Long-term plot research yielding insights into soil health

Cutting-edge research into soil health continues in Ontario, led by a University of Guelph team.

For years, Dr. Laura Van Eerd’s team has been quantifying changes in soil health over time using indicators such as soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) storage level, which can vary in quantity due to tillage system, crop rotation, cover crop use and N application.

“However, meaningful Ontario data is needed,” says Van Eerd, “and the long-term tillage system-crop rotation-nitrogen trial at Ridgetown is well suited to provide this information.” The trial was initiated in 1995 on clay loam soil in a split-split plot design with four replications.

Read about the research and takeaways online in Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine: Building soil health over time.

Decades-long investigations have been conducted at the Ontario Crops Research Centres in Ridgetown and Elora. These government-owned stations have been operating long-term rotation plots (LTRPs)—fields that rotate between a number of different crops—to study improvements in commodities produced there. The overall goal for these test plots is to improve crop resilience and benefit the agri-food sector by lowering costs, increasing profits and improving soil health.

See more results from the LTRPs in Crop Rotation Counts: Key Findings from Long-Term Rotation Plot Research.