CULTURAL TIP: WHAT IS YOUR SOIL TYPE?
Irrigation and salinity management are a significant part of managing California avocado groves. To be successful the California avocado grower has to spend a great deal of time and effort getting their irrigation and salinity management right. Failing to do so can result in lower yields and higher costs that can impact the bottom line quite severely. Fortunately, irrigation and salinity management are mostly engineering type issues and can therefore be managed effectively.
The starting point for the California avocado grower should be to identify the type of soil on your grove. Different soil types have very different physical and chemical properties that need to be understood for best management. For some avocado groves there could be several soil types, each with their own characteristics, that need to managed differently from one another. For farmers in the US, finding out your soil type or types is an easy process as all soils have been intensively mapped to a detailed level. By following the steps below, and completing the USDA’s Web Soil Survey, you can find the soil types on your grove.
- Go to the Web Soil Survey at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
- Click the large green button and then on the next page click on the word "Address" at the left
- Enter the address of your grove
- Click the view button and a satellite image of your grove will appear
- Next, define the outline of your grove using the "AOI" tool
- Once this is defined you can then click on the tab "Soil Map" and the different types of soils on your grove will be drawn on the map
- On the left will be the description of the soil in detail
Once you know the soil types on your grove, consideration can be given to how you would manage irrigation and salinity for best results across the grove.
