Farmers Increasingly Discover Organic Fertilizers: Beneficial for Both Soil and Environment

Lithuanian farmers are increasingly turning to organic fertilizers as a method to enhance soil quality and promote environmental sustainability. These fertilizers are proving to be an effective tool for improving the land's condition, offering benefits that extend beyond immediate crop nutrition.

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Organic fertilizers are not just raw material for humus production, but also ensure better soil structure, improve moisture balance, and water retention in the topsoil. They also stimulate the bioactivity and biodiversity of microorganisms, which also contributes to plant well-being.

According to Andrius Lukoševičius, sales manager at a microelement trading company, concentrated organic fertilizers are key to improving soil. "Organic fertilizers are not just raw material for humus production, but also ensure better soil structure, improve moisture balance, and water retention in the topsoil," he explained. "They also stimulate the bioactivity and biodiversity of microorganisms, which also contributes to plant well-being."

While mineral fertilizers may be cheaper per unit of nutrient, Lukoševičius notes that organic fertilizers provide greater value in the broader farming context. The long-term improvement of soil condition is a significant advantage. He points out that organic fertilizers made from the manure of laying hens are particularly concentrated and highly mineralized, offering the highest market value. For instance, applying 500 kg of specific organic fertilizers per hectare before sowing winter wheat can boost grain yields by about 20%.

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Farms in Europe are increasingly discovering organic fertilizers, which, although more expensive, are more environmentally friendly.

For even more intensive results, plant-based organic fertilizers are recommended. Even in smaller quantities, 200-300 kg per hectare, they can yield significant improvements. These fermented, plant-derived fertilizers have a high mineralization coefficient and can be used in autumn as nitrogen fertilizers, especially for winter rapeseed crops, or for grain crops in fields with straw and low soil nitrogen. The use of organic fertilizers helps soil absorb nutrients more effectively and makes it more resilient to climate change impacts like drought and excess moisture.

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Specific fertilizers stand out for their extremely positive effect on promoting plant growth, for example, by spreading 500 kg of certain fertilizers per hectare of land before sowing winter wheat in autumn, the yield of grain crops can increase by about 20 percent.