The Six Major Performances of Unhealthy Soil
When we farm, we care about how much we invested in agricultural resources, but we don’t know that we don’t have to rely on pesticides and fertilizers to manage farmland with healthy soil. So how do we know if the soil is healthy?
In the cultivation, if the soil can work stably, it is necessary to ensure that the various components of the soil are not problematic and consistent. Among them, six important factors affect soil health and crop growth.
- Soil organic matter
Organic matter is very low in the soil, and in most farmland in China, the organic matter content is only 0.7%-1.2%. However, it has a great impact on soil fertility and crop health.
The data show that within a certain range, the content of organic matter is positively correlated with the level of soil fertility. Soils rich in organic matter tend to exhibit good water permeability & fertility, and are not prone to stagnation and salinization.
The content of organic matter in the soil is also very much related to the yield of crops. According to the survey, the organic matter content of most of China’s land is 0.7%-1.2%, and the organic matter content of the northeast region we call “black land” is 3%. From the left and right, we can see from the two data that the improvement of one point is crucial for the fertility of the soil. What reason do we have to not to improve the soil organic matter content?
- Soil microorganism
As an active component of the soil, soil microbes in their own life, through the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide metabolism activities, as well as the secretion of organic acids, etc., help soil particles form a large agglomerate structure, and ultimately form a real soil. .
In our farmland, the role of microorganisms is particularly important. Weeds, dead leaves of crops, roots of weeds and feces applied to the soil require microbes to rot and decompose, releasing nutrients, forming humus, and thus improving soil. Fertility improves soil structure.
Today, when pesticides and fertilizers are heavily abused, microorganisms can also degrade organic pollutants in the soil, reduce the damage of pesticide residues, and help the soil recover.
- Trace elements in soil
We all know a theory, that is, the barrel effect, that is, the lowest plate on the barrel determines the volume of water in the barrel. This is also true in our agricultural production, that is, the yield of crops is determined by the least amount of nutrients, that is, there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, even if other nutrients are replenished in large quantities, it will not get good yield.
When we are in agricultural production, we find that when the crop is unhealthy, it is often caused by the loss of one of the medium or trace elements, and we only have to supplement it. When the various elements of the crop are adequately replenished, healthy crops produce high quality fruit.
- Soil pH
Different plants have their own favorite soil. The southern crop is planted directly in the north, and it is placed in the greenhouse to provide the same amount of heat. If the soil is still of the north, it will not grow very well. That is because each kind of crop has its own favored pH.
In acidic soil, the phosphoric acid in the soil is easily combined with iron and aluminum to form an insoluble matter, which affects the absorption of phosphorus by the crop; elements such as potassium and calcium are easily replaced by excessive hydrogen ions; In acidic soils, trace elements such as copper, zinc, manganese and boron are dissolved. If the addition of trace element fertilizer is added, it is likely to cause crop damage.
In alkaline soils, water-soluble phosphates are easy to combine with calcium into insoluble calcium phosphate, reducing fertilizer efficiency. It also fixes elements such as iron and zinc, which affect the absorption of crops.
- Salt
If chemical fertilizer is continuously applied to the soil, it will remain in the soil, and the total salt content of the soil will increase. If the total salt content in the soil reaches a certain range, the soil will have a salinization tendency. Due to the increase in total salt content, the concentration of soil solution is too large, which will directly affect the growth of crop roots.
The salt in the soil can reflect the content of mineral elements in the soil. More importantly, we can see whether our soil is healthy and suitable for growing crops. If the soil’s salt is too high, the crop will grow poorly, and if it is serious, crop death will occur.
- Harmful Substance
There are various nutrients, beneficial microorganisms, and many harmful substances in the soil, such as heavy metals. These substances accumulate in the soil in large quantities, which will inevitably cause damage to crops and affect crop growth.
Heavy metals not only affect the activity of soil microbes, but also antagonize certain elements and affect the absorption of certain elements by plants. For example, Zn, Ni, Co and other elements can seriously hinder the absorption of phosphorus by plants. Arsenic can affect the absorption of potassium by plants. It can directly poison roots, inhibit root growth and even rot, affect the absorption of nutrients by roots, and hinder water transport. Interfering with the enzymatic reaction.