types and use of soil conditioners/amendments under inm

Types and use of soil conditioners/amendments

under INM

Types

Organic soil conditioners Inorganic(Synthetic) soil conditioners

Types and use of soil conditioners/amendments under INM

Types of Organic soil conditioners

Organic

Green Manure

Compost

Peat

Crop Resides

Coconut shell mulch


Organic Soil Conditioners


• Soil organic matter serves as a reservoir for nutrients;

• Improves soil structure ,

• Drainage,

• Aeration,

• Cation exchange capacity,

• Buffering capacity, and water-holding capacity; and provides a

source of food for microorganisms.

• Generally soils having higher in organic matter have improved soil

physical conditions.

• The effectiveness of organic soil conditioners can be partly evaluated

by examining several properties of soil organic matter.

Organic Soil Conditioners


• Soil organic matter is defined as the organic fraction of the soil and

includes plant and animal residues at various stages of

decomposition, cells and tissues of organisms, and compounds

synthesized by the soil organism population.

• Soil organic matter contains a wide array of compounds ranging

from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to high molecular weight

humic and fulvic acids.

Green manure

•


• GM is a crop that is grown mainly to add nutrients and organic matter

to the soil, this kind of crop is used in rotation with other crops, which

is ploughed under to serve the same purposes as animal manure.

• The roots of some green manure grow deep into the soil and bring up

nutrients that are not present in shallow rooted crops.

• Leguminous crops are especially favored as green manures because

they add nitrogen to the soil.

Compost


• Compost is made by forming

alternate layers of organic matter and

soil, commercially made fertilizer

can also be added to the compost.

Carbon

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Water

Components needed during Composting


Components needed during Composting


• Decomposition can take place even without these ingredients, but the

process can be slow and unpleasant.

• Vegetables, if decomposed in plastic bag, will develop a foul smell

Peat


Consists of plant remains; it

improves soil structure

Crop residues


•Crop residues contain

substantial quantities of plant

nutrients. Recycling of plant

nutrients

•Soil moisture temperature

regimes, enhancement of soil

structure, erosion control

Approximate C: N ratios of organic material and soil microbes.

SI.NO Crop Residues C:N Ratio1 Alfalfa (young) 13:12 Bluegrass 30:13 Maize Straw

40:1

4 Straw (small grain)

80:1

5 Sewage Sludge

10-12:1

6 Cattle Manure

30:1

7 Peat Moss

58:1

8 Sawdust Hardwood

295: 1

9 Hardwood 295: 110 Pine 729:1Soil Microbes11 Bacteria 5:112 Actinomycetes 6:113 Fungi 10:1

Source: Tnau agritech portal


Coconut shell mulch


• The mulching made from the

grinding up of coconut shells.

• its is extremely long lasting since

it comes from a tropical plant and

decomposes very slowly;

Coconut shell mulch


• It has a very strong but pleasant odor which is suppose to keep

bugs and animals (dogs and cats) away from the plants it is

mulching.

Other Organic Fertilizers

• Include bird and bat droppings, blood meal, bone meal, and

fish meal.

Coconut shell mulch


• All these substances contain nitrogen and other

essential elements

• Bone meal is an excellent source of the element

phosphorus.

• But blood meal, bone meal, and fish meal is seldom

used on farms as fertilizers, because it is too

expensive.

Types of Inorganic soil conditioners

Inorganic

Synthetic Binding Agents

Mineral Conditioners

Gypsum




• New polymers applied at much lower rates have been

promoted as soil conditioners.

• These polymers include

Natural polysaccharides,

Anionic

Cationic polymers,

polyacrylamides.



• The compounds are very high

• molecular weight,

• long-chain polymeric,

• organic compounds,

• which bind particles together and form stable

aggregates



• Gypsum has long been recognized for its benefits on

high sodium-containing soils.

• Gypsum is a mineral with the chemical composition

CaSO4 * 2H2O.

• It occurs in nature as soft crystalline rock and varies in

purity.



• Gypsum has been shown to displace exchangeable sodium from the

cation exchange sites of soils high in sodium

• With irrigation or dryland, gypsum can be used to reclaim saline

areas or slick spots, soften and crumble alkali hard pans, supply

calcium on low exchange capacity soils, and improve infiltration for

some puddled soils.



• Gypsum is not recommended on soils containing native gypsum

or areas irrigated with water containing abundant amounts of

calcium and magnesium

• The amount of gypsum to apply depends on the purity of the

gypsum and the quantity of sodium present in the soil.

• Actual rates should be based on a salt-alkali soil test.

Gypsum


• Lowers bulk compactness of soil

• Prevents water run-off and eroding

• Betters Soil Composition

• It affords root growth and air and water movement.

• Converts Salty Soils

Gypsum


• An economical method to resolve salty soils.

• Ties Organic Matter to Clay

• The importance of organic matter is magnified when it is

dispensed with gypsum.

• Soil crusting is impossible and then helps seed emersion.

Gypsum


• No crust formation allows more and faster seed emergence

and a couple days earlier to harvest and market.

• Betters low dissolved matter Irrigation Water

• Develops water use efficiency

Gypsum


• Gypsum helps the efficiency use of water for the crops. In

periods of drought, this is exceedingly important.

• Helps moist soils to be tilled easier

• Less energy is required for the tillage

Quantity of gypsum applied in mineral soil conditioners


• 10 tons/acre.

• Gypsum applied at less than 500 pounds per acre

• Limestone, crushed rock, and other products high in calcium and/or

magnesium which improve the physical condition of some soils, when

applied at several tons per acre.

types and use of soil conditioners/amendments under inm

Documents

soil microbes11bacteria

enhancement of soil

soil organism population

organic fertilizers

organic fraction

fish meal

blood meal

n ratios of organic