Soil fertility and soil productivity

1. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
Govinda Raj Sedai
Instructor (Agronomy)
govindaraj.sedai@gmail.com
Soil Fertility and Soil Productivity
Date: 2078/02/25

2. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
Outline of presentation
• Definition of soil fertility and soil productivity
• Different between soil fertility and soil productivity
• Various agronomical practices to be adopted in soil
fertility and soil productivity maintenance

3. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
3
Soil fertility may be defined as the ability of a soil to
supply all the essential plant nutrients in readily
available forms to the crop plants. When soils are
deficient in some of the essential elements, the
deficient elements are supplemented from outside
sources in the form of manures, fertilizers and lime. A
soil may be fertile, that is having chemical capacity
but may not be productive because of excessive
acidity or alkalinity or the presence of toxic
substances, poor physical properties or an excess or
deficiency of water.
Soil Fertility

4. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
Soil productivity refers to the capacity of a soil
for producing a specified plant or sequences of
plants under a specified system of management
i.e. the capacity of the soil to produce crops per
unit area of the field.
A fertile soil may or may not be productive
depending upon crop production conditions and
several other factors but a productive soil is
always fertile. Soil productivity is influenced by
aerial environment and soil environment.
Soil productivity

5. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
5
Difference between Soil fertility Vs Soil productivity
Soil fertility Soil productivity
• It is the ability of a soil to supply all
the essential plant nutrients in readily
available forms to the crop plants
• It is considered as an index of available
nutrients.
• It is the capacity of the soil to produce
crops per unit area of the field.
• It is the broader term used to indicate
the yield of crops. Y = f (x1, x2, ….xn)
• It is one of the factor for crop
production and other factors are
moisture, topography, water table,
tillage practice, varieties, organic
matter content of soil etc.
• It is the interaction of all the factors
that determine the magnitude of
yield.
• It can be analyzed in the lab.
• It can be assessed in the field in a
particular climate and system of
management.
• It is the potential status of soil to
produce the crops.
• A fertile soil may or may not be
productive
• It is the resultant of various factors
influencing soil management.
• All productive soil is always fertile

6. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
Inorganic and organic soil
Inorganic soils
• soils commonly low in organic matter (less than 5%).
• General cultivated soils are inorganic soil.
• As inorganic minerals are predominant, constituent these
soils are also called as mineral soils.
Organic soils
• Soils whose property is dominated by organic materials.
• They generally contain more than 5% organic matter
• e.g. swamps, bogs or marshes.
• When drained and cleaned, organic soils are most
productive and especially suitable for high value crops.

7. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
Organic soil Vs Inorganic soil
Organic Soil Inorganic Soil
• Generally natural soil contain
5% organic matter in soil.
• Generally natural soil contain
45% inorganic materials.
• It contain >5% organic
matters.
• It contains <5% organic
matters.
• Eg. Swamps and marshes • Eg. Cultivated soils are
inorganic also called mineral
soils
• Organic soil have good water
holding capacity.
• These soils are most
productive
• Inorganic soil have less water
holding capacity.
• These soils are less
productive

8. Soil fertility and soil productivity The Mother Science of Agriculture - Agronomy
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (Affiliated to CTEVT)
Principles
and
Practices
of
Agronomy
by
Govinda
Raj
Sedai,
Agronomist
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