Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Oct 9, 2018 19:24:43 GMT 1
BOOSTING AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT THROUGH SOIL IMPROVEMENT
Mulching is an agricultural practice carried out to improve soil. In this practice a material (mulch) is applied to the surface of the soil to form a protective layer to conserve soil water, nutrients, and other essential requirements for proper crop growth while suppressing weed growth. When carrying out mulching, the farmer should ensure that the mulch is applied in such a way that it doesn’t shield water from penetrating the soil. This is achieved by applying the mulch at least 5cm deep and not exceeding a depth of 10cm. The farmer should ensure that the mulch doesn’t come in contact with the main crop. It should be at least 4cm away from the plant. Mulching can be carried out in both subsistence and large scale farming. It can be carried out at various times of the year depending on what the farmer intends to achieve. It is essential to remove all forms of weed from the site to be mulched to prevent severe weed infestation.
The soil is the medium on which crops grow. The state of the available soil for planting has a direct impact on the output of the crops to be planted since crops entirely depend on the soil for provision of nutrient, support and other conditions required for their proper growth. Poor soil does not favour the proper growth of crops and vice versa. Hence, it is essential for farmers to come up with and employ practices that tend to improve, maintain and conserve the soil’s favourable properties. This is generally known as soil improvement practices. Soil improvement has become a very vital aspect of crop production since different types of soils are available in different geographical areas and they possess different conditions which favour the development and growth of different types of crops at different levels. Mulching is one of the numerous soil improvement techniques that can be used by farmers to improve their soil with great efficacy. When carried out properly it can increase the output of the planted crops tremendously.
Mulch is a material that is applied to the surface of soil in an area with the intention of conserving soil water, fertility, controlling weed and generally providing a better growing condition for a crop. Mulch is generally classified based on its constituents into organic mulch or inorganic mulch.
Organic mulch: these are mulching materials that decompose over a period of time and improve soil fertility as they provide organic nutrients to the soil. This implies that all biodegradable materials used to mulch the soil are organic mulch. They include compost, leaves, grasses, newspaper etc. This is a temporary type of mulch as it has to be replaced over time when the initially applied mulch has decomposed.
Inorganic mulch: this is also called synthetic mulch. These are synthetic materials that can be used to mulch the soil. They do not decompose over time and have no impact in improving soil fertility. They can be used more than once. They include rubber materials, nylon, plastic etc
Most inorganic mulch is regarded as permanent mulch since they can be used for more than one farming season since they do not decompose. Inorganic mulch is mostly used in commercial farming.
The type of mulch to be used by a farmer is dependent on several factors. These include; the available mulching material in the locality, the cost of the mulch, the type of crop to be mulched, the gradient of the land, the durability of the mulch, the climate of the area, the pH of the soil to be mulched, the aim of mulching, the size of the farm to be mulched, etc.
Organic mulch can be made on the farm by using unwanted products from the farm such as compost, leaves, barks, wood etc or they can be bought from an agro-supply store. The amount of mulch required for mulching is dependent on the type of mulching material and the size of the farm.
Advantages of Mulching
Mulching improves the general quality of a planting site.
Proper mulching reduces root competition of plants in the soil.
Mulching prevents soil erosion as it reduces the access of agents of erosion (wind and water) to the soil.
Mulching reduces compaction of the soil and allows root penetration.
Soil water is conserved when the soil is mulched properly. This is achievable as mulch reduces water loss through evaporation.
It provides an insulating layer over the soil. This layer serves numerous purposes; controls and stabilizes soil temperature, maintains soil structure, moderates soil porosity, increases water infiltration, etc.
Organic mulch improves soil fertility since it decomposes over time.
Prevents disease spread among plants as there is limited contact between plants.
Disadvantages of Mulching
Inasmuch as mulching improves soil quality research has shown that it can also be harmful to the soil especially when applied excessively or wrongly. Some of its major disadvantages include;
Because mulching increases soil water retention, in some cases it can lead to excessive moisture in the soil.
Oxygen is prevented from penetrating the soil freely. This is prevalent when using synthetic mulch which usually does not decompose.
Some compost used in mulching contains seeds that begin to germinate after mulching and lead to weed infestation.
Organic mulch has a tendency of destroying crop tissue when they are not applied properly.
Mulching is an agricultural practice carried out to improve soil. In this practice a material (mulch) is applied to the surface of the soil to form a protective layer to conserve soil water, nutrients, and other essential requirements for proper crop growth while suppressing weed growth. When carrying out mulching, the farmer should ensure that the mulch is applied in such a way that it doesn’t shield water from penetrating the soil. This is achieved by applying the mulch at least 5cm deep and not exceeding a depth of 10cm. The farmer should ensure that the mulch doesn’t come in contact with the main crop. It should be at least 4cm away from the plant. Mulching can be carried out in both subsistence and large scale farming. It can be carried out at various times of the year depending on what the farmer intends to achieve. It is essential to remove all forms of weed from the site to be mulched to prevent severe weed infestation.
The soil is the medium on which crops grow. The state of the available soil for planting has a direct impact on the output of the crops to be planted since crops entirely depend on the soil for provision of nutrient, support and other conditions required for their proper growth. Poor soil does not favour the proper growth of crops and vice versa. Hence, it is essential for farmers to come up with and employ practices that tend to improve, maintain and conserve the soil’s favourable properties. This is generally known as soil improvement practices. Soil improvement has become a very vital aspect of crop production since different types of soils are available in different geographical areas and they possess different conditions which favour the development and growth of different types of crops at different levels. Mulching is one of the numerous soil improvement techniques that can be used by farmers to improve their soil with great efficacy. When carried out properly it can increase the output of the planted crops tremendously.
Mulch is a material that is applied to the surface of soil in an area with the intention of conserving soil water, fertility, controlling weed and generally providing a better growing condition for a crop. Mulch is generally classified based on its constituents into organic mulch or inorganic mulch.
Organic mulch: these are mulching materials that decompose over a period of time and improve soil fertility as they provide organic nutrients to the soil. This implies that all biodegradable materials used to mulch the soil are organic mulch. They include compost, leaves, grasses, newspaper etc. This is a temporary type of mulch as it has to be replaced over time when the initially applied mulch has decomposed.
Inorganic mulch: this is also called synthetic mulch. These are synthetic materials that can be used to mulch the soil. They do not decompose over time and have no impact in improving soil fertility. They can be used more than once. They include rubber materials, nylon, plastic etc
Most inorganic mulch is regarded as permanent mulch since they can be used for more than one farming season since they do not decompose. Inorganic mulch is mostly used in commercial farming.
The type of mulch to be used by a farmer is dependent on several factors. These include; the available mulching material in the locality, the cost of the mulch, the type of crop to be mulched, the gradient of the land, the durability of the mulch, the climate of the area, the pH of the soil to be mulched, the aim of mulching, the size of the farm to be mulched, etc.
Organic mulch can be made on the farm by using unwanted products from the farm such as compost, leaves, barks, wood etc or they can be bought from an agro-supply store. The amount of mulch required for mulching is dependent on the type of mulching material and the size of the farm.
Advantages of Mulching
Mulching improves the general quality of a planting site.
Proper mulching reduces root competition of plants in the soil.
Mulching prevents soil erosion as it reduces the access of agents of erosion (wind and water) to the soil.
Mulching reduces compaction of the soil and allows root penetration.
Soil water is conserved when the soil is mulched properly. This is achievable as mulch reduces water loss through evaporation.
It provides an insulating layer over the soil. This layer serves numerous purposes; controls and stabilizes soil temperature, maintains soil structure, moderates soil porosity, increases water infiltration, etc.
Organic mulch improves soil fertility since it decomposes over time.
Prevents disease spread among plants as there is limited contact between plants.
Disadvantages of Mulching
Inasmuch as mulching improves soil quality research has shown that it can also be harmful to the soil especially when applied excessively or wrongly. Some of its major disadvantages include;
Because mulching increases soil water retention, in some cases it can lead to excessive moisture in the soil.
Oxygen is prevented from penetrating the soil freely. This is prevalent when using synthetic mulch which usually does not decompose.
Some compost used in mulching contains seeds that begin to germinate after mulching and lead to weed infestation.
Organic mulch has a tendency of destroying crop tissue when they are not applied properly.
