In cultivating the land, we live from and with soil fertility. An ecologically vital soil is continuously restoring its productivity. If we neglect its needs, it suffers as a result. The soil loses vitality, and becomes more sensitive to weather and erosion; harvests decline. In organic farming, damage cannot be offset by purely technical means. This is why an exhausted or degraded soil require…
Soils vary signifi cantly in their properties. They may be deep in some places, shallow in others, black or gray in colour, sandy or clayey in texture. Although the soil mantle covering Manitoba is far from uniform, all soils have some common factors. For example, all soil is a mixture of organic and mineral material plus water and air. While the major components remain the same, the proportion…
Black soils are unique soils characterized by a thick, dark-coloured soil horizon, and rich organic matter content. Due to their high inherent fertility, black soils are known as the food basket of the world or the “giant panda in arable land” in Asia. For decades, these fertile soils have been widely cultivated, and have played a key role in global agricultural production of cereals, tuber…