Building Soil Health and Fertility through Organic Amendments and Practices: A Review
N. K. Singh, Kushal Sachan, Ranjitha G., Chandana S., Manoj B. P., Narinder Panotra, Drishty Katiyar
Asian Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition · pp. 175–197 · Published 20 Feb 2024
10.9734/ajsspn/2024/v10i1224Abstract
Soil health and quality are foundational to agricultural sustainability and meeting global food security priorities. However, intensive farming practices have degraded soil ecosystems. Organic amendments and regenerative management practices can restore soil function by overcoming nutritional limitations, improving physical and biological properties, and promoting general soil and crop resilience. This review synthesizes research on major sources of organic soil amendments including animal manures, composts, cover crops, crop residues and living mulches. We describe their multifaceted edaphic and agronomic benefits from providing a slow release bank of macro and micronutrients, increasing soil organic matter, and stimulating beneficial microbial communities. Complementary and synergistic soil building practices are also covered, encompassing conservation tillage techniques like no-till, crop diversification via rotations and intercropping, and agroecological integration of trees and livestock. Although transitioning from degraded conventional systems requires patience as years of soil regeneration are needed to enable high system performance, outcomes consistently show integrated practices that minimize disturbance and maintain living ground cover while leveraging organic inputs can transform the foundation of agricultural systems by enhancing soil ecosystem function. Widespread adoption of this soil health paradigm can thereby enable sustainable intensification and resilience.
Cited by 68
Yanga Mgxaji, C. S. Mutengwa, P. Mukumba · Agronomy · 2025
Christian C. Obijianya, E. Yakamercan, Mahmoud Karimi · Water · 2025
M. Qasim, S. Babar, M. Younas · European Journal of Agronomy · 2025
Jianbin Lan, Xi-Xi Dong, Rui He · Frontiers in Microbiology · 2025
E. Perrino, P. Zdruli, L. Piscitelli · Agronomy · 2025
Giulia Feliziani, L. Bordoni, R. Gabbianelli · Antioxidants · 2025
Waqar Islam, Fan-Jiang Zeng, J. A. Siddiqui · Biological Reviews of The Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2025
A. Boutagayout, Anas Hamdani, Atman Adiba · Water Conservation Science and Engineering · 2025
Aminu Muhammad Gusau, A. Y. Fardami · FUDMA Journal of Sciences · 2025
Muhammad Ayaz, S. Muntaha, E. Baltrėnaitė-Gedienė · Biochar · 2025
Related research
- Effects of Atrazine and Dichlorvos on Soil Microbial Biomass and Snail Toxicity: A Microcosm Study — shares topic coverage
- Soil Quality Changes and Quality Status: A Case Study of the Subtropical China Region Ultisol — shares topic coverage
- Continuous Rice Cropping System with Integrated Use of Inorganic and Organic Sources of Nutrients for Soil Quality Improvement — shares topic coverage
- Evaluation of Soil Quality in Parts of Israel and Nigeria — shares topic coverage
- Characterization, Suitability Evaluation and Soil Quality Assessment of Three Soils of Sedimentary Formation for Sustainable Crop Production — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
0
Page views
0
PDF downloads
0
Outbound clicks
68
Citations
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
No views recorded yet.
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
No traffic recorded yet.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.