The balance must be positive
The basis for planning how to increase the soil's humus content is the balance of soil organic matter. Root crops, root vegetables and silage corn lead to a significant decrease in the content of organic matter (MO) in the soil. Cereals and oil plants such as rapeseed are characterized by a smaller, but also negative degradation coefficient of organic matter. In turn, the cultivation of legumes, grasses or their mixtures, as well as the introduction of organic fertilizers into the soil, contribute to the accumulation of organic matter.
If the plants grown in a given field and the fertilizers used lead to maintaining a positive balance of soil organic matter, we can assume that the soil will be enriched with humus. The more humus, the better the soil properties, including: its structure, water storage and availability of nutrients for plants.
Of course, this is only simple in theory. Unfortunately, the realities on farms and agricultural produce markets sometimes force crop rotations with a negative MO balance. However, it is worth remembering that the cultivation of species that degrade soil humus can be "neutralized" by introducing other sources of organic matter and maintaining a positive balance. The period after harvest provides great opportunities to take care of the condition of the soil.
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Catch crops for beets and potatoes
Leave the straw and take care of its decomposition
On farms with animal production, after the harvest, natural fertilizers are placed on the stubble, which significantly enriches the soil with humus. Composted manure and aged compost are particularly beneficial in this regard.
On farms without livestock, after the harvest there is a large amount of straw available, which should remain in the field and go into the soil as a valuable fertilizer, contributing to the formation of soil humus. Assuming the introduction of 5 t/ha of cereal straw with a carbon content of 40% into the soil. we enrich the soil with 2 t/ha of organic carbon. With a humification coefficient for cereal straw of 25%. we can say that with this amount of straw we will "build" 0.5 t/ha of newly created humus in the soil.
In order for the effectiveness of the transformation of straw introduced into the soil and the formation of soil humus to be as high as possible, several conditions must be met. The first is the appropriate pH of the soil, because only with a regulated pH will humification occur as it should. The post-harvest period is also an important time for liming, which is complemented by efforts to build soil humus.
It is worth ensuring that straw decomposes quickly in the soil by crushing it well, spreading it evenly on the field and mixing it with the soil not too deeply. Depending on the farm strategy, it is worth applying nitrogen, lime (but never nitrogen and lime at the same time) or microbiological preparations to the straw.
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How much nitrogen should be given for straw decomposition?
Catch crops work wonders
Another idea for providing the soil with organic matter and building blocks for the formation of soil humus is to grow catch crops. In this respect, undersown crops and winter catch crops are of great value, stubble catch crops are slightly less valuable.
One of the most important goals of growing catch crops is for the plants to produce large biomass, which will be a source of soil organic matter. In terms of building soil humus, the stage of development of cover crops at the time of management with the soil is of great importance. The biomass of a catch crop destroyed quickly, in the green state, contains more nitrogen and less carbon. It mineralizes quickly and humifies to a lesser extent. According to many farmers, eliminating catch crops "green" is beneficial for the soil due to the narrow C:N ratio and the supply of sugars to the soil, which supports the biological activity of the soil.
Catch crops managed in later stages of development, e.g. after flowering, in a more straw-like state, are characterized by a higher carbon content in biomass. Such a catch crop will take longer to decompose, but is more important in the process of soil humus formation.
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Advantages and disadvantages of catch crops
It's worth giving up on plowing
The tillage system used is of great importance for the humus resources in the soil. Its construction is favored by conservation, plowless cultivation. In turn, traditional plow cultivation leads to the degradation of soil humus. Plowing leads to strong oxygenation and heating of the soil, which increases the intensity of carbon oxidation, which is the basic component of humus. It is assumed that 20 years of intensive plow cultivation can lead to the loss of 50%. soil organic matter.
In no-plough cultivation systems, the mineralization of organic matter in the soil is lower by approximately 150-200 kg/ha compared to plow cultivation. Long-term use of conservation tillage leads to an increase in the humus content in the soil.
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"Mockery at farmers" in shopping centers during harvest? No information, closed points, queues
