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B. Crop Stress Attributes

Plant Vigor

Definition: Health and strength of crop as evidenced by crop size, color, leaf area, and turgor.

Considerations: See your State Agronomist or local university for guides (including photographs) on visual evidence of crop vigor for various crops in your region. Several Internet sources are also available. Photographs taken during the test phase of this worksheet may serve as guides for others using the worksheet.

Crop Yield

Definition: This worksheet relies on the ratio of the actual crop yield to its expected yield based on a 5-year county average. This ratio can only be obtained at the end of the growing season, or yields from the previous growing season may need to be used.

Considerations: Yields may depend on crop variety, soil type, and other factors that do not necessarily relate to the health of the farm. This attribute must therefore be considered only in conjunction with other crop stress indicators and should not be the only attribute used to indicate crop responses to stress. This attribute may be more or less useful depending on the data available. Section II of the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) may contain updated information on yield potential of individual soil series in your area. If updated information is available it may be used augment county averages or in lieu of average county data.

Insufficient Nutrients

Definition: The application of insufficient nutrients to meet crop needs or application of nutrients in such a manner that they cannot be utilized by the crop when they are needed.

Considerations: Nutrient deficiencies have different appearances in different crops. See your local extension office for descriptions or photographs of the most common nutrient deficiencies affecting crops in your area.

Evidence of Salt Accumulation

Definition: Salt accumulation in the rooting zone. This is most likely a problem in irrigated fields or areas of the field where seeps occur.

Considerations: The visual indicators provided in the worksheet are evidence of an inverted salinity profile where salinity increases with depth, caused by the net water flux upward in the soil profile. Where net water flux is downward, salinity can increases with depth, and in some cases salinity may be uniform throughout the profile. In the latter cases, salt crystals may not be visible, even though salinity is high in the rooting zone. Evidence of salinity within a field may take the form of spotty crop growth. If salinity problems are suspected, a more detailed salinity assessment should be conducted, whether or not salt crystals are visible at the soil surface.

Stress due to salinity is crop specific. A general list of salt sensitive and salt tolerant crops may be found in the following reference:

Tanji, ILK. (ed). 1990. Agricultural Salinity Assessment and Management. Chapter 13-Crop Salt Tolerance. ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 71. ASCE.

Electrical conductivity readings should be taken or other measures of salinity should be made if salinity is suspected and salt sensitive crops are being grown.

Cropland Health Worksheet

Date:
Location:
Observer:
Crop:

Crop Stress Attributes
Attribute Category V * Category IV Category III Category II Category I Notes
Evidence of Wind Erosion Smooth, wind blown soil surfaces. Substantial crop loss from wind erosion in part or all of field. Leaf shredding due to wind damage evident in parts of field. Obvious root exposure. Deposits around plants, lee side of ridges, fence rows, and/or field boundaries Plants show evidence of wind damage; some root exposure; wind blown deposits around obstructions and the lee side of depressions and ridges. No evidence of active soil movement in field; deposits present on lee side of obstructions, depressions, and at undisturbed field edge. No evidence of active movement of soil by wind; wind blown deposits not evident. Topsoil in place.  
Predicted Wind Erosion (T/Ac/Year) Predicted wind erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology more than 4 tons. Predicted wind erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 3 tons and less than or equal to 4 tons. Predicted wind erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 2 tons and less than or equal to 3 tons. Predicted wind erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 1 ton and less than or equal to 2 tons. Predicted wind erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is less than or equal to 1 ton. Requires calculation.
Evidence of Water Erosion Rock pedestals present and gravels occupy more than 50% of soil surface; or ephemeral gullies (rills more than 3 inches deep) present. Rock pedestals present and gravels occupy 20 to 50% of soil surface; or ephemeral gullies (rills 1 to 3 inches deep) present. Rock pedestals present and gravels occupy 10 to 20% of soil surface; or ephemeral gullies (rills less than 1 inch deep) present. Rock pedestals present and gravels occupy less than 10% of soil surface. No ephemeral gullies. No evidence of heavy water movement.  
Predicted Water Erosion (T/Ac/Year) Predicted sheet and rill erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 4 tons. Predicted sheet and rill erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 3 tons and less than or equal to 4 tons. Predicted sheet and rill erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 2 tons and less than or equal to 3 tons. Predicted sheet and rill erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is more than 1 ton and less than or equal to 2 tons. Predicted sheet and rill erosion using accepted erosion prediction technology is less than or equal to 1 ton. Requires calculation.
Irrigation Induced Erosion (furrow) Head ditches significantly higher than field. Significant soil movement in furrows. Crop roots visible. Significant soil movement observed in furrows. Major erosion plumes at end of field. Minor silting at end of furrows. Clean water. very little turbidity. No visible erosion. Furrows and corrugates maintain shape.  
Irrigation Induced Erosion (sprinkler or drip) Soil deposition at edge of field, u-shaped and v-shaped channels formed. Reshaping is necessary for continued use. Channels and gullies cannot be obliterated by ordinary tillage. Major, highly visible rill and interrill activity (channels approaching gullies formed), caused by irrigation system. Channels (rills) can be obliterated by tillage. Minor rill and interill development caused by irrigation system. Tillage can easily obliterate the channels. Visual soil detachment (movement) and soil splash onto crop caused by irrigation system. No visual erosion caused by irrigation system.  

* See Description of Categories.

General Instructions:

  1. On the data sheet, indicate the category that most closely resembles the field/farm observed for each attribute.
  2. Use Field Observation Notes to explain any unusual circumstances or describe any indications not listed in the worksheet.
  3. In cases where an attribute cannot be ranked due to lack of information, leave that attribute blank.
  4. There is no overall ranking for this worksheet. Attributes in the highest categories need closest attention to management.
  5. For most comprehensive results, use the worksheet several times during the growing season.

If you encounter any problems with the file provided on this page, please contact Technical Resources at 406-587-6822.

A printer-friendly version of the Cropland Health Worksheet is available in Adobe Reader format as part of the following technical note.

Agronomy Technical Note Number MT-79 (PDF; 1.5 MB)

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