TEXT 10 SOIL AND ITS MANAGEMENT

 

Good farming means proper use of many factors such as natural conditions, land, crops, livestock, machinery, fertilizers and some others. All these factors have to be put together to make the farming system work successfully.

One of the most important points to be taken into consideration in farming is the soil which is known to be a natural resource that supports plant life. It is a mixture of particles of rock, organic materials, living forms, air and water.

During his entire existence upon the Earth man has depended upon the soil either directly or indirectly. Grain, fruits and vegetables are food products obtained by man directly from the soil. Domestic animals consume grain and forage produced by the soil and in turn supply people with meat, milk, eggs and other products used for human food. These are the products obtained from the soil indirectly.

Some good clay and loamy soils are naturally poor. Various factors that make up soil fertility are moisture conditions, plant food, and soil structure. All these components may be regulated by proper management of the soil.

Soil management is the science of tillage operations, cropping practices, using fertilizers, lime and other treatments conducted on, or applied to, a soil for the production of crops.

Plant growth and yields can be increased by applying certain recommended soil management practices, liming, fertilization and irrigation producing, as a rule, immediate yield increases. Good soil management results in better yields and lower cost per unit of production. Fertile soils produce plants that are less affected by diseases and less likely to be attacked by insects. In this case small losses of crops result.

Some time ago attention was centered on such macroelements as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Now, it is well known that in addition to primary plant food elements mentioned, so-called secondary elements (calcium, magnesium, and sulphur) as well as microelements or trace elements (boron, copper, manganese, zinc, and molybdenum) may be highly important for crop yields, for livestock and human health.

That is why all farmers should make soil tests in order to determine whether any essential elements are lacking in the soil and to determine the rate of fertilizers to be applied.

 

I. Study the following words:

Entire, loam, clay loam, forage, treatment, conduct, germinate, lack, stunt, fertile, soil management, disease, essential, tillage, consume, yields.

 

II. Define the part of speech of the following words:

Loamy, management, liming, various, growth, consume, fertilizers, essential, secondary, lower, indirectly, obtained, structure.

 

III. Match the words with their definitions:

1.Conservation, 2. seedbed, 3 soil improvement, 4. dryland farming, 5. insecticide, 6. compost, 7. plant nutrient, 8. environment, 9. drainage.

 

1. A mixture of organic matter and the soil that is subjected to biological decomposition. 2. The protection of natural resources according to principles that will assure their highest economic or social efficiency.3. The removal of excess water from land. 4. The practice of crop production in low rainfall areas without irrigation. 5. All the external conditions that may act upon an organism to influence its development or existence. 6. The soil prepared for sowing seed. 7. Making the soil more productive for growing plants. 8. A chemical used to kill insects. 9. A chemical required for plant growth and development.

 

IV. Put questions to the following sentences:

1. Successful farming means proper use of natural conditions.

2. Moisture, plant nutrients and soil structure are the main components of fertile soil.

3. Fertilizers are added to the soil to meet the plant food needs.

4. Cotton requires higher temperature for its growth than wheat.

5. Yields can be increased by applying proper soil management practices.

6. Grain is obtained by man directly from the soil.

7. It is necessary to make soil tests in order to determine what elements are deficient.

8. Proper temperature is also essential for successful plant growth.

9. Crops vary in their climatic requirements.

10. Crop yields are affected by soil and climatic conditions.

 

V. Write a short summary of the text ‘Soil and its management’.