Chemical Overkill: Too Much Fertilizer Is Endangering China’s Soil

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Recently at 80beats we've covered some of troubles China has had with toxins leaking into its waterways from petroleum spills and the environmental degradation caused by mining for rare Earth metals. But in a study this week in Science, Zhang Fusuo raises another concern: The country's soil is on the path to being dangerously acidic. Zhang's team looked at the government's research data for soil over 30 years, and also compared a survey of China's soil conducted in the 2000s to one from the 1980s. For nearly all soil types found in China, soil pH has dropped 0.13 to 0.80 units since the early 1980s [ScienceNOW]. When soil lowers in pH and therefore becomes more acidic, it becomes more of a haven for pests and nematodes and less of one for plants—most plants prefer the neutral range between a pH of 6 and 8. If the trend continues, Zhang argues that China could have trouble producing enough food for its population.

Zhang points his finger at the overuse of fertilizer; the amount used in China has increased more than 50 percent since the early 1980s, a rapid ramp-up that he says is driving the change. "The average pH in all of China has decreased by 0.5 unit in the last 20 years. Left to nature, a single unit change needs hundreds of years or even over 1,000 years, but we have got this change now due to fertilizer overuse," Zhang said [Reuters]. Acid rain can also contribute to acidity, but Zhang says the evidence points to fertilizer as the primary culprit. ScienceNOW cites a few dissenting scientists who say that Zhang's team's data needs to be more site-specific, and not just taken from samples strewn across the country, to be truly vital. But they agree with him that fertilizer use in China can and should be cut sharply.

According to Zhang, farmers overused fertilizer in a somewhat haphazard fashion over the years, hoping to increase their yields. But what they got instead, he says, was air pollution and soil dwindling in productivity because of its pH drop. The acidification has already lessened crop production by 30-50% in some areas, Zhang says. If the trend continues, some regions could eventually see the soil pH drop to as low as 3. "No crop can grow at this level of acidification," he warns [Nature News].

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[Nasturtium 500]

Remind me to come back to this. There are some good points and some major flaws...

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Why don't you head on over there maybe you could grow another brain?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Why don't you head on over there maybe you could grow another brain?

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[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

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Nuff said!

[Calypso 464]

I don't have overflowing knowledge when it comes to agriculture but I want to share a related experience.

Bukidnon is a province in the Philippines and it is known to be the country's pineapple capital. My family moved to Cebu on March 30, 2001 but Bukidnon is really my orginal homeland (I love Cebu just the same).

Being a kid in one of the rural barangays in Bukidnon was so much fun. There were cows, carabaos, and goats. There were corn fields and sugarcane plantations. It was easy to enjoy sugarcane although it was difficult to rip it apart. Isn't it lovely to just spot a growing sugarcane along the road and it tempts you with its sweet look that seem to say, "Come pull me and suck me out"? That was how it was.

A few years after studying in Cebu, I visited Bukidnon and I could scarcely see sugarcane or corn. Companies that export bananas, mangoes, and pineapples have already been ruling the land. Those landholders had their lands rented to various companies who do nothing but make sure their pineapples grow perfectly for export. How do they achieve that? Fertilizers! According to my aunt, an agriculture expert noted that in 10 years, the lands will start to be so poor due to the strong chemicals that the companies use. When that happens, they'd move again to another place and continue the cycle leaving old lands dead and useless.

All I can say is .

"Wherever I may roam

The distant lands to see

I long to go back home

To sweet Bukidnon home

Where lovely mountainsides

With forests tall and grand..."

All of us grade school kids would sing the Bukidnon anthem everyday during flag ceremony. All things pass.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I think Steve may have gotton a hold of a chinese leaded teething ring as a child.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I don't have overflowing knowledge when it comes to agriculture but I want to share a related experience.

Bukidnon is a province in the Philippines and it is known to be the country's pineapple capital. My family moved to Cebu on March 30, 2001 but Bukidnon is really my orginal homeland (I love Cebu just the same).

Being a kid in one of the rural barangays in Bukidnon was so much fun. There were cows, carabaos, and goats. There were corn fields and sugarcane plantations. It was easy to enjoy sugarcane although it was difficult to rip it apart. Isn't it lovely to just spot a growing sugarcane along the road and it tempts you with its sweet look that seem to say, "Come pull me and suck me out"? That was how it was.

A few years after studying in Cebu, I visited Bukidnon and I could scarcely see sugarcane or corn. Companies that export bananas, mangoes, and pineapples have already been ruling the land. Those landholders had their lands rented to various companies who do nothing but make sure their pineapples grow perfectly for export. How do they achieve that? Fertilizers! According to my aunt, an agriculture expert noted that in 10 years, the lands will start to be so poor due to the strong chemicals that the companies use. When that happens, they'd move again to another place and continue the cycle leaving old lands dead and useless.

All I can say is .

"Wherever I may roam

The distant lands to see

I long to go back home

To sweet Bukidnon home

Where lovely mountainsides

With forests tall and grand..."

All of us grade school kids would sing the Bukidnon anthem everyday during flag ceremony. All things pass.

Yep. Soil erosion from aggressive farming is a worldwide concern and corporate farms have the attitude that technology will allow them to disregard the rules of nature without consequences. Farming practices that have been sustained for thousands of years are being pushed aside for industrialized farming techniques and its simply unsustainable as we are seeing in China.

[Nasturtium 500]

Remind me to come back to this. There are some good points and some major flaws...

OK, thanks for the reminder!

I disagree with the idea that acid rain could have less of an effect than overfertilization (not that either is good, but...). Remember how bad China's air quality is in the places like Beijing? Many areas of china have such bad pollution in the waterways and air that not only is acid rain likely a major contributor, but so would be the water pollution that the farmers are pulling for irrigation. It only takes one season of bad water to majorly effect your soil. one season. It's sort of a 1:2 ratio as well.. one season to start a process and two to reverse it. The issue is having to flush out all of that ####### and meanwhile the ground acts like a sponge. Think about putting dish soapn on a sponge and how long that takes. then picture running water through and over your sponge without wringing, until you get it clean. It just takes a bit longer-- but is totally doable.

Over-fertilization is a big issue though. Most commercial farming outfits don't either understand farming in general (they toss random combinations of fertilizer at stuff and hope it works) or they do not care and use up and move on. You need to have crop rotation of a set type... including a fallow year. You rotate through plants which do not pull the same minerals. You do cover crops. You basically work something out. You do see proper rotation in a lot of this area even on commercial farms, so it's totally possible.

A pH of 6-8 is not loved by all plants, by the way, even common vegetables. Potatoes and onions need 5-6. You've just got to know what you're growing and what it wants. I've had to acidify my soil plenty of times before-- which I did through the magic of peat.

Understanding commercial fertilizers is something many people lack, though. Soil is a composite of minerals (from rocks) and organic matter (from dead things). The organic matter is basically unusable for nutrients for the most part. the plants are taking in nutrients and minerals. Now, a good soil needs organic matter to allow for breathing-- plants need soil which isn't like a ceramic in general (there is always an exception to the rule of course). The commercial fertilizers are meant to replace the mineral issue, but do nothing to address the very real need for organic matter. Eventually over time, the soil breaks down and becomes more and more hard and compacted with a high mineral content. This results in a suffocation and burn of the plants. The denser the soil, the more those fertilizers are held in contact with the plants and not spread out evenly. I don't happen to like commercial fertilizers, but I also don't knock anyone who uses them properly. Amonium nitrate (foir example) is Amonium nitrate, is amonium nitrate. It is exactly the same compound whether it occurs naturally or you add it seperately. The lime people add to raise their soil pH is exactly that-- ground limestone.

It is honestly easier for some to just use and abuse-- but it is better for everyone to not do that.

[Peikko 1,575]

OK, thanks for the reminder!

I disagree with the idea that acid rain could have less of an effect than overfertilization (not that either is good, but...). Remember how bad China's air quality is in the places like Beijing? Many areas of china have such bad pollution in the waterways and air that not only is acid rain likely a major contributor, but so would be the water pollution that the farmers are pulling for irrigation. It only takes one season of bad water to majorly effect your soil. one season. It's sort of a 1:2 ratio as well.. one season to start a process and two to reverse it. The issue is having to flush out all of that ####### and meanwhile the ground acts like a sponge. Think about putting dish soapn on a sponge and how long that takes. then picture running water through and over your sponge without wringing, until you get it clean. It just takes a bit longer-- but is totally doable.

Over-fertilization is a big issue though. Most commercial farming outfits don't either understand farming in general (they toss random combinations of fertilizer at stuff and hope it works) or they do not care and use up and move on. You need to have crop rotation of a set type... including a fallow year. You rotate through plants which do not pull the same minerals. You do cover crops. You basically work something out. You do see proper rotation in a lot of this area even on commercial farms, so it's totally possible.

A pH of 6-8 is not loved by all plants, by the way, even common vegetables. Potatoes and onions need 5-6. You've just got to know what you're growing and what it wants. I've had to acidify my soil plenty of times before-- which I did through the magic of peat.

Understanding commercial fertilizers is something many people lack, though. Soil is a composite of minerals (from rocks) and organic matter (from dead things). The organic matter is basically unusable for nutrients for the most part. the plants are taking in nutrients and minerals. Now, a good soil needs organic matter to allow for breathing-- plants need soil which isn't like a ceramic in general (there is always an exception to the rule of course). The commercial fertilizers are meant to replace the mineral issue, but do nothing to address the very real need for organic matter. Eventually over time, the soil breaks down and becomes more and more hard and compacted with a high mineral content. This results in a suffocation and burn of the plants. The denser the soil, the more those fertilizers are held in contact with the plants and not spread out evenly. I don't happen to like commercial fertilizers, but I also don't knock anyone who uses them properly. Amonium nitrate (foir example) is Amonium nitrate, is amonium nitrate. It is exactly the same compound whether it occurs naturally or you add it seperately. The lime people add to raise their soil pH is exactly that-- ground limestone.

It is honestly easier for some to just use and abuse-- but it is better for everyone to not do that.

Soil compaction is also as a result of using heavy machinery on the land.

My biggest problem with commercial farming is the use monoculture techniques. I don't think we yet know how damaging that will be in the long term.

[mawilson 2,133]

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Nuff said!

I think Steve may have gotton a hold of a chinese leaded teething ring as a child.

[Nasturtium 500]

Soil compaction is also as a result of using heavy machinery on the land.

My biggest problem with commercial farming is the use monoculture techniques. I don't think we yet know how damaging that will be in the long term.

True about the machinery. Also, overhead irrigation tends to kind of do numbers on things if the spray is powerful enough.

I don't know that we need a long-term assesment of it, as it causes enough damage in the short-term that it precludes long-term infliction on the land. The land will recover, but it just is a waste of time, energy, and money. Why ruin something for 70+ years when you could just rotate?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

And China is not the only country in such danger. In US and Canada, urban/suburban soils oft get higher level of fertilisers per acre than rural-farmland soils (which oft get too much).

[one...two...tree 2,762]

And China is not the only country in such danger. In US and Canada, urban/suburban soils oft get higher level of fertilisers per acre than rural-farmland soils (which oft get too much).

Yep. It is a worldwide problem.

[justashooter 430]

OK, thanks for the reminder!

I disagree with the idea that acid rain could have less of an effect than overfertilization (not that either is good, but...). Remember how bad China's air quality is in the places like Beijing?

bingo. the use of high sulfur shanxxi coal is the culprit, plain and simple. been there and seen it myself. not a fish in the river but the mud puppies, nad damned few of them. the old guys wading in the river casting nets can tell you what it was like 30 years ago, before the recent coal powered economic boom. nuf said.