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How do i keep my soil fertile?
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Here are some key points that will help to preserve your soils biological fertility.
* Minimise soil erosion, as organisms are predominately located in the surface layers.
*Try to maintain/increase organic matter contents, as organic matter is very important for nutrient supply and soil structure.
*Use diverse rotations as biological diversity depends on diversity of organic matter and habitats.
*Select nitrogen fixing bacteria to match the host plant and soil characteristics (eg. pH) as N fixing bacteria form specific associations with legumes.
* Fertiliser applications should be calculated to account for soil nutrient supply as nutrients (e.g. N and S) are released into plant available forms during mineralisation.
*Fertiliser inputs should complement the activities of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as they can increase phosphate uptake into plants in P-deficient soils.
*The impact of any addition to soil should be considered as it might change the physical and chemical environment in which the organisms live.
*Remove practices that promote plant pathogens as some crop rotations and management practices decrease the suitability of soil for plant pathogens.
*Consider management practices and commercial products for their capacity to enhance soil fertility, as production systems based on soil biological fertility can be profitable.
*Be patient as soil biological processes take time to develop and you will not improve the fertility of a soil overnight. |
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