🌱 1. Boost Organic Matter

• Add Compost Regularly: Use municipal compost or farm-made organic compost to increase water-holding capacity and microbial life.
• Apply Farmyard Manure: Properly composted cow, goat, or poultry manure improves fertility and soil structure.

🌾 2. Grow Cover Crops (Under Shade or Greenhouses)

• Leguminous cover crops like alfalfa or cowpea help fix nitrogen and add biomass when grown in suitable seasons or protected areas.

🧪 3. Conduct Soil Testing

• Essential to check for salinity, pH (usually alkaline), and nutrient levels.
• Use results to guide site-specific fertilization (NPK + micronutrients).

🧂 4. Manage Soil Salinity

• Use gypsum (calcium sulfate) to help displace sodium and improve soil structure.
• Apply fresh water irrigation (low EC) to flush salts from the root zone—best done via drip irrigation.

💧 5. Improve Water Retention

• Add biochar, vermiculite, or peat to increase moisture retention.
• Use mulching (plastic or organic) to reduce evaporation losses.

🪱 6. Encourage Microbial Activity

• Add beneficial microbes like Azospirillum, Rhizobium, or mycorrhizal fungi.
• Avoid excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides that harm microbial populations.

🧑‍🌾 7. Use Controlled-Release or Liquid Fertilizers

• Helps prevent nutrient leaching in sandy soils.
• Ideal for drip systems commonly used in UAE farms.

🌿 8. Apply Micronutrients

• UAE soils are often deficient in zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), boron (B), and manganese (Mn).
• Use foliar sprays or soil-applied chelated micronutrients as per soil/lab analysis.

🌾 9. Grow Salt-Tolerant Crops

• If dealing with high salinity, grow crops like:
  • Barley, quinoa, date palms
  • Salicornia (halophyte used for forage or biofuel)

🏜️ 10. Protect Against Wind and Heat

• Use windbreaks (like Casuarina or Prosopis) to protect the soil from erosion.
• Shade nets or greenhouse structures help reduce evapotranspiration.

✔️ Recommended Soil Inputs for UAE Farmers