Managing Soil Fertilization Levels Can Make for More Efficient and Productive Crops

Modern crops are often excessively fertilized, which boosts yields in the short term but also harms the environment due to nutrient runoffs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Additionally, fertilizers are often inefficient because much of the applied fertilizers become bound to soil particles over the long term, making them unavailable for plants.

The application of high doses of easily soluble fertilizers may ensure crop productivity, but it comes at the cost of environmental quality and agroecosystem resilience. This fertilization strategy often results in "lazy" crops with underdeveloped root systems and reduced ability to acquire nutrients from native soil reserves.

As a pedologist (someone who studies soil formation) and biogeochemist, my research focuses on the multiscalar and interdisciplinary study of soil systems.

Improving resiliency

In Canada's vast forests, the trees thrive in nutrient-impoverished soils because of the capacity of their deep root systems to acquire nutrients and water. In natural ecosystems, plants have evolved and developed root strategies that help to absorb nutrients.