Soil is the backbone of every farm, yet it is an often overlooked agricultural resource

摘要

For many years agricultural research has focused on the crop or pasture being grown, while viewing the soil in which it grows as little more than a sponge to be filled with nutrients and then squeezed dry. In other words, we have been operating underthe belief that high productivity comes from using high inputs of fertiliser that 'force' the plants to grow. At the same time, we often seem to assume that much of the way soil functions is simply beyond our control and so is best ignored. Any soil that refuses to behave as we would like is the labelled a 'Problem soil' and either bashed into shape with heavy machinery or neglected altogether.