Page 3 - Impact - Spring 2021

THE U OF M SOIL JUDGING TEAM IN FALL 2020.
STUDENTS of the SOIL
The work is dirty, but it helps us understand and protect a natural resource that sustains us all — soil. Soil judging, the field component of soil science, is a diverse discipline that combines geology, chemistry, physics, and biology.
Thanks to funding that is 100 percent provided by generous donors, students on the U of M’s Soil Judging Team are able to participate in hands-on learning and travel to competitions around the country.
Last year, the team won big at the Region 5 Soil Judging Contest, a tradition since 1961 in which students enter pits about four feet deep to analyze the horizons of the soil and look at distinguishing characteristics such as color, structure and texture. (Due to COVID-19, the team competed virtually in 2020, with soils brought to them.) The students make conclusions about the soil’s hydraulic conductivity, effective soil depth, and more — allowing them to determine how suitable the soil would be for placement of things like septic tank systems, local roads, and dwellings without basements.
The team finished first place overall, first place in group judging, and had numerous individual placements.
STUDENTS ANALYZE SOIL SPECIMENS DURING A FIELD STUDIES CLASS.
“Soil judging helped me to learn important life lessons in self-responsibility and reflection, problem-solving, teamwork, and just discover a lot about myself. It also gave me a passion, direction, and was a catalyst for finding a job after graduation,”
—Abigail Clapp, a December 2020 graduate who now works in Colorado as a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil scientist.
INTRODUCING TRIUMPHTM
The latest apple cultivar from the renowned U of M apple
breeding team is a triumph! TriumphTM, originally
known as MN80 cultivar, was recently released to
nurseries for propagation. A small number of
Midwest growers will plant TriumphTM trees this spring,
with more trees available to purchase at local garden centers in
esteemed collection that includes the popular First Kiss® apple introduced in 2017. TriumphTM, which was created by crossing the Honeycrisp and Liberty varieties, is a firm fruit with red skin and a pleasantly tart, well-balanced flavor.
TriumphTM has proven winter hardy in the southern part of Minnesota. One of its exciting features is excellent resistance to apple scab, which is caused by a fungus that infects both leaves and fruit and is the most common disease of apple and crabapple trees in Minnesota. It contains two forms
of genetic scab resistance, which should allow growers to reduce chemical spray.
While disease resistance is important, U of M apple breeder David Bedford says the culinary characteristics favored by consumers are equally important in a new variety’s success. “Combined with a firm but crisp texture, good storage life and an attractive red overcolor, TriumphTM should be a welcome addition to the apple market,” he said.
2022. In five or six years, the trees will produce delicious fruit for apple aficionados
to enjoy from local and organic orchards, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, or their own backyards.
The 28th U of M apple variety, TriumphTM joins an