Soil fertility is generally defined as “ability of soil to supply plant nutrients”. Soil structure, soil texture, temperature, water, light and air also play an important role in maintaining soil fertility. Plant nutrients include the macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, sulfur, calcium and magnesium. Micronutrients are essentially boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. Soil scientists that focus on soil fertility are interested in managing nutrients to improve crop production. They focus on using commercial fertilizers, manures, waste products, and composts to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Sometime they also add chemicals that change the pH to a more optimum level for nutrient availability to plants.
What is soil fertility?
