[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Soil Aeration Response
The following is a response to Dave Grusenmeyer's request for information
on soil aeration. I previously have worked with aeration, including some
limited field research.
Aerating hay/pasture land
Studies are limited on the impact of using soil aeration
treatments. There are many positive testimonials and some
negative as well. Soil aeration has occasionally been addressed
when that was not the problem; that and the improper use of the
equipment can lead to seeing no response.
Two studies are very interesting and indicate high potential for
soil aeration on grazing and hay lands. Both used the AER-WAY
aerator (Groundhog in Great Britain & New Zealand).
The first study was mentioned earlier on Graze-L and here are
listed only conditions and conclusion. A. Davies (et al) reported
in the Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge (1989), 113,
189-197 on "Soil compaction in permanent pasture and its
amelioration by slitting." The soils had high silt and clay
content, in a high rainfall area, and were grazed by dairy
cattle. Soil compaction, poor aeration, and poaching were the
perceived problems. The aeration treatment more than doubled
(120% increase) herbage accumulation and increased organic matter
accumulation by 105%.
The second study is a final report from Cornell University to
Queens Farms Dairy in New York (unpublished). Queens Farms was
looking at applications of a dairy plant waste to alfalfa/grass
on silt loam soils. Soil aeration was being used to increase the
infiltration of the waste into the soil. There were essentially
two control treatments. One was with no sludge and no aeration.
The second control had aeration and no sludge.
Aeration (with no waste sludge) increased the alfalfa/yields by
25% for the growing season. It was thought that there were two
primary reasons for the yield increase. The soils may have had
surface compaction from the operation of harvesting equipment
(sometimes under moist conditions). Another likely impact of
aeration was improved infiltration of summer rainfall.
One can conclude that there is a place for soil aeration when a
need exists. Understanding when an individual soil will respond
to aeration is a challenge. The best recommendation I can make
from my experience is to ask what the soil's greatest limitations
are. If the limitations are ones that aeration may relieve
(surface compaction, slow water infiltration, low earthworm
activity, and others) -- then consider the option.
Nathan Leonard
Cornell Cooperative Extension
P.O. Box 5590
Cortland, NY 13045
607-753-5077