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Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture - Coggle Diagram
Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture
Soil Biodiversity
Microorganisms living on or beneath the soil.
Help connect roots.
Support crop growth.
Recycle nutrients.
Decompose organic matter.
Organisms living in soil is one of the largest sources of biodiversity.
Affect water quality, food production, as well as climate.
Soil Health Components
Nematodes
Can be parasitic to plants, or beneficial depending on what nematode is present.
Cyanobacteria
Act as a natural growth promoter of crops
Fungi
Stress
Soil erosion, overgrazing, pollution
Soil pathogens
Are hard to detect, can survive in the absence of plants
Chemical properties of soil
Crop practices
Tillage
Less water used
Crop rotation
Intercropping (different crops grown in close proximity)
Type of fertilizer used
Pesticides vs, biological control
Type of soil present
Affects microorganisms present, and chemical composition.
Soil sustainability
Soil quality is affected by its desired use, and farming practices.
High human population, and areas of intense land use cause lower soil biodiversity.
Organic farming improves the quality of the soil
Higher quality crops.
Improves soil nutrients.
Downsides are 80% yield compared to conventional farming.
More labor intensive and expensive
Although after using organic farming methods for around 10 years, the yield can be about the same as conventional farming.
Animal based fertilizer instead of artificial