An average of thirty-nine inches of topsoil supports 87% of all living forms worldwide, including microorganisms, worms, insects, birds, animals, humans, plants, trees, and all other vegetation. And that is currently in great jeopardy.
40% of the world’s topsoil has been destroyed in the previous forty years by unabated deforestation and urbanization, industrial pollution, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricultural practices
So, what can we do to conserve the soil for future generations?
The #SaveSoil Initiative
On March 21, the Isha Foundation, an IUCN Member, started the ‘Journey to Save Soil‘ in London, sending its founder Sadhguru on a 100-day motorbike journey across 26 nations to raise awareness about soil degradation and advocate for the return of organic matter to agricultural operations.
According to UN estimates, we only have enough soil for about eighty to a hundred harvests, which means another forty-five to sixty years of agriculture. 30% of India’s land is already damaged, and 90% of the country’s states are experiencing desertification.
This loss jeopardizes food quality and availability, water security, and biodiversity increases carbon emissions and climate-related concerns, and can result in job loss, conflict, and migration.
The impact is long-lasting and wide-ranging. There are several scientific intricacies in addressing the problem of land degradation in diverse types of soil conditions, agro-climatic zones, and cultural and economic traditions.
Nonetheless, one overriding goal may be to guarantee that agricultural soil contains a minimum of 3-6% organic content. This would result in our soil being fertile and thriving with organic matter that helps agriculture.
Soil Testing Equipment – The Need of The Hour
Organic matter influences physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Some properties influenced by organic matter include soil structure, compressibility, and shear strength. In addition, it also affects the water holding capacity, nutrient contributions, biological activity, and water and air infiltration rates.
To increase the organic content of the soil by 3-6%, we must first determine the current organic content level. This can be determined by soil testing.
Soil testing ranges from construction to agriculture industries.
Construction industry tests define the hardness stability, and impact of compression strength of construction soils with the help of soil testing equipment such as Shear Test, Triaxial Test, and Consolidation Testing.
Agricultural soil testing helps optimize crop output, protect the environment from contamination caused by runoff and leaching of excess fertilizer, and improve the growth media’s nutritional balance.
Principle: The sample soil is weighed against the porcelain container. The soil with organic carbon matter is placed in the porcelain dish inside the muffle furnace. It is heated gradually at 400 degrees Celsius and kept inside the furnace overnight. The difference between the original and the latter is the amount of organic material in the soil.
Soil Testing Equipment such as the Muffle Furnace is commonly used to determine the organic carbon content in a soil sample.
Soil testing will pave the way for backing up scientific claims of the #SaveSoil initiative. With the right knowledge, we can hope to take more calculated measures to revive soil fertility.
LYNX Lawrence & Mayo is a market leader in hydrometeorological equipment used to determine various soil properties. A company with 145 years of experience serving excellence, our products are aimed at complete reliability.
For more information contact us on 022 2207 1828.