Gypsum Soils Expert Visits Southwest

TTU and USDA-NRCS Host Soil Symposium in Lubbock

Soil is the foundation for growing crops and vegetation that support the earth’s human population. Researchers are continually studying soil to gain knowledge and to better understand the effects of soil on our landscapes.

Texas Tech University’s Plant and Soil Science department and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Cooperative Soil Survey Program recently invited Dr. Juan Herrero, scientist and gypsiferous soil expert from Zaragoza, Spain, to speak at the Texas-New Mexico Gypsum Soils Symposium and Tour.

Dr. Herrero works at the Aragon Agri-Research Center Soils and Irrigation Department. He is a world-acknowledged expert of gypsum soils and traveled to Lubbock to address soil scientists who map and classify these types of soils.

Forty-two individuals from California, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas were present at the week-long session. Soil scientists, geologists, professors, conservationists and others attended the symposium at Texas Tech and participated in the field trip, traveling to Culberson County, Texas, and Otero County, New Mexico, to examine and analyze gypsum soils.

“Gypsum soils occupy more than 1.4 million acres in west Texas and southern New Mexico. Land use of these soils is predominately rangeland,” said Dr. Wayne Hudnall, Texas Tech soil science professor.

Generally, he said, gypsum soils are located in dry climates and are relatively unproductive. They are considered marginal for crop production and are primarily used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, oil and gas extraction, and military operations.

According to NRCS Soil Scientist Lynn Loomis of Marfa, “Properties of these soils are poorly understood. We wanted to gain insights that Dr. Herrero learned from years of study.”

Natural resource management concerns associated with the soils include the loss of topsoil, dust from roads, reestablishment of vegetation cover following pipeline construction, and physical, chemical, and biological soil crusts.

“We need to describe and classify the soils more consistently and learn how to measure their physical and chemical properties,” Dr. Loomis said. “The soils are droughty and infertile and support uniquely adapted plant communities. Inadequate knowledge of their behavior, coupled with limited soil sampling and laboratory analyses, justify our study of gypsum-rich soils.”

Dr. Herrero’s insights resulted in the clarification of certain gypsum-rich soils. “Gypsum pushes,” he explained. “Expansion of gypsum crystals causes force to be applied to the adjacent crystals, fracturing and milling them to silt (flour) size particles. This process explains the dominance of silty apparent field textures of many gypsum-rich soils.”

Better knowledge and understanding will also help soil scientists describe, map, classify, and predict behavior of the gypsum-rich soils more consistently. Applying this knowledge to resource management will help improve livestock grazing potential, wildlife habitats, and overall range management for the future.

Participants at the field day took part in the gypsum soils site discussions.	Areas were marked for participants to view and study gypsum soil types.	On the tour, Dr. Herrero presented gypsum soils information to the group.
Standing, Back Row Lynn Loomis, NRCS, Marfa, TX Austin Eldridge, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM Tom Reinsch, NRCS, Lincoln, NE Michael Margo, NRCS, Marfa, TX Jim Rogers, Texas Tech University, Lubbock David Bustos, NPS Ed Tallyn, NRCS, Davis, CA Joe Chiaretti, NRCS, Reno, NV Bob Dobos, NRCS, Lincoln, NE	Standing, Middle Row Cathy McGuire, NRCS, Tucson, AZ Arlene Tugel, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM Philip Schoeneberger, NRCS, Lincoln, NE Gordon Michaud, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM Susan Casby-Horton, NRCS, Temple, TX Bob Engel, NRCS, Lincoln, NE Nelson Rolong, NRCS, Marfa, TX Juan Herrero, Agri- Research Center of Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain BJ Shoup, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM Jennifer Puttere, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM	Kneeling Dewayne Mayes, NRCS, Lincoln, NE Carman Herrero, Zaragoza, Spain Wayne Hudnall, Texas Tech University Greg Cates, NRCS, Las Cruces, NM Charles Hibner, NRCS, Santa Fe, NM Tom Reedy, NRCS, Lincoln, NE Wayne Gabriel, NRCS, Temple, TX

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