Update of Gray Wooded (Luvisolic) Soils Management Publication

Progress on the update of the publication "Gray Wooded (Luvisolic) Soils Management" went well in 2017. The scientists working on the project summarized agronomic yield data, and soil and plant analytical results taken and gathered over the last four decades, at the University of Alberta Breton Plots Long-term Research site. The last edition was published in 1971, and recent research results will better advise farmers growing crops on these soils. There has also been an updated literature search completed to compare the Canadian results to the research studies in Russia and Scandinavia on similar soil types.

During 2017, a first draft revised version was completed. This draft is being reviewed by cooperating scientists and a second draft will be completed by the early summer of 2018. It is planned to update and revise the publication and produce an additional e-publication version. This initiative is extremely relevant and needed as there is land in the Boreal Forest areas of northwest Alberta that is being logged, cleared, and developed for cropped agriculture. The recommendations for cropping systems and nutrient management from the Breton Plots research, on these formerly forested soils, will help farmers better manage and keep these soils healthy and productive.