CA-CoP CONSERVATION
AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
for sustainable production intensification
Dear Subscribers,
I am forwarding herewith links to the video "Spade test" sent by Wolfgang Sturny of SWISS NO-TILL.
Background
The film "Spade test" is a contribution to the UN International Year of Soils 2015: Soil assessment in the field – a course at INFORAMA Ruetti in Zollikofen with Andreas Chervet, Soil Conservation Service of the Canton of Berne/Switzerland
Soil is not dirt – soil is the basis for life. The ways in which humans use soil have shaped the structure and nature of soils. The film impressively demonstrates how soil management by farmers influences soils, which are the basis of their production. The effects of fertilizers, tillage and driving on the soil are illustrated by five spade tests of the same type of soil which have been subject to different intensities of use. The demonstration uses soil from a forest, a permanent meadow and three differently cropped fields, and it assesses the five spade tests in terms of color and tactile sense. The important role of earthworms in creating crumbly soil is also addressed.
The film was made during a course of the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL. It is intended for advanced training in soil promotion programs for farmers and also in teaching soil sciences at, for example, agricultural colleges. It provides farmers, foresters, students and trainees with an insightful glimpse into the fascinating world under our feet and how it can be influenced.
Wolfgang G. Sturny,
Amt für Landwirtschaft und Natur, Abteilung Strukturverbesserungen und Produktion, Fachstelle Bodenschutz
Rütti, CH-3052 Zollikofen