Soil Characteristics and Nutrition of Poor-yielding Sugarbeet Areas
A research project to gather soil and topographic information about areas where sugar beets yield poorly. the information may help determine what can be done to ameliorate these poor yielding areas.
IPNI-2001-USA-ND11
2001 Observations
| 2001 Observations |
| Two sites were studied in 2000 and 2001: one near Glyndon, MN and the other near Galchutt, ND. The ND site indicated that affected zones showed distinct signs of soil erosion in the past. Soil colors were darker at depths of 8-10 inches, which suggests that the A horizon had been truncated and replaced by windblown sands having much lower organic matter content. Reductions in organic matter would reduce nutrient retention in affected areas and water holding capacity would also be diminished. The erosion pattern was distinct in one field but less noticeable in a second field. It is tempting to attribute the growth response to eroded soil conditions but the roughly linear trends do not conform well to our understanding of wind erosion processes, which should be more irregular. However, many beet soils are quite high in calcium carbonate content in the surface layer and this compound significantly increases the susceptibility of these soils to wind erosion (National Soils Handbook, 1996). The zones with lower beet yields at the MN site do have a more erratic pattern that coincides with eroded areas. Topographic variations in the field could cause different rates of leaching and may also explain the trends. Yield reduction in beets and other crops takes on a linear pattern for areas in the fields adjacent to roadside ditches. Skarie (1978) used aerial photography to assess salinity near drainage ditches in Clay County but noted that surface soil salinity levels decrease with distance from the drainage ditch (Skarie, 1986). Description of the problem by the sugarbeet growers suggests that the affected areas are too far from field boundaries to be affected by salinity from the ditches. The site examined in ND was a sandy Tiffany soil with glacial till at a depth of about 6 feet. This fine-textured layer can redirect water from vertical to lateral flow in these profiles. Salts are redistributed as a result of these processes, and the grower reported that a zone of saline soils is located in the center of his field. Glacial till was also found at this site. This field is located near the boundary of the Sheyenne Delta, and soils locally are known to have highly variable textures with depth, which can promote the lateral flow of water (Skarie, 1986). Beet growth may be impaired in affected zones because salts are concentrated due to water flow, which is itself controlled by subsurface stratigraphy. The grower from the MN site has noticed similar yield reductions and his soils also have many subsurface horizons higher in clay and silt than overlying sediments. These soils are also classified as Calciaquolls, so the wind erosion hazard is higher than for non-calcareous soils. Investigations into the soils within transects across seemingly unaffected and affected sugarbeets in 2001 showed loamy sand to sandy loam surface soils over a limiting layer paleosol in one field and a clay subsoil in the other. Both soil situations would result in significant leaching of some nutrients, and preferentially Mg over Ca, which may explain the low Mg at one site in spite of high pH and calcium levels. Statistical analysis of the leaf tissue nutrient content and dry matter weights showed no differences between treatments. The root rot intensity and other underlying problems such as compaction streaks through plots were so severe that good data was impossible to obtain from this site. At Glyndon, there were no differences in dry weight or nutrient analysis among the treatments. Stand differences overwhelmed any differences due to treatment if treatments had any effect. There were no differences in yield or sugar content to report at harvest. Only two reps contained enough beets to harvest. There simply wasn’t enough good data at this site for differences to be noted. At Glyndon, in order to salvage some information from the site, an additional study comparing with and without 10 lb Mg as magnesium sulfate foliar spray was applied July 6, when the beets were in the 8 leaf stage. There were four replications in a randomized complete block design. Plots were 10 ft. wide by 20 ft. long. Although there was some stand variation, the stand was generally better than the original experimental area. The foliar treatment of 10 lb Mg/acre had no effect on yield or sugar content. |