Ways Organic Matter Impacts Soil Health and Crop Yield
June 8, 2024 By its nature, research is myopic. It singles out one aspect of a problem and runs it through different scenarios to see what can be learned. But every so often, agricultural researchers step back and take a broader view. They analyze what their peers from around the world have learned, one narrow slice at a time, and look for overarching themes. A research team in Brazil did just that with how various organic residues impact soil health, crop production, and sustainable agriculture. They focused on maize, wheat, and rice crops, but since the topic applies to all crops, their findings should translate to vegetable production, as well.
Here are a few things they learned.
Applying organic residues like compost, animal manure, crop residues, municipal solid waste, and bio char, ensures greater availability of macronutrients (especially NPK) and contributes to immobilizing toxic metals.
Organic residues maintain soil fertility and promote the long-term improvement of soil attributes like density, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity (all of which are associated with increased organic matter).
The high carbon in organic residues translates to increased soil organic carbon content, which promotes microbial biomass and enzymatic activity. That in turn leads to nutrient cycling and pathogen suppression.
In general, yields increase when growers use organic residues.
When growers combine inorganic fertilizers with organic residues, yields are higher than using inorganic fertilizer alone. The team attributes this increase to organic residues improving nutrient absorption and use, and increasing soil organisms, resulting in more efficient nutrient mineralization.
Areas for Future Research
The team says more studies are needed to understand the relationship between aggregate stability and soil function when evaluating how organic waste impacts soil health.
Read the Study
Organic Residues and Their Impact on Soil Health, Crop Production and Sustainable Agriculture
Authors: Lisiane Brichi, João V.M. Fernandes, Beatriz M. Silva, Juliana de F. Vizú, Jorge N.G. Junior, Maricio Roberto
Link: https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sum.12892 (subscription or purchase necessary to see full study)
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