The word soil means a biophysical, biological, biochemical environment or soil substrate. Many biologists claim that the soil is a living creature, calling it the stomach of plants. Some are used to calling it the lungs of the entire plant world. Soil is the environment in which the root system of most plants is located. With it, they are able to stay upright.
Features
The fertile soil layer will depend on the biophysical and physical state, which should include density, friability, porosity. The biochemical and chemical composition, the presence of primary chemical elements and those elements that are part of the mineral organic hydrocarbon chains, also affects the fertility of the soil. The fertile soil layer can also be mineral, artificial, chemical. It is also customary to highlight natural biological fertility.
The soil is a thin layer, a unique component of the biosphere that separates the solid and gas environments of the biosphere of our planet. In the fertile soil layer, all life support processes of the animal and plant world occur. The full condition of all life on Earth will depend on the state of the soil. Unlimited, natural fertility creates:
- the remains of plant organics, for example, grass, hay, sawdust, straw, twigs;
- the remains of deceased, obsolete animal organics, for example, bacteria, microorganisms, micro-fungi, insects, worms and other organisms;
- micro- and nano-plants, which include algae.
About 20% of the soil mass is the dead mineral part. The living microfauna and microflora of the fertile soil layer forms living organic matter of plants.
If we talk about the upper fertile soil layers, then there are five of them. Each year, these layers thicken, grow, expand, move from one to another. Thanks to this, a fertile layer of chernozem and mineral clay is created.
Mulch
Mulch, as a rule, consists of animal and plant remains. If you remove the fertile soil layer of mulch, then you will notice there grass, leaf decay, mold, dead micro animals and animals. In addition, there are various microorganisms, fungi.
Under a layer of mulch live a variety of micro-insects and micro-animals: worms, fleas, beetles and midges. The number of these individuals in the fertile soil layer can reach several tons when calculating per 1 hectare of land. All this living creature moves, moves, eats and drinks, fulfills its natural needs, multiplies and dies. Dead organisms, germs, bacteria, worms, viruses, insects and animals that live in the soil begin to decompose to their original biomineral and biogas state.
It should be noted that the corpses of insects and other living organisms consist of a large number of nitrogen compounds. The composition of the bodies also includes ammonia, which begins to be released during decomposition and is absorbed by the root system of plants. Therefore, when using a fertile soil layer for growing any crops, it is not always necessary to apply fertilizer, since the soil may already contain a large number of diverse and living bacteria, insects, micro-fungi.
Vermicompost
Vermicompost is a discharge, feces, waste, belonging to various insects and micro animals. The thickness of this fertile soil layer can be from 20 or more centimeters.Biohumus is the remains of the dead root system of plants, animals and plant organic remains processed in the stomachs of various insects and worms. This also includes the remains of food of micro-insects and micro-animals.
Biohumus is a kind of colostrum for plants. This type of soil provides crops through their root system with good nutrition, which will contribute to the development, as well as stimulate and develop the plant’s immune system.
Biomineral layer
Biomineral soil layer includes the natural remains of plant and animal organic vermicompost. This fertile soil layer for many years is formed by microplants, microorganisms, micro animals from the upper matting layers and the biohumus layer. Atmospheric moisture, for example, dew, fog, drizzle, as well as atmospheric water in the form of melted snow and rain, freely enters the upper layer of mulch.
In addition, it contains dissolved atmospheric gases: nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, oxides of carbon and nitrogen. All these gases are capable of being well absorbed by atmospheric moisture and water. Dissolved gases and water together begin to penetrate into all low lying soil layers.
Humus layer
Humus is formed due to various microorganisms, the deceased plant and living organics with limited access to compacted, low-lying soil layers. Humus also contains atmospheric moisture and water, in which there are dissolved atmospheric gases.
The process of humus formation in the soil is usually called biosynthesis with the formation of humus from plants. During biosynthesis, energy-saturated hydrocarbon compounds and some combustible biogases, such as methane gas series and carbon dioxide, are also formed.
Humus for crops plays the role of a source of hydrocarbon energy. Humus, located in the lower layers of the soil, provides crops with heat. Hydrocarbon compounds are able to warm plants from the cold. Methane and carbon dioxide are absorbed by the root system of crops.
Subsoil and clay
The fifth layer of fertile soil includes clay soil, which is located at a depth of 20 cm or more from the surface. The clay layer is involved in regular moisture exchange and gas exchange of other layers, as well as underlying soils.
Removal and preservation of the fertile soil layer
If any work is planned on the territory, then it is recommended to remove the fertile layer in the warm season. If the soil layer is removed in a frozen state, then it is imperative to loosen it. The fertile soil layer is removed using a bulldozer, after which it is moved to the dump, where it will be for some time.
The working draft provides for the removal of the soil layer in areas with:
- the development of trenches during the construction of the pipeline;
- placement of dumps of mineral soils;
- long-term lease, which is necessary for placing signs, instrumentation supports and constant relocation.
To avoid weathering and erosion, it is recommended to cover the removed soil layer with any improvised means, for example, non-woven or woven material, branches from trees.
Reclamation of the fertile soil layer
Land reclamation is carried out in order to restore them for forestry, agricultural, construction, water, environmental, recreational and sanitary purposes. This procedure requires restoration of soil fertility, and is carried out sequentially in 2 stages: technical and biological.
The first one is the planning, removal and application of the fertile soil layer, the formation of slopes, the arrangement of reclamation and hydraulic structures, the burial of toxic soils, as well as the implementation of other works that create the necessary conditions for the further use of cultivated soils for their intended purpose or for organizing events that are aimed at improving fertility.
The biological stage involves phyto-reclamation and agrotechnical measures, which are aimed at improving the agrochemical, agrophysical, biochemical and other properties of the soil.
Land to be reclaimed
Those lands that were disturbed during oil production, development of mineral deposits by underground or open method can be recultivated. This can also be done when laying the pipeline, carrying out land reclamation, construction, logging, testing, exploration, production, design and survey and other works that are associated with violation of the ground cover.
Reclamation can also be carried out during the liquidation of military, industrial, civil and other objects and structures, as well as during the burial and storage of industrial, domestic and other waste.
The purpose of reclamation is to restore the productivity of water bodies and disturbed soils, as well as improve the environment.
