Mapping The Effects Of Subsoil Salinity and Hydrology On a Soybean Cropping System.

Cropping systems in the Red River Valley have seen reductions in yield due to increasing areas of salinized soils brought about by an extended 30 year wet period.  Nearly 90% of producers have noted a marked reduction in yields as a result of this increased presence of salts and require new methods to manage these lands.  Intensive sampling of a “high salinity risk” site in Richland County, ND was sampled to investigate the relationships between soil type, groundwater depth, soluble salt chemistry, and topography.  These factors allow land owners and producers to make suggestions on best management practices and to better alleviate the impacts associated with saline soils.