The scientific community and most mainstream agriculturalists typically design fertilizer recommendations to provide a ‘sufficient level of available nutrients’ to meet the annual N, P and K requirements of common field crops. Soil balancing is another approach to managing soil fertility that focuses on the levels of Ca, Mg and K to achieve a desired base cation saturation ratio (BCSR). Soil balancing is believed to be practiced frequently by organic and other alternative farmers but is viewed skeptically by conventional agricultural scientists due to a lack of support for the idea in the published scientific literature. This study represents a pioneering effort to collect systematic data on the extent of soil balancing, how it is practiced and the types of outcomes reported by organic farmers. Our survey of over 850 farmers who grow certified organic corn in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that over half report using a soil-balancing approach based on BCSR. Their practice of soil balancing frequently includes more than management of base cations, but also uses a wide range of soil amendment products (such as purchased organic NPK fertilizers, micronutrients, microbial stimulants and soil inoculants) other than those applied specifically for cation balance. Farms that rely on vegetable and dairy production for most of their income, and Amish farmers who rely on horses for fieldwork, were more likely to report using a soil-balancing program. Self-described soil balancers perceived positive agronomic outcomes from the use of a BCSR program, including improvements in soil physical and biological properties and improved crop health and quality. Although farmers in our study report extensive use and positive perceived outcomes from soil-balancing methods, the scientific research literature has been unable to reproduce evidence that manipulating soil base cation levels has any systematic effect on crop yield. Future research could consider the interacting effects of BCSR with other field management practices to more closely approximate the actual practices of farmers.

中文翻译：

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有机玉米农户土壤平衡的流行与实践

科学界和大多数主流农学家通常会设计肥料建议，以提供“足够水平的可用养分”，以满足普通大田作物的年度 N、P 和 K 需求。土壤平衡是管理土壤肥力的另一种方法，它侧重于钙、镁和钾的水平，以实现所需的碱基阳离子饱和比 (BCSR)。土壤平衡被认为是有机农民和其他替代农民经常进行的，但由于在已发表的科学文献中缺乏对这一想法的支持，传统农业科学家对此持怀疑态度。这项研究代表了一项开创性的努力，旨在收集有关土壤平衡程度、实践方式以及有机农民报告的结果类型的系统数据。我们对印第安纳州、密歇根州、俄亥俄州和宾夕法尼亚州的 850 多名种植有机认证玉米的农民进行的调查发现，超过一半的农民使用基于 BCSR 的土壤平衡方法。他们的土壤平衡实践通常不仅包括对基础阳离子的管理，而且还使用各种土壤改良产品（例如购买的有机 NPK 肥料、微量营养素、微生物刺激剂和土壤接种剂），而不是专门用于阳离子平衡的那些。大部分收入依靠蔬菜和奶制品生产的农场，以及依靠马进行田间作业的阿米什农民更有可能报告使用土壤平衡计划。自我描述的土壤平衡者认为使用 BCSR 程序会产生积极的农艺结果，包括改善土壤物理和生物特性以及改善作物健康和质量。尽管我们研究中的农民报告了土壤平衡方法的广泛使用和积极的感知结果，但科学研究文献无法重现证据表明操纵土壤基础阳离子水平对作物产量有任何系统性影响。未来的研究可以考虑 BCSR 与其他田间管理实践的相互作用，以更接近农民的实际实践。