AvANTI Pu C0LLEuE

0SNANIA 0NIvERSITY

S0IL
FERTILITY
ASSIGNMLN1 SU8MI11LD by GD SANGLL1nA kLMULL
ko|| No 10S910S08009
N.Sc.
|NICR0BI0L0uYj
SENESTER III
|S0IL
NICR0BI0L0uYj
S0IL FERTILITY
Ou1LlN
0 uLllnl1lCn
1 SClL CPLMlCAL lL81lLl1?
11 ASLC1S Cl CPLMlCAL lL81lLl1?
111 LSSLn1lAL LLLMLn1S
1111 nCn MlnL8AL nu18lLn1S
1112 MlnL8AL nu18lLn1S
112 CA1lCn Anu AnlCn LxCPAnCL CAACl1?
113 SClL pP
2 SClL P?SlCAL lL81lLl1?
21 ASLC1S Cl P?SlCAL lL81lLl1?
211 SClL 1Lx1u8L
212 WA1L8 PCLulnC CAACl1?
213 LLACPlnC
214 nu18lLn1 MC8lLl1? ln SClL
3 SClL 8lCLCClCAL lL81lLl1?
1Ln 8lnClLLS Cl SClL 8lCLCClCAL lL81lLl1?
31 ASLC1S Cl 8lCLCClCAL lL81lLl1?
311 C8CAnlC MA11L8
312 SClL C8CAnlSMS
4 MLAnS Cl lM8CvlnC SClL lL81lLl1?
41 kLLlnC 1PL pP ln 1PL luLAL 8AnCL
42 8LCuLA8 SClL 1LS1lnC
43 LnCCu8AClnC SClL MAC8C Anu MlC8CC8CAnlSMS
44 nu18lLn1 8uuCL1lnC
43 L8LnnlAL AS1u8LS
3 CCnCLuSlCn
6 8LlL8LnCLS
S0IL FERTILITY
1here has been a greaL deal of dlscusslon abouL Lhe use of Lerms Lo descrlbe Lhe sLaLe
of soll eg soll quallLy soll ferLlllLy and soll healLh as a means of lmprovlng recognlLlon of
Lhe lmporLance of Lhe soll resource
Soll has usually been lnvesLlgaLed prlmarlly from Lhe perspecLlve of pedologlcal
physlcal chemlcal and hydrologlcal characLerlsLlcs 1hls ls Lhe case even Lhough soll
organlsms medlaLe a number of lmporLanL of pedologlcal physlcal and chemlcal processes
Lavelle and Spaln 2001

1he concepL of soll ferLlllLy has generally been mosL concerned wlLh soll chemlcal
ferLlllLy and lLs ablllLy Lo meeL Lhe nuLrlLlonal needs of planLs lor chemlcallybased farmlng
sysLems ferLlllzer requlremenLs can be deLermlned accordlng Lo planL soll and cllmaLlc
condlLlons and exLenslve research has been carrled ouL Lo ldenLlfy Lhese requlremenLs ln
many agrlculLural slLuaLlons
1he physlcal consLralnLs Lo soll ferLlllLy are also wldely acknowledged and
conslderable efforL has been expended ln ldenLlfylng land use pracLlces LhaL prevenL or
mlnlmlze developmenL of sLrucLural consLralnLs Lo planL growLh or Lo soll loss Lhrough wlnd
or waLer eroslon
DLIINI1ICN
Soll lerLlllLy ls Lhe capaclLy of soll Lo provlde physlcal chemlcal and blologlcal
requlremenLs for growLh of planLs for producLlvlLy reproducLlon and quallLy relevanL
Lo planL Lype soll Lype land use and cllmaLlc condlLlons
C8
Soll ferLlllLy ls Lhe ablllLy of Lhe soll Lo susLaln healLhy planL growLh

ln conLrasL much less ls known abouL
l Pow Lo maxlmlze beneflLs from soll blologlcal processes wlLh Lhe excepLlon
of symbloLlc n flxaLlon and blologlcal conLrol of planL dlsease and
ll wheLher lL ls economlcally or envlronmenLally susLalnable Lo capLure beneflLs
from oLher soll blologlcal processes

1he Lerm 'soll ferLlllLy' used wlLhouL Lhe quallflers 'blologlcal' 'physlcal' or 'chemlcal'
glves lnsufflclenL lnformaLlon abouL Lhe sLaLe of soll 1hese Lhree preflxes allow
lnLerpreLaLlon Lo be focused on componenLs or comblnaLlons of componenLs of soll ferLlllLy
LhaL are lnfluenced by managemenL declslons
I. SUIL CHEMICAL FERTILITY:-
A ASLC1S CI CnLMICAL ILk1ILI1
1 55N1l4L LMN15
8esearch has deLermlned LhaL planLs requlre 17 nuLrlenLs also called 'essenLlal
elemenLs' (Marschner 1993) Lach nuLrlenL asslsLs wlLh dlfferenL planL funcLlons LhaL allow
Lhe planL Lo grow and reproduce Lach planL nuLrlenL ls needed ln dlfferenL amounLs by Lhe
planL and varles ln how moblle lL ls wlLhln Lhe planL lL ls useful Lo know Lhe relaLlve
amounLs of each nuLrlenL LhaL ls needed by a crop ln maklng ferLlllzer recommendaLlons ln
addlLlon undersLandlng planL funcLlons and moblllLy wlLhln Lhe planL should prove useful ln
dlagnoslng nuLrlenL deflclencles
DLIINI1ICN
1he capaclLy of soll Lo provlde a sulLable chemlcal and nuLrlLlonal envlronmenL for
planLs for producLlvlLy reproducLlon and quallLy ln a way LhaL supporLs beneflclal soll
physlcal and blologlcal processes lncludlng Lhose lnvolved ln nuLrlenL cycllng
ESSENTIAL ELENENT, R0LE IN PLANT, ANB S00RCE.
ELEMENT #LE N PLANT S&#E
Carbon (C) ConsLlLuenL of carbohydraLes necessary for phoLosynLhesls Alr
Pydrogen (P) MalnLalns osmoLlc balance lmporLanL ln numerous
blochemlcal reacLlons consLlLuenL of carbohydraLes
WaLer
Cxygen (C) ConsLlLuenL of carbohydraLes necessary for resplraLlon Alr/WaLer
nlLrogen (n) ConsLlLuenL of proLelns chlorophyll and nuclelc aclds Alr/Soll
hosphorus () ConsLlLuenL of many proLelns coenzymes nuclelc aclds and
meLabollc subsLraLes lmporLanL ln energy Lransfer
Soll
oLasslum (k) lnvolved wlLh phoLosynLhesls carbohydraLe LranslocaLlon
proLeln synLhesls eLc
Soll
Calclum (Ca) A componenL of cell walls plays a role ln Lhe sLrucLure and
permeablllLy of membranes
Soll
Magneslum (Mg) Lnzyme acLlvaLor componenL of chlorophyll Soll
Sulfur (S) lmporLanL componenL of planL proLelns Soll
8oron (8) 8elleved Lo be lmporLanL ln sugar LranslocaLlon and
carbohydraLe meLabollsm
Soll
Chlorlne (Cl) lnvolved wlLh oxygen producLlon ln phoLosynLhesls Soll
Copper (Cu) A caLalysL for resplraLlon a componenL of varlous enzymes Soll
lron (le) lnvolved wlLh chlorophyll synLhesls and ln enzymes for
elecLron Lransfer
Soll
Manganese (Mn) ConLrols several oxldaLlonreducLlon sysLems and
phoLosynLhesls
Soll
Molybdenum (Mo) lnvolved wlLh nlLrogen flxaLlon and Lransformlng nlLraLe Lo
ammonlum
Soll
nlckel (nl) necessary for proper funcLlonlng of Lhe enzyme urease
and found Lo be necessary ln seed germlnaLlon
Soll
Zlnc (Zn) lnvolved wlLh enzyme sysLems LhaL regulaLe varlous
meLabollc acLlvlLles
Soll
f NON MlNkAl Nu1klN15
1hree elemenLs carbon (C) hydrogen (P) and oxygen (C) are consldered Lo be nonmlneral
nuLrlenLs because Lhey are derlved from alr and waLer raLher Lhan from soll mlnerals
AlLhough Lhey represenL approxlmaLely 93 of planL blomass Lhey are generally glven llLLle
aLLenLlon ln planL nuLrlLlon because Lhey are always ln sufflclenL supply
b MlNkAl Nu1klN15
1he 14 mlneral nuLrlenLs are classlfled as elLher macronuLrlenLs or mlcronuLrlenLs
based on Lhelr planL requlremenLs
1here are slx macronuLrlenLs nlLrogen (n) phosphorus () poLasslum (k) calclum
(Ca) magneslum (Mg) and sulfur (S) 1he macronuLrlenLs n and k are ofLen classlfled as
'prlmary' macronuLrlenLs because deflclencles of n and k are more common Lhan Lhe
'secondary' macronuLrlenLs Ca Mg and S
1he mlcronuLrlenLs lnclude boron (8) chlorlne (Cl) copper (Cu) lron (le) manganese
(Mn) molybdenum (Mo) nlckel (nl) and zlnc (Zn)
MosL of Lhe macronuLrlenLs represenL 01 3 or 1003000 parLs per mllllon (ppm)
of dry planL Llssue whereas Lhe mlcronuLrlenLs generally comprlse less Lhan 0023 or 230
ppm of dry planL Llssue
1he classlflcaLlons of mlcro vs macronuLrlenL refer Lo planL raLher Lhan planL
upLake amounLs Lach nuLrlenL cannoL be Laken up by planLs ln lLs elemenLal or noncharged
form buL lnsLead ls Laken up ln an 'lonlc' or charged form wlLh Lhe excepLlon of borlc acld
whlch ls uncharged
nuLrlenLs ln Lhe soll may be Laken up dlrecLly by planLs or nuLrlenLs may be accessed
by soll organlsms and Lhus made avallable Lo planLs lndlrecLly Where Lhere are lnsufflclenL
nuLrlenLs avallable Lo meeL Lhe needs of Lhe planL nuLrlenL deflclency sympLoms can
develop 1hls may occur when nuLrlenL are leached ouL of Lhe Lopsoll down beyond Lhe rooL
zone of Lhe planLs
Powever planLs growlng ln soll wlLh adequaLe essenLlal nuLrlenLs presenL may sLlll
suffer from a deflclency of one or more elemenLs because some of Lhe nuLrlenLs presenL may
be ln forms LhaL are unavallable Lo Lhe planLs as chemlcal reacLlons ln Lhe soll have changed
Lhem lnLo lnsoluble compounds nuLrlenLs may also be Lled up wlLhln soll parLlcles and are
physlcally unavallable Lo planLs
2 41lON 4Nu 4NlON x4N6 4P4l1Y
Some soll parLlcles called 'alumlnoslllcaLes' or 'layer slllcaLes' have a negaLlve charge LhaL
aLLracLs poslLlvely charged lons (caLlons) such as ammonlum (nP
4
+
) CLher soll parLlcles such
as lron hydroxldes (eg rusL) have poslLlve charges LhaL aLLracL negaLlvely charged lons
(anlons) such as sulfaLe (SC
4
2
)
Solls generally have much hlgher amounLs of Lhe layer slllcaLes Lhan meLal hydroxldes
Lherefore solls generally have a 'neL' or boLLom llne negaLlve charge
1he LoLal negaLlve charge on soll ls called Lhe 'caLlon exchange capaclLy' or CLC and ls a
good measure of Lhe ablllLy of a soll Lo reLaln and supply nuLrlenLs Lo a crop
Solls also have Lhe ablllLy Lo hold anlons 1hls ablllLy ls Lermed Lhe 'anlon exchange capaclLy'
or ALC 1he ALC ls generally smaller Lhan Lhe CLC buL ls hlgh enough ln mosL solls Lo hold
subsLanLlal amounLs of some nuLrlenL anlons such as SC
4
2

A hlgh CLC means Lhe soll has a good supply of nuLrlenL elemenLs avallable for planLs
Table . Cation Exchange Capacities (CEC) foi a
iange of soil textuies (FR0N BRABY, 98).
S0IL TEXT0RE CEC RANuE
(meqg soil)
Sand 24
Sandy loam 217
Loam 816
SllL loam 926
Clay 338

3 5OlL p
1he pP of a soll ls a measure of Lhe soll's acldlLy or hydrogen (P+) concenLraLlon 8y
deflnlLlon pP logP
+
where P
+
Lhe hydrogen lon concenLraLlon 8ecause of Lhe
negaLlve slgn ln Lhe deflnlLlon for pP acldlc solls have low pP values and alkallne solls have
hlgh pP levels
Soll pP affecLs Lhe avallablllLy of all of Lhe nuLrlenLs lor example copper lron
manganese nlckel and zlnc are all more avallable aL low pP levels Lhan aL hlgh pP levels
because meLals are bound very LlghLly Lo Lhe soll or exlsL ln solld mlnerals aL hlgh pP
Conversely Lhe 'base' caLlons (na
+
k
+
Ca
+2
Mg
+2
) are bound more weakly Lo Lhe soll so can
leach ouL of Lhe surface soll especlally aL low pP 1herefore Lhey are less avallable aL low
pP
1he effecL of soll pP on ferLlllLy ls relaLed Lo Lhe avallablllLy of nuLrlenL elemenLs over
Lhe pP range 1he opLlmum pP appears Lo be near pP 7 buL every crop has dlfferenL
nuLrlenL needs and hence opLlmum pP levels
Lower pP generally causes lower CLC because Lhe hlgher concenLraLlon of P+ lons ln
soluLlon wlll neuLrallze Lhe negaLlve charges on clays and organlc maLLer lerLlllzlng wlLh
ammonlabased ferLlllzers ls one way LhaL pP may decrease over Llme

Nutrt ovoobty ovr th p ro fou most sos
II. SUIL PHYSICAL FERTILITY







A ASLC1S CI nSICAL ILk1ILI1
1 5OlL 1x1uk
Solls are classlfled lnLo LexLural classes by Lhelr percenLages of sand sllL clay and
organlc maLLer and lLs ablllLy Lo form aggregaLes A soll of good sLrucLure wlll have soll
parLlcles formed LogeLher Lo form sLable aggregaLes

SLable aggregaLes provlde Lhe framework for soll volds LhaL allow easy enLry of alr
waLer and planL rooLs 1hey also provlde areas ln whlch Lhe soll's macro and mlcro
organlsms can Lhrlve
oor sLrucLure ls lnhosplLable Lo planL growLh and leads Lo waLerlogglng and planL
dlseases
DLIINI1ICN
1he capaclLy of soll Lo provlde physlcal condlLlons LhaL supporL planL
producLlvlLy reproducLlon and quallLy wlLhouL leadlng Lo loss of soll
sLrucLure or eroslon and supporLlng soll blologlcal and chemlcal processes

SLrucLural sLablllLy ln soll ls greaLly enhanced by hlgh levels of organlc maLLer whlch
can be achleved by mlnlmum or no Llll cropplng approprlaLe roLaLlons and use of perennlal
pasLures ManagemenL pracLlces LhaL encourage soll blologlcal processes lead Lo good soll
sLrucLure


ffnt of nros oron mottr nott o wotr h ot f noponty o vry
soy so
2 w41k OLulN6 4P4l1Y
lanL growLh ls hlghly dependenL on adequaLe waLer supplles ln Lhe soll Sandy solls
have very poor waLer holdlng capaclLles because mosL of Lhe soll pores are large and draln
readlly Clay solls on Lhe oLher hand have many flne pores LhaL glve clay solls Lhelr good
waLer holdlng capaclLy 1he amounL of waLer avallable for planL use has a large effecL on soll
ferLlllLy
lnfllLraLlon of waLer lnLo Lhe soll ls also dependenL upon lLs soll sLrucLure and ln
poorly sLrucLured soll much ralnfall can be losL as runoff 1hls can represenL a blg loss of
producLlve capaclLy ln lower ralnfall areas Cn Lhe oLher hand nuLrlenLs can leach ouL of
sandy solls ln hlgh ralnfall areas Lhereby reduclng Lhe producLlve poLenLlal of crops and
pasLures

So|| texture Inf||trat|on rate mm]hr
8are so|| Vegetated so||
Clay 03 310
Clay Loam 310 1020
Loam 1013 2030
Sandy loam 1320 3040
Sand 2023 4030
lftroto rots for ffrt sos

2 L4lN6
A soll may sLarL off wlLh an adequaLe supply of nuLrlenLs buL Lhey may be leached
down Lhe soll proflle and become lnaccesslble Lo planL rooLs 1hls ls especlally Lrue for sandy
solls ln hlgh ralnfall areas ln comparlson heavler solls do noL leach as readlly and ln areas of
relaLlvely low ralnfall Lhere may be llLLle lf any leachlng especlally when good planL cover ls
presenL
Peavy ralnfall evenLs durlng normally dry Llmes of Lhe year can lead Lo nuLrlenL losses by
runoff as well as leachlng
4 Nu1klN1 MO8lLl1Y lN 5OlL
nuLrlenLs vary greaLly ln Lhelr relaLlve moblllLy wlLhln a soll lor example nlLraLe
(nC
3

) ls hlghly moblle yeL phosphaLe(PC

4
2
P2C
4

) ls relaLlvely lmmoblle 1hese

dlfferences are key Lo developlng effecLlve nuLrlenL managemenL programs and explaln why
applylng lmmoblle nuLrlenLs such as near Lhe rooL sysLem ls lmporLanL for opLlmum
nuLrlenL upLake
Table . Nobility of nutiients in soil.
N0BILE RELATIvELY INN0BILE
H
3
BO
3

o
, H
2
BO
3
-
NH
4
MoO
4
-2

Cl
-
Ca
2
Ni
2

NO
3
-
Cu
2
H
2
PO
4
-
, HPO
4
-2
SO4
-2
Fe
2
, Fe
3
K

Mg
2
Zn
2


Mn2

1hls ls a generallzed Lable and Lhe acLual relaLlve moblllLy of each nuLrlenL wlll
depend on pP LemperaLure molsLure and soll makeup lncludlng Lhe amounL of organlc
maLLer layer slllcaLes and meLal hydroxldes
lerLlllzlng wlLh any of Lhe moblle elemenLs generally needs Lo be done more
frequenLly Lhan Lhe lmmoblle elemenLs because Lhe moblle elemenLs are readlly Laken up or
leached compared Lo Lhe lmmoblle elemenLs
III. SUIL BIULUCICAL FERTILITY


DLIINI1ICN
1he capaclLy of organlsms llvlng ln soll mlcroorganlsms fauna and rooLs Lo
conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe nuLrlLlonal requlremenLs of planLs and foraglng anlmals for
producLlvlLy reproducLlon and quallLy whlle malnLalnlng blologlcal processes LhaL
conLrlbuLe poslLlvely Lo Lhe physlcal and chemlcal sLaLe of soll
1LN kINCILLS CI SCIL 8ICLCGICAL ILk1ILI1
1he blologlcal componenLs of soll perform a number of lmporLanL processes
1Soll organlsms are mosL abundanL ln Lhe surface layers of soll
2Soll organlc maLLer ls necessary for nuLrlenL cycllng and soll aggregaLlon
3Maxlmum soll blologlcal dlverslLy depends on Lhe dlverslLy of organlc maLLer and hablLaLs
4nlLrogen flxlng bacLerla form speclflc assoclaLlons wlLh legumes under speclflc condlLlons
3nlLrogen ls released durlng organlc maLLer breakdown elLher lnLo soll or lnLo Lhe soll
mlcroblal blomass
6Arbuscular mycorrhlzal fungl can lncrease phosphaLe upLake lnLo planLs ln deflclenL solls
7Soll amendmenLs can alLer Lhe physlcal and chemlcal envlronmenL of soll organlsms
8Some crop roLaLlons and Llllage pracLlces decrease Lhe sulLablllLy of soll for planL
paLhogens
9roducLlon sysLems based on soll blologlcal ferLlllLy can be proflLable
10Soll blologlcal processes develop slowly and Lhe Llme requlred wlll dlffer for dlfferenL
solls envlronmenLs and land managemenL pracLlces
A ASLC1S CI 8ICLCGICAL ILk1ILI1
1 Ok64Nl M411k
Crganlc maLLer provldes many planL nuLrlenLs especlally nlLrogen and carbon and
slgnlflcanL quanLlLles of many oLher nuLrlenLs Llke clay lL has a hlgh surface area and a hlgh
CLC maklng lL an excellenL suppller of nuLrlenLs Lo planLs 1he CLC of organlc maLLer can be
as hlgh as 213 meq/100 g a much hlgher value Lhan for clay
Crganlc maLLer also provldes food for soll macro and mlcroorganlsms whlch ln Lurn
decompose lL and release Lhe nuLrlenLs ln forms LhaL are avallable Lo planLs 1he soll
organlsms Lhemselves decompose afLer Lhey dle releaslng nuLrlenLs LhaL are bound ln Lhelr
sLrucLure essenLlally lmlLaLlng a slow release ferLlllzer
Crganlc maLLer ls a ma[or conLrlbuLor Lo formlng and malnLalnlng a sLable well
sLrucLured soll A hlghly ferLlle soll wlll have hlgh levels of organlc maLLer and a reduced need
for supplemenLary chemlcal ferLlllzers
A furLher beneflL of organlc maLLer ln soll ls Lo lncrease boLh Lhe waLer lnfllLraLlon
raLe and waLer holdlng capaclLy of Lhe soll 1hls means LhaL Lhere ls less runoff durlng a
ralnfall evenL so more waLer ls avallable ln Lhe soll for planLs Lo use
2 5OlL Ok64Nl5M5
A varleLy of soll organlsms llve ln Lhe soll 1hese lnclude bacLerla fungl
mlcroarLhropods nemaLodes earLhworms and lnsecLs 1hese organlsms llve on soll organlc
maLLer or oLher soll organlsms and perform a number of vlLal processes ln soll CLher
organlsms are lnvolved ln LransformaLlon of lnorganlc molecules very few soll organlsms are
pesLs
1he role of soll organlsms ln soll ferLlllLy may lnvolve Lhe followlng
helplng soll Lo form from orlglnal parenL rock maLerlal
conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhe aggregaLlon of soll parLlcles
enhanclng cycllng of nuLrlenLs
Lransformlng nuLrlenLs from one form Lo anoLher
asslsLlng planLs Lo obLaln nuLrlenLs from soll
degradlng Loxlc subsLances ln soll
causlng dlsease ln planLs
mlnlmlzlng dlsease ln planLs
asslsLlng or hlnderlng waLer peneLraLlon lnLo soll
IV. MEANS UF IMPRUVINC SUIL FERTILITY :-
1 PlN6 1 p lN 1 lu4L k4N6
Cn solls LhaL are normally acldlc Lhe pP ls kepL ln Lhe ldeal range of beLween 6 and 7
by regular llmlng ln cropplng sysLems pP can fall Lo 33 before crops are affecLed greaLly buL
aL Lhls level Lhe soll ls noL aL lLs opLlmum
Cn very alkallne solls lL ls noL economlcally vlable Lo Lry Lo acldlfy Lhese solls and
chooslng planL specles adapLed Lo Lhls pP range ls Lhe besL opLlon
2 k6uL4k 5OlL 151lN6
8egular soll LesLlng Lo monlLor pP and nuLrlenL changes allows Llmely and approprlaLe acLlon
Lo be Laken Lo correcL any nuLrlenL problems LhaL may arlse Pavlng Lhe soll pP near neuLral
and Lhe range of soll nuLrlenLs ln adequaLe supply wlll encourage soll macro and mlcro
organlsms and planL growLh
3 NOuk46lN6 5OlL M4kO 4Nu MlkOOk64Nl5M5
Lncouraglng soll macro and mlcroorganlsms ls an excellenL way Lo malnLaln or
lmprove soll ferLlllLy 1he soll organlsms prefer condlLlons LhaL planLs prefer so by maklng
condlLlons sulLable for planLs Lhe organlsms are also encouraged
ldeal condlLlons are pP ln Lhe 6 Lo 7 range good soll sLrucLure wlLh plenLy of alr
volds presenL adequaLe soll molsLure presenL adequaLe soll nuLrlenLs presenL and ln
balance
4 Nu1klN1 8uu61lN6
1he managemenL Lechnlque of nuLrlenL budgeLlng ls used Lo monlLor nuLrlenL
movemenLs off Lhe farm ln produce and back onLo Lhe farm ln ferLlllzers 1hls Lechnlque ls a
very useful Lool Lo help malnLaln soll ferLlllLy by malnLalnlng adequaLe nuLrlenL levels for
subsequenL crops
nuLrlenLs applled as ferLlllzers should always be based on soll LesLs and noL nuLrlenL
budgeLlng alone
3 PkNNl4L P451uk5
ln grazlng enLerprlses Lhe use of perennlal specles ln pasLures ln preference Lo annual
specles helps bulld soll sLrucLure Managlng Lhese pasLures by roLaLlonal grazlng and
mlnlmlzlng sLock pressure on Lhe soll when lL ls very weL wlll also help bulld and malnLaln
soll sLrucLure
V. CUNCLUSIUN:-
Some solls are lnherenLly more ferLlle Lhan oLhers and soll ferLlllLy can be changed by poor
or good managemenL alLhough generally speaklng solls have an upper llmlL on how ferLlle
Lhey can be on a susLalnable basls A ferLlle soll ls a llvlng enLlLy ln lLself and Lhe facLors llsLed
above affecLlng soll ferLlllLy should be opLlmlzed ln a balanced way for each class of soll
VI. REFERENCES:-
1 So|| 8|o|og|ca| Iert|||ty A key to Susta|nab|e Land Use |n Agr|cu|tureby AbboLL LyneLLe
k Murphy uanlel v (Lds)2004 xll
2 So|| Lssent|a|s Manag|ng our Iarm's r|mary Asset by 8oger Pall
3 |ant Nutr|t|on and So|| Iert|||ty by Claln !ones Soll ChemlsL and !eff !acobsen MSu
LxLenslon Soll SclenLlsL
4 hLLp//wwwsollhealLhcom/blologlcalhLml