planting life in soil
Why ! We support organic farming
Organic farming lowers the risk of environmental pollution. Organic farming capturing and storing more carbon (CO2) in the soil (carbon sequestration) and reducing the risks of climate change challenges. The Organic farmers are planting life in soil with a chemical-free environment. More over organically producing food without chemical pesticides itself has a lot of health benefits. The fundamental idea of organic farming is to respect nature and to enhance the health of soils, water and air. Organic farming is leading the way on sustainability. Know the Importance of SOM & CEC, Organic Soil Matter (SOM) & Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC).
In order to know the importance of Organic Soil Matter (SOM), it is necessary to understand what is Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). SOM (Organic soil matter) into the soil profile offers many benefits to soil and plants. This organic matter increases the ability to hold nutrients, all while reducing leaching and synthetic fertilizer needs. The soil’s ability to hold nutrients is called Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and every naturally growing plant or grass needs the basic nutrients in the soil to survive and grow.
Soil organic matter also increases available water capacity by aerating the soil structure and reduces compaction. Without organic soil matter, loamy and clay soils become extremely dense which causes plants or grass roots to not grow as deep. The more compact the soil is, the less aerated it is. Regardless of the type of soil, this organic matter is necessary for successful plant or grass growth. Organic soil matter optimize pH and increase nutrient uptake (CEC) all while being natural, sustainable and safe.
Connecting back to soil
The Soil organic matter is the fraction of the soil that consists of plant or animal tissue in various stages of decomposition.
Having organic soil matter incorporated into the soil profile offers many benefits. This matter increases the ability to hold nutrients, all while reducing leaching and fertilizer needs. The soil’s ability to hold nutrients is called cation exchange capacity (CEC) and ever
One of the most important keys to a healthy soil, is the % of organic matters in the soil. Especially important for good organic farming. Soil not just dirt…soil is a living, dynamic ecosystem. Healthy soil is filled with organisms that perform many vital functions including converting dead and decaying matter as well as minerals to plant nutrients.
Different soil organisms feed on different organic substrates. Their biological activity depends on the organic matter supply. Building the soils nutrients is a long-term process but can be beneficial.
Soil organic matter (SOM) in a natural soil comes from three sources:
(1) Dead plant parts and animal droppings deposited on the soil surface. (2) Roots that die and decompose. (3) Liquid carbohyd
Soil Organic Carbon
Fundamentals of Soil Organic Carbon
Soil organic matter (SOM) is composed of soil microbes including bacteria and fungi, decaying material from once-living organisms such as plant and animal tissues, fecal material, and products formed from their decomposition. SOM is a heterogeneous mixture of materials that range in stage of decomposition from fresh plant residues to highly decomposed material known as humus. SOM is made of organic compounds that are highly enriched in carbon. Soil organic carbon (SOC) levels are directly related to the amount of organic matter contained in soil and SOC is often how organic matter is measured in soils.
SOC levels result from the interactions of several ecosystem processes, of which photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition are key. Photosynthesis is the fixation of atmospheric CO2 into plant biomass. SOC input rates are primarily determined by the root biomass of a plant, but also include litter deposited from plant shoots. Soil C results both directly from growth and death of plant roots, as well as indirectly from the transfer of carbon-enriched compounds from roots to soil microbes. For example, many plants form symbiotic associations between their roots and specialized fungi in the soil known as mycorrhizae; the roots provide the fungi energy in the form of carbon while the fungi provide the plant with often-limiting nutrients such as phosphorus. Decomposition of biomass by soil microbes results in carbon loss as CO2 from the soil due to microbial respiration, while a small proportion of the original carbon is retained in the soil through the formation of humus, a product that often gives carbon-rich soils their characteristic dark color. These various forms of SOC differ in their recalcitrance, or resistance to decomposition. Humus is highly recalcitrant, and this resistance to decomposition leads to a long residence time in soil. Plant debris is less recalcitrant, resulting in a much shorter residence time in soil. Other ecosystem processes that can lead to carbon loss include soil erosion and leaching of dissolved carbon into groundwater. When carbon inputs and outputs are in balance with one another, there is no net change in SOC levels. When carbon inputs from photosynthesis exceed C losses, SOC levels increase over time.
Soil Carbon and Climate Change
There is a growing body of evidence supporting the hypothesis that the earth's climate is rapidly changing in response to continued inputs of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere resulting from human activities (IPCC 2007). While a suite of GHGs exist (e.g., N2O, CH4), CO2 has the largest effect on global climate as a result of enormous increases from the preindustrial era to today. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations have risen from approximately 280 parts per million (ppm) prior to 1850, to 381.2 ppm in 2006 (WMO 2006), with a current annual increase of 0.88 ppm (3.5 GT C/yr) (IPCC 2007). Approximately two-thirds of the total increase in atmospheric CO2 is a result of the burning of fossil fuels, with the remainder coming from SOC loss due to land use change (Lal 2004), such as the clearing of forests and the cultivation of land for food production
Let's Dig Organic
We are conducting seminars and events on bio-environmental impacts of soil and awareness campaign on human and animal health hazards of chemical residues in the food. Our movements are turning people to affordable organic use and helping more organic farmers in sustainable agricultural production at a demand. Consumers perceive organic foods as more tasty, nutritious, natural, and environmentally friendly than non-organic or conventional foods. Since organic foods developed, studies on consumer behavior and organic foods have contributed significantly to its innovative development. In general, organic farmers rely on resources recycled on-farm and on management practices rather than on purchased fertilizers and pesticides. This approach can significantly reduce some costs of production and more affordability.
