14 Follow us on Twitter: @PrairieFarming Better Farming | April 2024 Drought & soil nutrients Parched Prairie conditions last year may boost available soil nutrients for the 2024 growing season. In many cases, crops with yields hindered by extreme dryness removed fewer nutrients from the soils they grew in, potentially leaving higher levels of nutrients available in the following year. Residual nutrients Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor at the University of Saskatchewan, says many fields from drought-stricken areas do show high residual available nutrients from unused applied fertilizer nutrient. “Depending on conditions, the residual nutrient present in the fall can carry over into the following spring and be available for crop use,” he says. Edgar Hammermeister, manager of professional agronomy with Western Ag Professional Agronomy adds that the timing of crop stress has an impact on residual fertility. During good growing conditions early in the season, crops will take up nutrients aggressively. If severe stress follows this nutrient uptake, conversion into yield can be limited. This results in little nutrient removal from the field as yield, but also low residual soil nutrients as the nutrients are tied up in plant biomass, Hammermeister explains. But if the drought stress starts early and limits vegetative growth, then there should be higher residual fertility, he says. Other factors But crop uptake of nutrients isn’t the only way nutrients are removed from soil, notes Bryce Geisel, senior agronomist, agent of Koch Agronomic Services in Canada. “Take nitrogen for example; depending on environmental conditions and the soils of the field, there can be losses from the environment, microbes in the soil, and uptake from weed species,” Geisel says. Hammermeister adds that autumn LAST YEAR’S DRYNESS COULD PROVIDE HIGHER RESIDUAL NUTRIENTS IN 2024. DROUGHT COULD BOOST SOIL NUTRIENTS By RICHARD KAMCHEN Jeff Schoenau photo
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