How can farmers grow crops in more coarse soils?

December 1, 2020 – Farmers must grow food with the soil available on their land, and in some cases, it’s not “ideal soil.” This Soil Science Society of America’s (SSSA) December 1^st Soils Matter Blog explores how farmers can adapt to growing crops in stony soils, such as those found in some parts of Germany.

Blogger Deep Chandra Joshi explains, “stony soils contain particles with diameters larger than 2 mm. The particles are actually fragments of rock that haven’t yet gone through the soil formation process.  In some cases, this type of soil can comprise 5-50% of soil in a farm.”

Farming in stony soils versus loamy soils can be challenging, as water moves more quickly through soil with larger particles, and these soils can’t hold on to nutrients as well. Farmers must study their farm soils before growing a specific crop and choose a crop best suited to their soil. In the case of stony soils, crops with short root systems, like onions and parsley, can help a farm be profitable.

To learn more about growing crops in coarse soils, read the entire blog post: https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/how-can-farmers-grow-crops-in-more-coarse-soils/

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12^th grade, www.soils4kids.org.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members and 1,000+ certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.