Humus – Helps Prevent Desertification Of Soil

🤔 Desertificated In India!!: What is the solution?? 🤔
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Dear Friends

👉🏾 In 2017 Centre For Science And Technology’ published a research article based on the survey made by ISRO.

👉🏾This report says that, 30 % of fertile soil has lost in India
because of:-

– deforestation

– chemical farming

– huge erosion of soil due to rain

– heat waves , and

– interference of human

👉🏾 According to that report, among 328.7 million hector of Indian land under cultivation, 96.4 million hector of land became desert or on the way of severe desertification.

🌴 *Top most desertificated states are:-
*

⚡Rajasthan 63 %

⚡ Delhi 60.6 %

⚡Gujarat 52.29 %

⚡Goa 52.13 %

⚡Maharashtra 44 %,

⚡Himachal pradesh 43.0 %

⚡Karnataka 36.24 %

⚡Orissa 34.06 %

⚡Telangana 31.34 %

⚡West Bengal 19 %

⚡Madhya pradesh 12.34 %

⚡Tamilnadu 12 %,

⚡ Bihar 7.38 %,

⚡Uttar pradesh 6.0 %,

🌴 What is the solution ??

👉🏾Soil & its fertilty:-

⚡Soil is constituted with huge quantity of sand particles. These sand is not having the capacity to hold the water or moisture, & also can not supply nutrients to the plants moreover can not control the soil temperature. But when Humus is deposited in between two sand particles then this sand get the water holding capacity. Also this Humus supply all nutrients and moisture to the roots of the plants and control the soil temperature very well.

🌴 How HUMUS is created in soil?

⚡By adopting 4 basic principles (Chakra’s) in agriculture enhance microbial activities in soil and thereby HUMUS can be developed & increased

👉(1) Beejamrutham, (microbial coating of seeds using cow dung and urine based formulations)

👉(2) Jeevamrutham, (the application of a concoction made with cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil to multiply soil microbes)

👉 (3) Mulching, (applying a layer of organic material to the soil surface in order to prevent water evaporation, and to contribute to soil humus formation)

👉 (4) Waaphasa, (soil aeration through a favourable microclimate in the soil.

🌴 What is humus?

✍ Humus is the organic material in soil. We may call it has soil carbon (?)

👉 Humus is not a form of soil, rather it is the broken down composted remains of leaves, grass, and other organic matter contained within the soil.

👉 It is usually black or dark brown and this dark colour attracts the sunlight and helps to warm up cold soils in the spring.

👉 Humus can significantly change the properties of soil.

✍ Humus is rich in carbon and is generally acidic as a result of its humic acid content.

✍ Humus increases the water storage potential of the soil and produces carbonic acid, which disintegrates minerals

🌴What is the Composition of humus?

👉🏾 This Humus is created by decomposition of waste of agricultural crops and other straw mulching.

👉🏾 Humus contains many useful nutrients and minerals for healthy soil, with nitrogen being the most important of all. Nitrogen is particularly important for plant growth because it is primarily responsible for vegetative growth and a building block for protein in the plant. Specifically, humus consists of about 60% carbon, 6% nitrogen, and smaller amounts of phosphorus and sulfur.

👉🏾 Because Humus as a storehouse for essential plant nutrients, it helps determine soil fertility level. But humus also provides further essential benefits to the soil.

🌴 *What are the significances humus?

☘ The Humus is created near the roots not beyond the roots. Because, the roots feed the raw sugar ( carbo hydrates created by photosynthesis). This sugar provides energy to micro organisms (humus creater). In this exchange process, these micro organisms feed nutrients to the roots . There is a symbiosis in between roots and micro organisms.

☘The structure of humus is such that it acts as a buffer against soils that may be too acidic or alkaline. Holds nutrients and prevents them from leaching.

☘ Acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture. This helps the soil during dry spells.

☘Traps oxygen, which is essential for root development.

☘ Feeds and protects microbes in the soil.

☘ Prevents erosion by holding soil particles together.

☘ Helps root structures to grow by contributing to improved vigour.

☘ Protects the soil from extremes in temperature.

☘ Maintains soil pH, helping to correct soil pH problems.

☘ Humus is highly nutritious and rich in minerals and microbes vital for healthy plant growth.

☘ Because of its high ratio in organic compounds, humus is also very rich in microorganisms which help plants to absorb nutrients or to combat diseases. This makes humus a great solution for soil Fertility.

☘ One of the most important functions of humus is that it makes the soil more porous, improving soil aeration, infiltration and drainage.

☘ Humus is highly nutritious and rich in minerals and microbes vital for healthy plant growth.

☘ Air is the ocean of water having huge quantity of water vapour through out the year. One kg Humus absorbs six litre water through the air in one day at night.

☘ That means, Humus is able to hold 80-90 per cent of its own weight in moisture. It can increase the soil’s capacity to withstand drought conditions

☘ Humus biochemical structure enables it to moderate or buffer excessive acid or alkaline soil conditions. This allows humus to prevent toxic substances from entering the ecosystem as heavy metals as well as excess nutrients that can harm soil fertility

☘ Humus supports the growth of an all-important organism called mycorrhizal fungi. This fungi forms a symbiotic relationship with many plants.

☘ Overall, adding humus in the soil will increase soil fertility and enhance the growth of seedlings and other vegetation while also reduce the need for watering to a minimum and help make plants more resilient to disease

🌴 What happens when there is no Humus?

✍ Humus less soil can become extremely compacted and airless and form very hard crusts that resist the infiltration of air, rain, or irrigation water and hence also prevent the emergence of seedlings.

🌴How is HUMUS is destroyed??

This Humus is destroyed by:-

⚡ blowing air, wind, cyclones

⚡heat waves of air

⚡ heavy rains coming with high speed

⚡ floods

⚡ high temperature

⚡when soil is exposed to direct sun light

⚡ deep ploughing of soil,

⚡cold waves

⚡ thunder storms & hailstorm

⚡burning of waste agricultural Residues (straw) after harvesting

⚡using heavy tractor for agriculture

⚡ etc

Because of the above factors carbon in Humus reacts with with atmospheric oxygen carbon di oxide is liberated in to the atmosphere, which is a green house gas, responsible for global warming and climate change.

👉🏾 When this Humus is destroyed, then there is no any existence of humus in between two sand particles, only sand is remained and entire soil becomes dead and desertisation starts!!!! 🤔🤔

Dear Farmers

Kindly note the importance of HUMUS EVERY FARMER SHOULD HAVE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE ON HUMUS & should have in their Land. That is holistic agriculture.

Dear All

🙏🏼We must change our agriculture system and adopt Holistic methods like Cow based agriculture & *Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF) to save our Mother Earth

Source : Padmashri Subhash Palekarji’s books and talks

🙏🏼Kindly share this information with all FARMER friends

-Dr. B.M. Nagabhushana,
Professor, & HoD. Department of Chemistry
& Vice president of LSIKC
M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT)
Bangalore