Enhancing the Saskatchewan Soil Health Assessment Protocol – Phase 2
Term: 4 years, beginning in 2020
Status: Ongoing
Researcher(s): Kate Congreves, University of Saskatchewan
SaskCanola Investment: $143,558
Total Project Cost: $287,116
Funding Partners: Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
Project Description
Soil health testing has been identified as a research priority by many producers and is one of the top priorities listed in numerous research calls. Expanding on the Saskatchewan Soil Health Assessment Protocol (SSHAP) will provide producers with an enhanced decision management tool that will help them assess the soil health of their lands and subsequently improve health of their soils. In turn, this will likely have multiple economic benefits such as higher crop yields, improved crop yield stability, increased resiliency against droughts or severe weather events, and perhaps reduce water demand due to improvements in water holding capacity.
Objectives
Build on the Saskatchewan Soil Health Testing Protocol so that it outputs soil zone-specific scores.
Incorporate novel microbial measurements of soil health into the testing protocol.
Explore early-indicators of soil health change for when producers incorporate regenerative agricultural practices on farm.
Deliver a user-friendly online tool that shows growers the soil health curves and where their sample falls.