Soil fertility may be advanced through addressing deficiencies in every of these three aspects. A large fertilizer enterprise has evolved to deliver products that enhance the chemical make-up of soils by supplying N,P, K, and some other  minerals needed for plants. Products of this kind are recognized together as chemical fertilizers. Other treatments, like liming, can deal with issues with acidity, while  soluble calcium components can deal with issues of excessive salinity. Applying mineral components to soil is the most common approach presently in use to enhance soil fertility. Though this method is very effective, it lacks sustainability. Applied fertilizers eventually are used up or leach away, and must be reapplied to maintain productivity. In addition, the uncontrolled leaching of fertilizers into the groundwater has created major pollution problems in catchment areas and waterways.

   In recent years, technology and industry have teamed as much as to develop products that enhance the organic component of soil fertility. These products comprise mycorrhizal fungi and/or useful rhizosphere microorganisms that may be delivered to soil earlier or at planting time to offer the microbial activities that create sustainable soil fertility. Such products are known as biofertilizers. Once introduced, those microbes can colonize the root zone and establish self-sustaining populations that usually enhance the mineral content of soil (via N-fixation, P-solubilization, and nutrient recycling).

   Structure of soil  may be manipulated in numerous ways. In addition to their consequences on soil chemistry, microbes also can enhance soil structure via promoting the aggregation of soil particles, and via the production of natural surfactants that enhance  penetration of water. However, the structural upgrades via microbes are slow and gradual. More instantaneous upgrades can be made directly. For example, farmers have tilled soil often to reduce compaction. In urban settings, landscapers will decompact soil below trees with the aid of vertimulching, radial trenching, or via injecting compressed air in a procedure regarded as “fracturing”. Commercial surfactants are hired to enhance water penetration, particularly when irrigating turf or while  applying soluble fertilizers via spray, drench or soil injection. Superabsorbent materials (hydrogels) are tilled into soil to increase its water preserving capacity. All of these remedies are meant to improve fertility via addressing one or more aspects of the soil structure.

The soils of Peninsular India are those which have been formed by the deomposition of rocks in situ, i.e. directly from the underlying rocks. They are transported and redeposited to a limited extent and are known as sedentary soils.On the other hand, the soils of the Extra-Peninsula are formed due to the depositional work of rivers and wind. They are mainly found in the river valleys and deltas. They are very deep and constitute some of the most fertile tracts of the country. They are often referred to as transported or a zonal soils.

The quantities of nutrients to be had in soils rely upon interactions between:

  • Soil properties & PH – texture and specific clay minerals may have a power on soil fertility
  • Soil biology & microorganisms residing in the soil spoil down animal and plant matter into nutrient form that can be utilized by plants
  • Soil organic matter is important for containing nutrients till they are taken up by plants
  • Water in soil pores incorporates the nutrients to plant roots
  • Fertilizers are extra of a selected nutrient can impede the uptake of others.

Characteristics of Fertile soil:

  • It is rich in nutrients essential for fundamental plant nourishment. This consists of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
  • It includes good enough minerals along with boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, sulphur and zinc. These minerals develop plant nutrition.
  • It consists of soil organic matter that improves the structure of the soil. This permits the soil to maintain more moisture.
  • The soil pH is in the range 6.0 to 6.8.
  • It has a great soil structure which ends up in well-drained soil.
  • It includes a number of micro-organisms that assist plant growth.
  • It frequently contains large quantities of topsoil.