9 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | March 2024 maps and models soil erosion and redistribution over the landscape. Another big concern is the decline in soil organic matter, especially in Eastern Canada. Heung looks at the spatial patterns in those declines and the hot spots of decline. This then provides a tool for policymakers to prioritize their actions or mitigation strategies. “If we are able to map things like the sequestration potential of soil, for example, and if they are the right mitigation strategies, there may be ways to put more carbon back into the soil using best management practices,” he explains. Heung also works in forestry and forest productivity, in particular, modelling growth and yield in forests. “So where should we plant trees to maximize carbon sequestration? “Some of the work that I’m doing in British Columbia is called predictive ecosystem modelling.” What he and his team are doing is trying to model the types of ecosystems, which effectively will help develop their forest resource inventories, predicting how trees will grow in the future and where to plant trees to optimize their potential. Heung and a group of Dalhousie University researchers recently received funding from the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust to undertake research on Nova Scotia’s forests over the next five years. “We’re trying to understand carbon dynamics within the forest and are looking at how much carbon we can sequester into the soil,” he says. “I like trying to understand the relationship between the environment and soil.” He is also co-chair of a national network of soil scientists or soil mappers known as the Canadian Digital Soil Mapping Working Group – a subsidiary of the Canadian Society of Soil Science – whose efforts are directed at coordinating national soil mapping efforts. Heung believes soil spectroscopy is the next big thing and will be a priority area for sustainable soil management at a national level. New technology will enable the measurement of soil properties in a more cost-effective and time-efficient way. Soil spectroscopy examines the electromagnetic characteristics of soils to predict soil properties. “Ultimately our soil is a source of greenhouse gases, but at the same time, it’s also the ultimate nature-based solution towards climate change mitigation,” explains Heung. “Because the soil constitutes the largest terrestrial pool of carbon, I think there’s a lot of opportunity.” The needle is shifting Soil function and how soil management can sustain this function is the focus of the Centre for Sustainable Soil Management recently established on the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, of which Heung is an integral part. The centre builds on the extensive experience of a team of faculty members who are skilled in research and teaching about soils in agricultural, forestry and urban environments. The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry is currently completing a study on the status of soil health in Canada. “For me, the most important part of soil mapping and carrying out this national-level work is having a team of similar-minded folks who value the importance of collaboration and teamwork,” he says. “We’re working very closely with colleagues at the University of Guelph who are experts in spectroscopy and also soil organic matter characterization, soil chemistry and that kind of thing.” This helps to provide the analytical capacity – a very valuable piece of the puzzle. “It’s about how everything fits together, which is what I’m interested in – just like a map.” BF Stephanie Rogers is manager of communications, Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie University. Research An annual grassy weed, wild oats can germinate over a wide range of temperatures (5-30°C) resulting in early spring emergence and flushes throughout the growing season. What to look for • Seedlings have a counter-clockwise leaf twist and no auricle. The leaves have hairs on the margins and a membranous ligule. • In the mature plant, the stems are smooth, erect, and grow up to 150 cm (4 ft.) tall. The leaves are much like tame oats. Count the cost • Yield loss will depend on the number of wild oats per square metre and the stage of the wild oats and the crop. • Left unchecked, 10 wild oat plants per square metre (sq. yd.) can reduce wheat, barley and canola yields by 10% and flax yields by 20%. When to scout • The best time to scout for patches is after application of herbicide when the remaining weed patches have headed and are visible above the crop or after the field has been sprayed with a wild oat herbicide application and appears clean (except for resistant patches). How to control • Timing the crop emergence relative to wild oats is critical in reducing yield loss caused by the weed. • Apply a pre-seed burnoff close to seeding or crop emergence. • Wild oats resistant to Group 1 and 2 herbicides leave growers with limited options so it is important to have an effective herbicide rotation plan in place. WILD OATS Sources: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/weeds/wild-oats.html https://manageresistancenow.ca/weeds/managing-herbicide-resistant-wild-oats/ Always read and follow label instructions. Member of CropLife Canada. FMC and the FMC logo are trademarks of FMC Corporation or an affiliate. ©2024 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 8190 - 01/24 8190 Weed of the Month Series_Wild Oats.indd 1 2024-02-05 11:58 AM 2024-02-05 11:58 AM
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