Agriculture till date stands out as the backbone of the economy. It is needless to mention that the most important criteria for the agricultural productivity is maintenance of the best soil. Owing to the heavy conventional agricultural practices the soil is fast degrading. The repeated usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides erode the soil of its inherent quality. Here in we see the major soil indicators to increase the crop yield which will help all the farmers and boost agricultural earnings.

The 3 most important soil indicators for steady crop yield

1) The moisture content available in the soil

To find out whether the soil is available for raising crops or not, the most important aspect to analyse the state of the soil is its moisture content. The soil should not be dry. The water retentive capacity of the soil should be enough to keep the soil moist for at least half of the day. Likewise, plants like cotton need excess water and plants like paddy need to be provided with stagnant water during the initial days.

All the more, the content of water in the soil is of prime importance for the steady growth of the plants. Better the moisture level in the soil, more will be the nutrient flow in the plants. However, the farmers should keep in mind not to flood the soil. Too much water in the soil can lead to the rotting and clogging of the roots. Moreover, due to extra content of water, the insoluble chemical fertilizers might also get washed away thereby will incur heavy costs on buying extra sacks of fertilizers and manure.

If the roots get clogged with water, this might cause a plenty of issues. Some of the major issues in plants due to root getting clogged is that the plant can suffer from a variety of diseases . Due to root clogging, the plant may also suffer from stunted growth. All this will eventually affect the productivity or the crop yield , thus damaging the farmers’ income.

2) What is the role of micro nutrients and macro nutrients as soil indicators to increase the crop yield

It is very important to understand , that the soil requires proper proportion and appropriate combination of both micro nutrients and macro nutrients in the soil. From being used in the process of photosynthesis to the overall increase in the growth, the combination of the nutrients is very important for the crop yield.

Macro nutrient,  as the name suggests is required in heavy quantity and is thus very important for proper plant growth. Some of the most important macro nutrients for plant growth are nitrogen , potassium and phosphorus. These are primarily required for the plant growth. The micro nutrients as indicated by the name , are required in smaller quantity as compared to macro nutrients. Some of common micro nutrients required for crop development is manganese, boron, iron, and zinc.

The quantity of the nutrients should be kept in mind. Both an excess amount of nutrients or inadequate quantity of them can be harmful and may adversely affect the plant growth. So, while administering the nutrients externally their quantity should be properly monitored. It is very important to do proper soil analysis and to take proper reports of the soil testing before deciding the quantity of macro nutrients and micro nutrients that need to be added to the soil.

3) What is the importance of soil salinity as soil indicators to increase the crop yield

The soil salinity is an important indicator of steady production of the crops . It indicates , the amount of the salt that is available in the soil that can be easily taken up the crops. So, the soil salinity is vital and not only required for the growth of the plant but also for the expanse and overall development of the plant. So, hence on an average it can be claimed that , this soil salinity aspect is very important in facilitating proper nutrient supply from the plants to the crops. It has been also been shown that when the fertilizers are added to the soil , they tend to increase or limit the salinity of the soil. The soil salinity is so essential to increase the crop yield , so , the farmer should be well aware about the needs of the soil . The farmer should have proper idea regarding the fertilizers and accordingly the amount of salt should be added to the soil.