Soil health , we usually and frequently use to describe some properties relating to liveliness of soil , in terms of microbial biomass. A soil having low supply level of different nutrients , probably will support lower microbial abundance , and the synergism between nutrient and microbe is well established . If this is the case , why don't we consider soil fertility so important while evaluating soil health issues.
Yes Sir, I think that soil fertility is the most important and easily accessible indicator of soil health.
Why I raised this issue , because it is the available nutrients which dictate the microbial buildup of soil . Do you feel , there will be lesser microbial load of the soil , if soil has lower nutrient supplying capacity ?.
Soil fertility is one of the key indicators of soil health assessment framework. While I am talking about soil fertility, it includes both chemical (viz. available NPK and other nutrients) and biological parameres (viz. soil microbes/organic matter). Regarding the correlation between microbial load and nutrient supply capacity, I think both ways they are related. A sound microbial population enhances the fertility of soil through processes like mineralisation, nodulation etc. On the other hand, a less fertile soil may not favour the growth of microbes.
Thanks Manoj Kumarji , fertility of soil and microbial load both go hand-in-hand . The reason is Nutrient-Microbe Synergy , where microbes are the biggest sink for nutrients to be alter added in mobilised forms into the rhizosphere to sensitize/activate the soil biologically .
Soil fertility is one of the indicators of soil health. Unfortunately, sometimes we emphasize this indicator too much and ignore soil physical and biological properties. We also need to consider ecosystem services of soil .
You are absolutely right Dr Biswas , available nutrient indices are over -expressed against soil physical or biological properties. And , role of soil as a part of ecological service , perhaps the most important , but equally over-looked again. Gradually , we have started looking into this part , ever since negative consequences of climate issue started coming into limelight. Thanks Dr Biswas , nice feedback ..
I think, soil fertility is surely indicator of soil health, otherwise healthy soil will not be fertile or fertile soil will not be healthy.
Dear Dr. Srivastava and all other RG friends,
Soil health and Soil fertility have been defined as below:
(1) “Soil health” and “soil quality” can be used interchangeably. They are: The capacity of a soil to function, within land use and ecosystem boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant, animal, and human health (Doran and Parkin 1994).
(2) “Soil fertility” is a feature of soil health as applied to agroecosystems. It is the capacity of a soil to provide nutrients required by plants for growth.
(3) Soil health is established through the interactions of soil’s physical, chemical, and biological, properties.
Ref: (www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/health/, and soilhealth.cals. cornell.edu/)
Dear Abhishek,
I think Dr. Srivastava has raised the issue of ''soil health'', not human or animal health. Thus the article by William referred by you may be a bit misplaced here.
Dear colleagues, throw some light on history soil health cards , how was it conceived and how was it brought into practical use for farm advisory..??
Dear Anoop Kumar Srivastava, interesting issue.
As it is well known, soil health encompasses ecological equilibrium and the functionality of a soil and its capacity to maintain a well balanced ecosystem with high biodiversity above and below surface, and productivity.
If soil fertility was achieved naturally, it can be an indicator for soil health; however if the fertility is achieved through the application of chemicals, etc, it is hardly possible to say that it is an indicator of soil health.
Therefore, soil health is a more broader term than soil fertility.
Yes sir ... in my opinion, soil fertility is the important indicator of soil health
Thanks Abhishek and Nehal. If this is the case , do we need soil health indices specific crops and soils ..??
Yes sir Anoop, we need soil health indices and specific crops. Crops can be used to enrich or exhausted the soil.
Legume crops good for soil fertility. Legumes can be used to enrich the soil. Legumes, a plant group consisting of the peas, beans, alfalfa and clovers, are a good natural way to improve soil fertility. Nitrogen is plentiful in the earth's atmosphere, but in the gaseous form it is not useful for plants. Legumes have special root structures known as nodules that contain symbiotic bacteria that can do nitrogen fixation, a chemical process that converts nitrogen gas into compounds like ammonia and nitrates (The nodules change the nitrogen into ammonia, a form of nitrogen that plants can use). The bacteria usually make more nitrogenous compounds than the plant can absorb, and the excess goes into the soil. Typically after the legume crop is harvested the remaining parts of the plant are tilled back into the soil.
On the other hand,
Gramineae crops can exhausted the soil, it is can lose the soil fertility. For example: there are not enough chemical elements, water cannot infiltrate in soil (due to loss of a physical property), and there are not any microbes to turn elements available to plants and soil.
Regards
Nehal
Excellent Abhishek and your contribution is very fruitful for scientific community.
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