Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Management Inputs And Definitions
Cover Cropping: Cover crops are legumes, cereals, grasses, brassicas and mixtures grown for protection against
soil erosion, amelioration of soil structure, enhancement of soil fertility and suppression of pests. Cover cropping is
needed for water erosion control and to aid soil drainage by maintaining a porous soil surface or to reduce
compaction, to alter the microclimate or to control pests in tree fruit or berry crops.
Erosion Control Practices: Practices employed to halt mass wasting, to reduce overland flow and/or sloughing
and to reduce rainfall impact, includes: underdrains, blind surface inlets, grassed waterways and cover crops (see
section 3.3).
Irrigation: is assumed to be a required input for the production of most crops in the Okanagan and Similkameen
Valleys.
Organic Matter Incorporation: The use of manures, cover crops, mulches, composts and other organic inputs to
improve soil structure and fertility and to reduce erosion. Additions of organic matter should follow the “Code of
Agricultural Practice” and only be used as a soil amendment or as a fertilizer.
Stone Removal: Stone removal is required for seedbed enhancement and to prevent machinery damage. Stone
removal may not be possible in all soils due to a low percent of non-coarse fragments in the soil.
Subsoiling: Subsoiling is done to increase infiltrability (air and water), to increase effective rooting depth and to
improve soil structure. See Section 4.3.2 for details on which soils are suitable for subsoiling as a management
practice.
Tillage Practices: Various practices that are used for soil structure improvement, seedbed preparation and organic
matter incorporation or decomposition. See Section 4.2 for more information.
Water Management System: A system used to reduce overland flow, to reduce surface ponding/flooding and to
lower the watertable (associate benefits). Includes underdrains, perimeter ditching, pumps, outlets, dyking and
surface inlets. See Section 3 for more information.
Salinity/pH Adjustment: Salinity can be reduced by the installation of a drainage system and the application of
irrigation water. pH can be raised or lowered through the addition of lime or sulphur compounds, respectively (refer
to Section 3.7 for salinity and Sections 4.5.2.2 and 4.5.2.3 for pH). pH and salinity adjustments are not dealt with as
a specific management input in any of the soil management groups. However, for many soil series in the Okanagan
and Similkameen Valleys, due to topographic and soil parent material conditions, pH and salinity constraints exist.
These soil phases may hve been unmapped. Shallow till overlying calcareous bedrock and shallow groundwater flow
may result in high surface pH values and saline conditions respectively.
Definitions
The following definitions are included to explain some of the parameters used when designating management inputs.
Slope suitability classes range from 0 to 9%, 9 to 15%, 15 to 25% and 25% +, with 20% as a break for some crops.
Slopes between 20 and 25% will require careful use of mechanical crop management techniques and mechanization
on a large scale may require that slopes be less than 20%. Crops should be considered to be suited to sites from the
steepest class break that they are mentioned under down to the shallowest slope class. (Slope suitability classes apply
to all crops and crop groups.)
Drainage refers to the broad description of how well the whole soil profile drains, but does not necessarily refer to
how well drained the soil is in relationship to its landscape position.
Soil Management Handbook – Okanagan-Similkameen Valleys 7