Today, everyone is aware of and are concerned about their health. We always try to consume fresh and pure food, even avoid using fortified or adulterant food items like fruits and veggies. We purchase vegetables and fruits from village vendors, with the expectation of having food items full of nutrition. But do you ever think, if the soil is deficient in nutrients, then how can our food be nutritious and healthy! Ofcourse we are consuming fresh and healthy food, but actually they are not that much healthy and nutritious.They are actually deficient in nutrients.
Nowadays, foods are either fortified or modified to enhance the quality, quantity and look of that product. Why? Is it that this is for beautification or advertisement! No doubt this is one of the reasons among all. But the main purpose is the depletion of nutrients from food because of the depletion of soil health.
Soil plays a very important role in the health of any food item, be it fruits or vegetable, pulse or cereals etc. The good health of soil makes the vegetables and fruits more nutritious. The growth and development of plants largely depends on the combination and concentration of mineral nutrients available in the soil. Plants often face significant challenges in obtaining an adequate supply of these nutrients to meet the demands of basic cellular processes.
As we are studying from lower classes, “Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter (humus), air and water, which combined, make the soil healthier. If among these components any component is deficient or depleted, then the quality of soil will also be not good, which directly affect the cultivation of food products. Soil is a major source of nutrients needed by plants for growth. The Nutrients supplied by the soil are called mineral nutrients. The non-mineral nutrients such as carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) come from air and water during photosynthesis.
Soil mineral nutrients are separated into two groups the macro and micronutrients. The three main nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Together they make up the trio known as NPK. Other important nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulphur. If the soil id deficient in these nutrients, then our food quality will degrade.
To enhance our food quality, it is very necessary to take care of our soil. It also needs proper care and management. So let’s see what we can do for our soil.
How to improve soil quality
- We can add humus in it.
- Then can build and preserve humus for the proper growth.
- Eliminate compaction.
- Proper Regulation of pH value.
- Soil improvement through minerals.
- Soil improvement through plants.
- Can do diverse crop rotation and mixed crops.
That can help in improving soil quality thus can improve our food quality as well.