Some terminologies
Soil Fertility: Soil fertility may be defined as the ability of a soil to supply all the essential plant nutrients in readily available forms to the crop plants.
Soil productivity: Soil productivity refers to the capacity of a soil for producing a specified plant or sequences of plants under a specified system of management i.e the capacity of the soil to produce crops per unit area of the field.
Nutrients: Nutrients may be defined as the chemical compounds required by an organism for their nourishment and maintenance of their life.
Difference between soil fertility and soil productivity
|
Soil Fertility |
Soil Productivity |
|
1. It is considered as an index of available nutrients |
1. It is the broader term used to indicate the yield of crops. Y = f (x1, x2, ….xn) |
|
2. It is one of the factors for crop production and other factors are moisture, topography, water table, tillage practice, varieties, organic matter content of soil etc. |
2. It is the interaction of all the factors that determine the magnitude of yield. |
|
3. It can be analyzed in the lab. |
3. It can be assessed in the field in a particular climate and system of management |
|
4. It is the potential status of soil to produce the crops. |
4. It is the resultant of various factors influencing soil management. |