FEW3001
Home Activity
1. Read the Following
Chapter
2. Underline the Key
Words
3. Identify Important
Points
4. Convert Them into
Questions Using Key Words
5. Find Answers for the
Question Made
6. Understand the Summary
and Develop a Mind Map
Maintaining
soil fertility under and organic management system
The foundation of organic farming
lies in the health of the soil. A fertile soil provides essential nutrients to
growing crop plant and helps supporting a diverse and active biotic community. Strategies
the transitional farmer will employ to build the soil are livestock and green manures,
cover cropping and crop rotations.
Livestock
manure
Livestock manure traditionally has been used a fertilize
soils for organic farming.
Livestock manure can be applied to the filed in either raw or composted form. Raw manure is useful
in supplying nutrients and
adding organic matter to soil, as well as encouraging healthy biological processes
in the soil. However, it is important to know what is in the manure, because
some may contain contaminants and nutrient content that varies with the animal,
bedding which used to cover the floor of the animal sheds and storage. Raw and
fresh manure generally will have higher level of available nitrogen, but over
applications can lead to salt
buildup and leaching. It is a good idea to compost manure, because the
heat created during composting may will kill weed seeds and break down contaminants such as antibiotics. Fresh
manure generally will have higher available nitrogen, but over applications can
lead to salt buildup and leaching. A soil test to monitor soil fertility before the application of manure is highly
recommended so the farmer can add the right amount of raw or composted manure
to plots and avoid nutrient imbalances.
What the livestock manure
has been used for? As an organic fertilizer mostly in small scale farming.
Name the two types of
livestock manure? raw or composted.
What benefits contain in
Raw manure?
Which substance contains
in mostly in fresh manure?
Why shouldn’t you over
apply fresh manure to the farming fields?
Why composted manure is
more applicable as a fertilizer?
What should you do before
applying the manure?
Why do we do that for?
Green
manure
When a cover crop is tilled into the soil while it is still
lush and green, it is referred to as a green manure. Green manure is important
under an organic farming system because they help to add organic matter and nutrition to the
soil. When a green plant is incorporated into the soil, it has high amounts of
nitrogen and moisture and become a food source for soil microorganisms and earthworms. During the
process of decomposition by the organisms in the soil, organic matter and
nutrients become available to the crop plants. An additional benefit of using
green manure is the suppression
of weeds and soil borne diseases.
What does the Green manure
supply for organic farming?
Who help to process the
green plants into fertilizer?
What are the additional
benefits of using green manure?
Cover cropping
A cover crop can be an annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plant or
a mixture of the three. This crop provides soil cover and can help loosen compacted soil through the growth of
roots and improved water
filtration. Cover crops can maintain or increase soil organic matter if they are allowed
to grow long enough to produce high herbage. Cover crops also help prevent soil erosion
caused by both water and wind and suppress weeds by keeping the sun from
reaching weed seeds. Cover crops can also reduce insect pests and diseases. In addition, a
legume used as a cover crop can provide nitrogen to the soil. Non legumes can take up
excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from previous crop and recycle them
to the following crop. Common cover crops and green manures include pueraria spp,
Brachiaria spp, forage legumes etc.
What are the three
mixtures of cover plants?
Provide some benefits of
cover cropping?
What type of fertilizer
can legume provide?
Crop rotations
Many farmers find that rotating crops, improve the tilth or
aggregation of the soil. Planning a crop rotation requires a farmer to plant
crops at different times an in different location in the same field. Usually,
the succeeding crop will be of a different variety and species than the
previous crops. Crop rotation can also be used to promote the soil’s fertility, reduce erosion, reduce the buildup of pests,
and spread out financial
risk in case a crop fails. Farmers who include a legume in the rotation can
increase the availability
of nitrogen in the soil. The rhizobia that from on the nodules of legume
roots convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into organic nitrogen, which that
then becomes available to plants.
What are the benefits of
crop rotation?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Hand over by putting into the Assignment box place near the
department of Agricultural and plantation Engineering (3rd Floor) or
send your answer script to following address before the deadline given in the
activity diary.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
CoordinatorFEW3001
Faculty of
engineering technology
The open university
of sri lanka
Nawala
Nugegoda
10250
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