Improving Modeling of Nutrient Cycles in Crop Cultivation
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Date
2019-12-01
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Abstract
Agricultural productivity depends on crops receiving adequate amounts of essential nutrients from the atmosphere, soils, and/or supplied fertilizers and manures. Through the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, fertile soils supply the following essential nutrients to plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni). Deficiency of any of these nutrients results in lower productivity. In Europe, North America, and many parts of Asia, the agricultural practice of depleting soil nutrient reserves (nutrient mining) for farming ceased several decades ago. Unfortunately, nutrient mining continues in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.