Agriculture and Environment: Wheat
Environmental Impacts of Production: Soil Erosion & Degradation
Because landscapes and subsurface geology vary widely, the impacts of grain production on land resources also vary.
Soils vary tremendously within a given field as well as over broader landscapes.
Soil characteristics such as depth, particular size, nutrient composition, organic matter content, and physical chemistry are all altered by wheat production. These characteristics, which determine the capacity of soil to produce grain, must be restored or rebuilt over time if an area is to remain productive.
Irreversible damages to productive lands
It is clear from historical records that wheat production can dramatically affect soil conditions and nutrient cycles. Cultivation of wheat has led to converting previously fertile areas into dust bowls and deserts, as in North Africa in the first millennium and North America in the early twentieth century.
Destroy, and move on
As populations increase, agricultural technology changes, and human-induced soil degradation increases, the land devoted to wheat production increases or at the very least shifts to new agricultural frontiers.
Continuous cropping of wheat and other grains often depletes nutrients even in the most fertile soils. Replacement can occur through fallowing, crop rotation, leaving crop residue on the surface, applying animal manure, or using manufactured chemical fertilisers.
Excessive use of nutrients
Applying too much nitrogen or any other nutrient can cause imbalances that harm plants as well as the environment, especially if other essential nutrients (such as potassium) are limiting yields or if the applied element is already in sufficient supply in the soil.
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