Did you find this article useful? Please tell us why Submit. Haul manure? Learn More. Weather - Drought. Farm modifications for reduced arm strength or amputations. Enviro-weather is getting bigger and better. Do the chilly temperatures have you wondering just how cold it got last night? Integrated pest management can save money. Related Content. Search Search. In reality, soil is a mixture of inorganic particles, organic particles, and a complex mixture of pore spaces, water, and soil microbes.
Its composition changes through weather events like rainstorms, by tillage, or as plants pull nutrients for growth.
Farmers have to manage their soil well in order to maintain good crop yields year after year. Improving soil structure helps farmers with some common agricultural problems.
Adding gypsum to the soil reduces erosion by increasing the ability of soil to soak up water after precipitation, thus reducing runoff. Gypsum application also improves soil aeration and water percolation through the soil profile. A recent study showed the benefit of gypsum application to improve movement of water through the profile to tile drains.
It also reduces phosphorus movement out of the field. No matter what solutions farmers are trying to implement when using gypsum, they have several options for application. Of course, the type of application method will be determined by the reasons to use gypsum. Finely crushed gypsum can be dissolved in irrigation water and applied that way. Farmers can take gypsum and apply it to the topsoil prior to planting or right after harvest. It can also be applied to hay fields after hay cutting. If tilling is needed again, dependent on the soil conditions , gypsum can be worked into the soil with the tilling equipment.
Although gypsum has been used in agriculture for more than years, the benefits it provides are still being studied. Improves soil structure. Flocculation, or aggregation, is needed to give favorable soil structure for root growth and air and water movement.
Clay dispersion and collapse of structure at the soil-air interface is a major contributor to crust formation. Gypsum has been used for many years to improve aggregation and inhibit or overcome dispersion in sodic soils. Soluble calcium enhances soil aggregation and porosity to improve water infiltration see below.
In soils having unfavorable calcium-magnesium ratios, gypsum can create a more favorable ratio. Addition of soluble calcium can overcome the dispersion effects of magnesium or sodium ions and help promote flocculation and structure development in dispersed soils. Improves water infiltration. Gypsum also improves the ability of soil to drain and not become waterlogged due to a combination of high sodium, swelling clay and excess water.
When we apply gypsum to soil it allows water to move into the soil and allow the crop to grow well.
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