SIMBA PUBLISHES NEW GUIDE TO SOIL MANAGEMENT
Arable farmers must ensure post-cultivation consolidation is sufficient to press the seedbed to its full depth and break the ‘horizons’ between different sized aggregates that often occur in cultivated soil.
That advice comes from Philip Wright, Technical Consultant to Simba and author of the company’s new guide to “Cultivations and Soil Structure”. He says these ‘horizons’ – along with both unconsolidated and compacted layers – can inhibit water, air and root movement through the soil and inhibit crop performance:
This new guide summarises much of the data and technical information Simba has collected during field-testing of new equipment and collaborative research projects completed with a range of partners in the arable farming industry.
It builds on the information previously presented in its “Oilseeds Establishment” and “Cereals Establishment” publications, both of which have been acclaimed by both farmers and agronomists alike:
“In natural conditions crumb size tends to get bigger the deeper you go, but sudden changes in size – or the presence of looser, un-consolidated layers – can be a barrier to water movement. They must be disrupted by effective pressing so they do not prevent water moving both up and down through the soil profile.
“To do this, farmers need to apply sufficient force to consolidate the whole seed-bed, combined with sufficient ‘point loading’ on the edge of the press rings to disrupt the ‘horizons’ so they no longer prevent moisture movement.
“Single or double presses do this primary job best because they press the seed-bed intermittently. A Cambridge roll or any similar flat surface-acting roller can help consolidate the seed-bed and close up some of the pores that – if left open – reduce effective soil to seed/root contact, but may lack the subtlety required to do a really effective job through to depth”.
The guide also highlights the different characteristics of heavy and light soils and discusses the many factors that interact to affect both types:
“You cannot change the soil type on your farm, but how you work it has a huge impact on structure and workability. If you cultivate at the right time and in the right way you can enhance the soil’s structure and workability; do it in the wrong conditions or do it badly and you risk damaging them”, says Philip.
As a result, the guide includes a quick practical guide to testing whether any particular soil type is workable: “Farmers must know the lower plastic limit of their soil to determine the optimum time to cultivate, and the guide provides advice on how to do this for a range of different soil types”, says Philip.
“This is one of the arable farmer’s permanent dilemmas – choosing the right time between the conditions being too dry and risking creating clods, and being too wet and risking smearing the soil”.
For your free copy of “Cultivations and Soil Structure” send an e-mail giving your full postal address to guy.leversha@simba.co.uk.
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