All productive soils are must be fertile, but all fertile soils may not be productive

All productive soils are must be fertile, but all fertile soils may not be productive

Soil productivity and soil fertility are two terms which always create confusion in our minds. Soil fertility is the status or the inherent capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to plants in adequate amounts and in suitable proportions. It does not include the climatic condition and production management of crops. It is the potential status of the soil to produce crops. It depends upon physical, chemical and biological factors of soil. The fertility of a certain soil is same in all the climates. It refers only the status or the inherent capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to plants in adequate amounts and in suitable proportions. 

On the other hand, Soil productivity is the capacity of the soil to produce crops with specific systems of management (e.g Irrigation, pesticide application, fertilizer & manure application, weeding, gap filling, thinning, pruning etc.)  and is expressed in terms of yields. It is a broader term used to indicate crop yields. It’s the resultant of various factors influencing soil management. It can be assessed in the field under particular climate conditions. It depends upon location, fertility, physical conditions etc. It is not an inherent property of soil. Soil productivity differs according to the variations in climate and location. 

All productive soils are must be fertile, but all fertile soils need not be productive. It may be due to some problems like water logging, saline or alkaline condition, adverse climate etc. Under these conditions, crop growth is restricted though the soil has sufficient amounts of nutrients. We can easily understand this two terms in following equation-

i. Soil fertility is the function of available nutrients of soil fertility = f (Nutrient status of Soil)

ii.Soil Productivity = f (Soil fertility + Management + Climate)

Above all discussion we can say that, all productive soils are must be fertile, but all fertile soils may not be productive.