summer licences 3. A marketing advantage for your business 4. Increased land asset value 5. Slower filling and higher peak rates of application

34 4 more Benefits of a reservoir 6. Reduced abstraction charges (winter charges are a tenth of summer charges) 7. Reduced environmental impacts of abstraction, avoiding potential conflicts 8. Additional income through amenity and conservation 9. Additional income through water trading with neighbours

35 TO BE LAUNCHED Rural Economy Grant (up to 60 million) grants of up to 1 million or more to boost farm competiveness, and support significant growth in the agri-food, rural tourism, forestry, renewable energy, and other high-potential (eg ICT and creative) sectors particularly. The fund will be launched in early 2012.

36 Catchment Sensitive Farming A project like no other to help you recognise and reduce inadvertent pollution of water by your farming operations, and avoid export of our food production. By helping you manage inputs, risks and improving efficiency to reduce losses by best practice. So we have enough/ more good food and clean water.

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38 In East Anglia over 2300 farmers, of > nationally, have been involved so far over three-quarters of project recommendations made have been taken up. So far, two-thirds of those farmers coming back for more help because they have liked what was offered.

39 Where s that risk? Please use maps and relevant info from wherever you can: In the East, CSF offer - 1.A Holding Boundary Map with all your fields shown 2.Water Connectivity Map 3.Risk Matrix Map 4.Soil Associations Map 5. Slopes Map 6. Digital Terrain Map 7. Source Protection Zones Map 8. Farm Yard Infrastructure Map (if required)