TYPES OF SOIL CONDITIONERS/AMENDMENT FOR INM NextEnd

Types Organic soil conditioners Inorganic (Synthetic) soil conditioners TYPES OF SOIL CONDITIONERS/AMENDMENT FOR INM NextPreviousEnd

Types of Organic soil conditioners Organic Green Manure Compost Peat Crop Resides Coconut shell mulch NextPreviousEnd

Organic Soil Conditioners Soil organic matter serves as a reservoir for nutrients;  Improves soil structure,  Drainage,  Aeration,  Cation exchange capacity,  Buffering capacity, and water-holding capacity; and provides a source of food for microorganisms. cont.. NextPreviousEnd

Generally soils having higher in organic matter have improved soil physical conditions. The effectiveness of organic soil conditioners can be partly evaluated by examining several properties of soil organic matter Soil organic matter is defined as the organic fraction of the soil and includes plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of organisms, and compounds synthesized by the soil organism population. Soil organic matter contains a wide array of compounds ranging from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to high molecular weight humic and fulvic acids. Organic Soil Conditioners NextPreviousEnd

Green manure GM is a crop that is grown mainly to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil, this kind of crop is used in rotation with other crops, which is ploughed under to serve the same purposes as animal manure. The roots of some green manure grow deep into the soil and bring up nutrients that are not present in shallow rooted crops. Leguminous crops are especially favored as green manures because they add nitrogen to the soil. cont.. NextPreviousEnd

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Compost NextPreviousEnd Composting requires a mix of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and water, however decomposition can take place even without these ingredients, but the process can be slow and unpleasant. Decayed leaves, plants and animal matter that are used similar to manures. Compost is made by forming alternate layers of organic matter and soil, commercially made fertilizer can also be added to the compost. Vegetables, if decomposed in plastic bag, will develop a foul smell. The compost should be kept moist to promote the activity of organisms that decay plant and animal matter.

Peat Consists of plant remains; it improves soil structure NextPreviousEnd

Crop residues Crop residues contain substantial quantities of plant nutrients. Recycling of plant nutrients Soil moisture temperature regimes, enhancement of soil structure, erosion control NextPreviousEnd

Approximate C: N ratios of organic material and soil microbes. SI.NOCrop ResiduesC:N Ratio 1Alfalfa (young)13:1 2Bluegrass30:1 3Maize Straw40:1 4Straw (small grain)80:1 5Sewage Sludge10-12:1 6Cattle Manure30:1 7Peat Moss58:1 8Sawdust Hardwood295: 1 9Hardwood295: 1 10Pine729:1 Soil Microbes 11Bacteria5:1 12Actinomycetes6:1 13Fungi10:1 Source: Tnau agritech portal NextPreviousEnd

Coconut shell mulch The mulching made from the grinding up of coconut shells. its is extremely long lasting since it comes from a tropical plant and decomposes very slowly; It has a very strong but pleasant odor which is suppose to keep bugs and animals (dogs and cats) away from the plants it is mulching. NextPreviousEnd

Other Organic Fertilizers Include bird and bat droppings, blood meal, bone meal, and fish meal. All these substances contain nitrogen and other essential elements. Bone meal is an excellent source of the element phosphorus. But blood meal, bone meal, and fish meal is seldom used on farms as fertilizers, because it is too expensive. NextPreviousEnd

Types of Inorganic soil conditioners Inorganic Synthetic Binding Agents Mineral Conditioners Gypsum NextPreviousEnd

Synthetic Binding Agents New polymers applied at much lower rates have been promoted as soil conditioners. These polymers include  Natural polysaccharides,  Anionic  Cationic polymers,  polyacrylamides. NextPreviousEnd

The compounds are very high  molecular weight,  long-chain polymeric,  organic compounds,  which bind particles together and form stable aggregates Synthetic Binding Agents NextPreviousEnd

Mineral Conditioners Gypsum has long been recognized for its benefits on high sodium- containing soils. Gypsum is a mineral with the chemical composition CaSO 4 * 2H 2 O. It occurs in nature as soft crystalline rock and varies in purity. Gypsum has been shown to displace exchangeable sodiumfrom the cation exchange sites of soils high in sodium With irrigation or dryland, gypsum can be used to reclaim saline areas or slick spots, soften and crumble alkali hard pans, supply calcium on low exchange capacity soils, and improve infiltration for some puddled soils. cont.. NextPreviousEnd

Gypsum is not recommended on soils containing native gypsum or areas irrigated with water containing abundant amounts of calcium and magnesium. The amount of gypsum to apply depends on the purity of the gypsum and the quantity of sodium present in the soil. Actual rates should be based on a salt-alkali soil test. NextPreviousEnd

Gypsum  Lowers bulk compactness of soil  Prevents water run-off and eroding  Betters Soil Composition  It affords root growth and air and water movement.  Converts Salty Soils  Gypsum helps the efficiency use of water for the crops. In periods of drought, this is exceedingly important. NextPreviousEnd

 Helps moist soils to be tilled easier  Less energy is required for the tillage  An economical method to resolve salty soils.  Ties Organic Matter to Clay  The importance of organic matter is magnified when it is dispensed with gypsum.  Soil crusting is impossible and then helps seed emersion. cont.. NextPreviousEnd

Quantity of applied in mineral soil conditioners NextPreviousEnd 1 and 10 tons/acre. Gypsum applied at less than 500 pounds per acre will likely be of little benefit as soil conditioner, but may work as a calcium or sulfur nutrient source. Limestone, crushed rock, and other products high in calcium and/or magnesium will improve the physical condition of some soils, when applied at several tons per acre. Other inorganic compounds, which contain a small amount of a wide variety of essential and non-essential elements, applied at low rates have been promoted as soil conditioners However, no consistent response of improving soil physical conditions has been documented. Most of these products at the rates recommended will not supply enough calcium and/or magnesium to change the cation composition of the soil exchange complex.

Previous To sum up: Soil conditioners to maintain the structure and texture of the soil. Two form of soil conditioners are available viz., organic and inorganic. The organic soil conditioners improves soil structure, drainage, aeration, cation exchange capacity, buffering capacity, and water- holding capacity; and provides a source of food for microorganisms.\ They are green manure, compost,peat, crop residue, coconut shell mulch, blood meal, fish meal and bone meal. Inorganic soil conditioners are supply specific nutrients to the soil. They are polymers (synthetic binding agent), mineral conditioner (Gypsum).