Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #63
Hello friends, hope that all of you will be doing well. @hive-118902 organized a contest about agriculture.
"Agriculture; Soil leaching"
"Agriculture; Soil leaching"
Agriculture is main food generation for humans and other living things. Meat is also a source of food but agriculture overtakes it. However, agriculture depends more on soil. Soil fulfills the water source, nutrients and allows a crop or plant to grow. These nutrients protect the plant to stay healthy and water makes it to stand still and to live.
Farmers work to improve the soil by adding fertilizers and other organic materials. Due to some reasons these external nutrients do not stay in the soil, one of the reasons is soil leaching.
| What is Soil Leaching? |
|---|
- Soil leaching is a natural process; water moves down the soil by accompanying the soluble nutrients and go beyond the roots, so the roots cannot absorb the nutrients for energy.
This flowing water takes nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, calcium etc. with-it self and the crop is unable to absorb the required energy. These goes deeper and some into the ground water.
| Discuss the factors influencing Soil leaching |
|---|
| Factors | Ways |
|---|---|
| Rainfall and Irrigation | Heavy rainfall and over-irrigation; due to heavy rainfall water flow is high and same in watering more than needed. It increases the loss of the nutrients |
| Soil type | Sandy soil allows more water flow to less adhesive qualities, thus water passes faster and results in leaching. On the other side, clay soil holds water to reduce leaching. |
| Type of nutrients | Nitrates are more soluble, due to this property leaching is favorable. While, phosphorus less likely to leach down. |
| Crop type | Shorter roots cannot reach the deep nutrients and only absorb the surface ones. Deep-rooted plants are good in absorbing nutrients from deep-down areas. |
| What is the impact of soil leaching |
|---|
- It reduces soil fertility; essential nutrients are loss which results in lack in plant's growth.
- Farmers use more fertilizer's quantity which increases the cost.
- Water contamination; leached water into the ground water.
- Soil quality is disturbed; soil cannot be transported to other areas for growing plants. e.g. plantation in houses.
Conclusion
Soil leaching is a natural process but it can be harmful for both the plant and soil. It can limit the food production and impact on health of a plant. Leading to increase of cost on plants and affect plant's quality.
| Inviting my friends @hamzayousafzai @sana-khan01 @paholags |
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"Nature Explore"
"Nature Explore"
Upvoted! Thank you for supporting witness @jswit.