The future of soil is in our hands

Our soil is one of our most precious natural resources, requiring protection and conservation. Soil functionality depends largely on the presence of organic matter — specifically the level of organic carbon it contains — which has a positive impact on its fertility and productivity.

To monitor the health of our soils we use different indicators, one of the most relevant being the carbon index. Organic carbon comes from atmospheric carbon, which is fixed by plants through photosynthesis and then secreted through the roots. Grasses such as corn and wheat, as well as mulch, help maintain a healthy carbon balance in the soil.

Conditions that cause soil erosion

We also use models to inform our production methods. Together with the international consultancy Unicampo1 — a team of professionals who also serve as professors at the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Uruguay — Cono's production department developed a model adapting the USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) formula. This helped us determine the different conditions that cause soil erosion.

The USLE expresses the long-term average annual soil loss (in metric tonnes per hectare per year). It considers a set of measurements to establish soil loss per unit area, including soil type, field slope, the grower's crop rotation plan, degree of coverage, tillage type (direct or conventional seeding) and average rainfall in the area. Of all these parameters, only soil type and annual rainfall lie beyond agronomic management.

Preventing nutrient loss

Adapting the model took approximately eight months, during which we gathered as much information as possible in terms of data and soil types from the fields, as well as rainfall and weather records. To calibrate the model, backward rotations were simulated to determine the state of our soils. With the model now adjusted, our plan is to begin implementing it across all our fields. In this way, we will be able to monitor the carbon content of our soils through a balance of inputs and outputs. On this basis, we can create crop rotation plans that allow us to achieve positive balances, avoiding degradation and nutrient loss in our soils.

In turn, crop rotation is supported by cover cropping, whose purpose is to protect the soil from erosion by keeping it covered, and by the systematisation of the fields. The systematisation project consists of three stages:

- A topographic survey of each field and the watershed it belongs to

- A preliminary report with planimetric and altimetric data and field systematisation

- Construction of cultivable terraces for water absorption, drainage channels and new roads

Maintaining soil health

This project seeks to prevent water erosion by minimising the speed of water runoff over the land. It is currently in its third stage, with more than 8,000 hectares completed. All of the above stems from Cono's firm commitment to resource conservation through the sustainability of our production systems. And by preventing depletion and degradation, we seek to preserve these precious resources for future generations. Soil is a fragile system and, once it reaches an advanced level of disturbance, it loses its resilience and cannot recover its productive capacity.

Agronomist Julio César Gonzalvez Fros

Production Manager, Cono Group