Does Balanced Fertilization Improve Soil Health?
Crop fertilization not only improves crop yields but also generates positive changes in soil health, which contributes to cropping system sustainability. Balanced fertilization during 12 consecutive years improved soil organic matter, soil microbial population and enzyme activity, and soil aggregate stability in fields with long annual cropping history and coarse soil texture.
Similar effects were not found in fields with shorter annual cropping history and finer soil texture.
Keywords
- long-term experiments
- Pampas
- crop rotation
- C sequestration
- cropping history
Laura Ferreras, Gustavo Magra, Andres Saperdi, Silvia Toresani, Miguel Boxler, Santiago Gallo, Ricardo Pozzi, Adrian Correndo, and Fernando Garcia. 2018. Does Balanced Fertilization Improve Soil Health?. Better Crops 102(1): 18-20. doi.org/10.24047/BC102118