Soil fertility mark James Gallo

1. Soil Fertility and
Productivity
Rodelio T. Alejo, Jr.

2. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
Jethro Tull (1731) and Francis Home (1757)
claimed that Nitre (Nitrate Salts), water, air, earth, Epsom salt (MgSO4), Saltpetre
(Sodium & Potassium Nitrate), Vitriolated tarter (Potassium sulfate) and Olive oil
increased plant growth. Almost all of the present knowledge about the mineral nutrition
has been acquired relatively recently during the last 135 years or so. These
developments happened in a slow and gradual manner.
JethroTull FrancisH
om
e

3. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
In the early 19th century two prominent scientists, Nicholas
Theodore de Saussure (1804), a Swiss Physicist and Jean Baptiste
Boussingault (1834), a French Chemist & Agriculturist, were first to
report that plants need mineral nutrients for growth and development.
J.B. Boussingault was the first to start field plot experiments on his farm.
TheodoredeSaussure JeanB
aptisteB
oussingault

4. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
Justus Von Liebig (1840)
a German chemist, reported that
growing plants obtain elements Ca,
K, S and P from the soil, whereas
carbon from CO2 in the air and not
from the soil. He also suggested that
plants obtain H & O from air as well
as from water and N from ammonia.
JustusVonLiebig

5. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
Justus Von Liebig (1840)
He also established certain basic principles of sound soil
management; ·
• A cropped soil is restored to fertility only by adding to
it all minerals & N removed by the plants. ·
• He established the theory of “Law of Minimum” in
relation to plant nutrition. The law states that the
productivity of a crop is decided by most limiting
factor. He is regarded as the “Father of Agricultural
Chemistry” JustusVonLiebig

6. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
John B. Lawes (1837) of the Rothamsted Experiment station, England was
first to make and use Super phosphate on his farm (1840). Both J.B.
Lawes & Joseph H. Gilbert (1852) applied the principles of Liebig and
stated that addition of mineral fertilizers to cropped soils would keep the soil
fertile. They further elaborated the chemistry of plant nutrition.
JohnB
.Lawes JosephH
.Gilbert

7. INTRODUCTION
HISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOILFERTILITY
Gris (1844) discovered that the ‘Chlorosis’ of some
plants can be corrected by sprays of iron salt and
demonstrated its essential nature in plant nutrition.
By 1860, German Botanist Julius Von Sachs and
others, established the essentiality of 10 nutrient elements
and were using these elements in the synthetic mineral
nutrient solutions for the growth of plant. Discovery of other
five nutrients was made after more than 60-70 years, while
the last one in the group “Chlorine” has established to be
essential for plant growth only in 1954.
JuliusVonSachs

8. INTRODUCTION
SOILFERTILITY DEFINITION
Soil Fertility refers to the inherent capacity of a
soil to supply nutrients to plants in adequate
amounts and in suitable proportions. Because a
soil is fertile does not necessarily mean that it will
produce high-yielding crops. Other factors such as
temperature or poor soil structure might result in
limited yields. Good soil fertility is but one of the
components essential to high productivity. (USDA,
Soil Conservation Service)

9. INTRODUCTION
SOILFERTILITY DEFINITION
Soil fertility is the capacity to receive, store and
transmit energy to support plant growth. It is the
component of overall soil productivity that deals
with its available nutrient status, and its ability to
provide nutrients out of its own reserves and
through external applications for crop production.
(FAO)

10. INTRODUCTION
SOILFERTILITY DEFINITION
There are three main components of soil fertility -
physical, chemical and biological (Abbott and Murphy
2003). The level of soil fertility results from the inherent
characteristics of the soil and the interactions that occur
between these three components. Most characteristics
that contribute to the fertility of soil, such as soil pH and
the susceptibility of the soil to compaction are dependent
on the constituents of the original parent rock. Subsequent
events, including the growth of plants and addition of
fertilizer, modify the soil characteristics and alter its
fertility.(FAO)

11. Soil Fertility – quality that enables a soil to provide the
proper compounds in the proper amounts and in the proper
proportion, for the proper growth of specified kind of plants
when all factors are favorable for growth.
Soil Productivity – capability of the soil to produce a
specified plant under a specified system of management.
INTRODUCTION
SOILFERTILITY DEFINITION
• soil fertility and soil productivity

12. The term "fertility" refers to the inherent capacity of a soil to
supply nutrients to plants in adequate amounts and in
suitable proportions.
The term "nutrition" refers to the interrelated steps by which
a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and
replacement of tissue.
INTRODUCTION
SOILFERTILITY DEFINITION
• fertility and nutrition

13. REQUISITES OFSOILFERTILITY
To be fertile, a soil must have conditions favorable for the development and
functioning of plant roots.
1. Favorable physical properties
a. Good aeration and drainage
b. Proper moisture holding capacity
2. Favorable chemical properties
a. Optimal reaction (pH)
b. High buffer capacity
c. High nutrient holding capacity
d. Absence of toxic materials (salinity, toxic organic and inorganic compounds
INTRODUCTION

14. REQUISITES OFSOILFERTILITY
3. Favorable microbiological properties
a. active functioning of beneficial microorganisms
b. suppressed activity of harmful organism
4. Abundant and well balanced nutrient supply
a. macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca ,Mg, S)
b. micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cl, B, Ni)
INTRODUCTION
The soil nutrients can exert their beneficial effect on the growing
plants more efficiently if the associated factors are favorable.

15. IMPORTANCEOFSOILFERTILITY CONSERVATION
INTRODUCTION
• world population is increasing.
• arable land per capita keeps on decreasing.
• it is apparent that more food and fiber must be produced from the same or
from fewer hectares or from lands now cultivated and considered
marginal.
• addition of fertilizers required for plant growth, together with good cultural
practices and high level management, will permit the producers of food
and fibers to meet demands.

16. BASICCONCEPTSOFSOILFERTILITY
INTRODUCTION
• Plant growth and development depends on nutrients derived
from the soil or air, or supplemented through fertilizer.
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/

17. BASICCONCEPTSOFSOILFERTILITY
INTRODUCTION
• There are eighteen essential elements for plant nutrition, each with
their own functions in the plant, levels of requirement, and
characteristics.
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/

18. BASICCONCEPTSOFSOILFERTILITY
INTRODUCTION
• Many deficiencies can be recognized by observing plant leaves.
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/

19. Growth – progressive development of an organism,
Development of a plant can be expressed (dry weight,
length, height, or diameter)
The over-all growth may occur by one or all three
types of change:
a. structural parts may increase in number
b. may increase in size
c. spaces between the parts may enlarge
GROWTHANDFACTORSAFFECTINGIT
INTRODUCTION

20. Sigmoid growth curve
Total
Growth
Time
1
2
3
4
GROWTHEXPRESSIONS (G
row
thasrelatedtotim
e)
INTRODUCTION

21. The S shaped or sigmoid curve is typical of the growth of
individual organ/s, whole plant and population of plants.
1. initial lag phase – during which internal changes occur that
are preparatory to growth.
2. log phase – phase of ever increasing rate of growth
– grand period of growth
– vegetative to flowering
3. Steady state – growth rate gradually diminishes
4. death/senescence – point in which the organism
reaches maturity and growth ceases.
INTRODUCTION

22. Where: G is any growth expression
x is a growth factor
Growth is the function of several factors,
G = f (x1, x2, x3, . . . xn)
If all but one of the growth factors are present in adequate amounts, an increase in the
quantity of this limiting factor will generally result in increase in plant growth, and can be
expressed as follows;
G = f (x1)
x2, x3, . . . xn)
This relationship is explained by the Leibig’s Law of Minimum
INTRODUCTION
Law of Minimum – law states that the growth of plants is
limited by the plant nutrient element in limiting amounts