Long-established plow-based agricultural methods combined with the economic imperative to improve crop yields are rapidly depleting the Earth's soil supply, says a University of Washington (UW) scientist. According to UW professor David Montgomery, plowing increases soil erosion to the point that it is not offset by soil creation.
Rather than plowing, Montgomery suggests "no-till" agriculture (where crop stubble is mixed with the top layer of soil using a method called disking) as being far more sustainable. "Soil loss through conventional agriculture is in a range of 10 to 100 times greater than the rate at which soil is created. No-till agriculture brings it into the ballpark, surprisingly close to being balanced with soil creation," he said.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, took data from more than 1,650 measurements published in more than 200 studies examining various aspects of farming practices, soil creation and erosion. Montgomery found that plowed fields erode at about the same fast pace as the Himalayas, home to the highest mountain peaks - and natural erosion rates - in the world. by: Kate Melville 
No comments:
Post a Comment