Blog 003

Soil misconceptions



"Soil is lifeless and is just ‘dirt’"


Although soil does not wriggle around or have a face, it provides a home for lots of microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and archaea, which cannot be seen with the naked eye.

It is also home to invertebrates, such as earthworms (Figure 1), which are usually much easier to see. They all depend on each other to survive. This is known as an ecosystem.


 "All soil is the same"


People sometimes think that all soil is the same, no matter where it is and what it looks like. However, soils can be very different (Figures 2 and 3), depending on:

  • The parent material (rocks) from which they were formed
  • Where they are in the world
  • How they have been treated

These differences can affect the health and growth of different types of plants and other organisms.


"Soil quality doesn't matter"


Soil needs to provide the right structure to support plant roots (Figure 4), retain nutrients, and sustain the soil’s microorganisms and invertebrates. These living things are essential for breaking down dead plant material. 

Healthy soils are also important for storing water and nutrients that plants need, and which they use to survive.


"Using lots of fertiliser will fix my soil health problems"


Using lots of fertiliser on the soil can help for a little while, but it is only a quick fix. When taking this approach, farmers often have to keep adding more and more (Figure 5).

This can become expensive for farmers and harmful for the environment.


 "Soil can recover quickly"


Soil can improve its physical and chemical characteristics over time, but it is an extremely slow process (Figure 6).

Recovery can take hundreds of years, depending on the environment.

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 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 dr...
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