LANGDON REC GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT OVERVIEW Naeem Kalwar Extension Area Specialist/Soil Health

SITE BACKGROUND Hamerly-Cresbard loams Cavour-Cresbard loams

PROJECT SITE HIGHLIGHTS  High water table level issues.  A saline-sodic site not suitable for tiling.  Unproductive site since Langdon REC purchased it in 1985.

2012 SOIL SAMPLING Site-1 Site-2

2012 SOIL ANALYSIS RESULTS

PROJECT LAYOUT

RESEARCH AREA  12 plots and 3 replications.  Each plot equaling 0.6 acre (325’ x 80’).  Each plot has 4, 4” sized laterals placed 20’ apart from each other at 4’ depth.  Each plot has a control structure.  Each plot is surrounded by 5’ deep, mm thick plastic barrier to minimize subsoil water flow.

EXTENSION PLOTS  4 plots.  Each plot equaling 0.5 acre (150’ x 150’).  Each plot has 3, 4” sized laterals placed 50’ apart at 3.5’ depth.  Each plot has a control structure.

RESEARCH TITLE

OBJECTIVES  Can we successfully remediate already tiled sodic or saline-sodic soils?  Apply easily available amendments like gypsum, VersaLime (spent beet lime) and elemental sulfur.  Record soil water-table levels every week (May-October) for four years and compare the relationship between different water table levels and resulting soil salt and sodium levels.  Collect water samples and analyze them from human and livestock health parameters.

AMENDMENT TREATMENTS  Control.  Full rate of 100% pure gypsum to lower soil SAR-final levels to 3.  Full rate of VersaLime applied as 3 tons for each ton of 100% pure gypsum to lower the soil SAR-final levels to 3.  Full rate of 100% pure elemental sulfur (S°) applied as 0.19 ton for each ton of 100% pure gypsum to lower the soil SAR- final levels to 3.

2015 SOIL ANALYSIS  Chemical analysis:  0-12”: N, P, K, O.M.%, SO4, Cl, CCE, CEC, Ca, Mg, Na, EC, SAR, pH, Saturation %, CO 3, HCO 3 and particle size fractions.  12-24”: all of the above tests, excluding CEC.  24-36”: all of the above tests, excluding P, O.M.% and CEC.  36-48”: all of the above tests, excluding P, O.M.% and CEC.  Physical analysis:  0-5” and 5-10”: bulk density analysis.

2015 CHEMICAL ANALYSIS REPORTS

2015 BULK DENSITY ANALYSIS

AMENDMENT CALCULATION

FORMULAS

FINAL AMENDMENT APPLICATION

APPLICATION OF GYPSUM (June 29, 2015)

APPLICATION OF S o (June 29, 2015)

VERSALIME (BEETLIME) (July 23, 2015)

2015 AVERAGE WATER TABLE LEVELS (June 15 th to August 19 th )

COVER CROP MIX FOR 2015  An equal mix of five salt-tolerant perennial grasses will be planted at 7 lbs/acre to provide a vegetative cover.  Tall wheatgrass (Alkar).  Intermediate wheatgrass (Oahe).  Slender wheatgrass (Revenue).  Green wheatgrass (AC Saltlander).  Russian wildrye (Bozoisky).

2015 WATER SAMPLE ANALYSIS  Take samples from observation wells, water control structures, pump station and downstream (100 to 200 feet from the pump station:  EC / TDS, SAR, pH, Ca, Mg, Na, K, SO 4, Cl, CO 3 and HCO 3.  Nitrates, Phosphorous, iron and manganese from human consumption point of view.  Selenium, arsenic, barium, fluoride and molybdenum from animal health perspective.

2016 – 2019 (SAMPLE ANALYSIS)  Continue taking 4’ deep soil samples in 1 foot increments.  Except N, P, K, CEC and particle sizes analyze the samples for the test done in  Measure soil bulk density for 0-5” and 5-10”.  Monitor soil water table levels in each plot.  Analyze the water samples for human and livestock health.

2016 – 2019 (PROPOSED CROP ROTATION) YearRotation 1Rotation 2Rotation 3Rotation 4 Year 1BarleySoybeanSpring WheatCanola Year 2CanolaSpring WheatCanolaBarley Year 3Spring WheatCanolaBarleySoybean Year 4SoybeanBarleySoybeanSpring wheat Barley, soybean, spring wheat, and canola planted on each treatment simultaneously every year. Rotation means planting barley at one spot in year 1 followed by canola, spring wheat and soybean (R1) in year 2, 3 and 4.

LIST OF SPONSORS Organization / InstitutionAmount ($) Cavalier County Crop Improvement Association20000 Walsh County Crop Improvement Association Farmers & Merchants State Bank Langdon5000 Simplot Grower Solutions Langdon5000 CHS Langdon5000 Choice Financial Bank Langdon5000 First United Bank Grafton / Park River2500 Ag. Country Farm Credit Services2500 Benson County Crop Improvement Association3000 United Communications Langdon5000 Farmers Union Langdon2000 Walter Gronhovd500 Blake Farms1000 Pembina County Crop Improvement Association5000 Ramsey County Crop Improvement Association1500 Langdon Implement5000 Towner County Water Board5000 Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board5000 Duane Otto (gave $6500 personal check as a loan to Cavalier County Crop Improvement Association) 6500 Cavalier Rural Electric Co-Op Installed the underground power line to the pump station for free (worth $10000)