What is the optimum level of organic matter in soil?

Question

What is the optimum level of organic matter in soil?

Answer 1

Difficult to answer.

First and foremost calculations of quantity (in Kg per square meter or tonnes per hector) of anything in the soil will depend on the depth of tillage, or effective root zone and specified area. To establish these basics are difficult.

Generally 3 to 6 tonnes per hector of FYM or compost are applied. That makes around 1 to 5 %

There are verious methods of applying useful bacterias to the field. Best now days is supply 2 to 3 % of compost tea through  water at every irrigation.

Answer 2

With a corn and soybean rotation the fields usually have approximately 2 to 4% organic matter.

Answer 3

I have seen fields where old barns used to be and a lot of manure was put on them and the organic matter was 12%. The grass grew great.

Answer 4

you can never have too much organic matter i farm in western ky the organic matter runs between 2 and 3 percent low 2s is common but with no-till these levels are increasing we have fairly good corn and bean yields providing there is enough rainfall

Answer 5

depends on te crop

Answer 6

Geographic zone and climatic zone, soil type all influence this.

Canadian Prairie soil around Regina has a lot of organic matter to a 1.5 metre depth, with well developed soil to over a metre. But because this is heavy clay, every bit of that metre of soil needs to have humus to prevent collapse of the clay crystals during severe drought.

By contrast, soil in Cuba has almost no organic material. It does not matter how Cubans try, they can not build up organic material because the high year round temperatures destroy it all within one year.

Hence, an optimum organic level for Regina plains is very much higher than Matanzas, simply based on what is possible.

Answer 7

That depends entirely on the crop to be grown and the location of the soil.  Most farmers would love to have 4-6% organic matter in the soil for crop production, but the act of tillage rapidly oxidizes organic matter.  Consequently, most crop areas have less than 2% organic matter and still are very productiive.