TIRUCHI
A rally was taken out by scientists and students on the premises of Anbil Dharmalingam Agriculture College and Research Institute to commemorate the World Soil Day on Saturday.
They highlighted the importance of creating awareness about keeping the soil at its optimum condition for favouring the growth, multiplication and stabilisation of microorganisms, insects, animals and bird nesting and other biota of the ecosystem habituating in the soil.
To mark the event that was organised jointly with the Horticulture College and Research Institute, saplings were planted by the scientists and Deans.
During the deliberations on the theme 'keep soil active, protect soil diversity' P. Balasubramanium, Professor and Head, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, shared that a considerable area in Tamil Nadu has been affected
by soil salinity and sodicity. K. Arulmozhiselvan, Project Director, Centre of Excellence in sustaining Soil Health, spoke on the biological activity in soils, and the role of Soil microorganisms in biological activity for regulating availability of nutrients to the plant biota.
Presiding over, P. Paramaguru, Dean (Horticulture), explained that soil serves as the major platform for trees and that nearly 2,00,000 different animal species are involved in the pollination of plants. Among them, around 1000 are mammals and birds. Insects like honeybees are the most important groups making pollination.
Indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals on land and on crops hinder the activity of insects by hampering the seed setting. Ultimately, it results in the loss of orchard productivity and plant diversity, he said.
In his special address, Prof. Masilamani elaborated on how the fertile forest soil nourishes variable tree species and shrubs. The ripened fruits and nuts are dispersed widely around the forest by the animals and birds.
Elephants play a strong role in creating the forest trees everywhere. The digestive tracts of the elephants soak and react with hard coats of seeds tending them to soften and germinate, after they fall along with the dung. The dispersal of seeds of plants on arable land is mostly by birds and small animals. Hence, it is our responsibility to care for the birds and animals for the protection of plant diversity, he said.
