World Soil Day: How fertile soil leads to a better harvest

On December 5th we celebrate World Soil Day under the theme of  ″Soils: where food begins″, recognizing soil as the source of most of our food and a critical part in both flora and fauna nutrition. Understanding our soil fertility is incredibly important to achieve a larger yield, a higher-quality and more nutrient-dense crop, and a soil that is more resistant to abiotic stresses such as drought or extreme weather events.

Although it is fundamental to food production, soil is largely one of the most underappreciated resources on Earth. Beyond our dependence on it to produce food and grow plants, soil also plays a critical role interconnecting ecosystem functions such as water regulation and mitigating climate change by storing an extraordinary amount of Carbon: 3 times more the amount in the atmosphere and 2 times more the amount contained in all plants and trees. Despite this, human factors such as poor management practices, pollution, climate change and urbanization have led to 60-70% of all soils in Europe being depleted.[1] Continuing on this path, without taking action, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050, 90% of all soils globally will be degraded, threatening our global climate and food security.[2]

As such, it is crucial that we act now to take care of our soil and help it thrive, so that our crops can flourish. Tradecorp recognizes the essential role our soils play in food security, thus Tradecorp researches and develops innovative and high-quality solutions whom can tackle the challenges growers are facing today, achieving higher yield and quality.*

Soil fertility: This is the soil’s ability to provide plants with the right physical, chemical, and biological conditions for growth and development. A fertile soil has a higher capacity to retain nutrients and make them more available to our crops.
pH and salinity: Soils with high salinity and pH level often negatively affect nutrient availability and microorganisms linked to core processes. To tackle this challenge, the grower needs to select the optimum crop and variety, as well as develop crop nutritional programs adjusted to the conditions.

Boost soil microbiome: The advantage of a diverse microbiome extends beyond plant nutrition, for example, improving soil water dynamics can help mitigate climate change, among others. Using natural agricultural inputs and incorporate probiotic products can help to boost the soil microbiome and support a quality harvest.

Improve the structure of soil: Soils have extensive differences regarding porosity, permeability, and exchange of gases, among others characteristics, due to texture and profile properties. To maintain an adequate soil structure, it is important to optimize the number and type of crop management practices, while applying organic matter to improve the overall structure of the soil.

While the global availability of fertile soils has been diminishing in years past, biostimulants are a great way to improve sustainable management of our soil resources. Each solution made by Tradecorp is developed to address specific issues that soils may face with the end goal of improving yield and quality of harvests. By offering high quality Humic Acids products, water management solutions, and probiotic microbiota Biostimulants, Tradecorp aims to help growers maintain a fertile soil that will allow them to meet the demands of the market today and in the future.

*It is important to note that each crop and soil is different, so they should be properly studied to establish the right management system and solution to achieve a healthy soil.

[1] ″Life on Earth depends on healthy soils″. EIP-AGRI, 20 March 2022.

[2] ″Saving our soils by all earthly ways possible″. FAO, 27 July 2022.