Wikipedia
Soil fertility refers to the ability of a soil to sustain plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality. A fertile soil has the following properties:
- The ability to supply essential plant nutrients and soil water in adequate amounts and proportions for plant growth and reproduction; and
- The absence of toxic substances which may inhibit plant growth.
The following properties contribute to soil fertility in most situations:
- Sufficient soil depth for adequate root growth and water retention;
- Good internal drainage, allowing sufficient aeration for optimal root growth (although some plants, such as rice, tolerate waterlogging);
- Topsoil with sufficient soil organic matter for healthy soil structure and soil moisture retention;
- Soil pH in the range 5.5 to 7.0 (suitable for most plants but some prefer or tolerate more acid or alkaline conditions);
- Adequate concentrations of essential plant nutrients in plant-available forms;
- Presence of a range of microorganisms that support plant growth.
In lands used for agriculture and other human activities, maintenance of soil fertility typically requires the use of soil conservation practices. This is because soil erosion and other forms of soil degradation generally result in a decline in quality with respect to one or more of the aspects indicated above.
Usage examples of "soil fertility".
They were forecasting that when the population exceeded the resources necessary to support it--whether because the fuels and ores were used up and soil fertility lost, or because the population simply grew too big--billions of people would die.
Angelica tells me we can build up the soil fertility and we'll have more livestock soon.
Up goes the spiral of industry, down goes the spiral of soil fertility.
This carbon rich organic matter adds to the soil fertility, and with each passing season a little more carbon dioxide from the air enters to soil, so the biomass fuel crops slowly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide from our polluted atmosphere.
Surely the Spinners' enemies are long gone by now, and it seems unlikely that the basic soil fertility could have been destroyed.
He was the first to realize how vitally important worms are to soil fertility.
But, Nan, that was due to different environmental conditions on different islandsminerals and food supply and soil fertility.
Then look at the figures in the appendix on soil fertility an' erosion in the far-southern provinces, and the demographics chapter.