AGRICULTURE REPORT - Compost: an Organic Way to Better Soil

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Compost: an Organic¹ Way to Better Soil and Crops
By Gary Garriott

Broadcast: Tuesday, July 05, 2005

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

 
 
Many farmers improve their soil, and their crops, with compost. Composting is the mixing of plant or animal wastes so they break down and produce simpler substances that make the soil rich.

Compost is an example of a natural fertilizer². Farmers add compost to their soil instead of burning the plant and animal wastes or throwing them away.

During the growing season, plants take gases from the air such as carbon, hydrogen³ and oxygen. They combine these gases with minerals from the soil.

After the growing season ends, many parts of the plant die. Farmers gather a large amount of dead plant materials into compost piles. They may add animal wastes. They must add water so the materials will break down, or decay⁴.

Soon the plants are attacked by insects and organisms⁵ including worms and bacteria. Oxygen helps the organisms change the plant materials more rapidly. The plants decay into a mixture that can be spread on the farmland where the crops are growing. The compost returns nutrients⁶ to the soil.

Some rules need to be followed to produce the best quality compost. Good compost piles need water to speed the process of decay. Yet the piles should not be too wet or the plant material will be ruined.

The temperature of the compost pile should not be too high or too low. The best temperature for a compost pile is about thirty to thirty-seven degrees Celsius⁷. You can turn the pile over and over to help cool down the material. Turning the compost pile over adds more oxygen to the mixture which helps it decay.

Sometimes small animals such as rats and mice like to eat the composting materials. This can be prevented if you add a thin amount of soil to the top of the compost pile.

Internet users⁸ can find more information about composting from Volunteers in Technical Assistance⁹, or VITA. VITA is an organization based in the United States. It helps people around the world use science and technology to solve problems. The address of its Web site is vita.org.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Gary Garriott. Our reports are online at www.unsv.com. I'm Gwen Outen.

1 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

2 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

3 hydrogen   

n.氢元素，氢气

参考例句：

• Water is made up of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.水由氢和氧的原子构成。
• A chemist can isolate the oxygen from the hydrogen in water.一个化学家能把水中的氧和氢分解。

4 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

5 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

9 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。