Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
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Chopaka <strong>Soil</strong> <strong>Management</strong> Group<br />
<strong>Soil</strong> Series: Bessette (BT), Chopaka (CK), Duteau<br />
(D), Gill<strong>and</strong>ers (GS), Nisconlith (N) (N:ca),<br />
Priest Creek (PT) <strong>and</strong> Strutt (ST)<br />
General Characteristics: These soils have<br />
developed on recent alluvial floodplain deposits<br />
<strong>and</strong> on fluvial fan deposits. The floodplain soils<br />
<strong>of</strong> this group consist <strong>of</strong> stone-free, medium to<br />
moderately fine-textured overlays which vary in<br />
depth from less than 50 cm to 100 cm or more in<br />
thickness. These deposits are underlain by<br />
coarse-textured s<strong>and</strong>y <strong>and</strong> gravelly deposits. The<br />
alluvial fan soil – Priest Creek (PT) – is<br />
moderately coarse to medium-textured in the<br />
surface <strong>and</strong> subsurface <strong>and</strong> can be slightly stony<br />
(S1). Gravels occur quite deep in the subsoil.<br />
<strong>Soil</strong>s developed from both parent materials are<br />
calcareous. They have topographies that range<br />
from nearly level (0.5%) to very gentle (5%) <strong>and</strong><br />
drainage that is poor to very poor.<br />
Dominant <strong>Soil</strong> Limitations:<br />
• The soils in this group are subject to flooding<br />
in the spring.<br />
• These soils are poorly to very poorly drained<br />
<strong>and</strong> are subject to a high groundwater table.<br />
• This group has varying levels <strong>of</strong> salinity,<br />
ranging from none to moderately saline.<br />
Well Suited Crops: Forage crops – wetter sites <strong>and</strong><br />
grassl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
Suited Crops: When soils are drained, annual<br />
vegetable crops, blueberries, cereals, corn, forage<br />
crops – drier sites, nursery stock <strong>and</strong> Christmas<br />
trees <strong>and</strong> strawberries. Where drainage or<br />
flooding protection is provided <strong>and</strong> salinity can<br />
be controlled through irrigation, some sites may<br />
be suited to tree fruits.<br />
<strong>Management</strong> Inputs:<br />
Water <strong>Management</strong> System: Drainage is required to<br />
lower the groundwater table <strong>and</strong> to remove salts<br />
that have been leached by irrigation. The<br />
suggested drain spacing is 16 to 18 m at a 1.2 m<br />
depth.<br />
Unsuited Crops: Alfalfa, asparagus, ginseng,<br />
grapes, raspberries <strong>and</strong> tree fruits.<br />
Reasons: Because <strong>of</strong> the normally deep-rooting habit<br />
<strong>of</strong> these crops, minimum watertable levels<br />
required for maximum yields could be achieved<br />
only at very high costs.<br />
<strong>Soil</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>H<strong>and</strong>book</strong> – Okanagan-Similkameen Valleys 13