Download Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM

Importance of soil
conditioners/Amendments
under INM
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Introduction
• A soil conditioner, also called a soil amendment, is a material added to
soil to improve plant growth and health.
• The type of conditioner added depends on the current soil composition,
climate and the type of plant.
• A conditioner or a combination of conditioners corrects the soil's
deficiencies.
• Fertilizers, such as peat, manure, anaerobic digestate or compost, add
depleted plant nutrients.
• Gypsum releases nutrients and improves soil structure.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Characteristics of soil conditioners
•
•
•
Soil conditioners are natural and earthy.
Absorb water rapidly.
Compost is “Synthetic manure made from decomposing
materials, fertilizer and soil.
•
Leaves and manures are also natural products.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Functions of soil conditioners
•
•
•
•
They help to improve the amount of minerals in the soil.
Soil that is rich in minerals will produce much healthier vegetation.
Leaves work by attracting earthworms which create a healthy soil .
Soil improved by
•
•
•
Physical
Chemical
Biological
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Importance of soil conditioners
•
Soil conditioner is a product which is added to soil to improve the soil
quality.
•
Soil conditioners can be used to rebuild soils which have been damaged
by improper management, to make poor soils more usable, and to
maintain soils in peak condition.
•
A wide variety of products can be used to manage soil quality, with most
being readily available from nurseries and garden supply stores.
•
People can also generate their own soil conditioner with materials from
home.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Importance of soil conditioners
•
Many soil conditioners are designed to improve soil structure in some
way.
•
Soils tend to become compacted over time, which is bad for plants,
and soil conditioners can add more loft and texture to keep the soil
loose.
•
They also add nutrients , enriching the soil and allowing plants to grow
bigger and stronger.
•
Soil conditioners improve the
water retention in dry, coarse soils
which are not holding water well, and they can be added to adjust the
PH of the soil to meet the needs of specific plants or to make highly
acidic or alkaline soils more usable.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Soil physical conditions and soil conditioners
•
Soil physical condition is one factor that can limit
crop production.
•
Poor soil physical condition can restrict water
intake into the soil and subsequent movement,
plant root development, and aeration of the soil.
•
These goals can be accomplished in part through
the use of good management techniques.
•
Producers and researchers alike are interested in
improving the physical condition of the soil and,
thus, enhance crop production.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Vital role of soil conditioners
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improved soil structure and aeration
Increased water-holding capacity.
Increased availability of water to plants
Reduced compaction and hardpan conditions.
Improved tile drainage effectiveness
Alkali soil reclamation
Release of “locked” nutrients
Better chemical incorporation
Better root development
Higher yields and quality
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Role of Soil Conditioner
•
Soil conditioners may be used to improve water retention in dry,
coarse soils which are not holding water well, and they can be added
to adjust the pH of the soil to meet the needs of specific plants or to
make highly acidic or alkaline soils more usable.
Examples of soil conditioners
•
•
•
•
•
•
Peat
Compost
Coir
Manure
Straw
Vermiculite etc.,
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Compost
•
•
Composting is comes naturally to plant materials.
They return to the earth to supply nutrients for the next cycle of
seeds.
•
•
kitchen scraps can be recycled and yard waste composting them.
Instead of throwing out produce scraps, egg shells and coffee
grounds, can be compost of along with the leaves raked up and
the dead plants cleared out of the garden.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Importance of composting
•
Improve the soil quality to reap their benefits and vitality by releasing
the rich nutrients in the compost into the soil
•
Prevent greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the aerobic
breakdown of organic material and reduces the amount of garden
and kitchen waste going to Landfill.
•
Recycle valuable nutrients and reduce the use of artificial fertilizers
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Importance of composting
•
Adding raw material to compost
•
•
•
•
•
Vegetable and food scraps
Fallen leaves (in layers)
Tea leaves and tea bags Sawdust
Coffee grounds , Egg shells, Weeds, Wood ash
Compost and organic soil mulches instead of more conventional
methods sediment control are numerous.
•
Probably the two greatest benefits of using compost as a soil mulch in
sediment control
•
•
immediate effectiveness
its ability to bind and degrade specific contaminants.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Benefits Of Composting
•
Compost that are stable in nature, possessing significant amounts
of humic acids, have the ability to bind nutrients and heavy metals,
as moisture passes through the product layer.
•
Organisms found within compost have the ability to degrade organic
contaminants such as hydrocarbons found in petroleum based
materials.
•
•
Green manure:
The practice of ploughing or turning into soil under-composed green
plant tissue for the purpose of improving physical condition as well
as fertility of the soil is referred to as green manuring and the
manure obtained is known as green manure.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
The green manure crop should possess the following desirable
characteristics :
•
•
•
•
•
have profuse leaves and rapid growth early in its life cycle.
have abundance and succulent tops
be capable of making a good stand on poor and exhausted soils.
have a deep root system.
be legume with good nodular growth habit
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Green manuring
•
•
•
•
•
•
Supply Organic Matter
Green manure supplies organic matter to the soil.
The organic residues from green manure also help to provide the stability
of soil structure needed for optimum plant growth.
Humus formed from green manure increases the absorptive capacity of
soil, promotes aeration, drainage and granulation, which help the plant
growth.
Green manuring improves the structure of the soil. Organic matter
stimulates the activity of soil micro-organisms.
The ability to bind contaminants is exhibited when using organic soil
mulches in construction of filter germs.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Addition of Nitrogen:
•The green manuring crop supplies additional nitrogen to organic
matter, if it is a legume crop, which has the ability to fix nitrogen from the
air with the help of its root nodule bacteria (e.g. Rhizobium).
•The legume crop adds nitrogen for the succeeding crop.
•So all the legumes crop leave the soil in better physical condition and
richer in nitrogen content.
•They return the plant nutrients of deeper layers to the upper top soil
Nutrient and Soil Conservation
•Green manuring crops act as cover crop.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
• They protect the soil from erosion and nutrient loss by taking up soluble
nutrients which might otherwise have been lost in drainage water or due to
erosion.
• Green manuring crops make available phosphorous and other nutrients
fort he succeeding crops.
•
•
•
Green manure has a marked residual effect also.
Increases the biochemical activity.
The organic matter added to soil by way of green manure acts as food for
micro-organisms.
•
The organic matter stimulates the activity of micro-organisms and they
stimulate the biochemical changes accordingly.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Green manuring increases crop yield:
•
Green manure increases the organic matter and nitrogen content (in
case of leguminous green manuring crop) of the soil.
•
It is proved that if green manuring is done properly, it always
results in increased yields of the succeeding crops.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Crop Residues
•
Leaves
make
dark,
rich
compost that add nutrients to
your soil and help keep your
plants strong and disease
free.
•
Fall cleanup is a great time to
start a compost pile and put
those leaves to work.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Home compost
•
Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic material
such as leaves, twigs, grass clippings, and vegetable food
waste.
•
Compost is the soil amendment product that results from proper
composting.
•
composting helps to keep the high volume of organic material
out of landfills and turns it into a useful product
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Compost
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Application
•
General application rates for compost or other organic soil amendments are
based on the salt content of the materials and soil and on the depth to which
it is cultivated into the soil.
•
Ideally, cultivate the soil amendment into the top six to eight inches of the
soil.
•
On compacted/clayey soils, anything less can lead to a shallow rooting
system with reduced plant growth, lower vigor, and lower stress tolerance.
•
Compost, which includes manure or biosolids as a component, has a
potential for high salts
•
Excessive salt levels are common in many commercially available products
sold in Colorado.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
•
Compost needs to be thoroughly mixed into the upper six to eight inches of the soil
profile.
•
Do not leave compost in chunks, as this will interfere with root growth and soil
water movement.
•
As the soil organic content builds in a garden soil, the application rate should be
reduced to prevent ground water contamination issues.
•
A soil test is suggested every four to six years to establish a base line on soil
organic matter content If using a green manure cover crop, till the cover crop in
before it reaches four inches in height.
•
In the vegetable garden do not plow in woody materials such as bark or
woodchips.
•
They may interfere with seedbed preparation and may result in soil nitrogen
depletion.
Importance of soil conditioners/Amendments under INM
Let Us Sum Up
• Soil conditioners to improve agricultural land and increase productivity.
• Types of soil conditioners and their role , importance , function and
usage are described.
•Farmers can adopt this technology to improve the banana production.