The importance of laying down the GROUNDwork – Part 1.
Above and below ground
“Not only do we stand on the ground, but we also live on it” – an astute remark of Pál Stefanovits, a key figure of Hungarian soil science. This might not sound surprising; however, this series of articles aims to place this notion in a wider context while focusing on underlying issues. Considering how nature operates through complex, interconnected systems governed by laws of biology, physics, and chemistry, it becomes obvious that soil cannot be analysed on its own. The attributes of soil in any given place are determined by different soil-forming factors. Not to mention, that these factors are highly affected by climate, topography and age (as in the age of soil). No wonder that many branches of science deal with this subject (e.g. biology, geology). When discussing the soil in a specific area it automatically implies its vegetation and climate as well as the lie of the land, along with the process of plant succession, thousands of years of action in essence. Let’s begin with the definition of soil/land itself.
According to legal interpretations, soil is a part of land you can find at the outskirts of a municipality, registered as an arable land, vineyard, orchard, farmstead, grassland, sedge marsh or afforested land by the register of title deeds apart from lands allotted as a forest by forestry law.1
In line with the agronomical definition soil is the upper layer of earth, varied in thickness, that consist of different materials of the geospheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere) changing over time and vary based on geographical location. All in all, it is both the end product and the scene of different effects of solar energy and inner forces that drive plate tectonics (the flow and exchange of materials and energy).
What kind of relationship do lay people have with all these activities underfoot? One of soil’s most important qualities is fertility, it is a major source of nutrients for various living organisms. In fact, it stores and provides significant amounts of nutrients, consequently it is the base of life on Earth. Although it is well known that there is no form of life – including humans of course – that stands a chance without water or oxygen, few people realise the relevance of soil. This must be the reason why its protection had been overlooked for a long time. Another pivotal role of soil is its healing property. Healthy soil is crucial for sustainable agriculture, ecosystem stability, and overall environmental health. Moreover, it is an invaluable filtering, detoxifying system. The amount of soil carbon storage is estimated to be 2400 gigaton2 whereas global CO2 emissions reached the amount of 36,8 gigaton in 2022.3 In conclusion, soil is easily capable of neutralizing one of the most important greenhouse gases, which could make it a useful tool in the fight against climate change. In light of these findings (which compile an incomplete list of benefits), I believe it is not an understatement to say that healthy soil is the key to our future.
The solution lies in the cycle of life. Let me illustrate the situation through the example of a leaf. Take an English oak (Quercus Robur) that has been thriving for 200 years in one place just like its similarly old ancestors. During summer it photosynthesised and produced nutrients, moreover it derived the required nutrients from the soil too. We basically call this process growth.
When autumn arrives, daylight hours become shorter, the average temperature decreases, and the old tree needs to use up its resources. As a preparation for wintertime, it absorbs what goodness it can from the leaves. This process is responsible for the colour change of leaves. After no nutrient can be used this way, leaves fall. Leaf litter is the best nourishment for biocenosis. It transforms to easy- and difficult-to-absorb nutrients which form the long-term reserves of life on Earth. Thanks to microorganisms and small animals living in the soil that redistribute nutrients in the ground, the tree can re-absorb nutrients easily from the soil. Ideally the solid phase makes up 40-60% of the soil just like pore space. While the latter consists of at least 50% moisture so technically we walk on gas and liquid just as much as solid ground. Quite funny if you think about it. Consequently, there is plenty of space for living creatures and organic materials. A single gram of soil is home of 100 million-1 trillion bacteria, 1-40 million fungi, 100 000 single-celled animals and more than 100 nematodes. Although we must take it into consideration that these figures represent cultured bacteria, which implies a substantially higher number to be actually present in soil, as using this method can only show 5% of the full amount. Interestingly in a spoonful of soil more living organisms can be found than the number of humans living on Earth.4
After autumn it is winter’s turn. The 200-year-old ancient tree goes dormant, small animals living in soil also wait for spring to appear. When it happens and warmth returns, it causes the soil to thaw, buds to swell accompanied by singing birds which will begin to rehearse their songs. As a result of higher temperatures and precipitation soil becomes biologically more active, simultaneously plant’s uptake of nutrients increases. Spring is an extremely busy period- if not the busiest – when it comes to nutrient mobility and the soil’s microbial activity. The aforementioned oak is able to absorb nutrients again which leads to root growth, new tree shoots appear, and it leaves out. During summer, on one hand sunshine provides energy and it is necessary for photosynthesis, on the other hand sunlight evaporates water from the leaves. Then it’s autumn again and this process starts all over.
The life and nutrient cycle are easily observable in the example of an oakleaf, while the scene of this process is the soil proving its vital role. Looking at different living beings this example can be extrapolated, even to the tree’s full life circle, the only difference lies in time interval. Of course, in case of a tree it is 400-500 years or even 1000 if we think about natural wood decay. This system works perfectly, it is capable of self-renewal given that people don’t interfere. Inconsiderate human actions disrupt or even destroy important components and in worst case scenarios they can result in soil erosion. Harm can be caused in various ways, one example is improper use which contributes to decreased fertility, structural degradation, decline in biodiversity (what’s more, extinction) another could be noticeable loss in terms of the amount of soil. Tolerable soil loss value is around 2 tonnes/ acre a year.5 In comparison the loss in the EU is 17 tonnes/acre. What is even worse, in certain parts of Hungary this amount reaches and exceeds 100 tonnes/ acre.6 In most cases improper use of soil can be blamed.
The sad reality is that soil is destroyed at a far faster pace than it could renew itself, thanks to human activity. In this first part of our series of articles our goal was to highlight the importance of healthy soil for humanity. It is the basis of human existence and, moreover, a resource capable of self-renewal – if we let it!
In the following article we aim to elaborate on soil formation, including succession, soil maturity / health (a favourable balance of physical, chemical and biological factors) but many other exciting things will be discussed.
Translated by Zsófia Horváth.
Notes:
- 2007. évi CXXIX. törvény a termőföld védelméről 2. § 19. ↩︎
- Ademe, 2015. Organic carbon in soils. Meeting Climate Change and Food Security Challenges. ADEME, France ↩︎
- IEA (2022), World Energy Outlook 2022, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2022, Licence: CC BY 4.0 (report); CC BY NC SA 4.0 (Annex A) ↩︎
- Biró B. (2017): A MATE, Biológiai Talajerőgazdálkodó szakirányú Továbbképzés oktatási anyaga ↩︎
- Centeri, C., Pataki, R. 2003. Importance of determining Hungarian soil erodibility values in connection with the soil loss tolerance values. Tájökológiai lapok 1, 57–68. (Hazai talajerodálhatósági értékek meghatározásának fontossága a talajveszteség tolerancia értékek tükrében)
↩︎ - A global comparison of soil erosion associated with land use and climate type. Xiong, M. et al. Geoderma 2019 ↩︎
About the author: Erik Paxian, wildlife management engineer, soil science engineer, golden wheat ear farmer. He specialised in permaculture, garden and agro-environmental systems, sustainability, water management, medicinal herb cultivation.
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