Principles Of Soil Science Lecture 1

AGRI 51 PRINCIPLES OF SOIL SCIENCE  What is a soil? 2  What is a soil? Dynamic natural body Medium for plant growth. Valuable non-renewable natural resource Properties results from the integrated effects of v...

AGRI 51 PRINCIPLES OF SOIL SCIENCE  What is a soil? 2  What is a soil? Dynamic natural body Medium for plant growth. Valuable non-renewable natural resource Properties results from the integrated effects of various factors and processes. 3  What is a soil? Understanding soils and managing them well are essential to human welfare 100 years to form 2.5 cm of soil 1-2 years to destroy this 2.5 cm soil through the process of accelerated erosion 4 Soil and Man Nomadic man Largely dependent on wild plants and wild animals for food Do not manage soil and water resources for food production. Throughout human history, man’s relationship with the soil has: Affected his ability to cultivate crops Influenced the success of civilizations. 5  “It is impossible to have a healthy and sound society without a proper respect for the soil.” - Peter Maurin 6  “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself” - Franklin D. Roosevelt 7  Three Revolutions Agricultural Revolution Industrial Revolution Green Revolution 8  Three Revolutions Agricultural Revolution - The shift from hunter-gatherer to agrarian societies occurred 10,000 to 12,000 years ago (2000 BC) The combination of: human settlements, forest margins, and fresh water streams; May have given rise to the earliest planned cultivation of root crops 9  Three Revolutions Agricultural Revolution The 5 agricultural hearths are Mesoamerica, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and Huang He River Valley. 10  Three Revolutions Agricultural Revolution - Shifting cultivation was a common method of farming. With shifting cultivation: Trees are cut down within a designated area and all existing vegetation in the area is burned off Ash from the burning contributes to the soil’s fertility 11  Three Revolutions Industrial Revolution Also referred to as the “Second Agricultural Revolution” Revolution that would move agriculture beyond subsistence Increase in farm size Put up fence around the land Instituted field rotation. 12  Three Revolutions Industrial Revolution Innovations -Seed drill, Moldboard plow, treshing machine, barbed wire fence, selective breeding 13  Three Revolutions Industrial Revolution By the 1830s, farmers were: Using new fertilizers on crops, and Feeding artificial feeds to livestock. 14  Three Revolutions Green Revolution Rapid diffusion of productive agriculture techniques throughout the 1970s and the 1980s Solution to massive global famine. Green Revolution was considered both a success and a failure 15  Three Revolutions Green Revolution - internal combustion engine and rural electrification enabled massive improvements in labor productivity - breakthroughs in plant breeding, herbicides, and pesticides enabled major improvements in yields As a success... Allowed the development of high yielding hybrids adapted to environmental conditions in specific regions Prevented a food crisis in Asia and Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s 16  Three Revolutions Green Revolution As a failure... Distribution of economic power - more specifically purchasing land and purchasing power, did not change With no money to buy food, increase in production of food is not going to help poor people (no food security) 17  Three Revolutions Green Revolution As a failure... Dramatic increases in the early years and falling yields in the succeeding years in a number of Green Revolution areas Example: Central Luzon rice yields 1970s –steady growth in yield 1980s – peak 18  Three Revolutions Green Revolution As a failure... Rice-wheat systems in India and Nepal – similar pattern The Green Revolution has NOT proven itself to be a successful and sustainable strategy in ending world hunger 19  Three Revolutions Green Revolution The causes of the problems have to do with forms of long-term soil degradation Field of biotechnology sprung up in conjunction with Green Revolution 75% of all processed foods in the United States are GMOs Many of the poorer countries of the world do not have access to the necessary capital and technology 20  Three Revolutions Green Revolution Resistance to GMOs is strong in Western Europe - GMOs declared safe - But strong aversion to taste - May affect one’s health 21  Three Revolutions Limitation of the second and third agricultural revolutions: Problem of open-loop control - marginal gain did not account for the external costs such as environmental damage. This led to many agritechnology techniques, particularly chemical applications, genetic manipulations, and others becoming controversial, as they can lead to pollution, environmental degradation, and consumer resistance. In the richer countries - loss of willing and skilled rural workforce to do many manual hard labor such as picking vegetables and fruit, animal welfare management. 22  Agriculture 4.0 23 The development roadmap of the revolution of Agriculture 1.0 to 4.0  Agriculture 4.0 Agriculture 4.0 represents the fourth agriculture revolution that uses digital technologies and moves toward a smarter, more efficient, environmentally responsible agriculture sector - - smart farming and agricultural digitalization, is an information-driven farming approach that basically taps digital technology for ways to improve farm productivity while lowering the costs of inputs significantly - - involves the integration of sophisticated technologies such as IoT sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and cloud computing platforms to digitize and enhance agricultural processes 24  Agriculture 4.0 25 MAP OF TECHNOLOGIES AND MATURITY  In a Nutshell... In all the revolutions mentioned, the role of the soil as: – a component of the system – as a medium for crop production, & – as a resource, is highly indispensable Even with biotechnology, soil remains the foundation of food production and agriculture 26  In a Nutshell... Demands on soil resources during the 21st century and beyond include: a. Increasing production to meet the food needs of additional 3.5 billion people b. Sequestering carbon in terrestrial (soil and trees) and aquatic ecosystems c. Converting degraded and desertified soils to restorative land use for enhancing biodiversity and improving the environment 27  In a Nutshell... Demands on soil resources during the 21st century and beyond include: d. Developing farming and cropping systems e. Creating reserves for species preservation, recreation and enhancing aesthetic value of soil resources 28 Approaches in the Study of Soils 1. Pedological (Pedology) The study of soils in its natural environment. It deals with pedogenesis, morphology, properties and classification. 29 Approaches in the Study of Soils 1. Pedological (Pedology) Pedogenesis - The science and study of the processes that lead to the formation of soil (soil evolution) 30 Approaches in the Study of Soils 1. Pedological (Pedology) Soil Morphology - The field- observable attributes of the soil within the various soil horizons and the description of the kind and arrangement of the horizons This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY 31 Approaches in the Study of Soils 2. Edaphological (Edaphology) The study of soils with emphasis on their practical use – Why does productivity of the soil vary? – What are the ways of improving or conserving soil fertility? – Soil as a component of a farm 32  Thanks! ANY QUESTIONS? Message me. 33