Soil health has become one of the key factors underpinning agricultural productivity. As crops remove essential nutrients season after season, interest continues to grow in soil management practices aimed at restoring chemical balance and preserving long-term productive capacity.
By Panorama Minero
In this context, soil remineralization is gaining prominence as a strategy to replenish essential minerals, improve fertility and optimize fertilizer efficiency.
According to Laura Correa, Research and Development Manager at Grupo Calidra, Argentine agricultural soils lose approximately 800,000 tonnes of calcium and 400,000 tonnes of magnesium each year as a result of farming activity, a depletion that must be offset to sustain productivity.
The issue extends well beyond Argentina. It is estimated that between 25% and 30% of the world's soils are affected by some degree of acidification, a condition that reduces nutrient availability and limits crop productivity.
"Soil acidification reduces nutrient availability for crops. Correcting soil pH is essential to ensure that minerals become available for plant uptake, ultimately improving productivity," said Adrián Marcolín, Agricultural Sales Representative at Calidra Argentina.
In addition to nutrient removal by crops, the intensive use of certain fertilizers can also contribute to soil acidification. Against this backdrop, mineral amendments based on calcium carbonate and calcium magnesium carbonate (dolomite) have become one of the most widely used solutions to correct soil acidity and restore essential nutrients.
"Soil remineralization means returning essential minerals to the soil in order to restore its chemical balance and productive capacity," Correa explained.
Based on field experience, specialists note that restoring soil chemical balance generally leads to improved fertilizer efficiency, higher crop yields and a more sustainable use of agricultural resources.
Within this segment, Grupo Calidra develops products including Calcium Carbonate, Dolomite, Super Sulfur S18 and the 70/30 Blend, all designed to replenish nutrients and help maintain soil fertility.
"Agricultural lime and dolomite amendments will play an increasingly important role in improving the sustainability and efficiency of agricultural production systems," Marcolín concluded.
