By Dr Sudarshan Dutta, Lead Agronomist, India, Agoro Carbon Alliance.
Food is necessary for our survival, growth, and development. Similarly, if the plants get good nutrition, their ultimate growth and yield improve. Plant obtains its nourishment from the soil. In fact, the soil is a habitat for plants, microorganisms, and animals and even higher players of the food chain and their existence are interlinked. So, healthy soils are, in a nutshell, the backbone of the food system.
Indeed, food quality and quantity are inextricably tied to soil quality. Healthy soil leads to healthy plants, which feed people and animals. And the health of the soil can be improved with crop nutrition management, which plays a crucial role in crops’ vegetative and reproductive growth.
Role of crop nutrition management
Plants require 17 vital minerals, each of which serves a different purpose. And a deficiency of any of these minerals will harm plant growth and yield. Many of these critical elements are present in the soil but are insufficient to support substantial crop yields. Besides this, soil and climatic factors might impede a plant’s nutrition intake capacity throughout critical growth stages.
As a result, crop nutrient management is pivotal to raising productivity while safeguarding the environment. This process is based on balancing soil nutrient inputs with crop requirements. Hence, when used in the proper amounts and at the right times, it can aid in maximising crop yields.
Evaluating soil health through soil testing
Determining crop nutrient requirements is the starting point for creating a nutrient management plan. In humans, blood tests are used to determine whether or not a person is healthy. Similarly, in the case of soil, soil testing is used to check the health of the soil. Soil has physical, chemical, and biological aspects. So, to develop the optimum measurements for assessing soil health, we must consider all three characteristics and choose specific metrics relevant to our intended use of the soil. Soil testing can help determine the plant nutrient supplying capacity of the soil. It also helps determine the amount of each nutrient (Nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium and other essential elements, soil physicochemical properties (such as pH, EC, and organic matter) present in the soil profile.
Soil health evaluation enables the farmer to see how soil health is changing over time. Is it getting better or worse? Once we know the direction of change, we can use specialized management methods to mitigate degradation if the soil is in bad shape or keep following the same process if the soil shows improvement.
Including crop diversification for enriching soil
Crop diversification is the cultivation of multiple varieties of crops belonging to the same or different species in a particular area in the form of crop rotation or intercropping.
This process aids in the alleviation of nutritional deficiencies while also supporting sustainable agriculture. For example, introducing nitrogen-fixing crops, such as legumes, into a typical cropping system can improve soil health by making atmospheric nitrogen available to other plants, lowering the need for mineral fertilisers.
Additionally, crop diversification offers environmental benefits and can be utilised to alleviate the consequences of climate change by enhancing agroecosystems’ ability to respond to environmental shocks. It also broadens a farmer’s crop portfolio, reducing their reliance on a single crop for income.
Following a balanced crop nutrition approach
A balanced crop nutrition approach uses the smallest effective dose of sufficient and balanced amounts of organic and inorganic fertilisers in conjunction with specific microorganisms to make nutrients more available and effective for maintaining high yields without exposing soil native nutrients or polluting the environment. Just like humans, plants also require a well-balanced diet to thrive. It helps produce vigorous, healthy plants with good flower initiation, fertilisation, and fruit set.
Conclusion
Crop nutrition management can help farmers boost profitability while enhancing environmental sustainability and resilience. So, to keep Indian agriculture afloat sustainably, we must be aware of the needs of our soils, crops, and farmers’ households, and execute the most effective and balanced nutrient management approach possible.
