Proper Soil Fertility… More Important Today than Ever!
Terry L. Roberts
PROPER SOIL FERTILITY is basic to soil productivity and plant growth…so basic that we sometimes take it for granted…so basic that we don’t give it the attention it deserves and that crops demand. Soil fertility in today’s cropping systems is continuously changing. Soil nutrients are exported with every harvest. Some are lost from the soil through leaching or runoff while clays and minerals fix others. Some are temporarily tied up by organic matter and soil organisms and then released during decomposition. Nutrient balance is a constant concern—one that is crucial to efficient crop production and environmental protection and one that requires careful attention for profitable production. Profitability is directly related to high yields that are efficiently produced. Why? Because higher yields cut unit production costs. But higher yields require more nutrients and better fertility management.
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