HOW TO INCREASE SOIL FERTILITY?

The natural resource base for development of agriculture and forestry is land, which is the largest and most valuable benefit of any country. In some countries soil is not suitable for?cultivating and growing crops. At the same time, regardless of these factors, one of the most important parameters for obtaining good harvests is the ability to work competently and efficiently with the available crops.

Soil?is the surface layers of the earth’s crust on land, modified by living organisms, which differ from the parent rock in physical structure, mineral composition, and a significant content of specific organic substances (humus). These surface layers have an important distinction (difference) – fertility, i.e. the ability to supply plants with the nutrients, water and air necessary for their growth and development.

The Earth is a source of free energy, nutrients and moisture for a variety of living organisms. On the one hand, there is always the decomposition of plant and animal remains and constant replenishment of energy and nutrients on the other. The productivity of terrestrial ecosystems, namely the ability to produce a certain amount of biomass, depends on the physical and chemical properties of the soil.

A biocenosis?is a collection of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms, that inhabit a particular land area or water (biotope). All of them are connected both with each other and with abiotic environment factors (climatic, geological, geographical factors, physical and chemical agents, as well as disasters such as floods or fires).

A biocenosis is a dynamic, self-regulating system whose components (producers, reducers and consumers) are interdependent on each other. The biocenosis includes: zoocenosis (a set of animals), phytocenosis (a set of plants), mycocenosis (a set of fungi), and microcenosis (a set of microbes).

All of this biodiversity influences soil formation, determines its physical and mechanical properties, and its main important difference – fertility. Soil fertility can be measured, namely through land analysis, agro-scouting, which will help to understand how many nutrients, humus, micro and macro elements are in it. According to these indicators we can predict or correct future volume of?harvest. Sufficient amounts of these nutrients significantly increases the chances of getting a high yield.

Biodiversity?is an important indicator that needs to be monitored and adhered to. A biotope is an area of the Earth’s surface with more or less the same type of habitat (soil, microclimate, etc.). In the field, the boundaries of a biocenosis and its associated habitat are most often determined by changes in vegetation cover that can be clearly observed visually. Vegetation or a set of plant communities is an integral part of the landscape and one of the most dynamic components of the environment. Thus, phytocenoses and zoocenoses are part of more complex natural systems – biogeocenoses, the totality of which forms the Earth’s biosphere. The fertility of a particular area can be measured even visually. If there is a drought, with no signs of life, then there is no point in doing agroscouting and analyzing such soil.

It should be noted that examples of biocenoses can be forests, meadows, steppes, marshes, agricultural lands, etc. Biocenoses can be formed both naturally and under the influence of human activity.

I would like to tell you more about the human activities. For example, let’s take into account an untouched biocenosis that has been developing for many millions of years under the influence of abiotic environmental factors, which was not affected by anthropogenic factors. In fact, a self-sufficient “organism” was formed in a certain area, where old plants replaced new ones, while the former served as fertilizer and a source of elements necessary for life.

Over time, a human intervenes in this environment and wants to become part of this biocenosis. At first, he begins to study it and adapt the soil.

The first stage of human impact on biocenosis is tillage. At this stage, shallow disking is usually carried out in two tracks to cut the surface sod. Next, plowing is done to a depth of 25-32 centimeters. Plowing has an interesting function – it is plowing the surface layer, which has a vegetation cover and aerobic bacteria. The lowered soil with anaerobic bacteria rises to the surface.

These actions result in exposed soil that is highly susceptible to erosion. Anaerobic bacteria die under the influence of large amounts of oxygen, sunlight and temperature. At the same time, the situation is different in the lower layer of the earth, aerobic bacteria begin to die. Oxygen is not supplied to lower layers, and the remains are rotting.

The structure of the soil and capillary passages through which gas and moisture exchange took place are disrupted. At this stage, animals and microorganisms have also experienced changes. The recovery process begins, but because of the damage done to the system, it takes a long time and stable abiotic factors.

This whole system functioned together with abiotic environmental factors to produce specific organic substances (humus). At the same time, with biocenosis changes, the whole process is impaired.???The next stage of human influence on the biocenosis is the sowing campaign of the crop. The biodiversity of plants is replaced by a homogeneous culture of the entire space.

Many farmers have few capital resources at the initial stages of farm formation. Typically, at this stage, farmers spend a lot of money on soil preparation and the purchase of expensive seed. At the same time, they often devalued fertilizers application. In fact, farmers want to get a harvest at the expense of soil fertility and available nutrients. This is how they reduce the quality of the land.

It is necessary to maintain a balance and add to the soil those elements that were taken away by the crop that the farmer grew. In fact, farmers want to get a harvest due to the fertility of the soil and the nutrients available in it. It is important to maintain a balance and add to the soil those elements that were taken away by the crop that the farmer grew.

During the first few years, crops grow and develop well, using nutrients in the form of available macro-, meso-, and microelements in the soil. However, each of these elements has its own role, and in order to continue to use the sown area efficiently, it is necessary to make foliar feeding with lack of certain elements.

Let’s consider such a macronutrient as nitrogen in order to demonstrate its importance for growing crops. It plays an important role not only for plants but also for microorganisms. Its main role is to build the body of any organism. Plowed plant residues can be a source of nitrogen. They are located at a depth of 25-32 centimeters, but they are not converted into acceptable forms of nutrients for plants by themselves, but are converted by microorganisms that need nitrogen. This element is very mobile, and consumed easily by plants.

Due to plowing, the gas exchange between the soil and the atmosphere is disrupted, and the number of nitrogen-fixing bacteria is reduced, so nitrogen fixation in the crop becomes minimal ( as a result-plants will decrease in size). The intensity of photosynthesis will decrease due to lack of chlorophyll in the leaves.

An agronomist always pays attention to problematic processes occurring with plants. Based on visual indicators, he or she can decide to make more detailed analysis of the condition of plants and soil, and ultimately decides whether to carry out foliar fertilization to eliminate and correct nutrient deficiencies or to bring plants out of stress. In addition, I recommend combining organic and mineral fertilizers?to increase the yield, but always based on the agrochemical analysis of the soil.

If we consider foliar nutrition as a technological operation, it is undoubtedly important and takes place in the cultivation of crops.

Foliar nutrition?can correct the lack of macro- and mesoelements observed during critical periods of plant growth and development to improve the course of the processes. In fact, to provide what is needed for better organogenesis to form high-quality plant organs. At the same time, a properly written technological scheme based on agrochemical analysis can fully solve the problem of deficiency.

So, I want to emphasize that proper soil nutrition is important. Firstly you can see crop condition visually. I should also note that soil?nutrition?is necessary when using high-intensity cultivation technology to meet the needs of the crop and obtain high yields.?Fertilizers?are an integral part of this process. If you do not use fertilizers at any stage, it is better not to use foliar nutrition in the future, without driving yourself into a money pit.

Agronomist-expert Wonder LLC

Kovalsky Igor

[email protected]