Tag: soil properties

Edaphic factor is an abiotic factor relating to the physical or chemical composition of the soil found in a particular area. For example, very alkaline soil may be an edaphic factor limiting the variety of plants growing in a region.

Azotobacter is a well-known free-living nitrogen-fixing bacterium found in soil. Rhizobium is also a nitrogen fixer, but it is symbiotic (living in root nodules), while Nitrobacter is involved in nitrification, not nitrogen fixation.

Oxalophytes are the plants that grow in acidic soil that maintained at pH 5.5 as this enables the plant to absorb nutrients required for the growth.

A good soil is that which allows the water to percolate slowly into groundwater. These soils can remove pollutants and they promote the growth of healthy vegetation, which in turn reduces soil erosion. 

Soil pH is in the range of 6 to 7 for most plants but some prefer acid or alkaline conditions. At this pH soil organic matter and structure is very good. A lot of micro-organisms, that support plant growth can live in the soil at this pH.

Plants and animals aid in the development of a soil through the addition of organic matter. Fungi and bacteria decompose this organic matter into a semi-soluble chemical substance, known as humus. Larger soil organisms, like earthworms, beetles, and termites, vertically redistribute this humus within the mineral matter found beneath the surface of a soil. Humus is the biochemical substance, that makes the upper layers of the soil become dark. It is coloured as dark brown to black. 

Soil pH is important because it influences several soil factors affecting plant growth, such as :

Loam is considered ideal for gardening and agricultural uses, because it retains nutrients well and retains water, while still allowing excess water to drain away. 

Soil water is often referred to as soil moisture. Soil is the amount of water present in the interparticle spaces in the soil and is available to plants. When soil moisture gets depleted, enough water is not available for plants. So they have to apply more pressure in obtaining water from around the soil particles. 

Soil pH is important because it influences several soil factors affecting plant growth, such as (1) soil bacteria, (2) nutrient leaching, (3) nutrient availability, (4) toxic elements and (5) soil structure. Bacterial activity that releases nitrogen from organic matter and certain fertilizers is particularly affected by soil pH, because bacteria operate best in the pH range of 5.5 to 7.0. Plant nutrients leach out of soils with a pH below 5.0 much more rapidly than from soils with values between 5.0 and 7.5. Plant nutrients are generally most available to plants in the pH range 5.5 to 6.5. For most plants, the optimum pH range is from 5.5 to 7.0.