Zagon 01 2018. indd

ORGANIC FERTILIZER IS AN EFFECTIVE FACTOR OF SOIL IMPROVEMENT 
AND AN INDUCTOR OF ITS SUPPRESSIVE CAPACITY
M.S. Sokolov
1
, Yu.Ya. Spidironov
1
, A.P. Glinushkin
1
, E.Yu. Toropova
1,2
1
All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology, ul. Institut, vl. 5, r.p. Bol’shie Vyazemy, Odintsovskii r-n, Moskovskaya 
obl.,143050, Russian Federation
2
Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, ul. Dobrolyubova, 160, Novosibirsk, 630039, Russian Federation
Abstract. It is substantiated the necessity of increasing the use of organic fertilizers as a long-term, fundamental factor in stabilizing 
agricultural production, increasing the overall resistance of agro-ecosystems to different stressors, and also as the primary means 
of replenishment and reproduction of soil humus, and the obligatory condition of maintaining its health. The importance of soil 
improvement through induction of humification with the systematic application of organic fertilizers is demonstrated. The principal 
reasons of dehumification of treated soil are under consideration, the functional significance and diverse biotope ecological 
functions of humus and other organic natural products are analyzed, as well as their contribution to the sustainable functioning of 
terrestrial soil ecosystems. The features of organic fertilizers application in different cropping systems, including green manure 
fallows, as well as the techniques to maintain the soil humus are discussed. The high efficiency of these fertilizers in suppressing 
soil or root-tuber phytopathogens, in inducing the number of antagonists and increasing the suppressive capacity of the soil 
is shown. It is demonstrated that with the increased content of humus in the soil due to the growth of its suppressive activity a 
higher threshold level of phytopathogen population is admissible, which does not lead to a reduction of yield of the crop. It is 
considered the conditions and peculiarities of effective application of the organic fertilizers of the main types and forms: straw, 
root and crop residues, green manure crops, compost, various heat-recovery fertilizers – decontaminated waste products of farm 
animals, as well as non-traditional organic fertilizers (humic acid, charcoal, small organic and organic and mineral fertilizers, peat, 
sapropel). The potential reserves of Russia and the nutritional value of fossil, agrogenic, recycling and biotech organic fertilizers 
are discussed. It is criticized the unacceptably low level of their use in Russia, it is presented prospects and ways to increase the 
use of organic fertilizers with an emphasis on such reproducible, eco-friendly and cost-effective fertilizers as green manure crops, 
straw, stubble residues.
Keywords: humus; soil organic matter; organic fertilizer; resources of fertilizers; green manure crops; suppressive capacity; soil 
health; plant pathogens; humification; dehumification.