Skip to main content

 

Blog 005

Functions of the soil



Soil is essential for food production and life on earth.




Soil functions include:
Support of plant growth

Soil supports plants through the provision of water, nutrients and air, which are all needed to allow plants to grow. Plants, in turn, provide food, fibre and fuel, which are essential for feeding people and making their lives comfortable. (Plants growing in Figure 1).

Climate control

The global carbon cycle is the never-ending movement of carbon going from the air to plants, animals, oceans and underground, then back to the air. Soil can store carbon and let some of it go into the atmosphere.

Allowing too much carbon to escape into the air through continuous ploughing and leaving the soil bare (and other practices besides these) can, and does, contribute to changes in the planet's climate. The process of carbon being trapped in the soil is known as carbon sequestration.

This means that good soil management is very important.

Clean water

Water drains easily through healthy soil. It acts as a natural filter to purify the water running through it and can help to prevent flooding, too. (Rain water draining through the soil in Figure 1.)

Providing a home to living things

Healthy soil provides a home for different species to live, creating a rich and diverse community in which inhabitants depend on each other for survival. This is sometimes referred to as biodiversity. (Manure being added to the soil by animal waste and microorganisms and invertebrates living in the soil in Figure 1.)

Supplying things we use

Soil contains minerals for things we use every day, such as building materials, pharmaceuticals and fertilisers.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

  Blog 001 Advising farmers Agricultural extension workers Extension workers usually work for government agencies. They work with local communities to offer advice and deliver information to farmers about input products. There are technology extension units in national research institutes and local agricultural universities. Extension workers often have good access to government-level advice about products, their availability, registration and the regulations farmers should be aware of around their use. Agro-input dealers Agro-input dealers sell input products directly to farmers. They are often an important source of information for farmers about what products are locally available, how they should be applied and the interpretation of results in the field. Agro-input dealers are well-placed to share local knowledge among farmers, as they are likely to sell input products to many local farmers. This is especially helpful for bioprotection products, as their level of effectiveness d...
Read more
Image
  Blog 002 Soil health and management  The value of soil How important is soil to agriculture and the wider environment? Soil materials include: Tiny pieces of  rocks and minerals  (about 45% of volume) Organic matter  (about 5% of volume) Soil solution, which is  water  that fills the spaces between soil particles. It is where the dissolved elements or nutrients are found (about 20-30% of volume) Air  (about 20-30% of volume) Healthy soils are sometimes described as having good tilth, which means that the soil: Is loose and crumbly Has plenty of air pockets Drains water well Can hold nutrients Is easy to dig Other characteristics of healthy soil: Has good depth to allow plant root systems to develop Contains a high population of beneficial organisms Is free of chemicals that are harmful to plants and beneficial organisms
Read more