W agriculture often talks about the difficulties of cultivating heavy soils – clayey, compact, difficult to permeate water. Meanwhile, light soils also prove to be a big challenge. Their airiness, rapid heating and low humus content mean that they require a completely different approach. Fortunately, appropriate treatments and agricultural machinery can change their potential – making them not only arable, but also fertile soil.

• What are the characteristics of light soils?
• How to work effectively on light soils?
• Mulching – natural soil protection
• Catch crops – they feed and protect
• Kneading? On light soil it may help

What are the characteristics of light soils?

Light soils occur over a large area of ​​Poland. They mainly include podzolic, lessive and rusty soils. Their dominant feature is high permeability – both to water and air. Thanks to this, they heat up quickly and are conducive to gas exchange. However, this is only one side of the coin.

In reality, light soils dry out easily, quickly leach nutrients, and contain negligible amounts of humus. They also have low buffering capacity, meaning they have difficulty retaining moisture and minerals. As a result, plants take root poorly, suffer from deficiencies, and develop unevenly. To prevent this, these soils require specific cultivation practices and appropriate tools.

How to work effectively on light soils?

The basis for effective management of light soils is a comprehensive approach. The farmer must take care of:

• retaining water and protecting the soil from drying out,
• improving the physical structure of the soil,
• enrichment of the soil profile with organic matter,
• stabilizing the soil and increasing its compactness.

For this purpose, more and more farms use cultivation rollers, disc units, plowless aggregates and catch crop seeder. Appropriately set up machines allow not only to limit soil drying, but also to create ideal conditions for plants to take root.

Mulching – natural soil protection

Leaving a layer of mulch, or crop residue, on the soil surface plays a key protective role. It acts as an insulator – it limits water evaporation, inhibits weed growth and protects the soil from wind and rain. This is especially important in sandy and light areas, where any rainfall can wash away valuable nutrients from the topsoil.

For effective mulching, use tilling sets i disc, which chop up the straw, distribute it evenly and at the same time loosen the soil to the appropriate depth. Thanks to this, from the very first moments after harvest, the soil is protected and better prepared for the next stages of cultivation.

Catch crops – they feed and protect

Sowing catch crops is another key element in regenerating light soils. These plants, although not intended for harvesting, play an important role – their roots loosen the soil, and the green mass enriches it with nutrients. Agricultural seeders, especially in combination with cultivation and seeding units, enable precise distribution of catch crops even over large areas.

Thanks to them, the soil regains its balance, and subsequent crops have a better start. Importantly, well-chosen catch crops also reduce the risk of erosion and improve water retention.

Kneading? On light soil it may help

In contrast to heavy soils, where any compaction is destructive, light soils can benefit from slight ballast. Tractor runs with machines mounted on the front three-point linkage allow for leveling the surface and improving the compactness of the top layer. As a result, roots stabilize more easily, and water does not drain too quickly.

Among others, the following are excellent in this role: knife shafts and Cambridge embankments, which evenly press the soil, close micropores and support moisture retention. This is especially important during periods of drought.