Soil Degradation and Nutrient Mobilization under Low Nutrient Availability in Organically-Managed Soils

1. Priyanka Uniyal
   School of Applied and Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.
   *Corresponding author: pilu.uni.octa@gmail.com
2. L. R. Dangwal
   Herbarium and Plant Systematics Laboratory, Department of Botany, H.N.B. Garhwal University (S.R.T. Campus), Badshahithaul, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India.

ABSTRACT

To ensure food security in future our agricultural system must develop alternatives to aggressive and environmentally-degrading conventional practices. Global climate change and intensive agriculture have contributed majorly to degradation of important soil processes and biological functions. Organically managing agricultural soil is one of the most promising alternatives to make soil productive and sustainable through repudiating use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, conservation tillage, crop rotation practices, utilizing cover crops and intercropping methods, enhancing soil microbial activity, reducing nutrient losses and amplifying plant-induced nutrient mobilization. We discuss these methods and processes in detail. This chapter examines the organically controlled soil mechanisms that increase macro- and micronutrient availability to plant roots in soils with low nutrient availability. It aims to provide a conceptual framework for the numerous processes that contribute to nutrient mobilization, as well as a framework within which the various solutions for enhancing nutrient efficiency in organically managed soils may be combined. Further, role of plants in the soil ecosystem and importance of plant-induced nutrient mobilization is discussed in brief. We also realized some knowledge voids in soil research that are yet needed to be understood.

Keywords: Soil microbiota, N mobilization, P mobilization, cover crop, conservation tillage