7 CHARACTERISTICS OF FERTILE SOIL

November 20, 2025

Soil is defined as the top layer of the earth's crust. It is formed by mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms.

It is in fact an extremely complex, variable, and living medium.

Soil fertility refers to the ability of a soil-related to plants its ease of tillage, the fitness of seedbed, and impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration by providing nutrients and suitable soil structure to support the plants/trees growth.

Fertile soil has the following characteristics:

It is rich in nutrients necessary for basic plant nourishment. This includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
It consists of adequate minerals such as boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, sulphur, and zinc. These minerals promote plant nutrition.

It contains soil organic matter that improves the structure of the soil. This enables the soil to retain more moisture.
The soil pH is in the range 6.0 to 6.8.
It has a good soil structure which results in well-drained soil.
It consists of a variety of micro-organisms that support plant growth.
It often contains large amounts of topsoil

5 METHODS OF MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY AND QUALITY

Soil conservation refer to measures that are taken to protect the soil from destruction .

The main measures that are taken to conserve soil include maintaining soil fertility and quality, preventing soil loss or erosion, and preserving the soil.

5 METHODS OF MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY AND QUALITY

Maintenance of soil fertility and quality;

The natural richness and fertility and richness of the soil should be maintained in order to ensure continued soil productivity. This can be achieved in the following ways.

Crop rotation

this involves changing the crops planted on the farm, by alternatively planting leguminous plants such as beans with other crops such as maize to maintain nitrogen level in the soil

Mixed farming

this involves planting crops and rearing animals on the same farm.

mixed farming is important in maintaining soil fertility because the remains of crops are used to feed livestock while cow dung and other animals excrete are used as fertilizers for crops in the farm

Mulching

mulching is the act of covering the farm with dry grass and crops to maintain soil moisture and when the grass dry they provide the soil with hummus.

mulching is helpful in maintaining soil quality and fertility because they protect the soil from the elements of soil erosion and they provide the soil with moisture and needed soil nutrients from humus

Bush fallowing

bush fallowing involves resting the overcultivated land for some years to help it recover lost nutrients.

Proper application of chemical fertilizers

Drainage trenches

Proper ploughing technique

Intercropping

What is soil physical fertility?

Physical properties and processes of soil affect soil fertility by altering water movement through soil, root penetration of soil and water logging.

Important physical properties that affect fertility include soil structure and texture. Structure is the amount of aggregation and pores in soil and texture is the proportion of clay and sand particles in soil.

Both affect soil fertility by affecting water movement through soil, root penetration and water logging. Erosion is an important physical process that decreases soil fertility. When soil structure and texture are unfavourable for water movement through soil water erosion and waterlogging may be increased.

Soil salinity is a chemical property but can affect soil physical fertility by decreasing the movement of water through the soil.

Physical soil characteristics important to soil physical fertility include: