Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Management of Soils - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 313

FIGURE 13.4 Vermicompost making—Nalgonda cluster. (Reprinted from Srinivasarao, C.
et al., Livelihood Impacts of Soil Health Improvement in Backward and Tribal Districts of
Andhra Pradesh , Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, 119 pp., 2011. With
permission.)
(3) Humans should respect and show gratitude to useful objects, inanimate or ani-
mate. (4) Organic matter should be recycled (Nene 2004).
In order to maintain the productivity of the soil, the organic method of farming
solely depends on the use of crop residues, animal manures, green manures, off-farm
organic wastes, crop rotation with legumes, and biological pest control (Palaniappan
and Annadurai 1999). The philosophy of organic farming is to feed the soil rather
than the crop, to maintain soil health, and to be a means of giving back to nature
whatever is taken from it (Funtilana 1990). Agnihotra (ashes left after a yagna is
performed) is often touted as a complete plant food (Pathak and Ram 2002). The
major components of organic farming such as green manure, FYM, vermicompost
(Figure 13.4), cover crops and mulching, microbial fertilizers, crop rotation, and
crop management are the major sources of organic matter, which provide the humus
in the soil after decomposition, which helps in alteration of the physical, chemical
(Aishwath et al. 2003), and biological properties of the soil (Pettersson et al. 1992). It
also helps in soil aeration by providing substrate to the microbial population as well
as an improved habitat for macro fauna (worms, millipedes, spiders, etc.).
13.3.6 r eCyClinG C rop r eSidueS and i inCorporation oF w eedS
The Rigveda (ca. 8000 BC), the Atharvaveda (ca. 1000 AD), and also the Holy Quran
specify that at least one-third of what we take out from the soil must be returned to
it—the recycling of crop residues. Most farmers, even today, leave residues of crops
in the field itself to mix them in the soil for increasing the fertility level. Paddy stem,
wheat straw, and sugarcane leaves are generally mixed in the soil and, after irriga-
tion, are left for decaying. Singh et al. (2002) showed that spreading the dry paddy
stem in the standing crop of sugarcane in June and July (when the crop is about