Wood residues amendment: A sustainable approach to improve soil quality for agriculture in the boreal region of Canada

Introduction: Climate change has resulted in warmer temperatures and the potential for boreal regions of Canada to become more suitable for agricultural production. However, challenges from climate change induced weather variability and the poor quality of soils need to be overcome. The application of organic material rich in carbon and lignin content, such as wood residues (WR) could be a sustainable approach to rapidly improve soil properties. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the effect of wood residues co-applied with liquid dairy manure (LDM) amendment, as a source of nitrogen, on soil quality for agricultural production.
Methodology: Five treatments were compared: (i) unamended soil; (ii) inorganic fertilized; (iii) liquid dairy manure (LDM); (iv) LDM + 24 t C ha-1 as WR; and (v) LDM + 48 t C ha-1 as WR. Each treatment was replicated four times for a total of 20 experimental units. The plots were sowed with barley under seeded with a grass-legume crop mixture in spring 2021.
Results & Discussion: Results indicated that the addition of WR had a positive effect on soil properties, such as aggregate stability, organic carbon content and soil respiration, at the end of the first season in 2021. The beneficial effect of WR on these parameters was also maintained in the second year, especially with the addition of 48 t C ha-1 as WR. The preliminary results suggest that the addition of WR combined with manure could be a sustainable and economic alternative to improve the soil quality for agriculture in boreal regions.