Soil amendments to upgrade soil quality.pptx

Manure and fertilizers requirements

1. Soil Amendments

2. Organic or inorganic matter added to the soil to improve texture, water retention, drainage or aeration . Sandy or rocky soil requires amendments to improve the texture and water retention properties. Clay soils require the addition of materials to improve texture, aeration and drainage. They are the elements or materials added to the soil, such as natural fertilizer, peat moss, manure, or chemical fertilizer, to improve its capacity to support plant life. Soil Amendments

3. Also called a soil conditioner , is a material added to soil to improve plant growth and health. Soil amendment does not include mulching , which includes substances lying on top of the soil. A very common amendment is the addition of organic matter like compost , due to its low production costs.

4. Role of Soil Amendments Improve the soil quality Rebuild the soils (damaged by improper management), to make poor soils more usable Improve soil structure Loosen the compacted soil Improve the water retention in dry, coarse soils Adjust the pH of the soil to meet the needs of specific plant or to make highly acidic or alkaline soils more usable. They also add nutrients , enriching the soil and allowing plants to grow bigger and stronger.

5. Types of Soil Amendments/Conditioners Organic Soil Conditioners/Amendments Inorganic (Synthetic) Soil Conditioners/Amendments Organic Soil Amendments/Conditioners SOM serves as a reservoir for nutrients, Improves soil structure, Drainage, Aeration, CEC, Buffering capacity, WHC, provides a source of food for microorganisms Generally soils having higher organic matter have improved soil physical conditions

6. Amendment Function/purpose Manures to add nutrients. Improves physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, improves overall soil health Compost improves soil texture, increases aeration, promotes both water retention and drainage, adds nutrients Humus Offers stability to imbalanced soil and rectifies deficiencies Peat Moss It increases the ability of the soil to retain water and is ideal for sandy or rocky soil. It is ideal for stabilizing clay soils as well Wood products like wood chips and shavings To improve soil, but may create N deficiency Common organic amendments

7. Types of Inorganic Soil Amendments/Conditioners Synthetic Binding Agents Mineral Conditioners Synthetic Binding Agents Anionic Cationic polymers - man-made polymers based on repeating units of acrylamide and its derivatives Polyacrylamides - applied at much lower rates The compounds are having very high molecular weight, long-chain polymeric, organic compounds , which bind particles together and form stable aggregates Eg. Methyl cellulose, Ethyl cellulose

8. Mineral Conditioners - Gypsum (CaSO 4 .2H 2 O) Effective for high Na containing soils Occurs in nature as soft crystalline rock and varies in purity Gypsum - displace exchangeable Na from the cation exchange sites With irrigation or dryland - reclaim saline areas or slick spots, soften and crumble alkali hard pans, supply Ca on low exchange capacity soils & improve infiltration for some puddled soils slick spot - B horizon soil containing enough Ex. Na ( interfere with the crop ) Hard pan - a cemented or compacted and often clayey layer in soil ( impenetrable by roots )

9. Not recommended - soils with native gypsum or areas irrigated with high Ca & Mg containing water Amount of gypsum application – Gypsum purity, quantity of Na present in the soil and salt-alkali soil test Helps in efficient use of water by crops – Drought periods - exceedingly important. Helps moist soils to be tilled easier Less energy is required for the tillage Gypsum applied at 500 kg per ha

10. b. Limestone, crushed rock, and other products- high in Ca and/or Mg which improve the physical condition of some soils also act as soil amendment. Common inorganic amendments Amendment Function/purpose Sand or Profile Soil Conditioner to improve aeration and drainage Lime to raise the pH Sulfur to lower the pH Vermiculite, a natural balsamic mineral and perlite made from heated amorphous volcanic glass increases aeration, improves texture and assists in water retention