Chapter 16 - How to reduce the supply of nutrients to the soil, increase water reserves, and mitigate climate change,

Abstract

The last 30 years have seen a rise in fertilizers use in the pursuit of increased crop yields. In parallel, there has been excessive use of herbicides which has eliminated the vegetation cover in croplands. The eradication of the cover of herbaceous species causes water loss due to runoff, soil leaching, and the loss of soil nutrients, all of which lead to a decline in agricultural yields, further aggravated by climate irregularities. There is an urgent need to change current cultivation techniques to alleviate the loss of water and soil nutrients. This change would involve optimizing the soil structure, preventing leaching, and restructuring the agricultural planning in the territory by using the current bioclimatic knowledge and managing the vegetation cover. Agricultural planning following bioclimatic criteria can optimize yields with the minimum environmental cost. Herbaceous cover increases the soil water reserves and decreases carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the air by acting as a carbon (C) sink; additionally, herbaceous plant communities (Stellariete mediae) act as indicators of nutrients in the soil. Therefore, by combining crop planning with bioclimatic techniques and managing vegetation cover it is possible to mitigate the loss of water and soil nutrients while maintaining yields.