Soil Fertility

Soil fertility is the capacity of soil to supply nutrient in available to crop. It is the ability of the soil to
supply essential plant nutrients during growth period of the plants, without toxic concentration of any
nutrients. It is a manageable soil property and its management is of utmost importance for optimizing
crop nutrition on both a short-term and a long-term basis to achieve sustainable crop production. Good
natural or improved soil fertility is essential for successful cropping

Soil is one of the key factors affecting plant growth. The major functions of the soil are to provide plants
with nutrients, water and oxygen. Soil fertility is the key to sustainable agriculture. The soil qualities
which affect crop growth are:

 Nutrient availability
 Nutrient retention capacity
 Rooting conditions
 Oxygen availability to roots
 Excess salts
 Toxicity
 Workability

Soil Fertility vs. Soil Productivity

As defined earlier, Soil Fertility is the capacity of soil to supply nutrient in available to crop. On the other
hand, Soil productivity the crop producing capacity of soil. Thus, all the productive soils are fertile but all
the fertile soils may not be productive

Soil Nutrients
The plant requires many essential nutrients. Plants obtain the primary and secondary nutrients and
some micronutrients solely from the soil. Soil fertility acts as a ‘SINK’ where in plants can draw nutrients
for maximum yield

Soil fertility problems cannot be solved by mere supply of plant food nutrients, but their efficient
management is also very important aspect since the fertilizer is one of the costliest inputs.

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Factors affecting soil fertility
The factors affecting soil fertility can be classified into:

 Natural factors or Pedogenic factors: Natural factors are those which influence the formation of
the soil. These include Parent material, Climate and vegetation, Topography and age of soil
 Edaphic factors or Soil management factors: These include the entire soil conditions and their
management practices that are concerned with addition or removal of plant nutrients.

Soil Fertility Evaluation

The diagnosis of the nutrient status of the soil by using different techniques or methods is known as soil
fertility evaluation. It helps in maintenance and improving soil productivity. Soil fertility evaluation is the
key for adequate and balanced fertilization in crop production

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