Agricultural practices for soil conservation

Praticas para conservacao do solo Robustec

Soil is a non-renewable natural resource, which requires adequate agricultural practices and capable of replacing its nutrients, in order to ensure good productivity and the preservation of the environment.

Problems such as erosion, soil compaction, and increased salinity are related to inadequate soil management, which significantly reduces the potential for agricultural production.

Understand the importance of taking good care of the soil

Soil conservation involves a combination of management and land-use methods, with the purpose of protecting it against deterioration induced by natural or human factors.

To ensure good soil quality, we seek to protect it from damage caused by inadequate agricultural activity, such as excessive compaction, erosion and sediment deposition in water bodies, or negative changes in chemical characteristics, such as acidification or salinization.

Inadequate agricultural practices, such as overuse of agrochemicals and cultivation without adequate nutrient replacement, can affect soil properties. They generate an increase in soil compaction and erosion, loss of beneficial microorganisms, organic matter, and the ability to retain water or changes in natural fertility and pH levels.

Learn how to do no-till

No-till is a type of cultivation carried out without plowing or harrowing to revolve the soil as little as possible during planting. The idea is to leave a covering of vegetable residues on the soil, thus maintaining a cover by straw or live plants.

The no-till system is currently used in 70% of the grain planted area in Brazil. One of the main advantages of this process is that it significantly reduces the compaction of the deeper layers of the soil, due to the reduction in the use of heavy machinery and the presence of soil cover on the ground.

Plantio DIreto Robustec

By better-conserving moisture and keeping the temperature lower, this technique also helps the microbial activity of the soil, which is beneficial to crops, especially in regions with a more tropical climate.

Another benefit is to promote carbon sequestration in the soil, thus contributing to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases.

For no-till, special planters with cutting discs are used to avoid tangling with the vegetation. This technique promotes the minimum wear of the soil and its microbial activity.

Covering the soil with straw facilitates the management of weeds that are difficult to control, such as the grove and bitter grass. In addition, the technique reduces fuel costs, enriches the soil, reduces the impact of rain, and maintains the ideal temperature for the crop, reducing moisture loss.

Watch out for crop rotation and diversification

The cultivation of only one crop (monoculture) extracts from the soil the nutrients needed only for that type of plant. Over time, the soil’s production capacity is greatly reduced, causing an imbalance in mineral reserves.

Crop rotation allows different nutrients to be absorbed by the species at each new planting since different plants will be used. For example, you can alternate between soybean and corn crops or between legumes and non-legumes.

In addition to improving soil fertility, crop diversification facilitates the control of pests and diseases, reduces the use of pesticides, and protects the soil against the effects of the climate and improves its structure.

Avoid erosion with level planting and terracing

Level planting consists of preparing the soil for planting and planting according to the level of the land, to avoid erosion, which significantly reduces the production potential. With a relatively low cost, this technique provides very important results for the sustainability of production.

With level planting, the problem of erosion is avoided, reducing the speed of water drainage with the use of barriers, contour lines, terraces, and other devices based on topographic surveys of the area.

Terracing, on the other hand, consists of planting in lines that follow the differences in altitude of the soil. This technique is more suitable for sloping terrain (hills, for example) and helps to contain the process of soil erosion. Besides, it contributes to the containment of water, because, thus, it runs more slowly and manages to infiltrate more into the earth.

Discover the benefits of green manure

The so-called green manure consists of planting a crop that is not economically used, just to keep the soil covered and to reduce erosion between commercial planting periods. This technique favors the improvement of soil fertility (physical, chemical, and biological). It allows reducing the number of synthetic fertilizers applied to the soil, generating increased productivity in the next planting.

Generally, green manure uses the leaves of leguminous plants, such as beans, pods, and peas, which have a greater capacity to absorb nitrogen – a fundamental mineral salt for plant development, as it leads plants to interact with bacteria that are in the soil. , thus providing a greater amount of nutrients.

Another option is to fertilize using animal manure, which has, in addition to nitrogen, copper, zinc, and potassium.

As we have seen, land use in agriculture requires some care but using the right techniques, you will be able to avoid problems such as erosion and lack of nutrients and increase soil fertility and the productivity of your crops.

Did you like this article? Want to learn more about caring for your soil’s fertility? Access this article on how to plant in non-fertile soils and learn more about it!