Issue 26, October 2017
In this issue
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research soil programme linkages give strength in numbers
During the last year at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research we have greatly expanded our suite of soils research programmes, due to successful funding bids for new multi-year projects from MBIE and MPI.
Impact of irrigation on soil carbon and nitrogen
The topic of irrigation is regularly in the news, with the focus generally on economic benefits and impacts on water quantity and quality. However, there is surprisingly little information about the long-term impact of irrigation on many soil properties, including soil organic matter (SOM).
The carbon balance of dryland and irrigated lucerne growing on stony soils
Casual scanning of stories in the newspaper almost every day reveals concerns about the environmental consequences of the widespread expansion of intensive irrigated pastoral agriculture (particularly dairy farming). A major focus has been on Canterbury, which produces 64% of New Zealand’s primary sector exports, mainly from shallow, stony soils prone to leaching.
The effect of medium- to long-term irrigation on soil water holding properties
Farmers are becoming increasingly interested in how soils change under irrigation, as a result of their on-farm observations and experiences.
Monitoring changes in soil organic carbon stocks in New Zealand’s managed grasslands
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research has obtained Sustainable Land Management & Climate Change funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries to develop a method to monitor soil organic carbon stocks and stock changes in New Zealand’s managed grasslands, which occupy more than half the country’s total land area.
Soil health and resilience: oneone ora, tangata ora – Expanding what soil health means
The MBIE-funded project Soil health and resilience: oneone ora, tangata ora aims to support the development of a longer-term and more comprehensive view of soil health and resilience; and to develop an integrated soil health framework that can be used by a wide range of end-users.
NextGen S-map: Strengthening the science that underpins New Zealand's soil information system
The S-map Online website already provides access to NZ soil information. The new NextGen S-map research programme has been designed to integrate with the existing S-map and National Soils Data Repository (NSDR) infrastructure.
Increasing water quality in rivers by soil conservation actions on land
Since European settlement in New Zealand, large-scale catchment disturbance (e.g. forest clearance, establishment of agricultural land uses, and stream channel modification) has led to increased soil erosion and sediment loads in rivers, lakes, and estuaries.
Using SedNetNZ in policy and practice
SedNetNZ is an erosion model that predicts the generation and transport of sediment through river networks, based on a relatively simple physical representation of hillslope and channel processes at small sub-catchment scale.
Developing soil guideline values to protect terrestrial biota (Eco-SGVs)
Soil guideline values developed to protect terrestrial biota (soil microbes, invertebrates, plants, wildlife and livestock) (Eco-SGVs) provide a useful means for assessing potential environmental impact of contaminants.
Maximising the value of irrigation
Major technological advances in irrigation systems over the last two decades have significantly improved their ability to accurately apply water at appropriate intensities to agricultural land.
Representativeness of Regional Council State of the Environment (SOE) soil quality data set
A preliminary assessment of the coverage and representativeness of current soil quality monitoring sites was made on the basis of region, land use, and soil order.