Healthy soil is the foundation that supports productive agriculture. Healthy soils promote nutrient-dense, healthy crops via an intricate living support network in the soil. This living system is home to many microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and worms, which function synergistically with plants to support their health. A healthy balanced soil ecosystem supports nutrient uptake and plant strength for higher crop yields and reduced costs. To achieve a healthy, sustainable soil ecosystem, we must support reduced soil erosion, increased water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and resilience to pests and disease.
Unfortunately, over the last 150 years, agricultural soils have lost half of their biological makeup that supports growth and productivity. The loss of organic matter can be attributed to traditional farming practices that disrupt the soil microbiome, decrease organic matter, and deplete nutrients in the soil, leading to reduced fertility and yields. In addition, topsoil erosion by water, wind, or tillage prevents plants from having strong roots in the ground, ultimately inhibiting effective growth. Replenishing healthy topsoil can take years once eroded, making maintaining healthy soil a priority to ensure productive land for generations to come.
As our population rapidly grows, soil health becomes increasingly crucial as it will have devastating effects in the future for food supplies and the environment if soils continue to be exhausted.
Alternative practices that aim to support the natural balance essential in creating thriving and sustainable soils are increasingly utilised as a means to nurture the fragile balance needed for productive and sustainable agriculture. As a result, we are at the precipice of a new era of agriculture. A generation of agriculture focused on ways to increase photosynthesis and the health of crops while mitigating the flow-on effects on the broader environment. These include; facilitating the storage of carbon within the soil, improving soil health, and reducing atmospheric carbon levels.
Regenerative Agriculture
By utilising regenerative agricultural practices, we can improve soil health and support short-term and long-term goals to improve output and protect food security for future generations.
Minimise soil disturbance
Avoid ploughing the soil and avoid using chemicals. Tilling or introducing chemicals can be devastating to living microorganisms.
Simply by minimising soil disturbance, you can increase the abundance and diversity of microbes to improce soil structure, reduce erosion, and support water and nutrient retention.
Cover crops
Keeping the soil covered with plants (dead or alive) reduces erosion and lowers soil temperatures. In addition, plant growth throughout the year allows the ground to have a continuous supply of nutrients, which aids crop growth.
Increasing plant biodiversity
Using a variety of plants and crop rotation assists with the prevention of pests and disease. It also helps supply carbon to the soil to support its microbiome.
Animal integration
Allowing animals to graze on cover crops allows more nutrient cycling and reduces reliance on fertilisers.
How can CropBioLife help?
CropBioLife can be used in conjunction with regenerative practices to improve soil health. CropBioLife is a foliar spray containing naturally occurring flavonoids that stimulate biosynthetic pathways in the plant and biological processes in the roots that enhance soil health. Ultimately, this leads to both plant and soil health by creating a cascade of events that improve the health of the overall ecosystem. Using CropBioLife can assist in the rapid regeneration of soils, improve nutrient uptake, resilience, fruit set, and reduce costs.
Soil health is vital for healthy crop growth. Using a combination of regenerative agricultural practices and CropBioLife, farmers can expect higher productivity and reduced costs by improving the health of their soil. These practices will protect food security and help to combat climate change for future generations.
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