Humic Acids
USING WATER MORE EFFECTIVELY IN AGRICULTURE AND SAVING COSTS AND RESOURCES
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orldwide, 17 countries currently suffer from extreme freshwater shortages. A quarter of the people are threatened by acute freshwater shortages. This particularly affects agriculture, as it consumes around 70 percent of all freshwater. Due to climate change, with rising global temperatures and simultaneously decreasing rainfall, agriculture is becoming increasingly dependent on artificial irrigation in order to ensure food supplies. This is expensive and can ultimately destroy livelihoods. But why is water so important? And how can humic acids help to conserve the valuable resource water and save costs? Water dynamics or: The soil breathes Water fulfills many functions in the soil. Among other things, it has a direct influence on soil respiration. With the help of water, the soil exchanges air and supplies soil life with oxygen. And this is how it works: The soil contains a pore system comparable to that of a sponge. If the sponge is relatively dry, most pores are filled with air. If water enters these pores due to precipitation or groundwater fluctuations, the air is
32 Gulf Agriculture | www.gulfagriculture.com
displaced and escapes. As soon as the water leaves the porous sponge again, oxygenrich air flows into the pore system. An active soil life promotes a stable pore system In healthy soils, the pore system accounts for about 45 percent. Its stability is mainly ensured by active soil life. Bacteria, fungi, roots and animals excrete slimy exudates that stick the soil particles together and create a stable aggregate structure. If a soil is in such a state, it can fully perform its function as a water reservoir. In addition, the structure and thus the ability of the soil to breathe remains intact even after heavy rainfall. Without soil life there is no pore system and no respiration An active soil life is directly related to soil fertility. However, most of the world's man-made land has been affected by declining fertility for decades. There are many reasons for this, including too few or inactive soil life. This affects the stability of the pore system, which lacks the excretions of microorganisms and fauna the soil absorbs water less and is less able to store it. The consequences for the oxygen
January-February 2021
