Organic fertilizer, that is, fertilizer made from organic matter (such as compounds containing carbon), is widely present in our daily life. These organic substances may come from the remains of plants and animals, or animal excrement. Organic fertilizer is not only of many types, but also has significant benefits. It can not only improve soil quality, increase soil water retention and air permeability, but also provide necessary nutrients for crops and promote their healthy growth. In addition, organic fertilizer can also help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, thereby reducing environmental pollution.
1. Increase soil aggregate structure
Soil aggregate structure is an aggregate structure formed by the mutual bonding of multiple soil single particles. In this structure, many small pores are formed between single particles, and large pores are formed between aggregates. These small pores help to retain moisture in the soil, while large pores ensure the aeration of the soil. Soil with a good aggregate structure can not only provide an ideal growth environment for plant roots, but also be conducive to the cultivation and growth of crops. At the same time, this structure also has a significant effect on improving soil fertility.
① The soil aggregate structure can effectively coordinate the balance between water and air, ensuring that the soil is neither too dry nor too wet.
② It can also promote the reasonable consumption and accumulation of nutrients in soil organic matter and maintain the fertility level of the soil.
③ In addition, this structure helps to stabilize the soil temperature, thereby regulating the soil heat condition and providing a suitable growth environment for crops.
④ More importantly, it can improve the tillage of the soil and make the soil more suitable for the extension and growth of crop roots.
2. It helps to improve the permeability and looseness of the soil.
When fruit trees are in the nutrient cycle, their leaves and roots will exchange gases: the leaves absorb carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen; while the roots absorb oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. In order to ensure that this cycle can proceed smoothly, the breathing roots in the shallow layer of the surface must have sufficient oxygen supply. Therefore, the looseness and air permeability of the soil become crucial. The air permeability of the soil, also known as soil aeration, describes the ability of the soil air to exchange with the atmosphere, or the speed at which the atmosphere enters the soil. This property is closely related to the structure of the soil, especially the porosity characteristics. Generally, soil with a higher total porosity or a higher proportion of macropores will also have better air permeability. For example, well-structured soil has better air permeability than poorly structured soil; sandy soil has better air permeability than clay soil; moderately moist soil can maintain better air permeability than overly moist soil; and the air permeability of the surface soil is usually better than that of the lower soil.
3. It helps to regulate the acid-base balance of the soil.
The acidity and alkalinity of the soil, that is, the pH value, is an important indicator for measuring the acidity and alkalinity of the soil. The concentration of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions in the soil determines its acidity and alkalinity. When the concentration of hydrogen ions is higher than that of hydroxide ions, the soil is acidic; conversely, it is alkaline; when the concentrations of the two are equal, it is neutral. There are significant differences in the pH values of soils in the north and south of my country. The south is humid and rainy, and the soil is mostly acidic; while the north is dry and rainy, and the soil is mostly alkaline. Too acidic or too alkaline soil will affect the effectiveness of soil nutrients, destroy good soil structure, inhibit the activity of soil microorganisms, and thus affect the normal growth of crops.
4. It helps to improve the quality of agricultural products.
The quality of agricultural products is closely related to the soil environment. By adjusting the acid-base balance of the soil, the quality of agricultural products can be improved. The main organic components in fruits, such as sugars, organic acids and vitamins, will change due to the influence of the soil environment. Therefore, adjusting the acid-base balance of the soil is of great significance to improving the quality of agricultural products.
5. All-round improvement of the quality of agricultural products.
The quality of agricultural products depends not only on their taste, but also on their nutritional value, appearance and color. By adjusting the acid-base balance of the soil, we can effectively improve the quality of agricultural products and make them more in line with consumer expectations. Specifically, changes in the soil environment will affect the content of key components such as sugar, organic acids and vitamins in fruits, thereby changing the taste and nutritional value of fruits. In addition, the regulation of soil acid-base balance will also affect the hardness, aroma and odor of fruits, as well as changes in pigments, further improving the overall quality of agricultural products.
6. Provide comprehensive nutritional support for agricultural products.
As a high-quality fertilizer, organic fertilizer contains rich organic matter and a variety of organic acids, such as humic acid, amino acids and fulvic acid. These ingredients can not only provide comprehensive nutritional support for agricultural products, but also promote the release and utilization of macro, medium and trace elements in the soil. By using organic fertilizers, we can ensure that agricultural products meet higher standards in taste and nutritional value, and provide consumers with healthier and more delicious food.
7. Long-term characteristics.
Real organic fertilizers will not dissolve in water because the cellulose and lignin components contained in them cannot be decomposed by water. On the contrary, these organic fertilizers need to be gradually decomposed by the microbial flora in the soil, and then converted into amino acids and carbohydrates before they can be absorbed by the roots of fruit trees. Although this process is slow, it can provide long-lasting and stable nutritional support for fruit trees.
8. Significant synergistic effect.
When organic fertilizers are decomposed in the soil, they not only provide the necessary energy and nutrients for soil microorganisms, but also effectively promote the activities of these microorganisms. This further accelerates the decomposition of organic matter and produces beneficial ingredients such as active substances, which have a significant promoting effect on crop growth and can significantly improve the quality of agricultural products. In addition, organic acids produced by microbial decomposition can also effectively activate fixed mineral elements in the soil, so that these elements can be more fully absorbed and utilized by plants.
9. Excellent water retention.
Research data show that humus in organic fertilizers contains components such as fats, waxes and resins. These substances can infiltrate soil clumps during soil formation and give them hydrophobicity, thereby slowing down the soil wetting process and the movement speed of capillary water. This further reduces the evaporation of soil moisture, while enhancing the water holding capacity of the soil and effectively improving the moisture condition of the soil.
The study also found that the hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics of humus are closely related to its components. In particular, the degree of polymerization of the side chain on the edge of the humic acid molecule affects the exposure of the side chain group, which in turn affects the interaction between humus and water molecules. This interaction determines the moisture properties of organic matter to a certain extent.
In addition, the aggregate structure also has an important influence on the water retention of the soil. The aggregate structure is closely related to the organic matter content of the soil and the amount of organic fertilizer applied. A good aggregate structure can ensure the looseness of the soil surface and facilitate soil permeability. It is characterized by loose aggregates and large non-capillary porosity, which can effectively reduce the height and speed of capillary movement of water in the soil, thereby reducing the evaporation of water on the soil surface. At the same time, the radius of the soil particle structure with a good aggregate structure is relatively large, and the speed of the capillary water rising movement is inversely proportional to the radius of the structural unit, which means that a good aggregate structure can effectively slow down the rising speed of capillary water.
10. Excellent thermal insulation.
Organic fertilizer not only has the effect of absorbing heat and increasing temperature, but also effectively improves the growth conditions of fruit trees. During the decomposition process, organic fertilizer will release heat, thereby increasing the soil temperature. At the same time, its large heat capacity and excellent thermal insulation performance enable it to prevent freezing in winter and heatstroke in summer, providing a strong guarantee for the germination, growth and safe wintering of the fruit tree root system.
10. Soil organic matter content – a key indicator of soil fertility.
Soil organic matter, as a substance derived from life in the soil, is an indispensable component of the soil solid phase. It is not only a key source of plant nutrition, but also effectively promotes plant growth, improves soil physical properties, and enhances the activities of microorganisms and soil organisms. In addition, soil organic matter can accelerate the decomposition of nutrients in the soil, thereby improving the soil’s fertility retention and buffering capacity. Therefore, under the same or similar other conditions, the content of soil organic matter is proportional to the level of soil fertility, becoming an important indicator of soil fertility. The application of organic fertilizer is an effective way to increase the content of soil organic matter.
