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In agriculture, soil compaction is a complex problem in which soil, crops, weather and machinery interact. External pressure due to the use of heavy machinery and inappropriate soil management can lead to the compaction of subsoil , creating impermeable layers within the soil that restrict water and nutrient cycles .
Natural topsoil is mined and conditioned for human use and makes up the bulk of commercial topsoil available. The current rate of use and erosion outpaces soil generation. [4] It is possible to create artificial topsoil which supports some of the engineering or biological uses of topsoil. [4]
No-till farming is a soil conservation practice used in the United States, with adoption increasing due to its potential to reduce costs and improve soil health. By minimizing soil disturbance, no-till farming reduces the number of passes required with machinery, leading to lower fuel and labor expenses.
A quarter of all the animal species live underground. According to the 2020 Food and Agriculture Organization’s report "State of knowledge of soil biodiversity – Status, challenges and potentialities", there are major gaps in knowledge about biodiversity in soils. [18] [19] Degraded soil requires synthetic fertilizer to produce high yields ...
Agricultural soil science studies the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to agriculture. Agricultural soil scientists develop methods that will improve the use of soil and increase the production of food and fiber crops. Emphasis continues to grow on the importance of soil sustainability.
(Click for video) Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking.
Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality. [3] It also refers to the soil's ability to supply plant/crop nutrients in the right quantities and qualities over a sustained period of time.
In agriculture, "humus" sometimes also is used to describe mature or natural compost extracted from a woodland or other spontaneous source for use as a soil conditioner. [3] It is also used to describe a topsoil horizon that contains organic matter (humus type, [4] humus form, [5] or humus profile [6]).