Soil Amendments and Organic Fertility Practices
Summary
Soil amendments and organic fertility practices encompass a suite of strategies aimed at sustaining or enhancing soil health, crop productivity and environmental quality through the addition of organic materials. These materials range from traditional inputs such as farmyard manure and composted crop residues to emerging resources including biochar, digestate and municipal solid waste compost. Organic amendments supply essential nutrients, improve soil structure, water retention and aeration, and stimulate microbial activity, thereby fostering nutrient cycling and long-term fertility. By contrast with purely synthetic inputs, organic practices emphasise circularity and waste valorisation, integrating agronomic performance with reduced leaching losses, carbon sequestration and resilience to climate extremes. Adoption spans diverse agroecosystems worldwide, reflecting regional variations in resource availability and regulatory frameworks.
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Soil Amendments and Organic Fertility Practices publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in soil amendments and organic fertility practices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Soil organic matter: The fraction of soil composed of decomposed plant, animal and microbial residues, critical for nutrient supply, water retention and soil structure.
Cation exchange capacity (CEC): A measure of a soil’s ability to retain and exchange positively charged ions (cations) such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, influencing nutrient availability.
Biochar: A stable, carbon-rich material produced by pyrolysing biomass in low-oxygen conditions, used to improve soil fertility and sequester carbon.
Digestate: The residual material remaining after anaerobic digestion of organic wastes, rich in plant-available nutrients and organic matter.
Nutrient use efficiency (NUE): The proportion of applied nutrients that are taken up by the crop, reflecting the effectiveness of fertiliser inputs.
References
- Municipal solid waste compost use can improve crop barley production and enhance soil chemical fertility. European Journal of Agronomy (2024).
- Using bio-based fertilizer derived from peri‑urban wastes affects soil properties and lettuce yield and quality. Scientia Horticulturae (2024).
- Potential Benefits and Risks for Soil Health Derived From the Use of Organic Amendments in Agriculture. Agronomy (2019).
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