THE ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE PRACTICES SOIL BIOLOGY AND SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION

1. THE ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE
PRACTICES
SOIL BIOLOGY AND SOIL FERTILITY
RESTORATION

2. TOPIC BJECTIVES:
AT THE END OF THIS TOPIC YOU CAN DEFIND THE FOLLOWING IN
SOIL BIOLOGY
1. YOU CAN DEFIND SOIL BIOLOGY
2. YOU WILL KNOW THE COLLECTIVE TERM IN SOIL BIOLOGY
3. YOU CAN COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE SOIL BIOLOGY IN SOIL HEALTH
4. YOU WILL KNOW THE IMPORTANCE AND REMINDERS OF SOIL BIOLOGY
5. YOU CAN APPLY AND CREATE YOUR OWN DEFINITIONS IN SOIL
BIOLOGY

3. TOPIC BJECTIVES:
AT THE END OF THIS TOPIC YOU CAN DEFIND THE FOLLOWING IN SOIL FERTILITY
RESTORATION
1. YOU CAN DEFIND THE SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION
2. YOU WILL KNOW THE PROCESS ON HOW THE SOIL FERTILITY TO BE RESTORED
3. YOU WILL KNOW THE NATURAL METHODS TO RESTORE THE FERTILITY OF THE
SOIL
4. YOU WILL KNOW THE IMPORTANCE AND THE CAUSES OF SOIL FERTILITY
5. YOU CAN DEFIND YOUR OWN DEFINITION IN SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION

4. SOIL BIOLOGY
Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and
ecology in soil. The decomposition of organic matter by soil
organisms has an immense influence on soil fertility, plant growth,
soil structure, and carbon storage.
Soil biology is a soil life, soil biota, soil fauna, or edaphon is a
collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a
significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the
soil-litter interface.

5. Soil life
Is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil.
Soil biota
Refers to living creatures of soil, which include microorganisms
(bacteria, fungi).
Soil fauna
Includes representatives of many groups of terrestrial and aquatic
animals.

6. IMPORTANCE REMINDERS OF SOIL BIOLOGY
 Soil is the essence of life.
 Most life on earth depends upon the soil as a direct or indirect
source of food, water and shelter.
 Soil is home of billions of organisms (25 millions insects and 1
millions earthworms).
 Soil takes 1,000s of years to develop and is destroyed easily, so
it must be conserved in order to continue to support life.
 10mm of soil takes between 100 to 1,000 years to form.

7. Importance of Soil Biology for Soil Health
1. Aggregate formation
Soil aggregates are formed through physical, chemical and
biological activity below ground. They are even influenced by human
factors, like tilling, walking on the surface, or even how you fertilize your
garden.
2. Plant growth enhancement
Plant growth enhancement are materials that typically are added
to soil, plants, or the plant-growth environment to enhance plant growth.

8. 3. Nutrient cycling
A nutrient cycle is a repeated pathway of a particular nutrient or
element from the environment through one or more organisms and back to
the environment.
4. N fixation
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular
nitrogen, with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into
ammonia or related nitrogenous compounds

9. 5. Water storage
The soil particles have small pores in them where water can enter
(soil water) and between the particles are larger pores that can be filled.
6. Water filtration
Water filtration is the process of removing or reducing the
concentration of particulate matter, including suspended particles,
parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, and fungi, as well as other undesirable
chemical and biological contaminants from contaminated water to
produce safe and clean water for a specific purpose.

10. Role of Soil Biology
1. Nutrient mineralization
Mineralization is the conversion of a nutrient from the organic (i.e.
bound to carbon and hydrogen) form to the inorganic form. The process
occurs when organic materials, such as soil organic matter, manure, plant
residue, or bio solids, are decomposed by soil microorganisms.
2. Plant Production
The plant production system encompasses the basic genetic and
physiological regulations on plant growth, the impact on growth of soil, water,
nutrients, disease and pests and the influence of management processes.

11. 3. Water Purification and regulation
Water purification, process by which undesired chemical
compounds, organic and inorganic materials, and biological contaminants
are removed from water.
4. Carbon Cycling and storage
The carbon cycle is nature's way of reusing carbon atoms, which
travel from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into
the atmosphere over and over again. Most carbon is stored in rocks and
sediments, while the rest is stored in the ocean, atmosphere, and living
organisms.

12. PROCESS OF SOIL BIOLOGY

13. QUESTIONS ABOUT SOIL BIOLOGY?

14. SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION
What is soil fertility
Soil fertility is refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant
growth, and to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent
yields of high quality.
How can soil fertility be restored?
Soil fertility restored can be further improved by incorporating cover crops
that add organic matter to the soil which leads to improved soil structure
and promotes a healthy fertile soil.

15. Improving soil fertility
Is the ability of soil to sustain plant growth and optimizer crop
yield. This can be enchained through organic and in organic fertilizer to
the soil.

16. THE NATURAL METHODS TO RESTORE THE FERTILITY OF
THE SOIL
1. Organic Fertilizer
It includes animal manure, crop residues, bone meal and
composite, become available to plants and only as they decompose.
It is a slow activity and long lasting too.

17. 2. Animal manure
It includes the dung and urine of cattle horses and poultry, and
other farm animals. It improves soil structure, adds organic nitrogen and
stimulates beneficial soil bacteria and fungi.

18. 3.Green manure
A brown color substance. Primarily to add nutrients and organic
matter to the soil. Typically it is grown for a specific period, and then
plowed and incorporated into soil.

19. 4. Compost
A natural soil and humus mixture that improves not only soil
fertility but also soil texture, such things as leaves, weeds and saw dust
are transformed by microbial attack.

20. 5. Crop rotation
The successive rotation of crop plants during a year. It lessens
damage by insects and disease. It also maintains soil fertility and reduces
soil erosion.

21. Different approaches to efficiently manage soil fertility
The use of grain legumes
Grain legumes are cultivated for their seeds, which are used for
human and animal consumption or for the production of oils for industrial
uses.
Enhance soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation
When fixation bacteria die, the accumulated N in their biomass is
released into the soil. This way, they boost soil fertility naturally, allowing
farmers to save on synthetic fertilizers.

22. THERE IS A FRIENDLY REMINDERS:

23. What is Restoration of soil fertility?
Fertilizers restore plant nutrients lost by erosion, crop harvesting
and leaching. Farmers can use either organic fertilizer from plant and
animal materials or commercial inorganic fertilizers produced from
various minerals.
The importance of soil fertility?
The main function provided by a fertile soil is the provision of
food, which is very important because fertile soil also provides essential
nutrients for plant growth to produce healthy food with all the necessary
nutrients needed for human health.

24. The causes of soil fertility
For all the fertility losses there are various causes in the different
regions of the country, in totality the major causes to soil fertility decline
is a land degradation which is caused through the different agents

25. 1. Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil; it is a form of
soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of
erosive agents, that is, water, ice, snow, air, plants, animals, and humans.

26. 2. Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of
trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation
can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use.
The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.

27. 3. Overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for
extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be
caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications,
game reserves, or nature reserves.

28. 4. Sedimentation
Sediment is the result of erosion. Sedimentation is the build-up of eroded
soil particles that are transported in runoff from their site of origin and
deposited in drainage systems, on other ground surfaces, or in bodies of
water or wetlands.

29. 5. Pollution
Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent toxic
compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing
agents, which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health.

30. There are 3 problems associated with soil restoration
1.Compaction
Is measured by dry unit weight and depends on the water content and
compactive effort.

31. 2.Loss of soil structure
The breakdown of aggregates and the removal of smaller particles or
entire layers of soil or organic matter can weaken the struct6 and even
change texture.

32. 3.Soil salinity
Salt is a naturally occurring mineral within soil and water that affect the
growth and vitality of plants.

33. THAT’S ALL FOR NOW!!
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
GREEN GROUP
BILLONES
VINAS
MARAASIN