2. Maintenance of agricultural soil

We carry out a research on ways to maintain agricultural soil which provides us with sustainable and rich blessings of the nature. In particular, technical measures are clarified by accumulating measurements taken diligently at agricultural lands from the perspectives of crop growth, quality and physical condition of soil, material circulation, and water circulation. Furthermore, in order to do this, theoretical/experimental results from related fundamental researches are applied.

  1. Creation and maintenance of soil environment suitable for crop growth
    The soil in rice paddies, fields and grasslands where crops are produced changes significantly from works by people. We examine management techniques for maintaining soil environment suitable for crop cultivation.
  2. Soil improvement in rice paddies
    Soil fertility is sustained in a rice paddy by flooding it, but in order to produce high quality rice, farm work system should be reviewed, including soil improvement and water management. We examine improvement techniques that consider movements of nourishing water within the soil.
  3. Drainage improvement in farmlands
    In farmlands, physical conditions such as drainage or water retention characteristics of the soil control the crop growth. In Hokkaido where it is moist and cool, promoting drainage from the soil is particularly important. We pursue a state of farmland soil that would not be affected by climate changes.
  4. Soil erosion suppression and chemical fertilizers
    We clarify the impacts of chemical fertilizers on the soil structure and examine soil erosion suppression measures.

fig_3