By Dr. Thomas T. Yamashita
Soil is an essential resource and a vital part of the natural environment from which most of the global food is produced. Improving soil health on U.S. agricultural land holds the potential for achieving meaningful conservation and economic benefits, as well as mitigating the growing threat of climate change. Healthy soil also provides an environment that sustains and nourishes plants, soil microbes and beneficial insects.
As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. Farming practices directed towards improving the soil microbiology can lead to improved soil health, reduced environmental impacts and better yields.
For this World Soil day, Fusion 360, Inc., has composed this article to review the importance of soil microbiology and the Company’s role in promoting soil health.
Ideal Soil Characteristics that promote soil health:
Despite the varied origin of agronomic soils, what is germane to the grower is the ability of the soil to support plant growth and development. A soil must be able to provide the following essential characteristics that promote plant health:
- Hold minerals and nutrients used by the plant (availability)
- Yield these minerals and nutrients upon call by the plant (no tie-up)
- Provide a physical constitution that provides aeration for metabolic activities of the plant (soil texture)
- Host a texture that allows the roots to easily penetrate through the soil
- Texture that allows proper water drainage through the soil to minimize aeration.
How can you improve the soil health?
Promoting the microbial activity of soil leads to improved soil and plant vigor. However, this is not as simple as it seems. Dr. Thomas Yamashita at Fusion 360, Inc., has performed years of research towards achieving this goal. Our cutting-edge products and recommendations enhance the growth of beneficial microorganisms and increases the soil’s nutrient uptake, thereby promoting the soil ecology and producing record plant yields.
Source for the article: http://www.fao.org; https://global.nature.org
