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Soil Information

The Bay of Plenty has a number of different soils that make up the land in our region. Soil information in the Bay of Plenty can be accessed through Landcare Research's website. Below are instructions on how to use this site to gain the soil information you're looking for in a particular area.

Instructions for using the Bay of Plenty soil map 

The initial screen displays the soil map of the region showing the broad categories (Orders) of soils (e.g. Pumice, Allophanic, Recent soils, etc.).

Soil MapZoom in by clicking the + symbol on the upper left hand side of the screen.

Continue zooming in until you see a satellite imagery with various soil polygons (white lines).

Pan to your area of interest using the arrow symbols on the upper left hand side of the screen.

Click on your polygon of interest. A call-out box will appear displaying the name of the soil.

Click on "Soil factsheet for: ____" to open the soil report that gives the physical and chemical properties of the soil and other relevant information.

Note: If you already know the name of the soil you are looking for, soil factsheet information may also be obtained through the Landcare Research Bay of Plenty Soil Information Fact Sheets. 

Type the name or partial name of the soil (e.g. Katikati, Rotomahana, Ngakuru, etc.) and press the 'Enter' key or click 'Search'. A list of soil types will appear (e.g. Katikati sandy loam, Katikati hill soils).

To open the soil factsheet, click on either the Bay of Plenty Regional Council customised report or Bay of Plenty Regional Council standard report

Web Links for Soils and Soil Management

The following links are information resources on soils and soil management within the Bay of Plenty region and relevant New Zealand and overseas web sites.

Bay of Plenty

Soils of the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Regional Council have developed booklets that cover the soils of the Western, Central and Eastern Bay of Plenty. They are intended to be used by farmers and other land managers as a guide to the recognition and management of the region's soils. The soil descriptions provide information on the occurrence and distribution of soils, selected soil physical and chemical properties, general land use suitability ratings, and generic soil management recommendations to improve production and/or protect the environment. Each booklet is a companion resource to complement the web soil map and fact sheets.


Land Management fact sheets
These provide topical information on land and soil management in the Bay of Plenty. >>
 

New Zealand and Overseas Links

Soils
A brief introduction to New Zealand soils, soil functions, soil properties and soil classification from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/Landscapes/Soils/en


Soil properties for plant growth
This is a guide for recognising key soil properties important for the growing of crops.
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/scienceseries/downloads/lrsciseries26_4web.pdf


Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) field guides and soil management guidelines
VSA is a quick and simple on-farm tool for monitoring the physical qualities of the soil and relating the assessment to crop production and environmental protection aspects of farming. Although an updated second edition has been produced, the original version of the field guides covering cropping and pastoral land uses on flat to rolling country and hill country land uses can be found here.
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/soil/vsa/fieldguide.asp


Visual Soil Assessment field guides (non-pastoral)
These are downloadable VSA field guides covering annual crops, orchard crops, vineyards and wheat.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/i0007e/i0007e00.htm

Soil quality indicators website
SINDI (soil indicators) is a web-based tool designed to help users assess the quality or health of the soil using selected biological, chemical and physical properties.
http://sindi.landcareresearch.co.nz/


Nutrient management
The Fert Research website has the Code of Practice for Nutrient Management, nutrient management planning, and fact sheets and booklets on fertiliser use and nutrient management
http://www.fertresearch.org.nz/default.aspx


Nutrient, water and effluent management (dairy)
Dairy NZ's Environment section of its Farming Resource Centre has information on nutrient management, effluent systems, water and climate change.
http://www.dairynz.co.nz/page/pageid/2145861020/Environment


Overseer nutrient budgets model
OVERSEER is a free nutrient management software which assists farmers and their advisers to examine nutrient use and movements within a farm to optimise production and environmental outcomes.
http://overseer.org.nz/


Soil and nutrient management
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) web page has information on erosion prevention and management, and nutrient management. It also has information on cadmium accumulation concern in agricultural soils and the e-newsletter Smart Farming.
http://www.maf.govt.nz/environment-natural-resources/soil-and-nutrients


Soil and plant testing
Hill Laboratories' Agricultural Testing Technical Notes provide a wealth of information on soil testing including soil sampling, types of soil tests, soil test interpretation, etc. Plant tissue and compost tests are also included.
http://www.hill-laboratories.com/page/pageid/2145845337


Landwise
Landwise's Resources page includes publications covering a range of topics relating to sustainable cropping, irrigation, and a focus on precision agriculture.
http://www.landwise.org.nz/resources/


Building soils for better crops
Written with farmers, gardeners and educators in mind, this is a practical guide to ecological soil management that provides background information as well as details of soil-improving practices. It gives the reader a holistic appreciation of the importance of soil health and suggests ecologically sound practices that help to develop and maintain healthy soils.
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Building-Soils-for-Better-Crops-3rd-Edition


ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service soils webpage
This offers information on how to assess, improve and maintain soil health for both croplands and pastures. Several publications address fertilisation and composting specifically for organic production. Soil management can also play an important role in protecting water quality, and additional resources are listed on that topic.
https://attra.ncat.org/soils.html


Soil Conservation Technical Handbook
This provides details of recommended soil conservation practices to combat soil erosion in New Zealand.
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/land/soil-conservation-handbook-jun01/index.html


Irrigation (general)
Irrigation New Zealand's website contains information on all aspects of irrigation including the irrigation manual, codes of practice, etc.
http://irrigationnz.co.nz/


Irrigation (horticultural crops)
Crop IR Log is a freely downloadable software tool for scheduling irrigation of horticultural crops including grapes, kiwifruit, pipfruit, and summerfruit. It is being co-developed by Plant & Food Research, HortPlus and Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
http://www.cropirlog.co.nz/index.php?pageID=home


Earthworms
An overview of earthworms (native and introduced species) and the important role they play in New Zealand agriculture.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/earthworms/1


Guide to New Zealand soil invertebrates
This site provides information on New Zealand soil and litter invertebrates, their diversity, biology, ecosystem role, and conservation status. The pages contain photos of these soil animals.
http://soilbugs.massey.ac.nz/index.php


Soil biology video clips
This page contains video clips of organisms that live in the soil ranging from earthworms, bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, mites, nematodes, and many more. 
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/~loynachan/mov/default.html