The cold rush

Desolate, cold, inhospitable, relegated to the backyards of exploration and knowledge. Antarctica did not emerge from this unfortunate fate till less than 100 years ago, before which, whalers and seafarers were its only visitors. Cartographers barely acknowledged its presence (or chose to ignore it altogether). And the first explorations, which began in early 20th century, remained restricted to the enormous continent's fringes.

Field day

What is soil? Nothing but simple clod, always taken for granted. But dig deeper, and you will find that this simple clod generates complex equations of survival and wealth, equity and polity. It is a big little ecological variable. Its influences remain hidden from us.

Organic v conservative

AT A time when the world is pushing for organic farming, the US is advocating the no-till method.

Tartaric acid in, aluminium out

A NUMBER of farmers lose their crops because of acidic soil. It increases solubility of the naturally occurring aluminium, leading to aluminium toxicity. Aluminium toxicity usually damages the roots first; they tend to be shortened and swollen. Aluminium also inhibits the uptake of calcium, an essential plant nutrient.

Science and Technology - Briefs

LIFE SCIENCES Free access

Organic matters

SOIL constantly undergoes changes—be it by growing crops, adding fertilizer, erosion or contamination. Scientists analyse as many as 50 properties of soil—including sand and organic carbon content, porosity and essential nutrients like nitrogen and iron—to monitor its health and predict if the land is on the verge of degradation by soil erosion. Fertile land, for example, contains high amount of organic matter, nutrients and moisture, whereas eroded land fares poorly on the indicator scale.

Fertilizers acidify soils

SOILS, too, must endure acidity. Each plant and soil life form has a particular soil pH it is used to. Any change can lead to complications in the organism’s metabolism. For example, decrease in pH modifies the top soils—a major source of crop nutrients.

Modified to work

APPROXIMATELY 6.73 million hectares of India’s agricultural land is affected by varying degrees of soil salinity. About 130 million hectares are under agriculture.

In search of famine

the film title Harvesting Hunger chills one to the bones and the film itself is a despondent tale of the agricultural scenario in the country. "It is apprehended that millions may go hungry in this decade. Harvesting Hunger is a journey into this world of hunger, famine and food insecurity," says the film maker. With the opening up of the economy and winds of liberalisation sweeping across, Indian farmers stand at crossroads today.

We have robbed the soil of its nutrients

Why are soil micronutrients important in agriculture? Interviewee:  P N Takkar