What is soil exhaustion?

Answer 1

• soil exhaustion loss of nutrients in soil from farming the same crop over and over again. this usually happens in the rain forest.

soil exhaustion isThe degradation and loss of soil is a problem seriously affecting the production of the world's food crops. Since 1945 almost 11 per cent of the Earth's land area, about 12 million square kilometres (4.6 million square miles), has been moderately to severely degraded. Every year farmers abandon 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) of formerly arable land because the soil no longer supports crops.Although global food production has risen dramatically in recent decades, the rate of increase has declined from 3 per cent annually in the 1960s to 2.2 per cent during the 1980s. By the year 2050, demand for food worldwide will be three times what it presently is. If the trend towards soil exhaustion and degradation continues, food production will not keep pace with population growth; this is already the situation in Africa.Soil degradation has several causes, among them deforestation, overuse of pesticides, excessive grazing of cattle, and short-sighted agricultural practices. Deforestation, one of the principal causes, occurs when forested areas are logged or cleared and much of the already thin earth erodes away. The resulting silt clogs rivers, lakes, coast estuaries, and coral reefs, killing fish and damaging aquatic ecosystems. Often the remaining soil can support crops for only a year or two before being unusable.Agricultural and Grazing PracticesChemical pesticides help avert crop losses, but they can also cause long-term soil damage by destroying beneficial insects and the microorganisms necessary to replenish soil nutrients. Pesticide vapour and run-off poison wildlife, both nearby and downstream, and are major polluters of lakes and underground aquifers. Besides the damage they cause to soil, pesticides can directly harm the health of farm workers and consumers. In developed nations, chemical residues can be found on most fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets. In the developing world, toxic chemical pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) are still widely used on crops and eventually consumed by humans.Excessive grazing is another major contributor to soil damage, in part because cattle compact the soil, making it less able to retain water. In heavily trampled areas, erosion and drought are often the result. Overgrazing also destroys native grasses, allowing weeds with deeper roots, such as sagebrush, to replace them. Finally, livestock can damage rivers and streams by breaking up soil on their banks; the soil is then washed into the water, resulting in siltation.Short-sighted agricultural practices, such as not allowing fields to lie fallow and ploughing too frequently, contribute heavily to soil loss. Soil scientists estimate that the United States alone loses up to 3 billion metric tons of soil annually to such practices.Governments and individuals are looking for solutions to soil loss and exhaustion. To avoid the dangers of pesticides, for example, many farmers now use benign pest-control measures, such as crop rotation, pest traps, and integrated pest management. Using recombinant DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, scientists in the field of biotechnology are developing hybrid plants that may provide greater yields even in exhausted soil. Many countries are trying other solutions, such as minimizing deforestation and working with ranchers and farmers on alternative grazing and planting strategies.

Answer 2

Soil exhaustion refers to the process where soil loses its fertility due to continuous farming practices without allowing the soil to replenish its nutrients. This depletion of nutrients can lead to decreased crop yields and poor soil health. Replenishing the soil with organic matter and nutrients is crucial to combat soil exhaustion.

Answer 3

soil exhaustion loss of nutrients in soil from farming the same crop with out changing crops.

Answer 4

soil exhausation is the decrease of soil nutrients due to growing of only one crop on the same piece of land

Answer 5

soil exhaustion is the degradation of soil