increasing soil fertility

7/30/2019 Increasing Soil Fertility

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How does it help?

It is rich in nutrients necessary for basic plant nutrition,

including nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium.

It contains sufficient minerals (trace elements) for plant nutrition,

including boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron etc. It contains soil organic matter that improves soil structure and soil

moisture retention.

A range of microorganisms that support plant growth.

This shows us that soil fertility plays a major role in crop production.


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MANURESManure is organic matter used as organic

fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to thefertility of the soil by adding organic matter

and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trappedby bacteria in the soil.


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Types Of ManuresAnimal Manures:Most animal manure is faeces.

Common forms of animal manure include farmyardmanure (FYM) or farm slurry (liquid manure). FYMalso contains plant material (often straw), which hasbeen used as bedding for animals and has absorbedthe feces and urine.


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Compost: Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic

materials usually of plant origin, but often including someanimal dung or bedding. Plant Manures: Green manures are crops grown for the

express purpose of ploughing them in, thus increasingfertility through the incorporation of nutrients and organic

matter into the soil. Leguminous plants such as clover areoften used for this, as they fixnitrogen using Rhizobia bacteria in specialized nodes in theroot structure. Other types of plant matter used as manureinclude the contents of the rumens ofslaughtered ruminants, spent hops (left over

from brewing beer) and seaweed.


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FERTILIZERSFertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural

or synthetic origin (other than liming materials) thatis added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients

essential to the growth of plants. Mined inorganicfertilizers have been used for many centuries, whereaschemically synthesized inorganic fertilizers were onlywidely developed during the industrial revolution.

Increased understanding and use of fertilizers wereimportant parts of the pre-industrial BritishAgricultural Revolution and the industrial GreenRevolution of the 20th century.


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Types Of FertilizersFertilizers come in various forms:

The most typical type of fertilizer is solid fertilizer in granulatedor powdered.

The next most common type is liquid fertilizer; some advantagesof liquid fertilizer are its immediate effect and wide coverage.

There are also slow-release fertilizers (various types includingfertilizer spikes, tabs, etc.) which reduce the problem of"burning" the plants due to excess nitrogen. Polymer coating of

fertilizer ingredients gives tablets and spikes a 'staged nutrientrelease' (SNR) of fertilizer nutrients.


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Manures versus FertilizersMANURES FERTILIZERS

They are easy to prepare &can be prepared at the farmitself.

It is difficult to spread themin the fields.

Excess of manures doesnt

harm the soil.

They are prepared infactories.

Their application is very easy.

Excess of fetilezers harms thesoil by making it porous &also pollute water.

increasing soil fertility

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