Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 11 NOVEMBER 2021 developing resilient cropping systems and that soil carbon status is a valuable predictor of crop yield. However, she notes that “in our study, we did not find a significant relationship between soil carbon and crop yield stability, which suggested that high soil carbon did not increase yield stability.” She adds that their results are in agreement with previous research, confirming that soil microbial activity has a large influence on soil functioning and agricultural sustainability. l Chahal and her colleagues used twocommercially available soil health tests calledSolvita CO 2 -burst and Solvita labile aminoN (SLAN). SEED YOU CAN COUNT ON. Range of hybrid choices to meet your growing conditions Robust breeding and testing process to assure quality Trusted brand to deliver value and performance P & Design is a registered trademark of AgReliant Genetics LLC. PRIDE is a registered trademark of AgReliant PRIDESEEDS.COM 1.800.265.5280 soil erosion,” she says. “In addition, the presence of living roots of winter wheat during fall, winter, and spring season help to improve soil aggregation and soil structure. This all contributes to improving overall soil health.” However, if farmers use no-till and therefore hardly disturb the soil (or disturb it very little), this will result in soils with high carbon storage and improved microbial activity in comparison to conventionally tilled soils. When asked where no-till ranks with the crop rotation practices listed above, Chahal says “I think it's more of an additive or a synergistic effect of these management practices on soil and crop parameters. For instance, combination of no-tillage and cover crops is a great option for building soil health and increasing carbon sequestration and this was confirmed in our study.” LEARNINGS Overall, Chahal would like farmers to understand that soil carbon has a major role in