BASIS & IMPORTANT RESOURCE OF

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
 SOIL:
an upper thin layer of the earth
composed of mixture of fragments of
rocks, organic matter, water & air
in varying proportions and having
developed horizontal layers
produced through action of climate
& living organisms
 SOIL PROFILE
Organic original forms
still recognizable

Admixture of organic
matter/humus, minerals
(top soil)

Contains substances leached

from A horizon, less fertile,
low in o.m., less growth of
microorganisms

Zone of minimum change;

the layer where A & B horizons
are derived (parent material)
 Kind and type of soil developed
depends on the kind of parent material
A Fertile Soil
 ORGANIC MATTER:
ONE WHO CALLS THE SHOTS

sum total of all carbon-containing

substances in the soil

consists of living organisms, dead

plant & animal residues & other
organic materials in various phases
of decomposition
ORGANIC MATTER.......

serves as reservoir of the different

elements needed by plant

continuously supply the different

micronutrients

improves the water-holding

capacity of the soil
Organic Matter……..

has a buffering capacity in the

regulation of soil pH

official home of the different

microorganisms (fungi, bacteria,
algae, actinomycetes,etc)
Organic matter…….

contains “humus”
(a dark, complex mixture of organic
substances no longer identifiable as
tissues

the final and stable product of

decomposition
influence on soil physical properties

high cation adsortion capacity

A depleted soil which lacks organic matter
Three (3) Basic Properties of a Soil

Physical Property
soil texture
soil structure
soil color
soil temperature
Chemical Property

a) Soil pH

- a numerical system to express

the acidity of the soils

- one of the most if not the most

important fertility factor of the soil
Why is soil pH important?

the chemical reactions & microbial

activities in the soils are largely
controlled by soil reaction

availability of essential plant nutrients

& existence of toxic elements in soil
depend so much on pH
Classification of soils as to level of pH

pH 7 - - - - - - - - - neutral soils (neither

acidic nor alkaline)

lower than pH7 - - -more acidic soils

above pH 7 - - - - - more alkaline soils

the ideal soil pH for most crops is 6.0 – 7.0

most favorable to availability of

nutrients

enhances microbial activities in

the soil nitrogen fixation, faster
decomposition,etc)
Chart of the Effect of Soil pH on nutrient availability
b) Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

- the total amount of cations adsorbed

in the soil (clay particle & organic matter)
c) % Base saturation
- Percentage of CEC saturated by bases
( Ca , Mg, K, Na, Al)

Application/ Importance of Base saturation

assessment of lime requirement in
acid soils
soil classification
 BIOLOGICAL PROPERTY

Diverse population of macro &

microorganisms which facilitate various
biological and chemical processes in
the soil
IMPORTANCE OF SOIL MICROORGANISMS

maintain soil fertility

clean up all dead organic materials
fix gaseous Nitrogen into forms that
can be used by plants to main fertility
of soil
can be used to extract minerals
are the prime food for all marine &
fresh water life

effectively degrade “xenobiotic”

compounds (herbicides & pesticides)
example: desulfomonile – a sulfate-reducing
bacterium which degrades chlorinated pesticides
(frequent chemical pollutants in ground water)
 1 teaspoon of soil contains:
- 1 billion bacteria
- 120,000 fungi
- 25,000 algae

All of them plays a key role in the

Carbon & Nitrogen cycles
b) Cation exchange capacity (CEC)

total cations adsorbed in the soil

affected by the level of soil pH

amount of organic matter

type and amount of clay

1 cm of top soil is developed in 100
to 300 or more years

It takes time to rehabilitate or

rebuild a depleted soil
Major & Minor Elements in the Soil

Major Elements

Primary : N, P , K
Secondary : Ca, Mg, S

Minor Elements:

- Cu, Mo, Zn, Mn, Fe, Bo, Cl

Non-mineral elements

- Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

(these are found in water and air)

 Functions of Major Elements
Nitrogen

- is a part of all living cells

- necessary part of all proteins,

enzymes and metabolic processes
involved in the synthesis and transfer
of energy
- Promotes the vegetative parts of the plants

- Is found in the chlorophyll

- aids in the utilization of phosphorus and

potassium and other elements in the
formation of the internal parts and during
reproductive phase
 Phosphorus
- Stimulates early root formation and growth

- Hastens maturity of crops

- Increases ratio of grain and fruit to stalk

- Beneficial effect is achieved with suffcient

potassium and vice versa
•Important, in conjunction with Ca and B, in the proper development of cell walls.

Potassium
(Came from Latin word “Kalium”)

- together with phosphorus, it all accumulates

to a large extent in all young shoots and leaves

- important, in conjunction with Ca and B,

in the proper development of cell walls

- improve the flavor keeping quality, fruit color,

grain weight and size of the produce
 Potassium……..

- play a definite role (together with phosphorus)

in the formation of sugar, starch, fibrous
materials and fats & protein synthesis
- Increase resistance of crops to diseases
and pests

- Controls plant cell turgor and through this the

opening and closing of leaf stoma. This in turn
controls the plants ability to effectively respond
to drought stress
 Calcium

- Corrects acidity of the soil

- Improves structure of the soil

- Forms a structural part of plant cell walls

- if in excess, can induce symptom of

potassium deficiency and various
trace elements (Fe, Bo, Zn, Cu & Mn)
 Magnesium

- Constituent of chlorophyll

- Promotes absorption & translocation of

phosphorus
 Sulfur

- Needed in the development of essential

organic compounds, proteins, vitamins,etc.

- Greatly needed by legumes

Minor Elements
Boron
- Found particularly in the growing points,
flowers and in phloem
- Important for the germination of pollen

- Formation of flowers, fruit and roots

- Transportation of substances within the

plant
Copper

- Required by plants for oxidation and

reduction

- Promotes the formation of Vitamin A

 Zinc

- Important in plant metbolism

- Needed in the development of internode

of the young shoots
 Molybdenum

- Required for the assimilation of nitrates and,

- Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in the

root nodules of leguminous crops
Manganese
- Like iron, it is necessary for the formation of
chlorophyll

- Reduction of nitrates and respiration

- Catalyst in many other metabolic processes

- Participates in protein synthesis and

the formation of ascorbic acid
Aluminum

- Exerts toxic action in plants especially in

very low soil pH

- Little amount of this appears to produce

beneficial effects
Iron
- Constituent of enzymes

- A key element in respiration, photosynthesis,

reduction of nitrates and sulfates

- Reduce availability of potassium

- Render unavailable if soil is over-limed

TWO MOST IMPORTANT LIFE CYCLES
(Currently affect climate & agriculture)

Nitrogen Cycle

Carbon Cycle
NITROGEN CYCLE
- Nitrous oxide is 300 times more effective
in absorbing heat than carbon dioxide

- For every ton of nitrogen that human

activities add to the biosphere, between
10 to 50 kg is emitted into the atmosphere
as nitrous oxide by denitrifying bacteria
 Microorganisms known as “methanogens”
Produce 75% of natural resources of methane
In the atmosphere

Ideal environments of methanogens are landfill,

Rice paddies and guts of ruminants and they
Add 150 M tons of methane to the atmosphere
Per year
For the past 100 years, methane is 23 times
global -warming potential than carbon dioxide
CARBON CYCLE
Carbon (C)

- 4th most abundant element in the

universe

- an element present in air, oceans,

soil, rocks & all living things
- Soil respiration and carbon dioxide release
doubles with every 5-10 degrees centigrade
increase in temperature

- Every ton of Carbon lost in the soil, 3.7 tons

of carbon dioxide adds up to the atmosphere
- Cyanobacteria & photosynthetic algae draw
Carbon from the atmosphere

- these decomposing fungi and soil bacteria

are responsible in breaking down organic
matter and release carbon dioxide back into
the atmosphere
 - Every ton per hectare increase of organic
carbon in the soil represents 3.67 tons
carbon sequestered and removed from
the atmosphere

- 30-36% of all green house gas (GHG)

emissions cause global warming / climate
change
BURNING ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED
THRU ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Pollution & destruction of

environment

Depletion of soil resource

Climate Change /Environmental Degradation

Flooding

Erratic weather
condition